Moments of Zen

[DogfighterZen]

Well, gotta go shopping now or the missus will spank me....

 

No comment 

Well, that makes two of us, Chris. I'm just having fun messing around with the stuff and i don't get frustrated if it doesn't go that well. To me it's a bit like bmx "stunt" riding, It's my fault if the stunt attempted goes wrong so can't whine about it too.

Absolutely the right attitude  Enjoy

I sure do, my friend!

So, the Spitfire is finished and pics were taken so i just have to choose the ones to use and upload them onto Imgur. Post will be up on the current/finished projects section.
This means i'll be back to work on the F-16W and PoAF Mirage after the Spitfire's post is done... but with the arrival of the second Heller Gazelle kit, i've decided to start one to turn it into the Blue thunder...

 

[DogfighterZen]

Well, summer has been putting a damper on my plans as i've been beat from all the work to get my gardens in the wine estate back in shape for the clients that are slowly starting to show up again... it's been so hot during the day and i get home so knackered that i normally don't have much apetite to sit at the bench and do anything besides chilling and watch some videos.
That said, i did manage to get the Mirage ready for paint.
The F-16W has had some putty applied in the area around the nozzle but i haven't sanded that down...
Not much but it's what i've felt like doing and i'm blaming it on the heat and fatigue from work. And also on the fact that i haven't had time to rest during my days off due to the repairs i had to do on my terrace's floor tiles to be able to set up an inflatable pool for the missus...
I did order some more models and aftermarket bits, though... The Martin Baker Mk.10 seats, one for the PJ Mirage i'm building as it was the seat it had put in after upgrades on real world examples. A metal pitot tube and a Yahu IP for the Special Hobby Mirage F.1 coming the UK and the Wingman 1/48 Latin American Kfir round out the recent orders.
I'd been wanting to buy the Wingman Kfir for a long time and now that they're back in stock, the time has come. 
I've mentioned in my previous blog update that i was going to start a Heller 1/50 Gazelle conversion into a Blue Thunder chopper but, although i have the box beside me on the "In progress" model pile, i haven't done anything to it... maybe soon, if i find the will to have another one on the bench but i'm sure it won't happen while the Mirage hasn't been painted.
I do have the canopy in front of me as i write, maybe if i manage to mask this tonight, it will get some paint sprayed on during the next week.

 

[TheChronicOne]

I figured you were up to your eyes in work and heat to boot! We need to form a trans-Atlantic union.

SA Kfir, you say? 

[DogfighterZen]

I figured you were up to your eyes in work and heat to boot! We need to form a trans-Atlantic union.

SA Kfir, you say? 

That would be good stuff...
I know you could use good help out there with all the lawn you've got to mow down. I'm sure we'd make one heck of a team. Here I work with, the Honda Hrd 536QX lawnmower, the one with the roller on the rear. It's heavy but it makes good work of a lawn. And the rest of my tools are as good as the mower, all Stihl, including blower/vaccum, strimmer, hedge trimmer and chainsaw. I also have an Efco 181 chainsaw for bigger trees.
Re the Kfir, it's the big nose one, C.10/12. It's a gorgeous beast and a very nice kit, now that it's problems have been rectified.

Concerning my PoAF Mirage, I did manage to mask the canopy last night and i'm going to begin the paint job today after work, hopefully.

 

[DogfighterZen]

Oh man, this Mirage is dragging on for what seems like forever now...
It's been making things go slower than usual for my already slow build speed, anyway... I've had second thoughts about the color i'd initially painted it in and last night i masked and sprayed it in a more common color for an interceptor...
I've always had serious issues when it comes to choosing a color scheme or camo pattern for my whifs cause there are so many i like but i somehow get lost in the plausibility argument in my mind, especially when it comes to PoAF whifs as it seems that most schemes won't seem plausible...  then there's the timeline issue because only a certain scheme would fit a certain era of the PoAF...
I like to give my builds a certain degree of plausibility and i find that i'd need more than one of the same model to be able to finish them in the various schemes i'd like to see them in... guess i'm probably not the only one with this problem but this is somewhat disturbing at times because i find it so hard to make up my mind when i only have the one kit of that aircraft... except for F-16s and F-5s, that is... 
I've already decided to buy another Mirage kit for another similar build but after the indecision with this one, at least i know exactly how i wanna paint the next one i build.
Because of this issue, i haven't been doing anything else on any other build as time is short and work has been sapping my mojo... it's way to hot and i've been getting home way too knackered from work to be able to do anything other than look at photo and think about what the reasoning would be behind each scheme i've considered for this Mirage but i think i've reached a final decision... 

 

[NARSES2]

I know exactly what you mean, I've recently had a similar situation with a Dweoitine D-510. Got completely caught up in what scheme it would have been in if my operator of choice had had them. Only to find out that operator actually did have 4 or 5  . So back to square one for a wif. 

