Author: Iron Modeler

Not much to share…except an old article and build

I think I'm still in a rut from the long hours and days. A sort of writer's block has set in–it isn't that I don't know what I want to write, it is just that when I get to actually doing it, I am not satisfied with the results. So, I'll continue to write drafts and tweak them.

In the meantime, here's an article I wrote soon after I relocated to SC in 2001. Apologies for the quality of the photos, they were taken with equipment from that vintage, and technology has increased a hundred-fold in that time.

Condor Legion Stuka: Building Special Hobby’s 1/48 Ju-87A

Mention the word “Stuka” to the casual student of World War II, and they’ll probably know that you are referring to the Ju-87 dive bomber. Many people do not realize that the Ju-87 received its baptism of fire in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and many more do not realize that the aircraft was nearing obsolescence by the outbreak of the Second World War.

The work on what would become the Ju-87 was started in late 1933. Under the leadership of Dipl. Ing. Hermann Pohlmann, what emerged from the drawing boards was a twin-tailed, gull-winged aircraft with a fixed, spatted landing gear. A wooden mock-up was ready for RLM inspection in late 1934, and the Ju-87V-1 prototype took to the air in September 1935. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine, the V-1 displayed relatively good flight characteristics, the exception being an engine overheating problem. An enlarged chin radiator was fitted, and flight testing continued until January 1936, when the aircraft crashed. The cause was soon traced to the lack of an underwing dive brake, and additional studies cast suspicion on the twin-tailed arrangement.

The Ju-87V-2 emerged with a redesigned tail section and a Jumo 210 powerplant. The flight testing continued through the Ju-87V-4 airframe–it was the V-4 that introduced underwing dive brakes and an automatic pull-out system that would recover the aircraft in the event the pilot blacked out during the bomb run. From the V-4, the cowling was redesigned, the tail surfaces squared off, and a more powerful version of the Jumo 210 installed. It was the resulting airframe that went into production as the Ju-87A.

After the factory flight testing was concluded, three Ju-87A-1 airframes were delivered to Kampfgruppe K.88 of the Legion Condor in Spain. Seeing combat for the first time in February 1938, the aircraft went on to acquit itself well in the skies over Spain. Combat aircrews were rotated frequently so as to gain as much experience as was possible. The legend of the Stuka was being born.

Special Hobby’s kit was one that was much anticipated, and what you get is quite impressive. The plastic parts are nicely molded with little flash. The surface details are quite nice–perhaps a bit too restrained, as even a light sanding erases some panel lines. Of course, it is probably more desirable to have to rescribe lost detail than it is to fill trenches . . .

The resin parts are well cast, with no molding flash at all. A curious addition is a set of resin wheels–the plastic parts for the wheel spats have wheels and tires molded on them, and the instructions make no mention of the resin wheels. I was quite happy to have them, as they do look more realistic than the “half-wheels” molded into the spats do. However, why, after providing such well done resin parts, does the builder have to do so much scratchbuilding in the cockpit? More anon . . .

The decals were well printed and in register. They allow the builder to model a machine from St.G 163 in Spain or an aircraft from Schlachtgeschwader 102 during the winter of 1943/1944. Since I have an interest in the machines of the Spanish Civil War, you can guess which option I chose . . .

When I start a limited-run kit like this, I usually begin by cutting the major parts from the sprue and taping the majority of the airframe parts together to see how everything fits. I used a #13 saw blade in my hobby knife handle–this is especially useful in limited run kits where the sprue tends to be rather beefy. A hobby knife can be used, but there are some places where this is somewhat akin to cutting down every tree in the forest with a herring . . .

The first thing I noticed was the thickness of the trailing edges of the wings. Easily remedied, I simply laid the parts flat on a sheet of sandpaper and rubbed them down slowly, a la a vac-form kit. Work slowly. You will be rewarded for your patience. I also rubbed the fuselage halves down slightly to get a good mating surface to the fuselage halves. Test-fit the wing and fuselage together–I found a slight mismatch at the wing root stub on the fuselage that I dealt with by doing a bit of light sanding. The horizontal stabs looked quite nice, and after truing up the root and tip ends to get as tight a fit as possible, I set them aside for later. Test-fit and sand, test-fit and sand some more . . .

The resin cockpit sidewalls and floor are quite nice. I removed the pour stubs from the sidewalls by scoring repeatedly with a new #11 blade, then gently snapping the stub off. A few swipes with a sanding stick, and that is done. Rather than building up the cockpit as a tub (follow the instructions? Hah!), I decided to epoxy the sidewalls to the insides of the fuselage halves and fit the floor from below once the fuselage was together. This actually worked out quite well, as I was able to get the sidewalls lined up with the cockpit sill and get the floor to fit tightly with little fuss. I did have to remove a bit of the pour stub from the floor underside so the wing would fit properly. I use a #13 blade for this as well. It works quite nicely. Once the cockpit parts were cleaned up and test-fitted, I went about the process of scratchbuilding the parts that Special Hobby didn’t provide. These include the roll-over structure behind the pilot, the rear gun elevation gear, and the pilot’s crash pad at the instrument panel. Consulting references, I noted that what Special Hobby shows you and what the actual roll-over structure looked like were two very different things. The actual structure consists of a roll bar and several vertical bars, looking somewhat like a prison cell door! I replicated this by first cutting the roll bar from .060" styrene card, attaching this to a suitably modified (by cutting the upper works off) Hasegawa Stuka bulkhead, then adding the vertical bars using stretched sprue. I also used stretched sprue for the gun elevation gear, using the plans as a reference. I couldn’t get a really good photo of the actual assembly, and from the few photos that I did have, it appears that the kit plans are as close as I was going to get. I did remember to build the elevation gear in such a manner as to allow me the luxury of installing the cockpit floor from underneath without having to fish various parts in through the cockpit opening.

