Hi Everyone,

I did manage to get some more detail painting done tonight.  I painted some aluminum on the cockpit tub and the ejection seat.  I will post pictures tomorrow night.

Ken

Len: Seriously what the hell? I remember hurricane Sandy was about this time last year and you're still waiting? I think my new home would be the local jail after assault and battery from kicking a few people in the tail..

Gamera

Len: Seriously what the hell? I remember hurricane Sandy was about this time last year and you're still waiting? I think my new home would be the local jail after assault and battery from kicking a few people in the tail..

We are moving forward...waiting on permit sets, etc, which are a few days away. The house has been ordered....my rep says it can be completed in 4-5 days! Then it`s dealing with all the trades and inspections...etc...so I may get the house sometime in December but wont get the CO until everything is done.

Cliff, I really do understand why someone would show up to an insurance company office with an AR-15....lol. The mortgage company is the worst of all.....I`m putting a brand new house on the lot they hold title to and they are withholding 18k until they can inspect our progress....!!! Can`t get the SBA money until all other monies are spent! They just can`t understand that and will probably hold us up longer..GGRRRRRRR!! If I get through this without having a stroke or a stay at the Funny Farm, it`ll be a miracle.

Well guys just got out of the hospital today but have another month or so of recovery still! I had to have a pic line installed which is a line that they insert through a vein in your arm so IV antibiotics  can be administered. Yeah it's as fun as it sounds. speaking of insurance companies; legalized scam to put it mildly. It chaps me beyond belief to think how they react when, after PAYING premiums all these years they act like you're a criminal because you want to use the service that you PAID for!!! Blood pressure is rising too much so I'm off my rant. Plus as bad as I have it there's plenty others who have much worse….

Our insurance adjuster came out 3 days after the storm. The 1st thing he did was ask me if I knew of any hotels with vacancies because he was exhausted!!! It all went downhill from there. Then, he went through our house, telling us what they were NOT paying for. Every time he spoke, I felt my anger rise until I told him to get the **** out.

I had a 250k policy...enough to cover the entire house...but when I asked about being paid out because the house was more than 50% damaged and had to come up to current township code but could not be raised, I was essentially told too bad, take it up with your town, they`re the ones causing your problem not us...lol.  When purchasing this policy I was told, "you have excellent coverage..if it floods, just open the doors and let it in, you`ll get a new house"..... so many people I talk to had the same bunk told to them also....an absolute disgrace.

When we get into the new home, it`ll be 10-12` high and our flood ins. will be at it`s minimum...reductions for every foot above the base flood elevation figure, up to 4` and we will be well above the BFE. Sorry for the rant...sore subject.....

Mike and Len,

Yes, it is all about the money!  That is what the insurance company game is all about.  The longer they can hold onto it and keep from paying any of it out, that much longer they can make interest on it.  You probably need to hire a lawyer on a big claim, but then you will lose out on the lawyer fees!

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Mike and Len,

Yes, it is all about the money!  That is what the insurance company game is all about.  The longer they can hold onto it and keep from paying any of it out, that much longer they can make interest on it.  You probably need to hire a lawyer on a big claim, but then you will lose out on the lawyer fees!

Ken

Agreed! All about money and the bottom line! You can't have a profit and pay out claims at the same time. It's never about helping people as much as their PR dept would have us believe!

Hi gang! Speaking of money, it's been work, work, work for me. No time for hobby stuff, I come home after being gone for over 12 hours, I have just enough energy to fix a meal and hit the sack. I tried to work at the bench, but I find myself falling asleep in my chair.

Something interesting: It has been discussed many time about how kit manufactures no longer include swastikas in kits to comply with laws in international markets.

This even extends to video games. Notice the flags in this hall where my little blade wielding vampire warrior had just sliced and diced many Nazi opponents deep inside a huge bunker. Are they a bit off?

Now I have to turn in as I volunteered to put some time in Saturday. I am so far behind, I need to play catch-up and then there is all that OT!

Jim

jimbot58

Son Of Medicine Man

Mike and Len,

Yes, it is all about the money!  That is what the insurance company game is all about.  The longer they can hold onto it and keep from paying any of it out, that much longer they can make interest on it.  You probably need to hire a lawyer on a big claim, but then you will lose out on the lawyer fees!

Ken

Agreed! All about money and the bottom line! You can't have a profit and pay out claims at the same time. It's never about helping people as much as their PR dept would have us believe!

Hi gang! Speaking of money, it's been work, work, work for me. No time for hobby stuff, I come home after being gone for over 12 hours, I have just enough energy to fix a meal and hit the sack. I tried to work at the bench, but I find myself falling asleep in my chair.

