Ouch, been there.

Those reels aren’t very good for dual line kites – you would definitely benefit from fixed equal length lines.

Decathlon do some good kites under their “Orao” brand, maybe worth checking out? I’ve got the Feel’r 180 model that my friends/family used. Bit small at 160cm span and needs a good breeze but very well made and robust (for the inevitable crashes). Good line set included as well.

OP – I would definitely recommend a stake for your lines, here’s one I made from a golf ball and a tent peg…

View post on imgur.com

Are the lines with your kite(s) on reels? If so it’s difficult to achieve equal line lengths with these.

Mid range and above stunt kites come with fixed equal length lines (typically 25m or so).

I’m not familiar with parafoils but smaller dual line deltas typically require more wind than bigger ones.

Suzuki SX4 (early one, not s-cross). Lots of options (petrol, diesel, AWD).

My 1.6 petrol is approaching 160k miles and drives great. Parts are very cheap too.

Also came badged as a Fiat Sedici I believe…

3K should get a good example.

If you are swimming versus just dipping – definitely get a tow float. I once had my calf cramp up during an 800m swim. Luckily I had my float which I just held on to until the cramp eased.

I made a festive fireplace for my daughter from scraps of styrofoam.

I buy my wife a board game every Christmas – This year it is Kingdomino.

Last year was Azul and the year before was Forbidden Desert. Can’t remember the other ones. It’s great to play games in the dead spot between Christmas and New Year and great building up quite the collection for when my daughter is a bit older.

Just remembered that we received Carcassonne and Catan  from family last Christmas too but haven’t got round to playing those yet.

I’m cursed with mechanical sympathy. Wish I could switch it off but just can’t help noticing/fretting about things. Can be quite distressing at times.

I’ve held off building the dream for now.

Masking removed from the Spit – only a few touch ups required

I masked up using “No Nonsense” masking tape from Screwfix – It is water resistant and is very similar to Tamiya tape, Screwfix website states that it is Japanese “Washi” paper tape. I had some leftover from masking off 1:1 scale bathroom bits.

I was recently given this – instructions are a single sheet!  Kits have certainly come a long way

I’ve been cracking on with a couple of cheap Airfix starter sets – 1:76 Cromwell and a 1:72 Spitfire. Really enjoyable way to unwind as the nights draw in.

Although I’ve got loads of Tamiya and Revell acrylics – I’m actually using the starter paints supplied which aren’t too bad once thinned. Good enough for me anyway.

I’m thinking of entering a trail marathon in the new year – Will a generic marathon training plan (Runner’s world, FIRST, etc) be suitable for this, provided that I do the long runs on similar terrain? I’m not aiming for a time, more just to run the distance.

Glad to see this thread still active.

What is the best way to sell ones stash? Worth selling individual kits or as a job lot?

4 month old baby = no free time and they are taking up space.

Tend to avoid eBay if I can help it.

Thanks

First time using a four line kite this evening, very different to the dual line kite I have been using.

I’ll never build one but this certainly looks impressive:

https://uk.airfix.com/community/blog-and-news/workbench/airfix-designers-introduction-to-the-fairey-gannet

Between us, me and the missus got for Christmas:

Catan
Azul
Carcassonne

Haven’t played them yet, just a few games of Hive (I’m pretty good at chess but crap at Hive).

Nice! What is the Heller kit?

Not had the time/space/motivation to do any modelling so I enjoy following this thread.

I’ve got a Carrera Intercity with disc brakes (8 speed), it’s really good quality for the price. Can anyone recommend a pannier rack for a 20″ bike?

Mackerel have been shoaling the past couple of days, cue hundreds of people catching more mackerel than they/their friends/family are going to be able to eat. Appreciate some may freeze it and use it as bait but seems a bit excessive to me.

Got our town’s annual raft race tomorrow in aid of the RNLI. Today was spent building the raft.

🤞 It stays together, it’s held with big cable ties which are quite brittle, had loads from the packet fail on us when tightening.

I’ve got a lump on top of my right foot, had it for a few months (Think it may have been bought on by too tight running shoes) and it has impacted my ability to run. It feels sore constantly. Has anyone else experienced this type of injury? Going a bit nuts not being able to run.