As for the painting instructions, I found through research that Special Hobby’s call for a mix of RLM 02 and RLM 66 wasn’t correct. Instead, the cockpit was completely painted in RLM 02, including the instrument panel. I like to use acrylic paints, so I mixed up some PollyScale RLM 02 and sprayed away–I also sprayed the area around the radiator. Don’t forget the rudder pedals! After the paint had dried, I weathered the cockpit slightly with a dusting of pastels and a dark wash. For the wash, I used a bit of Burnt Sienna oil paint over a coat of Future. The Future acts as a barrier between the PollyScale acrylic and the linseed oil of the oil paint. When the wash was dry, I overcoated with clear flat (I like PollyScale’s, but Gunze Sanyo’s works well, too) and then applied the pastels. I picked out some of the details with paint, and highlighted some areas that would see some wear with a Prismacolor silver pencil. If you haven’t tried this, it is easy–simply graze the raised detail with the pencil, and apply a sealer coat of clear gloss of flat. The pencil affords great control over where the chipping will be located. The instrument bezels were picked out in PollyScale’s RLM 66 (a nice scale black shade) and when dry, a drop of Future was placed in each instrument face to simulate a glass lens. The machine gun was first painted with flat black and when the black was dry, I used the polishing cloth that comes with the SnJ Spray Metal kits to apply the metallic highlights. If you don’t have an SnJ kit, get a small square of flannel and some artists’ aluminum powder. Dip the flannel into the powder and rub the flannel on a sheet of paper until it leaves a black smudge. Then use the flannel to rub down the part–enough powder remains on the cloth to impart a dull metallic luster to the weapon. Neat trick, huh? You can also use the same trick to highlight cooling fin detail on a radial engine, but that’s another story for another time . . .

With the major parts cleaned up and the cockpit nearly complete, I turned my attention to the wheel spats. As molded, they have half-wheels molded integrally to the spats. This may be cheap to do, but it is most unrealistic. Seeing as the kit provides resin wheels / tires, I went the extra mile and removed the molded in ones. Cut them off with a sprue nipper, then using a knife, files, and sandpaper, work on the inside of the spats until the resin items will fit properly inside. It took a lot of sanding and test-fitting, but the end result was more than worth it. I added a sheet plastic shelf inside so the wheels would have something positive to locate to, but if you are industrious, you could build up gear struts and actually remove the lower part of the spats, as this area tended to collect mud and was often removed in service. I chickened out and left well enough alone. I assembled the spats (I left the resin wheels off until later–what, d’ya think I’d go to all that work just to have to carefully paint the wheels after they’ve been installed?) And set them aside to dry.

Before we begin assembly, a word on glues and cements. I am old-fashioned and like to use good old solvent cement for most of my building. I like Ambroid’s ProWeld, but Tenax is also good. When I do need an alternate, I’ll use Bob Smith Industries’ super glues and epoxies. I also like to use white (PVA) glue for a lot of chores as well–for that, I find Pacer Technologies’ Formula 560 Canopy glue is good, but good old-fashioned Elmer’s works too . . .

Now came the time to begin some assembly. First, though, you’ll want to paint the resin radiator–I used the flat black and SnJ cloth trick here, then test-fit the resin radiator into the fuselage halves. You may have to sand a bit to eliminate gaps–any small gaps can be dealt with quite easily with a bit of white (PVA) glue. I’m telling you this so you won’t forget to install the radiator–it doesn’t quite want to go in there after the fuselage is closed up, so do it now!

The first thing I did was to temporarily tack-glue the horizontal stabs to their root stubs. I drilled through the fuselage from the inside until I had drilled into the stabs. I later added wire pins to help reinforce the stab-to fuselage joints–it is easier to do the drilling now, though. Since you have already trued up the mating edges, the fuselage halves should go together quite nicely–if you want to make some alignment tabs, by all means do so. I didn’t, and had no problems with the assembly. I did add some .060" styrene card ribs for the wing roots, though–anything that will help align the wing halves at this point will be a tremendous time saver later. Since the wing roots are hollow, you won’t be able to use the wire pin trick here, so the styrene ribs help to reinforce the joint. The fuselage went together with no problems, and I needed only a small amount of filler to even up the seam. I tend to use Gunze’s Mr. Surfacer 500 more and more for filling small seams–I like the fact that you can apply it, let it dry a bit, then wipe the excess off with a cloth and some Isopropyl alcohol. Sure beats sanding seams . . .

Next, add the cockpit floor. Carefully install it from below–the sidewalls should rest on top of the floor part, so be warned. I had to use a length of rod to carefully ease the sidewalls into position. Once the floor is in place, finish adding the stretched sprue details that you need to add.

Fit the outer wing panel halves, adjusting and sanding where necessary to get a decent fit. Once they look good, glue them together. Now comes the fun part–offer up the lower wing center section to the fuselage. Once you are convinced that it fits well, glue it in place. Allow the glue to set, then fit the outer wing panels to the stub. I had several problem areas–the area around the stubs for the spats had huge gaps, and one side of the center section was flat where the other was curved. I started by attaching the wing leading edges–I had to add some strip to pack out one side to the proper thickness. When the leading edges were cured, I applied cement to the wing roots and let that cure. Once all that was cured, I persuaded the trailing edges to line up, tack glued with super glue, then cemented the joint with liquid cement. Once the wings had set, I added the wheel spats, taking care to ensure that the model sat level.

There were a few gaps that needed attention–if I could get away with just some Mr. Surfacer, I did. Otherwise, I used Milliput for large gaps and Squadron’s White putty for the smaller gaps. Once the putties had dried, I sanded everything to shape. I re-scribed the panel lines that were lost in the sanding process using a sewing needle chucked into a hobby knife handle–I find that I have better control with this scriber than any of the “wonder tools” marketed, and if I break the tip it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, just get a new needle. I used Dymo brand plastic label tape as a straightedge. Since it is self-adhesive, I find I don’t often have to go back and fix that many scribing mistakes. Just stick it to the model, and carefully re-scribe the missing detail.

So, you now have a Stuka with a wing, but no horizontal stabs. That part is easy–I superglued short lengths of brass wire into the holes I drilled into the stabs to act as locating pins and tack-glued the stabs in place with ProWeld. Once I was sure that everything was lined up properly, I added a wee bit more ProWeld to the joint and left everything alone overnight to completely set. After I attended to the root seams, I added the end plates to the stabs. They fit fairly well, and a light sanding took care of any mismatches. Let’s tackle that canopy next–don’t run and hide! It isn’t as difficult as some make it out to be!

