Howdy again. Been way too long…
I've actually been off on a self-imposed digital vacation of sorts. I was finding myself getting too wrapped up in the computer and all the series of pipes the Interwebs was bringing me, to the point that I wasn't enjoying any of my other hobbies–and I was not having any fun. So, I decided to step away for a few weeks and only check in for about 10 minutes a day until I got some of my mojo back. It worked, I have been churning things out of the model workshop on a semi-regular basis and I have regained some of the lost momentum on a few long-term projects.
So, lets review what's been going on…
1. Eduard released a 1/48 scale Bf-109G that is actually 1/47 scale. Or is it 1/45? Or is it actually okay if you lop 2mm off each wingtip and re-work the ailerons? Don't know, don't really care–I have a moving box full of Hasegawa and Fujimi 1/48 scale 109's. I sold off all the others (Hobbycraft, Revell) that I had in the stash a few years ago. I think I'm good for a while…
2. Kittyhawk released their 1/48 scale F-101A/C kit, and it has errors. Yep, and dogs chase cars and eat their own shit, and cats get hairballs. I have said kit. I can spot the errors, and the good news is that I can also fix them rather easily. It seems to also be a bear to assemble, but what does one learn from a falls-together kit?
3. Kittyhawk also released an "unbuildable" 1/48 scale F9F Cougar. Funny, I'm seeing a lot of built examples that look mighty fine to me, including the one the wife is in the middle of building. "Some modeling experience helpful" seems to be the watchword here, and that means you need to have been taught how to test-fit parts and adjust it where needed.
4. Airfix's new releases seem to be getting better and better. I bought the Blenheim and the Lightning in the past several weeks, and all I can say is "wow". I thought the little Gnat was a nice kit, but the latest are even nicer.
5. Revell finally got the shapes and proportions correct on a Mopar E-Body with their new 1/25 scale 1970 Barracuda. I bought one, and it won't be the last. Also, I got to thinking…what if the current group at Chrysler resurrected the Plymouth name badge? More on that at some point…
6. I have had opportunity to check out the Vallejo color kits for armor models–in this case, the U.S. Olive Green vehicle paint set and the Green Vehicle Weathering set. So far, results are pretty good. More on that later, too…
Fast forward several months…
I originally penned those words last September. And, as with the Road to Hell, I had good intentions of completing the post and getting back to business. But, as so often happens, life got in the way. Again. And I got sidetracked. Again.
But here I am, back in the swing of things. Sort of. I still have some ruts to get out of and a bit of a funk I need to give up, but (as the song goes) I'm alive and well and living in.
And news, boy is there news…
Since September, I've been more than a little lax at the workbench. I have a few projects close to completion, and one that, if I put a little effort forth, will also be looking to cross the finish line soon. I've also started a new project, too, and all I need is the motivation to get to work on all of them. Stay tuned. I have a plan…
I have managed to accrue kits, though–that never ends for those of us afflicted by the bug. To wit:
Eduard's 1/72 MiG-15 kit is every bit as nice as we hoped it would be.
Trumpeter's 1/48 F-106A is a mixed bag if you compare it to the now 32-year old Monogram kit, but it does have the benefit of recessed panel lines. The biggest discrepancy I can see with the kit (aside from the soft detail, which is fixable) are the stoop-shouldered intakes. They appear to round off too much for my liking, but it is not a deal-breaker if you get the kit at a discount. I plan on using some parts from a long-stalled Monogram model to improve the look of the kit. I like it, and the fact that they're doing the F-106B, too. Like the Kittyhawk F-101A/C, it isn't perfect but it is certainly not beyond the skill set of most modelers. Given that the later issues of the Monogram kit (and all Monogram kits) are in that awful softish, vinyl-like plastic, this one arrived at just about the right time.
(Do you remember the old Monogram plastic? Hard, but not brittle, nice smooth and glossy surface…those days are apparently gone. And my nostalgia affliction wishes they weren't…)
(Hey, Meng–how about a 1/72 F-106A that matches your F-102A in detail and finesse?)
Airfix keeps on trucking, their 1/72 Supermarine Swift FR.5 is gorgeous. And every time I see what they're doing in the smaller scales, I get more and more tempted to acquire their 1/24 Hawker Typhoon. What I will do with it, and (better still) where I will display it, well, since when has that ever mattered before? As M and the Minister of Defense have been known to say to James Bond, "Control yourself, 007…" (And yet Q would probably have it delivered to me and then take hours to explain how it is such a neat bit of kit, etc…)
And, in the Christmas Mother Lode, I got a few neat items:
RusAir's Tu-154 and Tu-134 kits in 1/144 scale. Gorgeous. The 154 makes it so you have a friend for your Zvesda Tu-154M. (And I'm looking forward to a 1/144 Il-62 this year, as soon as I can get my mitts on one. Those old Soviet airliners have character out the whazoo…)
Eduard's reissue of Academy's F-4B (as an F-4N) in 1/48 scale with the U.S. Navy Bicentennial schemes and upgrades. Sweet.
But enough about plastic. What else is happening?
Well, we're in that alternating feast/famine cycle at work. I did manage to get away to a trade meeting in September, as well as a return trip to Richmond. Trade meetings are always good, since I get to get brought up to speed on new stuff and re-connect with people I've met throughout the years. The weather was awful the day I left, so I still have to plan a trip to the Virginia Aviation Museum.
I have had a chance to catch up on some reading, notably "The Eagle and the Rising Sun" by Alan Schom and "Neptune's Inferno" by James Hornfischer. Both deal mainly with the naval battles around Guadalcanal during the campaign to take the island. Both are very good reads, and I recommend them to any WWII Pacific Campaign fans. Beware, modelers–it will make you want to build at least one ship model! I know I keep eyeing the 1/350 kits of the USS San Francisco in the stash…
Along with everything else, there are a few modeling events coming up in the area, and we're in the planning phases of all of them. More as the time comes, but they ought to be barn-burners. Stay tuned on that, too…
As for the other big event coming up this weekend, I really have no dog in the hunt. I can't root for the Patriots, it goes against every fiber in my being–growing up in South Florida and being a Dolphins fan will do that to you. But I can't get excited about the Seahawks, either. The Seahawks I used to remember were in the AFC, had better looking uniforms, and were a dome team…I'm sure the Big Game ™ will be good, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it…
And, finally, this past weekend was the 53rd Annual 24 Hours of Daytona. And it was a great race, with great weather. One of these days, we'll get back there in person…
Until then, I thank you for reading, and, as always, I bid you Peace.