Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

F**kin' captcha piece of sh*t just deleted my post again. 

Busy morning today.  I went to work and took about a million passport photos.
The local Navy base released its latest intake of recruits for their first leave.  When they do this they tell them to get passport photos for their ADF passports while they are off base.
So they head for the nearest Post Office where the three stooges amigos await them.
Not that i'm complaining.  They are always, without fail the politest young men and women we see all morning.

Didn't have ADF passports in my day. 

Frankston RSL was my hang-out in late-1981. Good food & cheap alcohol, what more could a lad want?      

After not going there for years i'm having lunch there tomorrow.  Small world.

Progress pics.

VW Transporter with sharkmouth trimmed and touched up.  Mocked up on its wheels to check the sit with the bumpers.
VW Transporter WIP 17-08-2025 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Chevelle Wagon body with paint, transfers and clear.
66 Chevelle Wagon WIP 17-08-2025 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Chuck Millers Fire Truck finished.  More pics soon.
Fire Truck. by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Colours matched on the tails of the Breguet wreckscue.  Satin clear to come which should tone them down to match perfectly.
Breguet 695 Wreckscue WIP 17-08-2025 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

All looking excellent, there, Fred!       

[Rick Lowe]

All looking excellent, there, Fred!       

Agree. 

[NARSES2]

Yup, looking very good 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

[zenrat]

A Great Nephew has reached 18 years and wanted to celebrate that momentous occasion by being shot with paintballs by his families and friends.
That was thisarvo.
I enjoyed myself but the activity has been added to the growing list of things I am now too old to do (for the usual reasons).
We were the red team.  We lost most games.  We lost them because we were a team of privates.  No officers,  No one wanted to step up and take command and because we had no idea we just milled around a bit until we got attacked by the much better organised blue team.
But it was still fun.

[su27rules]

   Nice works!!

[zenrat]

Thanks mate.

As promised, more pics of Chuck Miller's Fire Truck (not a whiff, it's a real car!).  https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/ridler-award-winners-1968-millers-fire-truck/

Chuck Miller's Fire Truck - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Chuck Miller's Fire Truck - 13 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Chuck Miller's Fire Truck - 16 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Chuck Miller's Fire Truck - 17 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Note how much slop there is in the steering.  But it works!
Chuck Miller's Fire Truck - 21 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Kit is built OOB apart from switching the front wheels to better match the real thing.  The moulds must have been over 50 yrs old when this was made, and it showed.  Due to flash and separator pin marks I had to strip the chrome and redo it.  I used Alclad Chrome, Alclad Polished Aluminium, and AK Super Chrome to replace it.

[PR19_Kit]

LOVELY job Fred.   

A Chevy small block, right? And I love the 'windscreen', but steering it would have been a nightmare with only a tiller rather than a wheel!

Where's that rear suspension come from? It looks vaguely Jaguar IRS inspired in its geometry, but it's all tubular links, and no pressings at all.

[zenrat]

Thanks Kit.

I assume the donk is supposed to be a small block Ford as it has "COBRA" valve covers.
The reaL thing has a Thunderbird engine (or at least its valve covers).
Rear suspension?  Don't know.  The chassis in the kit is not prototypically accurate.  Both front and rear suspension IRL use transverse leaf springs.  The front in the kit is coil sprung.  I think MPC used the chassis from an earlier Model T kit.  The presence of a spare Model T radiator shell strongly suggests this - the kit when built OOB uses an America LaFrance grille.
I suspect that is also why it had wire spoked front wheels whereas the real one had 12 spoke mags like those I used (from a dragster kit - the dragster got the cycle wires).
All this is slightly odd as Chuck Miller worked with MPC when he designed the car so it was always intended to be a model kit.  But then they cut corners with the kit and didn't make it accurate.

[NARSES2]

LOVELY job Fred.   

Is there a "Wiffy" for understatement of the year ?   

[Rick Lowe]

LOVELY job Fred.   

Is there a "Wiffy" for understatement of the year ?   

Sadly not, as it's De Rigeur Englishness...

And yeah; Nicely done, Fred.

[zenrat]

Fanks Rick.

Su-22 is nearly done.  Just needs the nose pitots, seat/pilot, and canopy.  All are painted, just need glue.  In lieu of the kit seat (basic - no pilot) i've used one of the "pilot and seat moulded as one" items from the Revell box scale B-57 (plane may be 1/81, figure looks close enough to 1/72 to work).  It doesn't look too bad painted up.
Su-22 WIP 28-08-25 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Rick Lowe]

And why not? Otherwise it's just sitting there in the Spares box forever.
If you're happy enough with it, go for gold - as has been said before, "Your Model!" 

[zenrat]

Canopy is closed so all you'll really see is the helmet.