Vacuum-formed canopies tend to strike fear into the hearts of otherwise brave and robust men. I have tried a few techniques through the years, and I have found the following method works best for me. First, if the canopy is a bit on the flimsy side, pack it with Play-Doh or modeling clay and pop it into the freezer for a few minutes. The clay helps keep the canopy rigid while cutting it from the backing sheet. If the canopy is a bit more robust, skip this step. Next, use some masking tape to set the outline of the canopy. Check your model and references carefully–you can adjust the tape as needed. Now, using a brand new (and I mean brand-spanking new!) #11 blade, lightly score the outline of the canopy. Check to make sure all is in order–a light score line won’t matter much, but once you start to actually cut the part out it will! Continue to lightly score around the canopy. If your canopy separates from the backing sheet after 20 runs with the knife blade, you’ve done it properly. Don’t rush this step–if you do, you will be doing two things: courting disaster and trying to find a spare canopy.

Canopy preparation doesn’t stop there–now, test fit it to the fuselage. Use your sanding sticks to refine the shape of the canopy until it fits properly. It took perhaps an hour to get the canopy on the model cut out and fitted. If you desire, you may dip the canopy in Future (or whatever brand name that acrylic floor finish goes by in your particular location) and set it aside to dry. Once it has cured, attach the canopy to the model–I like the Canopy Glue (or Elmer’s), but if you feel the urge to use super glue, go for it. Once all was secure, I masked the canopy–I like Parafilm M simply because I can leave it on the canopy for a while with no worry of leaving adhesive residue. Cleaning that up can be a pain in the arse, especially when you use acrylics . . .

I cleaned up the rest of the parts–dive brakes, bracing struts, flaps, flap hinges, and the like. The small resin scoops and gun port were attached to the model with diluted white glue, while the rest of the parts were left off the model until after paint. I left the exhaust stubs on the pour sprue. I managed to break one of the dive brakes while detaching it from the pour sprue, so I repaired it with a length of plastic strip.

Time for paint–I seldom use a purpose-made primer, depending instead on the light underside color to serve that purpose. I began painting by shooting a coat of PollyScale Reefer White on the wingtips (don’t forget the ailerons!) and rudder. Once dry, I masked the white and shot the underside of the model with PollyScale RLM 65–once again, don’t forget the underside of the flaps/ailerons, horizontal stab braces, flap hinges, bomb displacement gear and landing gear braces. I also used this color to prime the seams where I did a lot of sanding. All was in order, so the next color to go on the model was RLM 02 around the canopy area. Since I didn’t go to the trouble of opening the canopy hatches, this is the easy method of painting the “inner frames.” I let these two colors dry overnight. The next day, I masked the lower surfaces of the model. I added the upper surface camouflage with PollyScale RLM 61, 62, and 63. I used drafting tape to create the hard edges of the scheme. When painting the upper surfaces of the flaps, I first painted the wings, then held the flap in position with a pair of tweezers, and extended the line to the flap. I then masked and painted the flap. After all the painting was done, I unmasked the model, did any touch up work, and left it to dry overnight.

The next step was the clear coat. I don’t know why so many folks have trouble using Future as a gloss coat for decals–here’s how I do it. First, thin the Future 50-50 with Isopropyl Alcohol and apply at least one mist coat to the model. I use an Aztek 470 with a white (acrylic) tip at 15psi. Allow the mist coats to set up for a minute or so, then apply a medium wet coat. Let that set up for five minutes, then apply a few wet coats. The Future should be hand slick (dry to the touch) in 15 minutes. The surface won’t be super glossy, but it will be glossy enough for decals. Allow the Future to cure for at least an hour, overnight is better.

I used the kit decals, and having read all the horror stories about Propagteam decals, I was ready for a fight. Actually, the decals went on quite well, I only had to use the spit trick on a few of the more stubborn ones. A little diluted Solvaset snuggled them right down. I usually split the task of applying decals into four sessions–one night for the tops, one for the bottoms, and one each for port and starboard sides. Why? Well, I like to let gravity work for me to help pull the decals down tight. A solvent helps, but I have found that when done this way, some decals don’t need any solvent at all . . .

Once all the decals are applied, make sure to wash off all the residue left from the decal glue and solvent. I use a paper towel that has been moistened with warm water. Now the fun begins . . .

I commenced final assembly by first attaching the bracing struts for the horizontal stabs and gear spats. I used diluted Canopy Glue for this task. The dive brakes and bomb displacement gear came next, again stuck on with the diluted Canopy Glue. The spinner was separated, the blades (painted RLM 70) were added, and the spinner re-assembled. It was attached to the model with a touch of super glue (to tack it in place) followed by more diluted Canopy Glue. The flap hinges were attached in a similar manner. The flaps and ailerons were carefully added–I had to make sure that the parts lined up both mechanically and color-wise. When I was sure things were in the right place, I applied super glue to the hinges, tacked the flaps in place, then applied diluted Canopy Glue. When they had set, I added the balance weights and actuator arms. The tailwheel was added next, and when dry, the tire was painted with Testor’s Aircraft Interior Black. The main wheels were painted at the same time as the inner canopy glazing, and the tires were painted along with the tailwheel tire. The main wheels were glued into the spats, taking care to align them correctly.

The pitot tube was added to the wing and the pitot head was scratchbuilt with some stretched sprue. The dual antennas were added to the canopy. I painted the exhaust stubs with a dark metallic rusty brown, cut them from the pour stubs, and added them to the model. A wise man would have added a strip of styrene to the inside of the fuselage to act as a backer, but nobody ever accused me of being a wise man . . .

I painted the inside of the landing light cutout on the wing, then applied the final coat of clear flat. I kept it light, wanting more of a semi-gloss sheen to the model. Now, I’m normally a weathered, but I kept it to a bare minimum on this model, electing to add faint exhaust streaks and little else. I’m depicting this aircraft as it just arrived in Spain, so it would be relatively new/fresh. Had I wanted to go all out with the weathering, I could have depicted it as it appeared after a few weeks in service–they did tend to get dirty and muddy in Spain very quickly. Perhaps next time I will do an oil wash and fade the paint a bit, add some mud inside the spats . . .

