Monthly archives: January 2023

Bolton IPMS Model Show 2023

This entry was posted in models YouTube on by

The annual Bolton model show has been one of the few I’ve been able to get to consistently over the years. This year, I decided to get video of all the displays. Even trimmed down to just the builds on display, the video above comes in at an hour and twenty minutes. Definitely worth it if you weren’t there, though.

I also split out examples of the stuff I’m most interested in, with shorter videos, below, for cars and bikes, and Science fiction and figures.

Chrome & Flames Oct/Nov 1991 – look inside a vintage car mag

This entry was posted in custom car Hot Rod magazine YouTube on by

Another magazine from the stash. Chrome & Flames was a Belgian based magazine, published in French, German, and English (and maybe other languages, I don’t know).

Significantly more glossy than the British mags I’ve collected, it was focused almost entirely on finished cars, where UK magazines would be full of how-tos and product reviews. The cars in Chrome & Flames are, generally, easier to find models of, and much, much more flashy.

Making Toys For My Toys

This entry was posted in 3d printing figures Spinneyworld on by

Update: The RC transmitters are now available in the Spinneyworld shop. You can also get them as STL files if you want to print your own.

The product development process for the Spinneyworld shop is not very organised. I have a lot of ideas for things that need designing, and a lifelong problem concentrating on what I should be doing. Sometimes, the only way to get anything done is to trick my procrastinating brain into making something that isn’t on the to-do list.

Which is why Action Man now has a radio control transmitter.

I sat down with Blender yesterday, and built the model up based on photo reference, printing test pieces last night.

There are some changes needed before it sees production. The main one is to the trigger, which was super fragile, and pinged off as soon as I put the controller into the figure’s hand.

The final version will be available in 1:6, 1:12, and 1:24 scales, and this post is partly another psychological trick, designed to shame me into getting the work done, rather than sitting on it for a few more months.

Ambulance

This entry was posted in Grand Theft Auto Michael Bay Movie Review on by

Ambulance is a Michael Bay film, full of action, stunningly shot, and with escalating craziness. It’s basically a live action Grand Theft Auto 5 mission, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Estranged brothers Danny and Will pick a bad day to try to reconnect, as Danny drags Will along to a multi million dollar bank heist. The carefully planned operation quickly unravels, and we lose the barely introduced and fleshed out supporting robbers. Will and Danny, with $16 million in big bags, hijack an ambulance- with an injured policeman and feisty (and, obviously, gorgeous) paramedic inside- and set off on a prolonged car chase through Los Angeles.

A tighter focus, fewer characters, and lower stakes make it easier to stay involved in this film than any of the Transformers flicks. He’s shown he can do it before, with Pain & Gain, and I hope he does it more often in future.

I got Ambulance from my Cinema Paradiso subscription. Streaming is good, but there are loads of films only available on disc. And there are a lot of them I want to watch. And for the blockbusters, there’s nothing like enjoying some of the special features. Click on the link (or this one) to gind out more. (Affiliate link.)

Unboxing 1:32 Scale R32 Nissan Skylines

This entry was posted in model car YouTube on by

What’s better than one Nissan Skyline? Four Nissan Skylines, of course.

I thought I’d compare two new models of the R32 Skyline- one by Mono, and one by Aoshima- with two older models from Microace. You may be surprised by the results.

I got all four kits from Hobbylink Japan. As the new kits are available in different finishes, I’ve created a link to every 1:32 Skyline model by the three companies, which includes older and newer generations, as well as the R32s (affiliate link).

I have questions about Top Gun: Maverick

This entry was posted in Film on by

*Spoilers below*

The aerial scenes in Top Gun: Maverick are stunning. They had me hooked and excited all the way through. But after the film was finished, I was left wondering about the bits between them. So, a few things I’d like to know more about-

Who are ‘The Enemy’?

At no point is the regime targeted in the film’s mission named. They are The Enemy, and they’re going to enrich Uranium. They also have some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. They’re probably not Russia, particularly as they also operate old American aircraft as well. Are they former allies? Were the F14s captured in some earlier conflict?

