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So I could hardly miss out on the comp given I suggested the Theme. Plans and whatnot to follow...
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I look forward seeing all of that.
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I look forward seeing all of that.
I agree - should be a good one to watch :)
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Thanks chaps.
Well here's a design I drew up a while ago...
(https://i.imgur.com/c0uvXxx.jpg)
Though the last day or so I've been tempted by other ideas lol o_o
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Oo nice.
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That's a neat little design.
One of the issues with shuttles, dropships, and the like is that they can very quickly get Very Big and dominate the table. I'm considering a dropship/light cargo shuttle for my build this year and keep slamming into "too big for our usual 3x3 or 4x4 tables", which is also "too big to store/transport sanely"...
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which is also "too big to store/transport sanely...
Says the man who has a three meter long air ship!! lol lol lol
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That's a neat little design.
One of the issues with shuttles, dropships, and the like is that they can very quickly get Very Big and dominate the table. I'm considering a dropship/light cargo shuttle for my build this year and keep slamming into "too big for our usual 3x3 or 4x4 tables", which is also "too big to store/transport sanely"...
It is a difficult sweetspot to find, a practical gaming size but also seemingly realistic enough to put minis in. The shuttle above fits on an A4 piece of paper and seems to work well...at least putting minis on it. I actually had to make it a bit bigger than it should be to accommodate the mini's bases.
Will have to snap a pic of some minis on it to give a sense of scale.
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Looks good. I feel I should recognise the Protectorate? What’s it from? Orville?
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Great idea to make an airborne M113 APC! lol
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Apologies, I've been trying to do a proper post all week but time has been short.
Looks good. I feel I should recognise the Protectorate? What’s it from? Orville?
Nope sorry, the short answer is they are a homebrew force from my own game-world (see my Classic Wargame thread, see sig, for more or read on for a slightly longer explanation).
Great idea to make an airborne M113 APC! lol
Hopefully it'll look a little more sleek in the flesh... lol
So in the Build Something Small Competition I built this...
(https://i.imgur.com/XjNCYBK.jpeg)
Now, in my fluff for this project the building is actually built around a spaceship that's been buried, hence the vanes sticking out of the top of the roof, which acts as a safe house for food stores. These food stores are essentially tax / protection payment to The Seven; basically they are a technologically advanced civilisation that harbours / sets up low tech worlds to provide goods yet keep them in their place. So my plan for this comp was to build this...
(https://i.imgur.com/okJKOYk.jpeg)
But as I've never built a spaceship before I thought it best to go with something smaller. Now, the defenders / enforcers of The Seven are The Protectorate...
(https://i.imgur.com/IpsAKK5.jpeg)
An elite force of brutally efficient killers soldiers and though they usually deploy via combat drop they do occasionally actually land their shuttles on the surface, mostly when acting as bodyguards to VIPs and tax collectors.
SO yeah, now we are back to the shuttle as shown above. Aside from the design I don't really have anything planned...just a hope that I can fudge my way through o_o lol
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Sadly, not much progress to report at the moment as Real Life is kinda kicking my arse at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow I can do a proper update / make some progress.
I will say that I've been rethinking things a bit, my plan was to make the shuttle with a removable roof and the rear ramp folds down so minis could actually go onboard. But, I'm now thinking that realistically I'm not going to actually do that as I normally glue down any doors etc on vehicles like the Mantic Hornet I built.
In my games it'll really just be used as a piece of terrain, something for my Protectorate Troops to deploy around or fight their way too. So I'm now thinking it'll be once piece and I'll likely even black out the windows to help give them a menacing look.
I have started a mock up in card to check sizing and try to work out the best order for construction. Hopefully I'll get some more done tomorrow.
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Moving parts and removable roofs make for a way more complicated build, can confirm!
Looking forward to having some competition in the shuttle/dropship/aerospace sub-category of BSC2025, best of luck. I've dropped out of or skipped far more BSCs than I've ever finished an entry for in my years on LAF, so totally get the real world interrupt problem!