Something interesting: It has been discussed many time about how kit manufactures no longer include swastikas in kits to comply with laws in international markets.

This even extends to video games. Notice the flags in this hall where my little blade wielding vampire warrior had just sliced and diced many Nazi opponents deep inside a huge bunker. Are they a bit off?

Now I have to turn in as I volunteered to put some time in Saturday. I am so far behind, I need to play catch-up and then there is all that OT!

Jim

That is ridiculous.  Anyone with a little knowledge of psychology would know that by avoiding putting real swastikas on the flags is only going to draw more attention to it.  And it will make any kids who learn about it WANT to draw swastikas on everything they can because of it.

Ken

Ken, your comments about the swastika was dead on. It's not as if by omitting them it somehow mitigates the facts of history. Politically correct, new age touchy-feely rubbish! Much like the Confederate flag; it's history, nothing more. Ignoring or avoiding it doesn't change the past. Nor does putting them on my models make me a Nazi. Too many people fail to make that distinction and we end up with nonsense like these laws forbidding their usage. Oh well, busy bodies and do gooders will spell the end of free thought and liberty as we know it……. There, now I feel much better!

mikeymize

Ken, your comments about the swastika was dead on. It's not as if by omitting them it somehow mitigates the facts of history. Politically correct, new age touchy-feely rubbish! Much like the Confederate flag; it's history, nothing more. Ignoring or avoiding it doesn't change the past. Nor does putting them on my models make me a Nazi. Too many people fail to make that distinction and we end up with nonsense like these laws forbidding their usage. Oh well, busy bodies and do gooders will spell the end of free thought and liberty as we know it……. There, now I feel much better!

Hi gang!

I'll admit that at one time I was a little uncomfortable working on projects such as Nazi war machines, wondering if I was in some way idealizing what they stood for. Then I figured I wasn't, but it was more of a sort of admiration of the engineering and innovations of the day. Plus they are just interesting subjects. Even building subjects such as Soviet aircraft was wrong as they were "the enemy".

  So little time anymore for working on projects: another 56 hour week over 6 days left me with little time or energy to even try. This week I will have extra time with the holiday, though it's going to be a little rough for me, even still. I better understand why Mom always had such a hard time around the Holidays.

Did a few things this evening:

A little bit of a black wash on the pylons:

And continued with some more decals:

Note!

No the plane is not blue! I had already turned off the overhead lights, so I used the flash and it seems to have an output very high on the Kelvin scale (I studied photography for a while, so I know this term and a few other fancy words as well!) Up close pictures appear very blue. I could have moved it to my computer and color corrected it, but that was just way too much work!

Corrected:

Yeah, think it's come up before but don't even get me started about the swastika.

Soviet Union killed 30 million people - red star ok. 

Red China killed 70-120 million people - Chinese red star ok. 

Third Reich killed 7 million people - swastika VERBOTEN!!!

Jim: The black wash on the pylons looks great, wish my washes turned out half as well. And nice blue you used- think you're going retro to WW2 USN aircraft...  

Don't worry about correcting the colour, I can see all the detail just fine! 

jimbot58

mikeymize

Ken, your comments about the swastika was dead on. It's not as if by omitting them it somehow mitigates the facts of history. Politically correct, new age touchy-feely rubbish! Much like the Confederate flag; it's history, nothing more. Ignoring or avoiding it doesn't change the past. Nor does putting them on my models make me a Nazi. Too many people fail to make that distinction and we end up with nonsense like these laws forbidding their usage. Oh well, busy bodies and do gooders will spell the end of free thought and liberty as we know it……. There, now I feel much better!

Hi gang!

I'll admit that at one time I was a little uncomfortable working on projects such as Nazi war machines, wondering if I was in some way idealizing what they stood for. Then I figured I wasn't, but it was more of a sort of admiration of the engineering and innovations of the day. Plus they are just interesting subjects. Even building subjects such as Soviet aircraft was wrong as they were "the enemy".

  So little time anymore for working on projects: another 56 hour week over 6 days left me with little time or energy to even try. This week I will have extra time with the holiday, though it's going to be a little rough for me, even still. I better understand why Mom always had such a hard time around the Holidays.

Did a few things this evening:

A little bit of a black wash on the pylons:

And continued with some more decals:

Note!

No the plane is not blue! I had already turned off the overhead lights, so I used the flash and it seems to have an output very high on the Kelvin scale (I studied photography for a while, so I know this term and a few other fancy words as well!) Up close pictures appear very blue. I could have moved it to my computer and color corrected it, but that was just way too much work!

