Iron Modeler

Category: A little bit of this and some of that

  • Support your local museums

    I'm back…

    September saw the first of what turned out to be a rash of traveling, both for work and for me.  I had to head up to Richmond for a few days for work, and while I was there I noticed the Virginia Aviation Museum.  I was on a tight schedule and couldn't swing a visit, but next time I'm in the area I do want to have a look.  I'm going somewhere with the aviation museum thing here–I used to try and stop in on the various museums I passed in my travels, but at some point I stopped doing so.  I don't know why, although part of the reason might come from the fact that I have seen far too many of these small efforts die or worse–someone there gets an idea, and it gets executed poorly, which detracts from the visit.  For instance, one Southeastern museum has (or at least had back in 2000 when I was there last) an F-101B VooDoo that they've tried to repaint–poorly.  Instead of the proper color, they used what appears to be a generic hardware store gray paint–and applied equally generic hardware store self adhesive letters to replace the "U. S. Air Force" titles on the fuselage.  Things like that make me cringe.  I know the exercise was done with the best of intentions, but it costs just as much to do it wrong as it does to do it right.  Actually, doing it wrong costs more, because at some point you'll have to go back and correct your previous actions.  I'm just sayin'…

    The first week in October found me in Tucson for training at FlightSafety International.  Now, anyone with an interest in aviation knows all about Tucson, home of several sightseeing targets.  I was supposed to come to Tucson in May, but was glad it worked out so I was there in October–the weather was, in a word, perfect.  I also managed to schedule my trip so I arrived with a day to spare.  Why?  One word.  Pima.  The Pima Air and Space Museum is one of the only places in the world where one can see such aircraft as the Budd Conestoga, Boeing XC-14, Curtiss O-52 Owl, and more.  Most of the museum is open-air, as the rainfall totals in Tucson are low and the soil is slightly alkaline, which keeps corrosion down.  The only thing that they have that is detrimental is sunshine, and plenty of it. 

    I went that Sunday and within an hour had killed the battery on my digicam (note to self–you said you needed a spare, take the hint!).  Still, I wandered the museum grounds and saw everything I could.  They've done a remarkable job at preserving many airplanes that are one-of-a-kind now.  Where else are you going to find a restored B-29 indoors, with a full gallery of other airplanes–including a Nakajima Ki-43–and memorabilia?  There are tons of history there, and I took lots of pictures both that Sunday and later in the week (I had to go back and get some of the pics I didn't get on Sunday–call me crazy, but…), and once I can get them all sorted and titled I'll post some of them here…

    Later that week, class was dismissed early.  So, I had choices–if I hurried, the last tour of AMARG (the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base) would be just leaving when I arrived back at Pima.  Knowing that I'd have to break most land speed records to do so, I decided instead to head down to Green Valley and check out the Titan Missile Museum.  I knew that the museum existed, but I wasn't sure how they ran the tours–since 99% of the museum is underground, I was certain that you weren't allowed just to wander.  I was correct.  They take you into a room and show a short video, then a guide takes you down to the control room.  There you're told how the whole deal worked, how it was constructed, and you then went through a simulated launch.  Eerie.  Really.  Anyone who grew up under the threat of "The Red Menace" knows what MAD meant, and here you saw it up close.  One thing the guide does emphasize is that had these missiles been fired, it meant that Moscow had fired theirs first.  And, in the end, all of our destruction would be assured.  They also emphasize that these missiles did exactly what they were supposed to–make our enemy think twice before he launched his…

    You get to then walk to the actual silo and see a Titan missile.  After that, you head topside and are allowed to wander the grounds.  Here's some trivia for you:  movie-goers with an interest in the Star Trek franchise have seen this museum and this missile.  It plays a role in Star Trek: First Contact, it is the boost vehicle for Efrem Cochrane's warp drive test flight…

    I never did have time to do the AMARG tour, but on the way back from the Titan museum, I did make the re-visit to Pima.  After I left Pima, I still had daylight left, so I took a cruise around the perimeter of D-MAFB, and did manage to see some of their cocooned airplanes.  On one lot, it was wall-to-wall C-130's, on another it was C-135 variants as far as the eye could see.  Amazing.  You don't realize how many of these airplanes have been built until you see them all in one place like this.  I will be back–with my wife–and we will do the AMARG tour next time. 

    With my re-born interest in aviation museums running strong, a few weeks later we took a trip back to the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte.  We had been there when everything was in their old location, so we would get to not only see their new digs, but we would also get to see Cactus 1549, the USAirways Airbus that ditched in the Hudson.  We were fortunate in that a passenger on the flight was there, and he recounted his memory of that day.  I must say, the first several times he did that must have been both difficult and therapeutic.  He gave a very interesting talk, and he answered questions afterward.  You can read "Miracle on the Hudson" all you want, but until you see the airplane and hear the stories, you don't get the full impact…

    Things pretty much had settled down by last week, but a late trip to Dallas led me to the Frontiers of Flight museum at Love Field.  I had noticed the museum a few times when we were there last year, but we never had time to stop in (plus, my boss and colleagues don't have the same interest in history as I–they all tell me that they "see enough airplanes every day, why look at them when you're not required to?"  The poor devils.  They'll never understand.).  I found it to be a very well run museum.  One side contains most of the historic stuff–including a large amount of Chance Vought equipment and one of the only two surviving LearAvia Lear Fans–and the other end is a tribute to Herb Kelleher and Southwest Airlines.  I was especially interested in this one for three items:  the Apollo 7 Command Module is housed and displayed there, next to the prototype Vought V-173 "Flying Pancake", and tucked in the corner behind them is a  Regulus II missile.  I was overjoyed at the Braniff exhibit, too…

