The Weekend Hobby Thread

Now of course they are called "drones," but a drone is nothing more than a radio-controlled model plane, or more accurately an RC helicopter.

Back when I was a kid...a long time ago...that was an awesome hobby. And an expensive one. Even the terrestrial versions were pricey! I remember seeing people driving their RC dune buggies in the park in town. That looked like loads of fun!

And what about slot cars? There was a great slot car facility on the bottom floor of a bowling alley near where I grew up. They had two or three really long and convoluted tracks and amazingly fast cars for rent. I remember being amazed at their speed, and how complex even the controllers were.

I'll bet more than a few of you have an old, dusty slot car set in the back of a closet or tucked away in the attic!

***
The ingenuity with which people approach huge projects is simply amazing.

***
I love the troubleshooting!

***
I think a 20 gauge loaded with #7 would work better.

***

Oh...keep this light. No politics or other sh*t.

Posted by: CBD at 05:22 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 was that guy deploying the drone to peer into peoples' windows?

Posted by: kallisto at December 16, 2023 05:27 PM (bHBLI)

2 I think my hobbies lately are making spaces to organize my hobbies.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at December 16, 2023 05:27 PM (VwHCD)

3 Welcome Hobbiests
Painting 15mm draft horseand watching a video on a smoothbore Dragoon pistol

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:31 PM (fwDg9)

4 Wonder if the drone footage was fake?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 16, 2023 05:32 PM (Angsy)

5 Topless woman's needs a Dragoon pistol

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:32 PM (fwDg9)

6 Just been reading this week as a hobby. Finished a book by some guy named DiGrazia. Pretty good.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 16, 2023 05:34 PM (Angsy)

7 Soundtrack work. Recording sound, processing sound, layering sound, mixing sound. Sound sound sound sound.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at December 16, 2023 05:35 PM (CHHv1)

8 Model airplanes use the same physics as a full size aircraft
Heinrich Dorfmann

I suspect most YouTube videos are setup

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:35 PM (fwDg9)

9 Drone girl looks like she lives in some former communist shithole. Seems that she would like a sponsorship to come and live in America.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 05:36 PM (Gsmsg)

10 Model airplanes use the same physics as a full size aircraft
Heinrich Dorfmann

Bernoulli does not discriminate.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 05:37 PM (Gsmsg)

11 I loved slot cars as a kid. Our neighbor's kids had a nice track layout in their basement. BYOC (bring your own cars). I wonder what happened to those cars? Of course, that was about 60 years ago.

Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 05:38 PM (7EjX1)

12
Stopped at a hobby store today and a S&W 'ez' .38 seems to fit our needs for the wife.

Not sure what all that means, in a hobby thread. But a canoe accident at some time maybe.

Posted by: Divide by Zero at December 16, 2023 05:40 PM (enJYY)

13 I had a slot car race track as a kid. Loved it. We had a poodle that would bark at the cars as they came around the track.

Good times.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at December 16, 2023 05:41 PM (Bgvlk)

14 I have 2 slot car sets set up intertwined with each other. Over 150 feet of track in each one. One AFX, one Tyco.

Grand kids love it.

I did the remote control car thing in the 80's. Still have two of those in parts in a box. The Wasp and The Hornet. Tamiya kits. Lots of wasted money in those as they were in need of constant repair and I upgraded almost everything.

Never could afford Airplanes. House of Balsa was an awesome supplier for those kits but all they do now is glue for woods. I got a cheap airplane once for Christmas and promptly crashed it so I was never really into them.

Posted by: Reforger at December 16, 2023 05:43 PM (HaJYn)

15 Replaced the front brakes on the truck today. Calipers, rotors, and pads. I drove it down the driveway and there's a scrubbing sound. Crap. It's getting dark and starting to rain so I'll look at it tomorrow. Probably just a backing plate.

Posted by: fd at December 16, 2023 05:45 PM (vFG9F)

16 Model airplanes use the same physics as a full size aircraft
Heinrich Dorfmann
--------

Yeah, yeah. You know that lash-up crashed, and I died, right Heinrich?

Posted by: Paul Mantz at December 16, 2023 05:46 PM (XeU6L)

17 Youngest brother had a slot car track back in the early '70s. Mom let him set it up on the dining room table. He and his friends spent hours racing.

I can still remember that distinctive slot car sound.

