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Another from the Tamron 28mm lens test, looking at the beauty of temperate zone trees in winter. This is an Oak tree, almost certainly an American Red Oak, Quercus rubra, but without the leaves or acorns, one cannot be certain. Many species of oaks, both indigenous & introduced, are present in Limousin. Oak is the most durable of all temperate hardwoods, and also one of the strongest, and has been used for both structural and decorative purposes for many hundreds of years.
1980 Mamiya ZE, f2.5/28mm Tamron lens, X2 yellow filter. Rollei Retro100 @200, In Diafine, 5+5mins at 21C. scanned @ 2400dpi on Epson V500.
Faro El Morro is a lighthouse atop the walls of Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan. It was first lighthouse built in Puerto Rico.
The original Castillo San Felipe del Morro Lighthouse was built in 1846. In 1876, a new iron tower was constructed but it was hit by U.S. artillery fire during the Spanish–American War in 1898. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1899 but developed structural problems and was demolished in 1906.
The new and current lighthouse was constructed in 1908 as a "square tower on castle" in the Moorish Revival style.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sanatorium Zonnestraal, Hilversum NL, 1926-1928, architects Duiker, Bijvoet & Wiebenga - the architects/structural engineers designed the Sanatorium Zonnestraal near Hilversum in The Netherlands, completed in 1928. This cutting-edge design changed the way the world considered hospitals, by discarding the dark, unsanitary buildings of the past. Early twentieth century designs emphasized air circulation and access to sunlight. This innovation was so successful that many upscale homes placed sleeping quarters outside on balconies. The composition of glass, concrete, and steel in this structure continues to be copied in many modern homes. Three main buildings of three parallel wings contain treatment facilities and staff quarters. The infirmary houses 28 patients, specifically tuberculosis patients. Spatial relationships are clear and direct. The white concrete is brilliantly subservient to the airy and light atmosphere. There is no telling how much this project improved the quality of life for sick and mentally ill people all over the world. It is a triumph of Modernism. A major restoration took place from 2001. The main building is totally restored. From the remaining original pavilion the structure and facades have been restored. The interior is waiting for a new user.
Cultural Centre Forum Groningen, The Netherlands
• Architects: NL Architects
• Area : 17000 m²
• Year : 2019
• Interior Design : NL Architects i.c.w.: deMunnik-deJong-Steinhauser, Prast&Hooft, Tank, Northern Light,
• Acoustics : Peutz
• Structural Engineer : ABT
Forum Groningen is a new multifunctional building in the center of Groningen in the Netherlands, a cultural ‘department store’ filled with books and images, that offers exhibition spaces, movie halls, assembly rooms, restaurants. The Forum aspires to become a platform for interaction and debate, a ‘living room’ for the city. Forum Groningen is a new type of public space where the traditional borders between these institutes will dissolve. Information will be presented thematically in a way that transcends the different media. The building is designed as single clear volume to express the desire for synergy, to strengthen the shared ambition to combine different facilities into one new compound. A series of careful cuts nails the building on its site and generates a multitude of different appearances.
Forum Groningen features an exceptional central space, an innovative atrium that with its horizontal ‘tentacles’ forms the pumping heart of the venue. The void works as a spatial interface that binds all functions, movie theatre, book collection, expo, auditorium, and as such hopes to catalyze the exchange of knowledge and ideas. A series of stacked ‘squares’ emerges that can be experienced as the continuation of the network of open spaces in the city of Groningen. The vertical squares are publicly accessible and provide entry to the ticketable activities. The specific layout offers continuously changing perspectives on the surrounding city and culminates in the roof terrace, a viewing platform and outdoor theatre. Forum Groningen has been engineered “to accommodate finding not searching”. The design stimulates exploration. It hopes to catalyze the desire to wander, to ‘browse’ endlessly through a staggering interior landscape.
Leucism is a condition where there is partial loss of pigmentation resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin. (Wikipedia)
According to the California Audubon Society, the lack of bright color may make a leucistic bird unattractive to mates and at greater danger of being attacked by predators. Lighter plumage may rob the birds of protective camouflage and make them more vulnerable to predators such as hawks and feral cats. Because plumage colors play an important role in courtship rituals, birds with leucism may be unable to find strong, healthy mates. Melanin is also an important structural component of feathers, and birds with extensive leucism have weaker feathers that will wear out more swiftly, making flight more difficult and eliminating some of the bird’s insulation against harsh weather.
Day 258 - 35mm Ilford HP5+ pushed to 1600 on a Nikon FE with Nikkor 50mm f/2 ai-s lense. Metadata describes how image was uploaded.
Tech. Sgt. Ryan Atoigue adjusts a light attached to his helmet while participating in structural fire training Oct. 20, 2014, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Atoigue's helmet indicates that he is a firecrew captain with the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Greg L. Davis/Released)
At first sight the church of All Saints at Wilden, just to the north east of Stourport on Severn, may not appear to be anything out of the ordinary, a humble Victorian brick church with a bellcote, consisting solely of single aisle nave and chancel with little structural division. But within lies one of the most beautiful sets of windows in the Midlands, a complete scheme by Morris & Co from designs of Edward Burne Jones, dating from 1902-14.
The church itself was built in 1880 by the architect W.J.Hopkins and funded by Alfred Baldwin, whose family church this became; they lived nearby and were major industrialists, owning the nearby ironworks. Baldwin was married to Louisa MacDonald, whose three sisters also had notable marriages, to John Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard), the artist Edward Poynter and, most significant of all here, Sir Edward Burne Jones. This collaboration of dynasties resulted in the superb windows at Wilden church, though all were installed after the death of Burne Jones himself.
