ScottsGT

I’m about to close up the fuselage of my Blue Angels Skyhawk, but before I do I have to add nose weight. According to the instructions is says “Add 5.5 .oz of lead to the nose”. I went and bought a small pocket scale and started adding lead until it hit 5.5 .oz. There is no way in hell this thing needs 5.5 .oz of lead. That is a huge pile of lead. I honestly don’t think it would all fit up front anyway. I even taped everything together and set it up on the landing gear. I’m thinking 5.5 grams, or maybe .5 .oz? I set it up on the bench and put a tiny piece of lead on the tip of the nose and it brought it back down in place. At this point I’d just like to know what the real number is supposed to be.

He’s really busy with Grand kids lately. But shoot him an email. hairold@frontier.com I just got a few things made up and shipped to me last week and more on the way right now.

Well, I did add to the stash with the Roden Stearman I bought on eBay last night.

So that clean bench post got me motivated yesterday. I was out of paint drawer space, so I took the top drawer and cleaned it all out. About 90% was junk I simply tossed out. This space on top was a horizontal crap collector I cleaned off. The toolbox on top facing the other direction is my box dedicated to gun cleaning and maintenance, so I keep it facing the other way to keep it accessible because I needed the crap collection area. So I grabbed some scrap wood laying around and made up this shelf Made a run to my local Harbor Freight and picked up these storage organizers and screwed them into the shelf. Re-organized all my stuff to keep as I tossed the rest. Of course I started looking at old projects in need of attention. I picked this one up and now I cannot find the pilot. So I started cleaning more but never could find the little guy, so back on the shelf of doom it went. This one only needed a final spray of semi flat finish to put in the display case. I can not take it off the list. With cleanup done, and one off the shelf of doom, time to break out a new kit. I actually started on it last week waiting on paint to dry on the Skyraider.

And I’ve ordered one off eBay. It’s coming from the Ukraine. Probably not in the states yet.

LOL! I wish. Wife is home today to enforce the honey-do list. Heavy rain coming tomorrow and Monday, so I gotta hit the yard hard today. But after that bench photo posted above, I’m motivated to do a little re-org of my tools and paint. I’m completely out of drawer space in my paint storage box, and now it’s time to clean out the box and make more room for the necessities. My next project is my Blue Angels A-4, and I’m waiting on my intakes from Harold to get ramped up.

I think within a week I could make this bench look normal.

Thanks! I thought it would be a 6 month project. Turned out it was only 5 weeks.

Done! No longer on the bench. And one of Harolds great prop corrections.

Been waiting for years for this one! At a minimum, two kits. Depending on aftermarket for Super Stearman’s, maybe 6. I want to build the Red Baron Pizza squadron.

Today was decal day. Tomorrow I start making it look old. But it’s so pretty right now!

The wait is over! My stamped Form 4 showed up last Monday. Had a ball out at my friends farm ringing steel plates at 100 yards. And very quietly too, I may add.

Got that beer belly look now!

My 6 rolls of Tamiya tape arrived yesterday. Wife intercepted the package from the mailman. I got the stink eye.

I made a run to Hobby Lobby last week to only find they had quit carrying the Tamiya tape. I did grab a roll of their brand and another bottle of Tamiya thin cement and a few cans of Tamiya primer. Came home and ordered Tamiya tape with Sprue Brothers along with some sanding sticks and various paints. Unfortunately, either I didn’t see it, or they don’t carry it, but I missed the 40mm wide masking tape. SO today I ordered 6 rolls from Tower Hobbies. I think I’m good for a while.

This is the AD-5W guppy.

Now we’re hearing August return. So today I got some Gull Gray applied!

Thanks for bringing this subject back up. I’ve done some brain storming the past 24 hours and came up with a brilliant idea. As I mentioned in the post linked above, my hobby room is in a basement with 10” thick concrete walls. I cut a hole years ago to install a window AC unit. What I didn’t think about was I lined the opening with 2X10 boards. It dawned on me that if I removed the unit and removed the unnecessary 2X10 upright boards, this would give me a 3” opening if I slide the AC unit over to one side. I would need to reline one side with some plywood so I can tack in an AC transition duct with a 24” long duct to get it past the AC unit out the opening. Already spec’d out an inline fan on Amazon with something like 380 cfm for 8” duct. I can build a booth on a cart with the fan built in, inside a “box” to keep the noise down and flexible duct to connect to my exhaust ducting next to the AC unit. Keeping my fingers crossed! Update: just took a look. No side space, but plenty of top/bottom space. Wife isn’t happy that I’m coming up with a new project that will cost $$$ though. Oh well.

Got tired of waiting on my Form 4 silencer for my MP5, so I built my own on a Form 1 for my SBR AR.

An IM 1/32 Helldiver sure is tempting! Not saying yes, not saying no. Any further info, I will plead the 5th. I do have one of the new Star Trek 1/32 Space Shuttles on pre-order. That was placed before the SHTF. Been waiting patiently for years for the announced 1/32 IM Stearmans that are in the pipeline. I might be in for anywhere from 2 to 6 of these depending on the aftermarket. Think Red Baron Pizza. If decals and resin upgrades came out, I’d have 4 of them in a display like I did with my Thunderbirds.

Doing my part today!

Since we are on the Corona lockdown, I feel this is a good place to post this.

Congress just passed our relief bill, but there was a major snafu in it. Those already on unemployment without jobs are also getting the stimulus help to cover them out of jobs. Those unemployment payments come from the states, so Congress has asked the governors to try and straighten this mess out. Wife is a CRNA, so our income is above the assistance level. But she has lots of friends that she works with that are losing their jobs during this pandemic. They are already stretched thin and living paycheck to paycheck and will not get assistance. It amazes me so many financially well folks are not financially well off. Over the years we have heard stories of one couple that probably makes a combined income of close to $400K per year. They are constantly changing homes to something bigger, trade cars more often than I change my underwear, actually dumb enough to co-sign on student loans to their daughter that has changed majors 4 or 5 times and is now on the hook for $500K+ in student loans. My head spins hearing about these bad decisions they are constantly making. If there is one silver lining to this pandemic, I hope it wakes up the world and educates or opens the eyes of people living way beyond their means to reel it in. One of our local watering holes is staying open for take out. The one waitress is still working for processing orders and getting them ready. I walked in last Thursday, picked up my to-go order and left a $10 tip. I won’t miss that $10, but for her it might make the difference of paying her power bill. And I usually never tip for a take out. Just when they actually serve us at a table.

Now they’re talking about June/July before returning. Oh Lawd, my stash is enjoying this! But on the other hand, wife is pissed that I’m playing retirement (while she still works) and not being her house keeper. I guess today I’ll spend more time cleaning and dusting and less time building.

16.5” deep measured on the outside, probably 16.25” inside space. Good size for WWII fighters and smaller jets. Wish I had the room for it! Price of glass alone is more than that at a local glass shop.