Hey Everyone,
I know I have been quiet but I have not been absent - I have been lurking in the shadows as I have apparently lost my mojo. The Heian Maru and associated submarines continue to remain untouched for the last several months.
But alas I think I have accomplished things - we tell ourselves that regardless of how small an effort is that effort is still progress towards completion??? If that is in fact the case then there has been some progress over the past couple of months, just not build progress…i’m rambling
I convinced myself that I needed to do something, so after contemplating things for a while I realized that when I build I always wait until almost the end before I figure out the display case - in that time the kit, finish or unfinished, continues to collect dust - so ah - ha!! Build the cases before building the kit!!!
Easy enough right - well kind of. I spent the past couple of months doing just that. But I promise it was not aimless, there is a plan - in my mind there is a plan.
After I ran out of cases to build, well not really but storing and protecting them became an issue.
So going back to every step regardless of how small is still progress required I find something to work on since I had not found the mojo to continue the Heian Maru build. The desire is there, just under the surface but each time I take a step it fizzles.
So again, i contemplated what can I do that would still result in progress - another aha moment. I was visiting the Ion Models website when I saw they had tutorials - being curious I watched the video tutorial for painting figures. The gentlemen used double sided soft tape and cloths pins - ah ha!!! there it was, so I bought a ton of cloths pins and using the double sided tape I had on hand I started removing 1/350 figures from their “sprues” and getting them ready for painting
I told myself this was progress cause just like not having the display case ready when you are is annoying, not having figures available or having to stop to paint figures when you need them is also annoying. So here is where we are with 95 cloths pins containing on average of 8 to 10 figures each ready for priming and painting - these are figures from Pro Studio’s, North Star, Ion Models, Black Cat Models, Tori Models and YD Models (I think its YD).
So after all my rambling that is where I am both mentally and in my efforts to move forward. As far as the plan i referred to earlier, well here it is for your thoughts
I plan to build the IJN Kido Butai in 1/350 - that consists of 9 destroyers, 7 Kagero Class and 2 Asashio Class Destroyers, all 6 Aircraft Carriers, the IJN Light Cruiser Abukuma, Heavy Cruisers Tone and Chikuma and Battleships Kirishima and Hei.
The only things that will be missing are the 6 fuelers which are not produced in 1/350 nor are there any plans that would enable scratch building.
I have the kits needed to build everything with the exception of 5 more Tamiya Kagero kits for the destroyers. Ill use the Aoshima Kirishima kit for both battelship and the Aoshima Isuzu kit for the Abukuma - I’ll use another Fujimi Shokaku kits for the Zuikaku as all evidence indicates they were identical at time of commissioning.
One I complete the Heian Maru and the Hasegawa Akitsushima Plane Tender I will commence my quest to build the Kido Butai. The log plan is to run a single build log for all - more to come as that plan develops.
thanks for reading my ramblings
David
