What's on the workbench!

[McColm]

Thursday 20th February 2025

The 1/72 Airfix Shorts Sunderland that has been converted into the Sandringham arrived today, this will need a lot of PSR so I'm thinking of buying another Sunderland kit and adding the new nose and tail to it. The remaining fuselage will be used on the Sea Hercules build.
The other models are in 1/144  scale and in need of repairs.
 The 1/24 Ford Caprise RS3100 has been given the folded roof from the Revell Ford 1964 1/2 Mustang convertible. I will have to check and see if the Mustang Hertz Special was ever sold as a convertible. It was something Carol Shelby had created with the larger engine.
 Work continues on the 1/72 HS.748/BAe.748 Coastguarder III  MR.1, I have removed the Mach2 Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic glazed cockpit canopy but all the other features are undergoing PSR. It looks like a smaller Atlantic ATL.1 without the weapons bay.

Just waiting for three more parcels to arrive , back to the laundry and polishing my work shoes.

[McColm]

Friday 21st February 2025

Two of the Lima HST coaches now has the Northern Belle liveries however the coaches aren't the same size. I do have another coach which is the same length as the smaller one so some more decals will be required along with the paint for the power car & dummy power car.
PSR continues on the 1/72 BAE.748 Coastguarder III MR.1 although in the real world none were sold as maritime surveillance aircraft there was two four-engine concepts one with four Rolls-Royce Dart engines and the other with a pair of Rolls-Royce Darts plus a pair of Rolls-Royce turbofans. There was a twin turbofan model with the FASS radar and even the USNAVY pitched the idea of a C.O.D. for their aircraft carriers, the Royal Navy wanted the AEW version for the new aircraft carriers but they were cancelled, a decade or two later we got the three through-deck carriers.
As for the 1/24 Ford Caprise RS3100 this is turning out rather well, could be a contender for the rattle can along with the Coastguarder on the next time I'm on my rest days.
The two larger builds are waiting for me to work on the propellers where as the Breguet Br.1250 amphibious flying boat awaits a paint scheme. I think that I will concentrate on paint and decals on my next payday plus a 1/72 Shorts Sunderland and C-130. The width of the Sunderland will fit the gap in between the main landing gear of the C-130 which means I can have a go at creating the amphibious Hercules and build the Shorts Hythe . No the C-130 vertical tail fin doesn't quite fit the Sunderland which is a bit of a shame, Plan B.
A few more cardboard based buildings for my model railway layout for the Railway Stash and a goods yard. As for the 1/144 models I will source some spare parts or make my own.

[McColm]

It's the early hours of Tuesday 25th February 2025, whilst doing my rounds I have noticed that Coca-Cola will be sponsoring the European Football Championship this year. On the promotion front Dr Pepper is now available in zero sugar and there's a limited edition in cherry flavour. It's a bit too fizzy for me. Also in the Monster range a new exotic flavour will be launched soon,
On the die-cast front examples of the Corgi tram, single deck and the double decker in 00 scale although they aren't new they look like the samples for preproduction.
They have examples of Coca-Cola brands and products in glass show cabinets.
It's been raining on and off throughout the night, good job I don't need to do external patrols.
It's my last shift for February tonight, got a blood test this Friday so a bit of whiffery in-between sleeping on my rest days.
 I have been sleeping a lot better since I replaced my old pillows with some new ones. I now find listening to the highlights of Judge Judy on YouTube usually sends me to sleep. Some of the court cases are fascinating whilst others are very silly.

[McColm]

Saturday 1st March 2025

I spent most of the day in bed sneezing, runny nose. The heating is on low as the mornings have been a bit chilly but my flat feels like a sauna, been drinking lots of black tea with natural ginger. If I concentrate on using the Revell filler on the Lockheed Cormorant MR.1 I feel a bit better although I had to superglue the left wing in place due to a gap. I have noticed that one of the outer nacelles is a bad fit so there's a possibility of an engine swap. Maybe this Cormorant was the engine test aircraft.
The second Ravernsberg 3D printed puzzle Astronomy Tower arrived this morning, if I add the Metcalfe Castle card kits I should be able to create my own Hogwarts Castle, my other 3D printed castle is falling apart but I have kept the best cardboard boxes so some refurbishment work will be done with a coat of clear gloss to preserve it.
As to my Chinese Money plant its been flowering since December with more buds on the way, maybe its time to buy a lottery ticket!

[McColm]

Friday March 2025

I have ditched the Sainsburys Max Cold & Flu powders for something plant based and it seems to be working. The runny nose has stopped, no sore throat or fever although the occasional sneeze and cough. It's one tablet three times a day for 10 days, non-drowsy. Which has worked out well for me as I don't have to return to work until the 14th of March.