Presumably The Enemy aren’t named so the film won’t risk causing offence on the international market. You can’t blame the producers for that, even if it does feel a bit silly.

What are the 5th generation fighters called?

As soon as we’re told that The Enemy has 5th generation fighters, you know that Maverick is going to be engaging them in a dogfight before the end of the movie, and coming out on top despite their supposed superiority. But surely such fighters would have a name. US Navy top guns would know about the fighters, and would have studied everything known about them. They’d also have a name for them, whether it was the official designation or a nickname they had come up with.

‘5th generation fighter’ is such an unname it’s clumsy and embarrassing. It’s a rookie writer mistake, to conjure up a big bad so terrible only our plucky hero can defeat it, then not even name it.

What’s the rent on an old aircraft hangar?

At the start and end of the film, Maverick is hanging out in his massive workhop/garage(/home?), working on his P51 Mustang and surrounded by all his cars and bikes. As he’s still only a Captain after all these years in the Navy, can he actually afford all these toys, and the space to store them? This looks more like the sort of place that millionaire film star Tom Cruise would own.

I’m sure there are more questions that need asking, but I’ll leave those for when I re-watch the film in a few years.

I got Top Gun: Maverick from my Cinema Paradiso subscription, which sends me DVDs and Blurays by post. There are loads of films only available on disc that I want to watch, and this is teh best way to get them. And for the blockbusters, there’s nothing like enjoying some of the special features. Click on the link (or this one) to find out more. (Affiliate link.)

Vella

This entry was posted in Spinneyhead on by

Vella is Amazon’s platform for serialised stories on the Kindle. Last time I looked, in December, it was still only available to authors in the USA, with no indication if or when it would be rolled out to the rest of us. Which is annoying, but could be worse.

I like the idea of telling stories this way, and I’ve done it in the past. I have kicked around a few ideas, and even written notes on some of them, but have not been able to get far with any of them yet.

Here’s a quick list of what I’ve considered-

A series in a genre I’m christening Space Pop- shorter, more limited tales taking place in a Space Opera universe, but without the galaxy spanning repercussions.

Near future detectives. After successive governments turned the Police into political enforcers rather than crime solvers, local communities have taken the job on themselves. Occasionally, though, they need to call on experts for more involved investigations. It would be a sort of ‘cyber-cosy’ mystery series.

One I started ages ago as a Garth Owen nvel, but which faltered part way through- after the accidental summoning of a demon during a live-stream, a small group of academics is trying to track down when and where it happened. Rather than the grand showdown I had planned for the novel, I could see this becoming a series of stories with monster of the week equivalents battled by a (possibly polyamorous) sarcastic Scooby Gang.

I’m still waiting for one of these ideas to shout loud enough to be the one I run with. If you fancy any one in particular, please tell me in the comments.

Selling Myself Short

This entry was posted in Spinneyhead on by

Today, I’ve given myself a headache trying to come up with the mini mission statement things needed for a job application.

More accurately, I’ve got myself stressed over my inability to understand what is wanted in these mini essays, worried that I don’t possess or can’t express the desired qualities, and angry at the master level procrastination I’ve exhibited.

I have to wonder if part of my long time desire to work for myself is about not having to explain myself to others and just be able to get on with what I want to do.

2023

This entry was posted in Spinneyhead on by

Welcome to a new year.

I should be writing a mini-essay about how awesome I am at my job, so I can get upgraded from temp to permanent status. Obviously, I’m composing a post for the blog instead.

Let’s not dwell on 2022, and think about the year just begun. I don’t do resolutions, but I do revise my plans and aims a bit around this time of year.

So, I’m trying to post more stuff here on the Spinneyhead blog. Not just my YouTube videos- though I will be putting out more of those this year- but commentary, updates, and hopefully fiction again. Off site, the Spinneyworld shop is constantly evolving, with new products added regularly. I really need to get back on the 3D design and produce some more original parts created as well.

Anyway, the hangover has more or less worn off, so I guess I should get back to that job application. Keep popping by for more updates.