HubertB

The trick most figure modellers do is to fix the figure to a big cork (like a sparkling wine cork) whilst painting it. Drill holes in the figures’ feet, insert and glue some sewing pins in the holes, and plant the pins in the cork. Voilà ! A convenient handle for holding figures during painting. HTH Hubert I added a pic to illustrate. The zip-lock bag contains some in-progress figures for subjects I am working on like the Gee Bees. They moved like that from one home to another. A way to keep any loose part sealed;

Reminds me of my youth years, when I discovered in awe the Verlinden books. Looks like I may have to add a modelling book on my list for Santa ... And it’s been a long time since I bought one Thanks for the review, Fran Hubert

And extremely good service. Less than 5 days from Hungary to Portugal ! Hubert

To me, the right wing looks a tad lower than the left one (reversed on the front pic you show : the right wing is on the left). I was about to comment before I even read your question Hubert

Had a shopping spree with RP Toolz. Got the chopper (reviewed here by our « upset » James) plus some PE benders from Pinranha and RP Toolz. I can confirm the sturdy and precision build of the chopper. It remains to be seen whether blade deflection is less than on my previous « The Chopper ». As for the PE benders, having already used them on my IBG PZL, I am a vey happy camper: the machined aluminium gives sharp angles, much better than the molded plastic of the PE bender I bought from Mission Models a long time ago. Hubert

On French aircrafts, the blue is always in the front in the direction of flight, John. Hubert

1 mm tube definitely looks too big, agreed ... Albion Alloys have some 0.5 mm dia tube, with 0.3 mm inner diameter. One 350 mm tube will get you a long way on rigging a biplane. I can send you one if you want. As for tensioning, a soldering iron is a bit too big as well. I personally use an incandescent toothpick. Light it with a lighter, blow off the flame, and get the incandescent tip under (about 1 cm) the monofilament. It will shrink magically , HTH Hubert

Excellent work Mike. I suspect that, even though the structural strength was only a secondary consideration for going the brass rods’ route, you are now happy with the decision ... and another demonstration that monofilament Is a good material to give strength to these flimsy WWI kits ... Looking forward to the RFI pics. Hubert.

Agreed. Great result and beautiful finish. Extremely well done ! Hubert

As usual, your painting skills are second to none. Lovely work on the exhaust of the Huskie. Hubert

One of my regrets is to never have bought a second ST-M kit while Paul was still in operation ... I have an extensive stash of Fisher kits but would not have minded a second PT-20 ... Hubert

Now the IBG PZL P-11c is back on the bench... I found out that it was another casualty of the move: given the flimsy contact point between the cockpit floor and the rudder pedals part, I had to glue it many times. When the move came, I forgot that the assembly was attached to a « third hand » crocodile clip that was packed with other stuff. Of course, the rudder pedals went MIA ... But I have a cunning plan : this is where my 40-years old « Plany Modelarskie » drawings prove their usefulness. They feature detailed 1/5 drawings of the cockpit components, including the rudder pedals. Just a matter of scratchbuilding a new part, which, btw, will be stronger and less flimsy than the IBG rendition, judging from the drawing’s dimensions. TBC in the WiP section Hubert

Well, after a 5-months hiatus during which surveying the final works of the new house, moving and settling into it took priority, I am back at the bench, to do some repairs to the finished kits which had suffered some (minor) damage in the move. I had to redo a full fork for the ST-M tailwheel, in brass, as the original resin one did not survive in a good enough shape. I really suck at welding, but I prevailed nevertheless ! Me happy Hubert

I got the trick from jewellers. As they are working with short-focal magnifying glasses, they have to be really close to their work, which implies a sore back and shoulders with standard chairs and tables. To overcome this, they have very high benches, with their elbows literally at the level of their shoulders. A high bench is one way to achieve the goal, the other is to use a telescopic chair set at its lowest, with a standard-height table. I lower my chair when I have to work close to the bench, especially with the Optivisor. HTH Hubert

Happy B+1 day, Harv ! Hubert

No problem at all . Glad to be an inspiration for something, if not for completed models Hubert

Resuming my IBG PZL P-11 in 1934 Paris Airshow livery is #1 on the list. Then there is Fisher’s Gutless, or maybe Micro-mir Miles Magister ... So nice I got a second one before starting the first Hubert

Rien, zero, zilch, nada ... But then it means I have completed the move to the new house and I have finished resetting the workbench ! Time to reintroduce sme clutter, methink Hubert