I then added the bracing bar in the radiator and the landing light lens–for the latter, I simply applied a piece of clear, self-adhesive shipping tape. Sure beats cutting and trimming and fitting the kit-supplied vac-form lens.

Finally, I dusted the underside of the spats with some brownish pastel dust, stripped the canopy masks, and called this one done. Seeing as the “big boys” are unlikely to release this variant of the Stuka in 1/48 scale, this is the best game in town. It isn’t a difficult build, it just takes a bit of modeling work to get a decent representation of the early Stuka. I didn’t count the hours I worked on the model, but if I were to estimate, I’d say perhaps 30-40 hours would be close.

Thanks for reading. As always, be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

August 31, 2011
The late, lamented Orange Blossom Hobbies

We finally have an empty hangar again. While not necessarily a great thing–no airplanes in the hangar means no work, which means no income for the time being–it does give us some time to catch our collective breath and reset the place for the next job. In the meantime…

One of the hobby shops I used to frequent–although not to the extent that other modelers I knew did–was Orange Blossom Hobbies in Miami. Just getting there could be an adventure, as the shop was located in a not-so-great neighborhood on NW 36th Street. Let's just say that when there is a Security guard and a walled-in parking lot with a gate, you need to be heads-up at all times. Carrying a firearm–legally, of course–didn't exactly hurt. Once you made your way through the 'hood and parked in the semi-secure lot, though, you were in for a treat.

OB was located in an old bowling alley. Right next door was their wholesale operation, Pan American Distributors. As you walked in to the place, you immediately noticed the layout. The ceiling had staggered tiles, the floor was skinny strips of harwood complete with the lane diamonds. No matter, though–the place was usually packed with merchandise. The first thing you noticed at the entrance was the RC counter directly ahead of you–it was usually three deep with people looking to buy that latest RC truck, car, or airplane. It was the center anchor of the store, so to speak, since it really did occupy the center of the store (as well as one wall). Off to the left, though, was plastic treasure…

From the first visit I made to the store to the last, one thing remained constant–the guy behind the counter. Pat Parnther was always there, always working, and always had some story or joke to tell. His favorite quips were, "That's life in the tropics!" and "Happiness is a winning lottery ticket!" I don't think I ever went in there when Pat wasn't selling the latest stuff to come out of the hobby industry. You'd spend a few minutes with Pat, then check out the shelves. The shelves…well, they were packed. If you couldn't find it on the shelf at Orange Blossom, they either just sold what you wanted or it hasn't been made. You could (and I'm speaking from experience, here) spend a day just hunting among the boxes on the shelves. But wait, there's Pat, telling another joke…

Another fun feature of the shop was the row of cabinets behind the counter. After a visit or two, you'd get to know Pat–and then, he'd say, "Go back there and look–I don't even know what's there." And he was usually as surprised as you were when you pulled some oddity from one of the drawers. He had decals–stacks of decals–from anyone and everyone who ever made decals. When airliner models had their heyday in the mid- to late-1990's, Pat would have multiples of not only kits, but the decals that went with them. Aeromaster was pretty much the house brand, too, so there were plenty of Gaston and Company's latest and greatest. If it was made in the form of a decal, resin update, white metal update, conversion, or limited run kit, it was there. I'll never forget the day we found a stash of ATP's 1/144 scale Metroliners in one of the drawers…

Along with the accessories, there were resin kits. At one point, Pat had several of the Blue Water Navy kits in multiples. If you were even remotely interested, Pat would go get one and let you fondle it. After a while, he's sweeten the deal a bit. And, before I knew it, I had quite the collection of them. But that's the way the store worked–you'd take your stack of soon-to-be attic insulation and plop it on the counter. Pat would pull out a calculator and total it all up, then say, "Ahhh, give me ____ bucks." With that, you handed over the coin of the realm and concluded the deal. But there was more to see…

Up front, on the side of the store that butted up to NW 36th Street, was where the entrance to the old bowling alley was. The restrooms were up there, as were the display cases. After spending hours searching the shelves, you could spend even more time looking at the models in the case. Some of it was done using the Aeromaster products as sort of a sales aid, but most of it was from the local club guys and the regular customers–much the same, dare I say, as many hobby shop display cases the world over. I still remember some of those models, and I still remember talking with the guys who built them. One time, there was a model in the nicest bare metal finish I had ever seen–and was then told that the finish was Aerogloss Silver dope. I never did get around to trying that on one of my models, but it certainly looked the part. Gaston was one of the proponents of using dope–it went on smooth and dried hard. Trouble was, you had to be careful in your prep or the dope could craze the plastic. I was still using Floquil's silvers at the time and figured they worked well enough for what I wanted.

My last visit to Orange Blossom was about ten years ago–I was about a month away from moving out of South Florida, and I wanted to hang out with the gang one last time, since I didn't know when I'd be back. Stories had begun to circulate, too, that they were in financial trouble and may be closing. I went by, picked up some stuff I had noticed during one of the foraging sessions in the cabinets, and spent a while talking with Pat. He was not happy, since it was becoming more and more apparent that he'd soon be out of a job…

The end came sometime that October or November. The next trip we made to South Florida was in December of 2001, and during that trip we stopped at another haunt, Pearl Art and Craft. There, on a table out front, was a pile of model kits. There was no mistaking where they came from, for prominently printed on the original price tage were the words "ORANGE BLOSSOM HOBBIES" and under that, "Miami, Florida." The kits were being sold at closeout prices. We had been informed of Ornage Blossom's demise some week earlier, but here was visual confirmation of the same.

My wife and I often think about the treasure trove of out of print decals and other goofy things in that row of cabinets. We often wonder what became of them. And when we do, we look back to the day when you could go into the store, spend a few hours uncovering some long-forgotten kit, or decal sheet, and then hear those magic words: "Ahhh, give me fifty bucks…"

Those were the days, when hobby shops were made of bricks and mortar and run by hobbyists. That's becoming a rarity these days. And that's a shame. It is one reason that I will visit the local hobby shops, no matter where my travels take me. There's something about finding one of those shops where they have stashes of oddities, stacks of old kits, and a guy behind the counter who knows models. When you find one, you don't forget–and you want to go back to that shop as often as you can.

