BlrwestSiR

Sadly, it's true. What's truly scary is the prices these days for production bikes. There are mainstream bike manufacturers selling bikes that cost upwards of $10K. That used to be the domain of boutique brands and custom builders. Not any more. Bill, I'm glad to hear you haven't given it up. My heart attack was only 11 months ago but I've been able to get out about once a week with the boys riding once I was cleared to ride. They've been a great motivator. Carl

Thanks Gaz! I can't freehand paint that well. Or more precisely, as beat as I'd like. So I've learned to mask things. Like ejection seat handles and instrument panels. It takes forever but it's always neater than I could do otherwise.

I've gone to the Dark Side. The detail is " Most impressive" as one might say, especially for something this small.

Yup, Norco is Canadian. A couple friends of mine work there.

Sounds like the streets here in Toronto. I had slick tires for my last fat bike. 4.0 inch wide slicks. People would ask me why I had them and I'd only half jokingly say because of the condition of our roads. Same here. The city finally got off their butt and made a continuous divided bike lane that goes across the city. Hopefully it stays that way through the winter. I think I still have a DX derailleur somewhere. As for XT, I've got 8, 9, 10 and 11 speed versions of it. I'm just missing the oldest 7spd and the newest 12spd groups . I also have a second generation XTR group on one bike. Shifts like a dream.

That sounds like the conditions here on our trails. There hasn't been a lot of rain here either. I was talking to a friend who owns a bike shop. He said most 2021 bikes are sold out already. They haven't even hit the showrooms and the manufacturers don't have enough stock on hand or in the production queue to fill orders. Another variable is Sue hit the dirt for the first time and she liked it. She's thinking of getting a bike for herself instead of borrowing one of mine.

Back in the early '90s Toronto had a huge underground bike culture. It's was mostly the city's bike couriers and the odd civvies that knew them. There were lots of impromptu races held on city streets. Point A to Point B no holds barred, first one there wins. Usually at night after one too many drinks and far too much pot. They were called Alleycat scrambles as they often started in alleys and laneways. The city finally got wind of them and rather than crack down, they made it into a legit race series. Got DuMaurier to sponsor the races and built a custom track for them to held on inside a warehouse. Those were fun races to go to and watch.

Nice start. You guys make it look so easy. That's going to be a huge display when you're done. Carl

I was around 12 years old and was trying spray paint a model. Didn't bother to check which way the nozzle was facing when I pushed down on it. Yup, got it full in the face. Thankfully I was wearing glasses at the time so I ended up looking like a reverse raccoon. Spent I don't know how long scrubbing the paint off my glasses and then myself. I think I was a bit red and raw in the face by the time I got it all off.

Thanks for the lead Mike. Just need to find a 3D printer and go from there.

Gus, fat bikes aren't the only option for winter riding. You can get studded tires for you bike too. In fact there used to be a race every Feb 14 in the inner harbour provided the ice was thick enough. Studded tires were a must, be it production ones or homemade versions. It was run on a figure 8 course and was called the St Valentine's Day massacre for obvious reasons. Lots of fun.

Looks great. I might have to try the shading effect you've presented here Rob.

I don't have still around but here's the kit on Scalemates. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-4706-f-4j-phantom-ii-mcdonnel-douglas--194170 The instructions show the split lower fuselage and nose gear bay. This is for the J but it was the same on the E.

I was out in our garage and decided that maybe 6 bikes is a bit too many. My bike quiver (don't know they don't call it a stash) consists of: - a full suspension carbon fibre bike - a fully rigid titanium single speed mountain bike (my 40th gift from Sue) - a fat bike - another full suspension bike full of nostalgia and memories. - a sought after collector's hard tail - a bastard build cyclocross bike on a one off frame. So after going through them, I decided the fat bike was the least likely to be ridden with the minimum emotional attachment. Mostly because after my triple bypass last year I've found I'm much more sensitive to the cold. And fat bikes are meant to primarily be a winter bike. I put up an ad for it on me of the bike forums and got an offer. Turns out the guy lived near the trail we were going to ride this morning. So I took it instead of my usual bike and went for one last rip. Man, it was fun and a blast riding something with no suspension that just put the power down. The trails were the perfect terrain for a fat bike out of season. Then I got to meet up with the new owner and hand it over. I couldn't think of a better send off. Now, what to replace it with?

I plead the 5th....

I think Microscale designed their bottle that way on purpose. Get you to buy more of it...

Should be salvageable no? Any cats involved this time?

I wasn't sure at first about my paint scheme on the body for my truck but with it installed I'm liking it. The drivetrain is sorted now so hopefully today if tomorrow I'll give her a maiden drive. The shop has warned me to find a really big space so I might try to find a parking lot or vacant lot to play it safe.

That's a really neat kit Rob. The figure is impressive too.

And after 5 minutes of throwing stickers at it. I might dig out a few more stickers from the stash and fill in some of the blanks.

Not my best RC car paint job but I'm still happy enough with it. It probably won't be this shiny after a minute of running though.

Looks very nice to me. Can't wait to see some paint on it.

The earlier Revell kits have nothing in common with the '90s vintage kit. You can tell by the way they split the lower wing down the middle and through the nose gear bay. Cruelly, they were at one point reboxed by Tamiya in the early '80s and I fell for it back then.

We did...

I guess they set the precedent for the Gimli Glider then.