The MUK Raker

THE MUK RAKER  Vol 2

News That No One Else Will Print

I'm having a good time constructing My Underwater Kingdom. I've added a fourth rail line and have had pirates seize "The Friendship Bridge" that connects MUK with the Rock Island Railroad (which has sunk to a new low by building an underwater rail line). And of course you don't want to miss this short relaxing video of our four rail lines.

The video doesn't work if you are using Microsoft Edge as your browser. However it works fine with the Chrome browser.

THE MUK RAKER Vol. 4

Printed news that will give you fits.

Last night I put on some Gospel music and spent a pleasant two hours assembling this 167 piece Lego knock-off. Although cheaper than genuine Legos, knock-offs do not have the strict quality control that Legos have. Two small pieces were the wrong size. And don't blend them with real Legos--they are often just a little bit "off" and won't fit well.

But it is a nice-looking addition to My Underwater Kingdom.

I love antique cars and have assembled a small collection. I purchase some as collectables, but my best buys are junk purchases that my wife repaints to look like new.

I next added a second platform on top of the first and used it for pirate ships.

A tape measure told me that after subtracting the size of the eight support pillars, I had added 4.827 square feet of space to my lay-out. Since my lay-out is built on a 6' by 8' table, that is a little more than a 10% increase in size.

THE MUK RAKER

I got this Mexican Coast Guard swamp attack boat for 50 cents., and then cleaned and painted it. It is a rare find, because Mexico does not have a Coast Guard.

In my opinion, cardstock is about the most cost-effective addition to your lay-out. The figures are sturdy enough to last for months.

And one of my favorite cardstock models is a WW2 British destroyer that I "converted" to the Polish destroyer "Thunderbolt!" As the German super-battleship "Bismarck" tried to escape a British fleet in the dark, the Thunderbolt sailed a parallel course, exchanging broadsides for 58 minutes before the two got separated in the darkness. The Thunderbolt scored about five hits and made it impossible for the Bismarck to slip away.

The Thunderbolt had to leave the battle site for refueling, but the British Navy sank the Bismarck the next day.

That’s astounding!!!

Thank you, Bernard.

Now remember that I have absolutely no talent at all. I have salvaged Styrofoam fruit crates and used them for my lay-out. I inserted dowel rods (round wooden sticks) into the holes, in order to create a "dock" for the Treasure Island dockyard. Obviously, it is still under construction. Plus, I had to move The Friendship Bridge and I'll need to put it up again somewhere else.

The ORP (Ship of the Polish Republic) Thunderbolt is refueling and reloading before setting out.

Ha-ha, this certainly is unique!   Looking forward to further misadventures!

Thank you, Bill.

I found this 1931 Rolls Royce at an open Air market here in Mexico today. The doors open, but it has no tires. They wanted 50 pesos ($2.50 US), which a rip-off price for the Gringo (That's me). I offered them 20 pesos (a fair price) and when they accepted, I gave them thirty.

My smart, intelligent wife is already planning how to paint it, and I have to find tires for it.

Nice Vincent - it looks like you are having a lot of fun!

Sean, my dad had two 1953 Lionel trains when I was a kid. I have always wanted trains, and about a year ago (when I was 64 ) I was finally able to get some. HO, because my wife and I live in a small house, but I love them.

Now that I have the Treasure Island dockyard assembled, I can't figure out what to do with it. After setting up an unimpressive display, I found some sparkle flannel at Walmart. I have to get at least one more package to do it right, but here's what I've got.

I got the idea for a pirate railcar from a large battery-operated Christmas train set I have. I looked carefully for Christmas trains with interesting railcars, and this is one of them.

Okay, I got enough sparkle to finish the job! Here's some before and after photos of my pirate sleet.

I added the sparkle foam to my antique car display, and it does look much better.

I didn't like my Treasure Island dockyard, so I sold it to Bruce Wayne for his old Batmobile collection.

But how did a 1949 Mercury Custom get there?  It was the Batmobile  in one of the black and white Batman movie serials.

At 55 cents apiece at a Mexican open-air market I got two new recruits for the Mexican Navy, and one addition to Baron Barracuda's evil army.