Glad you've come to a decision 

[DogfighterZen]

I know exactly what you mean, I've recently had a similar situation with a Dweoitine D-510. Got completely caught up in what scheme it would have been in if my operator of choice had had them. Only to find out that operator actually did have 4 or 5  . So back to square one for a wif. 

Glad you've come to a decision 

 
The problem with PoAF whifs is that the SEA camo scheme was adopted with the introduction of the A-7P in 1980 when the U.S. began exerting its influence in the PoAF's policies through NATO's tactics for a possible conflict with the Soviets in the European continent and Atlantic ocean.
The PoAF was supposed to help maintain the shipping lanes free of Soviet submarines and surface ships so the A-7 was the platform they would use for maritime strike operations but it could also be used inland to fight off tanks and troops. Seeing that the SEA camo would be ideal for the Portuguese landscape, the U.S. supplied the A-7s with the original scheme with light grey underside. That was changed to the wraparound scheme a few years later but as they had no air superiority/interceptor platform, they began using it on all aircraft, including choppers.
The last interceptor the PoAF had used was the F-86F which was retired even before the first A-7s were delivered. The F-16s were bought in 1994 so, during the 80s there was no need for an air superiority scheme for PoAF aircraft and that's where i'm always left wondering which scheme they'd use on an aircraft for that mission.
The Mirage i'm building would've been in service with that mission so, i believe it wouldn't be using the SEA camo so, i've spent so much time just looking at several Mirages from different Air Forces that used them as interceptors... Still, this will be depicted after a major upgrade/refurbishment process in the early 2000s so, a modern look is what i'm after. I got some inspiration from the South Africans.
Now, i'm just giving the chosen scheme some small touch ups and it's making much more sense to me to see it in the colors that were chosen...

[DogfighterZen]

So, it's been over a month since updated this thread and the reason for this is the lack of any change regarding the situation on my bench...
The Mirage has been stalled for about two to 3 weeks because i've had too much to do and think about this past month but still, it's almost finished. There are still a few things to be done but most is just final assembly of gear doors, gas bags and missile pylons.
I still have to finish painting the missiles and pilot, though...
Now that the summer is almost done and the weather is beginning to cool down around here, work hasn't been so heavy and i've been feeling more motivated to sit at the bench, i hope i can get back to where i left off which means finishing the Mirage, get back to working on the F-16W and whatever i choose to put on the bench after the Mirage is done.

With that said, today i'd like to get the Mirage closer to completion and that involves finishing the pilot, glue him to the ejection seat and then glue both inside the pit... I'll also be painting the missiles and applying a gloss coat to seal the decals on the whole model... if there aren't major interruptions during the afternoon, i may end up getting most of this done.

 

[Old Wombat]

Good luck with that! (And touch wood!)

[NARSES2]

Good to see you back on again 

[DogfighterZen]

Good luck with that! (And touch wood!)

Touching wood as i go, Master Wombat! 
Good to be back at it, Chris, thanks! it's been too long since i've managed to have a good modelling session and today seems like everything came together so, i'm now sitting at the bench and all set to work on some plastic...

 

[TheChronicOne]

So happy to see you.  I've been wondering about your exploits; seems you've fallen prey to some of the same things I have. lol

[DogfighterZen]

So happy to see you.  I've been wondering about your exploits; seems you've fallen prey to some of the same things I have. lol

Happy to be back, brotha!
As you know all too well, summer means hard work for us gardeners but it'll be over soon, we already had a couple of rainy days and the temps have gone down by at least 10°C.

So, to celebrate the end of the sweaty season, I have finally finished the Mirage!
This kit was fun to build although the detail on it is somewhat "heavy" and the panel lines are so "trench-like" that I didn't even dare to put a wash on most of them, just on the rudder and ailerons and flaps
Anyway, I just have to take the beauty pics, write the backstory to post on here and that's another one on the shelf!

After that, it on with the F-16W and the Heller gazelle conversion.

 

[TheChronicOne]

Far out.... I've had an easier time of it the last couple of weeks or so, too. Finally getting some things done at home but It's driving me mad. Get them pics taken. (probably already have by now  lol)

[DogfighterZen]

Far out.... I've had an easier time of it the last couple of weeks or so, too. Finally getting some things done at home but It's driving me mad. Get them pics taken. (probably already have by now  lol)

You'll feel good when it's all done and that's what really matters, right? 
The pics of the Mirage were taken yesterday and seeing that i just got home from work and took Bob out for a walk, and the lady is out shopping with her sis, i'm just gonna take a quick shower, eat something... say, i'd go for one of those Mac mixes you created... What was it called... McGangBang? Or it could be the McChickO'fish...
Anyway, i'll be back in about an hour and get the stuff posted.