Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

Hey Ken: An FYI here, Eduard has released a PE set for your 1:48 scale Kitty Hawk Voodoo! They are in stock at SB's as of today!

I also see a PE set for my Academy F-35A. I am ordering a set tonight because you know how quickly some of these things can sell out, though I'm sure there will be lots and lots of F-35 kits and accessories to come with this aircraft coming into service. Funny thing is that I just don't find this aircraft to be all that attractive......

I'm also waiting for that A-10 Avenger gun barrel to arrive-it was in stock at BNA model world from down under. Takes a while to get here from halfway around the world!

More later, but I just wanted to jump in there about the Eduard set.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Thank you so much for the heads up on those Eduard PE sets!    Those came out fast!  I will wait until they offer the "Big Ed" set which will include all of the PE sets together which is a much better deal than purchasing them individually.

I agree with you about the F-35 not being an attractive aircraft.  It just does not have an appealing look to it.

Ken

Things could have been much worse! We could have had this monstrosity out there as our next fighter!

Looks like it was made to swoop down and scoop up fish out of the ocean or something!

The only plane uglier (IMO) would be.....

I was disappointed that the U.S. didn't adopt the YF-23. I thought it had to be the coolest looking aircraft ever!

There was a lot of controversy as many critics claimed the 23 had better performance than the 22 and the choice was made for more political reasons than practical. I was hopeful when there was talf of developing the 23 for Naval purposes, but that never came about.

Maybe they will come out with a masking set for the F-35-the painting around the panels is very complex:

Jim

A website dedicated to the YF-23:

Black Widow

You are so right, Jim!!  LOL

jimbot58

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

Hey Ken: An FYI here, Eduard has released a PE set for your 1:48 scale Kitty Hawk Voodoo! They are in stock at SB's as of today!

I also see a PE set for my Academy F-35A. I am ordering a set tonight because you know how quickly some of these things can sell out, though I'm sure there will be lots and lots of F-35 kits and accessories to come with this aircraft coming into service. Funny thing is that I just don't find this aircraft to be all that attractive......

I'm also waiting for that A-10 Avenger gun barrel to arrive-it was in stock at BNA model world from down under. Takes a while to get here from halfway around the world!

More later, but I just wanted to jump in there about the Eduard set.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Thank you so much for the heads up on those Eduard PE sets!    Those came out fast!  I will wait until they offer the "Big Ed" set which will include all of the PE sets together which is a much better deal than purchasing them individually.

I agree with you about the F-35 not being an attractive aircraft.  It just does not have an appealing look to it.

Ken

Things could have been much worse! We could have had this monstrosity out there as our next fighter!

Looks like it was made to swoop down and scoop up fish out of the ocean or something!

The only plane uglier (IMO) would be.....

I was disappointed that the U.S. didn't adopt the YF-23. I thought it had to be the coolest looking aircraft ever!

There was a lot of controversy as many critics claimed the 23 had better performance than the 22 and the choice was made for more political reasons than practical. I was hopeful when there was talf of developing the 23 for Naval purposes, but that never came about.

Maybe they will come out with a masking set for the F-35-the painting around the panels is very complex:

Jim

You are so right Jim.  That first picture looks like a pregnant cow!      And yes the Goblin was definitely a look that only a mother could love!

It is always a political decision instead of a performance issue when it comes to military spending!  I always recall the story behind the Northrop YB-49.  To this day it is claimed that it wasn't chosen because of controllability.  But it really was because of a certain corrupt general.  If you care to read the story, look under "Operational History" section of this Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_YB-49 

Ken

jimbot58

A website dedicated to the YF-23:

Black Widow

Cool website Jim, thanks for sharing!   

Ken

Hey gang.

I had hoped to finish the Voodoo this weekend, but things never go the way you plan. Just busy Saturday, then I get a call from the boss, he's looking for some people to come in and work on Sunday. The bad news: due to a computer patch and upgrade, the system would not be available until after 3 P.M. I ended up going in at 2 P.M. and was there until almost 9:30 P.M. It was supposed to only be 3 or 4 hours but ended up closer to 8. Then having to go meet up with my sister briefly, it was almost 11 before I got home. No time for the Voodoo, as I need to be up and out to work by 9 again......

Ack Jim, I know what you mean. How many times do we get roped into an 'hour or two' and it takes all day and half the night? I guess it is job security though? Gee friggin' whiz...

jimbot58

Hey gang.

I had hoped to finish the Voodoo this weekend, but things never go the way you plan. Just busy Saturday, then I get a call from the boss, he's looking for some people to come in and work on Sunday. The bad news: due to a computer patch and upgrade, the system would not be available until after 3 P.M. I ended up going in at 2 P.M. and was there until almost 9:30 P.M. It was supposed to only be 3 or 4 hours but ended up closer to 8. Then having to go meet up with my sister briefly, it was almost 11 before I got home. No time for the Voodoo, as I need to be up and out to work by 9 again......