    Since my visit, I have become a member of the Arizona Aviation Foundation, and am contemplating membership at our "home" museum in Charlotte–and a few others, too.  If it helps them in any way preserve these historic craft, I'm all for it.  If you live near one of these places, visit.  Help out, if you can.  Donate, too, if you are able.  Let your kids and grandkids see these same artifacts…

    **********************************

    The past few months have been a little bit weird, and a bit trying at
    times.  In the end, though, I have a lot to be thankful for…

    We had a bit of a family crisis in early September–my mother fell and
    nobody knew about it for several days.  A long story short, she's doing
    well now, but that added a week of travel that I hadn't scheduled. 
    Fortunately, the week after she had her accident, my brother and
    sister-in-law went to be with her and start getting things back in
    order.  It had become apparent that it was also time to get her
    somewhere where she would be close to health care professionals in case
    she had another accident, so they got the ball rolling on that.  I went down there the week after I returned from Tucson to get the rest done.  She's in her new place and doing fine, but there were more than a few stressful moments along the way.

    And, to add to the stress of the holidays, I was in an auto accident Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  It was a mild doozy, too, with seven vehicles involved.  It could have been much worse than it turned out, though–only three people were transported to the hospital, and we were told all of them would be okay.  That being said, I think my little truck is at the end of the road.  It still runs fine, and the damage is mostly twisted sheet metal, but I fear that my 13-year old Tacoma with 375,000 miles under its wheels will costs more to repair than what the book value is.  I was looking for a new commuter vehicle anyway (and I already talked about it a little), but this makes that more of a necessity than an option.  I will miss my reliable, utilitarian little truck.  This has been the best vehicle I have owned, without a doubt.  I hope to get as much satisfaction from my next one…

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

  • Spare time? Surely, you jest…

    Howdy!

    The beginning of the summer finds me once again on the treadmill at work.  We're getting busy again, and if all the birds come home to roost (i.e., if all the quotes out for approval come back approved) we'll be booked until close to the end of the year.  Truly, in this economy, it is a good problem to have, given the vilification of corporate jets across the board because of the truly stupid actions of a few corporations at the height of the crisis a few years ago…

    In the meantime, I've been able to steal a few minutes and work on some projects.  The Cool Snow Hog '82 A-10A is nearing completion.  I got the repaint done fairly painlessly, although I still have some learning to do with the new airbrush.  It is a good job, no doubt, but it isn't the same quality I used to get with the older airbrushes I've used.  Once I master the Patriot, I think I'll be right back where I was.  All I need is time and practice. 

    I've also started tinkering with the Monogram 1/48 scale F-106A more and more.  It wasn't as bad as I feared it would be, and it is actually further along with the re-scribing than I remember, too.  That's a lesson for you, kids–don't give up on a project because it frustrates you, or isn't progressing as you had hoped.  Put it aside, a build something else.  Eventually, you'll come back to the project and realize that all is not lost.  And remember, too, that in order to build better models, you have to finish models.  They all won't progress smoothly, but the goal is to get them finished.

    On other fronts, I must praise the Newberry County Public Works department.  Our house, as I've told you, is out in the country on a gravel road.  A sloped gravel road.  There are drainage ditches on either side of the road, and the County does periodically re-grade the road.  This re-grading started the problems for me a few years ago–when the road got re-graded a few years ago, it lost a lot of the gravel and was largely down to the clay and sand base.  Since we live in the woods, the leaves and pine straw mixes with the clay/sand to make mud–and it promptly clogged the culvert under my driveway.  I'd dig the clog out, and it would reappear with the next heavy rain.  After a while, the clog got to the point where the runoff would bypass the culvert and run down the road at the base of the driveway, creating deep cuts in the road–some, it appeared, large enough to swallow a small car. 

    After months of digging it out, or trying to blast it out with high pressure water, I finally contacted the County.  I heard nothing from them.  A few days later, they came out and re-graded the road–again.  Three days later, we had torrential rain which once again caused havoc in the road.  A second e-mail was sent, and the head of Public Works said they were working on a permanent fix, the just regraded to make the road passable.  Within a day of the response, they were back out at the house.  The removed the old plastic culvert that our lame-ass GC used when the house was built (against my wishes, by the way, much like a lot of things that are causing problems at the homestead) and installed a new concrete pipe.  They brought the grade of the road level at the bottom of the driveway, and they re-defined the drainage ditches on either side of the road, from where it begins to where it ends–they even made two or three diversion cut-offs up the road so the water at that end won't travel all the way from one end to the other.  Genius.  And, finally, they added about 10 truck loads of crush and run gravel to the wettest areas of the road.  We had more or less a week of rain last week, and things are just ducky.