On the workbench the Lockheed Cormorant MR.1 is undergoing PSR now that it has four Rolls-Royce Tyne engines. The Tyne turboprops taken from the Revell Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic kit are now on the Shorts Swallow MR.1 which also has the Revell M.A.D. boom. The pair of floats has been glued underneath the wings in the folded position as they keep snapping off when I try and sand the model.
The BAe Coastguarder III MR.1 now has the sonobouy preselected launch tubes taken from the Revell Atlantic kit.
The remaining filler has been used on the shelf queens.

I have been catching up with the news I didn't know that King Charles had stepped down and the political situation was at crisis point over here in the UK.
I do know that I will need to cut back on my outgoings as my water bill has increased by £17 per month although buses and tram fares have been frozen until March 2026.

[PR19_Kit]

I have been catching up with the news I didn't know that King Charles had stepped down and the political situation was at crisis point over here in the UK.

WHAT? It's not April 1st yet you know..............................

[scooter]

I have been catching up with the news I didn't know that King Charles had stepped down and the political situation was at crisis point over here in the UK.

WHAT? It's not April 1st yet you know..............................

AP Fact check: https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-cancer-who-next-line-succession-d054f86ba17fe280bc7481a42921f3db

Charles's undergoing treatment for cancer, and has not stepped down.  William has probably assumed more duties.
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I'm still waiting for Harry to pull a Duke of Gloucester should something happen to William, and lock his niece and nephews up in the Tower.

[McColm]

Tuesday 11th March 2025

The Ravensburger 3D jigsaw puzzle of the Hogwarts Astronomy Tower is now completed, just got to build the Great Hall. I will buy the two smaller 3D puzzles that go to make Hogwarts Castle for parts and extensions to my current model which is falling apart.
One rattle can of Tamiya grey primer has been used on the 1/50 resin Eurofighter two seater Typhoon with conformal fuel tanks, the 1/24 resin Batmobile low-loader and the 1/72 BAe Coastguarder III MR.1. Although they are still drying an early indication on the Coastguarder means a little bit of PSR is needed.

[Pellson]

I'm still waiting for Harry to pull a Duke of Gloucester should something happen to William, and lock his niece and nephews up in the Tower.

Not that we need more political entertainment in the world right now, but hey, why not just go for it! I bet you'd get a tv show having Meghan renovating Buckingham Castle in a SoCal modernistic style all by herself

[McColm]

Saturday 15th March 2025

Whilst browsing through the ads on eBay a 'plastic toy car' in the style of the Jaguar S 20cm long with a racing body kit and stamped Sainsburys made in China underneath caught my attention. Naturally I have placed a bid and if I'm the lucky winner I will make a few changes. Having been unsuccessful in my attempt of creating a Jaguar Mk2 Coupe I'm thinking along the same lines. I have seen a few videos of the Gaydon Motor Museum and the Jaguar section with a lot of prototypes/concepts and preproduction cars so a two door Jaguar S wouldn't be out of place. I will be putting a few shiny bits on the model and changing the colour as the roof needs some repairs.
 Work has begun on the Ravensburger Hogwarts Castle Hotel Project, the old headmaster's office has had a few touch-ups on the exterior. It seems to me that the Wizarding World cardboard 3D jigsaw puzzle of Hogwarts Castle which is falling apart due to the heating of my flat from the floors below will be used on some of the windows and decorative panels.
 As to the Shelby 1964 Mustang 350 convertible having watched a few episodes of the new Five-O on Paramount Plus agent Chinn Kelly drives something very similar, his is red with white stripes. As I have ordered a rattle can of gloss red paint for my Austin FX4 Fire Truck I shall be using the remaining paint on the Mustang apart from the upper dashboard/tea shelf that will remain matt black. I have found a matching pair of red racing seat covers and glued these in place. Painting using the Revell acrylic paint provided has started on the underside of the model. I'm using photos of as a reference to the engine and engine bay. It would appear that the later versions had the same body colour in the engine bay.
 The Italeri 1/24 Land Rover Fire Truck kit arrived this morning the bodyshell and rear interior are moulded in red plastic. There's parts for lefthand drive or righthand drive with four alternative decal options.
I have bought myself a wooden toilet seat as the plastic/PVC seat began to crack. It was easy to fit.
Online shopping is supposed to be simple but not if you live in Charlton Southeast London and want to do a food shopping delivery. The page seems to frequently freeze taking up to 30 minutes to complete my list, so I have ordered a big shop with Sainsburys for tomorrow. I know that they are slightly expensive but it was simple to order on their home delivery than Deliveroo and the other one JustEat. Asda and Tesco can never find my address although they are both in the same retail park with Sainsburys.
Easter eggs and hotcross buns are already available in most supermarkets and its not even April yet.
My employer wouldn't pay me for the full two weeks I have booked as holiday leave in May 8 days so the remaining days will be used in April. I will find out what my entitlement is in June for next year.
With my health starting to get better my list of what places to explore in the Royal Borough of Greenwich is getting closer. Most are just a bus ride away and free entry.

[McColm]

Monday 17th March 2025

I have been informed that I will be training on four different sites this week. Nights first and next week the day shifts which means that I get the weekend and Monday off as my rest days. This covers Paddington, Canary Wharf, King's Cross and Dalston Junction in E8.I haven't used the Windrush Line before sounds like fun.