A detail of the east window appears to show the Archangel Raphael with the young Tobias from the Old Testament story, though the boy is reputedly a likeness of Alfred Baldwin's son and Burne Jones's nephew, the future Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.
The windows are exceptionally beautiful and richly reward a visit to this unassuming building. Most are designs reused from the great stock of Burne Jones's drawings held by Morris & Co, and which appear in many other windows across the country. A particularly notable two-light window has his familiar figure of Joshua in armour, balanced by a charming panel of pure foliage (apparently arising from a problem with indecision on the part of the donors as to who should be portrayed here, but a very happy accident I think).
The church is generally kept locked except for the first saturday of each month (and school holiday wednesdays), otherwise an appointment will be necessary to gain entry.
This was my 2nd visit, and I inadvertently turned up an hour early, but as luck would have it the nice lady opening up the church that morning also arrived an hour early (owing to a wedding later that day) so in the end my timing couldn't have been better (and she very kindly made me a cup of tea too, so hospitalitiy here was much appreciated! :-)
IMG_3261
For maximum effect, click the image, to go into the Lightbox, to view at the largest size; or, perhaps, by clicking the expansion arrows at top right of the page for a Full Screen view.
Don't use or reproduce this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission.
© All Rights Reserved - Jim Goodyear 2019.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The TIE/LN starfighter, or TIE/line starfighter, simply known as the TIE Fighter or T/F, was the standard Imperial starfighter seen in massive numbers throughout most of the Galactic Civil War and onward.
The TIE Fighter was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems and led to several upgraded TIE models such as TIE/sa bomber, TIE/IN interceptor, TIE/D Defender, TIE/D automated starfighter, and many more.
The original TIEs were designed to attack in large numbers, overwhelming the enemy craft. The Imperials used so many that they came to be considered symbols of the Empire and its might. They were also very cheap to produce, reflecting the Imperial philosophy of quantity over quality.
However, a disadvantage of the fighter was its lack of deflector shields. In combat, pilots had to rely on the TIE/LN's maneuverability to avoid damage. The cockpit did incorporate crash webbing, a repulsorlift antigravity field, and a high-g shock seat to help protect the pilot, however these did next to nothing to help protect against enemy blaster fire.
Due to the lack of life-support systems, each TIE pilot had a fully sealed flight suit superior to their Rebel counterparts. The absence of a hyperdrive also rendered the light fighter totally dependent on carrier ships when deployed in enemy systems. TIE/LNs also lacked landing gear, another mass-reducing measure. While the ships were structurally capable of "sitting" on their wings, they were not designed to land or disembark their pilots without special support. On Imperial ships, TIEs were launched from racks in the hangar bays.
The high success rate of more advanced Rebel starfighters against standard Imperial TIE Fighters resulted in a mounting cost of replacing destroyed fighters and their pilots. That, combined with the realization that the inclusion of a hyperdrive would allow the fleet to be more flexible, caused the Imperial Navy to rethink its doctrine of using swarms of cheap craft instead of fewer high-quality ones, leading to the introduction of the TIE Advanced x1 and its successor, the TIE Avenger. The following TIE/D Defender as well as the heavy TIE Escort Fighter (or TIE/E) were touted as the next "logical advance" of the TIE Series—representing a shift in starfighter design from previous, expendable TIE models towards fast, well armed and protected designs, capable of hyperspace travel and long-term crew teams which gained experience and capabilities over time.
The TIE/E Escort, was a high-performance TIE Series starfighter developed for the Imperial Navy by Sienar Fleet Systems and it was introduced into service shortly before the Battle of Endor. It was a much heavier counterpart to the agile and TIE/D fighter, and more of an attack ship or even a light bomber than a true dogfighter. Its role were independent long range operations, and in order to reduce the work load and boost morale a crew of two was introduced (a pilot and a dedicated weapon systems officer/WSO). The primary duty profile included attack and escort task, but also reconnoiter missions. The TIE/E shared the general layout with the contemporary TIE/D fighter, but the cockpit section as well as the central power unit were much bigger, and the ship was considerably heavier.
The crew enjoyed – compared with previous TIE fighter designs – a spacious and now fully pressurized cockpit, so that no pressurized suits had to be worn anymore. The crew members sat in tandem under a large, clear canopy. The pilot in front had a very good field of view, while the WSO sat behind him, in a higher, staggered position with only a limited field of view. Both work stations had separate entries, though, and places could not be switched in flight: the pilot mounted the cockpit through a hatch on port side, while the WSO entered the rear compartment through a roof hatch.
In a departure from the design of previous TIE models, instead of two parallel wings to either side of the pilot module, the TIE Escort had three quadanium steel solar array wings mounted symmetrically around an aft section, which contained an I-s4d solar ionization reactor to store and convert solar energy collected from the wing panels. The inclusion of a third wing provided additional solar power to increase the ship's range and the ship's energy management system was designed to allow weapons and shields to be charged with minimum loss of power to the propulsion system.
Although it was based on the standard twin ion engine design, the TIE/E’s propulsion system was upgraded to the entirely new, powerful P-sz9.8 triple ion engine. This allowed the TIE/E a maximum acceleration of 4,220 G or 21 MGLT/s and a top speed of 144 MGLT, or 1,680 km/h in an atmosphere — almost 40 percent faster than a former standard TIE Fighter. With tractor beam recharge power (see below) redirected to the engines, the top speed could be increased to 180 MGLT in a dash.
