Kitbasher's blog: City slicker turned beach bum

[kitbasher]

The Telford Four: One finished apart from a bit of tidying up.  Another two built and painting underway.  The fourth is almost built.

[kitbasher]

The Telford Four: One is now finished - a small but still just about topical departure.  Painting continues on another two.  The fourth is almost built but I think it's going to have to be put on hold until after SMW.

[kitbasher]

The Telford Four: One definitely down, one definitely shelved.  The other two are built and painted, with markings going on.  Possibility of finishing that task tonight/tomorrow but final mattng and a little bit of weathering will have tp wait until I get back from holiday.  
The shelved item will be finished after SMW, then the plan is to finish the Airfix Battle, the Val and a started Xtrakit Spit XII.  It would be nice to get the long half-done Boscombe Phantom done as well.
And then the 2013 build plan beckons!
I say the 2013 plan, it's basically the 2012 plan but without 2012's diversions!  I would also like to make a start on my long planned Hawker P.1009 Sea Typhoon and a Gloster Reaper based on an Airfix Pe-2. And then there are a few ideas for my personal 'I couldn't afford a......so I made my own out of a......' theme build.

OK, so that's the 2013 (ex-2012) build plan already torn to shreds!

[kitbasher]

Flying back from hols tomorrow, hopefully via Kermit Weeks' 'Fantasy of Flight'.  Pics to follow.
Have to hit the ground running when I get back on Wednesday - two models to finish for Telford (but only transfers and a bit of painting).
See y'all Saturday!

[kitbasher]

Mad 36 (or is it 48?) hours. Leave Clearwater for Orlando via Fantasy of Flight. Only three hours to spare there but time well spent. More to follow once I get a hang of the latest Photobucket changes so I can post some pictures.
On to Orlando to find flight delayed a couple of hours. Hang around the departure lounge watching the election results start to trickle in.
Finally airborne just after 9 pm local time. Lacklustre in-flight meal, listen to music, nod off now amd then. Pilot selflessly wakes us all up to tell us Obama has won. News mostly welcomed by a wave of tired indifference.
Land just after 0935 local and back home just after midday.
Unpack and straight into finishing the two for Telford - thankfully all done now.
Work tomorrow followed by the recording of this week's Have I Got News For You; guests are Damian Lewis, Nigel Farage (he'll be the butt of most jokes I guess) and the voice of Mr Burns many others, Harry Shearer. Work on Friday and up to Brum to in-laws for an early start to Telford on Saturday morning.
Looks ike it'll be via tha A5 given the roadworks.
Knackered already!

[kitbasher]

Borrocks!!!!
So in my haste to get up to the outlaws in Brum I've realised my IPMS UK membership card is at home.  Crap.

[Go4fun]

Oh bother! Surely they know you and will have someone vouch for you.

[PR19_Kit]

Oh bother! Surely they know you and will have someone vouch for you.

Sadly I doubt it. The current keepers of the gates have gimlet eyes and hearts of stone. 

[kitbasher]

How encouraging Kit!
But courtesy of the wonders of the age, son and heir located, scanned and e-mailed said scan of card amd it is sitting here in my phone. Hopefully.
Anyway, off to Telford in an hour.
How are things with you, mon brave?

[PR19_Kit]

Now that's what I call proper use of today's technology, well done kitbasher and kitbashers son and heir! 

Me and Mrs PR19 are doing OK thanks, apart from a TOTAL lack of sleep last night on my part. I nearly started building the Super Connie that Nick sold to me and delivered yesterday. 

Team PR19 made an impressive entrance to the Show y'day with me in our wheelchair sitting piled high with model boxes and walking sticks with Mrs PR19 providing the motive power.  After that we reversed methods of transport and she whizzed off on a tour of the place in the 'chair while I reverted to walking stick support. Having said that I suspect that I'll be spending a LOT of time in my canvas chair over the weekend, the place is just SO vast now!

See you later today.

