Spey_Phantom's corner of solitude

[NARSES2]

Glad you're back into it and best of luck with the You Tube channel 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #340

its been a while, but its time for another entry.
i took a while, but i finally managed to get a model finished, namely a 1/144 F-4K Phnatom FG.1, converted from an academy F-4E.

picture:



ive also been researching new projects, both realworld and what ifs. but before i can start, i have to finish whats on the bench right now.
there's a load of WHIF Bf110's, P-38's, P-51's,....that are begging for attention, if i can get those done, i will have room for new projects.

ive also been designing decals for new 1/144 projects, including Khemedi Mosquito, Spitfire,....
im also gonna be stepping out of my comfort zone and try my hand at AFV's. i got a huge stock of viikondo 1/144 vehicles (mostly modern Chinese and Russian tanks, SPAAA, howitzers, SAM's....), they were cheap and easy to get on AliExpress, but they are reasonably detailed and make great display models once you give them i new coat of paint.

see picture:



i have already sorted out 16 of them to be repainted in Khemed Army and Bordurian Army colors, i might throw in some Syldavian, Belgian and Vosberian Army vehicles aswell.

this also had me thinking of more models in those colors, perhaps even Bordurian and Khemed MiG-21's, Su-22, Mig-23, Mig-25's Su-27 and An-12's.
there's more WHIF ideas coming in, but they are too much to even start noting here.


more soon...

[NARSES2]

Phantom looks good Nils 

The AFV's look good as well, be interesting to see what they look like painted up.

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #341

time for another update, there's been little progress since the last update.
ive mostly been tinkering with a few 1/144 scale Messerschmitt Bf110, mosly looking at ways to improve the horrible old ex-crown kits.
but doing so, i might have accidently found a way to convert one into a Potez 630. with some changes, reshaping and bending here and there, i think i can turn this German fighter into a French one.

furthermore, ive mostly been looking at WHIF projects in the short- and long term. mostly A-4 Skyhawks, F4U Corsairs,....
in larger scales, ive also been looking at the addaptation of some Zvezda Disney Planes sets in alternate markings, including Skipper in Aeronavale and El Salvador markings among others. ive also been thinking of getting a Blade Ranger kit and making it up in Belgian NH90-NFH colors and markings.

for long term, im also lookign at finishing up some 1/144 diorama's ive started a while back and even building some new ones. mostly WW2 aviation themed.


more soon....

[Old Wombat]

Cognitive progress is, also, progress!

Sounds to me like you have a bunch of ideas & plans starting to come together, ready for realisation in physical form when you want to go there!

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #342

time for another long overdue update.

slowly but surely, there has been some progress, im just puting the finishing touches on a pair of 1/144 Mirage 2000-5's and an F-14D Tomcat, these are to be painted in the markings of my own fictional country's air force  and these are just the first, there are still transports and helicopters to follow.

ive also been tinkering with converting old 1/144 Crown Bf110's into Potez 630/633's, although this project has stalled at this moment and have been put on hold. im still trying to reorganize several projects that are underway, some have been put back on the table, other have been put in storage to be completed at a later date.

ive just completed making decals for a series of new projects, such as the 1/144 armour vehicles mentioned in a previous update, but also for a Khemedi Mosquito and Spitfire. other decals are for realworld aircraft, including Dutch Sea Fury and P-3C Orions, Belgian Hawker Hunter F6's, Belgian Mosquito TT.3,....

the biggest problem im facing once again, is limited bench time, im even having to steal time just to keep things running.
im trying to get things done, but its going slow, very slow, im hoping to speed things up very soon.


more soon....

[NARSES2]

ive also been tinkering with converting old 1/144 Crown Bf110's into Potez 630/633's, although this project has stalled at this moment and have been put on hold.

Interesting idea 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #343

there has not been much progress since last update, which was already 3 months ago, but ive been having a hard time getting some free timeto do some modelmaking.

some projects that have previously been mentioned have been cancelled or modified, or have been put on hold.

first off, my plan to build a new eastern-european nation army (for a fictional country called "Vosberia") has been cancelled due to a case of writerblock. i have changed that to a South-American nation called Nuevo Rico (from TinTin album "The broken ear", a neighbouring nation to San Theodoros). so most of the models ive planned for Vosberia are now being moved there, forthe Air Force im desiging decals for  C-130J, Mirage 2000-5, F-18D Hornet, F-4E Phantom, CH-47F Chinook,....

other thing ive been doing lately is mostly tinkering with cheap aliexpress 4D model kits. ive been trying to redesign the main rotors from theyre 1/144 UH-1H into something more accurate. im also looking to upgrade theyre J-10 and JF-17 kits, mostly revising the rather toyish landinggear and weapons pylons.

ive spent most my time tinkering on older kits (old crown, LS and Arii aircraft), trying to find a way to upgrade and improve them, some are going well, others need more work.

another project ive started R&D on, is for a 1/144 research vessel "Sirius" (from Tintin and Red Rackhams treasure). for this im using Revell's 1/142 Fishing trawler as a basis, the hull is about the correct shape and size, i just need to redesign the main structure and cabin.

more soon....