In addition to the main thrusters located in the aft section, the TIE Escort's triple wing design allowed for three arrays of maneuvering jets and it featured an advanced F-s5x flight avionics system to process the pilot's instructions. Production models received a class 2, ND9 hyperdrive motivator, modified from the version developed for the TIE Avenger. The TIE/E also carried a Sienar N-s6 Navcon navigation computer with a ten-jump memory.
Special equipment included a small tractor beam projector, originally developed for the TIE Avenger, which could be easily fitted to the voluminous TIE Escort. Models produced by Ysanne Isard's production facility regularly carried such tractor beams and the technology found other uses, such as towing other damaged starfighters until they could achieve the required velocity to enter hyperspace. The tractor beam had limited range and could only be used for a short time before stopping to recharge, but it added new tactics, too. For instance, the beam allowed the TIE/E crews to temporarily inhibit the mobility of enemy fighters, making it easier to target them with the ship's other weapon systems, or prevent enemies from clear shots.
The TIE Escort’s weapons systems were primarily designed to engage bigger ships and armored or shielded targets, like armed freighters frequently used by the Alliance. Thanks to its complex weapon and sensor suite, it could also engage multiple enemy fighters at once. The sensors also allowed an effective attack of ground targets, so that atmospheric bombing was a potential mission for the TIE/E, too.
.
The TIE Escort Fighter carried a formidable array of weaponry in two modular weapon bays that were mounted alongside the lower cabin. In standard configuration, the TIE/E had two L-s9.3 laser cannons and two NK-3 ion cannons. The laser and ion cannons could be set to fire separately or, if concentrated power was required, to fire-linked in either pairs or as a quartet.
The ship also featured two M-g-2 general-purpose warhead launchers, each of which could be equipped with a standard load of three proton torpedoes or four concussion missiles. Depending on the mission profile, the ship could be fitted with alternative warheads such as proton rockets, proton bombs, or magnetic pulse warheads.
Additionally, external stores could be carried under the fuselage, which included a conformal sensor pallet for reconnaissance missions or a cargo bay with a capacity for 500 kg (1.100 lb).
The ship's defenses were provided by a pair of forward and rear projecting Novaldex deflector shield generators—another advantage over former standard TIE models. The shields were designed to recharge more rapidly than in previous Imperial fighters and were nearly as powerful as those found on capital ships, so that the TIE/E could engage other ships head-on with a very high survivability. The fighters were not equipped with particle shields, though, relying on the reinforced titanium hull to absorb impacts from matter. Its hull and wings were among the strongest of any TIE series Starfighter yet.
The advanced starfighter attracted the attention of several other factions, and the Empire struggled to prevent the spread of the technology. The ship's high cost, together with political factors, kept it from achieving widespread use in the Empire, though, and units were assigned only to the most elite crews.
The TIE/E played a central role in the Empire's campaign against rogue Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin, and mixed Defender and Escort units participated in several other battles, including the Battle of Endor. The TIE Escort continued to see limited use by the Imperial Remnant up to at least 44 ABY, and was involved in numerous conflicts, including the Yuuzhan Vong War..
The kit and its assembly:
Another group build contribution, this time to the Science Fiction GB at whatifmodelers.com during summer 2017. Originally, this one started as an attempt to build a vintage MPC TIE Interceptor kit which I had bought and half-heartedly started to build probably 20 years ago. But I did not have the right mojo (probably, The Force was not strong enough…?), so the kit ended up in a dark corner and some parts were donated to other projects.
The sun collectors were still intact, though, and in the meantime I had the idea of reviving the kit’s remains, and convert it into (what I thought was) a fictional TIE Fighter variant with three solar panels. For this plan I got myself another TIE Interceptor kit, and stashed it away, too. Mojo was still missing, though.
Well, then came the SF GB and I took it as an occasion to finally tackle the build. But when I prepared for the build I found out that my intended design (over the years) more or less actually existed in the Star Wars universe: the TIE/D Defender! I could have built it with the parts and hand and some improvisation, but the design similarity bugged me. Well, instead of a poor copy of something that was more or less clearly defined, I rather decided to create something more individual, yet plausible, from the parts at hand.
The model was to stay a TIE design, though, in order to use as much donor material from the MPC kits as possible. Doing some legwork, I settled for a heavy fighter – bigger than the TIE Interceptor and the TIE/D fighter, a two-seater.
Working out the basic concept and layout took some time and evolved gradually. The creative spark for the TIE/E eventually came through a Revell “Obi Wan’s Jedi Starfighter” snap fit kit in my pile – actually a prize from a former GB participation at phoxim.de (Thanks a lot, Wolfgang!), and rather a toy than a true model kit.
The Jedi Fighter was in so far handy as it carries some TIE Fighter design traits, like the pilot capsule and the characteristic spider web windscreen. Anyway, it’s 1:32, much bigger than the TIE Interceptor’s roundabout 1:50 scale – but knowing that I’d never build the Jedi Starfighter OOB I used it as a donor bank, and from this starting point things started to evolve gradually.
Work started with the cockpit section, taken from the Jedi Starfighter kit. The two TIE Interceptor cockpit tubs were then mounted inside, staggered, and the gaps to the walls filled with putty. A pretty messy task, and once the shapes had been carved out some triangular tiles were added to the surfaces – a detail I found depicted in SW screenshots and some TIE Fighter models.