    Oh, the down side?  They accidentally cut the phone line.  AT&T came out and fixed that…

    So, now I have to put gutters on the house, get rid of a bunch of trees, and re-grade the yard.  I'll do that in my spare time.  Yeah.  Spare time…

    I did tell the higher-ups at work, though, that next weekend was mine.  Why?  This, of course…

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

  • Cars

    Lately, I've been thinking that it might be time to get a new daily driver.  My current car is actually a truck–a 1999 Toyota Tacoma V-6 PreRunner extended cab pickup.  I've owned it since new, and as of this afternoon it has 343,456 miles on the odometer.  It has been as close to bulletproof as I think a vehicle can be, and has given me no major problems to worry about–until recently.  Late last year, the air conditioning compressor went out, which cost a bit of cash to fix.  At the last service visit, I was advised that the steering rack was leaking and probably should be replaced.  The transmission is getting jerky going up hills.  The Cruise Control "ON" annunciator has been out for a year or so now (but cruise still works), and the airbag light stays on for an ever-lengthening period of time when I start the truck.  Now, were the truck a wee bit younger, or had fewer miles, I'd go ahead and pony up the dough right now to get these matters attended to.  But with 10,000 miles to go until the next 90,000 mile interval–and all Toyota owners should know what that means (timing belts, trans flush, diff flush, etc., etc.)–I'm beginning to wonder what will be the next major failure.  And I'm starting to realize that the truck's days of a 90-mile round trip, five days a week are coming to an end.  I won't trade the truck–I won't get much in trade, maybe $3,000–and where I live, you need a truck to do those around-the-homestead errands like run the recycling to the drop off center, haul stuff to and fro, and to use when the weather isn't very hospitable to a car.  Nope, the truck has served me well and deserves a retirement in the country…

    I've been looking at something that gets better gas mileage than the 20- to 22mpg I currently get, and I want something that I can pay off quickly.  All of this points to a compact or subcompact.  I want a car that will be reliable for many years, and one with a good warranty.  Like it or not, that points me towards either a Japanese or Korean car (I'm starting to gravitate towards either a Hyundai or Kia).  And that got me to take a look back at the cars I've owned in my lifetime.

    My first car was my father's 1978 Datsun 510 station wagon, with the nearly indestructible 1,952cc inline four cylinder engine driving a four speed manual transmission which was also nearly indestructible.  I started driving it in 1981, after dad got a company car.  After some wheeling and dealing, I got the car–I'd need something to get me between Ft. Lauderdale and Daytona Beach.  That car was through a lot–both my brother and I learned to drive with that car.  We probably were the reason for the first clutch replacement.  My brother was in an accident when a guy ran right into him.  The car got fixed and was nearly as good as new.  But, being a Datsun from the 1970's meant that the steel was unprotected.  About the time I started driving the car, rust was becoming evident.  See, Datsun didn't use any sort of anti-corrosive primer or coating on their metal.  Couple that with a rubber compound in the door drains that tended to swell shut when submerged in water, the doors were the first places to show evidence of corrosion.  Also remember that this car saw a lot of Daytona Beach–those were the days you could drive on the beach, down by the water.  You could wash the car every hour and still not be able to keep up with the salt-laden air.  So, I learned my fair share of shadetree body work during the time I owned that car.  By the time I traded it to my mother for her 1982 Toyota Corolla, the Datsun had had three clutches, five sets of brakes, a transmission rebuild, one brake master cylinder, one clutch master cylinder, and was 85% Bondo by volume.  Mom and dad traded the Datsun for Mom's new car, a 1987 Hyundai Excel 5-door (which taught me a lesson about buying a first- or second-model year of anything).  I'll bet that little Datsun 2L engine is still being used, though, maybe to power a well or something.  I miss that car…

    The replacement was a 1982 Toyota Corolla.  Mom bought the Corolla to replace her 1981 Dodge Reliant-K station wagon that exploded a transaxle at about 11,000 miles.  Funny, a lot of people we know who had K-cars had the same thing happen at almost the same mileage.  Now, my mom is easy on cars–she could be the prototypical Little Old Lady from Pasadena.  The Toyota was a good little car that could get her from home to work, and back again safely.  It could get her where she needed to go–and that meant that it saw little of the Interstate (I-95, in this case).  See, mom doesn't like the Interstate or Florida's Turnpike.  She likes quiet roads where she doesn't feel hounded.  But I had to drive the Interstate and the Turnpike.  One thing I learned very quickly was that in order to merge, I had to shut off the A/C, drop the transmission to "L". and floor it.  I would manually shift through the automatic trans until I hit "D"–and by that time I hoped to be up to about 60mph.  The Toyota served its purpose–it got me through my last year of college and through a year at work in the real world.  The only real problems I had with this little car was a balky fuel pump (it would mimic vapor-lock, and would manifest itself at the worst times–like on I-95 just outside Boca on my way home for the weekend) and a ruptured oil pressure sending unit.  I had the same part go bad on me on the Datsun, and it took literally 10 minutes to change back then.  It took me several hours on the Toyota, since they located it on the most inaccessible part of the engine.

    By 1989, I was ready for something that had a little more oomph–the Toyota was starting to show signs of an impending need for a transmission rebuild, it needed brakes, and honestly, I didn't think the car was worth the work.  So, it got traded for what would be my first "new" car, a 1989 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer.  I hauled a lot of stuff for work, so I needed something bigger than the Corolla.  The truck had the 4.3 V-6, which was the first source of heartburn for me.  After about 20,000 miles, the truck would smoke on start.  The Chevy dealer knew right away what the problem was–weak valve springs.  I took the truck in, and they fixed it under warranty.  They also fixed some rust I found on the truck.  Then, more heartburn–I couldn't keep front brake pads from wearing out.  I tried every type and manufacturer I could, they all would last maybe 10,000 miles.  I had the rear brakes adjusted and re-adjusted.  Same deal.  I could never solve that problem.  I had an accident in a parking lot that required suspension arm replacement on the passenger side.  I started to get some bad tire wear.  Before I could fix that, I was in another accident where an old lady hit me nearly head-on while I was on my way home from work.  The driver's side headlight bucket was even with where the center of the front wheel had been, the roof was buckled, the engine block was cracked–and the insurance company still wanted to fix it.  I finally was able to convince them that it wasn't in their best interest when I asked the Service Writer at the dealership to crawl under the truck with a string.  He held the string at the output of the transmission, I took the other end, pulled the string taut, and held it at the input of the differential, and you could see that the driveshaft was not straight, but more of a gently arced rainbow shape.  They totalled the truck.  Honestly, I was relieved to get rid of the truck.

