Happy Canada day weekend! And happy 4th of July weekend to Dave.
As is now traditional, Marie had the front yard all decked out in Canada Day colours. Marie has done a terrific job on the yard this year and it is really looking spectacular.
And not to forget the back yard, where the flowers are now all in full bloom.
It didn't feel like much happened this week but there seems to be a lot to share. Certainly not much modelling work was done this week. There hasn't been much desire to huddle at the bench when it's nice outside.
Nicholas came across the /a bear this morning on his way to work. Nicholas was heading to the golf course about 4:40 am when he saw the bear a few houses around the corner. If it is our bear, he has learned to prowl when no one else is around.
It's been two years since Louis passed. It doesn't seem like that long ago but time marches on. A glass of scotch, from the bottle he left last time he visited, was raised in his honour.
Copper hasn't been doing well. He went to the Vet on Wednesday to have his bladder drained, and had to go again on Thursday. During the call to the Vet's office, we were advised that Thursday could be his final visit, so the kids met us there. In the examining room, as we discussed next steps and potential end of life options, poor Copper peed on the exam room floor. The Vet scooped the "sample" up and tested it to quickly discover that Copper had a bladder infection. The infection could be the cause of his full bladder, so Copper came home with a prescription for an antibiotic. It now takes him several days to recover from a vet visit, and adjust to a new med, and he is going thru the same thing this time. He is sleeping peacefully now, but he hasn't been eating much since coming home, and it has been increasingly difficult to get him to take the various medications that are letting him function. I am afraid that we don't have much time left with him.
The waterbombers are out today. There are two L-188 Electras stationed here, and they have been flying off and on the last few days. It is a wonderful summer day, with lots of sunshine, but conditions feel ripe for a thunderstorm. Hopefully they don't get any busier.
Table
The table is finished! Far from perfect but it does look good in the kitchen. The last coat of Varathane was applied yesterday, and the table and chairs are back in the kitchen. It was an interesting learning experience, especially regarding colour density and paint drip management. The primer, white colour, and Varathane were all advertised as one coat coverage. The white needed at least three coats to build density, and could have used a fourth. The Varathane didn't have a uniform shine after one coat, so two coats were applied overall, and a third was applied in the high wear areas.
I would have thought that painting round dowels wouldn't have had much risk around drips, but quickly learned otherwise. The extra coats of paint and varnish made it difficult to get a smooth finish, and drips/runs were a constant problem. I quickly learned that you needed to go back and give a quick swipe of the brush, a few minutes after the first pass, to catch and runs.
DC-6
The DC-6 is finally finished! The gloss coat was finished earlier this week, and the final bits and pieces were added Saturday. Pictures show these planes to have been kept very clean so there was little weathering applied. Not perfect but it looks the part, and I enjoyed building it.
Enterprise
The Enterprise has also suffered from summer neglect, but it was easier to pick away at it than the DC-6. The main pieces are now all together, have been primed and the pearlescent white sprayed. The pearl effect is just visible around the reflections in the picture below, taking on a subtle purple shimmer. Next up is detail painting, with a fair bit of masking required to paint the engines.
F-35
A 1/72 Academy F-35A will join the build list next. I bought this kit several years ago, as the Canadian Government announced (reannounced?) the fighter jet competition to replace the now 40+ year old CF-18's. The original competition had a field of 5 jets, which was subsequently reduced down to 3 jets after the Government's requirements were announced. I thought it would be fun to build kits of the three finalists, in RCAF markings, and bought 1/72 models of a Saab Gripen, F-18F Super Hornet, and the F-35A. I figured I better get moving on this, given the Goverment's announcement last month, that the F-35A had been selected for final negotiations, or it could be in service before I build the model!
The kit is moulded in coloured plastic, and can be built as a snap together kit. Details are very good, and reviews are generally positive. This boxing doesn't come with the RAM (radar absorbing material) panel decals for the light grey areas so visible in the box art. Thankfully, the zigzag areas aren't so visible in the most recently constructed planes, greatly reducing the masking challenges.
There were a couple jets done up in RCAF/Canadian demonstrator colours 10 years ago, when the Harper Government announced they would purchase the F-35A. I found this picture in a recent Government announcement, and will use it to paint and letter my version. The only remaining question is whether they paint the false cockpit on the underside, similar to what was used on the CF-18's.
Here are pictures of the kit's parts. I ordered some aftermarket seatbelts and other detail parts to dress up the ejection seat, then realized that the kit included a pilot!
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