Corrected:

Hi Jim,

I totally agree with Cliff, very nice work on the wash!     

I hope you get Friday along with the rest of the weekend off with Thursday Jim.  From the sounds of it, you need it!

I have been very busy myself, but not with my job but with things around my house and my Mom's house.  It just seems to keep piling on!

I hope to be able to get caught up this weekend as well.

Ken

A bit of an oops tonight! Decals were provided for the various vents on the fuselage of the Growler. There is a large one made up of one continuous piece for several vents on the underside of the nose. I was coaxing these down into the recess with my Microsol, when I accidentally touched the softened decal with the brush:

There are more to go, and I think it may just be easier to mask them and give them a shot of metalizer!

There are also a set of them top and bottom near the exhausts.

jimbot58

A bit of an oops tonight! Decals were provided for the various vents on the fuselage of the Growler. There is a large one made up of one continuous piece for several vents on the underside of the nose. I was coaxing these down into the recess with my Microsol, when I accidentally touched the softened decal with the brush:

There are more to go, and I think it may just be easier to mask them and give them a shot of metalizer!

There are also a set of them top and bottom near the exhausts.

Total bummer there Jim!  I see what you mean though about just masking them off.  Either way it is going to be a lot of work, unless you have a secret!

So Jim, are you going over to your friend's house for Thanksgiving tomorrow?

Ken

They are recessed though - they look so in the photos. I'd be tempted just to hit them with a black wash.

Happy Thanks Giving guys!

The last 18 months have been brutal, I haven't sniffed MEK for months......but the boss

walked over to our section today, and thanked us for

everything we have done.....hmmm.....bonus this year???

Dom

Good to see you again Dom!

And a very happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone!!!

Gamera

Good to see you again Dom!

And a very happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone!!!

Yeah "Thanks Giving" sounds a bit 'chewey'

compared to 'Thanksgiving'....but it's the first time

a boss ever came over and 'Gave Thanks'....

and didn't chew us out!!!....lol

Dom

Bockscar

Happy Thanks Giving guys!

The last 18 months have been brutal, I haven't sniffed MEK for months......but the boss

walked over to our section today, and thanked us for

everything we have done.....hmmm.....bonus this year???

Dom

Hi Dom,

I was beginning to think that maybe you fell off the planet!  Happy Thanksgiving to you too!  I hope that your job and your boss keep treating you well.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Well we had our "first round" of Thanksgiving at our house this evening.  The kids came over this evening.  My Mom and wife's sister will be over tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!   

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

A bit of an oops tonight! Decals were provided for the various vents on the fuselage of the Growler. There is a large one made up of one continuous piece for several vents on the underside of the nose. I was coaxing these down into the recess with my Microsol, when I accidentally touched the softened decal with the brush:

There are more to go, and I think it may just be easier to mask them and give them a shot of metalizer!

There are also a set of them top and bottom near the exhausts.

Total bummer there Jim!  I see what you mean though about just masking them off.  Either way it is going to be a lot of work, unless you have a secret!

So Jim, are you going over to your friend's house for Thanksgiving tomorrow?

Ken

Ken, yes I did accept an invitation to dinner. It's going to be a bit awkward, because it is at his in-laws house. I have known George for over 35 years and he has told me that as far as he is concerned, we are as brothers and I am a part of his family now. I guess that's good as my own was dysfunctional at best and what's left of them, I don't feel that close to. I always say you can choose your friends, but not your family. Those you may just be stuck with them, like it or not.

Still, holidays are proving to be difficult still.

Dom, it is good to hear from you, though I hate to admit that I've forgotten what you were away doing. I hope you are serious about the bonus and you do get one.

I have found out that I will see a few bonuses myself. First of all we met our quotas for productivity, percent-to-plan, and quality, so there is a bonus for that. Plus they pay us $100 for every sick day we don't use. I ended up with 4 days. The downside is that Uncle Sam bends us over for his portion.

I decided to try what I said with the masking and Metalizer for the vents. Here are two of them, and I think they look about a million times better than the decals:

I then decided to try and strip away those decals up front, so now it's time to repatch again:

I'll need to sand a bit before I repaint that, and then gloss coat it again, then I can mask and paint in the vents. **SIGH!** I think I spend more time waiting for paint or glue to dry than actually working on these things!

Jim

jimbot58

Dom, it is good to hear from you, though I hate to admit that I've forgotten what you were away doing. I hope you are serious about the bonus and you do get one.

