HubertB

That is the kind of squirrel 😱 that would definitely keep me focused on whatever I am doing, without distraction … Hubert

Thank you my friends. Antoine died today at 14:00, Paris time, surrounded by his wife, brother and sister and his parents. He was 42, and leaves a daughter aged 6 and a son aged 4 … Hubert 😭

Some of you may have read my thread about suspending my modelling activities for some time, pending life issues … I got a message tonight that my son’s state is critical, with multiple organs’ failures, and that he is unlikely to make it through the night … I will be on my way to his hospital (640 km from where I live currently) tomorrow morning early. Hopefully, i will arrive before the end … Hubert

She must have been hearing Maria Carey’s … for the 1 000 000 0000th time … Merry Christmas to you all 🎅! Hubert

A bit disappointing to see DSPIAE, with their quality reputation, are just rebranding a cheap product. No wonder it’s not having a long life … Better buy the cheapest alternative then … Hubert

So terrible to read this Ernie. Well, I guess you’ll be happy to move into 2026 with a fresh perspective. My thoughts and support are with you, my friend. All the best to you and Joy. Hubert

OK. This one has been idle for some time, and will be for another few weeks ... Life has been getting in the way lately, which has first killed the modelling mojo, and second prompted a number of decisions which will affect my modelling until February 2026, at least ... I am going to mention briefly the first, mojo-affecting issue. My elder son, 42, was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 2023. We went through a difficult period in the second half of 2023, until finally, in March 2024, when he could receive a bone-marrow transplant, his brother being the donor. Things seemed to be getting good, until June this year when he learned there was a relapse of the leukemia, and with a different type of leukemia to boot (there are basically two types of leukemia). The life expectancy stats after a relapse are not good, to say the least ... Things have been doing pretty badly since, to the point where, in October, he was diagnosed with the presence of the two types of leukemia simutaneously, which is a statistical impossibility if you believe Google ... He has received a new bone marrow graft on October 30th, from a different donor. But he has been in coma for the last 5 weeks, with a "reserved life prognosis"... In the meantime, for a number of reasons, we have decided to go back to France, and leave Portugal for good. We will have a new house built, and are renting one in the meantime. The move is scheduled end of January, and I am in the process of packing the bench, which I will reinstate in the rented house in February ... So, this is a temporary farewell post on this thread. I will post a few pics of the parts I printed for the conversion. I am also, as mentioned in the first post, trying to work out a full brass landing gear, to support the significant weight of the finished kit. It's a delicate task, with small diameter drillings. After a few fails, I think I have a modus operandi defined, but again, this will be literally shelved for the next few weeks. TTFN Hubert

It took me a good long hard look to see the « psychologist needed » version … I believe I probably need to change glasses 🙄 … Hubert

Bummer, Rob, even more as I led you on this path … Have you tried AquaGloss ? It seems to be the only varnish that does not dull the metal color underneath ? I had good results with it on my Cutlass, including the foiled portions. But then I did use Super Chrome only on the oleo struts … Hubert

Nice work, John. One question: your red stripes look considerably thinner than on the profile you showed on your first post ? Hubert

There’s already a section for that, AFAIK. I am personally against adding clutter to the site by more sub-forums … Unless you want it to look like ARC or Britmodeller … Just my two cents. Hubert

One thing I learnt with my Cutlass - and which seems pretty common in the 3D-printing world- is that long thin part have a tendency to warp, and tjis fairly quickly, whatever the resin used. However, a few weeks (5 , I believe) in a vise with the two opposing-warp slats clamped together to get a straight line, cured the issue, definitely. Hubert

You should be proud of having finished a kit that has beaten off many modellers. And the result speaks for your skills (on a personal note, I still don’t like folded wings on aircrafts) Hubert

Not « a lot »,but still « strikingly empty » ! Hubert

When I was a kid, in the mid 60s, long before the Museum was created, I have fond memories of crawling under the tanks in front of the instruction building in Saumur, with my buddy, who was the son of the commanding general of the Saumur School of Cavalry. We then climbed into the tanks via the manholes in the tanks’ bottom. Was it fun to « drive » a Sherman or T-34 ! Hubert