Whilst these two WMD HQ moggies look as though they are wired together as they curled up in the comfort of one of the many cat baskets that have appeared over the years, I was busy finishing the some wiring in the cold of the Man Cave!
Recording my progress, or usually the lack of it, in building kits, creating model railways and other related and sometimes unrelated matters!
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Saturday, April 27, 2024
86 Wires!
Thursday, February 8, 2024
RIP Smudge.
As everyone who shares their life with an animal knows a day will come when you have a hard decision to be made. Having noticed over the past few days some difficulty in eating and a rattling breathing, Smudge was taken to the vets today. Unfortunately it was not good news with a growth around her windpipe which was not going to get better or be treatable. Having shared our lives for nearly 19 years with Smudge it was not easy for Mrs. Woody or me to part with her but it was the kindest thing. Smudge was a rescue cat. She had a kitten when she was about 6 months old just before she came to WMD. She loved a litter box that had just had new litter put in and would literally swim in it before leaving her mark. In later life she became deaf but could still sense when you were about and when food was being served. Later life also saw her take to using a cat bed and that was her favorite ne in the picture.She had a loud rumbly purr which if she came to bed at night would reverberate through the bed. She came to bed last night for the first time in some time - maybe she knew. Like all our cats she will always be remembered and missed so much!
Thursday, January 4, 2024
'Figures not included' or are they?
After the flooding events of the last few days it was a pleasant relief just t sit in the Man Cave for a couple of hours and loose myself in the Italeri Kangaroo APC. That couple of hours allowed me to paint up a few of the details that are needed for the internal part of the vehicle as well as the two machine guns that are mounted on top of the hull. In addition, despite the kit box stating that 'figures not included', there are in fact three, seven part figures as well as a mortar and various kit bags included on one of the sprues. Not one to look a gift horse, or even a figure or three, in the mouth, I decided that I need to improve (drastically) my abilities to both construct and paint figures so I have started to put them together. If they come out OK they will be of use in some project and if I fail in doing an acceptable job they can go into 'Need to improve' container AKA the recycling bin!
The photos below show the painted internal hull, the figures, the machine guns, the radio and the dashboard for the driver. The dashboard is a decal that came with the kit and probably makes a better job of presenting the dials and switches then my painting of the moulded details could. I smoothed off the raised details to make applying the decal easier which it did. The radio however had no decal so I had to carefully paint the raised details and I think I did a reasonable job.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
A short lived resolution and the cat has been fed!
'No more kits or trains' I informed Mrs. Woody as my resolution for 2024 which I decided upon whilst doing my New Year's day bike ride. I then foolishly suggested we have a trip out - to the Newark Toy and Train Fair. Just for a look and a bit of exercise you understand! Having been before on several occassions, this years event seemed much busier when we arrived with large numbers of people carrying bags of purchases. However, as I reassured Mrs. W, that would not be the case for me!
I have primed the internal surfaces with a light grey and once dry that will get an initial top coat of a suitable green.
Now, whilst I wait for the paint to dry, I better go and feed that cat and make another resolution for 2024!
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Relaxing?
It has been a busy few weeks at WMD HQ and it is catching up with me. I need to relax a bit I said To Mrs. Woody as she inspected the latest work I have done on finishing off the conservatory rebuild. Marty the cat certainly knows how to relax - maybe I should take some lessons from him?
Anyway I think Mrs. W didn't hear me but is pleased with progress! Todays work was supposed to see the slabs at the side of the conservatory cleaned up and re-bedded in fresh cement. However they were that coated in mortar the builders let drop on them whilst bricklaying they took several hours of working with a hammer and chisel to clean them up. However they are much neater and lighter in weight and the bits of mortar that remain will weather off over winter.
Back with the Hornby Swallow Livery HST I dealt with the spaghetti wiring. Getting the body off the driven power car revealed this. There are wires to the motor and the headlight from the pickups on both bogies..
The 8 pin socket is wired in to the motor and headlight. The 9 volt battery is a handy way of testing things. There is enough power in it to run the motor. In this case I plugged a blanking plate into the socket which allows the motor to run on DC power and used the battery to test that the motor still ran. It did!
The wiring was tidied up and with that done it was time to plug a DCC chip in.
There is certainly enough room for the wiring.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Gardening, rusting, cute cats and a mauled toilet roll - welcome to a day in the life of Woody!
Nobody I believe can accuse me of not having a variety of things going on in my life. Mrs. Woody would like to see those things expanded to include more of the jobs she has lined up for me but as I tell her I have lots on! Today was a case in point. An early morning bike ride and a bit of cleaning house started the day before a bit of a gardening as the weather was good. What remains of my lawn (after the builders destroyed much of it at the start of the year) was cut and edges trimmed. The reseeded areas of lawn are beginning to grow to so hopefully before long the mud pit will all be green! A bit of greenhouse work saw lettuce, spinach and radish seedings planted out so those together with the tomato plants should see some salads on the menu - then again with my growing skills......
In the sanity(or should that be insanity?) of the Man Cave I did have an hour doing some rusting of the tools and jerry cans that I had painted for the Tamiya Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma over the past few days. I also did a bit more on painting the two figures.
For the rusting I used Vallejo rust paint applied with a sponge. The procedure is to did the sponge into the paint, then dab it off on a paper towel until very little is left on the sponge. Dabbing the sponge on the item to be rusted then leaves a random pattern of rust paint that should replicate what happens with rusting metal in real life.
Going back inside I found these two cute cats - a real Ying and Yang.
How wonderfully incent I thought as I headed upstairs. That thought soon went out of my mind to be replaced by !!!!!!!! (cue contribution to the swear jar) as I found this mauled toilet roll that those two cuties had got off the holder and proceeded to destroy!
