Good Morning Model Shipwrights. It's Monday, October 29, 2007.
It was a wonderful weekend here and I hope you had a pleasant weekend in your part of the world.

SOTQ #2 is winding down. How is everyone doing with their entries?

The Great White Fleet Installments 162, 163 & 164
Sean Ford (Fordboy) is here with the latest edition of the Great White Fleet series. Installment 162 tells of the fleets voyage to Japan. Installment 164 highlights the HIJMS Mikasa.
GWF 162.
GWF 163.
GWF 164.

MSW Artist Profile ~ Rui Matos
Mark Smith (Gunny) has posted the latest in the MSW Artist Profile series. This month’s profile focuses on Rui Matos and his wonderful submarine models.
MSW Artist Profile.

Leyte Gulf Campaign
Mark Smith (Gunny) and Kenny Loup (gator) have extended the deadline for the end of the Leyte Gulf campaign to Nov. 5. Here’s your chance to get your project wrapped up and posted in the gallery.
Gallery

On-line Model Kit Benefit Raffle
Kenny and Renee Loup (gator) are having an on-line model kit benefit raffle to help with Ian’s medical expenses. There are some very nice kits up for grabs for a very worthy cause.
Raffle.

From the Expanded Sports Desk
Let’s take a look at this weekend in college football.
In the top 5…
No. 1 Ohio State wins over Penn State 37-17.
No. 2 Boston College comes from behind over #8 Va Tech 14-10.
No. 3 LSU was off this weekend.
No. 4 Arizona State over #21 Cal 31-20.
No. 5 Oregon beats up on #12 USC 24-17.

The new AP poll looks like this…
Ohio State ~ 8-0
Boston College ~ 7-0
LSU ~ 7-1
Oklahoma ~ 7-1
Oregon ~ 6-1

And BCS rankings #1 are…
Ohio State
Boston College
LSU
Arizona State
Oregon

Elsewhere…
Alabama was off this weeknd.
No. 9 Kansas wins over Texas A & M 19-11.
Kansas State pounds Baylor 51-13.

Checking in on the military academies,
Delaware over Navy in a shootout 59-52.
Army had the weekend off.
Air Force loses to New Mexico 34-31.

And looking at alma maters
You news writer’s alma mater McNeese remains undefeated with a win over conference rival Southeastern LA 45-17. Go Pokes!
Coast Carolina is victorious over VMI 42-35.

In MLB…
Boston sweeps Colorado in the World Series 4 games to none. Sorry Rodger. Maybe next year.

In the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series…
Pep Boys Auto 500 results:
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Carl Edwards, Ford
3. Reed Sorenson, Dodge
4. Matt Kenseth, Ford
5. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
6. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
7. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
8. Kurt Busch, Dodge
9. Kasey Kahne, Dodge
10. Brian Vickers, Toyota

Crewmate Sound Off
Now is the time in which you can share your news and views. Give us the poop on you latest builds and future projects. Share with us your weekend adventures. We all what to know what you did this weekend. So, sound off mates!

That's all for now from the news desk. Remember, if you can't get to your bench and build, at least you can talk about it.

Gator

Well once again no modeling to report.
However I did do some building on this.

Need some storage space for the work shop.

She’s starting to take shape but its starting to get colder around here now so things are slowing down. If all goes well she may be ready by the end of the week.

I hope to soon get back to the models.

My weekend was spent working around the house, taking some pictures, and spending the day doing a totally selfless act.

On Saturday my wife and I along with 10 of her co-workers took part in a Breast Cancer Walk in Atlanta, Making Strides in Atlanta. 10,000 walkers took part and raised just over $1million dollars. It was a 3 mile walk that looped around Atlanta's Atlantic Station. We arrived very early Saturday morning and soon found ourselves in a sea of other survivors, care givers, and supporters. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer back on June 16 and has been undergoing treatment ever since. It felt very good to be with so many others also helping out those that cannot be there. Her group raised $450, but only worked at it for the last two weeks. We are already planning next years walk and fund raising.