[NARSES2]

At least the ideas are still there Nils 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #344

yes, im still alive and back at it, thing have been (really) low key for a few months, but were getting back at it 

im currently working on a whole armada of models, ive even lost count of the number of kits ive started!
the aircraft on the bench at the moment are a fleet of an air force of a "yet to be named" Latin American country (having a bit of writers block in terms of the name). wha ti can say is that ive been airbrushing the tails of various 1/144 scaled aircraft for said air arm, including a C-47 Skytrain, Cavalier Mustang II, NAMC YS-11, C-123K Provider and two T-6G Texans. i havent figured out the main fighter fleet yet, but im thinking either Mirage F1, Saab Viggen, F-104G or some other western type from the 1960/70's.

ive been spending most of my free time tinkering with easier snapkits, just to keep the skills up, and designing decals for future RW and WHIF projects.
its my last days of my vacationtime and im lookign to get the most out of them, but its not always easy with SWMBO and the little one keep demanding my attention, but hey, its better then nothing.

ive also been looking to convert a Revell fishing trawler into a research vessel (the Sirius, from TinTin's "Red Rackhams treasure") and its going quite well for now. should het to plastic cutting shortly.
ive also been doctoring out plans for some new diorama's, including a 40's/50's airport display to put in the downstairs display cabinet.
ive already got a wooden plank sawn down to size, ready to become the canvas for this build. even got some brickwall styrene and rolls of railway grass  ready to go.


more soon....

[Pellson]

No panic, mate! As you might have seen, my projects are as intermittent as yours, at least, but that's the consequence I get from prioritising my self and my wellbeing over productivity. And it's worth it!

So carry on.  We'll be enjoying your work as it comes along.

[Rheged]

Progress is progress, no matter how slow.............and speaking as one whose builds are often overtaken by continental drift............you're doing OK!

As to a Latin/South American country, how about Yraguay,  Republica Equatoria,  Cordillera del Sul, San Isodore,   or even  the Federated States of Novaspania and Esmeraldina.   No doubt other  Whiffers will have more (and quite possibly much better) suggestions.

As to the air force for this realm of the imagination, South America had quite a few Hunters and the odd Jaguar or two.  Possibly a few elderly Beavers, Otters (wheels or floats) and even one or two Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneers might be expected

[Spey_Phantom]

thanks for the tips, but i think ive finally found a good name, ive decided to call the country Arumbaya (after the Arumbaya tribe refered to in the TinTin comics " The Broken Ear" and "TinTin and the Picaros").

thought i wouldnt go crack my head further on this and just keep it simple 

[NARSES2]

thanks for the tips, but i think ive finally found a good name, ive decided to call the country Arumbaya (after the Arumbaya tribe refered to in the TinTin comics " The Broken Ear" and "TinTin and the Picaros").

I like that 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #345

in the past month since the last update, a lot of progress has been made, although with compromises.
while work is nearing completion on the 1/144 scale YS-11, C-47D, T-6G Texans and the cavalier mustang, the B-57 and C-123 have been put on hold, i kinda lost the motivation to continue on the canberra due to enormous fitting problems with the Amodel kit.

the other have been mostly completed and are awaiting decals and landinggear. these will carrythe marking of the air force of "Salangua", a WHIFF South American nation that borders San Theodoros and Nuevo Rico (see TinTin's "The broken ear" & "and the Picaros"). Arumbaya didnt quite sound right as a country name. decals for these models are in the design phase and most are almost ready for printing.

im also looking at dusting off some of the earlier started models on the shelf of shame (mostly non-WHIF projects), some that have been gathering dust for a few years now.
other projects in the pipeline are various TinTin themed builds in 1/144 (Bf109, Spitfire, Mosquito, DC-3, Trawler "Sirius,...) among others.

im coming to a point where im getting (read "demanding") more free time to get both work on the modelbench done, aswell as other project i have in the pipeline. even though its not much, i can at least get some of the minimum work done.


more soon....