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torquillWell, I still need to pull the tires and sandblast the rims, then take apart the hubs... and the adjustable kickstand needs a little more attention. Beyond that, I'm done with sanding, sandblasting the main pieces, wiping with acetone to get to the little rusty scratches beneath, and scrubbing all the rust off with phosphoric acid. The bike is just about as stripped-down as it's going to get. I should probably take a couple of pictures.
Next steps: Primer, mostly. The seat may get blacked before I apply primer to the metal bits, as the rubber looks like it's easier to mask off. After priming, I need to do a few test runs on scraps to double-check effects, mainly with the metallic paint I'll be using for the brightwork. I know it can be burnished to a good shine; even if it will never look like chrome it may end up like shiny brushed aluminum, which is acceptable. I need to check the steps to get there, though, and find out what sort of clearcoat finish it needs to look good.
So first, mask off the Buckeye placard and the seat rubber, then put on primer. I'll mask off the newly-unearthed serial number after a light priming, then give most of the bike a good thick 2-3 coats of primer so that I can lightly sand it down to smoothness. Then I paint some of the little bits of brightwork: the rings around the head pivot and bottom bracket, the crank arms, possibly the seatpost ring... that may be it, actually, as both the handlebars/gooseneck and the book rack should be pure metallic without masking. Mask those off when dry, and I'm ready for the main rounds of colored paint. Not long now!
I should hit a hobby shop before I get to the clearcoat, so that I can use a little Testor's to sign the bike on the underside of the book rack or fender or something. I should also order any decals I want so that they get here before the end of the month. Not to mention ordering new tires, if the owner wants to replace them now. Niagara Cycle Works takes about ten days to get a shipment here.
I've been listening to the Doctor Who audio dramas to pass the time. I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality -- not just the production values, which Big Finish is known for, but the writing is quite solid. One of the interviews in the CD extras focused on the fact that Colin Baker, in particular, has done a lot of work with developing his character in the dramas; he was disappointed and a little hurt by the fact that the 6th Doctor always came in at the bottom of fan rankings, and decided to do something about it. So the 6th Doctor in these plays (I've listened to a good handful now) isn't the pompous, arrogant, undignified coward I hated from the TV series -- he's thoughtful, quite compassionate, and sort of older-and-wiser.
I've had to revise my opinion of his Doctor significantly since I started listening to these things -- I used to despise the character, but I find that I'd quite happily listen to his stories again, even the ones with (shudder) Mel. Who, I might add, has not screamed once. Bonnie Langford is quite happy to finally have some character depth, according to one of her own interviews. :) My favorite story so far is a short ("Urgent Calls") with Colin Baker, and that's despite having listened to a couple of stories with Peter Davison, who's My Doctor. I find that impressive. Colin Baker stories are darker, and don't always have the happiest endings; that was one of the hallmarks of the post-Davison TV era, despite the cheerfulness of the 6th himself. The audio dramas continue in the same vein.
Short form: if you're a classic fan who never liked Colin Baker's Doctor, give his audio dramas a shot if you have the chance. They're worthwhile. The same may apply to those who don't like Sylvester McCoy, as well; the writing here is much better, and Sylvester himself says that he's enjoyed the chance to have the stories get into the Doctor's head much more deeply. He's more thoughtful in these, with the broader range of emotional qualities that marked the better 7th Doctor TV stories, and less of the circus mayhem and silliness. Still mysterious, though he quite sincerely apologized for that to Ace once. I was okay with the 7th on TV, I just wished the writing had been consistently better, and I find that I enjoy his audio dramas because the best qualities of the character come out more often. He's still got that "survival of the fittest" attitude some days, however, especially when he's going solo. He was always one of the darker Doctors.
One of the actors who gave an interview after an audio drama mentioned he was a fan, but couldn't hold a candle to "those die-hard Doctor Who fans". I thought idly, Ah, I'm one of those. I may not know the really fine points of trivia anymore -- it's been a while -- but I could still probably name every companion from Liz Shaw on up, with a scattering of the earlier ones. Yay geekdom.
Next steps: Primer, mostly. The seat may get blacked before I apply primer to the metal bits, as the rubber looks like it's easier to mask off. After priming, I need to do a few test runs on scraps to double-check effects, mainly with the metallic paint I'll be using for the brightwork. I know it can be burnished to a good shine; even if it will never look like chrome it may end up like shiny brushed aluminum, which is acceptable. I need to check the steps to get there, though, and find out what sort of clearcoat finish it needs to look good.
So first, mask off the Buckeye placard and the seat rubber, then put on primer. I'll mask off the newly-unearthed serial number after a light priming, then give most of the bike a good thick 2-3 coats of primer so that I can lightly sand it down to smoothness. Then I paint some of the little bits of brightwork: the rings around the head pivot and bottom bracket, the crank arms, possibly the seatpost ring... that may be it, actually, as both the handlebars/gooseneck and the book rack should be pure metallic without masking. Mask those off when dry, and I'm ready for the main rounds of colored paint. Not long now!
I should hit a hobby shop before I get to the clearcoat, so that I can use a little Testor's to sign the bike on the underside of the book rack or fender or something. I should also order any decals I want so that they get here before the end of the month. Not to mention ordering new tires, if the owner wants to replace them now. Niagara Cycle Works takes about ten days to get a shipment here.