Another issue became the crew – even though I had two MPC TIE Interceptors and, theorectically, two pilot figures, only one of them could be found and the second crewman had to be improvised. I normally do not build 1:48 scale things, but I was lucky (and happy) to find an SF driver figure, left over from a small Dougram hoovercraft kit (from Takara, as a Revell “Robotech” reboxing). This driver is a tad bigger than the 1:50 TIE pilot, but I went with it because I did not want to invest money and time in alternatives. In order to justify the size difference I decided to paint the Dougram driver as a Chiss, based on the expanded SW universe (with blue skin and hair, and glowing red eyes). Not certain if this makes sense during the Battle of Endor timeframe, but it adds some color to the project – and the cockpit would not be visible in much detail since it would be finished fully closed.
Reason behind the closed canopy is basically the poor fit of the clear part. OOB, this is intended as an action toy – but also the canopy’s considerable size in 1:50 would prevent its original opening mechanism.
Additional braces on the rel. large window panels were created with self-adhesive tape and later painted over.
The rear fuselage section and the solar panel pylons were scratched. The reactor behind the cockpit section is actually a plastic adapter for water hoses, found in a local DIY market. It was slightly modified, attached to the cockpit “egg” and both parts blended with putty. The tail opening was closed with a hatch from the OOB TIE Interceptor – an incidental but perfect match in size and style.
The three pylons are also lucky finds: actually, these are SF wargaming/tabletop props and would normally be low walls or barriers, made from resin. For my build, they were more or less halved and trimmed. Tilted by 90°, they are attached to the hull with iron wire stabilizers, and later blended to the hull with putty, too.
Once the cockpit was done, things moved more swiftly. The surface of the hull was decorated with many small bits and pieces, including thin styrene sheet and profiles, steel and iron wire in various strengths, and there are even 1:72 tank tracks hidden somewhere, as well as protective caps from syringes (main guns and under the rear fuselage). It’s amazing how much stuff you can add to such a model – but IMHO it’s vital in order to create some structure and to emulate the (early) Star Wars look.
Painting and markings:
The less spectacular part of the project, even though still a lot of work because of the sheer size of the model’s surface. Since the whole thing is fictional, I tried to stay true to the Imperial designs from Episode IV-VI and gave the TIE/E a simple, all-light grey livery. All basic painting was done with rattle cans.
Work started with a basic coat of grey primer. On top of that, an initial coat of RAL 7036 Platingrau was added, esp. to the lower surfaces and recesses, for a rough shading effect. Then, the actual overall tone, RAL 7047, called “Telegrau 4”, one of Deutsche Telekom’s corporate tones, was added - mostly sprayed from abone and the sides onto the model. Fuselage and panels were painted separately, overall assembly was one of the final steps.
The solar panels were to stand out from the grey rest of the model, and I painted them with Revell Acrylic “Iron Metallic” (91) first, and later applied a rather rich wash with black ink , making sure the color settled well into the many small cells. The effect is pretty good, and the contrast was slightly enhanced through a dry-brushing treatment.
Only a few legible stencils were added all around the hull (most from the scrap box or from mecha sheets), the Galactic Empire Seal were inkjet-printed at home, as well as some tactical markings on the flanks, puzzled together from single digits in "Aurebash", one of the Imperial SW languages/fonts.
For some variety and color highlights, dozens of small, round and colorful markings were die-punched from silver, yellow, orange, red and blue decal sheet and were placed all over the hull - together with the large panels they blur into the the overall appearance, though. The hatches received thin red linings, also made from generic decals strips.
The cockpit interior was a bit challenging, though. Good TIE Fighter cockpit interior pictures are hard to find, but they suggest a dark grey tone. More confusingly, the MPC instructions call for a “Dark Green” cockpit? Well, I did not like the all-grey option, since the spaceship is already monochrome grey on the outside.
As a compromise I eventually used Tamiya XF-65 "Field Grey". The interior recieved a black ink in and dry-brushing treatment, and some instruments ansd screens were created with black decal material and glossy black paint; some neon paint was used for sci-fi-esque conmtraol lamps everywhere - I did not pay too much intention on the interior, since the cockpit would stay closed, and the thick clear material blurs everything inside.
Following this rationale, the crew was also painted in arather minimal fashion - both wear a dark grey uniform, only the Chiss pilot stands aout with his light blue skin and the flourescent red eyes.
After an overall black ink wash the model received a dry brusing treatment with FS 36492 and FS 36495, for a weathered and battle-worn look. After all, the "Vehement" would not survive the Ballte of Endor, but who knows what became of TIE/E "801"'s mixed crew...?
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, and some final cosmetic corrections made.
The display is a DIY creation, too, made from a 6x6" piece of wood, it's edges covered with edgebonder, a steel wire as holder, and finally the display was paited with semi-matt black acrylic paint from the rattle can.
A complex build, and the TIE/E more or less evolved along the way, with only the overall layout in mind. Work took a month, but I think it was worth the effort. This fantasy creation looks pretty plausible and blends well into the vast canonical TIE Fighter family - and I am happy that I finally could finish this mummy project, including the surplus Jedi Starfighter kit which now also find a very good use!
An epic one, and far outside my standard comfort zone. But a wothwhile build!
I find that by breaking down the figure into a skeleton of circles, triangles and lines I am able to build up the figure and easily map out the proportions correctly.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Vickers Vanguard was a British short/medium-range turboprop airliner introduced in 1959 by Vickers-Armstrongs, a development of their successful Viscount design with considerably more internal room. The Vanguard was introduced just before the first of the large jet-powered airliners, and was largely ignored by the market. Only 44 were built and the Vanguard entered service in late 1960.
Even though the Vanguard could match the early passenger jets on short distances, the type was quickly relegated to other roles: In 1966, Air Canada removed all the seats in CF-TKK and refitted the aircraft for pure cargo work, in which role it could carry 42,000 lb (19,050 kg) of freight. Known by the airline as the "Cargoliner," it was the only such conversion, but survived to be the last Canadian Vanguard to be retired in December 1972.
