So Much For The Metal Earth

I've actually done it !

I've given up on one of the model thingies ... But not this one :

That's actually Amazon's pic because I'm not quite recovered enough to want to pose the model for the camera. Yep. Lazy. But I have improved since Thursday. More later.

The Nanoblock models are usually pretty easy to put together. Just like Lego, they're based on rectangular blocks with bumps that fit into the block above plus a few other blocks that allow angles to go in. It can be awkward for the two following reasons but they're not too bad apart from the challenge of fingers on small items.

Difficulty one - colour matching. The colour on the paper isn't always the same as the colour on the block. This was especially true of the Pirate Ship.

Difficulty two - aligning one layer with the layer above. Actually not too bad when you get used to how the instructions are laid out and the occasional confusing bit of perspective.

So on the whole, the nanoblock kits are really satisfying to put together. And you can find the bits with a torch when you drop them on the floor. Because you know that's going to happen.

Metal Earth models are a whole different ballgame. Reminder of what one is ? Here we are :

Looks ok doesn't it ? Actually looks pretty shiny. And all that comes from a couple of laser cut sheets of metal that in theory, snap together into the Shiny Thing. The complication comes from the multiple different angles involved in the model. Instead of it all being right angles like Lego and Nanoblock, the angles are all over the place and the order is also non-intuitive for snapping fixing lugs into holes.

Very tiny, very difficult, even with the freebie long thin nose pliers acquired for the purpose (for free happily as I wouldn't recommend them - the spring is the type that breaks frequently).

I've actually given up on my Metal Earth XWing, as it wasn't going together particularly well. Lots of frustration and I think the metal was close to fatigue cracking ... That's another thing about metal models that involve bending, they'll fatigue and crack eventually especially if you take multiple goes (like on these) to get them together.

I still have an AT-AT walker and the Normandy from Mass Effect to put together ... soon. Not today though.

One thing that you may have guessed is ... I wrote on Friday that I was having a particularly bad period where I just wasn't interested in doing anything. Thursday was particularly fuzzy minded. But ... As is normal for me, since acknowledging that I've managed to turn around the downward cycle and have actually improved a bit.

I'm not fixed totally (more in a bit) but a few tortured bits have almost recovered back to normality again. Is it warmer today ? I've been warm enough to take the jumper off instead of freezing under the fleece. My legs have improved nicely. They're not fixed but almost there.

Arms are still ripped to shreds but they're better than they were too. I need to invest in some tubigrip stuff to put on at night to protect them from my own worst enemy in this, me. Mittens have been suggested but I don't think they'd work. I don't think I'd keep them on.

My energy levels have improved a bit and should be up to going back to work tomorrow. I suspect that brisk walk to the bus and into work will wake them up. Knees are still battered but that's another of those historical injuries.

But those pain levels receded to the point where I built the R2D2 yesterday and attempted to put the XWing together today.

Close out summary ?

Still wrecked. That hasn't changed much. But a bad downward cycle has reversed and I've been improving again.
Metal Earth models are nasty.
Lego and Nanoblock are awesome. And the Lego Le Mans car is on its way to give me something to put together while the 24 hour race is on.
Been light on gaming over the past few days - haven't wanted to attack that last Planetbase planet and Elite is definitely an In The Mood game.

One thing I'd like you to try and take away from this is - if you think you are on a downward spiral, stop. Think. What is happening ? How can you address it ?

For me, some of that is looking at what I do and asking myself - "Do healthy people do this ?" And in the case of me attacking my outsides, healthy people definitely don't do that.

There's a bit more to it than that. I've been drinking much more water over the past few days and I've been treating my outsides with some more Fucibet healing gunky cream. It's good stuff that is and is the one healing gunky cream that's worked over a long period for me.

Work should be fun tomorrow. Wonder how many emails I have waiting for me ?

And when is my foot going to find the XWing pilot that I dropped earlier and can't find ...