Yes, it was definitely a one-man operation. I am surprised to see a stick rather than a yoke, but then it is somewhat reminiscent of the D-VII arrangement ... Hubert

Cool to see this one on your bench ! As per my habit, I have searched, and found, a civvie livery for mine. And there are even decals/masks for it ! https://www.aviationmegastore.com/hawker-hart-ii-demonstrator-91--g-abmr-arc72-072-arctic-decals-arc72-072-aircraft-scale-modelling-decals/product/?action=prodinfo&art=142436 Hubert

+ 1 ! Hubert

I do not think that the comparison with other public health crises like alcoholism, illegal drugs consumption, opioid drugs consumption, or, for that matter, tobacco consumption, is a valid one. First, people have the choice to consume or not these substances. Yes, they can decide to put their health at risk, and one can consider they are thus exercising their personal freedom. But they are normally just putting their own health at risk, and not jeopardising others’ health and well-being. And if they do so by combining the consumption of dangerous substances like alcohol, drugs, opioids, with, for instance driving a car, the society considers this a offense to law and public order, and rightfully punishes such behavior, and makes these people liable to others for their dangerous attitude. And, btw, even when they know they are putting their health and lives at risk, they still expect, in our modern societies, to be taken taken care of by our health system if they put themselves in a crisis situation, or develop a heart disease or cancer because of this flirting with dangerous substances. No one would understand if a doctor said « it was your choice, now live - die - with it ! » With Covid-19, you can argue that putting yourself in an situation to be contaminated is also a personal choice, and that you are exercising your freedom. BUT, if, when contaminated, you then pass on the virus to someone else, who just wanted to be safe, you are no better than the guy who goes driving under influence and kills an innocent bystander by doing so. It’s just the proof of YOUR liability that is harder to demonstrate by the society ... But morally, you're in the same a#!$e league by my book ... And, just like the alcohol, drug, tobacco, opioid addict, you probably still expect that the health system takes care of you even if your choice increased your risk of being infected ... However, the point is that a significant percentage of people who get infected with SARS-COV2 end-up in ICU, and that can last a long time, as Dr Dave pointed, and this will put an extraordinary strain on a health system that is designed and dimensioned for a « probable » peace-time ICU beds’ requirement. What happens when all ICU beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, and you need even more every day because more and more people are coming in sick ? This is called « triage », a soft word to qualify that the medical staff will decide who will benefit from ICU support, and who will be left to die ... Should we then decide that people who exercised their « right » not to wear a mask, not to practice social distancing, not to stay at home when asked for it, would automatically fall in the « no-priority » category ? Unfortunately, there are no simple answers and solutions to tough questions. Our governments or authorities - at least in democracies - try to balance between conflicting demands : preserving individual rights, yet preserving public health, yet ensuring a healthy economy, yet managing efficiently the health system, yet considering all citizens equal ... It’s clear the cursor on these different requirements was set differently in different countries. It’s also clear that, to date at least, the ones whose leaders tended to downplay the severity of the issue have fared comparatively worse. It’s also apparent that, where public pressure, or lassitude, tends to relax the safety requirements, the contamination flares up rapidly, and the health systems are quickly under pressure ... As a business owner, I certainly wish the economic consequences of the plague were less severe. As an individual, all the more so as I am in a more risky category (male, over 60, overweight), I am certainly happy that the government in the country I am living in is enforcing key health-preserving constraints, and that the population, at large, is following them rather than moaning about their restrained freedom. As a citizen, I try to bring my modest contribution to the safety of my peers, and to not contribute to overstressing the health system, by wearing a mask, respecting social distancing, and overall avoiding risky situations and environments. I certainly wish my life was more like 10 months ago, than what it is now. Unfortunately, this is largely beyond my control. But all in all, I still prefer to be alive albeit slightly poorer, rather than financially wealthy, but seriously sick, or worse, dead ... As you can guess, I am rather in the camp of being cautious, of taking the threat seriously because, even though I live in an area where the disease is mostly not « visible » , the facts and data show how serious - critical is even a better word - it can quickly become, and accepting constraints for the good of the society. I also understand that some of you can be in a different camp, with other priorities. But will you just keep clear from me, at least in the forthcoming weeks, « just in case » ? Just my Hubert

Methink you are all set for a F-VIIb/3m next, Mike ... Just asking out of interest for a friend ( I have a Wright J-9 designed already for a Mystery Ship, just sayin ... ) Hubert

Wonderful work, Rob Hubert

Excellent ! (Although, given the size of your truck and trailer, I’d have said the D-11 was more appropriate to fill the flat bed ) Hubert