iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Phew. Out of the "Sturmtiger photo-etch mudguards and fenders" rabbit hole, after what feels like over a month. I had to learn to solder! I'm OK, now, but earlier joints are shamefully messy (didn't help that I was using a standard size soldering iron, not a mini, to begin with). #HistScaleModels

A hand holding an old soldering iron - so old that you can just about see that the tip is uncoated copper, without a modern iron plating.

A very messy worktop, strewn with many tools related to soldering and working on small metal parts: magnifying goggle headset; respirator to prevent inhalation of vapour from leaded solder; micro soldering iron; jar of flux; reel of low temperature (i.e. leaded) solder; soldering workstation; mini vice/anvil; desoldering pump; old toothbrush for cleaning; pliers; wire snippers; mini hand-powered drill; files; three pairs of tweezers; 4 inch metal ruler; coiled steel guitar strings.

Packet and instructions for a 1:35 scale model kit of photo-etched brass sheet parts, by Aber, which are to be assembled into side fenders, mudguards and exhaust guards for a model Sturmtiger.

Assembled 1:35 scale side fenders and mudguards for a model Sturmtiger; they are made from photo-etched brass sheet parts and wire, and have been folded, bent and soldered together. The finished parts have been cleaned and polished. Some of the soldered joints are tidy and impressive-looking, and some are very messy, giving the impression that the builder was a newbie who was learning on the job.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Happy #Caturday! Lincoln (black and white) and Earl (grey) have their own water fountains, of course, but the kitchen tap is so tempting. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部

Side view of a black and white tuxedo cat drinking at a running tap. The sunshine coming from the right emphasises his pink tongue and the reflections in the water.

Side view of a grey cat drinking at a running tap, by holding his left paw in the stream of water.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I wouldn't get too close to that pudding, if I were you.

Still from the "Alien" movies, of a xenomorph's egg opening its top, ready to launch a facehugger.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Welcome to Wibbly Wombat Wednesday, with Earl Cat checking out the newly-deployed blanket on top of my bed. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部

Close-up of a human hand tickling a contented grey cat, who is lying in "loaf" position on a red blanket on top of a bed.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Happy #Caturday from me and Lincoln Cat, who is very enthusiastic about the possibilities of the day stretching out before him. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部

A black and white cat - mostly black - is lying on a rumpled floral duvet cover, facing the camera. His eyes are half open, making him look relaxed and unconcerned.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I lost 90% of the first bottle of Micro Sol I bought, when I accidentally knocked it over. I know I'm not the first, and I won't be the last. Since then, eggcups have been my workaround for this issue. If anyone asks you why a vegan would have eggcups in their kitchen cupboard - well, now you know.

Two small plastic bottles of modelmaker's decal setting solutions, each placed in an eggcup to help prevent it being accidentally knocked over.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I don't paint figurines. I hate painting figurines. I painted a figurine. "Rauchen verboten" or "Hast du eine Ziggi für mich?": plastic and decals by Tamiya; art (including cigarette) by me. I made the cig from a guitar string (d'Addario 0.09" top E). #HistScaleModels

A basic 1:35 scale tableau of a soldier standing right in front of two huge rocket shells while smoking a cigarette.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

What about anti-tank guns with googly eyes?

Model anti-tank gun in psychedelic paint job

Model anti-tank gun with psychedelic paint job and googly eyes.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Little Lincoln Cat... he's odd, and he often wees in places where I don't want him to, but he's very handsome and soft, and I love him to pieces. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部

A black and white tuxedo cat is curled up on a red blanket, in front of a red sofa cushion. His front paws are cutely crossed, one over the other. A man's arm enters the picture from the near side, with the hand positioned to tickle the cat on the side of his head. The cat looks comfortable and relaxed.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

When I was reading a lot about Zen, I bought this piece of calligraphy, direct from the artist, and hung it on my bedroom wall. It is a mighty Zen text of ancient wisdom - it says in the Diamond Sutra that whoever recites this dhāraṇī need fear no demon: anata no pajamawa ahiru kusaii. (v alt text)

