Workbench Update 26th January 2026

Well Into The New Year Now So How Are We Progressing?

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Can I Manage My First Completed Project For 2026?

Actually, I can’t believe how quickly this month s passing. It only seems like it was last week that it was Christmas, yet here we are on the 26th of this month! 😯

As usual, I don’t actually feel I have got very much done and yet I also feel like I have been working quite hard. Though it seems like I’ve been treading water I know what has been hindering me, it’s the same old issue I have that I am jumping around from project to project rather than concentrating on one.

To clarify why I do this, there are two reasons that this happens. The first is straight forward, when I hit a speed bump in a project - like writing for something to dry before I can continue - I like to have a back-up project on the go to take up the slack. Simples…

On the other hand, I rather frenetic attention span is always looking for *new* things to do!

The result - multiple projects.

I should add that I am also very aware that I have a rather enormous backlog of projects waiting in the wings and I am trying my best to at least make some kind of dent in this mountainous pile.

What I Hope To Achieve By Month End

Quite simple finishing *something* would be great! But aside from this I do want to be able to link whatever gets completed with an accompanying first YouTube video of the year.

At the moment, the race leader is my 1/72 Vultee Vengeance, that’s looking like it’s doable before the month’s end. I’ve even been quite contentious (for me) about remembering to video the project’s progress so there is a slight chance I may get this video up too.

Above: Gotten as far as the masking stage ready to start applying the main camouflage paint coats. A bit nervous here as I am using my brand new airbrush for the first time so there's a lot that can go wrong!

Next on the list is the Gaslands Car No. 4 - my 1964 Chevy conversion. Technically all the hard work - the actual conversion - has been done and so I am now about to start the painting. The main problem with this project is that it’s an experimental one where I am trying out new painting techniques so I can’t foresee just how long this might take… Especially if I am not happy with the results.

Finally, there is my Bladerunner blaster 3D model kit. Likewise this theoretically *just* needs painting in order to pass the finishing line. But to do so I will have to be very strict with myself and keep it in mind that this was a *simple kit* and I did not intend to get all fancy about how much extra work I was going to put into it. I wanted a quick result as it’s just a display prop intended to go under glass and be viewed at a distance. (I keep having to tell myself this!)

Above: The first painting test for the Bladerunner blaster. Here I take the receiver component and try out a coat of (allegedly) 'satin' black, but it looks more like gloss to me! I may try giving this a coat of flat matt varnish then a coat of the good satin varnish I have to get the soft sheen that I want!

What This All Means…

The upshot of this is that I have one week left to actually complete one of these projects. I am going to have to be very organised and plan the week out carefully.

All I can say is that I am *quite* confident that one of these projects will be done but have no idea which one it might be… It’s rather exciting! 😂