jimbot58

Well, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to go in and see the Dr. They took a dozen x-rays of my chest and my wrist. There were no broken bones showing, my wrist sprained only. As to my ribs, most likely a contusion or possible the cartilage is bruised, or could be broken. This will not show on the x-ray. They put me on light duty and the boss tells me that he will not be able to put me to work in the warehouse until I am released. I may get a mini vacation on workmen's comp. Healing time: cartilage or bruising: 4-6 weeks. Fractured bone that does not show on the x-ray: 4-8 weeks!  Not sure how that will work money wise. In the mean time, pain killers, ice packs, and try to figure out how to sleep sitting up.

Here is the kicker- x-rays show fluid in the sack around my heart. Unlikely that it is related to my injury, and I have been instructed to see my own Dr. ASAP! Tomorrow if possible! Not sure if I will sleep sitting up or any position!

I really think my days doing strenuous warehouse work is coming to an end!

I'll keep you guys posted...

Triple ouch!

All the best with that pericardial fluid, maybe it was actually good luck that you fell, it might have uncovered something much more serious.

What in heck did your wrist land on when you hit the deck, a floor grate?

Dom

Ken:

All the best with the little guy, Zeke?

It can be so frustrating dealing with veterinarians.  /(^.^)\

Dom

Jim: Ouch! I had assumed you'd already seen a doctor, that's some pretty serious injuries. My thoughts and prayers for a swift and complete recovery, gee between the money issues and not even being able to lie down to sleep seems like this is going to be a major PITA.

As Dom said though it may be a blessing in disguise if they discovered what could be heart problems down the road.

jimbot58

Well, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to go in and see the Dr. They took a dozen x-rays of my chest and my wrist. There were no broken bones showing, my wrist sprained only. As to my ribs, most likely a contusion or possible the cartilage is bruised, or could be broken. This will not show on the x-ray. They put me on light duty and the boss tells me that he will not be able to put me to work in the warehouse until I am released. I may get a mini vacation on workmen's comp. Healing time: cartilage or bruising: 4-6 weeks. Fractured bone that does not show on the x-ray: 4-8 weeks!  Not sure how that will work money wise. In the mean time, pain killers, ice packs, and try to figure out how to sleep sitting up.

Here is the kicker- x-rays show fluid in the sack around my heart. Unlikely that it is related to my injury, and I have been instructed to see my own Dr. ASAP! Tomorrow if possible! Not sure if I will sleep sitting up or any position!

I really think my days doing strenuous warehouse work is coming to an end!

I'll keep you guys posted...

Hi Jim,

I apologize for not responding until now.  I have been preoccupied with my dog and have not even turned on my computer for the last couple of days.

Holy cow!  Jim!  Please keep us informed about what you find out.  Man!  When it rains it pours!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all your support concerning my dog.  I found out some good news today.  I was referred to a new vet by a friend at work.  So I had all the history from my now ex-vet and the Purdue University Emergency Hospital sent to him before I went to see him today.

A little history here. The now ex-vet was already the vet of the dog when I married my wife.  It was her dog before we met.  I had previous experience with this vet with another dog I owned.  To shorten the story, his advice killed my dog.  So when I discovered that my wife was using the same vet, I of course was unhappy.  To make it worse, she was close friends with him.

So I was okay with the dog going to the ex-vet as long as it was simple yearly shots.  But when the coughing started, I took the dog to Purdue University Emergency Hospital.  Now it turns out they did proper diagnosis, but what they lacked was communication with me.

I had to leave the dog for about an hour for the x-rays.  When they called and said he was ready to be picked up, I didn't get to talk to the veterinarian.  Only a student who had the release papers with instructions.

Every day this week I tried to call the veterinarian that saw my dog to ask questions.  I was told she was going to call me back.  She never did.  This left me in the dark.  That is why I started questioning the diagnosis.

So the veterinarian I saw today saw the information sent to him from Purdue (that I never saw, including the x-rays), he explained to me and showed me the x-rays why the Purdue diagnosis was the correct one and to proceed with the antibiotic.

He does still have the heart murmur.  But there is not any fluid around his heart, or in his lungs.  And his trachea looks okay.  I had already started him back on the antibiotic when the Pepcid failed to stop his coughing.  And I think his coughing is getting better.  It is just so gradual it is hard to judge.

So the end is not near, at least not in the coming weeks!  So now I am on cloud nine.  I have lost so much sleep this week that I am about to fall asleep as I write this.