In other news, I did not even touch my current kits, nor did i get a chance to get any other model related work done. But my chickens are one step closer to being totally safe and I did get some nice shots from around the area. By DVD burner is going out on my PC so I did get a new one to replace it. Several of me neighbors were sighting in their guns for deer season. I had a chance to fire a shot in anger, but the opossum ran away before I got my gun.

Watched the Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

Friday was spent getting Gator's Paint Masks mobile for a contest down the road in Lafayette. Saturday, was the contest. We were all there, me, Momma Gator and Lil' Gator. We had a pretty good time. Saw some awesome models, including this one...



We did well with the vendors table, paid our day, which is good. I picked up Italeri's new M. T. M. and Trumpeter's 1/144 LCAC. I also managed to come home with a few 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards.

Spent yesterday recouping and working on the website.

Gator

Very nice looking VIIC diorama. I've seen that model somewhere in the making/reconditioning (damaged by Katrina) before, but I no longer remember the website. Do you have some more detailed pictures of it? The water looks very impressive too.

By the way, which of your models did you take with you and what did each of them win?

We had our monthly model club meeting. It was a sad affair as only I showed up and Jim who works there on weekends were the only ones there. I did get a peek at one of the new Dragon King Tiger kits. Their newest have molded in Zimmerit, so with screens, metal barrel, and individual track links, there really isn't to much more one could want unless you are one of those that think it is neccesary be change out every latech and do-dad with brass.

As to kit work. During the week I pretty much finished assemblying the Bergepanzer Tiger and laid down a base yellow. All that is left is to put the other 2 cammo colors on and then add the tools and other extraneous things and weather her. I think I'm going to build the venerable Monogram P-61 "Black WIdow" next. It literally came to me in a dream last night. I have it on hand so it will make kit number 15 for the year. I've only bought 8, so I,m doing what I wanted and that was take a bite out of the stash.

Otrher news...well still no notification if I got caught running a redlight by the camera a couple of weeks ago. I also signed up to do a choelesterol test group . Don't know if I' ll get accepted. You have to meet 3 out of 5 requirements. as I 'm not fat , my blood pressure is an amazing 108 over 68, it just depends how my over-all choelesterol, trigycerides and LDL vs HDL levels run....which traditionally are pretty darn bad. MIght get free medication for a couple of months. At least now I know why I've been so dizzy as of late...the old blood is barely pumping through me. MIght be why mosquitoes and Vampires leave me alone. -HA-

It is always good when your vendor space can pay for your fun. The water on the U-Boat dio is great.

The paint for the Maya arrived amazingly fast from WEM, but I didn't have time to break out the airbrush. I did get to finish putting the railings my 1/350 Tamiya Fletcher.

Hmmm...I know my Baton Rouge took a second, but I was packing up the vendor table and my club mates couldn't remember what won. I'll get a list from the club sometime this week. I've also arranged to get all the ship model photos for a feature here.

Gator

Mainly I spent the weekend putting a major hurt on the credit cards while getting my daughter everything she desperately needed for the new grandson. With him being 4 weeks premature he arrived one week before her shower, and she didn't have anything to greet him with. She lives with us, BTW, so I'm relearning the old saying, "Babies are God's way of telling you you've had enough sleep."

I did manage to get a fair bit done on The Sullivans for Leyte Gulf. I got all of the 40 mm guns completed. This was much easier accomplished when I decided I didn't have the skills or patience to try to add the teeny tiny gun sights and gunners seats. I just mounted the rear P.E. rails and left it at that. I also got all the 5 inch guns mounted. I've just got a few odds and ends to put on her then I begin with the rails. I've never done P.E. rails so we'll see how that comes out.

One thing about the hurt I put on the credit cards, I did get myself an inexpensive camera. Had to take shots of the little guy. The macro lens isn't nearly as good as my old one, but it will do.

As far as the Rockies I'm just happy as all get out that one, they got to the show, and two that Denver and Colorado has rallied around them even in defeat. Oh, and I am officially now a Red Sox hater. I used to root for them, heck I root for anybody that plays the Yankees, but now I consider them the spawn of the devil and every bit as low as the Yankees.