A seasonal slowdown

We are now getting into the time of year in the northwest where modelling begins to drop off somewhat, in favor of outdoor activities. All of us model builders grope our way out of the collective modelling dungeon, blinking in the sunlight, and rediscover the benefit of things like hiking, biking, and picnics. Those of you in other parts of the country (and world) are likely already well into the season, but the weather patterns in Seattle generally don’t clear up until May. We almost always get a week of 80+ days, our first for the year. And we’re just finishing up such a cycle – and the sunny days landed on a weekend, no less. That is what inspired our recent trip to Snoqualmie Pass, and this weekend’s visit to the Auburn Petpalooza. The Callahans are most definitely Dog People (we ran pug rescue in Seattle for a number of years, established the annual Pug Gala, and my son is a trainer) and we often find ourselves at weekend pet events.

So the production line has slowed somewhat. That and a very frustrating job interview on Monday have had me in the pits. This is a bad thing, because of a project I’ve begun work on that needs some close attention. But hobbies are supposed to keep you positive, right?

I did have a chance to do major construction on the Airfix Hawk T2 that will be sporting the new 4 Squadron decals from Xtradecal. And I finished up the Eduard F6F, a sterling kit that I’m pretty pleased with overall. Not much done on the Gnat other than painting the cockpit and trying to figure out where to put the weight in the nose to prevent tail-sitting. At the last minute I tossed in a Matchbox Meteor nightfighter and re-discovered exactly why I had such a battle with it the last time. The fit is pretty atrocious, and will be testing my PSR skills shortly. This one will be an NF11.

Other than that, and resurrecting a Connie from the Shelf of Shame, not much is going on. But that doesn’t mean I’ve run out of finished models to present on the blog. There are still Me-262 projects in queue, and a really big (literally) giant on its way to you shortly.