That really sucks Jim!  I hope you get a full weekend off this weekend.  You are definitely working too hard!  You need some time off.

Ken

Just want to toss in I've been feeling a little down recently too- went to see 'Guardians of the Galaxy' last night and it's a riot- two hours or so of pure 100% FUN- why don't they make more movies like this???

Gamera

Just want to toss in I've been feeling a little down recently too- went to see 'Guardians of the Galaxy' last night and it's a riot- two hours or so of pure 100% FUN- why don't they make more movies like this???

Right there with you Gamera!!  Feeling pretty crummy until I saw that genius mutant raccoon with a bad attitude....really made my day!  Great flick!

Hello gang.

As expected, the previous week was hell week. 6 days straight, with Tuesday being inventory, and that day was 12+ hours. Then I was required to work the open house Thursday, that being from noon to well after 11 P.M. Then back in at 9 A.M., to work until well after 10 that night. Needless to say, I was a zombie all day Saturday, sleeping almost 11 hours straight, followed by a 3 hour nap in the afternoon.

I did get out Sat. night for a run to Microcenter, to spend a bit of this money. I bought a secondary hard drive intending to install it in an external enclosure I have. I also stopped at a place I know to unwind a bit. I won't say what it was but there were brass poles and dollar bills involved. 'nuff said there.

When I got home I tried to set up the new drive but couldn't get it to work. I decided to crack open the tower and mount it permanent. I figured out that I would need a need a SATA cable to hook it up. This morning I went to STUPID Best Buy to get one, and not only didn't they carry them, they didn't even know what they were!

"Is that from inside the computer?" one young man asked me! What happened to these guys? I used to get all sorts of upgrade stuff there, but I guess they are more into selling phones, tablets, televisions and refrigerators.

Off to Microcenter again!

I got my cable ok, and sort of spent a bit more....

Some 'Bling' for the computer;

Did I really need a blue LED fan and LED lights for inside the computer? Probably not.

Looks like this with the cover on:

I know, a bit silly, considering it's mostly out of sight under the desk, but a guy's got to have a little fun now and then! Besides, this bit o' fun was less than $20!

I also got my detail parts this week, but I haven't even had a chance to look at them yet. I update later as I am about to have a kid's dinner of fish sticks, and mac n' cheese!

Jim

Jim: Dang, I hope you get some sort of vacation or time off before you burn out. I've been filling in for everyone on vacation recently but things haven't been anywhere near that bad.

Very cool rig, I've got a few lights on my PC but not that many. Plus I had to get a mouse and keyboard with all the crazy LEDs on it, no one sees the PC but me but still gotta 'hot-rod' it up...

Gamera

Jim: Dang, I hope you get some sort of vacation or time off before you burn out. I've been filling in for everyone on vacation recently but things haven't been anywhere near that bad.

Very cool rig, I've got a few lights on my PC but not that many. Plus I had to get a mouse and keyboard with all the crazy LEDs on it, no one sees the PC but me but still gotta 'hot-rod' it up...

Seriously, yes. I need some time off. I plan to go in this week and ask.....no, demand to be allowed to take some of my vacation time! After the way I felt all weekend, I'm tired of being the "dedicated" employee! I know it's a cliche' but it is a fact that I'm not a kid anymore. I can't handle it. Right now I am so full of dread about going into work tomorrow, I know I'm not going to sleep!

Jim

jimbot58

Hello gang.

As expected, the previous week was hell week. 6 days straight, with Tuesday being inventory, and that day was 12+ hours. Then I was required to work the open house Thursday, that being from noon to well after 11 P.M. Then back in at 9 A.M., to work until well after 10 that night. Needless to say, I was a zombie all day Saturday, sleeping almost 11 hours straight, followed by a 3 hour nap in the afternoon.

I did get out Sat. night for a run to Microcenter, to spend a bit of this money. I bought a secondary hard drive intending to install it in an external enclosure I have. I also stopped at a place I know to unwind a bit. I won't say what it was but there were brass poles and dollar bills involved. 'nuff said there.

When I got home I tried to set up the new drive but couldn't get it to work. I decided to crack open the tower and mount it permanent. I figured out that I would need a need a SATA cable to hook it up. This morning I went to STUPID Best Buy to get one, and not only didn't they carry them, they didn't even know what they were!

"Is that from inside the computer?" one young man asked me! What happened to these guys? I used to get all sorts of upgrade stuff there, but I guess they are more into selling phones, tablets, televisions and refrigerators.

Off to Microcenter again!

I got my cable ok, and sort of spent a bit more....

Some 'Bling' for the computer;

Did I really need a blue LED fan and LED lights for inside the computer? Probably not.