Ken

Glad to hear the good news about your dog, Ken! Get some rest!

Russ

The Tiger II is looking great. Using that trick to get the tracks to droop is really cool; simple and effective. Have to agree with the CYA factor in the whole Vet debacle. When drunks started suing bartenders and winning and all manner of morons began lawsuits that shifted the blame for their own stupidity to others the precedent was set. Do we really need warning labels on alcoholic beverages? Why of course. I'm thinking of suing some beer companies because in the commercials all the guys that drink their product get hot girls asking them out. Me, I sit alone drinking and no hotties are coming onto me! WTF?

mikeymize

The Tiger II is looking great. Using that trick to get the tracks to droop is really cool; simple and effective. Have to agree with the CYA factor in the whole Vet debacle. When drunks started suing bartenders and winning and all manner of morons began lawsuits that shifted the blame for their own stupidity to others the precedent was set. Do we really need warning labels on alcoholic beverages? Why of course. I'm thinking of suing some beer companies because in the commercials all the guys that drink their product get hot girls asking them out. Me, I sit alone drinking and no hotties are coming onto me! WTF?

Sounds like enough for a class action law suit!   

Ken

Ken: Glad to hear the pooch is doing better!

My news? I'm not dying, at least not today! I ended up going to my regular physicians office, and ended up seeing another doctor as mine is on vacation. This little 5 foot nothing blonde girl, just a bit on the round side was my Doc for the day, and I instantly liked her! She came in, shook my hand and asked me to explain what was going on. After that, she listened to my heart and lungs, very intensely, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. What did she find? Nothing! She then led me down the hall to the room where they view the x-rays ( I brought them with me) and asked me to show her what the clinic Dr. showed me. I pointed it out and still she said she just wasn't seeing anything out of the ordinary. She even spoke to some of her co-workers and putting her hand on my shoulder, said she is looking at me and can't see anything about me as a man having heart problems. You know, looking at the overall health of the patient, instead of a symptom as many Doctors seem to do.

She even then phoned up a radiologist friend of hers and asked him if he would do her a favor and look over the film. I had to drop them off myself a short ways away and later Dr. Christie called me to tell me her friend also confirmed nothing was out of the ordinary. Fluid around the heart would not even show on an x-ray! Thank you clinic Doctor (quack! quack!) for having me worried all night over nothing! A-hole!!!!

In the meantime, I'm still banged up for now, but relieved. I hate going to workman's comp clinics! I had one give me minimal care for an injury some years back, and ended up with an infection. I ended going to my own Doctor and paying for it out of my pocket rather than go back there.

Jim

P.S. No model building tonight. Like Ken, I'm fighting to stay awake as I type. As soon as I take my night-time pain med, I will be out!

jimbot58

Ken: Glad to hear the pooch is doing better!

My news? I'm not dying, at least not today! I ended up going to my regular physicians office, and ended up seeing another doctor as mine is on vacation. This little 5 foot nothing blonde girl, just a bit on the round side was my Doc for the day, and I instantly liked her! She came in, shook my hand and asked me to explain what was going on. After that, she listened to my heart and lungs, very intensely, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. What did she find? Nothing! She then led me down the hall to the room where they view the x-rays ( I brought them with me) and asked me to show her what the clinic Dr. showed me. I pointed it out and still she said she just wasn't seeing anything out of the ordinary. She even spoke to some of her co-workers and putting her hand on my shoulder, said she is looking at me and can't see anything about me as a man having heart problems. You know, looking at the overall health of the patient, instead of a symptom as many Doctors seem to do.

She even then phoned up a radiologist friend of hers and asked him if he would do her a favor and look over the film. I had to drop them off myself a short ways away and later Dr. Christie called me to tell me her friend also confirmed nothing was out of the ordinary. Fluid around the heart would not even show on an x-ray! Thank you clinic Doctor (quack! quack!) for having me worried all night over nothing! A-hole!!!!

In the meantime, I'm still banged up for now, but relieved. I hate going to workman's comp clinics! I had one give me minimal care for an injury some years back, and ended up with an infection. I ended going to my own Doctor and paying for it out of my pocket rather than go back there.

Jim

P.S. No model building tonight. Like Ken, I'm fighting to stay awake as I type. As soon as I take my night-time pain med, I will be out!

Wow Jim, very glad to hear that you are okay!  I was very worried.  That had to be one heck of an ordeal.

Is there a duck around here?  I thought I heard a "quack"!   

