Reason behind that is that the Arduino microcontroller I was using is very sensitive to voltage input, and will reset itself if voltage gets too low or spikes.\u00a0 The USB input I had from my PC, as it turns out, is highly variable in just the kind of way an Arduino doesn\u2019t appreciate.\u00a0 As a result, it was impossible to predict with perfect accuracy what track was currently cued on the MP3 player \u2013 because the MP3 player wasn\u2019t so sensitive.\u00a0 So everything would look good, I\u2019d start a track, test another function, and the Arduino would reset.\u00a0 The track, however, would keep playing.<\/p>\n
So I\u2019m ditching those MP3 players.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be useful sometime if I just want to add one single track or a batch of sounds which I don\u2019t particularly care about their order, but for what I want with the Enterprise, they won\u2019t do.\u00a0 I\u2019m testing several Arduino-compatible sound boards now that are also dirt-cheap, and will come back with a report on those eventually.<\/p>\n
But onward!<\/p>\n
I\u2019m staying for a couple months in a small studio apartment while I start my new job and move the family into a larger place down here, and to keep my hands busy, I brought this along:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/WIN_20170501_17_05_30_Pro.jpg\")
<\/a>It’s the Belfast!<\/p><\/div>\n
It was a gift from Hugo back in our trip to visit the Belfast as part of BAD-ARMADA\u2019s field outing, and I promised him I\u2019d make it my next build after the Enterprise.\u00a0 Since I\u2019ve got some time on my hands here, I figured this would be a good place to do it as a from-the-box build, no extra third-party specials.\u00a0 Just glue, files\/sandpaper, a razor knife, and some paint.<\/p>\n
This kit was a special edition produced for the Imperial War Museum, and to my knowledge it\u2019s not available anywhere but at the Belfast itself (which is a museum ship in downtown London, and a great trip to take for a few hours if you\u2019re at all interested in this sort of thing).<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s unbox it together, shall we?<\/p>\n
<\/a>If you’re buying this as a gift for someone, rest assured that everything needed is already in the kit.<\/p><\/div>\n
Nominally, this kit comes with everything you need \u2013 technically you don\u2019t have to buy a thing extra to get it constructed.\u00a0 It has two synthetic Humbrol brushes, a tube of poly cement, and eight little pots of what look like Humbrol acrylics.\u00a0 I won\u2019t be using the paints or glue for this build, but I wanted to show you what\u2019s in here.\u00a0 The paint looks like it could use a good shake, so my recommendation if you\u2019re going to use them is leave them in the little bag, put that into a second Ziploc bag, and throw them in with the cold laundry or something.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have the patience to shake pots that much.\u00a0 Alternatively just stir them with some toothpicks after opening.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Probably could use a wash, but that’s not 100% necessary.<\/p><\/div>\n
The sprues are contained in their own separate bag, all together.\u00a0 I do recommend that you give these a gentle wash in the sink or a tub with warm water and a little dish soap.\u00a0 I don\u2019t always follow my own instructions, but there it is.\u00a0 Dry them on a towel afterwards, don\u2019t let them dry with beaded water on them or you might get a little calcium buildup if you have hard water.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Full inventory, ready to build.<\/p><\/div>\n
The sprues themselves are pretty straightforward.\u00a0 Two deck pieces, two hull pieces, and four sprues of general gear and detail.\u00a0 Some of this shows a bit of flash on it, so the molds are probably a little bit old, but there\u2019s nothing really excessive to deal with here.<\/p>\n
At 1:600, the smallest thing you\u2019re going to be dealing with are the lifeboats and the AA guns, both of which are 2mm-3mm in size, plus a few spotlights and some of what look to be depth-charge gear.\u00a0 For me, this poses a bit of a challenge, since I have large hands, but the hardest part will be if I drop any of these little bastards on the floor.\u00a0 So \u2013 advice #1:\u00a0 cut your parts off while maintaining a good grip on them with tweezers or fingers, and do the cutting over a solid-color drop cloth or cutting mat.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Gets the job done. Nice photo section at the end.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Large painting guide, good to see that. Numbers correspond to numbers on the top of the little paint pots.<\/p><\/div>\n
The instructions are serviceable.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t as comprehensive as something you\u2019d get from Dragon or Tamiya, but they are fine for general purposes.\u00a0 (I contrast Dragon\u2019s, for example, in that they tend to include a sprue inventory with callouts on where parts are; Airfix doesn\u2019t do that.)\u00a0 A nice touch are some black and white photos at the end showing Belfast at sea, and one entering the Thames on her way past the Tower Bridge, presumably on her way to becoming the museum piece.\u00a0 Finally, a painting guide at the end which includes detailing on the Walrus plane the ship was equipped with (which was later removed when radar proved to be a much more weight-effective spotting device).<\/p>\n
<\/a>If you didn’t have other basing plans already, this would be serviceable. Maybe glue it onto a wooden base cut to size?<\/p><\/div>\n
In addition to the instructions, a cardstock display base is also included with backdrop photo and some basic stats on the vessel and a short blurb of her history.\u00a0 It\u2019s a nice touch, and it makes this kit a really good candidate as a gift for a younger family member who likes to build models.<\/p>\n
All in all, I\u2019d definitely grab this for a kid who\u2019s getting into modeling, as the all-in-one nature of the box is really handy for some households that might be short on space (and when said child doesn\u2019t necessarily have access to a lot of tools).\u00a0 As an adult builder with a lot of goofy accessories, I\u2019m looking forward to building this one just because I like the ship and had a great time visiting it.\u00a0 In fact, I already have a nefarious plan in mind, which will involve basing the completed Belfast in the same frame as her worthy and fearsome opponent\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/a>Dunt-Dunt-DAAA!
Revell makes the Scharnhorst in 1:570, which is close enough that the two can share a base and look roughly to scale with one another.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Part 1: \u00a0Unboxing Hi everyone! I\u2019m in the process of moving to Munich, and while that is going on, the Enterprise will be on hold \u2013 it\u2019s mostly software coding at this point to make sure I\u2019ve got all my … Continue reading