BEA operated nine Vanguards modified to the V953C "Merchantman" all-cargo layout from 1969. A large forward cargo door measuring 139 by 80 inches (350 by 200 cm) was incorporated. The Merchantmen continued in service with BA until late 1979.
Beyond civil use, the most noteworthy military operator was Thailand, with an anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft conversion for the Royal Thai Navy, the SeaGuard MR.1. The need for aerial maritime patrol with proprietary aircraft was first formulated during the withdrawal of United States forces from Thailand in the mid Seventies, when the Thai Air Force assumed use of the installations at Takhli and Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat).
Inspired by similar conversions, e. g. the Canadian CP-107 Argus derived from the Bristol Britannia airliner and the highly successful Douglas P-3 derived from the L-188 Electra, the Thai "SeaGuard MR.1" fleet was created from three former Canadian airliners (ex Air Canada), converted by Canadair in Montreal.
Work started in 1977, and the former airliner underwent considerable modifications. The SeaGuard MR.1's core system became an AN/APS-115 radar, a development of the earlier, analogue AN/APS-80A used in American aircraft like the P-3A .The AN/APS-115 was state of the art technology and the first attempt of digitization by providing digital input into the onboard digital combat system. The system was able to achieve a resolution of 1.5 ft and the typical range against a submarine periscope is 15.5 nautical miles. Since the 42" rotating search antenna necessitated a relatively large fairing. A draggy, ventral position (e. g. like the P-2 or Il-38) was ruled out, for aerodynamic and structural reasons, as well as for space for an internal weapon bay (see below), so that a characteristic "duck bill" radome was added to the SeaGuard's nose.
The SeaGuard MR.1 was also equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) in an extended fiber glass tail stinger, far from other electronics and ferrous metals on the aircraft. The MAD enabled the aircraft's crew (a typical crew numbered roughly 9 members) to detect the magnetic anomaly of a submarine in the Earth's magnetic field. The limited range of this instrument required the aircraft to be near the submarine at low altitude, so that it could primarily be used for pinpointing the location of a submarine immediately prior to a torpedo or depth bomb attack.
Streamlined fairings under the outer wings carried extra fuel and a searchlight (starboard) as well as a missile guidance antenna and a 'sniffer' (port) that could detect exhaust fumes and particles from diesel submarines.
Ordnance was to be carried in a single internal bomb bay under the forward fuselage, which was structurally beefed up for the rougher conditions over sea and prolonged low altitude operations. Special care was also given to the structure's protection against the naval environment, too. An additional fuel tank was installed in the wing root section and, while the rear section carried a trim fuel tank, avionics and other, lighter mission equipment.
The 28 ft 4 in (8,64 m) long bay could house conventional Mark 50 torpedoes or Mark 46 torpedoes as well as mines and depth charges. Active and passive sonobuoys could also be carried in the bay, and there were also two vertical ejection shafts with pressure locks in the aft fuselage from which single sonobuoys or other sensor carriers could be manually dropped, e. g. for weather research. Additional underwing stations under the inner and outer wings could carry additional armament and equipment.
The first or a total of three SeaGuard conversions for the Thai Navy was delivered in early 1978, and the trio became fully operational in early 1979, serving in both military and civil duties, e. g. in offshore SAR and pollution control missions.
The Thai SeaGuard MR.1s were kept longer in service than expected. Originally, they were scheduled to serve until 1990, to be replaced by three ex USN P-3A ordered in 1989, but deliveries were delayed because of financial problems and government changes in Thailand, so that the old and well-worn SeaGuards had to soldier on.
In late 1993 the Orions destined for Thailand finally arrived at the NADEP at NAS Jacksonville, where the aircraft were modified to meet RTN requirements, two aircraft were modified to P-3T standard (mainly based on the TAC/NAV Mod version), the third was originally delivered as a UP-3T in late 1995, but was later modified to VP-3T standard with a strengthened floor, passenger seats and a limited SENTAC station enabling the aircraft to perform light surveillance duties. The last flight of a Royal Thai Navy SeaGuard MR.1 took place on October 3rd 1995, and all three aircraft were subsequently scrapped.
General characteristics:
Crew: 11
Length incl. MAD tail boom: 143 ft 5in (43.77 m)
Wingspan: 118 ft 7 in (36.10 m)
Height: 34 ft 11 in (10.60 m)
Wing area: 1,527 ft2 (142 m2)
Empty weight: 82,500 lb (37,421 kg)
Loaded weight: 141,000 lb (63,977 kg)
Powerplant:
4× Rolls-Royce Tyne RTy.11 Mk 512 turboprop, 5,545 hp (4,700 shp, 4,135 kW) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 425 mph (684 km/h, 367 kn)
Cruise speed at altitude: 378 mph (610 km/h, 328 kn)
Patrol speed: 195 mph (315 km/h, 170 kn)
Range: 4,039 mi (6,500 km; 3,510 nmi) with 3,500 kg (7,709 lb) payload,
maximum fuel and reserves for one hour.
2,299 mi (3,700 km (2,010 nmi) with 5,448 kg (12.000 lb) maximum payload,
at 84 - 85% of maximum continuous power.
