I think that part of that has been down to being able to take my time with it. It’s not being built to a deadline, so I can lean into a little more and do my own thing.
30th May 2025
Well, another Friday and the end of another week. This one has been dominated by regular daily blood pressure checks, my work on perhaps the most demanding commission I’ve taken on and that scruffy little Jaguar that is not only fun to build and paint, but offering to welcome relief from more serious builds.
Checking my BP is something that I’ve had to do regularly over the last six months. It’s not dreadfully high, but it is in that range that is giving cause for concern. Truth be told, my BP has always been high (surprising, given my sunny disposition and ability to let things go when others would no doubt have held on to them) so I’ve been taking tablets and continuing with a pretty healthy lifestyle. But still it remains stubbornly above the levels the GP would like it for someone in their mid fifties. The result will undoubtedly be some altered meds, not ideal, but I guess something I need to live with if other ways of regulating it are frankly, not working!
The rest of the week has concerned itself with the façade that I’m finishing off, today seeing me complete – at least in part – a set of steps that have featured mind-bending areas of complex geometry. I’d wrestled with how to create them for some time, so was pleased when I worked out how to lay out the basis of their shape, at least to a point where the balustrades and rails can be added over the weekend. Truth be told, I’m thinking the work so far might have been the easy bit, the angles that the tiny mounts for those balustrades need to be cut at, already giving me kittens, as is the need to glue together styrofoam and resin and make sure the whole thing doesn’t come apart in transit. With only two weeks left to delivery, I haven’t time to mess around so it will now have to run on rails, because I simply cannot miss the deadline…
And finally, the Jaguar. As it stands I have a half-painted model, the righthand side still needing to be weathered. It’s been a fun project so far that has in the main, turned out the way that I wanted it to. I think that part of that has been down to being able to take my time with it. It’s not being built to a deadline, so I can lean into a little more and do my own thing. Hopefully, when it’s all together it will reflect how those battle-worn big cats looked in combat and will in turn, pay sufficient homage to SEPECAT’s masterpiece, along the way.
Have a lovely evening and I will see you tomorrow.
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Take care of yourself. Mind you, most of us model to unwind……. you 🤔?
Gerry
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I know this is a late response but … I have chronically high blood pressure too. My modeling hobby is usually a reliever of it but on occasion such as adding plumbing in wheel wells can sometimes raise it. Stretching sprue, trimming small pieces of those fabric covered elastic like come with clothes and shoes to simulate hydraulic lines can be frustrating. Then there’s those times you think your masking was sealed and it bleeds, wow, and the underlying paint was perfect, oh well, wet sand and start over. I think I’ve only bought a replacement kit twice due to a serious mishap. But overall the hobby is a stress reliever and brins so much joy and sense of accomplishment when that difficult kit is finished and all the details that you added to that “detailed” kit is finished.
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