Hi all!
Firstly I’d like to thank you all for accepting me back to the club and this wonderful platform.
I’m very much looking forward to being able to share my model making shenanigans and also enjoy reading about all of yours.
I’m just in the process of finishing my “Silver Spitfire” in 72nd. It was the one that recently took part in the longest flight all over the world. Straight after this I’m starting “Ye old pub” B-17 and the accompanying BF-109 G6 that tells that particular wartime story. Alongside this I’ll be bashing away at this Looking glass which will be very much a Labour of love.
My Instagram page is quite busy and I have over 2000 followers, some of whom I’ve made friends with. One gentleman in particular is a man that goes under the name of “Dads mods”. He works for Cessna Citation parts distribution in America. I send him British food and he keeps me supplied in Cheezits which are an American cracker delicacy I’m particularly fond of. Haha. In between we send eachother kits abs keep eachother company across the pond.
It transpired that we both contracted Covid 19 at the same time and unwittingly helped eachother survive what was the very bad first strain which nearly killed us both.
One day in the post arrived a whole bunch of mission patches as he knew that I collect them. With them a box of Cheezits and a long letter explaining that he used to fly on what I know to be the “doomsday plane”.
Looking glass, back in the 80s was the codename for the very last aircraft that would be left flying except for airforce one in the event of a worldwide nuclear war. Flying out of Offut AFB it’s job was to monitor and co-ordinate nuclear strike response. Although I will leave it’s exact job for my Sprue chat when the build is complete.
On the day the Cold War ended, my friend boarded the very last Looking glass flight using the pass shown in the pictures (red one) . When the flight was concluded he took everything off and they all went into a nearby bar and drank heavily in celebration with the fighter squadron pilots that escorted them. One of the fighter pilots gave my friend his patch, which I also have, and he took up a six string acoustic guitar and they all sang some of their favourite songs.
Last week I was lucky enough to bid and win this model and I’m really looking forward to building it, and displaying it with my friend “Possum’s” patches at a couple of shows this year.
Alongside the Argentinian 1/72 707 I have she’s the biggest build I have!
He’s very moved that I’m doing this but I love doing builds that tell a story or are in some way unusual. It helps keep my creative mojo online with zero defects which in turn helps my mental health so much it’s unreal.
I’ll keep you all posted with the build and the framing of the mission patches.
Thanks for reading!
Kind regards
Lee