Combat radius: 1,546 mi (2,490 km, 1,346 nmi), three hours on-station at 1,500 feet
Endurance: 10 hours
Service ceiling: 28,300 ft[1] (8,625 m)
Wing loading: 92 lb/ft2 (450 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.26 kW/kg)
Armament:
Bomb bay with eight internal weapon stations
Six hardpoints under the outer wings for 127 mm (5.0 in) HVARs or missiles like the AGM-12 Bullpup,
AGM-62 Walleye or Martel ASM, or sensor and air sampling pods
Four more hardpoints under the inner wings for gravity bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber,
various sea mines and depth charges, torpedoes or inflatable life rafts for rescue missions.
Total internal and external ordnance capacity of 12,000 lb (5.448 kg)
The kit and its assembly:
Another contribution to the 2016 “In the Navy” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and a build outside the usual comfort zone. This time, I wanted to build a whiffy maritime patrol aircraft, based on a classic post-WWII airliner, since there were and are many benchmarks (e.g. the Lockheed P-3, based on the Aurora, the Canadian CP-140 Argus, based on the Bristol Britannia, or the Il-38, based on the Il-18).
I found the Airfix Vickers Vanguard as potential basis – and there had actually been a maritime patrol proposal for the RAF. At least one respective whif kit had been built – and there’s even a kit conversion set available.
Anyway, I wanted a personal conversion, and the modifications are actually rather modest:
- Closure of many windows
- Implantation of a nose radome from a VEB Plasticart 1:100 Tu-20/95
- Adapted nose landing gear
- An MAD boom, made from heated, thick OOB sprue
- Underwing pods with a starboard search light (modified MiG 15 slipper tanks)
- A cockpit compartment w/o interior was added, primarily to block sight into the fuselage
- Several small radomes, antennae fairings and strakes were added along the upper and lower hull
- Propellers received a metal axis
- A bomb bay was simulated with engravings and semi-circular fairings, simulating door hinges
- External ordnance could have been added, but I resisted and kept the aircraft clean
- The clear styrene windows were omitted, later to be filled with ClearFix
While these mods appear rather simple, getting this vintage Airfix kit together turned out to be a real fight. No part actually matched another, lots of trimming and putty everywhere were necessary. Raised (even though very fine) panel lines, classic flash (not much, but annoying) and some sinkholes were included, too, as well as rather massive trailing edges. To make things worse, the fuselage halves turned out to be somewhat warped: the seam along the fuselage was canted inwards and the windscreen did not fit at all. O.K., it’s an old kit, but not an easy build, despite the limited number of parts.
Painting and markings:
This part turned out to be a true challenge. A self-evident option would have been an RAF aircraft, e .g. in Extra Sea Grey/Sky, white + grey (early Nimrod style), Hemp + Barley Grey or Medium Sea Grey, the latter two with low viz markings. But I found this option to be too obvious – and I wanted something flashy, and exotic.
Tedious legwork eventually revealed the Royal Thai Navy as potential operator, as well as several authentic livery options. The most pleasing (to me) was the flying boat’s (HU-16 and CL-215) design: overall dark blue with a white fuselage upper half and bright, orange-red wingtips and a fuselage band.
This design was simply adapted to the low-winged Vanguard airliner. The basic dark blue is Humbrol 104 (Oxford Blue), while the upper fuselage was painted first in a very light grey and off-white from the rattle can (which reacted with each other and yielded a mottled finish…). The rest was painted with brushes and lots of masking tape.
The orange wing tips and the fuselage band were created with decal sheet (TL Modellbau), in order to avoid the further trouble of masking and creating an opaque paint film. Black trim was added through generic decal stripes.
After basic painting was finished some panel shading/highlighting with pure white, Lufthansa Blau (Revell 350, RAL 5013) and dayglow orange was added for a more lively impression.
The Thai Navy route was further backed by several 1:144 decal sets from Siam Scale, a company from Thailand that offers a range of aftermarket decals for the country’s air force and navy vehicles.
Finally, the kit was sealed with a not-too-matt acrylic varnish, and as final step the fuselage windows were filled with Humbrol’s ClearFix, because this method was IMHO cleaner than the OOB clear styrene windows and the hustle of masking them, together with the risk of losing one or more in the painting process into the fuselage...
After all, and including many troubles, a pretty aircraft, even though the build as well as the paint job was more of a fight. I know why I do not like 1:144 scale as well as airliners either, and combining both turned out to be just as unnerving as expected… And with the duck bill radome, it’s probably the ugliest Vickers Vanguard ever imagined.
The Pukamani tutini sculptural poles (intricately carved ironwood poles inspired by traditional Pukamani ceremonies) display at the Australian Garden, Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay.
Urbex Tip #47: Sagging Ceilings
When exploring a building, if you should come across a ceiling that is bulging or sagging significantly in some way...go elsewhere.
Conversely, if while exploring you should come across a place where the ceiling has in fact already given way and there's a rather large tree growing up through the hole...setup your tripod and take a picture; somebody might think it's cool.
This concludes today's urbex tip. :-)
Swift Meat Packing Ruins, Fort Worth, Texas.
Night, mostly full moon, xenon flashlight.
Wedding Cake Decorating Kit from Michael's Crafts ($49.99) include 6 of these columns - 13" high each.
**Use your 50% off coupons**
EAST CHINA SEA (Aug. 9, 2020) Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Nicole Ricardo, from Altamonte Springs, Florida, conducts final checks on an EA-18G Growler, attached to the Shadowhawks of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141, before it launches from the flight deck of the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, as well as the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Erica Bechard)
I took an alternate route in to work one morning because of transit delays & happened upon this gorgeous Art Deco skyscraper. It turns out to be the old Western Union Building, dating from 1930. Wikipedia identifies the main style as German Expressionist. I only got 1 shot off of the lobby proper, which spans a city block & has an entrance at each end, before I was chased off with “no pictures allowed.” But I got plenty of shots of the exterior & the striking, cathedral-like foyer outside the main lobby.
