Aviary

 

Getting started on the outdoor aviary...

Audrey

Audrey really needs to lighten up and relax ...
 

Steel's Here

100 ft of GAW 1/2 x 1 inch steel mesh in 16 gauge... Heavy...

Artichoke

How about this for a foraging toy - a whole artichoke, with treats in the leaves, hanging on a skewer! Harlan took to it immediately, she'll be busy with this for awhile...

Warning

 

Ball

 

It's like watching a puppy... 

Watermelon

 Harlan enjoys the tastes of summer!

Feathers

Olive's (female) tail feathers are heavily speckled. The male's, not so much.

 

Selfie With Parrot

 

Book

 

Went to the Book and Paper Show today...

Closeup

 

Parrot Fun

 

Almonds

 

Almonds you work for the hardest taste the best.

Ed

 

Pocher Ad

 

Blooms

 

Harlan loves a marigold bloom! Many common garden flowers are safe and fun treat for parrots.

Pocher/Tyco Ad

I finally found the Pocher ad from a Tyco catalog, which I originally remembered from childhood. It's dated 1975. The Alfa Romeo is the cream and blue car in the middle. The descriptions of these kits in the ad are compelling! But also... Optimistic to say the least.

Y2K

 

September 1999, prepare your parrot for Y2K!

Ed

Ed's got a song, and a built in smile, for everyone!
 

Pocher Project Nearing the End, Alfa Part 20

Door latches...

These are a compromise as there is pretty much no way to make them work as the kit stands. The best course would likely be to remake all these metal parts the correct size and shape.

I want to do this kit "as-is" as much as I can. So instead of fabricating anything, I made the handles work, including their spring action, But the doors themselves are just held with friction. There's no actual latch.

I was lucky. The leather that came with my kit was in excellent condition. Of course it doesn't really fit right, but that's just the way it goes.

The body parts are just dry fit on these images. Not too bad...

Grill details... I trid a number of different methods of getting a halfway OK look to the grill. It's easy to see why this might be a good candidate for an after market replacement.

The project paused just before this point waiting for warm weather for painting.

Here the hood is assembled next, with all the hinges working. Let me tell you that was not easy. None of those parts fit together correctly.

Also, the cover over the spare tires is an astoundingly bad part. I placed the piece in a jig for several days with a little heat (very little) and managed to get close to the right bend. Then I did a lot of cutting and shaping.

The fit on these body parts is stunningly bad. It takes a lot of sanding, filing, filling and even heating and bending to get to this point. But if you squint, and don't look close, it almost looks like the hood and doors work together!

The end is in sight!

Next, headlights... I am replacing the kit's bulb (which don't fit anyway) with some warm tone LEDs.

At my first attempt, the lights didn't work. I was afraid I had wired something wrong, which would be a disaster. The wiring is all tucked away.

The problem turned out to be the dashboard switch for the lights. The metal that is used in this kit is of such poor quality that it doesn't conduct well and needs a lot of contact. I got it to work with a little sanding and bending.

I like the resulting light color though.

At this point the main body is bolted down in place. The fenders will be shortly. Then only the front details, and the windshield remain to do.

The complete album for this project is here. See all my posts on Pocher models here.

For more on scale models, look here.

I will bite you. So hard.

 

The Eels