It took more than two weeks to find tires that would fit the 1931 Rolls Royce I bought at an open-air market. Then I had to slice them in half because they were too thick. But my smart intelligent wife painted it up, and now it looks pretty good.

A lengthy tour of an open-air market here in Mexico provided some treasures.

The evil Baron Barracuda has a new cannon to threaten MUK, and the pirate fleet has a new sailor.

With Christmas only ten months away, I have added another two cars to my  2019 display. When I got home I was surprised to learn that the diesel opens up.

I keep adding figures to my future Disney display.

SODOR ISLAND PURCHASES ROCK ISLAND RAIL LINE!

MUK hailed the decision by the fictional Sodor Island (home of Thomas the Tank Engine) to purchase one of the two underwater rail lines owned by Rock Island. Rock Island has been bitterly criticized by MUK for selling passenger tickets to pirates who seized the Friendship Bridge before being driven off by Mexican Marines.

Analysts believe that the heavily-industrialized Sodor (about 3,600 square miles), with its well-developed railway system, should be able to improve the mostly-unsuccessful industrialized area east of MUK.

The MUK Pack consists of MUK, Mexico, Poland, and Wayne Industries, which are united for mutual defense against pirates.

THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE TAKES OVER FORMER ROCK ISLAND RAIL LINE

Sodor Island announced that they were sending Thomas the Tank Engine to run a two-car passenger line that will service Wayne Industries, the Treasure Island dockyard, and MUK. Rock Island Railroad will confine itself solely to freight.

Sir Topham Hat explained that he sent Thomas because he was a really useful engine. The fat comptroller denied reports that he sent the little pest to run an underwater route in hopes that he would drown.

SODOR ISLAND JOINS MUCK PACK!

The heavily-industrialized island, which has no military, had been reluctant to join due to fears of pirate attacks. But accepting assurances from Mexico and Poland to provide protection, Sodor plans to begin construction in the area to the east of MUK.

Vincent Massi posted:

I got the idea for a pirate railcar from a large battery-operated Christmas train set I have. I looked carefully for Christmas trains with interesting railcars, and this is one of them.

Nice job! I like this setup!

SODOR ISLAND BEGINS CONSTRUCTION!

Sodor Island has put up a small railyard on an uninhabited island east of MUK. They have brought in two diesels (one friendly and the other evil) and a crane car. More details to follow.

WORLD MARKETS RIDICULE SODOR ISLAND EXPANSION!

World financial markets unanimously downplayed Sodor Island's expansion east of MUK. Analysts stated that the undefended island is too vulnerable to pirate attacks, does not have enough room for extensive industry, and is too small to support a railroad.

After failing to procure more tracks earlier today (I couldn't find any Thomas the Tank Engine pieces in the open-air market), Sodor moved some heavy equipment onto the island, as well as a freight car. But analysts say that there is little or nothing for the equipment to do.

Sodor did purchase the abandoned Friendship Bridge and its searchlight car from the now-defunct Rock Island Railroad, but analysts cannot figure out w Sodor will benefit from these acquisitions.

PIRATE FLEET HEADING TOWARDS SODOR!

A fleet of four heavily-armed pirate ships, which had been previously driven away by the Mexican Navy, has changed course and is headed for Sodor Island. The fleet is expected to reach Wayne Industries' underwater storage area tomorrow, and should reach Sodor the next day.

In an unusual statement to the media, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne assured investors that Wayne Industries' facilities were in no danger, and that he was personally flying to the area today.

And Sodor faced political embarrassment when Thomas the Tank Engine tooted a greeting at a passing French naval vessel. The warship surrendered immediately, but was quickly released. France has not joined MUK Pack, and its warship was legally gathering information.

POLISH NAVY SEIZES PIRATE SHIP!

Responding to a report that a pirate ship in the vicinity of Wayne Industries' underwater antique car garage was drifting, the Polish destroyer "Thunderbolt!" boarded the vessel without a fight. Poles found the entire crew beaten unconscious, while their radar confirmed that the rest of the pirate fleet was fleeing the area.

