Happy New Year!

Well, as 2016 draws to a close, it's time for us to reflect a little on what has been this 365 days. For me, it was quite a ride. And not one I enjoyed, to be honest. Neither professionally nor personally. If I had to put it into a single word, I'd say 'miserable'.


Just to top it, last week I unexpectedly had to deal with the fact the documentary film I was working on to realise, was cancelled by the program it was meant for. Two years of research, interviews and funding requests down the drain. So I am not in the greatest of moods at the moment. And that's the mildest way of putting it.
What an awful year this was for music and art in particular and celebrity deaths in general. There never before has been a year with so many famous people dead.  One of my biggest musical heroes, David Bowie passed away. In the weeks after his death I made a small space tribute for him. But we also had to cope with the loss of lots of other artists and well-known wonderful people. It really looks like 2016 was just a very bad year in general.


Now then, the model stuff. Of course due to busloads of circumstances there were fewer finished builds than I initially hoped for but then again, it also had some highlights. The first one I finished was a diorama of the first landing on solid ground of SpaceX' Falcon9 Full Thrust. Then the earlier mentioned Bowie tribute. Another one of my diorama builds this year became picture of the week on Paper Modelers.com wich also is very nice. I also scratch built a model of the future Ariane 6, which was a little less than satisfactory but a nice proof of concept anyway.
And in August, I brought a couple of my paper models to the National Spaceflight Museum in Lelystad, of which I am quite proud. The N-1 is a beautiful rocket but the build is troublesome and takes very very long. I hope I'll finish it sometime early next year. I want to get it out of my system. I have been working at this model on and off for more than a year now...

Let's hope 2017 is just a whole lot better. I really hope so. For me, my loved ones and of course for you and your loved ones too. Have a safe and joyous new year's eve and see you all in a hopefully healthy and easy-going 2017.
--PK