Operation Soap Dish: My Home Made SpaceX Moon Base HQ: Legs and Co.

 Moon Base tinkering is going apace.

Attaching the cross-pipe to one module ....

... and then all of them. No peeking!

The base legs came courtesy of the Missus's craft cupboard.

Beads and later googly eyes!

..... which stuck on a treat before being painted lunar silver.

And everyone loves Nutoka on the Base!

Some of the smaller details fettled today too:

This chip is covering an unsightly rock-hard blob of super glue on the top of the cross-pipe, which I tried to remove but ended up squeezing three off. Legs that is.

Its a sort of maintenance hatch I guess.

The pool table was a lot of fun. The Missus' crafting micro-balls came in handy, although I got carried away! The cues look like they've been dipped in pea-soup, so I may replace them, although once the lid's on you won't see the mess I don't think!

I added a pin and some staples to the sides of this console to cover abandoned drill holes. They could be an antenna and a seat. That console suddenly looks a lot like a car battery!

On the recommendation of Bill I had a crack at a sort of doorway for the garage. I couldn't cut the lid for fear of splitting it so I opted for a door-frame capable of holding a ramp for vehicles.

An experiment. Fingers crossed. 

By way of a complete distraction I spent an hour fiddling with a crane. I tried to create one to attach and detach from the side of the garage but to no avail. I ended up bodging this crane rig, that will hopefully lift the MEV2 in and out of the garage.

It ended up looking like a container ship!

Finally and a bit mushy I guess, but it felt right. I inserted a piece of our late dog Blue's bereavement card we got from the vets into the TV screen, Lincoln Continental-style. 

Basically blue sky and a cloud.

Thanks Bill for the idea.

Once fully assembled, all these bits will be joined in the modules by some HO scale seated figures I've ordered from Ebay. They're en-route to Moon Base as we speak!

Watch this Space Base.

A CELEBRATION OF BLUE

 A gallery of our beautiful boy Blue now sleeping in doggy heaven. 

Indulge me! I'm grieving.

I hope your pet is safe and well tonight readers.

BLUE

2006 - 2022

DAY ONE WITHOUT BLUE: TRYING TO BE DISTRACTED

Its day one without Blue at Moonbase. It just feels hollow round here.

Thanks you for all your message of support. They mean a great deal to me. I know many of you will have been through the same thing.

Seeing his empty mat was heart-breaking but I don't want to move it yet. I forgot he was gone for a minute this morning and picked up his bowl to make him breakfast. 

My own things I'm forgetting. I forgot to eat anything. I keep having flashbacks of our final moments at the vets. I nearly swerved the car. Its so damn hard losing a close friend like Blue after 16 years of his defining presence in our family.

In a vain attempt to move forward, well maybe just move, I visited the local outdoor car boot sale. It was unusually tiny on account of early morning rain, which we desperately need, so I motored to Pontefract to check out a big charity shop and pick up a prezzy for my Missus' 60th. I was struggled to focus doing any of it.

So, trying further to distract my brain from abject misery here's a run down of what I've picked up recently on Ebay, on holiday in the Peaks and also that local charity.

See what you think.

Various die-casts including Lone Star, Hot Wheels, Majorette and Matchbox. All for doing up at some point. Parker parked his FAB1 in there too.

My new additions to the GI Joe/ Corps! gang on the right - Lanard Boomerang Billy. Hasbro Lightfoot [yellow fellow] and my beloved Hasbro 2002 Baroness, who has returned from exile after 12 months [I sold her last year!]. I'm pleased at least toys can come back.

Leia has now joined the old Star Wars crew. She's missing her battle poncho. An old 90's Vader Pez is lurking at the rear as well.

This bundle came home with me today from the YMCA. They are more or less the Village People. The four soldiers were made by Wah Tung and looking them up seem to be called World Army. Does anyone collect them? The Star Wars stormtrooper guarding them is for Junior. I think Junior will do galactically well for Star Wars toys on his 6th birthday late next month thanks to the truly amazing generosity of my friends Paul and Bill  - thankyou! - but more on this in September!

The YMCA threw up these two Action Force figure too, although there are no markings on them whatsoever. is that normal for Action Force? They are Palitoy aren't they?

Some small Transformers from the early 2000's onwards for Junior.

A Micro Machines Star Wars binocular. For Junior too. There were tons of this MM range loose at a car boot in the Peaks. Loads. Boba, Stormtrooper, lightsabre, droid head. All £2 each. I should have got the lot!

Here's peter Pan from the film Hook plus two frogmen I don't know.

The small plastic Galoob A-Team van from their Dynamite Blaster rack toy range.

Galoob's Secret Army Supplies from the 80's, a toy I know little about at present. Half lamp, half container.

An unpunched Welsh Lady with a Sindy face.

One I passed on, an unusual R/C Peterbilt Truck by Atlantic, who I believe are an Italian firm. Looks impressive.

And to wrap up this bit here are some Star Wars double-takes: the gas knobs on the gas cooker we had in old caravan we stayed in last week. Talk about Darth Vader helmets!

and if this soil vent I saw on the campsite wash-house isn't a Millennium Falcon cockpit I don't know what is.

So, anything you like whilst I finish my sausage sarni.

I've just called for Blue to have a bit and realised he won't be coming.

God I wish he was here.

Day two tomorrow.

Our Blue in his First Film

 I want to celebrate Blue's life a little. 

Its hard to describe how much we are missing him already.

In 2017 I began filming Blue on his favourite local field as part of my attempts at folk horror shorts.

The first one appeared here in November 2017. Hard to believe it's 5 years ago. 

Blue boy was 11. 

So here he is, Blue, confident and healthy in "Field Rite".

Enjoy his natural screen presence.

https://youtu.be/T98h0dUqt0

BLUE 2006 - 2022 RIP

It is with indescribable sadness that I have to report the passing of our old family dog Blue. 

Our beautiful boy was put to sleep this morning to prevent him suffering from cancer. 

Blue was officially the Moonbase mutt and readers may have enjoyed some of his appearances here over the years.

It's easy for me to say that Blue helped me create this blog, giving me ideas whilst playing catch with him in the local fields back in summer 2008.

We will miss him more than words can say.

A GLIMPSE OF BLUE

 

Moonbase Mutt Blue peers through the onions!

He's thinking why's that big fella taking sneaky snaps of me!

A WORD FROM BLUE

 

Blue the Moonbase Mutt says there should be more canine content on MC.

So here's a piccy of the old mutt to start with. He's 13, going deaf and his vision is going too. Apart from that he's as happy as Larry!

Do you have a pet readers?

MOON DOG'S EYE

Moon, Blue, Torch, Camera, Edit.