View allAll Photos Tagged Useful
The exuvia shed during ecdysis of an adult female specimen of the tarantula species Lasiodora cf. klugi
Maybe useful for composites/licensing. 100% white background.
Antony Gormley's "Alert" proves itself to be a useful shelf for lager and sandwiches. If only all art were so handy
What are common front #door problems? How to troubleshoot and #fix them fast and easy? See more www.thedoorsdepot.com/useful-information/entry-door-probl...
For many years the Wheeling & Lake Erie used a former passenger car as the yard office at Hartland Yard on the Hartland Subdivision. The car wasn't designed for this purpose, but it worked. It has since been replaced with a more conventional structure. (Scanned from a slide)
- all useful and necessary skills in Colonial times...
186/365
A bit of living history presented in the courtyard of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History by members of The Southeastern Civilian Living Historians.
This is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education, and accurate portrayal of civilians in all eras from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and early to mid 20th century through workshops & living history events.
Info here: www.facebook.com/southeasterncivilian/
Fujifilm X-T2, XF23mmF2 R WR, RAW / Lightroom CC
Fuji X Secrets Workshops & Blog
Read the X-Pert Corner blog.
Useful (e)books on Fujifilm cameras:
*** NEW *** The Fujifilm X-Pro2 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T10 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T1 – 111 X-Pert Tips 2nd edition with Firmware 4
The Fujifilm X-E2 – Beyond the Manual
Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1
Save 40% with coupon code XPERT40
*** NEU *** Die Fujifilm X-Pro2. 115 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-T10. 115 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-T1. 111 Profitipps. 2. Auflage mit Firmware 4
I caught my cat laying on this doughnut felt dog toy. Luckily camera was close by. =-
Snickers Explored #465
How to create an interesting image out of a boring subject... This is not only a useful skill for a photographer, but I think it is a useful life skill to develop. Comes in especially handy in marketing and sales, but in general, I think it is useful to have good presentation skills.
This table set up is from a cafe in the lobby of a Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Denver where I recently stayed. I took a couple of photos similar to the first image below, and they all looked quite meh. After trying a few different angles, I couldn't find anything clever.
Then after seeing some people walk up and down the hall, I got an idea and tried a few shots with some people in them, and the images suddenly started looking better. Although I cannot quite explain why!
The second photo below is a composition that (at least to me) looked the most interesting. Converting it to black and white as above added a further "classic" touch to it, like this image might have been in a LIFE magazine in the 1960s.
one of the most useful forest beetles - he is feeding on different types of bark beetles and can be found quite early in spring in Germany.
Sample image taken with a Sony RX100 VI. If you find my reviews and samples useful, please treat me to a coffee at www.paypal.me/cameralabs
These samples and comparisons are part of my Sony RX100 VI review at:
www.cameralabs.com/sony-rx100-vi-review/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Ive written a GreaseMonkey script compatible with FireFox and Google Chrome called "Flickr PM"
It adds a little envelope icon next to usernames in flickr forums and
individual photo pages, clicking the icon pops up a window that sends lets you compose and send a flickr mail to that user without leaving your current page. It also adds a linked icon for the users favourites, profile, photo archive, list of interesting photos, a link to Flickr Scout and Flickr Inspector and also to InterestingBy, which lists that users photos in order of Interestingness.
I've added FlickrPM functionality to search pages, contact list pages, recent activity and comments you've made pages. Ive also added a link "SC" that takes you to Flickr Scout, which shows which of that users images are featured in the Explore pages and a link "FI" to Flickr Inspector which gives you detailed info and stats on that user.
LATEST UPDATES
15th Sep 2009 added FlickrPM functionality to Gallery pages.
16th Oct 2009 added "RE" - change relationship link , renamed text links.
18th Jun 2010 script is now also compatible with Safari, Opera and Google Chrome!
4th Aug 2010 fixed script to work on new photo pages (still needs a few tweaks)
5th Aug 2010 fixed mail sending on photo pages
30th Jul 2013 fixed script for latest flickr changes.
Get script:: Flickr PM
PS You can get my other useful Flickr scripts from steeev.freehostia.com/flickr/
Donate: If you appreciate my scripts and would like to thank me for them, paypal donations are welcome, see my website for the paypal link.
Hey! Pretty one in the green dress thing! Yes, you! Looking good! You don't speak english do you?