Posted by: sal: tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum at December 16, 2023 05:46 PM (KB0Aa)

18 Stil have my AFX BSR Datsun 510.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 16, 2023 05:47 PM (XeU6L)

19 I can still remember that distinctive slot car sound.

Posted by: sal: tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum at December 16, 2023 05:46 PM (KB0Aa)

Oh yes! That's a great memory.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 05:49 PM (gSZYf)

20 Impressive model train setup.

https://tinyurl.com/ya63rhv7

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here at December 16, 2023 05:50 PM (FVME7)

21

I remember having Aurora Model Motoring cars.

https://tinyurl.com/48prbn3m

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at December 16, 2023 05:51 PM (63Dwl)

22 was that guy deploying the drone to peer into peoples' windows?
Posted by: kallisto

So, what is the general rule to be arrested for voyeurism? Does one have to be on the property of the one being voyeured?

Posted by: Tonypete at December 16, 2023 05:51 PM (QG3cQ)

23 The WWII bigature planes are very cool. The RC scene is wild. There was one where a guy had taken a plane and then put the go pro camera inside of the cockpit on a rotating mount so that your view would be as a pilot.

Very cool.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 05:52 PM (di6C2)

24 Random thought. My Cousin Vinny is on and Marisa Tomei is hot, hot, hot!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here at December 16, 2023 05:52 PM (FVME7)

25 Errr. Grasshopper not Wasp. I was thinking of another unbuilt model I have.

Posted by: Reforger at December 16, 2023 05:52 PM (0hzfo)

26 Still have my AFX ~~BSR~~ BRE Datsun 510.

Edited

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 16, 2023 05:53 PM (XeU6L)

27 Here's one with a virtual reality set up from inside an RC Spitfire:

https://tinyurl.com/ypbamh9u

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 05:54 PM (di6C2)

28 24 Random thought. My Cousin Vinny is on and Marisa Tomei is hot, hot, hot!
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here at December 16, 2023 05:52 PM (FVME7)

----------

Very impressive.

Posted by: George Wilbur, FBI at December 16, 2023 05:55 PM (ovxwt)

29 Had the TCR cars and track. Flip the switch and change lanes. Great until you hit the corner at full speed and the car went flying off somewhere.

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at December 16, 2023 05:56 PM (dZVON)

30 Always wanted a RC plain or helicopter but knew 1 crash and it would be tears

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:57 PM (fwDg9)

31 Here is another one. Unless you want the incongruous CCR soundtrack, watch on mute:

https://tinyurl.com/mwvd5n7z

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 05:59 PM (di6C2)

32 30 Always wanted a RC plain or helicopter but knew 1 crash and it would be tears
Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:57 PM (fwDg9)

For some reason, to me, the idea of using a virtual reality set up seems cooler. I dunno.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:00 PM (di6C2)

33 {8} ... I suspect most YouTube videos are setup

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:35 PM (fwDg9)

Given the sheer amount of clickbait there, it's a good call.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at December 16, 2023 06:01 PM (qPw5n)

34 30 Always wanted a RC plain or helicopter but knew 1 crash and it would be tears
Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 05:57 PM (fwDg9)

-----------

You could equip it with a little Kobe Bryant-cam.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 06:01 PM (ovxwt)

35 Always wanted a RC plain or helicopter but knew 1 crash and it would be tears
Posted by: Skip
--------

Same here. I went with a Micro Magic RC sailboat. Could enjoy quiet, coffee, and sailing, all at the same time.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 16, 2023 06:01 PM (XeU6L)

36 You could equip it with a little Kobe Bryant-cam.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 06:01 PM (ovxwt)

So, a helicopter.

JFK, Jr cam for the RC airplane.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:03 PM (di6C2)

37 I was into the HO slot cars. Aurora and Tyco cars, which I raced on a Tyco track.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:03 PM (rj6Yv)

38 I crashed every RC airplane I ever had. Gave up on that until I got a drone that flys itself.

Posted by: fd at December 16, 2023 06:04 PM (vFG9F)

39 man o man this takes me back! Anybody else build the little balsa wood airplane with the little engine that ran on lighter fluid? You stood in a spot at the middle of circle track and held it with a hand grip that had a couple of strings attached so you could try to coax it up and down as you got dizzy. Me and little brother destroyed several of things at Bayland Park in SW Houston.

There was also a place in Bellaire that had indoor slot car tracks. You could rent them or bring your own, both cars and controllers. Us and friends spent many hours there.

Thanks CBD!

Posted by: DanMan at December 16, 2023 06:04 PM (8uzBS)

40 >>Same here. I went with a Micro Magic RC sailboat. Could enjoy quiet, coffee, and sailing, all at the same time

I've been thinking about building a RC sailboat. Had a marine carpenter friend who used to build them from scratch, they were works of art, but that is beyond my capabilities.