[kitbasher]

So that's Telford over for another year.  Nice to see more space available and to note that the organising committee resisted the temptation to fill the extra space with more displays, traders, etc, and instead allow things to spread out a little - and it worked too.  I think signs to/from the various halls could have been a bit more obvious and a bit more evident, but that is a minor observation.  Good to see the SIGgers and to note that the table attracted its usual quota of the curious and good humoured.  Also interesting to note that the number of whifs on the 'straight' displays continues to increase.  Maybe next year's display should no actually contain any whifs at all - that would confuse the punters!

Anyway, as mentioned before I got back from a holiday in Florida just a few days before SMW.  On the way to the airport SWMBO and I popped into Kermit Weeks' 'Fantasy of Flight' attraction - part museum, part vintage airrcraft collection that puts Old Warden to shame, part entertainment, part information, all good.  It's billing as 'the world's greatest aircraft collection' may be a little hyperbolic (at least according to other major aircraft museums around the world), but it can't be denied that it is very impressive, contains many rarities and probably has a greater proportion of airworthy aircraft than any other such collection - indeed there is a daily flying programme.  And it is all owned by one man - so it's probably truer to say it is 'the world's greatest privately owned aircraft collection'.  If you're in the area then do go - the whole facility is terrific.  For more information check out its website, http://www.fantasyofflight.com/, but for now enjoy some photos of a small number of the items on display just a week ago:


F4U-4B Corsair


Grumman F3F-2


Gee Bee R-2 racer


Bucker Jungmann


Ryan NYP 'Spirit of St Louis' replica


Fokker D.VIII


Sopwith Camel


PBY-5A (they claimed, I don't know for sure) Catalina


Avro Cadet


DGA-5 replica - note the cowling!



Pitcairn Auogyro, Bucker Jungmeister, Ford Trimotor, Bucker Bestmann and a yellow thingy I can't immediately identify - curved Trimotor leading edge courtesy of the 'stitching' of several photos.


Marauder, Texan and Cierva C.30


P-51C Mustang


FM-2 Wildcat - note the V-1 in the background.  Just out of shot is a Bachem Natter.


P-51D Mustang plus Po-2 behind it


C-47 undergoing maintenance plus an L-18 Piper Cub.


Local resident - smiling for the camera!


The mid-afternoon's flying display - a Fieseler Storch.....



.....which then parked by the hangar.  All were invited to take a close inspection and chat to the pilot.  Note 'airframe touching' - the H&S brief was 'don't touch the cowling'

and finally.....

The maintenance hangar.  From left to right - Grumman Duck, Storch, Albatros D.V, Gee Bee Racer, Sikorsky S-38 and an Avenger.  Behind the S-38 you might just be able to make out a P-40 and a Stinson Reliant.  Right at the back and out of sight were a Spitfire LF.XVIe and the world's only flyable, non-restored, as built B-24J.  All in this hangar are flyable but unfortunately visitors were not allowed in.

[NARSES2]

Lovely photo's thanks for posting 

[kitbasher]

Ho hum.  Got home all fired up by SMW but no modelling since.  At least I've decided to have a bit of a clear out of the stash and have put a couple of kits into the 'might get rid of but will probably have second thoughts at the last minute' pile.
Daughter has split from long term boy friend and is moving back home for the first time since going to college.  This means my modelling stuff in her room will need a new home - and as that's where I bash my kits I'll need to find a new play area.  The man cave (aka shed) is down the bottom of the garden and lacks light and heat, and the loft isn't a proper room.
Bugger.

[PR19_Kit]

Get a proper sense of proportion, tell her to get back out there and find ANOTHER boy-friend pretty darn sharpish! I don't know, the younger generation have NO sense of responsibility these days..........  

[kitbasher]

You are of course correct, O Wise One.  
I think e-Bay seems a good place to start: 'Offer: daughter, 20-something. Can cook and has all her own teeth. Also a clean driving licence. Likes children (but couldn't eat a whole one) and pets. All bids considered'