Tommy: "Let me see if my Chinese is still useful..."
Tommy says something in Chinese, and we get the same confused stare from the chick. Great way to get some, thats for sure. NOT! Uhg, come on Tommy, work your ching-chong magic! That was racist, wasn't it? Ah what the heck, I don't care. Stupid "political correctness".
Girl: "I'm sorry, this is just too sad to continue. Your Chinese, actually not half bad. The accent though, probably should do something about that. You guys are funny. I'm Shado, and from what I understood, you're Tommy, and you are Oliver, correct?"
Yep, but you can call me Ollie if you'd like, beautiful.
Shado: "I'm flattered, really, but, uh, no thanks. I have things I need to do. Really, it's nice meeting you though."
Damnit Ollie, you'e loosing her! Get it together man! Good hooker.. Haha hooker, get it? Cuz, ya know, whatever. Good hook line, good hook line... Got it!
Well, my friend and I, we really don't have much of anything to do. Maybe we could, help out? Get to know each other? Have a little fun?
Oh no, I got that look... The stare of death... Darnit man, it was going so well. And Tommy's looking all like "dood yuhoo skrood dis uhp shooo bayd. Y u doo dis? " Wow, this is pathetic. Get a handel Ollie!
Shado: "Trust me, you can't help. Not in your skill set."
You'd be surprised, I'm really versatile.
Tommy: "Look, if you need to go, go, thats ok. But maybe we'll see you around? I don't know."
TOMMY!! Da heck you doin? Don't let her get away! Yes, I elbowed you in the arm, man up! You are such an idiot!
Shado: "You know what, if you want to come along, knock yourselves out. Not literally, please don't. But come along. I'm just going to do some target practice with my bow here.
Ooh, archery! Hey, I'm actually pretty good at that. Watch out for me and my sneaky skills!
Tommy: "You haven't done anything without the rubber tips, Ollie. Me, on the other hand, I'm a good shot."
Well that's why you never get far with anyone. Protection can prevent unnecessary accidents
Oh man this is hilarious! Hahahahashahahaha!
Shado: "I sense an inside joke between you two?"
Tommy: "It's nothing. How about you give me a shot with this thing?"
Shado: "Go right ahead!"
Oh Tommy, you are such a noob. You're gonna fail so hard. He draws back the bowstring. He aims. He shoots. He barely hits the target. Bravo Tommy, Bravo. You're one heck of a shot, indeed. Hahahahahaha, this is good.
Hahah, yo call that a shot? Gimme that bow! I'll show you how to shoot.
Ok, breathe. Pull back the string. See the target, the center. Check the bow, raise it to account for drop, and check. For wind. And, release. Oh hell! What the heck was that? Better than tommy's, but still. Uhg.
Shado: "Nice shot. But how about you let me show you how. A real archer shoots?"
She pulls it back quickly, aims, and fires in a second. Swoosh, that thing goes straight into the bullseye! Well what do you know? She's got boobs and skills. I like her.
Hey, uh, you mind if we get some lessons?
Am assuming that any purchase that comes by shipper contains this warning and phone number…..
ANSH scavenger8 “directions on a sign”
Using this art installation to read their map.
Inside the MOCAD - Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
One of the many venues During the 43rd Annual Noel Night
Detroit, Michigan
I'm taking the liberty of re-posting these, since they seem to have disappeared from the source where I found them (the FBTB account.) I believe these were originally from an online retailer's website, which has since also removed the images. However, Lego has given the official All Clear to post these images about.
Tripods are useful but a pain to cart around and can attract unwanted attention from jobsworths. The Pandemic taught the need to improvise “tripods” because clearly using a proper tripod was, or might be construed as being, incompatible with daily exercise in the minds of certain police officers fixed on the need for Lycra and movement to constitute real exercise (ignoring that the brain is also muscle that needs exercise).
These trees are remarkable. They are survivors of the rare Red Alert storm of November 2021 that hit the northeast of England/ southeast Scotland; an astonishingly violent and intense weather system that literally flattened whole stands of trees up and down the coast. Perched high up on the road between Ayton and Foulden in Berwickshire by some miracle they escaped that fate despite being prime candidates.
On this still night the six trees standing in the gloom appealed and the VW roof and a jacket provided the tripod for a 60s exposure. And yes I know there are power lines but it was never going to win the Pulitzer and I just liked the trees and the big sky.
