Progress so far with the 1/24 Stuka build from Airfix.

I built up and painted the engine and cockpit assemblies and clear coated the same. I intend to add a wash and then accent some parts so that they stand out.

The fuselage dry fitted and taped with the cockpit and engine also dry fitted. I won’t cement the parts together until painting and weathering completed. I used tape to make the mesh seat and that will be painted plus some scratch built wiring and seat belts to be made up and added. All in all a nice build so far despite being knocked over by the cats. Christmas Day was a quiet one, just Sue and I enjoying a lovely cooked dinner, too many mince pies and chocolates but all in all an enjoyable day. Glasses raised to absent family and friends, Sue’s orange juice and the one beer for me.  One of the non-modelling presents I received is a nice gardener’s almanac from the National Trust. Apart from the usual tips and guidance the notes section is a good idea for what has been planted, when and where as well odd jobs around the garden and hints about long term projects. As I write this the forecast is for very cold, wintry weather and possible snow in many areas, so winter is finally coming in. Also as I write I am surrounded by four of the cats sleeping in their respective cardboard boxes which they all love. There are cardboard boxes scattered everywhere as they prefer these to the comfy beds we bought them and we have since donated to cat charities. They do like their cat tree which is now looking a bit worse for wear.

The Feliway will be plugged in tomorrow to tide the cats over the next week although fireworks have been going off since yesterday.We also have a leak from the washing machine which we have tried to sort out and will try again tomorrow. A watery kitchen floor and curious cats is never a good mix! All in all, a quiet peaceful Christmas with no dramas and perfect weather for modelling. I hope your Christmas went well and you received everything you wanted.

TTFN.

 

 

I have started work on the engine for the 1/24 scale Junkers Ju 87 and so far it has gone well. Some paints brushed on and parts dry fitted plus filler of CA flexi glue on the seams. I will clean those up later today and continue to add paint. Plenty of research so far on the engine itself and as per usual, contradictory guidance on colours of the engine and parts. I’m not sure whether I will have the engine on display but given I have started painting the crew members I guess it will be shut away. I don’t have to attend so much to the engine but I am a modeller, so I will. The three biplane builds are pretty much finished and the Heinkel He 111b I recently built has been repaired after I dropped it. I now need to find display space for them all.

Sue had her hospital appointment for an annual checkup and traffic was madness, pure madness. A week before Xmas and panic has set in and we also popped in to Tesco to sort her phone out. No problems there but she will be gifted No.1 son’s old phone next year as her current phone will no longer be compatible with 4 and 5G. But the madness in the shop every Xmas never fails to amaze me. It’s two days and I was astonished to learn that Tesco is open on Boxing Day so those poor workers don’t get a break, just the one day. The amount of trolleys piled with shopping and the amount of alcohol being sold is astonishing. We have a few things still to buy and we’ll pop into our local shop Monday morning, get the few things we need with our nectar points and escape. It’s generally salad foods, cat food as always, milk, bread, soda water and lemonade although I might buy a couple of bottles of my favourite beer. That will be it as meat and veg are in the freezer having been purchased a few weeks ago. No.1 son is in Sweden and back in a couple of weeks so this Xmas just the two of us and the feline tribe…quiet bliss. There’ll be no work on the building sites over the week so it really will be quiet. One Xmas present was opened early, a new laser pointer for the Freds (Wilf and Winnie) as that keeps them occupied but Maisie also loves it and she has a new lease of life for an older cat.

I also found a website after a recommendation from someone, I can’t remember whom but thank you as it will be a life saver. I bought a new shoe horn but also some flexi shoelaces which I have now tied into my walking boots. My back, left hip and knees mean I have difficulties getting my left shoe on and laced up. I bought some robust slip on shoes but they are good for general everyday walking. I can once again use my walking boots so I will be going out more next year but I will start off with short easy walks. I miss visiting old churches, sites of historical interest and generally enjoying the  countryside. Essential aids is the website and looking through made me realise I really am an old bugger having now reached 65 years! But at least I made it having seen friends and acquaintances sadly fall along the wayside and at much younger ages. I am also trying an experiment and going coffee free for a week and seeing what impact it has on my sleep. Tea and squash are currently my preferred drinks of choice although I had a bottle of cider t’other night that was very tasty. I hope the run up to Xmas is going well for you all and is stress free.

TTFN.

 Well, I am astonished as the nearly fifty year old toasty decals went on with few problems other than the protective paper has stuck to them in places. I used plain warm water to lay them down but I have given them a coat of Microsol to ensure they set and it might remove some of that protective film. I will leave it well alone now for a day or so to see what effect it has.