Posted by: JackStraw at December 16, 2023 06:04 PM (ZLI7S)

41 Oh how the MFM has Changed The Boston Tea Party is now a terrorist act by criminals.

Posted by: vic at December 16, 2023 06:06 PM (A5THL)

42 Afternoon, all,

Back from a tenants' rights meeting. It's quite possible our apartment complex, including the condos, may get demolished in the new year. Dealing with that will be my hobby for a while!

Aside from that, does any one remember Aurora's venture into HO-scale slot car sets, Model Motoring? I had a basic set in 1964. Of course the car used on the box art was a Mustang, and one of the cars in the set was a fastback Mustang too. It turned out to not be as exciting as I thought it would be -- building assembly kits was a lot more fun. Maybe if we'd had a basement to build an actual track in, it would have been more enjoyable.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:08 PM (omVj0)

43 37 I was into the HO slot cars. Aurora and Tyco cars, which I raced on a Tyco track.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:03 PM (rj6Yv)

A bunch off us on our block had the Aurora HO car tracks. We put them together in one guys shed

Posted by: vic at December 16, 2023 06:10 PM (A5THL)

44 Wolfus I would take that as a sign.

Posted by: fd at December 16, 2023 06:10 PM (vFG9F)

45 I remember one Christmas when Santa brought me a GI Joe plastic mold thing. You placed wires in the mold and then poured some plastic liquid to cover them. Then you placed the mold in a cheap little oven and bakedit. It was my practical introduction to the laws of thermodynamics and the practical treatment of first and second-degree burns.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:11 PM (rj6Yv)

46 Back from a tenants' rights meeting. It's quite possible our apartment complex, including the condos, may get demolished in the new year. Dealing with that will be my hobby for a while!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:08 PM (omVj0)

If so, will you get compensated? Don't let them know you plan to move next year. Maybe they'll pay to relocated you.

We had a couple of airplanes that were on wires, you had to spin around to keep them flying.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 16, 2023 06:12 PM (Angsy)

47 I would also want to arm any flying aircraft with munitions, model of course

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 06:12 PM (fwDg9)

48 I recall a slot car racing cafe, I'd guess you'd call it, in an adjoining suburb of town around '64-'65. They raced larger scale cars like 1/32 and 1/24 -- older boys than I was, mostly, with income from part-time jobs.

There was a magazine called Car Model that dealt with customizing scale cars and also with racing matters like rewinding the electric motors and how to paint the clear bodies of the cars themselves. In Larry Niven's early SF stories, his spacecraft hulls are delivered transparent, and you use paint where you felt like it. When I met him at a convention, I asked, "Did you ever race slot cars, or know somebody who did?" He looked at me with surprise and said, "I sure did!"

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:12 PM (omVj0)

49 Wolfus, magic 8ball predicts a move in your future. Should I take up fortune telling as a hobby?

Posted by: Ben Had at December 16, 2023 06:13 PM (oqF5P)

50 If so, will you get compensated? Don't let them know you plan to move next year. Maybe they'll pay to relocated you.

We had a couple of airplanes that were on wires, you had to spin around to keep them flying.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 16, 2023

***
That's part of the plan, that we would get compensated. Which could mean moving us all into hotel rooms -- almost certainly in locations inconvenient for my work. I just want to delay the whole thing for six months, and maybe I can be outta here.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:14 PM (omVj0)

51 It turned out to not be as exciting as I thought it would be -- building assembly kits was a lot more fun. Maybe if we'd had a basement to build an actual track in, it would have been more enjoyable.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:08 PM (omVj0)

My tracks were on top of the ping pong table. Aurora also had an extensive assortment of accessories for the cars, like silicone tires, high-performance motors, competition pins to fit the slots, and silver-plated contact conductors.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:15 PM (rj6Yv)

52 47 I would also want to arm any flying aircraft with munitions, model of course
Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 06:12 PM (fwDg9)

-----------

There are probably federal restrictions on tiny working Fat Man and Little Boy bombs for your model B-29, and the neighbors would complain about the mushroom clouds.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 06:15 PM (ovxwt)

53 I had similar luck with model rockets. Either crashed or lost. There was a bit of a revival when my boys were at that age and I still have my Big Bertha from that era.

Posted by: fd at December 16, 2023 06:16 PM (vFG9F)

54 Wolfus, magic 8ball predicts a move in your future. Should I take up fortune telling as a hobby?
Posted by: Ben Had at December 16, 2023

***
"Ask again later!"

I really should have put in my papers at work earlier. Like, in November, and I could have made yesterday my last day. Instead . . .

