Field Notes: Instagram Polls (Part 4 - Summer Editions)

I’m playing catch-up! I realized I have months worth of Instagram polls I have not recorded here in the blog, so bear with me even if these don’t seem that relevant to you any more. Better late than never!

Here are all the Summer vs. Summer polls I conducted weeks leading up to the release of National Parks (2019 Summer edition of Field Notes).

Campfire vs. Three Missions

• Poll start date: May 10, 2019

• Total number of votes: 119

• Winner: Campfire (51%)

This was a bit surprising to me, as I expected Three Missions to win. But then again, it was a very close match. My pick was Three Missions, although I could’ve gone with either one.

Night Sky vs. Byline

• Poll start date: May 17, 2019

• Total number of votes: 120

• Winner: Night Sky (72%)

A decisive victory for my top favorite! I didn’t expect such a big margin though, since Night Sky is, by now, a pretty old edition and I remember people’s raving reaction to Byline when it first came out.

American Tradesman vs. Day Game

• Poll start date: May 24, 2019

• Total number of votes: 90

• Winner: Day Game (52%)

Another close match! I really didn’t know what to expect since both Day Game and American Tradesman are relatively old editions (I’d expect people to be unsure which to pick with editions they’re unfamiliar with; maybe that explains the lower number of total votes). I’m happy that Day Game won though. It’s one of my top favorites, so it was an easy pick for me.

Arts & Sciences vs. Workshop Companion

• Poll start date: May 31, 2019

• Total number of votes: 103

• Winner: Arts & Sciences (50.5%)

Wow, this has to be the closest result I’ve seen so far. And it echoes how I feel about these two. If I really had to pick, I’d go with Arts & Sciences, but another day I might pick Workshop Companion.

Grass Stain Green vs. County Fair

• Poll start date: June 7, 2019

• Total number of votes: 93

• Winner: Grass Stian Green (54%)

This was a tough choice for me, as I really like both Grass Stain Green and County Fair a lot (probably in my top 10 list). But that letterpress on GSG wins it over for me. I’m actually happy to see it didn’t win by a bigger margin because County Fair is an awesome edition as well (that linen texture on the cover!).

American Tradesman vs. Three Missions

• Poll start date: June 14, 2019

• Total number of votes: 116

• Winner: Three Missions (52%)

I thought Three Missions would win by more votes because it’s a newer edition with flashy extras and American Tradesman is an old release (Summer 2011) that’s not often talked about. I guess you never know! My choice was Three Missions. It wasn’t easy but I find Three Missions slightly more interesting, visually and thematically.

County Fair vs. Day Game

• Poll start date: June 21, 2019

• Total number of votes: 111

• Winner: Day Game (59%)

Day Game wins again! Yay! Just like GSG vs. County Fair, this one was difficult for me, but I just love the white foil stamping in the Day Game too much.

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What are your reactions to these polls? Did your favorites win? As I’ve said in my previous posts, these results represent only a small percentage of Field Notes fans, people who follow me and happen to view my Instagram Stories at the right time, etc, etc.

If you’d like to participate in my Field Notes polls, follow me on Instagram @threestaples and watch out for new Stories on Fridays.

Field Notes “Three Missions”: Crew Capsule Models

It’s been a while! Here are some pictures of the crew capsules that came with Three Missions, the 2018 Summer quarterly edition from Field Notes. This post will NOT be a review of the edition, but simply a detailed look into and an appreciation of the paper models. I’ll also talk about my experience assembling them.

So here they are! The 3-pack of memo books came packaged with 3 sheets of “Punch-Out and Assemble” mission-specific crew capsule models, pictured above, from left: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Specs on the memo books indicate that these model sheets are Domtar Lynx 80#C, while the cover on the memo books are Westrock Tango 12pt C1S “White” with an aqueous coating. Indeed these paper models have a matte finish, while the memo books have a slightly glossy finish.

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All model sheets came printed with the same set of brief instructions, which I thought were enough initially. Punch out the pieces, curl, then assemble in alphabetical order. Simple, right? Once I started though, I quickly learned that my bare hands were not going to be nimble enough to pry open all the slots neatly and combine the small pieces together. Good thing I had a pair of sharp tweezers handy. That helped a lot, except, I had to fudge my way through opening the slots in the right direction and holding the “TUCK” pieces steady enough to add other pieces to them, or fitting them into other pieces without untucking them. Also, I ended up having to shorten one of the strips that make a cylinder (I think it was part of Mercury), because it was too long to fit around an end (circular) piece. Miscalculation in the design or my mistake? *shrug* Overall, it was a bit frustrating but still satisfying to see all the pieces come together. I didn't need any glue or tape, if you were curious.

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Subtle silver on Apollo

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Mercury

Funny disclaimer on every sheet.

Had I remembered that there was a lengthy, detailed PDF of instructions at the Three Missions product page, I’d have had much easier time. D’oh! So if you haven’t assembled yours yet, I suggest you read the instructions first! As you can see, I got by without them, but there were some tricky parts that I wish I’d had gotten help with first. In Apollo, for example, some of the slots have to open outward, and the small black tip goes inside. Plus, you’ll find in the PDF lots of humor and tidbits on the three space missions, in the usual Field Notes fashion, so I highly recommend you read them.

Apollo (left), Gemini (back), and Mercury (right). I’m told scale is 1:50-ish.

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Some details I noticed: item numbers on the paper models! FNC-39b on Gemini and FNC-39c on Apollo. Strangely, there is no “FNC-39a” printed on Mercury. And what is this “FNC-39d Agena Target Vehicle (sold separately)” they mention in the instructions? :D

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FNC-39b

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FNC-39c

I’ve always enjoyed paper crafts, so it was fun to finally get these assembled. Three Missions might not be my favorite Field Notes edition of all time or anything like that, but I’m still impressed by the effort they put into making paper models (who did all the calculations?). At first I thought the flight sequence in the promo video was simulated, but apparently the models were actually sent into space! Definitely impressive for their first time making paper models. The PDF of instructions was titled “Paper Model Series”... Does this mean they’ll make more in the future?