I have found out that I will see a few bonuses myself. First of all we met our quotas for productivity, percent-to-plan, and quality, so there is a bonus for that. Plus they pay us $100 for every sick day we don't use. I ended up with 4 days. The downside is that Uncle Sam bends us over for his portion.

I decided to try what I said with the masking and Metalizer for the vents. Here are two of them, and I think they look about a million times better than the decals:

I then decided to try and strip away those decals up front, so now it's time to repatch again:

I'll need to sand a bit before I repaint that, and then gloss coat it again, then I can mask and paint in the vents. **SIGH!** I think I spend more time waiting for paint or glue to dry than actually working on these things!

Jim

Great work once again Jim!!      I totally agree, they look much better than the decals.  You and I share that bug called "perfectionism"!  You could have gotten away with leaving those decals on there, but you would have never been satisfied.

And I also agree about waiting for paint and glue!  That is why I am glad I started doing two models at once.  It makes sorting through the parts and keeping them straight a little more challenging, but at least I don't have something that is always ready to be worked on.

Now if only I could get past these other "distractions" that keep me away from the workbench!

Ken

Jim, yeah those definitely look better than the decals. I swear I could get something built if it wasn't for constantly going back and fixing little stuff like that.

   Good looking work there Jim; it's the little things that make the difference and those vents are but one example. Though I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to my builds I certainly have my share of "hang ups". We all may be our own worst critics.

   Here's two snaps of my Spitfire. Got to fill the gaps at the trailing and forward edge of fuselage to wing join underneath as well as some other fiddly bits but overall I'm satisfied. My current medical situation and the need for pain management makes me a little less worried about the little things on this one, rather it's been a relaxing build to take my mind off the pain and long recovery time. This hobby's been quite a release for me during this time. 

   Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and no one has to work at least till Monday!

Almost forgot. While this kit itself has been awesome to build I can't say the same for the decals. Very thick and cannot get them to settle in. Tried micro sol and then solvaset but no luck. It's a Tamiya kit and it's always been kind of dicey when it comes to the decals.

Son Of Medicine Man

Bockscar

Happy Thanks Giving guys!

The last 18 months have been brutal, I haven't sniffed MEK for months......but the boss

walked over to our section today, and thanked us for

everything we have done.....hmmm.....bonus this year???

Dom

Hi Dom,

I was beginning to think that maybe you fell off the planet!  Happy Thanksgiving to you too!  I hope that your job and your boss keep treating you well.

Ken

Thanks for the good thoughts. Yeah, hoping things are going to be better in 2014, it's been

challenging, and I had a bad sports injury in September, I bruised a kidney real bad.

I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving, I tell ya, sure it has been tough, but it has been a cinch

compared to what our vets went through, so no point complaining, there is more good than

bad in my life.

Jim; That's great news, $400 is mad-money these days.....spend it well.....

-Dom

mikeymize

   Good looking work there Jim; it's the little things that make the difference and those vents are but one example. Though I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to my builds I certainly have my share of "hang ups". We all may be our own worst critics.

   Here's two snaps of my Spitfire. Got to fill the gaps at the trailing and forward edge of fuselage to wing join underneath as well as some other fiddly bits but overall I'm satisfied. My current medical situation and the need for pain management makes me a little less worried about the little things on this one, rather it's been a relaxing build to take my mind off the pain and long recovery time. This hobby's been quite a release for me during this time. 

   Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and no one has to work at least till Monday!

Great looking Spitfire Mike!!  She looks really nice!      The camouflage came out really good.

Ken

Ouch! That sounds painful Dom!

Well I hope that 2013 is about done with us! Between hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, droughts, heatwaves, burns, bruises, sprains, insect attacks, health issues, and anything I left out, it's a wonder we find time to model build at all!

I had to work a part day today, and it sort of sucks as this will be a short check. We get paid for the holiday, but we just have to eat it when they close for half a day. Same as when they shut us down during the flooding.

Got a chance to work on the Growler. Patched and painted up front:

Had to be cautious here so I didn't apply any masking tape to existing decals in this area. There will be some antennas and other sensors that go in those openings. I usually add them last as I always break them with my fat fingers.

I also painted up more of those vents after masking:

And I had to 'fix' my bench. It pitched slightly forward so tools and other items always seemed to roll to the floor. Now it pitches slightly back and hopefully I can stop having to pick things up so often!

Interesting thing: I see Revell has released a '68 VW Beetle! Might have get this, because I drove one for a couple of years! I haven't done a lot of cars, but I might just have to make an exception here.