    But, apparently I hadn't learned quite enough.  The replacement to the Blazer was a 1993 GMC S-15 Jimmy SLE 4-door, 4.3L Vortec power–this was the last year for the "square" Blazers and Jimmys, 1994 saw the redesigned, rounded models.  At first, it was a great truck.  Then, at 20,000 miles, it would smoke when I started it.  I've seen this play before (and wondered how, in four years, General Motors couldn't fix the issue with their 4.3L V-6 engines), so I had the dealer fix it under warranty.  After that, things seemed good–except again, I would burn through a set of front brake pads in 10,000 miles.  I guess GM still hadn't figured that one out, either.  Anyway, I drove the truck for the next five years or so with few problems.  Then, at about 60,000 miles, trouble hit–big time.  I never had issues with starting–the truck had an electric fuel pump.  You'd turn the key, wait a few seconds until you heard the pump, then start the truck.  It would rarely crank over more than once before starting.  Well, it got more and more difficult to start.  Took it in, and I was told that the fuel plenum was bad.  A new one was $500.  Well, it sure beat a car payment (I had recently paid the truck off), so I had it replaced.  Then, the next oil change came with a surprise in the form of a bad filter adapter–the gasket split, and I dumped at least 10 quarts of oil on the road between my house and the dealership (5 of those being Mobil 1, since the only place that was open where I could buy oil was the local Mobil station, and they were out of non-synthetic oils).  Okay, that got sorted.  Two weeks later, the coolant pump shit the bed in magnificent fashion.  New pump, all is well.  Then, the radiator tank split a seam.  Fixed.  Last straw?  The freeze plugs started seeping–badly–at 70,000 miles.  With a $1,500 quote to replace all 12 (including the ones behind the bell housing), I declined and decided that the time was nigh to end this madness.

    So, I traded the Jimmy for the Tacoma.  And until recently, I haven't looked back.  And if I follow the pattern, wouldn't I be due to buy a Nissan?  Then again, with the warranties the Koreans are offering, they'll get a stong look from me.  I'm as Buy American as they get, but I was burned on not one but two American vehicles (sure, fome the same family–but other members of the family were just as burned by the other two branches of the Big Three–see my story on the K-Car above).  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, and I'll buy a Toyota…or Hyundai…or Kia.  And I remember when all of them were the proverbial "cheap rice-burners", even the Toyotas.  They've obviously learned something that the domestic auto builders haven't–Ford and GM still only have a 3/36 warranty, when Toyota and Nissan are 6/60 and the Koreans are offering 10/100…

    That being said, people often ask me what my dream car would be.  Well, if they never wore out and gasoline and maintenance were free, here are my Top Three:

    1.  1970 Hemi 'Cuda (with a nod to a 440+6 powered 'Cuda as well)

    2.  1969 AMC AMX or Javelin

    3.  1964 Jaguar 4.2L XK-E

    Alas, the MOPAR of yesterday is long gone, AMC was sacrificed to the Gods of Daimler when Chrysler-Jeep needed money, and Jags, while nice, are maintenance intensive.  (sigh)  At least I have model kits of all these…

    ******************

    Tonight marks the 100th post to my little corner of the Interwebs.  While I had hoped to do more frequent updates–like, maybe daily–it isn't in the cards.  I'm trying to make more frequent posts, really, I am, but this is a bit of work, especially when I have a lot of photos or a lot of research material that needs to be formatted, cleaned up, and posted.  I'll stick to updating when I am able, and when I feel like I have something to share that you all would appreciate.  I can't compete with any of the daily websites, and I won't try to.  I'll just keep throwing out snippets when I can.

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

  • What the funk?

    Hello, folks!

    After a long absence, I've finally carved out enough time to update the place.  Why the absence?  Well, the last trip to Dallas put a kink in a lot of things, and it was really more drama that I'd like to remember.  I'm also doing my best to try and fight off the creeping crud that seems to circulate around the hangar at this time of year–I've been moderately successful so far, but I fell like I may have caught some of the fringe.  Then, well, I got into a funk–a pretty deep funk, too.  I'm still in a mild funk, but I think I've found a few things to keep me occupied , and that might just pull me back into the world.

    First, a catch-up is in order.  The Rolex 24 at Daytona came and went this year, and like most years, we worked on models.  My wife built a Fujimi Mazda RX-8 kit during the race, and I think it came out very nicely.  I, on the other hand, didn't really feel like doing anything.  About an hour into the race, I decided that the 1995 Monte Carlo that has been featured here before was about three hours from being done, so I pulled it out of the queue on the bench and brought it downstairs.  It took a little longer that I first estimated, but I did get it all finished–or as finished as it is likely to be.  I haven't taken any photos yet, but once I do they'll get posted here.  Oh, and congratulations go out to Mike Shank Racing for taking the top step this year–a hard-fought win, one that is well-deserved.  Magnus Racing took the GT honors…

    We also helped out at December's South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation's celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the opening of Columbia Army Air Field.  Three of the local modeling clubs put on a display of aircraft, ship, and armor models depicting World War Two subjects.  The event was well-attended, and the Foundation was pleased to see as many models as they did–we filled 10-12 tables with models. 

