Progress on cleaning up my mess

 Loaded up a lot of stuff I no longer need in the car, drove a full car to the Goodwill, left with an empty car so that is sorted. Went to the Plastic Surgeon for my hand and got injections. Pain is mostly gone now but back for a checkup on thursday. Then drove to Ikea to pick up 2 Skadis for the cabinet doors and once home installed one of them. Turns out the other one can't fit as the hinges on that side are larger....so donated that as a present to Nikki (she has been doing so well lately) and installed in her room. :)

 

Found a powerstrip that has an extra 2 USB sockets in the attic (been looking for that one for a while, it was of course in full view....) so I can charge my phone and some tools. Need a 5 metre extension cord as well, make a nice hole in the back etc etc. Plenty of chores to do before it is up to spec. Hope to get my first painting done here next week and in the meantime I keep my printer working on extra stuff to make everything easier. 

Cleaning up my mess

 I have a open cabinet that I keep all of my For Sale stuff in that I list on Vinted, plus some shelves of stuff I need to sort out. Being open, it attracted a lot of clutter and just looks.....bad. 

In the Wintertime I spend a lot more time in my bedroom. Small, cosy, easy to keep warm. But modelling and painting behind my tiny PC desk ....not much fun. 

So today a local lady put up a older Ikea Hemnes Secretary up for sale and that has the exact dimensions (ok, just a bit taller) as the open cabinet, so I jumped at the chance (and with me a lot of folks but fortunately I was first, maybe helped by the fact she only lives 4 minutes from me. When I picked it up it turned out to be exactly 90cm wide and that was a few mm wide enough .....to not fit in the boot of my car. As her husband was busy watching the footie she offered to put in the back of her rather spacious husbands car which took 2 short trips to bring it over. Turned out she was autistic too and very chatty, and a councellor for folks with disabilities after accidents. What are the odds ey?

Anyway, lifted the thing upstairs, took a long break (it might be pine but my back ain't fine), dusted it, and started the process of putting my painting stuff in and seeing what else it needs to be a proper painting station. As I no longer will be needing my airbrush or all of that other smelly crap I've managed to cut down on a lot of painting stuff (mostly by literally throwing out stuff.....)

 Now to sort out my method for putting up the old painting lamp I have, adding sockets in the back for power, getting everything wired up, and get the printer in gear to make me some paint holders for the Vallejo washes I use so much. I want to pick up some Ikea Skadis to mount on the inside of the doors as well. I gave Nikki one and it worked wonders for her hobby space. 

1 step closer to peace in my head I guess?

 

BSC 2026 - Decals

 I've grabbed decals from a old Robotech truck, a British Chinook helicopter, a 1/24 Formula 1 car and a German 1/35 tank. The last one sadly disintegrated as soon as it hit the water, but the rest worked fine. After a day of drying I've just hit it with a coat of clear varnish, so next week I can start pinlining and the cockpit and engines. 

BSC2026 - Stencilling

 I've had a few ideas for the base but I'm limited by what I can do atm. Printing off templates to sponge didn't really work like I wanted, so back to the classics. Using the template and a pencil, then proper painters tape and a sponge. Like back in them olden days. <cough>

 

Hey, it works :)

BSC 2026 - Main color and base

 Decided to forgo to extra lift engines as I just could not find any couplings to mate it to the hull in a nice way. I cut the base, sprayed it and just finished the basic striping. And primed the shuttle after adding some tiny greeblies. 

And in case you are wondering what my idea behind this lifeboat is? A literal life boat.

2 Balls and a Controller

 Another bit of interactable scatter scenery that can be many things. H0 truck part and a 1/35 TOW launcher control box. 20mm plastic Renedra base. And another 50 cent challenge finished (well, 25 cents this time). 

 

 And the donor vehicle for the part:

Basing and planning the Pillage plots.

 Been cutting bases with my left hand for the plots and the buildings. Glued on the buildings meant for Baron's War (which in a pinch can work for Pillage as well, for someone more affluent) and 4 garden plots for their waddle fences.

Houses Tabletop Workshop left, fences Renedra as is the small hut, and the right middle is the new Victrix one. 

 The bases will be painted as they are now. For storage purposes I want individual garden plots that I can just place in situ without having them fixed in place. It just makes everything a lot easier. 

For now, everything fits in 2 RUB's. I need to trim the base of the Victrix one (aka cut a new one) and use up the remaining space for a nice tree well and other stuff. 

Everything is going according to plan.

Haystacks finished but they look like piss

 3 repaints later this is my best apparently. Oh well. 

 Edit: Apparently they are ok, just that my flock is not green enough. In my defence, when flokcing that was the only bag I could fine, Late Fall Grass. Of course, today I found the box with all of the other colours..... 

 

BSC 2026 - Greebling the shuttle

 Grabbed my box of greeblies and picked out a few bits that should work. Plated over the hole in the back with a bit from a Tie Fighter, got some bigger engines courtesy of a 1/72 T-62 tank, used half a gastank from a PSC M3 Stuart to insert into the front opening, I might add some greeblies to that as sensors....or keep it as is. A hubcap from.....something is now on top for the power...thing. Some 1/35 shells are now on the sides of the cockpit. 

Still need to find something suitable for the hole on top of the cockpit. Lengthwise it fits nicely within the builds confinements, but on the sides I have a lot of space. I might scrounge up some parts to give it VTOL like engine pods or something? I think I have stuff for it somewhere. 

50 cent challenge - More tractor parts

Found this set for 50 cents at the Goodwill and with some alcohol wipes and paint changed it into more Tractor Parts <wink wink, nudge nudge>

 

7 more pieces added to my cargo stacks.

Build Something Challenge 2026 - Mark(er/ing/ed)

 Cause I want some distraction from screaming at the clouds (hand = pain) I'm going for it with another build over at the LAF. 

The theme is Mark - Marker - Marking - Marked. 

After a stroll through the goodwill looking for parts I grabbed this little thing from the 25 cents bin (so this is a 50 cent challenge as well, woohoo!).

 Googles AI as usual doesn't know jack shit (...this is an item from the British Series Terrahawks....no it ain't mate....). It's a old Matchbox Connectable CRF22: Zefron TXL Multi-Purpose Shuttle but a later one if I look at the printing.

The batteries have leaked so the inner workings are corroded to hell. I've ripped those out, washed the model, cleaned the markings off with alcohol and 400 grit sandpaper, and removed the connectable connectors back and front and the red pin on top.  I need to find some parts for the open spots, something for on top, a nice 10x10 base and some scatter to surround it.

I'll also need a backstory. As a marker, this is the exit point for my 15mm scifi stuff. The details I can fill in later.