Nice one, my efforts over the weekend:

Recyclables sorted:

Found an unopened can of Thatcher’s, wasn’t brave enough to drink it.

Disappointed in Uri…

Hey RNP, thank you for starting this thread, its inspirational. My first litter pick tonight:

Majority of this was within about 100 yards of where I live. I had to stash it and return later with a bag.

I realise that I haven’t even made a dent into the local litter problem but it has made me feel better doing something positive rather than just getting angry about it. Hopefully it will become a regular habit. Will look into equipping myself with a picker and hoop thingy.

Thanks again.

The rubber sole on one of my shoes has lifted from the foam mid sole – can anyone recommend a glue to repair please?

Pretty poor so far – Apart from Ewan McGregor this suffers from awful acting and dialogue, particularly the Third Sister.

Only really use it for toasties or omelettes – 5 eggs is my record.

Good bit of kit though.

I’ve got these https://www.tooled-up.com/kincrome-universal-soft-car-roof-rack-luggage-bars/prod/481538/

Foam blocks instead of inflatable and seem secure enough. Can’t comment on scratching as have only used it a handful of times.

Thought I’d post here rather than start a new thread.

Received a lovely drop stitch inflatable kayak for my 30th birthday (Itiwit Strenfit X500 from Decathlon).

I paddle off a steeply shelved beach and am finding launching an issue – in my previous plastic boats I just slid in the boat down the shingle and into the water but I am wary of abrasion in my new boat – I’m having to wade waist deep into the water and then scramble into the boat.

Apart from that, the boat is more than adequate for my needs and the storage aspect is a plus for me living in a small flat. Rinsing and drying it is problematic though.

Happy paddling all.

PSA – Reebok Energy Floatride Energy 4 £52.50 from their site, use promo code SPRING. Free postage too.

Ordered a pair – never had a pair of Reebok’s but they seem to get good reviews.

@cx_monkey how funny! I can confirm that the tyres on the new Tempest kit say “Dunlop”.

I’ve just noticed that drop tanks are included but are transparent?! The instructions don’t make reference to these either, very odd.

Wow lovely looking Tempest Harry. Read that a couple of years back – quite a harrowing read.

Very bad atmosphere at work yesterday so went to the model shop down the road to escape. Ended up with these…

The Chieftain was only £13, dates from the 70s I believe but looks decent enough – certainly enough for me and my skill level.

New Airfix Tempest looks nice – some clever features designed into it. The tyres even have Dunlop moulded into their sidewalls!

I started cycling as a teenager in 2008 – I spent too much time reading bullshit reviews on road.cc and the like and completely fell for the marketing.

Makes me feel sick how many of my perfectly serviceable bikes/parts etc I disregarded as inferior and consequently threw away and neglected. I don’t own a proper bike now due to being priced out. (only got a folding bike now which I will appreciate despite it being 13kg and low spec).

Has anyone else encountered cheating on Chess.com? I’ve played there for a few years now and never really thought about it but a few recent games have changed my mind on the matter.

I can’t say conclusively that opponents are cheating but post match analysis shows very high accuracy (these are low ranking games too ~700 rapid rating) with very little time taken per move (30 min games)

Nice haul.

I received these…

Both 1/32 and absolutely massive, will save these for when my skills levels hopefully improve.

Airfix Zero ready for priming, not looking forward to masking the canopy…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012plp

Solomon Browne – 40 years on, the dramatic story of the Penlee lifeboat disaster.

@Freester fantastic work!

Corsair of a different kind purchased on my lunch break today –

And my completed Revell 1/72 Spitfire Vb –

Brush painted with Revell Aqua Color acrylics and initially was really happy with the finish of the ocean grey base coat. When painting the green camo the paint bled under the masking and also formed ridges up against the tape which dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Looks ok from a distance though.

Tamiya acrylics are hard to paint without leaving brush marks, I add a cheap acrylic retarding fluid (readily available from The Range) and this helps level off the brush marks.

I am in the process of brush painting a Spitfire Vb using the Revell Aqua Color range – when thinned (with tap water) they give a very good finish. Edited to add – wider flat brushes make all the difference and very cheap too.

Great finish on that Corsair! Looks like enamels are the way to go when brush painting.