[McColm]

Saturday 22nd March 2025

I'm having a bit of a lazy day after completing four sites in four days training on nights. To make things interesting they are all twelve hour shifts but at different times. Westbourne Terrace Paddington,  Westferry Circus Canary Wharf,  New Day off York Way King's Cross and Hackney. Each site is different,  I was on my own until control realised that they hadn't booked anyone for the night shift at New Day, the officer turned up just before 11pm. He was supposed to start at 7pm. The day officer got a bit of a shock the next morning.
 I've received the 1/72 Hasegawa Boeing B-47E and the resin Masterclass BAe Nimrod AEW.3 resin pieces fit the fuselage not quite  MIT Project LAMP LIGHT more STREET LIGHT with the FASS radar fitted.
The Sainsburys 1/24 Jaguar SR well it looks like a Jaguar S (1999) with the R racing body kit minus the radiator grill. There's a few dings and scratches which after PSR, a change of colour. It's already a two door with blacked out windows and only one wiper blade.
The Tamiya red gloss acrylic rattle can paint also arrived so tomorrow I will be able to spray the bodyshell of the Austin FX4 after I have completed some PSR.

[McColm]

Wednesday 26th March 2025

I took my first trip on the Elizabeth Line yesterday from Woolwich to Paddington Station, Westbourne Terrace isn't that far to walk for my first day shift of 2025. The twelve hour shift started at 08:00 until 20:00 manning the reception. There's a well known Japanese car manufacturer that has the top floor, a fashion magazine and I'm not too sure what the Wall Paper Production Company does but I do know that they make a very good hot chocolate. The front of the building often gets mistaken for a hotel and as I found out some of the couriers can't find it either even if the client pays the extra for a timed delivery.
A bonus for me is there's a registration camera out side the front entrance to the car park and I get to take their photo on collection or delivery in person. I did suggest a goods in and goods out paper system but the facilities manager prefers the digital email system for clarity..
Other than that it's access control and the monitoring of the CCTV cameras.
 So naturally I'm awake at 04;00 watching the sunrise as I don't have to be at work until Thursday, another day shift this time near King's Cross Station, one of the old maintenance sheds turned into a hotel, office and shopping centre. Apparently everything is free in the office as they have their own chef. This time at a civilised time of 07::00. Then Hackney on Friday where I get to take care of the residents in the tower block, there's a mini-supermarket next door and they do deliveries.

I will probably crack on with the subassembles of the Fire Truck. The front pump and the roof rack. As I didn't get any feedback from the last lot of uploaded photos you're probably waiting for the end results. The Jaguar Mk2 is now a two door with a sporty hardtop taken from the friction model toy Jaguar E-Type which is beyond repair. The plastic is very brittle, I managed to salvage a few of its parts. The Revell Jaguar D-Type is being used for spares as there's more missing parts than what's in the box.
The Bentley S1 Continental is much thicker and the Shooting Brake suits it.

[McColm]

Friday 28th March 2025

I should have taken the N1 night bus to Waterloo Station instead of the 53 from Charlton House to North Lambeth Tube Station and walked the short distance to the number 76 bus stop outside Waterloo International Station. It's an interesting bus journey through the backstreets of the City of London ending up at Dalston Junction Hackney where I started work at 6am.
Unfortunately the tower block that I was working as front of house had a power surge which meant that the intercom and the PC weren't operating in normal mode. Some of the residents lost their hot water and heating, whereas some experienced a power cut.
I was joined by the day officer and we shared the duties of letting the tenants in plus their day careers.
Naturally the Hackney Emergency Response Team were notified although power, hot water and the heating will have to wait until Monday they did update the CCTV cameras but not the access to the intercom (which handles internal phone calls and the door release).
 On my way I caught the Overground train from Dalston Station on the Windrush Line to New Cross and then the bus back to Charlton.
 The white spirit was waiting on my doorstep with a note from the Post Office to make a new delivery date for the 1/24 AMT Batmissile.
My Chinese Money plant is still flowering that will be five months, definitely need to buy a lottery ticket.
I'll sort out my enamel paints tomorrow and crack on with the Austin FX4 Fire Truck.

[McColm]

Saturday 29th March 2025

For some unknown reason I got up at 6am and started to paint the 1/24 Austin FX4 Fire Truck and the 1/24 Ford Shelby Mustang 350 convertible bright gloss red.
I have put the glazing in the bodyshell of the LWB Land Rover and fitted the rear door. The Bentley S1 Continental has been gutted (the seats fell out), the bodyshell has been superglued and apart from a few gaps in the rear due to the curves of the Bentley it's almost a perfect fit.
The Jaguar Mk2 has been disassembled, however I do have a chassis that will fit.
 Feeling very tired from getting up very early yesterday so tools down and just relaxing, probably fall asleep but Charlton have a home game and the fans are arriving.