I have an assignment for the day job that's not too bad, eh? Building model kits. I guess there's good and bad, but generally it's an interesting assignment.Our hospital system is bringing in one of the people involved in the sunken U-boat discovery chronicled in Shadow Divers . He'll speak to the medical staff at their annual meeting.
We have a vibrant wound healing program, and because it utilizes hyperbaric oxygen chambers, wound medicine is called diving medicine.
Our wound medical director met one of the divers at a conference and yadda, yadda, yadda - "Sidney, could you help us build a bunch of U-boat model kits as center pieces?"
The request came from my co-worker whose husband is a phenomenal model kit builder with a Trek emphasis. I think he's reconstructing the entire ruins of Wolf 359.
My model background
I usually build kits of Dracula and other Universal monsters. I was going to build a Tor Johnson from Plan 9 kit, but that was around the time Christine and I were getting married and she felt there were better uses for my fortune. It's a lovely radiant cut.
I haven't built model kits in a few years. There was an unfortunate incident involving Christine's
breakfast-nook table and some paint thinner.But since it's for work I'm building Revell U-boats.
A lot of U-boats.
Fortunately I have until October 10 or so, and my co-worker's husband is going to spray them all a gunmetal gray. It would be fun to paint them with the precision this model-builder achieved, but that would be impractical.
I'm a little nervous because Scott (my co-worker's husband) is a perfectionist and I find myself not wanting to disappoint. I hope I will get faster with my next builds, but there's a surprising amount of detail even though there are not a million little pieces.
Cementing the hull without separations requires all of the rubber bands, chip clips and clothes pins I could find, and I have big fingers that make the assembly of the conning tower and the deck guns a little challenging.
The near-sightedness in my left eye comes in a little handy, though.
I find it satisfying, and a nice break from writing. I'll try to keep you posted on my progress.
Ships completed so far: 1
Addendum:
Ships completed so far 9/24: 4 1/2
5 comments:
Hey, no fair having fun at work stuff. I envy your patience here. I've never been able to build complex models. No decent eye/hand coordination, and little enough patience.
U-Boats are the coolest of all subs and ships. I still fondly remember the U-Boat on display in Chicago, though I haven't toured it since about 1970. The model sounds fun to assemble.
You know what I used to do, Sid? I would build these models of three masted schooners, then turn off the lights in my bedroom and turn on a small high intensity lamp. Using a magnifying glass, I would create lifesize shadows of the schooner on the wall...slowly moving the model before the lamp, I would watch the deck slowly roll by and even slightly roll with the ocean of my mind.
Too much time on my hands..not enough friends.
You know, I've never seen a real U-Boat. We went aboard a U.S. sub on display in Alabama when I was a kid, but I've never seen a German ship.
Stewart, I can identify. I had a cool couple of weeks at the end of one summer vacation reading "The Deep" and putting together a Revell pirate ship.
Surely, the dude is absolutely fair.
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