    I've also taken out an old build for a rehab.  The model in question is Dragon Models original (1mid-1990's-vintage) Israeli M50 Super Sherman.  If you've ever seen and/or built one, you know that the kits takes some work, and that the tracks are perhaps the worst rendition of the HVSS T-80 tracks ever produced.  They're also a link-to-link track, with not a lot to keep them together.  Well, when I moved from Florida, they exploded like popcorn.  Some links were lost and gone forever, while the rest was a hot mess.  Well, the other week at the hobby shop, I spied not only Tamiya's new 1/35 scale M51 ISherman, but two sets of AFV Club's replacement track.  "What the hell", I thought, "Tamiya's vinyl tracks are good but not great, and I always have the M50 that need replacement track.  How hard could this be?"  I think you have pretty much deduced the answer.  The tracks look great, and they go together moderately easy–until you get to the part where you install the end connectors.  Even that isn't the worst part–the end connectors won't stay put without glue, which makes wrapping the track around the running gear a real adventure.  And I must have forgotten that the M50 was based on the longer-hulled M4A4–I counted out 79 links (and added a few for insurance), since that's supposedly how many a standard-hulled, HVSS equipped Sherman is supposed to have.  Well, this one will take more along the lines of 85 or 86 per side.  Now, I'm pretty sure the pitch was the same 16" as the VVSS Shermans, so the only explanation I can think of is that the kit is based on the longer M4A4, or Dragon really screwed up.  No matter, there are enough parts in the box to get the job done.  There are some loose parts to reattach, and some touch up needed, but once I get these &*%)(*^) tracks to behave, I can paint and weather them, and reassemble the beast.

    I've still got the other projects on the burner, too.  They'll get some love shortly.

    And, lastly, we have a model show coming up in late April–the IPMS/USA Region 12 Regional Show, to be exact.  I've already sponsored a trophy (Best Ship) and may do more.  I also reserved two vendor tables, too, to get rid of some of the SIDNA that's accumulated upstairs.  It will be nice to move some of the kits that I know I'll never build. 

    Work is a bit on the slow side right now–which is fine by me.  We have two of our technicians out of town for the next week or two, working in our Grand Junction shop.  We're waiting for a few people to finalize their quotes and bring their airplanes in, too.  We're also looking for a larger (better) place to set up the shop. 

    The last, and most exciting (for me, anyway) think to arise over the past two months is another research project.  Out Learjet Program Manager's father flew B-24's out of Italy during WWII.  His dad's health is an up/down deal–one day it is up, the next it is down–and he's reached the point where he can't live without constant supervision.  While they try to find him a nursing home, they've been gathering his stuff in order to vacate the assisted living facility where he had been living, and they're finding all sorts of his wartime memorabilia.  Scott wants a model of a B-24 flown by his dad, so that's what I'm working on.  So far, I've hit some dead ends, roadblocks, and faint leads.  The more I dig, the more I find–and I keep telling Scott to find his dad's photo albums and logbooks.  I'm having fun with this, so far…

    Here's hoping I get the funk out and get the funk going…

    I hope to see you at the Region 12 Regional Show if you're in the neighborhood.

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

     

  • The Holidays are over…

    I don't even know where to begin…

    Since our last visit together, I've been busy–big surprise, huh?  Well, it was a good busy, for the most part.  We took a trip and visited my mother in Ft. Lauderdale.  While we were there, we got some pictures.  The houses are all in the neighborhood where I grew up–it isn't as nice as it once was, and I had traffic behind me, so the photos are the best I could do given the circumstances.  I simply started popping away with the camera while I drove–much like an RF-4C over Route Pac 6, I didn't dare stop:

    5446

    The lot where 5446 NW 18 Street used to stand, the duplex we lived in when we first moved to Florida in August 1971.  It looks like the city is doing some cleaning, and the two duplexes at the end of the block were demolished.

     

    1631

    1631 NW 55th Avenue.  We lived in this house from February 1973 until November 1989.  Other than the new roof, reconfigured driveway, and the coconut palm in the yard, it looks much the same as it did when we lived there.  The circular part of the driveway was just that, semi-circular, when we lived there, it looks like the owners extended it a bit near the house.

     

    1641

    1641 NW 55 Avenue, our neighbor's house to the North.  It is looking pretty sharp here–which wasn't always the case.  A few years ago, it had bright purple trim.  There used to be a huge black olive tree in the front yard, right about where the fountain is now…

     

    1611

    1611 NW 55 Avenue, two doors down to the south.  I remember when that siding went on the house in the early 1980's.  I believe the same man still lives there…

     

    Hoppe

    1741 NW 55th Avenue, the last house to the north before you got to the duplexes, triplexes, and quads that still apparently are the center of some not-so-nice activities.

    We also did some running around town on one of the days we were there.  Lunch at Char-Hut is always required, and we always try to stop in at the hobby shops in the area.  Here's Warrick's Hobby Superstore, on University Drive south of Peters Road:

    Warrick

    There used to be a Sound Advice store to the left in this picture, but since their demise, the hobby shop has expanded all the way to the end of the building, taking over the vacant space.  They actually had more esoteric stuff that I figured they would, but largely the selection is Revell, Trumpeter, Tamiya, Hasegawa, and Airfix.  Still, not bad considering what it looked like four years ago when there wasn't a geed selection on the shelves…

    We had to visit Chuck at RC Hobbies in Tamarac, too:

    Rchobbies

    Same store, and Chuck usually has a pretty good kit selection.  He's rearranged the inside of the store since our last visit in 2007, but he still tries to have some of the less-popular stuff in stock.