The model is 95% complete apart from some rigging at the back, the usual aerials and to address the decals and some salty weathering. I think this build has sat there for three or more months now and I struggled to build it. I might have grown fed up with the build and opted for other quicker builds but I have no idea why I was ambivalent about completing it. I am glad I persevered and there are now just the two small biplanes to complete. I will rig them with stretched sprue given the issues I have had rigging with elastic thread and CA glues. I have also made a start on the figures with the Stuka kit, a base coat of black and then glazing with the other paints, hopefully building up the layers.

It’s hard to believe it is less than three weeks to Christmas as the weather is wet and mild here. Apart from the annoying seasonal propaganda adverts of perfect lives in an alternate universe it really doesn’t feel Christmassy at all. Even my favourite Scrooge film with Alistair Sims didn’t move me to seasonal feelings. No.1 son will be away in Sweden and Sue and I will enjoy a small dinner on the day itself. Gifts have been sorted but apart from the neighbours and family I shan’t send my cards out, I will donate to charity instead. She refused my suggestion of a Christmas curry and my argument “It’s what Jesus would have wanted” did not sway her! He was probably born in March or July so we are celebrating Modranecht, Jule or Saturnalia as that made the early Christian imposition on existing festivals more acceptable to the general populace. A festival of light, feasting and general frivolity during the longest, darkest and coldest nights sounds fine to me. But not the bloody endless awful adverts that pop up everywhere. 

TTFN.

 He’s back, in fact Ash has popped by yesterday and today but we haven’t let him in after the conniptions from four of our five moggies. Even Maisie who is usually quite phlegmatic about life was upset by his visit. To add to the fun today Winnie escaped but I quickly got her back in.

I am slowly getting there with the little Tiger Moth having attached the upper wing to the struts but it took several attempts and taped into place to ensure it maintains position and the struts don’t disconnect. I completed that yesterday but left it well alone until today with a small touch of spruce goo at the connecting points on the struts for extra strength. The fragile undercarriage is cemented together but again the struts have to be manipulated into place and held there. Lots of patience required and I will continue with it tomorrow whilst I attend to the other two builds today. All is quiet, the cats are sleeping or out and about, Jethro Tull playing quietly in the background and a welcome coffee at hand. 

Sue was searching for something yesterday and she opened the large pouffe in the front room where we discovered lots of forgotten treasures. I found an old ‘Food for Free’ book by Richard Mabey, a pocket sized book with guidance to edible plants, fungi, berries and shellfish. Suitable health and safety advice included! But I can’t recall buying this so it must be from many years ago. The usual Elder, Nettles and Rosehips are there but many others and it is fascinating with preparation and recipes included as well.We also found old computer games that Sue used to play plus stacks of DVD’s. Despite a clear out of unwanted stuff a couple of years ago there is obviously more that can be donated to charity shops or binned, perhaps some recycled. I recycle the large cat food boxes into display shelves for my models or for the model desk. I feel a new year clear out might be required.

Sue has put the Christmas tree up with the lights on but no baubles as the cats chase them around the house. Each morning we wake up to a variety of things scattered on various floors including the sealant from the double glazed windows which the two little Freds love and Winnie has taken to chewing curtains and rugs. I am hopeful that once she is going out again this behaviour will stop and we still have to maintain UN duties as Mindy continues to stalk and attack her whilst she in turn is stalked and attacked by Wilf! Bets on how long the tree will stay up before succumbing to feline savagery!

TTFN.

 

The latest new release from Airfix amidst some controversy as a couple of ‘professional’ modellers received advance kits and identified some potentially serious issues with the plastic parts. Having watched many videos including some initial builds of the engine, a modeller whose channel I follow provided a link to buy the new kit at a discounted price. Like catnip to cats and bribes to politicians I was on it immediately.  £20 off and a bargain. Having looked at the sprues and various parts I can only concur with many other modellers who have received this kit, it is simply marvellous. Exquisite moulding, incredible details and no issues whatsoever with the kit. I am delighted with this and just to give you an idea of the size of the kit at 1/24 scale I have pictured some parts with a 1/72 scale Spitfire I built.

It is the same scale as the Stuka I bought and my plan is to build that first as the Stuka is an older kit originally tooled in 1975. It is also bigger than the Me 109 and is likely to need more skill to do it justice. Where will I display them? I will cross that bridge when I come to it but I saw a picture of someone’s display of completed aircraft and they certainly have a novel idea I hadn’t considered. 

I have made more progress on the Stranraer and the Gloster Gauntlet and I should have them completed in the next few days. The little red and yellow Tiger Moth is proving to be a headache with the wings and struts collapsing after several attempts to cement them together. I really need to make a jig of some sort to support the wings when cementing them together. Once those three are completed I can make a start on the Stuka and that is likely to take me a couple of months to complete. Given its size I may need to buy more paints!

TTFN.