The last delivery I’d received had been an interesting one. Lots of things that needed putting on hold until it was time to paint the Millennium Falcon. While frustrating, it had made me start on my airbrush journey. Having now got an airbrush, I was trying to find my way through all the pitfalls. While I just wanted to get on practising, ready for when the Falcon would need doing, I had to put things on pause to ensure I got the right equipment. Realising that there was just no way I could airbrush in my study, it was going to have to be outside. This meant that I would forever be at the mercy of the elements. At the moment, not much of an issue. But I also needed to get paint brush holders, cleaner and an assortment of paints so I could ensure I could get the right practice in. I also needed a ventilator mask for my seven-year-old daughter – Ember – who is going on this crazy journey with me. It’s this final thing that’s the last piece before we can really start having a go. I have a STAP 1:6 model that is patiently waiting to be painted and both Ember and I are eager to try. Hopefully I can update you soon to how we have got on. With all this learning and buying, I’m glad I’ve started when I have, as when the instalments come that require painting, we should be ready.
With my ‘homework’ for the project ticking along, it was time for another delivery. I opened the box to find five more issues and another binder. Let’s start with the binder. I like the binders, I really do, they are sturdy and hold the magazines well but… I am still just using my first one! It’s about two thirds full as we speak, so I know I will need a second one, but a third. I’m not so sure. Am I supposed to be putting the parts of the Falcon in here as well? Maybe I’ll have to investigate. The last delivery had a lot of parts to paint, this one looked a lot different. Over my shoulder, Ember was asking what’s that? Isn’t that electronics? Sure enough, there were a lot of wires and things that promised things were going to start getting really interesting.
Scouting part thirty-seven, it seemed meaty. There was a lot to do here, too much to think Ember and I could do two issues in one go. We’ve been doing multiple issues in one sitting for a while now, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the need for us to go back to one. What I really liked was that there were a couple of different things for us to do. There was the continuation of assembling the bottom frames, as well as clipping sand glueing some of the hull plating. Unlike previous issues, this latter assembly could actually be done and not be put on hold because of painting. So far so good! In terms of preparation for Ember, I didn’t need to do anything. It seems the days are gone when I need to get things ready before a seven-year-old attacks the project (hopefully I have spoken too soon).
With a flick through the issue, there was information on the Twin-Pod Cloud Cars from Bespin and boarding ramps. Checking the assembly instructions, it also said that the electronics with this issue will be used later for the ramp. Ok, my level of excitement went up a notch. I wasn’t too sure what we would actually be doing… yet… but I was fairly sure it would be something rather cool.
Nothing was stopping Ember and I diving straight into the assembly. We started straight away finishing the bottom frame section we had started before. Ember was in her element; this has always been her favourite part of the build. Selecting the correct screws and attaching different parts of the frame was something she had a huge amount of confidence in. It went smoothly and then at instruction eight, she said why were the words in bold. It was a great teaching point as to why we use bold words, how we sometimes skim read, and this is to make you take note. Of course, Ember said ‘why wouldn’t you read it properly in the first place?’ which I couldn’t help but laugh at – I was rather pleased that I knew I needed to turn the assembly over! It is strange how just turning the build over can change your perspective, even Ember commented how strange it was to be adding connectors on the other ‘forbidden’ side. It was something a little different to what we had been doing with the rest of the frame and that was most welcome. With the frame seemingly finished, it was time to move onto the second part of the instalment.
We had to take the huge hull plate from the previous issue and glue some details onto it. Ember much prefers me to handle the super glue, partly because she’s seen me get into a muddle with it too many times. I started by glueing the two long strips into place. After trying to glue the first strip, I realised these require much more glue than I first thought. I’ve started to take for granted that with big studio builds, less is more and that you should only place glue in the grooves. With this part of the build, you need to carefully line the glue along the entire join. The second strip went on a lot better after doing this! Ember was able to then clip and file the parts that I needed to finish this build, something she was only too happy to do.
That completed the issues. Having two separate parts to issue really made it feel like Ember and I were doing quite a bit. I always seem to find these issues meatier than the others that focus on just one part. Ember loved carrying on with the frame and I like that it really visually looks like it is starting to take shape. To then be able to do a little bit of the construction myself was lovely, with Ember sorting out the parts I would need. Sort of like role reversal. After the last few instalments, this sees a welcome return to form, and I can’t wait to fit whatever these electronics are going to be used for! Ember spotted the piece in this issue and was asking straight away if this was the issue to start?Not yet… but soon… hopefully, very soon!