Looks like this with the cover on:

I know, a bit silly, considering it's mostly out of sight under the desk, but a guy's got to have a little fun now and then! Besides, this bit o' fun was less than $20!

I also got my detail parts this week, but I haven't even had a chance to look at them yet. I update later as I am about to have a kid's dinner of fish sticks, and mac n' cheese!

Jim

Wow Jim,

That is a lot of overtime.  I hope it gets better for you soon!  You need a break.

Very cool setup for your computer!  Looks very futuristic!

Ken

I know what you mean Jim. I worked two weeks without a day off last month- 12 days straight. Thankfully not much overtime there though. Less than you've worked but I was still burnt-out.

Well, tonight I sit here just sort of stunned as they came in and fired the operations manager. He was not only my boss, but a friend as well. Not much more to add as I'm still kind of trying to digest this....

Jim

jimbot58

Well, tonight I sit here just sort of stunned as they came in and fired the operations manager. He was not only my boss, but a friend as well. Not much more to add as I'm still kind of trying to digest this....

Jim

Oh great, hopefully the axe will miss you. Gee whiz... 

I love how, when companies start getting in the red the only solution they seem to come up with is to fire people. And usually not the ones responsible at the top of the food chain. The CEO's and CFO's always dodge the bullet. They just drop some grenades on the worker bees and call it good!

Our board has apparently discussed laying off both of us employees and providing our manager with two interns from the local college in our place. I'm sure having two untrained guys who spend a semester here and then leave once they're half-way trained will be a big improvement. Seriously I wonder about some people's judgement, penny-wise and pound-foolish.

The environmental company I worked for before this job kept laying off us guys in the field and lab who actually brought money in to support deadwood who kept coming up with a series of 'get-rich-quick' hare-brained schemes that continually drained money. Needless to say the whole company went belly-up shortly after I left.

Boy did you touch a nerve with me on that last post Cliff. I worked at a noise vibration lab for an automotive company before getting into civil service. Even though I had a college degree I was a contract employee which is a euphemism for "indentured servant". Basically, I served at their discretion with virtually no rights. I was laid off at the same time bonuses and profit-sharing checks went to the head honchos.The reason given was due to cost cutting. My lab was already one technician short so when they got rid of me they had to pay engineers who made 3 times my salary to do my work. Makes sense? You can't make this stuff up!  I was offered my old job back a few weeks later but had already taken the civil service job when they called.They were in bankruptcy within a few years and I was so glad I didn't go back. I understand corporations need to make a profit; no problem with that but I can't figure out their logic sometimes. Penny  wise/ pound foolish sums it up quite well!

jimbot58

Well, tonight I sit here just sort of stunned as they came in and fired the operations manager. He was not only my boss, but a friend as well. Not much more to add as I'm still kind of trying to digest this....

Jim

Total bummer Jim!  Wow!  After working all that overtime and they do that?  What the heck?  Was he caught doing something wrong?

Ken

mikeymize

I love how, when companies start getting in the red the only solution they seem to come up with is to fire people. And usually not the ones responsible at the top of the food chain. The CEO's and CFO's always dodge the bullet. They just drop some grenades on the worker bees and call it good!

Totally agree with you Mike!  It is always the first place they look at cutting costs.  Then it is your benefits.  Health insurance is usually next.  It is the same as forcing a salary cut.  They just force you to pay more while they cover less.

Ken

Gamera

Our board has apparently discussed laying off both of us employees and providing our manager with two interns from the local college in our place. I'm sure having two untrained guys who spend a semester here and then leave once they're half-way trained will be a big improvement. Seriously I wonder about some people's judgement, penny-wise and pound-foolish.

The environmental company I worked for before this job kept laying off us guys in the field and lab who actually brought money in to support deadwood who kept coming up with a series of 'get-rich-quick' hare-brained schemes that continually drained money. Needless to say the whole company went belly-up shortly after I left.

Man Cliff, when it rains it pours!  I sure hope that you don't get axed.  This country is coming close to a melt down.  People are going to finally get to a point that they just are not going to take it anymore!  We have politicians that blatantly get away with lying and cheating us.  And it is also no secret that they are getting paid by the big industries that keep screwing us.

Ken

Mike: I know what you mean, not only here but several places I've worked it seemed almost like the company went out of their way to throw away money. I worked in a retail store during high school and college and they honest to gosh would run sales on popular items like motor oil and bleach and then not anything but a handful on the shelf! It might have been to lure customers into the store and hope they'd buy other stuff but I know a lot of them left in disgust. Great way to attract more customers guys...

Ken: I think I'm ok, waterworks operators seem in demand right now so if I do get laid off I can probably get another job since I've got over ten years of experience now. Just seems nuts to me to consider letting go two people with over twenty-five years of experience between us to bring in fresh interns. And as soon as they get four months of training then bringing in a new set- my manager would probably be spending 75-90% of his time training people from that point on with no time to do any management stuff. I don't think it was a serious idea but still doesn't make much sense to me. I think more than anything it's that under this new government health care boon-doogle they don't have to provide any care to interns- so it's way cheaper than having full time employees.