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

August 29, 2011
Time on my hands?

Jury Duty ended for me today–we were officially excused. Which begs the question: Why do they allow folks to wheel and deal after a jury pool has been summoned? By that time, any deals should be done–don't continue up until the morning the case is going to be tried…

We delivered the first three of five airplanes we've had in work for the past month. Numbers four and five should be gone by the end of the week.

So, that should (operative phrase here–should) leave me with some extra time to get something–anything–a little closer to completion. Wish me luck…

Not a whole lot else to share tonight…stay tuned, though.

Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

August 24, 2011
Random thoughts

Today (that would be Sunday 21 August) marks the 21st day in a row that I've worked at the day job. All of these days were at least 8-hour days, and most were closer to 10-hour days. All that work comes from having three aircraft in work and only four technicians to work them. We are fortunate in that our company has several locations across the country, and we can ask those other locations for assistance if we really need it. Even with the extra hands, though, we had to burn the midnight oil to get things finished so we could hope to meet that ever-important delivery date. We're not batting 1.000, though–the first was supposed to leave tomorrow, but we found a few items on the post inspection run that didn't work properly. So, we had to work today, troubleshoot, and order parts. The second and third are supposed to deliver by Wednesday. So far, those two look like they are on schedule–and that prompts a second discussion, since the first airplane is an older airframe while the other two are a little fresher. Time takes a toll on even the best maintained machines. They are, after all, still machines–parts wear out, wires age, new systems replace old (and the replacement isn't always done with the same sense of craftsmanship as it could be), and, in the end analysis, they can't last forever.

And, if that weren't enough fun, there are two more airplanes due to start work tomorrow. These two don't have as involved a workscope as the first three, but you never know what you'll find during an inspection, so all you can do is give the customer an estimated inspection completion date, which is subject to change after the findings are discussed and quoted.

To add insult to injury, my Jury Duty obligation begins tomorrow morning. I have mixed feelings–being assigned to a jury will at least give me a period of time where I can keep more or less "normal" hours out of the heat and humidity. But that also includes the risk of being sequestered, which carries the thoughts from the castaways on "Gilligan's Island"–No phone, no light, no motorcars…

The other part of me understands that I have a civil obligation, but that I also have an obligation to my employer. We truly are swamped with work, and fewer hands aren't going to get things done any faster. I don't know, I guess I'll just have to wait and see how things shake out. If it comes to that, I hope I have an understanding judge. If not, I'll play it as it comes…

Modeling? Are you kidding? The only modeling-related activities I've participated in have been the monthly AMPS and IPMS meetings. I also stopped in to the local Hobby Lobby and found they had several of their kits on the Clearance shelf at a pretty good price–naturally, I had to adopt some of them. And, if I get a chance, I may go back and minesweep some more.

A note of some not-so-good news: The shop where I work part-time is closing. I'll still be able to put in some hours at the other location in town, but this is like watching one of your creations being dumped in the bin. After all, I was there when the store opened, and actually managed the store for a time. We did a decent business, too, but staffing issues have forced the owner's hand, so he's closing the smaller of the two stores. A closer examination reveals that perhaps the smaller store wasn't located in the best place–it was located in a strip mall with several restaurants and a movie theater. The original owner was jubilant when he exclaimed that the parking lot was packed on Friday nights, but didn't take the thought to the next step and realize that a majority of that crowd was either waiting for a table to open up or waiting for their movie to start seating–I've had people drop the conversation in mid-word when their restaurant buzzer went off, notifying them of an open table, no "Thanks!", "Goodbye", or "Up yours!", they just up and walked out. Another fact lost on the original owner was perhaps the new store was too close to the original location. Rather than doubling his business, the original owner split his business and doubled his overhead. As I told the current owner, while it may seem like a setback now, in the long run it should pay off. He can consolidate things and build the business. If he wants to expand later on, he'll have the means to do so.

The hobby business, even when backed by a National franchise, can be difficult in the best of times.

I don't know when I'll be able to post for the next few days, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading, be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

August 21, 2011
It’s quiet around here…too quiet…

And that for a reason–today was the seventh day in a row that I've worked either a whole or partial shift, and I seriously think it will be another seven before I have any time away from the job. That's a mixed blessing, though, since I have been summoned by the County to appear as a Juror. Yep, Jury Duty calls on the 22nd. This will be the fourth time in five years that I've been summoned, and will be the third where I will have to appear–the other time I was summoned was for a Federal Grand Jury, from which I was excused the night before I was set to go to the Courthouse. Now, I don't mind it–it is a responsibility that goes along with all the rights we Americans share. What irks sometimes is that you're put in a room with other people who don't seem to understand what they are there for. Oh, well, I'll get through this one, too…

On the home front, being the sole caregiver to two very attention-hungry felines has kept me on my toes. After working a 12 hour shift, I would arrive home to find the two of them waiting for me–or, more likely, waiting for food. But they had to wait–we also have to tend to two hummingbird feeders during the summer, and since the little cat has a tendency to want to seek his freedom by running out the door, I shut him in a bedroom. Once I get the hummers all fed, I let him out to frolic. Of course, he has other ideas–he sniffs around for a little while, then begins warming up the pipes. I happened across something that kept him quiet, though, and it directly affected my ability to do any sort of online work–he would climb onto my lap, then try to climb up my chest to my shoulders. He'd stop mid-way up, and I'd put my arm under him to keep him from falling. Well, he'd curl up in that position and go to sleep. So, here I am, trying to catch up on all sorts of online correspondence with a sleeping cat occupying my left arm. Not an easy thing…

I did manage to pick a few things up from the hobby shop, and I may do some in-box reviews in the next few days of some of the more interesting items that don't seem to have been reviewed elsewhere (a la the F-16I in-box I did several months ago). Otherwise, though, I haven't accomplished much, since I need to use the upstairs workshop for what I have to do on my current projects. With mama out of the house, the two felines could get quite forceful and loud, so I passed. If I can find the energey this week, I really want to finish the Monte Carlo–there really isn't that much left to do on it, all I need is time. See the common theme here?

