Yesterday was spent finishing up 5 rocket kits. What I had to do was cut all the wood parts. I know, “why don’t I have these laser cut?” The answer is simple. I only make up small batches of these kits at any given time. To pre-pay a laser cutter and buy bulk wood would be very costly for me and drive the kit costs up double what they are now. So I hand cut using templates.

Here’s a frame grab from the video. All the wood parts I had to cut for one X-15 kit.

This weeks video update shows the entire process to help my customers better understand all the hard work that goes into making these kits. Because with my costs nearly doubling in the last 10 years I’m about to increase my prices to make up for it.

The Mustang has all it’s covering on at long last and I can start painting and detailing bit by bit.

Today I start prepping two masks for paint and hair work. Those go out next.

Moving along getting these rocket kits finished up to ship out today. I re-marked all the BT tubes for fin placement, made up the parts bags and vacuumed formed the tailcones in PETG clear. At first I made them in white styrene but found they pulled too thin and they could easily crack. The PETG is thicker and more durable.

I’m shooting a video of the entire process of making up these kits so my customers can see the amount of work that goes into these kits.

Later today I’ll start prepping the masks for paint now that the rubber has dried out sufficiently.

A few pictures I forgot to post of work around the studio this week. Rocket kits will be shipped next week. I just got my box of body tubes yesterday in the mail. All resin parts are cast. Masks poured up and ready to paint.

Remember folks I have a Patreon page where you can help support the studio and the making of these videos. Not to mention(I just did) you can visit our store and buy collectables.

patreon.com/steveneill

Yesterday I managed to get yet another gorilla mask cast up and a bit of covering on the wing of my Mustang while I waited for my old friend Jeff Helps and his wife Jean. 

The rest of the day was spent with them at a wonderful launch at the Marina by our studio. We sat outside and looked at the Marina, the boats and the life that goes one there. A very nice day.

Our front entrance to our studio has a new look. Our next door neighbor Lorie re-decorated the front to our surprise and it’s beautiful. Mary had a new flag made with, Art Studio and Gallery.

Today is Friday and I’ll be working on orders as best I can. This week has put me a bit behind but next week I’ll finish all the orders and ship them out.

Yesterday was one of those days again and today will be another. An old friend popped into town last night and wants to visit us today. 

However in the limited time I had yesterday I managed to get these masks out of the molds. And I made up the rest of the nosecones needed to fill my orders for rocket kits.

And yes I finished the rest of Mustang’s fuselage. Next I’ll start slowly working on the wing covering.

I made this film about 6 years ago. I was never really happy with it. There were things that just bugged me. So I have spent a month or more recutting the film and removing and adding things that make it flow better.

This film was met with much controversy and even anger. It is a subject people (as they often are) are very opinionated about. And these opinions are never based on research or knowledge about the subject matter. They are knee jerk reactions based on fear, and the training our media and government has influenced you to think. And over the years they have done a very good job.

Bottom line for whatever it’s worth, people of sound minds have experiences with things that science and religion have failed to explain. There is evidence. Mountains of it and most people that have experiences with the unknown rarely talk about it. But some do. And they speak sensibly the media will seldomly feature them. Always say the same thing. I don’t know exactly what is happening to me, “But Something is There”.

At 12:00 pm today you can see the film:

Yesterday was cut short by hair cuts, taking one of our dogs to the vet and other domestic choirs and this happens because we have lives that demand our attention. It can be frustrating at times but I always try to let it go and realize that all one can do is the very best they can. 

I managed to get some time with Bryan’s Battlestar which I did enjoy. Being upstairs in the art-model room is nice and warm and cozy. 

I did spend some time in the bay working on model rocket parts too. I got an order from Balsa Machining for my rocket kit supplies, hair from Burman Industries for my mask orders and today more rocket body tubes placing all my ducks in a row to complete my orders.

Today I have another dental appointment but luckily they are only 5 mins. from our studio and the visit is a short one today. Still yesterday I was thinking to myself (as I stood over my P-51), I’ll have an uninterrupted day tomorrow. Then the phone rang and my dentist asked me to come in for a test fitting. I’m having my teeth adjusted.

I’m thinking of just turning my phone off for Thursday and Friday in blind for no further interruptions. 

And the other thing I run into sometimes is this. “You’re 70 now. You just play with models and monsters. You should be retired now. Most normal people are by now.” 

In some people’s perspective (they being well meaning), intrude. It’s much like being a child again. People just don’t take you seriously. There’s little one can do about it except let it roll off and put one foot in front of the other. And proceed with a smile on your face. But these are some of the things that we seniors face.

I did break time at the end of the day and covered the intake on the Mustang. I swear I’ll finish this plane by next week.

There’s not enough time in the day it would seem. The studio is busy. Orders are coming in and I’m trying to stay ahead of them. I spent most of the day just casting parts and pouring rubber for masks.

I tried my best to get upstairs to the model building department with little luck. It’s warm up there and I have a nice plastic model to build for a customer. 

In the bay it was in the low 50’s. A freezer for us California folks and it’s been this way since Oct of last year. And this in no way is typical for us here in Ventura. I am damn tired of it as I sit here writing in a sweater.

As always I give myself one hour of basket weaving time at the end of the day. As they say, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”.

So I got a bit more covering done on this big Mustang. I swear I’ll have this monster of a radio controlled airplane done soon. I miss the smaller stuff.

Good day yesterday. And today? Vet appointment, hair cut, and then I’ll get to work a bit but not as much as I’d like too. It seems these days it’s getting more difficult to just work straight through a day. There’s always appointments, meetings, phone calls, visitors, and more. But I surrendered some time ago and embraced the busy vibe our studio attracts. It’s all good.

Thank you all for the continued support, for your orders and projects.