Woke up at 9:30 P.M. to a "black out" Friday night. Could not go back to sleep after new batteries for all of the flash lights, the lighting of the candles, and the refilling of the kerosene lamps and lanterns (still have lanterns hanging from the ceiling since the last power outage!).
No television, radio, digital telephone,
INTERNET (theaerodrome.com), or well water!
After I hooked up the old "Rotary Dial" phone I grabbed the first kit handy and started carving on a JOYSTICK 1/72" Halberstadt CL.IV vacuform kit!
Working by the light of a Mini-Mag flash light with my trusty Exacto knife, I cut and carved 'til I fell asleep. Woke up the next morning with all of my fingers!
I have been working on it as time allows.
I attacked the plastic removal differently than the instructions suggest, I could not find my sandpaper and supplies as they are packed away. So I used the Exacto knife sideways to trim away the plastic that would normally be removed by flat sanding. Once it was close, about .005 thou., I flat filed with a smooth Bastard Mill file. Other than one minor
"OOPS!" I am quite pleased with the results and did not sand my fingers away like last time! I also found that I have better control with this method, much better control!
Fuselage halves are ready and waiting for scratched bulkheads, interior, and the mandatory aft fuselage extension (restoration). Stabilizer and rudder halves are ready for detailing and liquid glue (when I find it!). Upper and lower wings are ready for fine tuning with sandpaper (when I find it!), also detail decisions (separate ailerons? scratched P.E. radiator? control horns).
I'm looking forward to working on this, it's been fourteen months since I packed away my projects after a little encounter with a wood chisel while removing old linoleum flooring. My hand is still experiencing numbness, but seems to be fine otherwise. I usually stall during the researching of the markings and correct camouflage of any particular machine. Researching details has always been challenging also, most instructions tell you what color and where to attach a given part, but neglect to tell whether it's a magneto or a water pump or a whatsamatter!
Wish me Luck, FOKKERJ