Friday, 24 February 2023

Millside and Tempo micro modelling

 Thursday 24th February 2023 - Millside - from SD 452 839

My longest walk since before Christmas - 1.4 miles !

At last we are getting weather acceptable enough to resume my Thursday walks with Pete. This route was only mildly undulating and Pete who is now 88 and with some slight return of his rheumatoid arthritis walks even more slowly than me even with my current breathlessness. So I was able to enjoy this saunter in relative comfort - going up any kind of hill is a different matter.

The second half of this outward walk was part of the six mile route I used to run over the top of Whitbarrow to Lords Seat and returning by this pleasant quiet lane. Having only previously run here before, and on those occasions pushing myself for the final sprint to the finish to try and beat my previous time, I had little chance to observe the scenery in detail. Today I lapped it up enjoying the clear blue sky and sunshine and the promise of spring in the air. I did  do that run in just under the hour (ten minute miles including a stiff climb up onto Whitbarrow plateau.)

We walked as far as Beck Head where an attractive stream gurgles out from the limestone which on my first acquaintance years ago lead me to research the possibility of caving activity and that proved to have happened. There is a record on the Geograph website HERE with a much better photo of the emergence than my distant snap today.

Notices requesting respect for the local toad migration were evident.

We finished off with our regular CafĂ© Ambio visit including their recently introduced chocolate and Guiness cake - it has a mildly soured cream topping to represent the familiar tight foam top you get on the  real life pint, fab!


The stream emerges from the limestone at the furthest point you can see , the point of entry for the exploration



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Model News

I am well on with this quirky Tempo three wheel pick-up of German origin from the 40s.

The scale is 1/35 making it a tiny model almost requiring the skills of micro surgery. The kit includes a cement mixer to be carried by the truck and I am hoping to represent that with cement residue clinging and general appropriate "weathering."


The body is only 4cm. long

The engine in two parts at the moment and still in primer. It is only about 1cm across the block and what you see here includes, with the two sections, 12 individual parts in its assembly.

5 comments:

  1. I remember doing that walk over Whitbarrow with you and Barry. It was the first time you had been out far after recovering from the broken arm, yet you took us up a cliff face to get to the top. I've never been able to locate that ascent route since.

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  2. Your description is good, but I need to see a photo of that Guinness cake.

    Does modelling at that scale involve lots of use of tweezers?

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  3. BC - I too have fond, if rather masochistic, memories of that walk.
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    Gsyle - Me calling the kette black after my last comment on your blog about lack of foodie photos. The omission will be rectified.
    Tweezers, yes, but it's surprising what the human hand can achieve. Alas, on this occasion I have failed with some of the minutiae. A n explanatory post may be looming.

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  4. The first time I drove across East Germany and Poland I saw what looked like a more basic version of these contraptions - sans cabin and truck body - in every day use on the farms - 1980 !
    It is clear that it is well beyond time and eyesight that you got on with that Bismarck, now you have done a couple of German 'units' - or KGV , if returning home, of course.

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  5. gimmer -Tamiya do two King George V kits: a small 1/700 scale which is basic and only costs about £13. The finished model is about 1 ft. long and I think it is just a waterline hull. Advanced kid’s stuff really.

    The 1/350 scale at about £56 is much more detailed and would be a very worthy project. See the video link below, you will probably need to copy and paste the link into your browser, I don’t think “Comments” here can handle it direct. The finished model is a bout 2ft. long and for me that is a not really practical to handle. There is much detail and opportunity for upgrading with photo-etch parts. There is also some rather challenging looking rigging aloft! Having said all that I m a little tempted. I couldn't get enthusiastic about the Bismark. From what I glean, even 1/350 scale is looked upon as a bit small by the battleship aficionados.

    https://youtu.be/swD2pZW8wck

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