Yes, its true. I've pulled the T-2 out of limbo.
Don't believe me, well check out "On The Bench" for an update.
Can I stick to it this time around, well I'm not gonna even speculate about that (given my past track record).
I will say, I am enjoying working on it, so thats gotta be a good thing.
So what triggered this revival I hear you say ? To be honest it was purely because I was waiting for several bit and pieces to arrive for my next project (all in good time).
Almost all of that has now arrived, but still I feel "obliged" to stick with the T-2.
Now don't go asking me about the AH-64 or (gasp) the Wedgetail :). One day ....
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| When did you last clean your Compressor ? |
| 11 July 2010 |
So with the Tojo complete, I've had a bit of a modeling break.
Last weekend I decided to do a spring clean (in the middle of an Australian winter) of my modeling equipment.
I cleaned the airbrush, tools etc and the bench in general. I then swept under the desk and noticed the compressor. Covered in dust and looking
fairly neglected.
I've had this compressor for many years and apart from occasionally topping up the oil, I never touch it.
Well being in a cleaning mood, I pulled it out and gave it a wipe etc. That was good for the outside, but I wondered what (if anything) lurked on the inside of the tank.
So I began to pull apart the various attachments. Eventually I got everything off and could gain limted access to the air tank. I noticed some fluid leaking out
and decided to tip the whole thing on its side to see what would come out. Well ...
As you can see, there was a considerable amount of "gunk" in the bottom of the tank. Its mainly water, but there is also some oil (leakage from the compressor I assume).
The cotton buds were used to unclog the small outlet I had to drain the stuff out with.
So, if like me, you have not looked at your compressor for some time, I'd advise you schedule some downtime soon :)
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| Tojo Completion |
| 28 June 2010 |
So for better or for worse, the Tojo is now finished.
It was really good to have it finished for the club meet on Saturday. Whats more, I managed to finish it comfortably time wise and did not feel rushed.
I was also very happy with how the new base turned out and I guess I'm satisfied with the figures. I'm no figure modeler and as long as they don't detract from the airplane, thats all I ask :)
So if you're wondering what I'm gonna work on next, well for now, you'll have to keep wondering !!
I'm pretty sure it will be another large scale A/C, from WWII, USAF and be in a natural metal finish. Any guesses ? (and no its not a P-51)
Oh and a special thanks to those that have reached out and emailed me. It really makes a difference knowing that people read this stuff. So, if you do read this stuff and have never emailed me, what are you waiting for ??
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| Tojo Progress |
| 14 June 2010 |
Well with some concerted effort this last week (and a long weekend here in Australia), I have made some solid propress on the Tojo.
I've learned a LOT about how to work with Alclad and masking over and around it.
I'm happy enough with how its looking as it's about a 80% match for what I "wanted" or imagined it would look like.
I don't know about other modelers, but before I start a model I always have a fairly clear picture in my mind on how I'd like it to look.
If I can get it close to that "vision" then I am generally satisfied.
Greg also put me onto a new figure from Wolfpack that is designed specifically for this Tojo.
I've ordered one from Sprue Brothers and hopefully it should make it here in time for me to assemble and paint prior to the next IPMS meet on 26 June.
I also plan to make a new display base for this model and figures which should be interesting :)
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| Singapore Trip |
| 30 May 2010 |
Now my recent trip to Singapore was of course strictly for business.
However ... as I was there over a weekend, I did take some time (make that all day Saturday) to visit the local hobby shops.
I have been to Singapore many times before, so I can find my way around on the ground and MRT (trains).
I also know, that almost all shops (and it seems particularly hobby shops) do not open till after 11am.
Not too worry as they don't close until 9-10pm. So you still have plenty of shopping hours.
Did I buy anything ? Well yes, I suppose I did. Maybe a few things. Nothing too big.
The thing that did strike me was the sad state of the hobby shops. Seems just like in Australia, local hobby shops are struggling to compete
with the likes of Hobby Link Japan, Hannants, Great Models Webstore etc.
So you see, I feel that I did my part in helping keep those shops alive a little longer (hopefully till my next visit).
If you are going to visit Singapore and want the low-down on the best shops and how to find them, drop me a line.
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| Website Problems |
| 30 May 2010 |
Apologies to anyone who tried to access my website over the last few weeks and got the, less then helpful, message "Your Account is Suspended".
It caught me completely by surprise and was due (after much digging with my hosting company) to me not being in their billing system.
Once we realised what was wrong, it was a simple case of signing up online and paying for next year and all was back to normal.
It seems I have not been in the system for at least two years and as a result had not paid !!
To his credit, Brett Deason (of deasoft.com) did not chase me for the past payments, rather he focused on getting things backup and moving forward.
The reason all this took so long to rectify was the hosting server is in the US and I am of course in Australia. All our communications suffered from the timezone differnce which
dragged things out.
All is good now.
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| Slow Ki44 Progress and my Second Big Kit Sell Off |
| 26 April 2010 |
Slow progress is being made on the Tojo. Unfortunately I'm not going to have it ready for the show next Saturday.
As you can see from today's update, loads of small things have been done, which when I stand there and look at it feels like no progress at all.
Well its all been primed now and I'm hoping that once painting starts all this prep work will pay off and it will come together quickly.
With the local IPMS meeting last Saturday, I decided to do an autumn clean (not spring here yet) on my kit collection.
Like many of you, I have more than 10 lifetimes of stored kits in my un-built collection. From time to time, a rational thought pops into my head and
says "Get real dude, you are never gonna build any of these kits. Get rid of them !!"
I normally ignore this voice, but every so often (twice so far) I listen to it.
And so it was that some 100+ kits when up for sale. Many never even made it to the club (thanks Renato) and those that did, were gratefully (and greedily)
consumed by the club members.
It actually feels good as I think I'm a bit more in control of the hobby, rather than the other way round. !!
Hmmm, who the hell am I kidding..
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| New Model Started. Hasegawa 1/32 Ki44 TOJO |
| 04 April 2010 |
As an experiment I will be trying a more BLOG style home page moving forward. Even when I am not actively modeling, there is normally some sort of hobby related
activity going on (research, purchasing (too often) etc ...).
Like most Blogs on the internet, I'm sure that each of you reading this will find some of it interesting and
plenty of it not interesting. Thats ok.
How often will I update it ? Dunno. What will it be about ? Well dunno exactly, but it will be related to my modeling.
So as you can see, I've clearly thought this out (ummm, not...).
Enough of that, onto todays news. I have started a new model !!
I had originally purchased the first boxing of the new tooling of the 1/32 Tojo. I have to say this was am impulse buy because whilst I liked the look of the aircraft the markings and
paint schemes provided in the original boxing did not appeal to me at all.
So it sat in the stash until I stumbled across the second boxing on HLJ. This one grabbed me immediately. The box art just did it all !!
The 40mm cannons and sexy red coloring just got my juices (creative that is) flowing.
So I'm happy say that I've updated the "On The Bench" section with a new page for this model.
I am going to try and finish this kit in time for the Illawara Club event (in early May).
It will be (mostly) out of the box and based on my progress to date, I'm quietly confident of meeting the deadline.
Hey, thanks for reading this far and for visting my website in the first place. If you didn't come I wouldn't bother to keep doing it :)
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