Hung in a simple frame on a white wall: a piece of hand-painted calligraphy in Japanese, in a combination of kanji, katakana and hiragana scripts, and the artist's seals in the bottom left corner to show authenticity. Most British people would assume that the text was some deep, meaningful piece of Buddhist wisdom; in fact, it reads "Your pyjamas smell of duck." It's by an artist trading as Kanji Panda: https://www.instagram.com/kanji.panda/reels/

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Lincoln Cat's smacked off his face on opioids, after he saw the vet. He's recovering in his safe place under the kitchen table, sitting staring into space, watching imaginary things. Poor cat. Enjoy your trip, little cat, and I'll see you when you come down. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部

A black and white tuxedo cat sitting in his safe space under a table, with his vacant eyes staring at nothing in particular.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Any resemblance is purely coincidental.

Cover art for Dr Feelgood's 1978 album "Private Practice", depicting a point-of-view shot as seen by a patient about to be either defibrillated or anaesthetised (can't tell which) by a creepy-looking man in medical protective spectacles, smiling insanely.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

You can trust me - I'm a scale model builder. I got tired of accidentally knocking my desk-mounted illuminating magnifier out of the way while using it, so I bought a head-mounted one, which doesn't make me look like a massive weirdo in the slightest. Test-drive later today. #HistScaleModels

Head and shoulders photo of a man facing the camera. On his head, he is wearing a device which combines headtorch and magnifying spectacles on a headband - the magnifying lenses make his eyes look weirdly big.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"Achtung! Feuchtigkeitsembfindlich - vor Regen und Wasser zu schützen." Happy with the weathering on these 1:35 mortar rockets for the Sturmtiger. The figurine of the soldier is to the same scale. Those rockets were big. #HistScaleModels

1:35 scale models of 38 cm calibre rocket ammunition fired by the Sturmtiger assault mortar. Decals provide the lettering. The model rockets have been "weathered", using painting techniques to simulate paint scratches, dust and general colour variegation.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I soldered together two bits of scrap brass without setting fire to myself, the cats, or any of my surroundings. It's not the messiest join ever, either. When I opened a pack of PE fenders for a model, and the instructions said "best soldered", my heart sank. But maybe it'll be OK. #HistScaleModels

Close-up of a thumb and forefinger holding two small strips of brass soldered together in a "pretty good for a beginner" way.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

You're not wrong about that. Back in 1917 the randomness was going strong, and it has not abated. The baby in this photo grew up to be a crewman in your tank.

1917 French advert for Rizla cigarette papers, with legend "Toutes les classes fument le Riz La Croix" ("all classes smoke Rizla"). The artwork is a cartoon of French soldiers of different eras smoking cigarettes, labelled as "Class of 1918", "Class of 1890", with the central figure being a baby, also smoking a cigarette, labelled "Class of 1937". This, unintentionally, turned out to be pretty accurate - only three years earlier than the actual invasion of France by Germany in 1940.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Wow! Bella Cat from next door has deigned to let me stroke her. She even wound herself around my legs a bit! Two weeks ago, she totally hated me. The power of Dreamies eh? I'm so pleased to gain a new neighbourhood cat friend. #Cats #CatsOfBluesky

A grey tuxedo cat, sitting on a patio, craning her head forward to check out a finger extended by a human in friendship. The cat's body language, including the forward-pointed ears, indicates relaxed curiosity.

A grey tuxedo cat standing on a patio, having her back stroked by a human hand. The cat's tail is pointed upwards, indicating contentment.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Starting work on the photo-etched metal fenders for the 1:35 Sturmtiger. It's very delicate work, but I have all the right tools for the job. Should be pretty straightforward. #HistScaleModels

View, from above, of the top of a workbench. There is a marked discrepancy between the tiny metal parts to be worked on and the tools scattered around them, which include outrageously inappropriate tools such as a hatchet, a carpenter's hammer and a trowel: the suggestion is that the model builder is disturbingly inept.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I had the same feeling, building Hobby Boss's Panzer I; so small and fiddly, that I swore I'd never build anything that tiny again. Crazy to think that it led to monsters like the King Tiger. A Bren Carrier was about the same size and deadliness. I hope you're having fun with yours.