Sodor Island is no longer in danger of attack.

The Tripoli-based Pirates' Right League refuted the Polish report, claiming that Polish sailors had beaten up the pirates. "If the Poles didn't beat up the pirates, who did?" the PRL demanded.

SODOR ISLAND COMPLETES NAVAL BASE

The mystery of what Sodor Island was doing with so much construction equipment took a strange turn today, when Sodor completed construction of a naval base south-east of MUK. Mexican Coast Guard has stationed a small swamp boat on Sodor's only lake, and Sodor added an anti-aircraft gun to its searchlight railcar.

Vincent Massi posted:

 ...snip... The Thunderbolt scored about five hits and made it impossible for the Bismarck to slip away. The Thunderbolt had to leave the battle site for refueling, but the British Navy sank the Bismarck the next day.

I suspect that if the Bismark had scored even one hit there would have been a vastly different ending to the Thunderbolt's story!   Keep the story line coming, it is a fun read.

ISRAEL JOINS MUK PACK!

INS New Horizons docks at Sodor Island Naval Base.

Smaller, faster, and less-heavily-armed than most modern warships, New Horizons is designed with an extensive anti-missile defense system, as well as a limited ability for combat. With an anti-missile shield that will heavily increase MUK's defenses against surprise attacks, New Horizons swings the balance of power heavily against the pirates.

MUK WELCOMES PATCH THE PIRATE!  (Who?)

In 1978, Christian song writer Ron Hamilton lost an eye to cancer. The children at his church quickly nick-named him "Patch the Pirate," and he began writing Christian songs for children, followed by a series of "Patch the Pirate" adventure stories.

We used to play his tapes for our foster children, and it helped them calm down. While his adult Christian songs remain popular, his pirate stories and songs have made him a popular speaker in churches and meetings.

So when I found this for $2 at a yard sale, my wife and I did some minor repairs, clean-up, and painting. I've got to recruit some more friendly pirates for the crew, but Patch the Pirate is now part of My Underwater Kingdom.

Canadian friends took this photo yesterday.

MUK RESTORESSECOND RAIL LINE!

Sunken Valley Railroad had removed one of its two rail lines due to mechanical issues, but rebuilt it today.  In addition to providing additional freight service, the new line restores passenger service to MUK. Designed primarily to help MUK extract its extensive mineral resources, Sunken Valley Railroad provides a variety of cars to help transport mined products to the surface. 

PIRATES ADD FIFTH SHIP TO FLEET!

The HMS Bounty, an armed cargo ship, has joined the pirate fleet in international waters north-east of MUK. Fairly new and well-made, the Bounty (like most pirate ships) was not built as a warship, but was armed and modified.

The United Nations immediately warned MUK Pack not to respond, for fear of escalating the military situation.

Sodor Island has purchased a large container from MUK. The UN condemned the action as an escalation of the military conflict, and the Tripoli-based Pirates Rights League stated that this proves that MUK initiated the conflict that began by the pirates expanding their fleet.

Analysts have asked for help identifying the contents of the container. 

SODOR ISLAND BUILDS LIGHTHOUSE!

The Sodor Island Naval Station has completed construction of a lighthouse, which will aid navigation in the south-east quadrant of the MUK Pack. The naval station itself is lightly-armed, with a small attack boat and a single anti-aircraft gun (The pirates don't have any aircraft). It is farther from MUK itself, as well as the pirate fleet, than any other member of MUK Pack, and is regarded as a secure area.

But it is also the home port of the Israeli frigate "New Horizons," and critics protest that if the Israelis put to sea for combat, the lighthouse will help them keep Sodor Island aware of any threats.

SODOR ISLAND COMPLETES SUBMARINE BASE!

Critics have complained about the failure of the Rock Island Railroad to develop the area east of MUK. Today the Sodor Island Naval Base completed construction of a submarine base in that area.

MUK Pack's only submarine is an unarmed Mexican construction/research vessel, and Sodor insisted that there is no military significance to the new base. But critics pointed out that the base's radio antenna extends above the surface, increasing communication between the surface world and the underwater world.