International Scale Modeller

Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Fri May 09, 2025 2:09 pm Well... it's been a while but here are a few photos from last Monday (a holiday here in the UK)

The village of Aldbourne is just 20mins from where we live and hosted companies of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne during WW2 and as such, it also featured in the UK-based episodes of Band of Brothers. Last weekend they hosted their VE Day 80th anniversary gathering which was supposed to over the full three days, but in the end turned out to be just Saturday & Sunday so when we turned up on Monday morning there wasn't much going on

In any case one of the re-enactors was good enough to chat & pose in his jeep for me and we grabbed some shots of the vehicles that were still around as well as the village itself - hope you enjoy them

It's an interesting place. There was a Time Team dig there couple of years ago, I think. Great pictures as always Neil

Thanks guys, for those interested in seeing a vid about the dig mentioned by Kev there is a video on YouTube here:


It's an hour or so long but I found it really interesting... especially to see the sequences filmed in the same places as some of my photos

What am I achieving on this last day of the weekend ?

Well the Kubelwagen is getting primed today ...yae and I dug out the Pibber. It was partially built and painted before by another.
Yep someone’s shelf queen. The hull had the deck attached and part of the cabin constructed, parts oof sprues and everywhere and even sprues cut up into 3 pieces was the state of play. I constructed the forward gun pit last night and glued the cabin into place, it did not fit well so much clamping was needed and I'm not really sure if the glue will hold.



I mentioned that this had the hull painted before and it was a bit horrible so I proceeded to remove it all, unfortunately only the top layer came off and it was tough to remove. The bottom layers just refused point blank to be shifted and the green around the top edge of the hull is nothing like I've ever seen. I reckon I don't need to do any more paint removal and am just going to move forward on it, does make glueing a bit hard with TET.

I spent the weekend drying tentage out! Having got soaked when a tent leaked big time last weekend at a sword cutting event I decided to dig the good tents out. Only to find the Landrover roof had leaked a bit leaving them damp...... Sadly the canvas of the pole bag for the 9x9 had completely rotted as has the antenna bag for the pineapple!!
Inside the FFR


Contents of the FFR


9x9 Pole bag rotted


Pineapple spike bag rotted


British 9x9 Command tent


Soviet Command tent

Woh tha's a lot of tentage and I can feel your pain for the deterioration.
What a pain having to replace them.
Can you waterproof the rovers canopy easily ?

digger303 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 13, 2025 2:13 pm Woh tha's a lot of tentage and I can feel your pain for the deterioration.
What a pain having to replace them.
Can you waterproof the rovers canopy easily ?

I actually did it last year - washed off with soapy water, rinsed and allowed to dry then given 2 coats of Fabsil tent sealant. I'm thinking the leak occurred prior to the sealing and because there was so much in there it couldn't dry out. We've had REALLY heavy rainfall here in the last couple of years. Luckily the 9x9 was in a plasticized storage bag and the Sovietvobe was in a pair of black rubbish sacks so they both avoided the worst of the soaking.

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 11:18 am

digger303 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 13, 2025 2:13 pm Woh tha's a lot of tentage and I can feel your pain for the deterioration.
What a pain having to replace them.
Can you waterproof the rovers canopy easily ?

I actually did it last year - washed off with soapy water, rinsed and allowed to dry then given 2 coats of Fabsil tent sealant. I'm thinking the leak occurred prior to the sealing and because there was so much in there it couldn't dry out. We've had REALLY heavy rainfall here in the last couple of years. Luckily the 9x9 was in a plasticized storage bag and the Sovietvobe was in a pair of black rubbish sacks so they both avoided the worst of the soaking.

Horrible losing stuff like that.
Not suggesting it is the thing to do for you , but I have seen a guy thin silicone caulking product with Ipa and just paint it on where you want it as a water repellent. Might be a useful thing in certain circumstances.

Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 05, 2025 4:34 pm Thanks guys, for those interested in seeing a vid about the dig mentioned by Kev there is a video on YouTube here:


It's an hour or so long but I found it really interesting... especially to see the sequences filmed in the same places as some of my photos

I visited Ex USAAF/RAF Uportery last week, it was the home of AAF-462 Sqn they dropped 101st Airborne Division inc E coy. They boarded Douglas C-47's on the night of 5 June 44, the rest is history.