    We spent about a week with my mother, then made the trek home.  We stopped in Daytona Beach both on the trip down and the trip home, and on the way home we had a few hours to check the place out.  No pics, sorry, but I can tell you this–Daytona changes from year to year, it seems.  We were there last for the 2008 Rolex 24, and at the time, the new ISC HQ building was under construction.  It is complete now, a monument to themselves.  The area around the Speedway is much the same, though, and ARCA testing was going on when we stopped on the way down.  Soon, the area will be abuzz with Sports Cars and the Rolex 24.  We're not going, again this year–a 3:30 PM start on Saturday pretty much kills the deal for us.  Grand Am, are you listening?  What happened to the 12 Noon start, so everyone could get a stint in the car when it was light outside? 

    Once we arrived home, I had no time to rest.  I do a lot of baking for the holidays, most of which goes to the in-laws when we visit.  With no time to spare, I was able to get it all done:

    Cheesecake

    The first of two cheesecakes.  I'd be disowned if I didn't bring them with me.  I use Alton Brown's recipe, for those who are interested…

    Chocochip

    Good, old fashioned, Nestle Toll House cookies.  Why mess with a good thing?  I don't deviate from the recipe on the bag of semi-sweet chips…

     

    Oatmeal

    A batch of Quaker Oats' Disappearing Oatmeal Cookies waiting to go in the oven.  The recipe is on every tub of Quaker's Old Fashioned Rolled Oats…

     

    Spritz

    Spritz, ready for the oven. 

     

    Pizzelles

    Pizzelle batter and pizzelle iron on deck.  I didn't get any pictures of the finished product.  Rats!

     

    Bows

    Something new for me this year, I made Italian Bowknot Cookies.  I tried these last year, and they didn't work too well.  I think I'm getting the hang of these now…

     

    Ravioli

    Another new item, Nutella Ravioli–a Giada DiLaurentiis recipe.  They were good, but next year I may reduce the size of them–they're awfully good, but they're awfully rich, too.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly, so that's part of the issue.  I'll do it proper-like next year and see…

     

    Panettone

    The only holiday baked good that I don't make (nor do most Italians)–Panettone.  It is a sweet bread, full of candied fruit and raisins.  We made French Toast from ours this year, and all I can say is that you need to try it.  Very good, indeed!

    As for Christmas, we had an enjoyable time.  We spent most of the day at the in-laws, where we were treated to good food and good company.  What more can one ask for?  I did manage to get a few kits–Anigrand's 1/72 scale XF-103 and XF-108 kits.  I guess I can stop scouring the Internet for the Ken Rymal vacuum-formed versions…

    We spent New Year's Eve watching the "Big Bang Theory" marathon on TBS.  Why I hadn't discovered this show earlier is beyond me–I started watching it when I was in Dallas, and it is a hoot.  We switched over to ABC so we could be welcomed into the New Year by Dick Clark and see the ball drop…

    As we usher in 2012, I would like to wish all of you Health, Joy, and Prosperity for the New Year.

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

  • Black Friday

    Greetings, all.  I hope you have survived Thanksgiving (if you celebrate the holiday at this time of year), and I hope any of you brave (foolish?  insane?) enough to venture out to the Holiday Shopping Bacchanalia made it home intact.

    I have never understood the whole Black Friday thing.  I guess it is just how I operate.  I go Christmas buying–I know what I want, I go, I buy it–and have little need to share the shopping experience at 4AM with 50,000 of my closest neighbors.  And lately, with the rise in idiocy (the deaths due to trampling last year, the pepper-spray incident this year), I'm less inclined to go out and shop at all, let alone on Midnight on the morning after Thanksgiving.

    Having worked retail either full- or part-time for more years than I care to count, I can tell you that about this point in time (mid-afternoon Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend as I type this), my patience would wear thin.  Why?  Because I had about enough people shouting at me, being generally rude to me, or asking advice and then ignoring it.  There's only so much one can take, and coupled with the fact that working this weekend means that we had to give up family time to go to work made it rather a chore.  

    So, as you venture out to "push and shove" as my mother and Grandmother used to say, remember that while you are tired and worn out, so are the people trying to assist you–they've been up longer than you, as most of them had to show up at work an hour before the store opened–or will be there for an hour after it closes.

    I'll do my shopping–er, buying–later, and much of it online…

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

  • Apologies, as I’ve been away…

    Just when I thought the schedule at the job was getting back to some semblance of normal, we got called out of town last week.  Yep, I spent the better part of the past 10 days in Dallas.  I'd share photos and the like with you, but frankly, we didn't roam very far from our facility at Love Field.  I got home a few nights ago, so things should get back on a regular schedule once again–I promise.