I just discovered a perk of having a daughter working at the local public pool -- she lets me in before the pool is open and I can take photos. I really had fun this morning. (Perhaps next time I'll have a more useful lens on my camera...) Fun this way too.
Abstract, selective focus view of pine trees in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. Useful for backgrounds
Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
Monticello is the autobiographical masterpiece of Thomas Jefferson—designed and redesigned and built and rebuilt for more than forty years—and its gardens were a botanic showpiece, a source of food, and an experimental laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world.
For almost 90 years, Monticello has been maintained and kept open to the public by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., which owns over 2,500 acres of Jefferson's 5,000-acre plantation. As a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, the Foundation receives no ongoing federal, state, or local funding in support of its dual mission of preservation and education.
The History Channel
The First Monticello
Born on April 13, 1743, Thomas Jefferson grew up at Shadwell, one of the largest tobacco plantations in Virginia. At the age of 21, he inherited several thousand acres of land that encompassed the family estate as well as his favorite boyhood haunt: a nearby hilltop called Monticello (Italian for “little mountain”) where he resolved to build his own home. In 1768, a year after the future president was admitted to the Virginia bar, workers broke ground on the site, beginning a decades-long process that would captivate Jefferson, bankrupt his family and produce one of America’s most iconic and historically significant architectural masterpieces.
Did You Know?
"I am as happy no where else and in no other society,” Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “and all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello.”
In those days, it was common for landowners to choose a stock design for their home from an English architectural handbook; a contractor would then oversee the project from start to finish. But this particular landowner was Thomas Jefferson, the quintessential polymath, whose passions ranged from political philosophy, archaeology and linguistics to music, botany, bird watching and pasta making. (At a dinner honoring 49 American Nobel Prize winners, John F. Kennedy famously quipped, “I think that this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”) Remembered for drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson also drafted the blueprints for Monticello’s neoclassical mansion, outbuildings, gardens and grounds. Though he had no formal training, he had read extensively about architecture, particularly that of ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance. Years later, he would become an accomplished architect whose designs included the Virginia state capitol and the main buildings at the University of Virginia.
Monticello was unique not only in its design but also in its use of local resources. At a time when most brick was still imported from England, Jefferson chose to mold and bake his own bricks with clay found on the property. Monticello’s grounds provided most of the lumber, stone and limestone, and even the nails used to construct the buildings were manufactured on site.
The Second Monticello
In 1770, the family house at Shadwell burned down, forcing Jefferson to move into Monticello’s South Pavilion, an outbuilding, until the main house was completed. Two years later, he was joined by his new bride, Martha Wayles Skelton, the 23-year-old widowed daughter of a prominent Virginia lawyer. The couple had six children together, two of whom lived to adulthood, before Martha’s death in 1782. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Jefferson moved to France, where he served as the U.S. ambassador from 1785 to 1789. He was immediately struck by the architecture of the buildings there, particularly a certain Paris home with a U-shaped design, colonnades and a domed roof. Along with a massive trove of art, furniture and books, he returned home with a new vision for the estate. Among other enhancements, he added a central hallway, a mezzanine bedroom floor and an octagonal dome–the first of its kind in the United States.
This “second Monticello” was double the size of its original incarnation, designed to accommodate not only Jefferson’s steady stream of houseguests but also his boundless collections of books, European art, Native American artifacts, natural specimens and mementos from his travels. Monticello was also filled with Jefferson’s unique–and often ingenious–inventions. These included a revolving bookstand, a copying machine, a spherical sundial and a toenail clipper, among dozens of other devices.
Fujifilm X-H1 / Lightroom CC
Fuji X Secrets Workshops & Blog
Read the X-Pert Corner blog.
Useful (e)books on Fujifilm cameras:
The Fujifilm X100F – 101 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T20 – 125 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T2 – 120 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-Pro2 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T10 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T1 – 111 X-Pert Tips 2nd edition
The Fujifilm X-E2 – Beyond the Manual
Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1
Save 40% with coupon code XPERT40
Die Fujifilm X100F. 101 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-T2. 120 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-Pro2. 115 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-T10. 115 Profitipps.
vkusnoikrasivo.com/useful/34/%d0%9a%d0%b0%d0%ba %d0%b4%d0%b0 %d0%b8%d0%b7%d1%81%d1%83%d1%88%d0%b8%d0%bc %d0%b4%d0%be%d0%bc%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%b8 %d0%bd%d0%b0 %d1%81%d0%bb%d1%8a%d0%bd%d1%86%d0%b5
The northern shoveler is a beautiful bird with a utilatarian beak for digging up a meal from the bottom of the swamp.
