End of May 2008

• Winter has finally ended. The  flowers are in bloom and the various species of birds common to the Northeast US and other wildlife have returned to our back yard. Seems that we've got a number of Fox in the area this spring. Haven't seen any deer yet but, they are expected.

• Had a wedding anniversary (#29) and a birthday (#55) to celebrate this month.

• Not much of an update to mention this time around. However, I am well along with building the Italeri LAV-M. Started this years ago and it recently 'caught my eye' once again. After-Market tires by TAC Scale and (lots of) Photo-etch parts being added as well. It has turned into a major project and I do expect that it will take a fair amount of time (several months) to complete. The wood base has already been cut, stained and sealed. I am still seeking the out of production US Tank Crew, Dragon Kit No.: 3020 if anyone out there has one that they would like to part with. I can purchase outright, trade for comparable kit or I would certainly accept a donation for 'the cause'. I would like to have it one way or the other.

• The Accurate Armour kit of the British 4.2" Mortar that I had been working on is built. The base is cut and the model needs to be painted. I am seeking a good figure(s) to display with this and I have yet to find a suitable subject and until I find something, this will most likely be put on hold to concentrate on the LAV-M for the time being. Please refer to this page for all my wants and needs.

• School continues thru to the end of June.

• Thanks to everyone for your continued support by helping out with info and your stopping by every now and then!

• Small updates to report on this time around with some added info to the Japanese Type 89 "Knee Mortar" Page. There's always been a lack of ammunition information within that subject and I finally stumbled across some. I used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS2 to create an artwork of four different types of grenade used with this weapon with added nomenclatures.  A small update to the 9.45-Inch Page as well and there's been another contributor added.
   
• Work has begun on the Accurate Armour 4.2-Inch Mortar. It's a great kit however, it does have some issues along with some part omissions but, I am making progress on it. Still searching for some (or a) suitable figure to go with this subject.

• No updates to report with this log although I have been researching the British 4.2 Heavy Mortar in preparation to starting the 1/35 scale Accurate Armour kit in the very near future. Still looking for a suitable figure(s) to pose with this subject. Haven't had any luck in finding any. WWII British figures are not for some reason popular subjects in 1/35th scale although there are some out there, just none to go along with what I would like to do.
• I have also briefly revisited the SdKfz 250/7 that I started about a year ago. I have washed a number of sub-assemblies in preparation to commencing the painting.
• I have also returned to school to learn a new 3-D Solid Modeler CAD software. This will consume a good portion of time over the next several months.
• Hopefully this record-breaking snowfall winter will be over shortly... Still dreaming of the islands...

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• Finally finished and added the Hasegawa M4A1 Halftrack. Difficult kit during a difficult time but, it is done! Sort of happy with the results, could be better, I could've done better with it but, what you see is what you get. Time to move on and away from this one.
   
• Some great 1/1 photos sent in from Finland and Australia also added this time around.
   
• Not sure what project to tackle next. I'll spend some time cleaning up my work area a little and review the Sdkfz 250/7 project that basically just needs to be painted. Briefly looking it over (and trying to remember where I left off), kind of rekindled the urge to get back to it.
   
• There's been lots of snow this winter and lots of moving it off the driveway. Although I do have a monster snowblower, there is still a fair amount of shoveling and in the process, I strained my back. In a house with three flights of stairs, it has been difficult to get around to say the least. Finally broke down and went to see the doctor and through the marvels of modern pharmaceuticals, I'm doing much better now. :-) I'm almost ready to tackle the 141' (43m) driveway, three walkways, three stairways and the rear deck again. Our trip to the Caribbean last December seems like it was soooo loooong ago! I'm ready to go back!

Thanks Everybody!!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

• Progress continues on the Hasegawa M4A1 Halftrack. It is painted, decals applied in between coats of floor wax and a wash was put on. For some reason, the floor wax on a couple of resin stowage boxes that I had added would not dry properly and I do not know the reason behind this. I always give my models a bath in warm water and dish detergent prior to priming to (hopefully) remove any mold release agents and residue from oily skin etc. but, after the oil based wash was applied, I noticed that the resin parts (only) were not and did not fully dry. They remained sticky to the touch for a couple of weeks afterwards until I gave up and just removed them from the model. After touching up the areas of the model with the base coat, floor wax and an area oil wash, all seems to be ok and everything has finally dried completely. I can now continue on with the rest of the finishing process and hopefully finish up on this difficult kit sometime within my lifetime. :-)
   
• While I was waiting for that model to dry, I started in on the 28mm Insurgent 60mm Mortar Team from Stan Johansen Miniatures. This has now been primed and the base has been selected. Some good fun and pure enjoyment in doing these fantasy subjects. I hope to have this completed shortly.
   
• ...However, we will be vacationing on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean this month and obviously, no scale modeling will be accomplished during that time. A great opportunity to catch up on my commercial (and occasional military) aircraft spotting among other things. Maho Beach, a spotter's paradise where B747, A340 and smaller aircraft, both jet and prop, literally fly 50 ft above your head on approach over the beach... close enough to feel the jet wash and you must hold on when the aircraft line up just behind the beach for departure. Ah, the smell of jet fuel... :-) Happy New Year!