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Thanks sir.
Right, some progress...sort of...
(https://i.imgur.com/HnnBk2j.jpeg)
So I started a card mock up to check the sizing which I think works pretty well and to have something physical so I can try and formulate a plan on the best way to attack the project.
I've also been rummaging around looking for bits and bobs, tubes and whatnot. I also picked up a 1/72 kit of a rebel Star Wars skimmer from Empire Strikes Back (can't remember what they are called). Hopefully this weekend I can make a proper start...just need to find a piece of acrylic the right size.
We have a laser cutter at work that would be handy but I'm so snowed under with jobs I've yet to find the time to learn how to use it o_o
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Progress is a bit slow this week but it is chugging along...
(https://i.imgur.com/4tnhQxS.jpeg)
The vanes that form the central horizontal of the shuttle are from 3mm acrylic (off cuts from work) and just need a bit more filing and scraping along the edges. I'll also need to etch on the layout for the walls to make sure they go in the right place.
I've also made a start on the top half of the structure which is now sanded to even. Next I think I'll probably continue with the structure of the top half then I can skin it up. I expect I'll get the whole structure done and skinned then I can panel and whatnot.
..........................................
I thought I'd just give a bit of a low down on the shuttle. I've got my own ruleset I've been working on and my loose setting is called...
The Worlds
Across countless dimensions of time and space there exist, The Worlds. These cradles of life are separated by distances beyond the ken of mortals and yet share many peoples in common. Some wield technologies of great power and can touch the stars, while others are driven by superstition and primitive stone tools.
Here's a bit about the method of space travel...
The Space Lanes
While some technologically advanced worlds live an isolated existence, most are linked by a naturally occurring network of worm holes referred to as the space lanes. The reach of the space lanes is immeasurably vast, connecting not only nearby stars but even different galaxies. While many routes are stable, some shift location at one or both ends, and others even vanish or appear without warning.
The limited breadth of most worm holes restricts ship size, with even the largest no bigger than a small sports field. Traversing the Space Lanes is no mean feat and even the most stable become unnavigable once used…some require a few hours to settle while others can be unusable for generations.
Though most people dwell within large settlements there are many who live a low-profile and nomadic life, exploiting an easily accessible resource before trading and moving onto the next location.
Here's a bit on the different classes of ships...
Spaceships
Before I look at the size and type of ships used across The Worlds it might be worth considering how they are used. With the entrances to the Space Lanes being in space, ships must be able to fly in both atmosphere and the void as well as through the Space Lanes themselves. Though some journeys will be short others may take days or even weeks and so requirements and loadouts vary.
I like the idea of 4 basic classes or sizes of ship though in reality there would be almost infinite variation. As with all things in the Space Lanes, versatility is key so many ships are designed as a basic shell that can then be completed as required for its final role. Indeed for each class of ship there would be multi-use as well as role specific ships.
• Class 0: Atmospheric only craft, of any size
• Class 1: 1 or 2 crew with up to 6 passengers or light cargo
o Light Space Craft The most common ship size, able to access all stable Space Lanes
o Shuttle Used for general transportation of goods & people
o Dropship Military Shuttle
o Interceptor 2 crew & operates at short range
• Class 2: 4 crew with up to 40 passengers or medium cargo [Runabout]
o Medium Space Craft Able to access roughly 80% of the stable Space Lanes
o Transporter Passengers & / or cargo
o Patrol Ship
o Scout Ship Recon & Survey missions
• Class 3: 6 crew with up to 120 passengers or heavy cargo
o Heavy Space Craft Can access roughly 20% of the stable Space Lanes
o Heavy Transporter Passengers & / or cargo
o Heavy Patrol Ship, inc. 1-2 Shuttles
The first and second classes of ships are the most common and especially favoured by raiders. An analogy I like for the Space Lanes is a metro system with planets being the stops but rather than each stop being a mile or less apart, the planets across the Space Lanes are separated by unfathomable distances. Who knows what terrors lurk in the void between these pockets of civilisation…or perhaps it’s just an endless, featureless desert, waiting to crush the soul of any who cannot face the existential dread of its existence.