Speaking of my wife, she arrived back home, safe and sound, in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. To say the two feline units were overjoyed is an understatement. They missed their Mommy, and it showed. We had a family get together yesterday evening, so they got to spend the morning alone with Mommy. Once I got home, they had the place to themselves while we travelled to the hootenany, but when we got home again they were clingy, especially towards my wife. All is right with their world again…as it is with mine.

In the meantime, I'm still writing drafts of some future posts about the people I've had the pleasure to know while pursuing the sometimes wacky hobby of putting little plastic airplanes, cars, tanks, and ships together. Stay tuned for that, I hope to start posting those after I get done doing my Civic duty.

Until then, thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

August 7, 2011
It’s Dude Time at the hacienda…

Mama's away on her annual pilgrimage to Alaska, so that leaves just me and the boys (Smokey and Junior) to mind the store. Since it has been so hot of late, I've spent most of my time at home inside, and they are both rather needy. In fact, right now Smokey's warming up his vocal chords and is ready to try out for Feline Idol…he's such an attention hog!

And while Smokey's making enough noise for three cats, Junior is sleeping on the couch in the other room. Every now and then, he'll shoot a look towards his little brother as if to say, "Would you put a lid on it already?"

In other news, living out in the country has pluses and minuses. One of the minuses was emphasized this morning–we live on a gravel road. There's a bit of a downgrade before you get to our driveway, which has a grade of its own. Where the two meet is usually in good shape, but lately the culvert has been blocked with pine straw and dirt. Every time they plow the road, more dirt gets pushed into the ditch on the side of the road, and when it rains–we've had some torrential storms of late–more of this dirt gets washed into the culvert. Well, now it is totally blocked and the water (which has had to find a way downhill and seeks the path of least resistance) has eroded a fairly large trench at the foot of the driveway. And, as luck would have it, guess who got his truck stuck this morning? You got it. About a half-hour of blue language followed, but I managed to get un-stuck after a few tries at different remedies. This afternoon, when I got home, though, I had to do something. There was a wind fallen tree on the side of the road, so I put that in the truck and hauled it to the house. Into the ditch it went, and then, in this ungodly heat, I shoveled dirt on top. So, I have a temporary fix–but Newberry County, you need to send out a crew to plow the road *and* clean out my culvert which you have succeeded in blocking on more than one occasion…

With me being sole caregiver to both Feline Units, nothing has changed on the model bench. I wish I could eke out some time, but the older one misses mom (he thinks he's a tough guy, but he is most certainly a mama's cat) and the little one is simply an attention hog…can't leave him for more than a minute before he starts howling like he's lost his best friend.

The other critters I look after are the hummingbirds–and we have quite a few of them out here. We started out with one feeder that we'd fill every other day or so, but over the years we've gone to two feeders that get filled daily–and sometimes twice daily. So, as soon as I get home I feed the Feline Units, put them into a bedroom temporarily, feed the hummingbirds, then let the Felines roam the house while I make supper. They hang out in the living room while I eat, then the little guy will start his vocal gymnastics. Out comes the laser pointer. Want to have fun with a cat? Get a laser pointer and watch them chase the dot (be careful, of course, to not point it in their eyes). Even the older cat gets in on the fun from time to time, and it settles both of them down a bit…

Once I get on the computer, though, all bets are off–sometimes the little guy will calm down and snooze on the futon. Other times, like tonight, he decides he wants to wail and see if ol' Dad will play with him. He spent the better part of the time it took to type this post cuddled in my lap, purring away. Then he got interested in the computer–the keyboard first, then the mouse. After a while, he decided that all that purring was making him hungry, so he took a meal break…

Once again, both of them are snoozing. Peace and quiet–I should enjoy it while it lasts…

Tomorrow is another (hot) day…and next week sees us with another airplane with a lot to do in a short time. Those are the makings of some fun, there…

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace…

July 28, 2011
“It’s hot enough to boil a monkey’s bum in here, your Majesty…”

I don't think I need to tell you that in certain parts of the United States, it has been hot. Really hot. Excessively hot. The heat wave has covered a large part of the Midwest and Northeast, as well as those areas where you'd expect it to be hot–like South Carolina. I was on the phone with someone is South Florida who said they were hot down there, until I told them that our temperature last Wednesday was 105–with the heat index it was 116. I know. I worked in it all day. And yes, we beat South Florida…

The past few years have seen heat waves the likes of which haven't been experienced for decades. Now, I'm not a gloom-and-doomer, but I can tell you that I've never, in my 30+ years of living in the South, experienced such hot summers. Today, to beat the heat, I decided to burn a vacation day–we're slow at work, and I couldn't see another 8 hours doing busy work in the hangar. I spent the day catching up on some well-deserved sleep and spending time with my wife and our two boys, Junior and Smokey.

Speaking of the Feline Units, they're getting along well. A few swats at each other with what appears to be closed paws (no claws deployed, thank goodness), and few hisses, but nothing to write home about otherwise. Smokey's still taking antibiotics as a prophylactic after his surgery, but we did move his dry food bowl into the kitchen, across from the Mighty Tiger's cafeteria. Now, Junior has been nicking food from Smokey–I caught him nose-down in Smokey's wet food bowl the other morning, and he keeps noshing at Smokey's dry food bowl. Maybe it is fortunate, then, that Smokey doesn't seem to enjoy wet foot (aka "Tigr Fud"), so maybe we can dispense with the extra bowl for him. Junior, though, is a fiend for Fancy Feast, and I don't see how we can take him off it cold turkey–he'd have to go to a Betty Ford clinic for cats, he's so hooked. The only remaining issue is going to be breaking Smokey of his late-night howling sessions. He'll stand in the hallway and howl if he feels he's not being paid enough attention, or thinks he needs food. Junior did the same thing at that age, and it seems to be one of those things you just have to be patient with–Junior saw many a night in the spare bathroom with his boxes and bowls and the door shut before he finally stopped. I'm hoping that Smokey doesn't have to go that route, but I will go that way if I have to…

And, I guess since Junior eats Smokey's food, Smokey only finds it fair to use Junior's litter boxes (another separate facility that will be combined shortly, by the way)…

