all ready? Damo, could you post when the first ball is bowled, or if raining when then scheduled start is? That should get us underway, still pride to play for

Will do Jaypee, all set and ready. Good luck and good modeling to all combatants !!

I just checked the latest forecast, 23 degrees with isolated showers. No sign of anything on the radar.

70 minutes to scheduled start time, no sign of delays at this stage. I'll keep you posted.

Edit: How many players can we expect here anyway ? Who's joining in this mad rush building shenanigans ?

Ok guys, we are officially underway. Aussies at the crease to wield the willow for the first innings, Anderson opens the bowling for the Poms.

Here's to a great few days of cricket and styrene !!

Thanks Damo. Spitfires and seamers. TMS and tenax. matches made in heaven

Hiya Jaypee !

30 mins in, Aussies 0/14 (for a change !!), I've airbrushed all of the interior green parts, moving on to the small sub-assemblies (bombs, wheels etc) and cutting and cleaning up some larger parts.

Got up late with a sore head and a mess to deal with from the night before. So I didn't make the first ball as planned. Damo, you've made good progress in the first hour, a bit like the Aussie openers....
Ok, I'm into it now.

45/0 Good start by AU if a little shaky, still there though.

Here is my progress in this first hour.
Rule number one of speed building, forget the cockpit. Love it!

I'll let the glue cure overnight and fix up any gaps tomorrow.

Good night folks, a few wickets by morning would be nice. But I think this will be a higher scoring match.

Great start JP, looking good mate !

There's a link to the Sydney weather radar HERE if anybody wants to check what's happening in the skies.

Good to see you Simon, even if you are a bit dodgy (hangover I presume ??)

Cheers, D

We had some friends round last night, but it's more a lack of sleep I think than the 'amber nectar'.

Great start, JP. If I have made that much progress by end of play I'll be very happy. And that cockpit looks very respectable.

A solid start for Aussie openers, shame for Hughes to fall at lunch. Hopefully this test will be a tussle with only one or two wickets or a few runs to separate the two teams at the end of it (not like the last three matches).

I'm still hanging around this forum. Still trying to figure out cricket too. Almost forgot that January 3rd comes to Sydney much sooner than here and would have missed the first day! I can't figure out the score, but I see something about rain setting in after tea.
Regardless, like you guessed, my detailed plan is already out the window. Here's my progress on a simple 1/72 scale Testors (stamped "Hawk" on the back of the parts) Texan/Wirraway conversion. See there are even inscribed markings for the decal locations that I have filled. I didn't get primer on like I'd hoped, but making progress. I'll need this to go at least 3 days to get decent painting and decals, right? Here's where I stand at 10:30 PM local time:

Jaypee, thanks again for suggesting this Ashes Speed Build. I'm having a ball with it. You're right about the details like cockpits being left behind.
thanks,
Sean.

here we go...

gonna get as much done this morning because i'm off to the footy this afternoon,so it can all dry while i'm out then some paint this evening.

paul

End of day one progress report:



Happy to get the canopy masks finished. Painting will start tomorrow.

Hi all. Great work by all so far !

For me I got about 4 hours work done on my build today in between kids, domestic duties, getting ready for work tomorrow , kids again, and watching some cricket.

So here's a summary of Day 1 of "The Great 2011 Ashes Speed Build"

The kit

This is from the old ERTL moulds but the detail looks good, fine recessed panel lines.

The bags with my "ready set go" post thismorning


The cockpit with some very basic weathering (drybrushed flat aluminium)


And the state of play at the end of Day 1 for me (11.50PM)



A couple of gaps to deal with, but after the dramas I'm having with the F-82 for the P-51 Campaign this is a great way to let off some steam and get my mojo back.

Full credit to you Jaypee, most excellent idea indeed my good man !

Now, if only our boys could get a win and salvage some pride.

Cheers, D

A fast start folks, unlike the Aussie openers. What a dull session that first one was.

Shame they did not stick to the gameplan and lost those 3 wickets b4 tea. Need 350-400 on that Sydney road. Advantage England I think.

I think a New Year Speed build should be an annual thing. Get the year started off with a completion.

Ace work Damo. Man of the match so far.

progress so far...


the fit of the kit is terrible(i had to shim the wings and body) so i'll be doing some filler tonight, ready for sanding tomorrow.

paul

we shoulda known better than pick a spitfire for a quick build Paul.

175/6 jeez i need to get a move on or the time will be up!!

be interesting to see how england bat on this wicket. i don't think there is really much in it for the bowlers. most batsmen out to bad shots, and not much movement, some reverse swing but not terrible batting conditions.

Work in the morning so I am off to bed. Got a can of primer sprayed on. Too cold for airbrushing so brush painting this one, god it is harder than I remember it!!

Hopefully another coat will look better but by golly we are spoiled with airbrushes.

Two hours played and we are another 4 wickets down, get some paint on them guys, this isn't going to run the distance !!

Just sprayed the first coat. Masking it next, so I'm using the Qld sun to speed up the drying.
Aussie tail wagging, MJ scoring runs to lift his confidence. Looking like Perth again....?

So I take it you're not under 6m of floodwater like Rockhampton?

[/quote]Aussie tail wagging, MJ scoring runs to lift his confidence. Looking like Perth again....?[/quote]
That would be awesome, to see Johnson tear them apart again, bu I'm afraid the SCG pitch is a bit tame compared to the WACA.

Looking forward to some progress pics with colour, not just the bare styrene, good work mate.

Just had this sent to me from an English mate (ex-mate now ) Given this mornings result, not far off the mark....

A lady walked into a Police Station and the desk sergeant said "Can I help you?"

"Yes" she said, "I'd like to report a case of sexual assault."

"Where did it happen?" the Sergeant asked.

"In the park just down the road" she replied.
"Can you describe what happened?"
"Yes, I was walking along the footpath in the park near the trees when a man jumped out of the bushes and dragged me in there, removed my underwear then he dropped his pants to his knees and had his way with me."
"Could you give me a description of him?"
"Yes, he was wearing white shoes, long white trousers, a white shirt and he had these two big long pads from his feet up to and over his knees, one on each leg."
"Sounds to me like he was a cricketer, most probably a batsman", said the Sergeant.
"Yes", said the lady, "He was a Australian Cricketer."
"That's very observant", said the Sergeant, "You worked that out from the way he spoke?"
"No", she replied. "because he wasn't in for very long."

All out for 280, would have been a tragic first innings score if not for Johnson and Hilfenhaus.

Now let's see if we can keep the English batsmen to somewhere under 500 runs !!



BTW Nick, that would be very funny if it wasn't so true !!

Here I am as of day 2. White paint is drying/curing-- at least the winter chill has completely dried out my house, so maybe it'll cure quickly.
Only today I realized that the lower for the green and white scheme is green, not sky blue, so that saves me another color to mask and dry. Is anyone here brave enough to try to bake their finish?

Come on, Aussies! Not in very long, indeed.
-Sean.

Damien,

Yes, we're on high ground here and Brisbane has escaped the flooding so far. We have had 500mm of rain in December though and my wife's hobby room downstairs is very damp. We'll be building-in the deck upstairs this year for her. Luckily I bagged 'the dry room' for modelling.

New Aussie bowler Beer just got no-balled with Cook half way to the rooms. Would have been his first wicket in international cricket. CRUEL

I've been at it on-off (seen to a leaking dishwasher today) but have done as much as I had planned.



Will spend a bit of time with the family tonight. Will be sealing it and applying decals tomorrow.

Cheers, Simon

love the joke nick

got the silver painted on the undersides,will wait for that to dry,then camo this afternoon.

paul