I could put everything in storage and move to a furnished place for a couple of months. But I'd have to leave the cats with Miss Linda, and then move again -- and the question remains, what will happen to the condos, like the one she has?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:17 PM (omVj0)

55 My slot car set didn’t have the magnet so cars went flying off the track frequently .

Posted by: Drive by at December 16, 2023 06:18 PM (MNhXM)

56 My tracks were on top of the ping pong table. Aurora also had an extensive assortment of accessories for the cars, like silicone tires, high-performance motors, competition pins to fit the slots, and silver-plated contact conductors.
Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023

***
That would have been great. But I didn't have the funds for that sort of thing. And again, no place to set the track up except the dining table. I had to break it down every evening before dinner.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:19 PM (omVj0)

57 There are probably federal restrictions on tiny working Fat Man and Little Boy bombs for your model B-29, and the neighbors would complain about the mushroom clouds.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 06:15 PM (ovxwt)

No worry. If there were "tiny" mushroom clouds, there'd be no neighbors.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:19 PM (rj6Yv)

58 We used to pour over the Auto World catalog for tires and brushes and such. I had HO cars, dozens of them and an extensive track in the basement with mountains and scenery.

Posted by: fd at December 16, 2023 06:19 PM (vFG9F)

59 AF/X slot cars. Even into my 20's it was a fun distraction from life. A buddy who'd moved into an apartment and had loads of open space on the floor and I would build some seriously convoluted tracks.

Weed may, or may not, have been involved.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at December 16, 2023 06:19 PM (Q4IgG)

60 I have been into slot cars for decades. I was a kid back in the 60s but came back to the hobby in the 90s.
The 3D printer has given me many cars that aren't made by anyone else.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at December 16, 2023 06:19 PM (e5Osl)

61 That drone operator who filmed the comely sunbather would be in a world of merde if he was caught doing that in an FAA controlled space. Fines, criminal referrals, you name it. Not to mention ethical issues. Gives drones a bad rap.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) offers $2million in personal liability insurance with membership BUT you must obey all their rules or else you won't collect a cent. And that there dude broke about a half dozen of them.

Posted by: gourmand du jour at December 16, 2023 06:20 PM (MeG8a)

62 I was a kid back in the 60s but came back to the hobby in the 90s.
The 3D printer has given me many cars that aren't made by anyone else.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at December 16, 2023 06:19 PM (e5Osl)

Oh hell...what a great use for a 3D printer!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:20 PM (gSZYf)

63 Mrs. JTB and I used to do film photography as a hobby and we were pretty good. I even did some B and W and slide developing. But digital became the 'norm', which didn't interest us except for snapshots, and we got busy with other matters. I still have some damn nice gear and some film in the freezer.

To my surprise, there has apparently been a resurgence in using film to the point that some old films are being reintroduced and new ones offered. And there is a growing market in good used film gear. Seems to be a combination of nostalgia for older photographers, an appreciation for the look of film, and the hands-on aspect of using film in mechanical cameras.

I probably won't but I'm tempted to get out the Pentax MX or Minolta Autocord TLR, load some B and W film and see if I can still get decent results.

Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 06:21 PM (7EjX1)

64 There are probably federal restrictions on tiny working Fat Man and Little Boy bombs for your model B-29, and the neighbors would complain about the mushroom clouds.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 06:15 PM (ovxwt)

There is a Stephen King short story about toy soldiers that become sentient and go to war. I think the last weapon they used was a nuke!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:22 PM (gSZYf)

65 Neighbor next block over has, or rather had, a beautiful hand-crafted radio controlled B-52. It was huge...at least a 9 foot wingspan. Noisy too when it flew.
Unfortunately, one more block over, a neighbor of his, named Mr Nguyan had just finished his radio controlled SA-6 SAM....

Posted by: Diogenes at December 16, 2023 06:24 PM (W/lyH)

66 https://tinyurl.com/2p8yteux

A kind of silly stand I recently made with civilians I had, a woman with baby and young daughter are petitioning a Russian officer, maybe her husband has been detained and wanting him returned.

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 06:24 PM (fwDg9)

67 I did the Estes rockets, too. Every time I pulled out the launcher and the battery, people started drifting off elsewhere. Parachutes were tricky until I read the instructions and powdered them with flour before packing them inside the rocket.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:24 PM (rj6Yv)

68 I probably won't but I'm tempted to get out the Pentax MX or Minolta Autocord TLR, load some B and W film and see if I can still get decent results.
Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 06:21 PM (7EjX1)

That would be fun, but I'm too old and too tired and too poor to do any of that now.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 16, 2023 06:25 PM (Angsy)

69 There is a Stephen King short story about toy soldiers that become sentient and go to war. I think the last weapon they used was a nuke!
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023

***
Yes, "Battleground," in his Night Shift collection of his early short stories.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:25 PM (omVj0)

70 At some point in the 70s older brother 1 had a lot of HO railroad. Older brother 2 had a lot of HO slot cars.

For Christmas one year, parents decided two pieces of crossing track would be a good present.