On the model front, I made some limited progress on the Monte Carlo. One bite at a time, I keep telling myself…

Speaking of NASCAR, my wife surprised me with Power Slide's new decal sheet for the AMT 1/25 scale 2010 Impala that will allow me to add to my Tony Stewart collection. The sheet looks pretty good on the paper–the artwork is superb, and the printing is crisp. Everything looks like it is on the sheet, ready to be applied to the model. All you need to do is either add one of the resin nose clips floating around on cyberspace or make your own–2011 saw the distinct notched bumper/splitter combined and cleaned up a bit. For a snap fit kit, AMT seems to have hit the mark–the newer kits give you both the wing and spoiler–and do as I did, and get the "Plain" version marketed for use with aftermarket decals. You'll save a few bucks if you do. I'll give you a better rundown on both kit and decal sheet as soon as I have time to review them more in depth. This project may be one of the first I do after I tie up my loose ends on the bench.

In the next couple of installments, I want to look back at my modeling "career" and talk about some of the people I've met along the way who've given me guidance, instruction, and inspiration. I'd like to communicate with those who are still alive and kicking before I do, so be patient. I think most of them would have no problems being "showcased" if you will, but since they are my friends I'd like to get their blessings before I write about them. Stay tuned…

Have a safe weekend. Stay cool!

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and, as always, I bid you Peace.

July 22, 2011
A show to remember

The Central South Carolina "Wildcats" Chapter of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) held their Inaugural show yesterday, and it was quite a hit. We held the show in conjunction with the Midlands Chapter of the South Carolina Modeling Association (SCMA) at the Basketball Gym on Ball Park Road in Lexington, SC. SCMA is a statewide group with several Chapters, and they cater to all modeling genres and skill levels. AMPS is an International group of modelers who share a passion for armored vehicles from all eras. Again, they are not all "Master Modelers" (what does that mean, anyway? A post for another time, maybe?), but they share the interest in armor. Yesterday's show was split–the autos, ships, and airplanes were entered into the SCMA show and judged per SCMA rules (Popular Choice), and the armor and figures were entered into the AMPS show and judged accordingly.

If you're not aware, AMPS judging is different from most. Rather than do a comparative judging against the other models that showed up, each model gets judged to an established standard and is scored to that same standard. There are different skill levels (Junior, Basic, Intermediate,a nd Advanced), but the judging practice is the same–the basic assembly carries the most weight, and a construction flaw that may warrant a comment to a Basic modeler can take away a point from an Advanced modeler. There is a flow to an AMPS show…

The modeler carries their models to the registration desk. There, they pay their admission fee and check their models in. An AMPS member looks over the forms and assists the modeler is getting entered in the proper category. This person is the Ramrod. Once the models are entered, they go onto a tray and are placed in the staging area. Once a judging team is ready, the model goes to the judging station. The judges will asses the model, assign a score, then call a runner to pick the model up and place it onto the competition display tables. With a small show such as the one held yesterday, it may still take five or six hours to judge all the models–it is most definitely a labor-intensive process.

Each model is eligible for a Field Award in the form of a Bronze, Silver, or Gold medal. Medals are awarded according to the Skill Level of the modeler and the score the model receives. Other awards in the form of Category Bests are also bestowed, and they usually go to Intermediate and Advanced modelers only. In the case of a Regional Show, though, depending on what shows up, it can be opened to all models. From those Category Bests, the Judges Best of Show is decided. In the case of yesterday's show, a Theme Award was also up for grabs.

For an Inaugural Show, we did well–a total of 26 participants entered 75 models, with another 20 Display Only and Works in Progress on display. Sixty one medals were awarded. Not too shabby for a first effort…

The SCMA show also did well, with over 300 models entered and/or displayed. Again, nice effort!

As you can see, our Theme was "Mideast Turmoil: Past and Present". The Theme covered one of the most intriguing areas of the world from a geopolitical standpoint, and one of my favorite research areas.

The Registration desk, with our honcho Mike Roof working the desk. His wife Sheila was a great help, too, performing the Registrar duties all day.

Fortunately, the Carpet Monster went hungry yesterday…

It looks quite now, this is the Judging Pit before the show.

This means you!

And what is a model show without vendors? Although it was a small vendor's area, the pickings were pretty good, and the prices were, too!

Some of the work on display:

Mike Reaves' magnificent Tamiya Matilda in 1/35 scale. I judged this one, and it was a spectacular build. This model took Judges Best in Show.

David Varetonni's 1/35 scale ASLAV took the Theme Award.

Two judging teams in action. At the height of the show, we had three four-man teams judging models at a fairly pedestrian rate of a model every ten minutes. AMPS usually likes to have a rate of one model every six to eight minutes, but there were a fair number of new judges working (yours truly included). If the number of models had increased, we would have been quite busy trying to get everything judged by the end of the day…

I build primarily 1/35 scale armor, and I give huge props to the guys who work in the smaller scales. Here's a 1/72 (?) Italian L/33-35. The builder of this one gets extra props, since there are too few of us who build Italian subjects…

Our own Jeff Nelson has been working on building an accurate Abrams in 1/72 scale, and has been since the Chapter formed a year ago. Amazing…

And to prove that 1/72 scale is "easy", Jeff is working on a pair of Tigers in 1/144 scale. He's added a bunch of detail from scratch on these two, including headlights complete with the wiring.

I'm not a fan of German WWII subjects, but this 1/35 scale King Tiger was nicely built and won Best German subject. The Ing Tiger is one of those I will build, and I hope mine turns out half as good.

Our own Mike Roof is a man of many talents–this German NCO in 1/35 scale won Best Figure. I can't paint 120mm figures as well! I have a lot to learn…

That's Mike Roof on the left (gray shirt) and AMPS National Chief Judge Mike Petty on the right (tan shirt). Mike Petty came down to present a Judges Certification course to us, and was a great help all around. Here, Mike Roof presents Mike Petty with a signed copy of our sho poster in appreciation for his help.

What the hard work yesterday in the Judging Pit was all about–several Wildcats were confirmed as Certified AMPS Judges. Thanks to Mike Petty for making it possible!