Quality prints, greeting cards and many useful products can be purchased at >> kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/1-autumn-glow-by-kaye-men...
It was a beautiful Autumn day around sunset when I captured this image with the sunshine gleaming through a Maple tree. I photographed into direct sunlight which partially silhouetted the leaves, then I made some digital transformations in Photoshop, (together with a touch of Fractal art).
THE FINE ART AMERICA LOGO / MY WATERMARK WILL NOT APPEAR ON PURCHASED PRINTS OR PRODUCTS.
Someone thoughtfully added some flowers where there had previously been only overgrown grass and weeds. So you see, graffiti can be useful after all...
thequiltingdee.blogspot.com/2011/10/swoon-and-useful-bask...
Four "useful" baskets made entirely of scraps and donated denim. They're part of my fund raising efforts for our homeschool co-op's Senior Scholarship.
Nº 24.
Seat 132-2000 Diésel (1975).
Escala 1/43.
"SEAT La Colección" - Altaya (España).
Ixo.
Año 2010.
More info: www.chema-campos.com/colecciones/SLC.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEAT 132
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The SEAT 132 is a four-door rear-wheel drive notchback saloon presented for the first time at the Barcelona Motor Show, assembled in Barcelona's Zona Franca, (Catalonia, Spain) and sold by SEAT between 1973 and 1982.
For the important taxi market, the 132 filled the niche vacated with the withdrawal in 1970 of the diesel-engined SEAT 1500, the 132 being usefully larger than the SEAT 124 which was SEAT's largest model during the early 1970s.
SEAT's new car shared its body with the Fiat 132, but when launched in May 1973 it featured its own engine options:
The SEAT 132 1600 had a four-cylinder 1592 cc engine of 98 bhp (73 kW; 99 PS) .
The SEAT 132 1800 had a four-cylinder 1756 cc engine of 107 bhp (80 kW; 108 PS) .
The SEAT 132 [2000] Diesel featured a two-litre 55 bhp (41 kW; 56 PS) Mercedes Benz engine, corresponding to that offered in the Mercedes Benz 200D. This followed the pattern established with the SEAT 1500 which had also been available with a Mercedes Benz diesel engine.
In 1976 an automatic transmission option was offered, which may have been a response to the success in Spain of the locally assembled and similarly enhanced Chrysler 2-litre.
From 1979 a SEAT 132 2000 became available, with a four-cylinder 1920 cc engine of 109 bhp (81 kW; 111 PS) : in due course a larger 2.2-litre four-cylinder Mercedes diesel version was also offered.
In the early 1980s extensive discussions concerning funding and control took place between the major share holder, the Spanish government, and Fiat: SEAT needed major capital investment which Fiat was not prepared to inject. The outcome, by 1982, was an end after nearly 30 years, to the relationship with Fiat. Already in 1981, Fiat having by now switched to their new Argenta model, production of the SEAT 132 ceased, after approximately 100 000 examples had been produced. No direct replacement in this class was, till recently, offered by the company. The SEAT Exeo can be seen as a belated replacement, however."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAT_132
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEAT 132
"El SEAT 132 es un automóvil de turismo producido por SEAT bajo licencia de la casa matriz Fiat entre los años 1973 y 1982."
(...)
"En España sin embargo, con un mercado aún muy proteccionista (los coches de importación pagaban un 35% de impuestos frente a un 18% de los de producción nacional), el SEAT 132 ocupó el lugar dejado por el vetusto SEAT 1500, que utilizaba la carrocería del Fiat 1800/2100 y que se había dejado de producir en 1972.