Carnage ensued.

Posted by: 2009Refugee at December 16, 2023 06:26 PM (8AONa)

71 CBD, my Ender3 ran almost continually for almost 3 years.
I run 1/32 scale cars on a track I routed in my basement. I have at least 50 printed bodies I need to paint and build into functional cars.

Keeps me out of trouble, and less expensive than the pew pew hobby.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at December 16, 2023 06:28 PM (e5Osl)

72 My favorite HO Aurora body style was the Ferrari GT. I know I had one painted yellow, and I think there was a green one, too. I forgot about the brushes - those could be upgraded too.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:29 PM (rj6Yv)

73 At some point in the 70s older brother 1 had a lot of HO railroad. Older brother 2 had a lot of HO slot cars.

For Christmas one year, parents decided two pieces of crossing track would be a good present.

Carnage ensued.
Posted by: 2009Refugee at December 16, 2023

***
There's a great nail-biter of a scene in a Season Two Man From U.N.C.L.E, where Solo, captured, is forced to keep two racing model trains from colliding. If they crash, they will release a deadly nerve gas into the room he's in. Sharply directed and edited, and film buffs should study it carefully. "The Children's Day Affair" is the title.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 16, 2023 06:30 PM (omVj0)

74 47 I would also want to arm any flying aircraft with munitions, model of course
Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 06:12 PM (fwDg9)

You know every guy would want to dogfight using real bullets. Probably unpractical and dangerous as hell, but remote location? Guys flying from inside a bullet proof bunker?

-even .22 at that scale would be gigantic

-you could have engine and weapon classes

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:30 PM (di6C2)

75 A neighbor had an HO train setup on a pool table in his basement. One of the cars was "carrying TNT" and at a certain spot on the track, if you knew where it was, a button would "detonate" it.

Basically a spring, like a mousetrap, that blew the snap together boxcar apart.

Loads and I mean loads of fun.

The people of Palestine, OH probably hate this.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at December 16, 2023 06:30 PM (Q4IgG)

76 Background kind of is a farmer and hay wagon

Posted by: Skip at December 16, 2023 06:31 PM (fwDg9)

77 You could have bombing runs, whoever gets most bombs on target, etc.

Of course, then you could build the model buildings as well. Entire cityscapes.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:32 PM (di6C2)

78 You know every guy would want to dogfight using real bullets. Probably unpractical and dangerous as hell, but remote location? Guys flying from inside a bullet proof bunker?

-even .22 at that scale would be gigantic

-you could have engine and weapon classes
Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:30 PM (di6C2)
***

I read a report years ago that it was estimated that 5-7% of all civilian casualties in WW2 in Europe were caused by crap falling out of the sky (not bombs). Airplanes breaking up, bullets, shrapnel from air defense artillery.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 16, 2023 06:33 PM (W/lyH)

79 I tried to build free flight model planes. The idea was to make one go in a circle and gain altitude. When it ran out of gas it was supposed to come back down slowly in a circle. Mine came down like a lawn dart.

Posted by: Ronster at December 16, 2023 06:35 PM (PxJlx)

80 I read a report years ago that it was estimated that 5-7% of all civilian casualties in WW2 in Europe were caused by crap falling out of the sky (not bombs). Airplanes breaking up, bullets, shrapnel from air defense artillery.
Posted by: Diogenes at December 16, 2023 06:33 PM (W/lyH)

Makes sense, over the population centers would probably where most of the B-17s and Lancasters were shot down. Bombs would be armed.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:35 PM (di6C2)

81 There was/is a hobby with RC-controlled warships that were weaponized with compressed air and "cannons" that fired ball bearings at opposing ships. The damaged ships would break apart and at the end of the match, the competitors would wade out into the pond and pull the parts out for repair.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:36 PM (rj6Yv)

82 Keeps me out of trouble, and less expensive than the pew pew hobby.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at December 16, 2023 06:28 PM (e5Osl)

Take some pictures and send 'em along to Sefton or MisHUm...

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:36 PM (gSZYf)

83 82 Keeps me out of trouble, and less expensive than the pew pew hobby.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at December 16, 2023 06:28 PM (e5Osl)

Take some pictures and send 'em along to Sefton or MisHUm...
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:36 PM (gSZYf)

'Fill up THEIR inboxes.'
-CBD

Hah!

