What's on the workbench!

[McColm]

Monday 13th October 2025

I'm on holiday, autumn has arrived and the other tenants in the block of flats have put the central heating on so I'm nice and warm.
Food shopping is on the list of things to do, I think another stew or cottage pie as the weather is changing. A chance of some exploring of the neighbourhood. Payday isn't far away but I'm working the weekend.

Future projects.

1) a kitbash using the Lockheed Constellation with the wings from the Avro Shackleton MR.3, engines, landing gear and weapons bay.
I'm not too sure if the leftover parts will fit the Shackleton fuselage but I will give it a go.

2) A Basler BT-67 Avro Shackleton.

3) Another attempt at the B-47E LAMP LIGHT.

4) Fitting different wings on the Airfix Fairey Rotodyne. Now that I know I can lengthen the fuselage my version of the Avro York isn't that far away.
The tail fins from the Grumman Hawkeye fit, so the wings might need a bit of bodging.
Fans of the twin-tail-boom design, I think that the  Nord Noratlas would be a good option.

[McColm]

Wednesday 15th October 2025

The plan today is to buy my mum a get well card, check out my local crafts shop if it's still there. I have seen a lot of scaffolding on the trading site as I pass it on the bus next to the large Sainsburys store.
The London Cable Car is situated in North Greenwich, the underground station is nearby and so too is the O2 stadium, so I can catch a bus afterwards to Charlton House and have a look around the library after lunch. The walk home is all downhill. Still got a bit of cottage pie leftover so I can have that for supper tonight.
The library is closed today but open tomorrow afternoon. Card sent through Moonpig. Cable Car ride will have to wait until November.

[McColm]

Thursday 16th October 2025

Its Thursday and things haven't gone to plan, I still wake up at 3am in the morning and tell myself I'm not working today. I have to refrain myself from going into the hobby room. Putty/filler has nearly run out and I don't have any white paint. I look around the shelves and marvel at my many builds,the started ones and the three model kits still in their boxes. The 1/24 Austin FX4 London Black Cab, 1/24 Longwheel base Land Rover Fire Truck and the 1/72 Dakota Turbo.
A read through the forum topics and a cup of tea, then back to bed.
I've been catching up with the new HBO Harry Potter filming locations, they have missed St Michael's Mount but I dear say that the tourists will come.
Lots of things to do on Friday.

I've come across the Grumman C-21 Greyhound concept, it used the C-2 airframe with a pair of turbofans. The proposal was to use it in the AWACS,  Electronic Surveillance,  ASW and C.O.D. roles.
A kitbash using the Hasegawa Lockheed S-3A might be an interesting build.

[McColm]

Saturday 18th October 2025

The 1/72 Hasegawa Lockheed S-3A Viking model kit has arrived, The upper wing is a solid structure so in theory it could fit the vacform Grumman C-2 Greyhound fuselage. The Falcon Triple conversion set comes with a clear canopy for the Greyhound, instructions and line drawings of the bracing parts to stiffen up the fuselage. So it looks as though the Viking will be the donor for most of the parts. I can use up some pieces of plastic-card and a raid of the spares, not quite the Grumman Greyhound 21 Concept but a likely contender.
I've put both kits on the 'I'll build this later pile'/stash.

I've checked the rota and it's empty for next week (subject to change) so it's off to the Library, if I set off at a leisurely pace I could walk there, Charlton House has a Tea Room which will be handy and the village has a few shops. There's a couple of buildings that I will have to check out probably refurbished, looks like the old telephone exchange and an out building.

[McColm]

Tuesday 21st October 2025

A slight change of plan, I'm working days on a site along York Way which ,a twenty minute walk from London King's Cross Station. Tomorrow, Thursday and Friday on days 7am to 7pm. Free breakfast and lunch is provided plus beverages.
Not too sure about next week but there's a new guy running the London area, I have asked him for a permanent site either in the Westend of London or around Canary Wharf if not within two hours by public transport from where I live.

As for the vacform 1/72 Grumman C-2 Greyhound fuselage, it appears that the 1/72 Hasegawa Lockheed S-3A Viking wing fit and so does the tail but looses the curved rear. I'll have to save up for the resin RVHP conversion set.

[McColm]

Wednesday 22nd October 2025

The site that I am covering 22nd, 23rd and 24th of October is a grade II listed building, well its the ironwork frame of a locomotive engine shed along York Way which is next to the Coal Yard which served King's Cross and Saint Pancras Station. The owners who run the Aqua and Marbles Credit Cards were restricted in what they could do with the structure so naturally it leaks when there's rain and the roof moves when there's strong winds. I'll get to see this tomorrow!
Breakfast was scrambled eggs on brown bread with grilled tomatoes with a flat white coffee,  lunch was a homemade beefburger with coleslaw and salad. I had a hot chocolate with that, fruit for afters.
The  staff are very friendly.
On my way home it started raining, so I'm having some tomato soup to warm me up.