With regards to the size of the shuttle I wanted it to be fairly 'realistic' so it's actually big enough to hold 2 crew and 6 Protectorate Troopers. Of course one day it'd be cool to build a class 2 ships as well...though I might have to stick with floor plans for that one.
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So I've had another rethink. Inspired by Wirelizard's excellent work on his dropship I've decided to go back to having it open up. Rather than having a removable roof I think I'll just have it so the rear hatch opens. Not sure if any of this makes sense...
(https://i.imgur.com/boKIyYD.jpeg)
...but I've done some doodles and have a plan. I'll need to trim my acrylic some more and remove quite a chunk from the middle to make way for the internal space.
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If you want some pre-made pilots in seats there are some here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1569436417/28mm-spaceballs-x10-tgm-7?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=spaceballs&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&sts=1&local_signal_search=1&content_source=21a165094c4dbfd004b1836a3edbbb85640c60ed%253A1569436417&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=8961776a52728f0593eba13fc1e9f971c25492ad%3A1569436417 (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1569436417/28mm-spaceballs-x10-tgm-7?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=spaceballs&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&sts=1&local_signal_search=1&content_source=21a165094c4dbfd004b1836a3edbbb85640c60ed%253A1569436417&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=8961776a52728f0593eba13fc1e9f971c25492ad%3A1569436417)
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Thanks mate, never seen the Spaceballs minis before. I'm not sure if I'll do a pilot yet. If so I'll likely convert one of the Stargrave Trooper minis as the Protectors fly their own shuttles rather than have dedicated pilots.
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But, its Spaceballs!!
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lol
A tiny bit of progress...
(https://i.imgur.com/l719LGy.jpeg)
I still need to tweak the central acrylic bit slightly but should get that done today. I'm waiting for a delivery of some 3mm square plasti-rod which I'll use as spacers to give shadow gaps between these frames and between the walls of the shuttle. Once they turn up things should move a bit faster...hopefully.
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Very nice start :-*
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Great stuff 8)
It takes me back to my Star Trek shuttle build (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=121263.msg1520174#msg1520174), especially the hexagonal bulkheads :)
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That is one cool looking shuttle...did you ever manage to finish it?
I must admit I base my idea for classes of ship on a combo of Star Trek and War Rocket. So Class 1s are shuttlecraft, class 2s are runabouts.
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It's been slow going but I have finally finished much of the main structure...
(https://i.imgur.com/Bn3eor6.jpeg)
I went with 3mm square rod to act as supports for the outer and inner skin of the shuttle. I'm currently thinking of a removable roof but I'm not quite sure how I'm going to go about it right now. I will take a look tomorrow after a good nights sleep.
Either way I will start working on the internal walls and floors tomorrow...plus I need to have a think about how I'm going to do the cockpit too.
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Looking good so far :)
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Thanks Mick.
Well, I've run into problems and have spent the day having a bit of a rethink. This morning I made a start on the interior walls and floors but it quickly became apparent that the frame work I've built is square in some places and off in others. I'm not sure how clear it is in these pics but the frame is twisted by about 1mm.
(https://i.imgur.com/PrwSn0s.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/BHJedWI.jpeg)
On such a small model this represents a real pain in the backside and combined with the way I was planning on building the thing it'll make panelling VERY laborious. So, I've been trying to work out where I went wrong and so how is best to go forwards.
Part of the problem is that my hobby time is limited and piecemeal, I get maybe an hour at a go; this means that any project kinda bunny-hops along so I lack the opportunity to really focus in on what I'm doing. I also lack experience of working with plasticard, having never made any kind of structure with it before; I'm kinda making it up as I go along and with such small windows of time I'm also forgetting / rediscovering things as I go.