I've been listening to the Doctor Who audio dramas to pass the time. I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality -- not just the production values, which Big Finish is known for, but the writing is quite solid. One of the interviews in the CD extras focused on the fact that Colin Baker, in particular, has done a lot of work with developing his character in the dramas; he was disappointed and a little hurt by the fact that the 6th Doctor always came in at the bottom of fan rankings, and decided to do something about it. So the 6th Doctor in these plays (I've listened to a good handful now) isn't the pompous, arrogant, undignified coward I hated from the TV series -- he's thoughtful, quite compassionate, and sort of older-and-wiser.
I've had to revise my opinion of his Doctor significantly since I started listening to these things -- I used to despise the character, but I find that I'd quite happily listen to his stories again, even the ones with (shudder) Mel. Who, I might add, has not screamed once. Bonnie Langford is quite happy to finally have some character depth, according to one of her own interviews. :) My favorite story so far is a short ("Urgent Calls") with Colin Baker, and that's despite having listened to a couple of stories with Peter Davison, who's My Doctor. I find that impressive. Colin Baker stories are darker, and don't always have the happiest endings; that was one of the hallmarks of the post-Davison TV era, despite the cheerfulness of the 6th himself. The audio dramas continue in the same vein.
Short form: if you're a classic fan who never liked Colin Baker's Doctor, give his audio dramas a shot if you have the chance. They're worthwhile. The same may apply to those who don't like Sylvester McCoy, as well; the writing here is much better, and Sylvester himself says that he's enjoyed the chance to have the stories get into the Doctor's head much more deeply. He's more thoughtful in these, with the broader range of emotional qualities that marked the better 7th Doctor TV stories, and less of the circus mayhem and silliness. Still mysterious, though he quite sincerely apologized for that to Ace once. I was okay with the 7th on TV, I just wished the writing had been consistently better, and I find that I enjoy his audio dramas because the best qualities of the character come out more often. He's still got that "survival of the fittest" attitude some days, however, especially when he's going solo. He was always one of the darker Doctors.
One of the actors who gave an interview after an audio drama mentioned he was a fan, but couldn't hold a candle to "those die-hard Doctor Who fans". I thought idly, Ah, I'm one of those. I may not know the really fine points of trivia anymore -- it's been a while -- but I could still probably name every companion from Liz Shaw on up, with a scattering of the earlier ones. Yay geekdom.
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Date: 2010-12-11 08:22 (UTC)Paraphrased: You see in each regeneration, you get the same base personality, just different aspects are forefront. Teeth-n-Curls was warm hearted. The Dandy was a scientist. Me, I'm the pragmatist. BLAM!
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Date: 2010-12-11 17:04 (UTC)It is the same base personality, which is why it's possible to draw parallels between regenerations. He has a deck of morals, guiding principles, and character traits, which get shuffled each time... but they're all still there, just to different degrees. Rashness vs. patience, cleverness vs. compassion, and so on -- it means that with every regeneration, we learn more about the depth of the Doctor's character, and it's even retroactive so it enriches the way we see previous incarnations. What a great way to develop a character.
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Date: 2010-12-11 09:12 (UTC)Have you listened to any of the 8th Doctor audio dramas? I know you rather liked that Doctor despite the crap of the movie (half human? no), and I know they've done quite a few with him. I'm kind of curious as to how the character developed from his single TV appearance.
I've always rather like the 7th Doctor, although the episodes tended to suck. So maybe I'd like these audio dramas, giving the 7th Doctor a chance to star in good stories. David Tennet's 10th Doctor actually reminded me a bit of the 7th, but that might mostly be that of the first 7, he's the one I know the most after the 3rd. It has been a while since I've seen any of the original series though.
Ok. Now I really need to check some of these out. Looking over a list of the audio dramas I see there is a non-continuity story with Derek Jacobi as the Doctor. While I'm not a bit fan of spin-offs, I've been a fan of Jacobi after I Claudius and Cadfael. I can really see him being a good Doctor.
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Date: 2010-12-11 09:20 (UTC)~wave~
Hello, Weasel!
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Date: 2010-12-11 09:40 (UTC)~Weasel waves back~
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Date: 2010-12-11 16:59 (UTC)I've listened to a few McGann stories around the edges -- most of them need to be heard in order, and I don't have the early ones yet. He's got a good companion (Charlie) and lives up to his gentle problem-solver nature. The metaplot looks kind of interesting too. The only downside is no eye candy...
Tennant reminded me quite a lot of Davison, actually, which makes sense given that the 5th was Tennant's own Doctor too. :) Worried about whether something was "the right thing to do", a crusader when it comes to saving people (putting that ahead of showing people how clever he was), boyish, charismatic, pretty patient. I'd say Matt Smith is the most like the 7th for me: mysterious, dark, something of a lone wolf, wrapped up in his own affairs, with that tendency toward survival of the fittest -- he doesn't cry when someone falls behind. Tennant was obviously torn up any time he lost someone, but McCoy (and Smith) weren't so much.
It's all a matter of interpretation, of course. :)