1:35 scale models of a Panzer I and a Bren Carrier, with a humanoid figurine between them, also to scale. The two vehicles are about the same size, even though one is designated a tank and the other is a tracked runabout.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I use old newspaper to protect the top of the kitchen table when it becomes a crafting workbench, my place of Creative Magic. Here's the current Creative Magic, evoking the defaced textbooks of my 1980s all-boys secondary school days. Ahhh, the nostalgia...

A newspaper page of colour photos. The faces of the people have been defaced with black felt tip pen, in a crude style stereotypically used by British schoolboy teenagers in textbooks: curly moustaches, round lensed spectacles, scars with stitches, and the ultra-classic 1980s forehead tattoo of the word "SKINS".

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Is it an offensive weapon? Is it jewellery for black metal aficionados? No, it's an assembled Friulmodel cast metal track for a model Sturmtiger. These came together mercifully easily, possibly because I cleaned the pin holes with a 0.75 mm drill bit, not 0.5 mm as instructed. #HistScaleModels

A 1:35 scale model tank track, assembled from individual cast metal links joined with wire track pins, lying on a table top.

A 1:35 scale model tank track, assembled from individual cast metal links joined with wire track pins, wound around a bearded man's neck like a choker.

A 1:35 scale model tank track, assembled from individual cast metal links joined with wire track pins, wound around a clenched fist like a knuckleduster.

A 1:35 scale model tank track, assembled from individual cast metal links joined with wire track pins, mounted on the model in a test fitting.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

210 cast 1:35 scale track links, drilled and filed, soaking in soapy water. I used not to bother with washing like this, but then I noticed how tiny metal filings get everywhere, and I don't want them on my fingertips or in my eyes. Also good to clean off any gunge from the casting. #HistScaleModels

A transparent plastic tub, holding hundreds of 1:35 scale model tank track links in a foamy mix of soap and water

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

This hot weather is crazy. I'd already washed my hair once this month, yet I've had to wash it again today. It's just wrong.

A head and shoulders portrait photo of a man facing the camera. He has long, wet hair that hangs messily down over his face and bare shoulders, and a rough beard with a lot of white hair in it, marking him as middle-aged. His expression is one of theatrical, exaggerated grumpiness.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Science kicks arse. I've made a basic pinhole projector, to observe the solar eclipse later. Instructions on how to view safely are here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #Astronomy is wonderful, mind-expanding science. Astrology is a harmful lie used by charlatans to exploit vulnerable people.

Selfie of a man using a basic pinhole projector, made from a cardboard box, to observe the Sun.

Close-up of a pinhole pierced through a piece of aluminium foil.

A basic pinhole projector, made from a cardboard box, for observing a solar eclipse.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Schachtellaufwerk on the Tamiya Sturmtiger. Very pleased with my refined method to simulate weathered patina steel on the wheel rims: black base coat; dry brush Tamiya XF-84 Dark Steel; dry brush my personal red/brown/black chipping mix. #HistScaleModels

Close-up of wheels on a 1:35 model Sturmtiger assault mortar, showing the interleaved and overlapping Schachtellaufwerk configuration. The wheel hubs are painted in a tricolour camouflage scheme, chipped to simulate damage to paintwork. The wheel rims are painted in a subtle overlay of tones to simulate weathered patina steel.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Lincoln Cat, AKA Potato Wombat, AKA Rinkon Potato Sama. He used to be afraid of everything, but, after seven years in my home, he is at least no longer scared of gentle tummy tickles. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部

A tuxedo cat curled up on his side on a floral duvet cover, showing off his belly fluff and his throat. From the base of the frame, a man's arm stretches to tickle the cat's belly.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Happy Saturday, from me and the outrageously crisp, fluffy Earl Cat, who has spotted something interesting in his garden. Just look at that fluff. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部 #Caturday

A fluffy grey cat sits next to a window, with his head turned to one side to look out into a garden. The positioning of his ears shows that he's paying close attention to something out there. The light coming from the side throws the ruffled lines of the cat's crisp short fur into contrast.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Next on the bench, #HistScaleModels - Tamiya's 1:35 Sturmtiger, a present from my brother last Christmas. I haven't built a Tiger chassis in years, so this will be fun. I've gone a bit mad with the after-market PE, and will be re-learning to solder, to assemble cool, gnarly, bent PE fenders.