Fue muy utilizado como vehículo oficial o de representación durante la transición española debido a la legislación entonces vigente que obligaba a las instituciones oficiales a la adquisición de vehículos fabricados en España, situación que revirtió durante la legislatura de Felipe González con la compra de los Opel Senator en 1988. Se emplearon en todos los ámbitos de la administración y las instituciones públicas y privadas, desde por Presidencia del Gobierno para los traslados de Adolfo Suárez, hasta por partidos políticos como el PCE que tenía uno a disposición de Dolores Ibárruri o por la patronal CEOE como coche oficial de Carlos Ferrer Salat, siendo un símbolo de modernidad en una época donde los vehículos importados aún se consideraban ostentosos.
Como vehículo particular compitió con los vehículos de los segmentos D y E de fabricación nacional; Chrysler 180, los Peugeot 504 y Peugeot 505 e incluso los más caros Dodge 3700 y Citroen CX. Por otra parte existía cierta indefinición con su hermano el Seat 131 que, a diferencia del modelo italiano, compartía motores con el 132, y tenía un bastidor más actualizado.
Se mantuvo en producción hasta 1982 con una serie especial dedicada al mundial de Fútbol de España tras el fracaso de la negociación para la integración de SEAT en el grupo Fiat, que tuvo como consecuencia que SEAT pudiese seguir fabricando transitoriamente los modelos Panda, Trans, Fura, Ritmo y 131, pero no el 132 que quedó fuera del acuerdo. Por esta razón dejó de producirse cuando Fiat lo remozó profundamente para convertirlo en el Fiat Argenta.
Con la desaparición de los aranceles a la importación de vehículos, dejaron de fabricarse en España automóviles del segmento E, desapareciendo el Chrysler 180 junto con el SEAT 132 y pasando a importarse el Citroën CX, situación que se repetiría años después con la desaparición de los vehículos del segmento D hasta la fugaz aparición del extinto SEAT Exeo en 2009."
(...)
"Cuando el SEAT 132 fue puesto a la venta en mayo de 1973, tenía las siguientes motorizaciones como opción:
- El SEAT 132 1600 tenía un motor de cuatro cilindros y dos árboles de levas en cabeza arrastrados por correa dentada con 1.592 cc y 98 CV (DIN) a 6.000 rpm.
- El SEAT 132 1800 tenía un motor de cuatro cilindros y dos árboles de levas en cabeza arrastrados por correa dentada con 1756 cc y 105 CV (DIN) a 6.000 rpm.
- El SEAT 132 Diésel, lanzado en 1.974, presentaba un motor Mercedes-Benz de 1988 cc y 55 CV (DIN) a 4.200 rpm, correspondiendo al ofrecido en el Mercedes Benz 200D, construidos bajo licencia por la MEVOSA. Esto siguió la pauta establecida con el SEAT 1500, que también había estado disponible con un motor Mercedes-Benz diésel con sus dos versiones denominadas SEAT 1800 Diésel y SEAT 2000.
Desde su lanzamiento, el 132 contaba con la opción de una quinta velocidad, opción generalizada para el resto de modelos desde principios de los años 1980. En 1976 se ofreció una transmisión automática opcional, lo cual pudo haber sido una respuesta al éxito en España del Chrysler 180, también ensamblado en ese país.
Con el "Restyling" experimentado en 1974, el motor 1800 ve aumentado su rendimiento en dos caballos, pasando a tener 107 (DIN).
A partir de 1979, un SEAT 132 2000 estuvo disponible con un motor de cuatro cilindros con 1.919 cc y 109 CV (DIN) a 5.800 rpm; en esta serie se ofreció también una versión diésel con motor Mercedes-Benz de mayor cilindrada con cuatro cilindros y 2.197 cc, que desarrollaba 60 CV (DIN) a 4.200 rpm, similar al que montaba el Mercedes-Benz 220D."
--------------
SEAT 132
Empresa matriz
Fiat Auto
Fabricante
SEAT
Período
1973 - 1980
108.725 unidades
Fábricas
Zona Franca de Barcelona (Cataluña, España)
Predecesor
SEAT 1500
Sucesor
Ninguno.
Tipo
Automóvil de turismo
Segmento
Segmento E
Carrocerías
Sedán 4 puertas
Configuración
Motor de 4 cilindros delantero longitudinal, tracción trasera
Largo / ancho / alto / batalla
4380 / 1640 / 1430 / 2555 mm
Peso
132 1600/1800: 1070 kg
132 2000: 1120 kg
132 2200 Diésel: 1215 kg
132 Diésel: 1110 kg
Source: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAT_132
More info: www.highmotor.com/coches-historia-seat-132.html
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Fiat 132
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Fiat 132 is a large family car produced by the Italian automobile company Fiat from 1972 to 1981. An updated version of the 132, called the Argenta was produced from 1981 to 1985."
