Charlottechicken Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Oh no! I've seen an advert for a part works magazine to build a beautiful brass orrery. It works out quite expensive, but buying an orrery is not cheap and I cannot get one much cheaper than this partwork I have been interested in the solar system since I was little and quite fancied an orrery until I found out they cost hundreds or thousands This one looks really nice too I am going into town tomorrow and may have to pass through WHSmiths, hope I don't come home with any 'extras' . I'm supposed to be buying nothing new............ Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 *slaps Claire's wrist* Snap out of it girl - you don't really need it. Put it to the back of your mind and it'll be forgotten in a week Glad you're interested in stuff universal too. Phil knows much more than me and we sometime stand outside in the cold with his telescope, watching out for things, We were glued to the space station going over last month. Some friends have a 2 man telescope (takes 2 people to lift it) and they link it up to their laptop. We are waiting for some clear, warm nights to go over there to star/planet gaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I bet you enjoy it when you visit your folks Clare. For some reasont he sky is so big and clear out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 *slaps Claire's wrist* Snap out of it girl - you don't really need it. Put it to the back of your mind and it'll be forgotten in a week Ouch! Nope, that wasn't hard enough Clare, I'm still tempted I remember standing outside in my grans village in North Yorkshire and waiting for my eyes to adjust. There were no street lights in the village, so you could see (or not actually!) the vast blackness of space quite easily. After several minutes the Milky Way appeared too, along with the Andromeda Galaxy, quite an experience to me, as Birmingham has a constant orange 'glow' about it. Bloomin' light pollution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 The trouble with these mags is that they have a special offer to get you hooked, then they assess the circulation about half way through the run, and if it isn't hitting a certain target, they discontinue it, leaving those who had an interest high and dry. There was a dolls house one a few years ago that did just this, and a friend of mine ,who was collecting it, suddenly found she had wasted 26x £5.99. Just thought I'd mention it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Just a thought, could you have the mag subscription as a Birthday/Christmas present? My son collected the Horrible Histories, and even though they stop having them in the shops, they were arriving via the post we just had to order them Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I've just shown this to DD and she would love it : : .....but I'm always wary of these part works - seem expensive and 52 weeks is a long time to wait to complete the orrery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 The trouble with these mags is that they have a special offer to get you hooked, then they assess the circulation about half way through the run, and if it isn't hitting a certain target, they discontinue it, leaving those who had an interest high and dry. There was a dolls house one a few years ago that did just this, and a friend of mine ,who was collecting it, suddenly found she had wasted 26x £5.99. Just thought I'd mention it. My daughter got caught out with this sort of magazine too. Personally I would only want an orrery if it looked like the one in "Dark Crystal". I love that film! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 That is the only problem with the mags that you collect over a period of time, they work out really expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I didn't even know what a orrery is- thanks for enlightening me Subscribe to the mag, Claire, as a (late) birthday or early Christmas present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucky1 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 You learn something new everyday I didn't even know what an 'orrery' was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Well, I had a look in Smiths yesterday, and the quality of the first few pieces of the orrery are very good. The pic of it all set up is beautiful, and it is electric too It would come in at just under £310, which is a really good price for a piece like this But......... I really don't need one, no matter how much I want one, and as soon as the last piece has been put in place I am sure it will make a marvellous recepticle for dust and I will be forever moving it around to find a 'home' for it. And, like Egluntine says, there is always the chance that the publisher will not think it worth their while to finish the run of partworks. So, in the interests of anti-consumerism, I will pass on this one (and see if I can pick up one on ebay in a year's time ). Phew, it was a close call though, thought I would cave in and buy it once I had issue one in my sweaty little hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Well done for resisting Claire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 yeah well done! You could always make one from recycled bits & bobs??? Now there's a challenge! Oh & the money you were going to spend, would nearly buy another eglu - it would definitely buy a second hand one! There you go, buy nothing new, buy a second hand eglu off ebay!!!!! I also didn't know what an orrey was...now if you'd said model solar system - I'd have known! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 yeah well done! You could always make one from recycled bits & bobs??? Now there's a challenge! Hmm, wonder if they will be doing one on Blue Peter Better hang on to those old garden canes, washing up liquid bottles, toilet roll tubes and ping pong balls Oh & the money you were going to spend, would nearly buy another eglu - it would definitely buy a second hand one! There you go, buy nothing new, buy a second hand eglu off ebay!!!!! It is all going into the pot for something much bigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 10 eglus???? A Cube or 2? Or a smallholding???? Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Well done Claire! Yup, I do love the sky up there Bron and used to love watching it as a child. We don't have too much light pollution here and can drive 5 miles out of town and have a 'good sky'. I lay in the back seat of the van, swaddles in blankets, with the full-length sunroof right back to watch the l;ast two lots of meteorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...