Skyscrapers of this era used a decorative facing, often tile, over the structural skin. The building looks like brick, both outside & inside, but structurally it's steel frame, not masonry. So this stuff is the thickness of tile, not the thickness of structural brick. For me there's a kind of dynamic tension in the use of 'brick' in this shallow, stylized overhead vaulting, which (one's instincts cry out) would not be structurally viable if made of actual bricks. It leaves one wondering "why doesn't it fall down?"
Please click the image or press L top view it in Flickr's lightbox.
You may also want to have a look at it in original size.
Urbex Benelux -
Structural failure occurs because of forces acting on the structure. These can be static forces (stationary forces) due to the structure's own weight or the load that it is carrying, OR dynamic forces (moving forces) produced by the wind, sea, vehicles, people, etc.
In the story of the Three Little Pigs the force that acted on the houses was a dynamic force. In this case the force was a fierce wind. However, if the force that had acted on the houses was another type of dynamic force, say an earthquake, the brick house would have been the worst structure to live in. In fact, an unreinforced masonry building is much more life threatening in an earthquake when compared to a straw hut. When designing structures it is very important to consider what types of forces will act on each and every structure depending on use and location. Every one is different!
Dubail, UAE.
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History
The oldest predecessor building was a cathedral complex from the Ottonian period with a three-aisled double-choir church (symbol of the Pope and the Empire), which was probably equipped with a flat wooden ceiling. The complex was completed before the relocation of the episcopal see from Säben (Säben Abbey (German: Kloster Säben; Italian: Monastero di Sabiona) is a Benedictine nunnery located near Klausen in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It was established in 1687, when it was first settled by the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg) to Brixen, which took place around 990. The church's eastern choir was consecrated to Saints Peter and Ingenuin (bishop of Säben around 600) and had a St. Martin's crypt, the west choir with a St. Nicholas crypt was dedicated to St. Stephen. After the end of the investiture controversy, the double-choir church no longer met the spirit of religious reform. Bishop Hartmann (1140-1164) had the west choir therefore broken off and built in its place two facade towers.
Ceiling painting by Paul Troger: Adoration of the Lamb
In 1174, the cathedral complex fell victim to a major fire. As a result, under the bishops Richer of Hohenburg and Heinrich von Berchtesgaden during the reconstruction structural adaptations in the style of the High Romanesque were made. The nave was vaulted and a single-aisled transept put in. The cathedral was consecrated in 1237 by Bishop Eberhard of Salzburg and re-consecrated in 1274 after further fire damage. During the Gothic period several chapels were added to the cathedral. There were more significant conversions under Bishop Nicholas of Kues, who had removed the eastern apses and had them replaced with a Gothic high choir with pointed arched windows and reticulated vaults. Under the direction of court architect Hans Reichle, the Romanesque north tower 1610-1613 received its present early Baroque form. The south tower was adapted in 1748 to the north tower.
Prince-Bishop Kaspar Ignaz Count Künigl (1702-1747) advocated a fundamental renovation of the old building complex already at the beginning of his long term of office, while he was forced by the cathedral chapter to a Baroque new building. He then preferred to first stabilize his diocese in pastoral terms (popular missions) before lending a hand to the cathedral. It was not until 1745 that the time had come. For the implementation of the comprehensive reconstruction, which lasted until 1754, the cream de la creme of the Tyrolean Baroque in Brixen was, so to speak, concentrated: Josef Delai from Bolzano as an architect, Theodor Benedetti from Mori as plasterer and altar builder, Stephan Föger from Innsbruck, who (the three of them) also participated in the planning; furthermore Paul Troger from Welsberg as a fresco artist, Joseph Schöpf from Telfs as a painter of the altarpieces, Dominikus Moling from Wengen as a designer of the altar statues, the Troger pupil Michelangelo Unterberger from Cavalese as painter of the high altarpiece. The construction management was held by Josef Delai and the priests Franz Penz and Georg Tangl. On September 10, 1758, the almost completely remodeled cathedral was completed with the consecration of Prince Bishop Leopold Count Spaur. The Classicistic vestibule was completed 30 years later by Jakob Pirchstaller from Trens.
In 1895, the fresco ensemble Paul Trogers was sustainably altered by the restoration work of Albrecht Steiner von Felsburg, not only by replacing his pseudo-dome in the crossing by his "triumph of religions", but also his painted illusory architecture around the large ceiling picture in green-gray tint by gilded and colored neo-Baroque stucco; this was contrary to the contemporary tastes, but from today's point of view it was not a fortunate intervention, even though a design by Paul Troger for the Geras Abbey in Lower Austria served as a model for the new dome painting.
Extensive restoration work undertook in 1985/86 the workshop Peskoller from Bruneck, outdoors the original color tones and the Baroque ornaments being restored and inside cleaned the ceiling frescoes and the stucco and wall panels painted again. In 2001, the cathedral roof was re-covered and the tower helmets were restored.
Geschichte
Der älteste Vorgängerbau war eine Münsteranlage aus ottonischer Zeit mit einer dreischiffigen Doppelchorkirche (Symbol von Papst- und Kaisertum), die vermutlich mit einer flachen Holzdecke ausgestattet war. Die Anlage war noch vor der Verlegung des Bischofssitzes von Säben nach Brixen, die um 990 stattfand, vollendet worden. Der Ostchor der Kirche war den Heiligen Petrus und Ingenuin (Bischof von Säben um 600) geweiht und verfügte über eine St.-Martins-Krypta, der Westchor mit einer St.-Nikolaus-Krypta war dem Heiligen Stefan geweiht. Nach dem Ende des Investiturstreites entsprach die Doppelchorkirche dem Sinne der religiösen Reformen nicht mehr. Bischof Hartmann (1140–1164) ließ den Westchor deshalb abbrechen und an seiner Stelle zwei Fassadentürme errichten.
