Yesterday I got all my orders caught up with and shipped except for one V-23 rocket kit. 

I did remove the model of the discovery I had mounted to a frame with stars I did several years ago. I never liked it and it covered up one of my paintings in my office which really bugged me.

I’m making a new stand for it where I can place it in front of the huge 2001 Hilton space station model I scratch built where it can be lighted up in all it’s glory with the rest of my 2001: a space odyssey shrine.

I got this driver from Marc Tyler finished painted and in an action pose in the test car. Now to build a new, clean car made from the production molds.

I’m also starting today General Ursus from Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

They are done and ship today. Next up a V-23 rocket kit.

I also fitted a driver to the test car. Now it’s time to build a ground up hero car from the production molds. I have beat this model up enough on the track and it passed inspection.

Yesterday I got the two Planet of the Apes masks painted. I went back and looked at the early photos of the makeup in that wonderful movie and matched them to my memory of being on set for the TV show. It was my first job when I came to Hollywood.

I remember being in the long makeup trailer on the Fox backlot and the appliances laid out in the morning and the pots of Castor Oil grease makeup we used on the foam rubber appliances. There was the orange brown base and dark brown shading color. I matched this memory with a new batch of paint and painted both. Those were amazing times. I remember clearly John Chambers coming into the trailer early in the morning and later Roddy Macdowall. Roddy was the life of that morning and later I would work with him again and again. He was a truly nice human being.

Today I’ll lay the hair on with Barag cement and crepe hair. The teeth are cast in latex and get placed today too. Both these masks will be done and once more I have caught up with my orders. For now.

Oh…and I did get in my 30 minutes of time on my latest free flight airplane build. Slowly but surely the Cessna is framing up.

I have new sculptures to start and other things to do for the store. Not to mention direct two more films this year. 

I did go over the Aquila yesterday. As it turns out it’s been 4 years since it last saw flight. This is just wrong. Time flies by but not my planes? Everyday there’s some reason you can’t go. You have a Doctors appointment, the weather is bad, I have work to catch up on, etc. Life gets in the way until one day there’s no more life and your kits and models end up in an estate sale.

As they say in the UK Bollocks. I’m making the time from now on. Getting quality time with one’s hobbies is (in this man’s opinion) better than that proverbial apple a day. 😉

I now watch the weather conditions daily, hourly. I have the dunes, Rincon, Viola fields, and Elwwod Bluffs all within reach of my home. I keep things ready to go and batteries charged. But you have to allow yourself this time and tell yourself it’s Ok.

Certainly a doctor’s appointment is important or spending time with family, but all the other bits are not. They can wait. And everytime you fly, sail, race, dive, or run trains, and more you feel this release and relaxation that actually adds to your quality of life and the work you still do. It makes you happy and all of life’s little problems and displeasures become less to deal with because you made that successful flight and made that incredible landing. Won a race or test flew your own design that performed flawlessly. Launched a rocket to 5000 feet and brought it back to Earth in one piece. There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment.

I have found that people who do these things live longer, happier lives.

I hear it all the time. “I wish I could do that. I wish I had the time for such things. One day I’ll build that kit that has been sitting for years.”

You just have to get out there and do it! Do it now and stop procrastinating. A don’t listen to other people that tell you differently. They just don’t understand and never will. We are a breed like no other. Because of makers and hobbyists we have put people on the Moon, built the Web, airplanes that take us around our world and more. Remember that.

I found a bit more time yesterday to do some more work on this Volare Cessna. Dry fit the wing and built the horizontal stab. I am so much enjoying this build and I fit in an hour each day.

I finished up a set of my Spock ears from the original molds made back in 1978 by myself. These have been popular over the years.

I poured up more ears for a museum and cast teeth for the Planet of the Aprs masks I start painting today. All and all a great start to a new and always amazing week!

Yesterday I started out at the local Marina Park and got some sailing time in. I am making an effort to spend time actually enjoying the hobbies I have as I tend to put them off for work. Work that is always there unlike the hobbies as they are subject to weather and other conditions. You have to fly-sail when weather allows and it did yesterday.

Enjoy this short video. It’s 45 seconds long.

I got back and pulled masks from molds and painted the Communion Bust and it’s ready to ship today. Next up are 2 Planet of the Apes masks to paint and hair.

Tomorrow I’m off to the slope to fly some large RC gliders. Nothing like these graceful, silent, beautiful sailplanes in the air flying. Talk about no carbon footprint.

After staying home on Tuesday to take care of house affairs it was good to get back to the studio to catch up. Orders continue to come in and it keeps us busy.
On Tuesday at home I finished the test car. The Cooper is taking shape and now on this website for sale at long last.
Here’s some pictures of the test model. The production model will be better and have more details.

I made up yet another set of Spock ears and painted them. Cast up two Planet of the Apes masks, and prepped for painting today a Communion Alien bust for a man that actually owns Whitley Strieber’s cabin where the first book took place.
I got two more rocket kits sent out and poured up more tire barriers. Quite a full day and I have another one today after a bit of RC sailing this morning.

It was a busy Monday with orders to fill, resin to pour, parts to make and more.

I started things out by opening the Communion bust mold and pulling out the casting. After that I cast a resin marble base.

This all needs to dry out a day and then I’ll paint and finish.

I also poured up and pulled some more tire barriers for the 1/32 scale slot car tracks. You’ll be able to order these later this week.

I cast up more resin parts for a V-2 Rocket kit, some more T51 Cooper car bodies and another X-15 kit.

I vacuum formed wind screens for the Cooper slot car body too.

And I poured up a Planet of the Apes mask as well. This will get pulled from the mold tomorrow. It’s very cold this week and things set up at a slower rate than usual.

And lastly I printed decal sheets for the T51 Cooper car body kits. A very full day indeed.

Some of you have asked about purchasing my art. Here’s a place you can. Not all of it has to do with aliens and flying saucers. There’s car art, space art, and science fiction art, which I personally prefer.

We don’t have the tools to make prints, t-shirts, or coffee mugs, and the like but Fine Art America does.

https://fineartamerica.com/art/steve+neill