king derelict

The camo looks very nice. congratulations Alan

This is looking real very nice. Your printed details are a lot tidier than mine. As regards the wooden decks at least for the Flowers it seems to be a case of some of them had wooden decks some of the time and the layout was variable too possibly depending on which shipyard built them so I expect you are probably correct in what you have done. Alan

After a shamefully long absence I'm back and hoping to make regular appearances again. Work has been very intrusive and eaten up far too much modelling time. Helping a friend through surgery has used up what was left of my waking hours. Hopefully both are coming to a conclusion in a positive way shortly This is what I've been spending far too much time dealing with. This is the F-35B engine in Powered Lift mode; nozzle down and Liftfan engaged. Its not in afterburner but you can still see the shock diamonds from the exhaust. AB is not supposed to be engaged in Powered Lift but we have done it accidently and it really cooks the concrete The one slight benefit of all this work stuff is a bump in the piggy bank. Most is going off to pay for boring stuff like replacement water pipes in the house and repainting the exterior I have used the opportunity to add to the kits on the shelf (and in the cupboard and under the bed etc) I quite fancy another Wingnut Wings kit before they disappear forever but I'm not sure I am good enough to do them justice. I've also been looking for the Flyhawk Iron Duke ship model kit but the only place I can find it is Squadron and I seem to recall mixed reviews about them. Anyone got any recent experience since they absorbed Freetime. So back to the Castillo Loarre. I try to be a little done when I have an hour spare. Although the pace is glacial it actually lends itself to this sort of attention. The sessions are far too short to get fed up with endlessly shaping the bricks. The inside of the circular towers are really tedious to do and smoothing them out afterwards is a bit challenging, Thats where the deep sockets in the background come in. I have stuck sandpaper onto them and they fit onto the tower and can be rotated to clean up the interior walls. The short sessions are handy in another way. The work is all done reaching across the baseboard and the old back gets a bit cross about that after a while. The lack of time has meant my plan to complete the curtain walls before the hot weather arrived has failed but a desk fan on the workbench is keeping things tolerable in the garage. At least nothing is light enough to blow away on this project. So, this is where I am now Only 2 and a half towers left and enthusiasm is still there to make it to the end. Then I can switch to other bits of the model; the main building and the lighting. Sorry its been a while but thank you for stopping by. Alan

Hi Craig This is really shaping up to be a hot summer. Working out on the test stand is miserable especially when the sun has warmed up the metal surfaces. Thankfully most of the time I'm in the air conditioned control rooms which are cooled to the point of needing a fleece jacket at times. I'm hoping to be back on the site a bit more regularly now as testing slows down. Its been frustrating watching time drift away doing real world tasks. Thanks for the good wishes. Alan

Hi Andrew Thank you for the good wishes. All is well but work has been overwhelming. The promised 20 hours a week has been 45 - 50 hours partly as we have been doing crash investigation testing which always has the whips out for progress. I think we are coming to the end of it now and I hope to be a lot more active here. I've read some of the builds and am green with envy. Some wonderful stuff out there. Regards Alan

We are out in the swamp at the Pratt and Whitney test facility at West Palm Beach. This is the F35B STOVL engine. You can see the unusual vertically mounted inlet. That's on top of the Liftfan for vertical thrust. I'm the photo it's running in conventional more at full AB but I have one in STOVL with the nozzle bent down. On still nights I can hear it at home 25 miles away but the alligators don't seen to mind. Yep, suddenly I'm working full time,trying to get a few house projects done and troy off to various appointments. It will make model time more precious when it comes around again Alan

I haven't given up on this project but time to work on it has become rather scarce. That part time consulting role has become a sixty hour week working all seven days. So I'm doing a lot more of this instead of adding blocks to the Castillo Loarre. It has had the effect of recharging my interest and I'm looking forward to getting back into this in the near future. So, apologies for the lack of progress and updates. I hardly have time to check a few threads and as usual be amazed at what everyone is doing. I'm also jealous of course. At least I hope to pass on the benefits of working to Sprue Brothers shortly. Alan

Try something from the Flyhawk range. I think they are excellent kits for details,got and design. My first kit was the Flyhawk HMS Lance and it was a rude shock opening the box on my following Trumpeter kit Alan

Looking forward to this one a lot. A great piece of nostalgia here. Buccs and Phantoms landing on with the Ark in the 70s. Big jets small deck. Great stuff. Alan

Thank you Mike I'm looking forward to the landscaping. The bag of blocks has become noticeable lighter. I'm hoping that I have enough. So far morale is holding up but I'm not looking forward to building the inner walls next. Alan

Thank you very much Andrew. Its quite restful adding the blocks and seeing the walls grow but shaping the blocks does require a bit of determination to continue Alan

Absolutely beautiful work. Its a stunning model. The crew makes it stand out but I think the wonderfully realistic sails make this a spectacular boat. Congratulations Alan

I really like a lot of the subjects that Rosen produce and I have build some of their 1/72 kits. Some detail is excellent but in other areas flash is horrible and swamps the part Alan

I'm not looking forward to those inside curves. I foresee a lot of custom filing in my future. I work for Rolls-Royce supporting the Lift System that bolts to the P+W engine. Liftfan, swivel duct and roll system. All the unconventional stuff. Alan

Thank you OC. This build is going much better than the Rochelle Towers. All the feedback and help and likes keeps morale up and actually I think its easier to see progress on this one. I'm still keen to push ahead instead of sticking it out of sight for a while Alan

Ive always loved the Seven and the early Lotus offerings, Elan and Europa Alan

The details look really good. Its going to be a great and different model Alan

Sorry for the dolorous progress. Real like has been intruding badly these last days. Partly its self inflicted. I was asked to come back and consult for a couple of engine tests and I (possibly foolishly) agreed. It will keep the wolf a few paces away from the door and doubtless improve sales at Sprue brothers et al. Its also good to hear the howl of an F135 at full throttle again Anyway, in quiet hours some progress has been made and the outer faces of the walls have been finished Now I have to turn it around and do it all over again on the inside. Some of the blockwork on the inside of the towers is going to be interesting.. I had planned to take a break at this point but I'm enjoying it too much and playing with engines will provide enough diversion so I'll try to keep going. Its going to be slow though so get comfy and lay in plenty of snacks and adult beverages Thanks for all the support, likes and comments Alan

Thanks Ken The figures are very nice but a few mould lines need to be filed down. I'm very impressed with them. Alan

Thanks EG Looks like there is other howitzer activity on the board too Alan

Thank you OC. Thank you for the advice regarding the figures. I am amazed at the detail. You can see beards on faces and individual fingers on hands. Alan

Gators Grip and the similar product from Mig Ammo have similar properties. They give you time to get a good placement of the PE. They also dry with some flexibility which means the part doesn't break off as easily as when glued with .CA which is brittle. I like the GG thin version best. Alan

Really beautiful Mike. The panel lines are really nice and you did a masterful job of the folded wings. Alan

Absolutely stunning Mike. You did a great job and the dio really sets it off very well. The mechanic really sets the scene. Looking forward to the next one Alan

Absolutely stunning OC. The details on the uniforms is so precise Alan