Gondor's Grumblings

[zenrat]

Good news.
I really must get my finger out and find something with more hours.

[DogfighterZen]

Good stuff indeed, congrats on the job!

[McColm]

Good luck in your new job

[PR19_Kit]

A new job? I must have missed that Alastair, that's great news, well done. 

[Gondor]

Thank you everyone.

My job title is Optical Calibration Technician which means I get to sit in a darkened room all day playing with a light source and some mirrors all day without anyone bothering me including my line manager who has no idea about my job.

Down side to things is getting paid on the last Thursday of the month, which means that this months pay has to last me five weeks until next months pay 

Gondor

[Rick Lowe]

Monthly pay, yikes - I could never even get the hang of fortnightly, so that sounds a bit much for me.

But when all's said and done, a permanent full time job is the main thing - all else are details...

Well done and have fun out there... 

[Gondor]

Although I only started my latest job a couple of weeks ago, I had to take a day off work at short notice due to the car needing its breaks repaired. It was short notice as I was let down by someone that was hoping would do the repair. One of the calipers had its piston refusing to retract thus forcing the break pads onto the break disc. The result has been to almost friction weld the pads to the disc, not good but its sorted now 

Modelling wise I am still using a shotgun approach to modelling. If I start enough kits I am bound to finish one of them 

Saying that I am looking at started models more and more rather than starting new builds in a vain attempt to clear some of the part builds from around my modelling room.

To that end I have been fighting with the nose undercarriage bay of a Sword Harrier T2/2A kit. Finally got it together only to find that the modification I attempted to make it fit better need not have been made    probably my hamfistedness and requiring three pairs of hands to hold every thing together 

I have also dug out my 60 Sqn Lightening F6 to do more work on, its nearly ready for painting anyway so hopefully should not take too long, the colour scheme should help as it will be all over metal other than the spine which will be in a nice eye catching colour.

I keep coming up with ideas though. One of my latest ones requires the nose/engine etc of a 1/72 Academy Typhoon which will get transplanted onto something else 

I have just literally come up with an idea for the rest of the Typhoon   

In a similar manner to the DB601 engined Spitfire, I will attempt a BMW801 powered Typhoon as a captured machine in KG200 markings

Another idea mulled over while at the Scottish Nationals was to finish my SR.177 naval fighter as Indian Navy. The basic fuselage is assembled so this also works for helping to clear the backlog.

Anyway, that's enough for now

Gondor

[Gondor]

Well that's the first month over with at my new job.

Enjoying it so far, been a bit of a steep learning curve as the job is optics and I have been in electronics so at times its like working in a foreign country where everyone is talking in a different language and in fact a good percentage of the people in the company hail from different parts of Europe and the world.

The first wage is in the bank and its tempting to splash out and buy loads of kits and books for that odd project or twenty that I have on my mind at the moment, such as a Sabre engined Beaufighter and a BMW 801 powered captured Typhoon in the Green and Yellow test markings. Still so many ideas and now so little time to do them in.

The 80 mile round trip is ok, Motorway most of the way which helps with the MPG which I have started a spreadsheet to help keep track of. The travel time is just right to listen to a CD each way, roughly 45 to 50 minutes travelling time and currently what I am listening to is "90125" by Yes which is their most commercial album to date, I even remember the songs and videos from Top of The Pops when the singles were released way back in the eighties 

Anyway, that's enough rambling, I'm off out in a bit for some retail therapy, clothes shopping, and also one of the Airfix 1/72 rag wing Hurricanes which will receive the metal wing from AlleyCat to be a real world build to replace an ancient Revell kit, the one with the globe base, which I converted the old Airfix Spitfire MkVb decals for to make the Hurricane of 303Sqn.

Gondor

[NARSES2]

Glad the jobs going o.k. and that first wage packet is in 

[zenrat]

Good to hear the jobs going well and more importantly that they paid you.
90125 is my second favourite Yes album after Fragile.  Good choice.

[TheChronicOne]

Good news on the job stuff!!  Glad it's going well and it's always nice getting that paycheck ayyy yeah..........   


Sabre engined Beaufighter?!??!   

[Gondor]

I managed to grab a Sword Lightening T5 on ebay today for a reasonable price, well I thought it was anyway, and I am thinking of making the Naval swing wing version to go with OGL and Thorvic's versions. The thing that gets me is that the naval swing wing aircraft has a longer belly tank than the T5 so should I use the Matchbox T55 instead and re-scribe and fill panel lines as necessary or should I pinch the longer under fuselage fuel tank from Airfix F6 spare parts or maybe simply swap tanks with an older Hasegawa/Frog F6?
Weapons would be the Air Dart missile, The operators would have to be a different squadron to the two previously built aircraft as well but I am sure that can be worked out easily enough.

I am also starting to think about what I should try and get finished for Telford later this year. One of the contenders to finish is my F-111K, possibly the F-111B I have also started as well. Either could be put onto either the What-if Sig stand or the Project Cancelled Sig stands so I have wiggle room for another one or two items to take. Typhoons,Tempests and an idea I have for an old Airfix Beaufighter come to mind. There is also a whole bunch of part started machines which include a single seat Firefly that I have had enough of PSR for now. New projects could also include a Valiant PR3 which would please Kit as it has longer wings, but time is short since I started work so I may have to go for started projects rather than new builds.

We will have to see what comes to mind and to hand.

Gondor

[Martin H]

Well both Geoff and myself used the freightdog fga conversion for the belly pack. But you will still need the back end of the F-6 tank to finish it off. With care the airfix kit could be a viable doner.

 If you dont mind cutting out the rear tank bits.

[Thorvic]

Well both Geoff and myself used the freightdog fga conversion for the belly pack. But you will still need the back end of the F-6 tank to finish it off. With care the airfix kit could be a viable doner.

 If you dont mind cutting out the rear tank bits.

Yeap don't forget its an A-frame arrestor hook in the rear of the tank, as the aft end has the drop down rubbing strake where a conventional Arrestor hook would have gone. A bit of strip styrene can be used to extend the tank to taper into the nose around the nose gear bay.

[Gondor]

Well both Geoff and myself used the freightdog fga conversion for the belly pack. But you will still need the back end of the F-6 tank to finish it off. With care the airfix kit could be a viable doner.

 If you dont mind cutting out the rear tank bits.

Yeap don't forget its an A-frame arrestor hook in the rear of the tank, as the aft end has the drop down rubbing strake where a conventional Arrestor hook would have gone. A bit of strip styrene can be used to extend the tank to taper into the nose around the nose gear bay.

Thank you "Gentlemen", I think I shall get a second FGA conversion set then along with the wings next month as well as purchasing myself a small casting set to provide parts for what I shall call a Lancaster B. M.k. VIII for which I shall need to cast some engines, casting the rear of an Airfix Lightening fuel tank should not be much of a problem.

Any ideas or suggestions for casting sets anyone?

Gondor