[PR19_Kit]

That coal yard is where the RAF's Harriers flew from for the Trans-Atlantic Air Race in 1969, a historic site. 

[NARSES2]

Not sure if they are the same engine sheds, but possibly the ones I rode when on the footplate of the Flying Scotsman when she went into KX back in the 50's.. I know they were up near the old turntable building which is now the Camden Roundhouse.

[McColm]

Friday 25th October 2025

It appears that the storm avoided the London area, we had a few downpours and windy but cold, alot of surface water. Friday was rather quiet at work, so I was given second helpings at breakfast two sausage and bacon baps. Lunch was the same sea bass with broccoli or fetter cheese so naturally I had both. The receptionist said that I haven't made any mistakes which is impressive as I have had one days training which was back in May. On the way home I was looking out the window of the 177 bus and noticed the Network Rail leaf jet cleaning locomotive waiting at a platform at New Cross Station. It looks a bit odd,I'm not too sure if there's a Ho/00 gauge model but as a kitbash it would look great on my soon to be active layout.

The debate on should the clocks in the UK be set at GMT time or GMT +1 on a permanent basis is an interesting point. It doesn't really effect me living in London but I suppose if I lived up in Scotland it would be an issue. This is based on the time when I was a Trade Plate Driver, the aim was to get up to Scotland before 3pm as most of the dealerships closed at 3pm whereas down south they closed back in 2010 at 5pm.

I hear that Eurostar are going to introduce double-decker carriages similar to the European ones, I always thought that bridges in the UK were a bit low for this sort of thing another possible whiff in Ho/00 gauge or lower a off the shelf example.

And finally electric buses do break down in London, I was on the 63 bus this morning heading towards Kings Cross Station/York Way when it ran out of electricity at Farringdon Station, fortunately there was one four minutes behind this one so I wasn't that late, some of the other passengers (customers) weren't too happy.

[PR19_Kit]

I hear that Eurostar are going to introduce double-decker carriages similar to the European ones, I always thought that bridges in the UK were a bit low for this sort of thing another possible whiff in Ho/00 gauge or lower a off the shelf example.

On most of the UK railway system that's true, but Eurostar trains only run on HS1 and through the Chunnel and they're built to Berne Gauge with much wider and taller clearances than the rest of the railway.

[zenrat]

Are the bridges too low or is the track too high?
 

[PR19_Kit]

Are the bridges too low or is the track too high?
 

Both, and the clearances from the coaches to the platforms and signals are wider too. The only thing the same is the actual 4' 8.5" track gauge.

[Charlie_c67]

It's been tried before...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR_Class_4DD

[PR19_Kit]

It's been tried before...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR_Class_4DD

And amazingly one set still exists, but they didn't work too well in service.

[McColm]

Sunday 26th October 2025

The weekend has been spent doing the laundry, sleeping, watching YouTube or Paramount Plus. Thoughts have turned to my earlier started builds and the ones that ended up in the bin.
This means going back to the maritime surveillance aircraft theme.
The Hasegawa 1/72 Grumman Tracker and it's variants seem to be popular, regularly popping up on eBay at affordable prices, the British had the Fairey Gannet but I can't get the idea of using the Bristol Type 170 Freighter as the alternative. I have the Falcon Triple Conversion Grumman E-1 Tracer.
Then there's my version of the Avro Shackleton MR.1. In the past I've used the Revell Avro Shackleton MR.3 but the parts didn't fit but having read a few reviews the Airfix MR.2 seems to be the best one,  although prices are a bit higher. Me thinks the Revell AEW.2 kit will be the donor as the search radar is a separate part and I have spares left over from the conversion set.
Prices for the Lockheed Neptune are also expensive but sometimes searching in the Salvage Yard or spares 'n' repairs pays off.
Quite a few rebuilds and this time don't rush them.
 The McColm Island model train layout revised Mk.V although I can foresee a few changes taking place will probably be brought forward after the baseboard is fitted, it's time for a makeover in my flat. Starting with the hallway nothing too fancy. Door mat and a runner. A bit of paint in the bathroom and kitchen. My room new bed and wardrobe plus shelves or a bookcase or three. Steam iron and ironing board.
 Next month will be a full year as I returned to work on the 17th November. The plan was to take it gently but I was thrown in at the deep end. I now know what I'm capable of doing and how long it takes to recharge my batteries. Definitely 7 hours sleep between shifts.