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:38 PM (di6C2)

84 I can do a little write up.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at December 16, 2023 06:38 PM (e5Osl)

85 Later on, a buddy of mine got into R/C gliders. At the time, they were pretty big. 5 - 6 foot wingspans, mostly made out of Styrofoam, and launched by the biggest damn rubberband thingy you've ever seen. Surgical tubing I think.

We had one up for about 4 hours when the batteries in either the controller or the glider went dead.

It crashed into a backyard about 9 miles away.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at December 16, 2023 06:38 PM (Q4IgG)

86 ‘Needs a couple more propeller blades, don’t it?’
- P. Boyington

Posted by: Eromero at December 16, 2023 06:40 PM (J4YJJ)

87 hiya

Posted by: JT at December 16, 2023 06:40 PM (T4tVD)

88 We, and by that I mean me and our middle-school-aged son, got into RC planes back in the 90s.

Started off with a balsa framed film-covered high-winged trainer plane we built from a kit. It was sized for a .40 gas engine. We joined the local RC club which had a terrific field facility, mostly old guys members, and son learned to fly from a couple of them.

He got good. Aerobatics, knife-edge fly-bys, hammerhead stalls, all that stuff. He flew them, I built them, with him doing most of the heat-shrink cover work.

His favorite was a .40 sized version of a P-51 Mustang. Not totally scale but OK.

I built myself a stick-fuse trainer and learned to fly, and could do a few of the tricks, but not like the boy.

I got in way too deep on the building side of it, buying RC magazines each month, building whatever hot new thing had in-mag plans. Scratch building. Buy all the balsa and spruce and ply lumber, buy all the hardware and fittings, do it all from start to finish. I still have all the airbrush spray gear I used to finish the exteriors.

In my way-too-deep dive into RC plane building, I became fixated on building scale models, that would fly, (to be cont'd)

Posted by: Mr Gaga at December 16, 2023 06:41 PM (KiBMU)

89 68 ... "That would be fun, but I'm too old and too tired and too poor to do any of that now."

Yeah, partly that but also I have other hobbies these days. However, when I was toying with the idea of going back to film, I started paying attention to forms, contrasts and color like I used to. As much as I enjoyed film photography, I think its greatest benefit was learning to see more and better of the world around me.

Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 06:41 PM (7EjX1)

90 #81

I looked it up. It's called "Model Warship Combat".

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:43 PM (rj6Yv)

91 'Fill up THEIR inboxes.'
-CBD

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 06:38 PM (di6C2)

Nah...it's their thread...I'm just helping out a bit.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:44 PM (gSZYf)

92 CBD, Thanks for filling in on the hobby thread. I look forward to it every week.

Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 06:44 PM (7EjX1)

93 I have the CIGS solar panels installed on my truck's cap. They work great.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:45 PM (rj6Yv)

94 CBD, Thanks for filling in on the hobby thread. I look forward to it every week.

Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 06:44 PM (7EjX1)

Glad to help out, and glad you enjoy it.

It amazes me how people are consumed by their hobbies.

And that's not a bad thing at all! It's fascinating.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:46 PM (gSZYf)

95 Oh hell...what a great use for a 3D printer!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 16, 2023 06:20 PM (gSZYf)

As good of an excuse to get one as I have ever come across.
My 10 year old Niece is doing these linked dragons and snakes. She is getting really good. She gave me a winged snake last year for Christmas.
I'm going to keep an eye out after Christmas for a deal on one 0f those printers.

They are doing 3D printed Aluminum too.
Really expensive as of right now.
If it ever gets down to profitable my company plans on buying a few. We could free up a lot of real estate if we didn't have to keep the Cope and Drags (2 halves of each mold) of almost everything we have ever made.

Posted by: Reforger at December 16, 2023 06:48 PM (B705c)

96 (from above) models of the international aerobatic competition monoplane, the first place winner, the Russian built Sukhoi M-26.

I built models of this in 44, 60, and 72 inch wingspan, the big one with a leaf-blower engine.

The SU 26M. 26 foot wingspan, low wing, 9 cylinder radial engine, constant speed prop, huge control surfaces, pilot in semi reclining position, plex glass side panels and belly pans under so pilot has full 360 viz no matter the position.

We made a pilgrimage to Pompano Air in SE FL to visit the hanger which housed the U.S. dealer for the full scale planes, which you could buy at the time. Learned that one of the Pink Floyd band guys was a pilot. His SU 26M was in the hanger, white with pink trim.