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

Well, tonight I sit here just sort of stunned as they came in and fired the operations manager. He was not only my boss, but a friend as well. Not much more to add as I'm still kind of trying to digest this....

Jim

Total bummer Jim!  Wow!  After working all that overtime and they do that?  What the heck?  Was he caught doing something wrong?

Ken

Ken, to be honest, the big bosses showed up from corporate and the warehouse was in bad shape. Orders weren't going out as they should, and customer complaints were out of control. Even though we are still struggling to adapt to the new system and all, blame is going to come down to someone. When the ax falls, it's not going to be the little guys that go.....

As far as the common practice these days of cutting costs by hiring less experienced employees or filling positions with part time people to save on benefits, I think that it hurts them more than they realize!

I worked retail for 25 years and saw time and time again that when it came to cutting "controllable" expenses, the employees were always the first cut made. No CEO salaries or bonuses are considered. I know that when the company I worked for went bankrupt, the big wheels kept their pay and even received bonuses for staying during the liquidation. What did I receive for staying until they shut they shut the doors? Zero, zip, zich, nada, nothing, etc. Just a quick kick in the backside as we left the building.

Jim

Update:

The Voodoo is nearly done, with the only thing left is the nose cone and try to figure out if I can get that tail hook to fit between the engine nozzles like it should without destroying the part.

I already started the next project, and that is Academy's A-10 Warthog.

Another mostly OOB build with the exception of the Master Model Avenger gun set:

They just had a soak in vinegar to etch them a bit and hopefully make the glues and paints stick better. I am sort of wishing that I had bought a couple of sets in case I loose one of those tiny gun barrels. Pitot tube is there as well.

There is an amazing amount of detail for such a small scale: EXTREME close-up here and you can see those things are actually hollow! How do they do that? I will be ready for a straight-jacket and rubber room when I go to try and assemble that thing!

There are also some TwoBobs decals I have for a fighter training squadron out of Nellis AFB. I didn't want to fight those notorious Academy decals. The color scheme will be the ever interesting gray on top with a slightly different shade of gray underneath...... by the way, that's sarcasm in case you couldn't tell...

I'm going to try and get around to some photos of the Voodoo and the Growler this weekend so they can be tacked up on the Wall of Fame.

Jim

The Voodoo looks awesome Jim. And nice, an A-10. Looking forward to seeing how that master gun goes together, I have that in the same scale. Someone else just used one in 48th and it looks really nice once put together.

Jim: Yeah, the Voodoo looks fantastic! Love the metallic exhaust and the Day-Glo missiles (Falcons?). And the that A-10- I too wonder how on earth they get that kind of detail on teeny metal parts like that?

Lol, thanks too for getting us back on track here. I frankly haven't gotten anything done on the F4F and F6F. I've been mostly working on the little T-26 for the Orphaned Armour GB because I didn't finish the first FSM GB I've been a little gun-shy about getting this one done on time. And a friend asked me to build a B-17 for a vet so I'm working on the new Revell 1/72nd kit. It's amazing, far and away the best B-17 in this scale, the interior detail is beautiful.    

Jim, not to beat a dead horse here but......  We've seen this time and time again. I've witnessed first hand incompetent, sycophants not only retain their positions but move up as less self-serving, harder working people get the boot. It's demoralizing to say the least and only breeds mediocrity from those left at best. Completely self-defeating behavior from top level "ethically challenged"people who should know better. Ruling from fear and intimidation will only drive the best and brightest out. This is not the case in all companies but is far too prevalent in my experience. Sorry about the rant but I feel much better now!

Gamera

Mike: I know what you mean, not only here but several places I've worked it seemed almost like the company went out of their way to throw away money. I worked in a retail store during high school and college and they honest to gosh would run sales on popular items like motor oil and bleach and then not anything but a handful on the shelf! It might have been to lure customers into the store and hope they'd buy other stuff but I know a lot of them left in disgust. Great way to attract more customers guys...

Ken: I think I'm ok, waterworks operators seem in demand right now so if I do get laid off I can probably get another job since I've got over ten years of experience now. Just seems nuts to me to consider letting go two people with over twenty-five years of experience between us to bring in fresh interns. And as soon as they get four months of training then bringing in a new set- my manager would probably be spending 75-90% of his time training people from that point on with no time to do any management stuff. I don't think it was a serious idea but still doesn't make much sense to me. I think more than anything it's that under this new government health care boon-doogle they don't have to provide any care to interns- so it's way cheaper than having full time employees.

Hi Cliff,

Good to hear that your job is fairly secure.  Also comforting to know that you have skills that are in demand!  Great thing to have now days!

Ken