Deckengemälde von Paul Troger: Anbetung des Lammes
Im Jahre 1174 fiel die Münsteranlage einem Großbrand zum Opfer. In der Folge wurden unter den Bischöfen Richer von Hohenburg und Heinrich von Berchtesgaden beim Wiederaufbau bauliche Adaptierungen im Stile der Hochromanik vorgenommen. Das Langhaus wurde eingewölbt und ein einschiffiges Querhaus eingezogen. Der Dom wurde 1237 von Bischof Eberhard von Salzburg geweiht und nach weiteren Brandschäden 1274 nochmals geweiht. In der Zeit der Gotik wurden an den Dom mehrere Kapellen angebaut. Bedeutendere Umbauten gab es dann unter Bischof Nikolaus von Kues, der die Ostapsiden entfernen und diese mit einem gotischen Hochchor mit Spitzbogenfenstern und Netzgewölben ersetzen ließ. Unter der Leitung des Hofbaumeisters Hans Reichle erhielt der romanische Nordturm 1610–1613 seine heutige frühbarocke Form. Der Südturm wurde 1748 an den Nordturm angeglichen.
Fürstbischof Kaspar Ignaz Graf Künigl (1702–1747) befürwortete bereits am Beginn seiner langen Amtszeit eine grundlegende Renovierung des alten Gebäudekomplexes, während er vom Domkapitel zu einem barocken Neubau gedrängt wurde. Er zog es dann aber vor, zuerst seine Diözese in seelsorglicher Hinsicht zu stabilisieren (Volksmissionen), bevor er Hand an den Dom legen ließ. Erst 1745 war es soweit. Für die Durchführung des umfassenden Umbaus, der bis 1754 andauerte, wurde gewissermaßen die Creme des Tiroler Barocks in Brixen zusammengezogen: Josef Delai aus Bozen als Architekt, Theodor Benedetti aus Mori als Stuckateur und Altarbauer, Stephan Föger aus Innsbruck, die auch an der Planung beteiligt waren; weiters Paul Troger aus Welsberg als Freskant, Joseph Schöpf aus Telfs als Maler der Altarblätter, Dominikus Moling aus Wengen als Gestalter der Altarstatuen, der Troger-Schüler Michelangelo Unterberger aus Cavalese als Maler des Hochaltarbildes. Die Bauleitung hatten unter anderem Josef Delai und die Priester Franz Penz und Georg Tangl inne. Am 10. September 1758 wurde das nahezu komplett umgestaltete Münster mit der Weihe durch Fürstbischof Leopold Graf Spaur vollendet. Die klassizistische Vorhalle hat 30 Jahre später Jakob Pirchstaller aus Trens fertiggestellt.
Im Jahr 1895 wurde das Freskenensemble Paul Trogers durch die Restaurierungsarbeiten von Albrecht Steiner von Felsburg nachhaltig verändert, indem er nicht nur dessen Scheinkuppel in der Vierung durch seinen „Triumph der Religionen“, sondern auch dessen gemalte Scheinarchitektur um das große Deckenbild in grün-grauer Tönung durch vergoldete und eingefärbte neubarocke Stuckaturen ersetzte; dem damaligen Zeitgeschmack kam das zwar entgegen, aus heutiger Sicht war es kein glücklicher Eingriff, auch wenn für das neue Kuppelgemälde ein Entwurf Paul Trogers für das Stift Geras in Niederösterreich als Vorlage diente.
Umfangreiche Restaurierungsarbeiten nahm 1985/86 die Werkstätte Peskoller aus Bruneck vor, wobei im Außenbereich die originalen Farbtönungen und die Barockornamentik wiederhergestellt und im Innenbereich die Deckenfresken gereinigt und die Stuck- und Wandfelder nachgefärbt wurden. 2001 wurde das Domdach neu eingedeckt und die Turmhelme wurden restauriert.
First responders from across the country were in Virginia Beach for a massive structural collapse training exercise hosted by the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Virginia Task Force 2. The annual School was held at the sprawling complex of crawl spaces and staged disaster zones representing different scenarios – things first responders have seen and experienced first-hand. This course gives urban search and rescue teams a chance to practice their skills. More than 160 people took part in the hands-on training lasting for 8 days with students coming from as far as San Francisco, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware.
Photographs by Craig McClure
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Winter is a good time to see the structure of deciduous trees, even though they look a little gaunt. This is a Common Lime, or Linden, Tilia europaea.
Elizabeth Barret Browning mentions the Linden in her poem "The Lost Bower" No doubt she was writing of the tree in spring or summer, but even in winter, they have a certain statuesque quality.
Here a linden-tree stood, bright'ning
All adown its silver rind;
For as some trees draw the lightning,
So this tree, unto my mind,
Drew to earth the blessed sunshine,
From the sky where it was shrined
1980 Mamiya ZE, f2.5/28mm Tamron lens, X2 yellow filter. Rollei Retro100 @200, In Diafine, 5+5mins at 21C. scanned @ 2400dpi on Epson V500.
Cyrille Bailly © Tous droits réservés
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 30, 2018) Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Keelan Freedman, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, performs maintenance on an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter in the hangar bay of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Galbreath)