Posted by: Mr Gaga at December 16, 2023 06:49 PM (KiBMU)

97 Got into RC gliders and cars in the 70’s. Very easy to turn an airplane back into a kit. A local flying field had a “grave yard “ at the end of the runway. A dozen or more fuselages shoved nose first into the ground.

Now into 1/16 RC Tanks. All the fun of model building AND you can drive them and battle with “frinkiin’ lasers” (IR really) and receivers! It is really hard to crash a tank, but it can be done.

Posted by: MacArch at December 16, 2023 06:50 PM (qFifD)

98 Our son is still into RC planes and helicopters. Everything is electric now.

Two very cool planes today: Timber-X LED, and the Drako. The first is a white high-winged stunt flyer (today's term is 3D), with fair STOL capabilities.

The Drako is and extreme-looking high winged cub-like plane with extreme STOL capabilities, huge wheels, and a prop that easily reverses so you can back it up.

Posted by: Mr Gaga at December 16, 2023 06:53 PM (KiBMU)

99 Now into 1/16 RC Tanks. All the fun of model building AND you can drive them and battle with “frinkiin’ lasers” (IR really) and receivers! It is really hard to crash a tank, but it can be done.
Posted by: MacArch at December 16, 2023 06:50 PM (qFifD)

3-D printed tank bodies would be a neat project! With all of the combat video games out there, it could be profitable, too.

Posted by: mrp at December 16, 2023 06:55 PM (rj6Yv)

100 Are not current drones electric? Back in the day all the flying planes and helos I can remember were ICE. I can remember spending a lot of time spinning those props, trying to get them to start.

Posted by: Ciampino - Cats are fun .. at December 16, 2023 06:58 PM (qfLjt)

101 Topless babe was putting herself at great risk running after that drone with the broom. Could have fallen off the roof.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:01 PM (WWMA3)

102 I didn't get into RC planes but they were popular in the late 50s and the 60s. Our island didn't have an airport but an 'air park'. It was basically a pasture with a few paved stretches nor much bigger than sidewalks. But it was a good place for the hobby (and for flying kites). It was cool to watch those little planes buzzing around.

Posted by: JTB at December 16, 2023 07:06 PM (7EjX1)

103 >>> Back when I was a kid...a long time ago...that was an awesome hobby. And an expensive one

c. 1980 I was really excited about the possiblities of getting a flying model of some sort, anything but those clutsy plastic c/l Cox(tm) things.
Subscibed to Flying Models and R/C Modeler (which was a much thicker magazine). Flying Models was better. They had a new design every monthly issue and you could buy full size plans too.
Tried to make a coupls free flight and r/c balsa wood kits... pirce of engines and all the other bells and whistles were ot of sight.
Now that I have the means to pay the price a couple years back went to Hobby World (I think it was that...) and all the planes were pre-assembled giant Cox. Few gas engines... Few pieces parts to build your own... so kinda lost any interest in looking further into it.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at December 16, 2023 07:08 PM (cOq4q)

104 >>I didn't get into RC planes but they were popular in the late 50s and the 60s. Our island didn't have an airport but an 'air park'. It was basically a pasture with a few paved stretches nor much bigger than sidewalks. But it was a good place for the hobby (and for flying kites). It was cool to watch those little planes buzzing around.

It's a bit bigger now.

Posted by: JackStraw at December 16, 2023 07:10 PM (ZLI7S)

105 The Estes rockets were a good teaching tool for ballistic missiles.

Just sayin'

Posted by: Martini Farmer at December 16, 2023 07:10 PM (Q4IgG)

106 101 Topless babe was putting herself at great risk running after that drone with the broom. Could have fallen off the roof.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:01 PM (WWMA3)
----
Couldn't see if she had big nacelles ....!

Posted by: Ciampino - Cats can be herded only with treats..... at December 16, 2023 07:15 PM (qfLjt)

107 Couldn't see if she had big nacelles ....!
Posted by: Ciampino - Cats can be herded only with treats..... at December 16, 2023 07:15 PM (qfLjt)

Looked like she was pretty parallel with the roof.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 07:18 PM (di6C2)

108 Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at December 16, 2023 07:08 PM (cOq4q)

Did line control Planes in my teens... even designing my own planes.

Never could afford to move to RC, especially once I got a drivers license.

Posted by: Romeo13 at December 16, 2023 07:18 PM (xaFKb)

109 >>> I still have my Big Bertha from that era.
Posted by: fd

Elon Musk is making one full scale.
Cannot remember what the heck he calls that starship he is trying to make, so I just call it Big Bertha.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at December 16, 2023 07:19 PM (cOq4q)

110 107 Couldn't see if she had big nacelles ....!
Posted by: Ciampino - Cats can be herded only with treats..... at December 16, 2023 07:15 PM (qfLjt)

Looked like she was pretty parallel with the roof.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at December 16, 2023 07:18 PM (di6C2)
----
Nice stilts too.