Now I need to get the hoover out - again! Just another day in the life of Woody!
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Another day of achieving little!
In yesterdays post I said I hoped I was more energised today. However I woke up feeling a bi sick and before too long I knew I had a bug and migraine. So much for being energised! Most of the day I was in bed feeling sorry for myself but I did manage to spray the cab and tipper body for the Foden Haulmaster. The tipper body needs another coat of paint but it is looking much more like a real truck now.
Hopefully tomorrow I will be as energised as the new kittens who I caught taking a rare relaxing moment from causing chaos!
Sunday, September 25, 2022
More cats and one step forward and two back with the Foden Haulmaster!
Firstly the WMD HQ is now slightly larger in population with the addition of these two kittens who needed a home - Mrs. Woody is as much a sucker for cats needing a good home as I am for model railway stuff!
Marty and Monty join the other WMD cats which makes my life as Chief Litter Box Cleaner even more interesting!
Talking of interesting, once I had managed to get out to Man Cave having cleaned out the litter boxes, I carried out further work on the Foden Haulmaster kit. I was hoping to finish it ready for painting but that idea was a step too far not that you would guess from this photo which shows an almost complete model.
In trying to get the cab pieces to fit together as the parts are so poorly moulded and don't fit properly I decided to use the wonders of an elastic band to pull the part stogether to where they should be. The theory is relatively simple. However in my execution I obviously over tightened the elastic band. It was like some episode of the Road Runner Cartoon where Wylie Coyote stretches an oversized Acme elastic band across the road and then ends up flattened as the band pulls the two rocks together that it is fastened to together. The four parts of the cab went flat and the swear jar ended up a bit fuller then before I started! That was the first step back. However, as with Wylie, I started over again but unlike Wylie my second attempt did work. However the fit of the panels still needs work with filler and files and the arrow on the photo below shows the area that this is needed in. The other side is the same.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Small and big steps!
With the wardrobe being fitted today I thought that I might have an opportunity to get some model making done. Well it did not really work out that way as I got involved in a bit of cleaning and sorting as instructed by Mrs. W. However I did sneak in an hour on the Italeri Scania making some small steps on its build.
The engine and gearbox is now installed with the propshaft in place. I had constantly reminded myself that the propshaft had to go into position before the engine and gearbox was fitted as it can not be fitted once the engine and gearbox are in place. With this thought firmly in my mind I am still trying to figure out how I ended up congratulating myself on the successful fitting of the engine and gearbox without any contributions to the swear jar before I realised that I had forgotten the propshaft! In best Homer Simpson voice - Doh! Luckily the glue had not set and I was able to do the job as it should be!. Other parts have been fitted such as the small steps on the battery box and I have temporarily placed the rear mudguards in place which look as though they fit reasonably well. I just need to repaint them along with the side skirts.
I am pleased I painted some of the details on the engine which looks better than it did
On the matter of big steps, the 'Expert' wardrobe fitter is here and I must admit he is an expert. There have been some big steps in its build but this is now going to be a two day job so Mrs. W and myself will be sleeping on the sofas tonight as the bedroom is covered in tools and the bed tipped on its side. A slight miscalculation by me means that the other bed is covered to a considerable depth with the contents of the wardrobe! In best Homer Simpson voice - Doh and Doh again! However as the old saying goes, you cannot make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
Whilst Mrs. W will no doubt get the large sofa to sleep on tonight I will be left with the smaller one (such is my position in the importance of sleeping facilities) in the lounge. Luckily I don't have fight with the cats to get procession of their sofa in the cat conservatory. This lot may look cuddly and cute but they can bite and scratch! Honest! Upset that lot and I won't be taking any steps small or big!
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Laid back!
With all that is going on the Country and the World, here at WMD HQ, Milly and Matty cats have a very laid back approach to it all - maybe we can all learn from them?
I did have a bit of a laid back day too and relaxed with a bit of progress on the MiniArt T34 Egyptian tank.
Strangely the whilst the kit has the towing eye pieces for the tow cables you have to supply your own cable. Luckily in my stock of useful items that might be handy one day I had a length of multi strand electrical cable that was just right. A bit of super glue on the ends of the cable attached them to the towing eyes.
The turret itself has also had its top coat applied and I am pleased with that and especially the welded seam that I applied which was absent from the kit moulding. I have seen in the close up photo an area that requires a little more smoothing out but I am laid back about that! With the wheels painted up and a few bits left to add to the main hull it should not be too long before the whole tank is painted but in my laid back approach learnt from the cats what is the rush! Oh yes! Mrs. Woody's ever expanding list of jobs for me that is not a matter to be laid back about!
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Nice things come in small packages.
With it being Christmas Day yesterday there was much excitement at WMD HQ as presents were unwrapped. Mrs Woody got various items including a new fancy hairdryer which makes the possibility of the old one repurposing itself into the man cave AKA The Room of Gloom a possibility!
The cats were pleased with their cat nip packages which they soon were playing with. Sammy, who passed away this year used to love these and would end up drooling and rubbing the package all over his head in a frenzy of cat delight! Although Chloe and Holly didn't droll as much they still found a good few minutes to play with these small packages.
I did get a number of packages one of which was indeed small but contained a wonderful 009 loco.
This beauty is the Bachmann Ffestiniog Railway Double Fairlie 'Livingston Thompson' in lined maroon complete with DCC sound chip. I had to escape to the Room of Gloom for an hour or so whilst Mrs.W was sorting out handbags or something like that, and soon had it going round my 009 layout, even if it was un-prototypically hauling a rake of Lynton and Barnstable coaches! It runs great and is a fantastic addition to the 009 fleet. Gives me some increased impetus to finish the layout. There were some bigger packages but more about those another day. In the meantime I am enjoying this nice loco which indeed came in a small package!