I think trying to build the interior of the shuttle is a big ask especially with only one month to go. I reakon if I was to continue down that road I'd just end up crushing / chucking the thing. So, I'm now thinking that I need to start again but this time focus on building the exterior of the shuttle, this should be more than enough work.
We've had the in-laws over today so I've not had a great deal of time but tonight my aim is to work out the best way to go about this..I suspect that what'll I'll end up doing is marking up and cutting some new acrylic (tomorrow) with slots cut in for the engines (20mm conduit) then I can build the basic framework, skin it and panel / detail it up.
Anyway I'll have a proper look tonight and hopefully by the end of the week I'll be heading in the right direction.
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First off; no, my shuttle basically stalled at the state it was in in my last post of that thread. Turns out I woefully underestimated the size of the Modiphius miniatures I was planning to use, and the shuttle was way too small (initially measured it against a regular copplestone 28mm mini). I still have it though and it may at some point become a crashed shuttle maybe? But I do plan on finishing one in the right size eventually… :)
As for your warping issue; I feel your pain. No matter how exact you make your cuts, there will always be inaccuracies, no matter how small. But they will compound over the build and the end result is sometimes seriously wonky, even though all individual parts are proportioned as accurately as possible. Discrepancies too small to measure will add up like I said.
It's one of the reasons why building cleanly is so much more difficult than building ruins or fantasy buildings, where wonkiness will only add to the quaintness of the build.
My way is to just go with it and compensate in later steps. So if a bulkhead is glued in slightly wonky, I will add plasticard to it on one half of one side and also on the opposing half on the flip side and compensate like that. The transitions in the middle will then be covered in detail to hide them. If that makes sense at all…
You could also go with filler, fill out the dips and sand them smooth. This will be much less visible in the end with only minimal thickness added tot he bulkhead, but it will be more work and you'll need differnt glues to add to them (superglue?). You could also go the sprue goo route, but that will be messy, take a looong time to fully cure and might end up really rough even after sanding. Plus side is that you'll still be working with styrene, so cement will work on it.
Good luck finding a solution that will work for you, and don't sweat or overthink it too much. Also; remember that any wonkiness you see will be magnified tenfold in your head; the casual onlooker will probably miss it completely ;)
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Thanks for the advice Daeothar. 8)
I have progress!
(https://i.imgur.com/tlEnLBk.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CbmFZXB.jpeg)
As you can see from these rather naff pics I have started again and built the shell of the shuttle. I'm currently in the process of using some .2" plastirod to fill in the gaps then carving it to fit with the panels lines once fully cured. Once all that's done I can fill, carve and sand.
Hopefully by the end of the weekend I can start thinking about the panelling.
With most of the month to go I am feeling a bit happier.
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Good solid build so far. Can't wait to see it with panels and greebles.
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Me too mate. Not done it before so will be making it up as I go along o_o lol
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Me too mate. Not done it before so will be making it up as I go along o_o lol
]
People plan things out? I did not know that was a thing. I usually think of one element and work up from there. lol
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People plan things out? I did not know that was a thing. I usually think of one element and work up from there. lol
I mean, my shuttle was "planned" with "cargo bay needs to be this big; total footprint should be inside these bounds" and that was it.
Also, I'm now facing some wonkiness as I mount the wings and roof because one sidewall pulled skew somehow as I glued it up, so... yay, working around the vagaries of measurements and flexible materials, I guess?
Lost Egg, the newly restarted shuttle looks great! Are you going to just go for solid painted windows and rear door to keep things structurally sound and straightforward?
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Lost Egg, the newly restarted shuttle looks great! Are you going to just go for solid painted windows and rear door to keep things structurally sound and straightforward?
Thank you sir. Yeah that's the plan. I was going to make an interior but given the time constraints and this being my first scratch built, plasticard model I figured in the end it'd be best to keep it simple. Not quite sure the best way to go about the panelling...I'm thinking I might draw onto the model first to try and plan it out. I've been looking at the Oshiro sci fi models for inspiration.
