20th March 2025
After just over a week away, it’s been a back to work kinda day. La dee dee, la dee da!
Much of today has been taken up with some online correspondence and social media’ing, with messages flying back and forth and comments answered, if not eloquently, then at least in an understandable manner.
It’s also been a day that has gotten me back to my previously tidied bench. Having finished the Centurion, I now – finally – have the chance to focus once more on that Magic Factory A-4M that I was so happy with a month or so ago.
Though I fancied a few hours of aimless painting, finishing a bunch of tiny parts that would help to complete the Skyhawk’s picture, I instead spent my time building a bunch of tiny parts that seemed to multiply with each passing minute. Seriously, where the hell do all of these parts come from? I thought I’d all-but completed the bloody thing and yet there are still dozens of parts on my bench that still need to be be painted and weathered ready for their bit-part-role in the neverending play, that is my 1/48 Skyhawk.
Talking of tiny bits, I was amused (yeah, let’s use that word…amused) to discover that not only did the instructions suggest using two different parts with the same number, they suggested using parts that were simply not on the sprues at all! Trust me, I looked and looked and looked, but to no avail. As I kept looking I considered madness, but concluded that they were simply vapour and moved on. Odd, no?
Along with the Skyhawk, thoughts are continuing to move in the direction of a new Legacy Collection as mentioned yesterday. As such, I grabbed a few bits from the loft to replicate a small vignette from the Verlinden Way Vol.1, including the very same and VERY rare, DCS building used in the original.
Along with that, I’ve also ordered another Tamiya Ferrari 312T3 so I can replicate the second of François’s 1/20 F1 dioramas to go with the Toyota I built last year. Though an expensive way to create a diorama, I was very keen to replicate this particular set-piece so saw the purchase of two pricey eBay kits, as worthwhile. Fortunately, the third in the series (The Brabham BT46) I have everything for, so I see that as something of a cut-priced win!
Despite the return to deadlined work, I still let my mind to wander a little, the imminent retirement of the RAF’s remaining Pumas reminding me of my desire to build the Matchbox 1/32 kit that I have squirrelled away in the loft.
A kit I built as a teenager, I’ve wanted to return to it for some time, a project that Haris Ali and I spoke about at some length as we photographed Newark’s museum example last year. It’s definitely on the must do list, so will be built. I just have to find the time when thoughts are not filled with new dioramas, Skyhawks and the incredible time we’ve enjoyed over the last seven days…
See you tomorrow.
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Welcome back to the workbench Spence!
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