I got to see Matthew, BFRD, and his wife for breakfast yesterday before they headed up to Alaska on a cruise
Will get an afternoon with them post trip and get some pics together
Such a great couple of human beings

Twokidsnosleep wrote: ↑Mon Jul 21, 2025 9:52 pm I got to see Matthew, BFRD, and his wife for breakfast yesterday before they headed up to Alaska on a cruise
Will get an afternoon with them post trip and get some pics together
Such a great couple of human beings

It would have been a lovely day.

The weekend I did a bit on my side project, the Tamiya Pibber. This was someone else’s shelf queen so it's a matter of sorting through loose parts and in the case of the hull cabin. Making it fit and as it wouldn’t sit properly I chopped through the cabin side, clamped it down, inserted a round rod and sanded flush. I don't think it will be noticeable and I also removed a couple of large finger prints at the back of the boat.
More filling around the hull to deck join,loads of sanding and I'll do a bit more this coming weekend.

I finished my Kubelwagen and done a little on a couple of figures, but all I can do is report it and not show. Due to the Photolink on my Pc not working and despite trying to follow instructions on how to fix which don't seem to match what's on my screen I'm stumped for the moment.

Even on what one would think is a small kit, they still take more time than you think. The only real time saving is in the construction.

Well I had a bit of a weekend.
Loaded up on anti-inflams and did some outside stuff
Garden pumpkin plant growing like crazy




Had a woodpecker visitor trying to make home in the soffits..This is a Northern Flicker


Fixed up a ten year old fake lawn.
Covered in weeds grass and big dopey dog here


I had weeded a bit and raked out some pine needles couple weekends ago.


Then used a great little brush and roll machine that is like a thatcher for fake grass. This is two passes and it is like new again
Best money I have spent on a garden tool. The actual Gardner is $300 an hour and he would likely had ripped it up and redone it!


Wife in the bushes

Very neat and clean great combined effort.

Happy Remembrance Day to those to whom it applies
I had a long weekend and got into a Facebook paint by numbers I ordered for Halloween…that came late of course



it comes with a canvas printed with shapes and numbers and forty acrylic paint pots, some cheap brushes.
It is quite excellent actually and very addictive. A bit tedious and I want to modify some stuff.
I learned that I have no idea about shades and highlights and could not have done this myself.
It is like driving to a new destination with your car’s navigation system and having NO IDEA how you got there or how to get home.
Anyways, it was fun.



Meet Frankie M





My health in general has been the craps.
Been on heart meds vs a constant A Fib that scrubbed my knee surgery at the last moment.
I saw a cardiologist (a hole) once and had one CT test but he didn’t order the MRI. Hating that guy. See him for second time in December . Met my knee surgeon at UBC and she is ok with process once heart bozos give go head. Thinking after February Hawaii trip. I got another cortisone injection and that helped so going to get my R knee injected as I am abusing it compensating.
My heart fib really effects my energy levels as am tired like crazy in afternoons or after one outside project. A bit scary feeling that way.

Got a friend who had that. Got it fixed via slipping a tool up the veins and he's better than ever now.

digger303 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:22 am Got a friend who had that. Got it fixed via slipping a tool up the veins and he's better than ever now.

Supposedly mine involves the atrial septum budging and my ventricle output is 20%…like half normal
But if course a hat if a cardiologist is on vacation again and soooo busy but won’t let me see someone else

Twokidsnosleep wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:53 am

digger303 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:22 am Got a friend who had that. Got it fixed via slipping a tool up the veins and he's better than ever now.

Supposedly mine involves the atrial septum budging and my ventricle output is 20%…like half normal
But if course a hat if a cardiologist is on vacation again and soooo busy but won’t let me see someone else

Unfortunately a lot view the medical profession purely as a business and patients as a revenue stream for the balance sheet.
I hope you get the care you need soon


Ps...My mother is suffering now from a heart condition and it effects her sleep pattern and is killing her energy levels. At 87 it's unlikely she will get any lasting care only pills.