This animated series was a Franco-Canadian project, which brought together all the Tintin ‘albums’ in a consistent animated form, intended to remain as close to the books as possible. Read more about it here.
For this alone I adore this series. Unlike the original albums, these aren’t perfect. But as far as animated versions go, they’re the best I’ve seen so far. For some of us the nostalgia associated with the theme tune will in itself be worth the price of admission.
I have to confess that I really hated the Spielberg/Jackson Tintin. It did to Hergé’s creation what Jackson et al did to the LOTR, and even more so, The Hobbit, eschewing the ‘homely’ aspects, and totally overdoing (egregiously introducing) Hollywood style blockbuster adrenaline action.
I bought the above model (a secondhand but unused kit) for £10, from Trains4U. The latter shop, in Peterboro’, is a new discovery for me. Mostly, as the name suggests, catering to model train bods, they do nonetheless stock 1/72 WWII German stuff.
This is my reference.
I decided I’d try and make a little diorama with this kit, and base it, to some degree, on the above photograph. I’m not being slavish about reproducing the photo. I want there to be more zimmerit visible, and the overall vehicle to be a little less completely stripped.
The Vimoutiers Tiger.Another stripped/abandoned wreck!
I’ve also subsequently learned of the Vimoutiers Tiger (see pics above). Like the one on the cover of Panzerwrecks 14, it has been stripped, and has an open engine bay area.
BTW, this post covers several days worth of activity/modelling/research, etc.
Bovington’s famous Tiger 131.
The above shot was the only one I found on’t interweb that showed the central engine compartment with a strut across it, like the Ostfront 2 cover photo.
The fun thing about a project like this is, of course, fabricating the scratch-built stuff. In this instance that has entailed a near complete upper-body rebuild.
Very little of the original upper-body…
Finding useful ref wasn’t that easy. Despite Tigers being one of the most popular tanks ever. It’s astonishing the fan base these old warhorses have! And yet detailing the rear engine deck internal stuff required much research.
… is used. Just the front and rear panels.
Thus far I’ve fabricated the two radiators, and these weird doodads with slanted faces that I believe cover the fuel cells. That leaves the cooling fans, some pipe work, sundry odds and ends, and – poss? – the engine itself.
Adding zimm’ and…
The upper hull of this tank is mostly stripped. So much so that all the covers from the rear deck are gone. But rather than leaving the driver and radio op’ hatches empty, I’ve opted to have open hatches. Making them was not easy. And I may want to detail them a little more?
… other sundry little detailing elements.
Adding zimmerit can be fun, if also time consuming and often quite fiddly. I’ve only recently realised that it was standard to have the anti-magnetic past on the hull area directly behind the road wheels. Makes sense, of course!
Ditto – re time consuming/fiddly- all the detailing on the sides of the hull. Most of these doodads are, I think, mounting points for the slanted ‘skirts’ (which in this instance are missing), and other stuff.
Learned about this chap, Dr Wood, on Gardener’s World this morning. A guy living in Norfolk. And a man obsessed. I have to say, I really dig what he’s done/is doing.
The ones shown above would be lovely. But he suggests they’re quite fussy, soil-wise. And we’re not great gardeners. So I’ll have to see if we’re up to it.
His story about the pink hibiscus he spots in a French hedgerow, and his subsequent quest to first find (no luck), and then create (a proper odyssey!) them, is great.
Passion and inspiration, in the quest for beauty and perfection? Wonderful.
Some while ago – I forget exactly when now – I got a whole silver-plate tea service, free, via Freecycle, inc. a third triple candlestick. The decent state of this lot makes our two other candlesticks look pretty awful. So I bought some stuff to buff ‘em all up.
Coffee pot.
As well as the candle-stick, tea pot, sugar bowl, milk jug, etc, there’s also a coffee pot.
Now we have three of these!
We do love Freecycle! And getting stuff like this for nowt… What’s not to like?
The set helps dress our dining table nicely.
And finally, above, the whole lot, adorning the dining table when in action. A home made curry… mmm!
Below I’m sharing a gallery of just some of the fabulous album covers by Alex Steinweiss, inventor of the album cover.
What a guy! He created a whole new world of expression that has subsequently gone on to become a huge part of the fabric of musical life and culture, of the last 80 odd years.
All of the above images come from here, where you can find yet more. That website was, I believe, created around a show staged quite some time ago (poss around 2008?).
I have a book – Taschen, perhaps? – with loads of Steinweiss’ work. Not just album covers. It’s a real treasure trove. But the book is rather small (15 x 20 cm, or thereabouts).
I recently searched for the larger version of the same book. But the cost is beyond my means. Then I looked for a postcard set. There ain’t one! Massive gap in market/sales opportunity!
I did find this very tantalising website (see also three above images). But whilst they seem to have done exactly what I want to find – printed quality facsimiles of a bunch (50?) of Steinweiss album covers – it doesn’t seem to have been a commercially public project. I’ve emailed them, to see if one can buy their prints… I await a reply!
We bought this nice vintage armchair of FB Marketplace, for £30. Getting it into Ruby was a puzzler. But I did it. Mind, the boot wouldn’t quite shut. So it – the boot lid – had to be held down with string!
It’s a little old n’ tatty, being ever so slightly stained. That’s why they used to use antimaccasars, I believe. Maybe we should get one?
Of course the instant we put it down, Chester claimed it as his own. Or as his ‘throne’!
On a recent short break with family, on Mersea Island, I discovered this tipple: Brothers cider, in a Rhubarb & Custard variety flavour.
I enjoyed drinking a few bottles of this over that all too short sojourn. And since then have often looked for it in my locality. But whilst I’ve occasionally found the Brithers brand of cider, except on once occasion, it’s always been other flavours.
So I now know and love the Toffee Apple version. But I’d been miffed not to locate this flavour. And then I chanced across some, in Elton, a lovely little village not far from Peterborough. I poichased four bottles.
Funny thing is, after the long hiatus, it’s not quite a great as I’d thought or was. It’s nice n’ all. It’s a tad sweet (but all these Brothers ciders are!). And the rhubarb flavour I love.
But I think the Toffee Apple one is actually a touch nicer! And, since first drafting this, I’ve discovered that there are many other flavours, inc. the quite lovely Cherry Bakewell!
Teresa had trouble getting to work on pubic transplant today. So much so she eventually gave up n’ came home.
When she got back, I was on a call to one of my two current counsellors. One I see weekly (more or less), the other fortnightly. This was the latter.
I don’t know why she did – perhaps hearing that I was on a call, she wondered who to? – but Teresa snuck quietly up stairs. But I rumbled her, on account of squeaky floorboards!
Anyway, it was nice to see her at home, during the day, at a time when I’m normally home alone. She’s still home. But I’m out for another delivery shift.
I have to say that this job is really good for me at present.
One of the chief reasons is the time it’s giving me to heal and recuperate after a period of extreme depression and self-destructive self-indulgent risk-taking foolishness.
Many is the time – such as right now – I’m sat alone in my car, somewhere, or I’m out and about, one way or another, and – especially if the weather’s gorgeous, as it is right now – I’m in a state of near exultant bliss!
I do worry, sometimes, that this is just part of my manic depressive (or bipolar, as they call it nowadays) tendencies. But, fuck it! I’m also trying to take life just as it is, as it comes. Roll with the punches. Be thankful for what I’ve got.
And into this happy space, new tendrils are growing. For example, just in the last couple of days, I feel inspired to write poetry! I’ve actually done this on and off all my adult life. And even during childhood.
I don’t particularly want to share these poems with the wider world right now. But I would like to keep writing more, and maybe make collections. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even end up as a published writer?