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More progress! If I carry on like this I might actually finish ;D
(https://i.imgur.com/v0E6yi8.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HY9tAHO.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/1ylnc2c.jpeg)
It's funny how putting the window in kinda brings it to life a bit. The panels are 1mm thick and looking now I think I should have gone with maybe .75mm or .5mm but this is what I had. Plus, being a military shuttle I guess they want the extra armour so it kinda works. More panelling tonight.
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Progress...
(https://i.imgur.com/ghW13JK.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZvION8Q.jpeg)
Things are going a bit slower now as I am trying to make sure the panels are symmetrical and lining up ok. I'm fully into the winging it stage with the weapons and engines. Once they are sorted I can finish the underside and the top then it'll just be the rear and maybe some slimmer panels over the top of the chunky ones. I'm fairly confident of finishing the build on time now...
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Great job. I'd be totally lost on a build like this.
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That is looking nice and clean, I like it. Glad to see you're back on track after v1 didn't work out.
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Thanks guys.
Well thank you Wirelizard, I've found your plog particularly inspiring. I must admit I have found my mind wandering towards making another shuttle when I get onto my Space Orcs project at some point...though I think their aesthetic will be a wee bit less refined :D
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to be totally perverse, I prefer the proportions upside down... has a Lynch Dune quality to it that way round...
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Looking absolutely asesome there! 8)
For me, your work reminds me of either Buck Rogers and/or V. It's absolutely not a copy of any of the craft from those series, but it just evokes those aesthetics with me. And that's just great :)
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Thanks guys.
to be totally perverse, I prefer the proportions upside down... has a Lynch Dune quality to it that way round...
I know what you mean. I already have a plan for that shape, a Class 2 ship that operates as a cargo hauler or longer range military Patrol Ship.
(https://i.imgur.com/okJKOYk.jpg)
For me, your work reminds me of either Buck Rogers and/or V. It's absolutely not a copy of any of the craft from those series, but it just evokes those aesthetics with me. And that's just great :)
That works for me mate. I have vague memories of V but I was probably a bit young for it. To me it puts me in mind of a Federation Shuttle Craft or maybe a Ferengi shuttle.
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Upside down is a bit reminiscent of the U wing with the deep belly. Either way works and it is looking great.
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Cheers snitchythedog!
Right, a wee bit more progress...
(https://i.imgur.com/d2jZxza.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hBIJ732.jpeg)
Some kinda bumper rails along the bottom of the shuttle for the inevitable crash landing. In the second photo is also the hatch that will be going on the underside as well as the doot and a small control panel from a Stargrave Crew sprue. Apart from this I have mostly been patching holes and tidying up.
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Those rails/grooves/skids are a great addition; makes the shape look more interesting and also grounded in reality (whatever that's worth when designing a scifi shuttlecraft ;) ).
Nearing the home stretch now for sure...
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Thanks Daeothar.
Even closer now...
(https://i.imgur.com/Pjj0ZSo.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AhSl0yF.jpeg)
Having not done a build like this before I don't know if I've under done the detailing or not...I guess I'll know when I start painting it. Just one more thing to do now.
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Looking well cool!
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Looking good. I know what you mean about painting - never really know until the primer is on.
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Well my shuttle is finished (engine nozzles attached) and primed...but this got me thinking, as the final paint scheme will be based on my Protectorate troops in some ways it won't be too far removed from its current primed colour. So, I don't think I'll post a pic of it now so we'll just have to wait for the painted pic to surface in a week or so.
Good luck everyone!
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Sounds sensible. Good luck.
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Cool, looking forward to seeing this.
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Thanks guys.
Felt a bit touch and go but have finally submitted my photo. Phew.
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Felt a bit touch and go but have finally submitted my photo. Phew.
Attaboy! :D
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Indeed this is great news, would be awful for you to have done so much great work then stumble at the final hurdle.
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Indeed this is great news, would be awful for you to have done so much great work then stumble at the final hurdle.
As one who did 'stumble' I fully agree. Good luck to all still in it.