Posted by: Ciampino - Cats can be herded only with treats.... at December 16, 2023 07:22 PM (qfLjt)

111 Not certain if this qualifies as hobby, or just puttering, but I got the metal skid completely built under the engine that I am going to tote to Arizona to put in a hobby car. All diagonal braced against both fore/aft and lateral flexing. Drilled holes in the skid runners, so I can screw it down to the plywood false floor in the Suburban. Was going to shift it to its travel position in the cargo area, and screw it down, but daylight failed me.

Fai whack of snow melted today, but I foresee a clear, chilly night.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:23 PM (q8Zx5)

112 That Corsair up top is awesome! I always shot model rockets, I was a Centuri fan, their HQ was down the road in Phoenix. But Estes eventually bought them out.

Posted by: Tom Servo at December 16, 2023 07:25 PM (S6gqv)

113 I have a frozen turkey roll cooking in the crock pot, along with taters and gravy.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:25 PM (q8Zx5)

114 AOP, wish you were here. My gator is running awful.

Posted by: Ben Had at December 16, 2023 07:27 PM (oqF5P)

115 Fuel filters Ben Had?

Posted by: fd at December 16, 2023 07:29 PM (vFG9F)

116 >>> Stopped at a hobby store today and a S&W 'ez' .38 seems to fit our needs for the wife.

Just got their one competitior, the Ruger Security 380.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at December 16, 2023 07:30 PM (cOq4q)

117 I got up early to see if I could catch a slow scan TV transmission from the ISS, but no luck. Will try again tomorrow when it should be almost directly overhead.

Posted by: PabloD at December 16, 2023 07:31 PM (fuKa8)

118 AOP, wish you were here. My gator is running awful.
Posted by: Ben Had at December 16, 2023 07:27 PM (oqF5P)

I wish I were where is no snow, too.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:31 PM (q8Zx5)

119 /// from thread below ///
My parish is celebrating Simbang Gabi tonight at the 5 pm Mass. it's a Filipino novena of Masses celebrated at Christmas time. The children process in traditional Filipino garb carrying brilliantly decorated lanterns and singing in Tagalog.

It's so fun! Then there's food. Omg. The FOOD.
Posted by: nurse ratched

Filipinos hobby is food.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at December 16, 2023 07:32 PM (cOq4q)

120 HEY, NOOD!

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at December 16, 2023 07:35 PM (9yWhg)

121 fd, no I think it might be a carburetor problem. I will administer some carburetor cleaner and see if that helps. If I don't keep the choke out it quits

Posted by: Ben Had at December 16, 2023 07:35 PM (oqF5P)

122 Omg. THE FOOD

I could go for some yuletide lumpia...

Posted by: PabloD at December 16, 2023 07:36 PM (fuKa8)

123 118
I wish I were where is no snow, too.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:31 PM (q8Zx5)
----
Wait .... 2023, snow was supposed to be a thing of the past 5 .... 10 .... 15 ..... 20 .... years ago. Al Gore told us so!

Posted by: Ciampino - Banana trees in Wisconsin at December 16, 2023 07:37 PM (qfLjt)

124 >> Omg. THE FOOD

I could go for some yuletide lumpia...
Posted by: PabloD

Wifey made lumpia for this one event.
I was made to help...
so much I broke out the turkey fryer.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at December 16, 2023 07:41 PM (cOq4q)

125 106 101 Topless babe was putting herself at great risk running after that drone with the broom. Could have fallen off the roof.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 16, 2023 07:01 PM (WWMA3)
----
Couldn't see if she had big nacelles ....!
Posted by: Ciampino - Cats can be herded only with treats..... at December 16, 2023 07:15 PM (qfLjt)

------------

She obviously had no tolerance for aereole phtography.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at December 16, 2023 07:48 PM (ovxwt)

126 We had a cheap assed auto race track and train track tacked down to a 4’x 8’ piece of plywood from about age 5-10. Lots of rubbing alcohol rubbed down on those tracks as well locomotives and race cars to keep those connections going strong.

Posted by: Pendejo at December 16, 2023 09:15 PM (yKHPk)

127 Some of us are still active in RC. I have several finagle airplanes right now, as well as a few helicopters. I have a huge stash of inbuilt kits and ARFs that my wife complains about. Lol

Posted by: Joe Bar at December 17, 2023 10:45 AM (samfv)

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