Ken

Yes Ken it's class action; care to join? LOL  Jim, glad to hear you'll be with us for the foreseeable future. It took me 20 years to find a decent family physician. She actually listens and makes eye contact, not arrogant or dismissive like so many others.

jimbot58

Ken, sorry to hear your going through all that with your little pet. The little pekinese of my mom's also had a murmur.  The problem with the vets is that every one of them diagnosed it differently. They couldn't agree, as one would say it was a 1 (scale of 1-5 I guess) and the next vet called it a 4. As far as the expenses, I think they just take advantage of people. It's the same with people doctors. No one really shops vets or doctors for the cheapest one. You end up paying what they charge.

Hope he turns out ok.

Not a good week here so far. Between starting out already beat from the weekend project, it's just been busy, busy, busy at work, and of coarse the extra hours. Then to top it off, I tripped and took a tumble at work. Not only did I bruise the heck out of my wrist and hand:

I also landed on flat on my chest and bruised or sprained my ribs. I don't think I fractured any, as I have cracked a couple of ribs in the past and know how painful they are. Still, I am unable to sleep as it's difficult to get comfortable.

That aside, I did sit down at the workbench and did a few things. I finished adding the wheels and tracks to the Tiger and then drilled some holes to pass a brass rod through to hold the top down and snug up the track.

I also added some CA after I took this to hold upper and lower tracks in place.

I don't think I need to paint the rods as the fenders completely cover everything up:

I will be able to slide a thin piece of flat styrene up there to mask the running gear when I go to paint. There are only a couple more pieces to add before painting.

Just for fun, I pulled down the Sherman tank kit, just to see how it might compare-these two, and the Tiger I I have make up my entire 1/72 tank collection, besides the finished Panther I built earlier.

Well off to bed to do anything besides sleep. I have some stronger pain meds, but afraid to try them in case I oversleep. This Friday night, I won't need to worry about that!

Hi Jim,

Now that we can all relax knowing that your heart is okay, I can go back and comment on your other injuries.  I hope you are feeling better, it looks like that will take a while to heal.

The tank is looking great!      I don't know how you can do such fine work hurting like that!

Ken

Gamera

Cockpit is in the Apache and she is sealed up. Normally I've had good luck with Academy kits but some of the parts here fit is horrible...

Nice work on the Apache cockpit Cliff!      Looks like you are moving right along on it despite the fit issues.

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Gamera

Cockpit is in the Apache and she is sealed up. Normally I've had good luck with Academy kits but some of the parts here fit is horrible...

Nice work on the Apache cockpit Cliff!      Looks like you are moving right along on it despite the fit issues.

Ken

Somehow I missed this one. Looks good, Cliff. What scale is that?

Russ

Hi Everyone,

I finally got the front wheel bay done.  Here is how it turned out:

Next I need to cut some more on the fuselage according to the instructions that came with the Eduard Brassin Exhaust (7mm to be exact):

 Okay, now hold on to your hats!  After I do that, I think I am ready to finally button up the fuselage!  It is going to be quite a task because I have so much stuff to glue in their at once.  I think I will try to come up with a plan first before I do.  I will be using both 30 minute epoxy and plastic glue.

Ken

Ken: Nice work!

The Apache is 1/48th, sorry the second photo is awful. Kinda hard to get a good photo too since it seems the whole thing is black on black, I tried to get some detail there with different dark greys.

 Ken: To say you have much stuff in that fuselage is an understatement to put it mildly! Looks great by the way, I know Berny would be proud!  I'm including a snap of my latest project lest it be thought I'm only here to rant about the litigious society we find ourselves in or the arrogance of MD's. I must make mention though of the irony apparent when Uncle Sam cuts the ThunderBirds, Blue Angels, et al. yet give the IRS bonuses......just sayin'

Thanks everyone for the compliments!  I really appreciate them!

So Mike, that looks like an early pre WWII racer?

Ken

Yes Ken it does indeed look like perhaps a Gee Bee's brother however it's actually a Polikarpov I-16 . The Soviets used them and/or supplied them to the Republicans fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

Gamera, I really like the Apache thus far. Looks as though you've got a bit of detail inside. I have yet to build a helicopter but that or a Vietnam era Huey would be among my first choices.

Mike: Cool! I was thinking it looks like a Polikarpov though I wasn't sure which aircraft. I was looking for a Nationalist Chinese version a few years ago and got really confused with the different versions!

Thanks, I'll try to get some better cockpit shots in the future. Kinda annoying since everything is black, cockpit, panels, seat, seatbelts- using a bunch of dark greys may not be correct but otherwise trying to make out detail would be like trying to spot a crow flying in the middle of the night!

