Frog 1/72 Dornier Do 17 Z, DN 51, 2/LeLv 46, Noljakka, 1942.

[KSaarni]

Thanks for weighing in, BlackSheep! You’re doing well by joining a gym and taking off weight. I start my eating program tomorrow at 4:30-5 am. 5-6 ounces of yams. Then at 6-7 am 3 oz of protein and 1/2 grapefruit. My lunch at 9:00 am is 2-3 oz of tuna and 1/2 apple. At noon I am eating 2-3 oz of fish and 1 cup greens. At 3:00 pm that’s dinner because I get to eat 3 oz of fish, 1 cup greens and a baked potato. My evening snack is at 6-7 pm which consists of 3 oz of protein, 1 cup greens and 1/2 grapefruit.

I admire people who can follow diets so strictly.
I hope the best with this WIP Bruce!

- Kari

[KSaarni]

No. I am going to be a teetotaler for awhile. Wish me luck! I already locked up all the weapons except for the X-Acto knives, lol, and purged the pantry and refrigerator of any “no-no’s” on the list.

- Kari

[mostrich]

Bruce, hang in there! If you can handle a Frog kit, you're in full control of your body for sure.
Man, reading of all that weight issues all I can do is knocking on wood. I'm skinny since birth (138 lbs; 5'10'' atm) and the older I get the cooler I am with it.

[Stikpusher]

You’re a good man Bruce! Hang in there. I am still paying for my two weeks of all inclusive vacation in November. Hard for me to get back in the groove right now.

Your DO is coming along quite well. I’m sure that the finished result will look great.

[KennyX]

No. I am going to be a teetotaler for awhile. Wish me luck! I already locked up all the weapons except for the X-Acto knives, lol, and purged the pantry and refrigerator of any “no-no’s” on the list.

You got this, my man! You got this. And incidentally, I’m going on that direction too, the teatotaling. It’s time. On the upside, I’m down three pounds since last Saturday. That’s just from removing 2/3 of surplus beer calories, lifting heavier, and eating more protein. I need to add more miles to my cardio program though, if I want a 2 hour finish time at the 2020 Louisiana Half Marathon. But that’ll come later. Running turns me into a damn locust. I’ll eat everything that isn’t nailed down, then everything that is nailed down, then the nails if I crank up the mileage too much too soon. I get that voracious. It’s crazy. So I’m going to be making slow, steady tweaks with my running for the next two months while I acclimate.

But anyway, I’m loving where you’re taking your health, and I’m loving where you’re taking this project. He’s looking really nice, and I’m enjoying the photos as always. Seems to me that you’re doing amazing justice to a beautiful aircraft with every step. Just keep it up. And being that dilligence and attention to your diet and your fitness too, and you can’t miss!

Lay on, MacDuff. You’re doing wonderfully.

And also- LFB circa Twin Peaks was gorgeous, oh yeah. Her and Sherilyn Fenn, and Madchen Åmick back then. Totally my type!

[BlackSheep214]

Where’s the cool refreshing beverages?

Although I do like a nice Tom Collins every now and then. Come to think of it, I haven't had one in years. If made right, they're wonderful. In the past, I've had some where bartenders can't make one worth a crap that they're too bitter.

[KennyX]

Where’s the cool refreshing beverages?

Although I do like a nice Tom Collins every now and then. Come to think of it, I haven't had one in years. If made right, they're wonderful. In the past, I've had some where bartenders can't make one worth a crap that they're too bitter.

I used to make a Juan Collins. Same recipe except I’d use Tequila instead of Gin.

[speedgraflex]

Kari, Torben, Floki, Carlos and Ken, I am grateful for your replies. I’m not used to being up at 5 am making food, but I am grateful for your support, gentlemen. This is not an easy road, as you know.

One aesthetic aspect with the kit I am trying here is to thin out the edges without losing them. I did this on the cowlings of the first engine and now I did that to the interior top lip of the fuselage. It’s a small difference but I like taking what is there and giving it a tweak. Also I am grateful I found my Dad’s old K&S needle files. Tools do make a difference and I have been stubborn about buying new ones until I sort through the last boxes of my Dad’s stuff. Using the different files makes a huge difference! I have to be careful not to gouge the plastic, though.

The other aspect of working with plastic I wanted to ask about is plastic itself. One side being highly polished, the other being unpolished. I found the CA was really cooking into the unpolished surface—to the point where I used sanding to deactivate what the glue was doing to the surface. I am trying to remember what happened on a first generation plastic Enterprise kit—the Sixties TOS AMT Enterprise in its first tooling of white plastic melted with Zap A Gap, so I switched to styrene cement. I might have used Plastruct Weld. Maybe this is a property of unpolished plastic and I should polish the interior before using any adhesives? Has anyone had the issue? I had a few issues with Dragon plastic and CA, too, come to think of it. The effect is though a layer of plastic is cooked off by using the CA.

[Stikpusher]

I’ve never noticed CA doing that sort of thing to any styrene myself. But I don’t use CA as a primary adhesive ever. I have noticed that different companies’ styrene will have differing levels of hardness or brittleness. And standard liquid cements will react accordingly. The hotter cements will really go to town, while the milder ones will be more gentle, so to speak.

[speedgraflex]

Thank you so much, Carlos! I feel a need to do a glue “Bake Off,” get some sample kits and glue with different types. I still do things the “ILM Way,” which worked well except when the CA starts cooking off the finish.

Next up: boxes for the starboard wall—observer’s position. I have no idea what these do.