    I do have the photos from the Fayetteville show, all I need to do is prepare them for the interwebs and I'll post them for your enjoyment.  The show was fun, small but fun.  As usual, there was quite a bit of nice work on the tables for all to see and appreciate.  The vendor tables were interesting, too–I managed to acquire an Anigrand Craftswork 1/72 scale kit of a Douglas XB-42.  My only other aquisitions came from our side trip to Hayes Hobby House.  I finally got the Zvesda 1/144 scale Tupolev Tu-154M airliner kit and got the brand new Dragon/Cyber Hobby 1/72 deHavilland Sea Vixen FAW.1.  All three are very nice kits indeed, and I *may* break my pledge to finish one of the backlog projects and build the XB-42…

    I'll also have a piece on Hayes Hobby House.  As a teaser, all I can say is if you live near Fayetteville, NC, you need to go.  They are also on the Interwebs here…

    Thanks for reading, and I bid you Peace.

  • Ooohh, that smell…

    Autumn has descended upon the Southern reaches of the Atlantic Seaboard, and with the lower temperatures comes a smell like no other–it is a crispness that I can't describe.  Also, with the holidays approaching fast, it is hard not to remember back to when I was a kid by the way things smelled.  There was something about this time of year…

    We didn't use any frou-frou spritzers, the house just smelled like, well, the holidays.  Mom would bake, and one thing she does to this day is doctor recipes.  She'll add ginger or cloves to the standard Toll House or Quaker Oatmeal cookie recipes (along with nuts and raisins–she puts nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips in most of her holiday cookies), which creates this awesome aroma throughout the house.  Whenever I think of Christmas as a kid, I remember the way the house smelled… 

    And that thought, of course, led me to other smells that remind me of places.  For instance, back before the chain auto parts stores, you used to go to the dingy little place that just happened to have what you wanted–and it had a smell all it's own.  Similar to the chains, the smell was a mix of rubber, petro-chemicals, new carpet, and a potpourri of the various air fresheners.  Sporting goods stores back in the day used to smell of canvas, black powder, crickets, and rubber worms (and, if you are lucky enough to have a Sportsman's Warehouse, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shops, or Cabella's nearby, they smell the same way)…

    Hobby shops–the original, tiny Mom-and-Pop places, had a smell all their own, too.  Back in the day, the shops carried model airplane dope, and when you mix that aroma in with that of glow fuel, Testor's paint, musty boxes, and real model airplane glue (the stuff with Toluene and mustard oil), you get an odor that will never escape you.  I didn't really notice it when I was a kid, but as I got older, I would catch a whiff every time I was in the local emporium.  And, at the time, Warrick Custom Hobbies would also sell fireworks at various times of the year, so you would get that "hobby shop smell" mixed in with that of black powder.  It made for a memorable smell, one that I miss.

    The modern hobby shop, whether it be a chain store or one of the ever-dwindling Mom-and-Pop shops, doesn't have that smell, particularly if that store hasn't been in business that long.  There is one shop here in Columbia, though, that has a bit of that smell to it–he specializes in model railroading, so you replace the smell of glow fuel with that of the various light oils used to lubricate the locomotives, and maybe add the lacquer smell of Scalecoat and Floquil paints, and you get a variation of the hobby shop aroma.  It doesn't hurt that this place is basically located in an old house–it is rather cramped–and he's been there for years.  There are no aisles, there are small areas where you can sort of shuffle along and see what's on the shelves.  There is stuff piled everywhere, so it makes finding things a bit of a treasure hunt–but nobody complains.  It is reminiscent of the cabinets behind the counter at Orange Blossom Hobbies–I'm not sure if even Joe, the owner, knows what's in a given location.  But whenever I feel nostalgic for the good old days, I'll stop in at Joe's and see what's new–and take in that hobby shop smell. 

    It is certainly a shame that time and progress march ever onward.  "New and Improved" isn't necessarily so…

    We're winding down on the current project at work–with that, I have every intention of visiting the Lafayette Scale Modelers this weekend for their model show in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  I'll do my best to take some pictures and share them with you.

    Be good to one another.  I bid you Peace.

  • Not much to say, and not a lot of free time in which to say it…

    We're starting another one of those we have three weeks of work to do and need to get it done in two weeks" periods at the job, so I've been a bit on the busy side of late…

    I'll ramble tonight…

    We're planning a visit to South Florida soon, and when we go, there are places we always stop at. 

    The first is the old hobby shop.  Sure, they really downsized the plastics department, but we still go.  Last time we were in town, we visited more for the railroad stuff than anything–I'm a sucker for anything from the early days of Florida East Coast, and both of us have a soft spot for the Atlantic Coast Line.  We'll also visit RC Hobbies, simply to see what he's been up to.

    Then there are the restaurants.  There are a few that are must-dos, starting with Char-Hut.  Nobody does a grilled chicken sandwich better.  Char-chicken with cheese, onions, and hot sauce, side of onion rings, large drink.  I'm set…

    Flanigan's also has some good food–their burgers are pretty good, but their seafood is even better.  And their ribs?  Need you ask?

    Of course, we always drive past the late, lamented 3 Guys Pizza.  Last time through, it was "Mondo Azteca", a taco bar–and pizzeria.  Sorry, it ain't 3 Guys…

    And I would be remiss if I didn't mention mom's.  If you can't get a good meal from mom, where can you go?  And seeing as we'll be there around the holidays, I imagine I might be doing some baking.  And I know I'll have a little baking to do when I get home, too–I think my in-laws would disown me if I didn't bring cheesecake with me when we go visit on Christmas…

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

  • A personal Aviation Hall of Fame

    Today marks the 47th anniversary of the first flight of the North American XB-70A Valkyrie.  As a kid, I only saw photos of the airplane, so didn't really know the significance of the program–but, boy, that was one cool-looking airplane!  I started thinking–a dangerous thing, sometimes–and managed to come up with an Aviation Hall of Fame (of sorts) in my head.  I'll start with the "modern" stuff (read: jets).  In no particular order:

    The Fairchild-Republic A-10A.  While it isn't much to look at, this airplane kicks ass.  Designed to provide close air support (CAS) to the guys and gals on the ground, it carries an impressive punch.  An added bonus?  When all the "whistling shit cans" are gone from the pylons, the airplane has a 30mm cannon that can do just as much damage as the bombs and missiles do.  Not particularly loved by the brass (it is ugly and subsonic–not a Mach-buster, to be sure), Operation Desert Shield/Storm saved the airplane from retirement when it proved to be able to dish out punishment more accurately that the fast jets AND bring it home when things went pear-shaped–in other words, do what Republic designed it for.  The airplane could take a licking and keep on ticking, as the Timex ad men would say.  Attempts at retiring it have still come up empty.  Sure, a number of them have been sent to storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AMARG), but the low-timers are being modified to soldier on for a while onger–not bad for a type whose last example was completed in 1984!

    The General Dynamics F-111.  Never has an airplane been so misunderstood–and it stems from the requirement that birthed it.  Born as the TFX program–"Tactical Fighter, Experimental"–it was to be used by both the Air Force and Navy.  The Air Force wanted a low-level penetrator to augment and later replace the fighter-bombers then in service.  The Navy needed a point-defense interceptor to complement the F-4 Phantom II.  Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense under President Kennedy, was one of the dozens of "Whiz Kids" Kennedy tapped to fill his Cabinet.  McNamara had come from the Ford Motor Company, and he didn't understand why the different branches of the service couldn't use the same hardware.  The TFX program would be given the added burden of "Commonality"–to use as many common parts for all versions.  Several bids were offered, and the Boeing design got the nod, but only tentatively so.  Boeing re-worked their bid, and all bids were once again analyzed–and once again, Boeing got the top spot.  McNamara overruled them, and selected the General Dynamics design instead, because the two versions had more commonality than the designs from the other bidders.  To make a very long story short, the Navy's version didn't work out.  Even the Air Force versions didn't share as much commonality between versions as McNamara envisioned–each of the Air Force subtypes were just different enough from the others that most version-specific parts were just that, version specific.  In the end, though, the airplane proved to be the best low-level, all-weather interdiction/strike aircraft in the world.  Don't believe me?  Remember all those videos of precision-guided bombs taking out targets in the first Gulf War?  You know, the ones credited to the F-117A Stealth Fighter?  A good number of those films belonged to F-111 strike cameras…

    The XB-70A.  It was just pure sex in the sky.

    The Century Series.  Okay, I know–there were five Century Series airplanes that saw production, some interceptors, some fighter-bombers, and even an escort fighter in the form of the F-101A and F-101C.  But these airplanes were born when technology was developing very quickly.  They used the newest, biggest, most powerful turbojet engines produced at the time (as an aside, do you wonder why, when an engine powers a jet fighter they call it "Thunderchief", but when that same engine powers an airliner they call it "Whisperjet"?) and they had the most advanced avionics and fire control systems money could buy.  The interceptors (F-101B, F-102, and F-106) were designed to do one thing–shoot down hordes of Soviet bombers coming over the Polar routes with their cargoes of nuclear destruction.  The fighter-bombers (the F-100 and F-105) were designed to carry and drop tactical nuclear weapons.  The ironic member of the family has to be the McDonnell F-101–the early versions were ordered as Escort Fighters for the Strategic Air Command.  The thought was that the Voodoo would escort the B-47s and B-52s to the target and protect them from enemy fighters.  When that mission disappeared, the airplane was modified to fill the photo reconnaissance mission, and later still it was modified to become an interceptor–in other words, in the final form, the Voodoo was designed to shoot down enemy bombers.  The odd-man-out in the mix is the Lockheed F-104.  It didn't serve long with the USAF, but it did serve for many years in the inventories of Allies in Europe and Japan.

    The F-4 Phantom.  Sure, it became the ubiquitous symbol of American air power for several decades, and is still serving in front line roles around the world.  The F-4, to many non-aviation types, is the jet equivalent of the P-51 Mustang–people can pick it out of a crown without knowing a lot about airplanes.

    I'd be giving the Navy short shrift if I didn't mention the Vought F-8 Crusader.  This thing looked fast.  It served as the Navy's interceptor and pure fighter with distinction–and when it was gone, it would be the ultimate pure fighter aircraft the Navy had.  When you're out of F-8's, you're out of fighters, so the saying went.

    And the North American A-5 Vigilante was pretty cool, too.  It was big–but it looked fast just sitting on the deck.  While the attack role didn't pan out for the Vigi, it was modified into a reece ship that was second-to-none, and, like the F-8, the type's retirement left big shoes to fill.  Alas, those shoes are still waiting…

    For some odd reason, I was never a Tomcat fan-boy, or an Eagle Weenie, or fond of either lightweight fighter (F-16 and F/A-18).  These airplanes served and continue to serve with distinction, but they lack that character of the first- and second-generation jet fighters.  And yes, if you put a Felix the Cat or a Top Hat squadron marking on an F-14, I'll take note–same goes for any Air National Guard squadron code on an F-15 or F-16.  I'll just say they get an Honorable Mention, along with the earliest of jets–the Lockheed P-80, the Republic F-84, the early Grumman cats (F9F Panther and Cougar, and F-11 Tiger), and the McDonnell Banshee.

    I'll share my piston-powered military aircraft and civil types with you later on.

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