I can't wait for next year's show…

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

July 17, 2011
Feline update

This week saw Smokey visit the vet for his second round of shots, some tests, and his de-milling. All went well–except that one of Smokey's Family Jewels hasn't descended, so he's still half-armed. The vet said he'd look at things in a month and decide what to do. All other tests came back negative–no FIV, no Feline Leukemia (FeLeuk). He also swabbed a sample from his right eye to have cultured, so we'll see what happens there. Meanwhile, we have a prescription to treat whatever's irritating the eye.

Since all indicators pointed to Smokey being a healthy cat, my wife decided to let Smokey out of the Master suite and into the rest of the house. I wasn't home, but I understand things were a bit tentative. Smokey, being a young cat, wants to play. Junior, who has been King of the House for eight years, isn't thrilled with the new addition. There have been a few moments between the two, but for the most part, they've done well.

_{Smokey, the little ginger-colored cat on the scratching post, gets the eye from Junior…}

_{Smokey returns the favor.}

_{Smokey, all sacked out on the scratching post. The destruction was more than likely Junior's handiwork–and you can see just how well Smokey heeds warnings like that…}

There have been a few moments–my wife had to use the spray bottle on Smokey earlier today–he's treating everything as his–including Junior's sandboxes and food bowls. Now, just look at Junior–the last thing he needs is another food bowl, yet he's eyeballing Smokey's. I guess Junior feels that what's good for one is good for all. We're trying to keep Junior from Smokey's food bowls and Smokey from Junior's kitter boxes. It seems to have calmed Junior down a bit.

With all the territorial posturing, no fur has flown. Junior's hissed and growled, Smokey's howled a bit, but they haven't fought. Let's hope it stays that way…

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I'll be judging tomorrow at the AMPS/Central South Carolina Chapter's Inaugural Contest. I'll post pictures as I'm able. We're hoping we get a decent showing–we're co-hosting the show with the Midlands Chapter of the South Carolina Modeler's Association. I'm looking forward to a fun day.

The busy week has taken its toll on my sleep, so that's all I have for you right now. Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

July 15, 2011
What a week…

The road to hell was paved with good intentions, or so I'm told. Well, the fact that I haven't accomplished much at the workbench this week stems from the fact that Smokey, our own Feline Unit Number Two, is a whirling dynamo of energy who also has a case of cabin fever–and, being a cat, has that innate curiosity gene. We let him graduate from just the Master Bathroom to the Master Suite, and that's where he's spent the last week. We're careful to split our attention between both Feline Units, as Junior the Mighty Tiger would not be amused should we not pay him the attention ascribed to his mightiness. I've been spending the nights with Smokey, and my wife has been keeping Junior company.

Well, there's another thing–Smokey's a kitten for all intents and purposes, and he's used to being his own cat and roaming free at night. Operative words in the phrase–roaming at night. Smokey's got this soft little voice when he wants to be sweet, but when he wants either attention or food, that soft little mew becomes a yowl. A rather loud yowl. And, since he and Alicia Bridges share a passion for the night life, he has limited my sleep to maybe four hours a night. And, when I get aggravated about it I remember that Junior did the same thing when he was Smokey's age. Even so, it has been a little tense…

Another thing that I am realizing is that Smokey is as Junior was when we were first adopted by Junior–Smokey's a scrawny little thing, still in possession of his, er, equipment. Junior was a little bigger than Smokey is now, but today Junior is weighing in at nearly 15 pounds–that's right, he's our own pot-bellied cat. It has become evident over the past few days just how pot-bellied the June-Bug is–I can pick Smokey up one-handed (if he doesn't try to squirm away, which he is quite adept at doing), but Junior is a heft to pick up. Of course, Junior has been dis-armed, and that tends to add some weight to a cat. We're hoping that Smokey will keep Junior moving, which will get his weight down.

Speaking of disarmament, Smokey is scheduled to go back to the Tiger Doctor on Tuesday for his own de-milling. He's also going to get his FIV and FeLeuk tests, as well as have his runny eye re-examined. We're hopeful that all goes well, the tests are negative, and we can finally get Junior and Smokey together at a face-to-face summit. We're waiting, because A: His weight notwithstanding, Junior is a healthy cat, and we want to keep it that way; 2: We'll need to know about FIV and FeLeuk anyway on the off-chance that Smokey and Junior don't get along, as we'll need to find Smokey a good home; and C: I don't need Smokey to start spraying to mark his stuff from Junior's. As I said, we're hopeful all goes well–early indications seem to indicate that, while they may scuffle at first, the two will get along. All we need now is a clean bill of health on the little guy.

Meanwhile, he stays in the Master Suite.

And, just as I think we might have a slow period at work, as soon as the last airplane left, a new one rolled in for work. It is in for an inspection and we have a short turn-around time, so we worked a bit today (Saturday). I'm hoping all goes well with the inspection so we can deliver when promised, since I won't have time next weekend–the local AMPS Chapter is hosting their Inaugural Contest, and I have to be there…

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I did manage to get some decal work done on the 1995 Silver Select Monte Carlo.

Those of you with sharp eyes can see the inside represents a round-side car while the exterior is slab-sided. Apparently, Monogram did what they tended to do when it came to race cars in the mid- to late-1990's and based the model on a show or rollout car. The car as actually raced had slab sides. A few strips of Evergreen and some Polyester Glazing Putty later, and Bob's your uncle. You probably also caught the decal film, and that's a tough thing to deal with on silver surfaces. I plan on giving the whole thing a coat or two of Future, so that ought to blend everything together nicely. I started this with a set of Mooseworks Decals that I bought when I bought the kit in 1995, but they got brittle and shattered when I soaked them, even after a few coats of liquid decal film. My wife found a set of RaceScale decals-what a sweetie she is! They worked quite nicely–they even had the contingencies, so I didn't need to use the discolored kit decals!

I have some touch up work to do, both to the silver and the Chevy Engine Red interior areas. The chassis and roll cage have their base coat of Engine Red, too. I have to paint the padding, engine, and the little detail painting, them assemble the lot. I'm hoping to get time and motivation back on my side soon.

In the meantime, be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

July 9, 2011