On a table is a box set of a scale model kit - Tamiya's 1:35 Sturmtiger. Next to it are many after-market accessories for the kit: metal track links; metal Zimmerit plates; metal grilles and metal fender parts. By the side is a soldering iron and a coil of flux.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Earl Cat is so unfortunate and neglected and starved and cold and tired, that he's collapsed. Poor little Earl Cat. #Cats #CatsOfBlueSky #猫 #ネコ #ねこ部 #Caturday

Seen from above, a fluffy grey cat is curled up on a floral duvet cover, exposing his belly and drooping his paws in the air. He's wrapped himself, partially, around a human hand which we can see at the end of an arm emerging from the base of the frame.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Seen here with its natural prey in the North African desert - the Panzer IV Ausf D (Tamiya, built years ago, before I learned how to paint tracks).

Scale model tanks side by side, in desert camouflage: a British Crusader III and a German Panzer IV Ausf. D. Tanks like this fought each other at El Alamein in 1942.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Crusader III, 9th Queen's Lancers, 1st Armoured Division, El Alamein 1942. 1:35 model kit by Border, tracks by Friulmodel, art by me. Took me three months, and helped me through some bad times. My first go with masking putty - I am a convert! Really fun camo scheme to paint. #HistScaleModels

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

So Thirty Pee Lee says that Farage and Reform UK Ltd are "our last hope", eh? I've seen that before. The thing that my history teacher pointed out about this poster is that it appeals entirely to emotion and makes no concrete promises.

Famous Nazi propaganda poster from 1932; the picture is a sketch of unhappy-looking people, and the text reads "Unsere letzte Hoffnung: Hitler", meaning in English "our last hope: Hitler".

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

"Right, trooper! Get polishing that tank! I want to be able to see my face in it!" We all love a nice shiny, glossy tank. Here's the Border Crusader III, with a cute paint job and a coat of gloss varnish, ready for decals and oil wash. Three weeks it took, since applying primer! #HistScaleModels

A scale model tank, work in progress. Over the camouflage paint job, there is a coat of gloss varnish to create a smooth base for applying decals and an oil wash - this makes for an extremely unrealistically shiny tank. Matt varnish will go on top of this, later.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The Crusader III is slowly coming on, #HistScaleModels. The Friulmodel metal tracks are fitted, and just look at that perfect, subtle sag under gravity! Progress is very slow, as I've been struggling badly with chronic pain and low mood recently. Crafting helps cheer me up, when I'm able.

Close-up of the road wheels of a partially built 1:35 scale model of a Crusader Mk III tank. The tracks are subtly sagging under gravity, perfectly realistically.

Side/front view of a partially built 1:35 scale model of a Crusader Mk III tank. The tracks are subtly sagging under gravity, perfectly realistically.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I made sure that Lincoln Cat has a bowl of chilled water right next to him, as he siestas his way through the heatwave here in the UK. He couldn't give a flying fig about the chilled water. Ungrateful little bastard. #Cats

A tuxedo cat sprawled sideways on a fuzzy blanket, with his throat and tummy exposed to cool them down. Next to him is a bowl, lined with aluminium foil and filled with water.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Ten years since the day of the referendum, I'm flying my EU flag. The majority of Britons now know that Brexit was a huge mistake, and there has been a solid, consistent majority for #RejoinEU for most of the ten years since that day. The UK will rejoin the EU within my lifetime.

