A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: ANSON PROGRESS, FOOTBALL AND FAMILY GATHERINGS…

Being a delicate collection of detailed parts, cockpit floor, seat and surrounding cage, the cockpit takes a while’s to assemble and paint requiring no little patience to finally complete the job.

1st February 2025.

Hello everyone, how are we all after the longest January in history?!

Saturdays being Saturdays, today was mostly about relaxing, football and trying to shoehorn a little work into the day without impacting too much on my relaxation and football.

As it was, not having to travel to Coventry for a game (they were away in Swansea, where Cov won 2-0) allowed me to find a few hours of productive modelling before we joined a family party to celebrate an 80th birthday. That being so, there were a few beers here and there which were then followed with a few hours watching the Wolves/Villa game. More beers and a rather later than planned diary entry was then the result. I hope that these words still make sense and that they are not too affected by my earlier desire to watch football and drink beer, rather than building models and writing about my progress!

Before leaving home to join the celebrations I was able to work on the Anson, completing the involved cockpit that Airfix saw fit to include. The job would have been difficult enough from the box, but the fact that I chose to also add Eduard parts into the mix only served to make the process longer and more fraught. Being a delicate collection of detailed parts, cockpit floor, seat and surrounding cage, the cockpit takes a while to assemble and paint requiring no little patience to finally complete the job.

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It took me two days to build the cockpit that you see here, time that I most certainly had not planned to use up. You may recall that I suggested earlier on in the week that I might simplify my work and thus cut down on the time it would take to complete the cockpit, but that flew out of the window in short order – just as I honestly thought it would – as I started to paint the parts, add detail and then adjust everything to ensure a neat finish that would look pleasing in my images.

As it stands, I have a cockpit that is all-but complete (I still have to paint two guns and a rather pleasing desk lamp) surrounded by two fuselage halves that I’m not entirely sure are a perfect fit, their lower edges being distinctly unwilling to join with a degree of finesse. I’m sure that a little fettling here and there will work wonders, I just hope that that doesn’t endanger the delicacy of the cockpit’s framework. Squeezing anything too tightly seems to be entirely fraught with danger  so I plan to ere in the side of caution rather than being heavy-handed to a point where the whole thing collapses in on itself. Fixing those delicate frames would not be easy, so I plan on making sure that is not necessary. And with that, I’ve jinxed my work and my now have to prey to the gods of modelmaking for their help in ensuring safe passage through these no doubt, choppy waters…

It’s now 9pm, so I’m going to draw a line under today and work on plans for the morning. Tomorrow will see me work on more of my book and hopefully, a little more on my other new model. In the meantime, I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day wherever you are and I will see you tomorrow!

TODAY’S MUSIC CHOICES

Today has been an up and down day of music, with a few albums that I chose to listen to, decided I didn’t like and then moved on to something – ‘Asia’ – that was a more solid choice! I guess we can’t always like everything I listen to! My choices are nothing if not wide ranging though in the case of today, not wholly appealing!

The Adventures: Trading Secrets

China Crisis: Diary Of A Hollow Horse

Ultravox & Midge Are: Finest

Asia: Asia

• A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: AIRBRUSHED PAINTWORK AND IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS…
• A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: TOMCAT ASSEMBLY…
• A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: STILL UNWELL…
• A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: LURGY, LEGO AND A TAMIYA TOMCAT…
• A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: UNWELL…

1. 

   I’ve just completely revamped mine, and I’m still refining it, and making a few 3D prints that will fill some…

2. 

   My sympathies- I’m on day 6, and feeling just a bit better. Good luck!

3. 

   Hope you get over the flu but soon Spencer. Without sounding a bit, how can I put it, full.of doom.…

4. 

   That’s a great kit, enjoy.

5. 

   Hope you feel better soon!