Gamera, I'm with you on the color issue. I'm willing to trade a certain amount of authenticity for a more eye pleasing result. Some of the military stuff is so monochromatic as to become a blob of whatever color predominates. Even allowing for scale adjustment; pre and post shading etc. I attempt to keep things as close to real as I can but I balance that with aesthetic concerns as well. At the end of the day these builds are for me, not a museum or another collector and as such I reserve a certain amount of artistic license.It doesn't bother me that some well intentioned folks will criticize my lack of reality but I don't get upset with them either .It's all good.

Hey gang.

Finally this evening, I am finally able to move about a bit. Between my injuries, my imaginary health scare Friday, and the fact that some things have come up that tell me I will finally have to make the move on selling my parents house. I barely sleep right now, and find I tend to doze off about anywhere I sit down. So, other than some light house work, I did mostly nothing. I was just drained emotionally.

I went through this rib injury thing before, and I nearly forgot what a huge PITA it is. Though I don't feel to bat right now, I'm sure I'll wake in the morning as man-made-of-glass. Don't-touch-me-I-might-break!

Sat down to the workbench and did a few things:

Lift rings on top of the turret, d-rings with clevis pins (front and rear), the tiny little headlamp, and what I assume is an air vent on top of the turret.

There were some nasty ejector pin marks under the rear fender/mud guards?The one on the right needed a second dab of filler as there was still a hole there after sanding.

Hi Jim,

Now that is really starting to look like a tank!  Looking good Jim!      Glad that you are feeling better!

Sorry to hear about the need to deal with selling your parent's house.  That has to be an emotional drain.  I hope you don't have much trouble with selling it.

Ken

Yeah Jim, as Ken put it she's starting to really look like a tank! Great to hear you're feeling better, at least a little at least, modeling does take your mind off things for a little while anyway.

New paper cut outs for the track.... actually masking. Does it still look like a tank?

New Hornet variant.....

Just kidding!

Base coat paint applied:

The openings are masked as I hadn't decided to close them or open them.....

jimbot58

New paper cut outs for the track.... actually masking. Does it still look like a tank?

New Hornet variant.....

Just kidding!

Base coat paint applied:

The openings are masked as I hadn't decided to close them or open them.....

That would be a killer Hornet Jim!  It looks mean as heck!

Ken

Lol, a F/A-18 with a 88mm would be almost as cool as an A-10!

jimbot58

New paper cut outs for the track.... actually masking. Does it still look like a tank?

New Hornet variant.....

Just kidding!

Base coat paint applied:

The openings are masked as I hadn't decided to close them or open them.....

Welcome to Star Wars.....

Dom

Well, here I am. Still sleepless in Denver. A week out from my injuries and it feels like so much longer. I am unable to sleep in the bed, and I have sleep, fitfully, sitting up in a chair. I am very angry about it as the rack I tripped over should not have been where it was. It was obviously a trip hazard, but it seemed the area got cleaned up very quickly after I fell, so what can I do?

In the meantime, I did sit with the Tiger. I applied the base and the darker tan for some of the camo. The few photos I could find, mostly of the finished model, plus the box art, showed the pattern to be very subtle, so that's how I went. There is also some green to be applied, then I can worry about things like many of the molded on detail. I had to use artistic license across the top as the color guide only showed front, back and sides.

Jim: I wouldn't worry too much about the camo. Sorry if I'm going over stuff you already know here!

German tanks came from the factory in the sandy yellow mustard scheme. The crews were provided with small cans of concentrated green, brown, and sand yellow paint and a air gun to apply the camo to fit their surroundings - aka if fighting in a forest use a lot of green, if in a desolate region use more brown. The paint had instructions on how much to thin them but the crews generally went with the 'eyeball' method so sometimes the green and brown paint would be really dark if thinned a little or very pale and washed out like you did here if they thinned it a lot. Sometimes if they didn't have any paint thinner the crews would use gasoline or water, which made the paint go on differently too. There were no hard and fast rules on how to apply the paint either, some crews went with long meandering lines, some large blotches, others polka dots, some weird 'Picasso' like schemes.

You literally cannot go wrong with German camo unless you're replicating a specific vehicle!

I hope you feel better soon, I've never been in a situation like yours but I have had a cold so that I couldn't lie down for my sinuses draining. After a day or so of not being able to lie down and sleep I really felt like krap warmed over.