An EU flag flies from the window of a house.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Went to Hobbycraft to buy masking tape. Successful. Didn't buy any new kits. ( #BuildTheStash ). Impulse-bought a soldering iron, which I can use to accidentally burn down my house while I try to assemble Eduard photo-etched fenders during my next build. #HistScaleModels

A cheap soldering kit: soldering iron, a stand, a pair of tweezers, a sponge, a roll of solder, and a solder cleaner.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

I've won first prize in Viz magazine's crossword! This month, I hold the title of having the UK's most immature and filthy sense of humour combined with advanced cognitive abilities. #Viz

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

You're so right. I salute your crafting!

Scale model anti-tank gun, jazzed up with a 1980s neon pink/purple paint job and googly eyes.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Fun times with the Border 1:35 Crusader, which is giving me practice with small, delicate photo-etched metal parts. I snapped the photo-etch handles for the searchlight, so had to scratch-build my own; I cut strips from the tray in a packet of cakes, and bent them to shape. #HistScaleModels

Close-up of a searchlight on the side of an unpainted scale model tank's turret. Unlike the brass and grey plastic of the boxed kit, the two handles on the searchlight are made from transparent plastic.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Earl Cat, magnificent mighty lion, lord of the plains, deadly hunter of the shadows. Fear him. #Cats ##CatsOfBluesky #猫 #ねこ

A grey cat lying on its side, exposing his extremely fluffy tummy. From the right foreground, a human arm stretches into the shot. The human's fingers are buried in the cat's tummy fluff, tickling it.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Earl Cat knows you want this fluff. Oh yeah, baby, you can't take your eyes off this magnificent belly. #Cats

A grey cat, lying stetched on its side across a leg-shaped bump in a duvet, showing off crisp waves of fluffy belly fur.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Big milestone in the Crusader build - the fitting of the tracks! I'm pleased to report that the figure of 117 links per track, in the Border kit instructions, is spot on for the aftermarket Friulmodel tracks. And I now know that I can fit the tracks after I've closed up the hull. #HistScaleModels

A small box, labelled as containing 1:35 scale track links for a model Crusader tank, made by Friulmodel.

A partially built model tank, showing a completed track wrapped around the wheels.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Accidental co-ordination of orange book covers. Every few years I try Feynman's "Quantum Electrodynamics". This time I made it a couple more pages into chapter 2, before giving up with the realisation that I've forgotten too much Classical Electrodynamics to have a chance of getting it. Progress!

Three books on a table top: cryptic crosswords; a spiral-bound notebook; and "Quantum Electrodynamics" by Richard Feynman. All three books have a lot of orange in their cover designs.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Day 437 of track assembly. Will this hell never end? Why have I done this to myself? My eyes hurt. My fingers are covered in cyanoacrylate glue and stab wounds from wires and the drill bit. I hate these Friulmodel tracks. Never again. Until next time, of course. 😁 #HistScaleModels

A messy modelmaker's workbench. Two partially assembled metal caterpillar tracks are at centre, and strewn around them are various tools; a file, tweezers, a basic loup eyeglass, wire cutters, cyanoacrylate glue, and so on.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Chickpea curry in progress. I'm putting a whole head of chopped garlic in the tadka, because... well, I just am. These things have to be done! #Vegan

Bowls of chopped vegetables and a colander of drained chickpeas on a kitchen worktop. In the foreground is a bowl containing a lot of skinned and sliced garlic.

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Greg Shaw @zenmousegreg.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Fresh out of the oven (1 hr at 50 °C), 220 individual track links which have been filed, drilled, washed and dried. That's 440 holes drilled by hand. After first building a length of 20 links to prove my method, it's full steam ahead with the Friulmodel tracks for my Crusader model. #HistScaleModels

Dozens of small cast metal model track links, scattered on paper towel in a baking tray, with a pair of oven gloves on the oven top behind them

On a modelmaker's cutting board are: an old toothbrush; a small plastic tub holding dozens of small cast metal model track links; twenty links joined to form a section of track; a small file; a small hand-powered Archimedes screw drill.

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