(...)
"The 132 was introduced as a replacement for the Fiat 125 and like it, came with twin overhead cam (TC) engines as standard. However, the Fiat 132 looked more like the larger top-of-the-range Fiat 130."
(...)
Overseas assembly
"The 132 had limited manufacture outside Italy compared to the smaller 124. The car was built in Spain by SEAT with a version that was sold between 1973 and 1982.
In Poland the 132 was offered from 1973 as the Polski Fiat 132p. The car was described as "assembled by FSO", though actually the cars were shipped from Italy almost complete. FSO only did the final assembly, fitting minor parts like wipers, batteries, wheels and logos. The Polski Fiat 132p was a favourite with high state officials and security services. 270 Argentas were also assembled in this way in 1985 by FSO.
Kia built 4,759 units of the 132 from CKD kits in 1979 in South Korea."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_132
This is my idea of some nice pancakes :)
Seriously though these things could be the future of my photography, they make everything just so small.
Running through them we have the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 H-H020, this is perhaps my favourite of the lot, sharp and contrasty with beautiful sun stars. Auto focus is a tad slow though.
Then it's the Panasonic Lumix Vario G X PZ 14-42mm H-PS14042E F3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. which is such an incredible feat of engineering, practially as good quality as the full size kit lens but in a fabulous little package and the stabilisation is really handy.
Next is the Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH Pancake H-H014, the smallest and lightest of the bunch. Reasonably good quality, if never outstanding, although sometime it's pictures can be a bit flat and look like a compact camera - still it's extremely useful for my night time long exposure work and good for general landscapes.
The bottom row starts with my latest addition the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake the flat-forty, an incredibly small for a full frame lens and every bit as good as you might read about it in reviews. This makes my 5D fit in a small bag and will (hopefully) go out more with me this year.
Finally we have the runt of the litter the Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens(!) it's nicely made and on a NEX system is very impressively small and light. But... it's just not that great, the corners aren't at all good until stopped down to f/8 and there's still loads of CA whatever you do. That said, if you're not fussy about per-pixel sharpness the results can be pleasing and I've used this lens a lot in the dark this winter.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden required a strong air defense, utilizing the newly developed jet propulsion technology. This led to a pair of proposals being issued by the Saab design team, led by Lars Brising. The first of these, codenamed R101, was a cigar-shaped aircraft, which bore a resemblance to the American Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The second design, which would later be picked as the winner, was a barrel-shaped design, codenamed R 1001, which proved to be both faster and more agile upon closer study.
The original R 1001 concept had been designed around a mostly straight wing, but after Swedish engineers had obtained German research data on swept-wing designs, the prototype was altered to incorporate a 25° sweep. In order to make the wing as thin as possible, Saab elected to locate the retractable undercarriage in the aircraft's fuselage rather than into the wings.
Extensive wind tunnel testing performed at the Swedish Royal University of Technology and by the National Aeronautical Research Institute had also influenced aspects of the aircraft's aerodynamics, such as stability and trim across the aircraft's speed range. In order to test the design of the swept wing further and avoid any surprises, it was decided to modify a single Saab Safir. It received the designation Saab 201 and a full-scale R 1001 wing for a series of flight tests. The first 'final' sketches of the aircraft, incorporating the new information, was drawn in January 1946.
The originally envisioned powerplant for the new fighter type was the de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. However, in December 1945, information on the newer and more powerful de Havilland Ghost engine became available. The new engine was deemed to be ideal for Saab's in-development aircraft, as not only did the Ghost engine had provisions for the use of a central circular air intake, the overall diameter of the engine was favorable for the planned fuselage dimensions, too. Thus, following negotiations between de Havilland and Saab, the Ghost engine was selected to power the type instead and built in license as the RM 2.
By February 1946 the main outline of the proposed aircraft had been clearly defined. In Autumn 1946, following the resolution of all major questions of principal and the completion of the project specification, the Swedish Air Force formally ordered the completion of the design and that three prototype aircraft be produced, giving the proposed type the designation J 29.
On 1 September 1948, the first of the Saab 29 prototypes conducted its maiden flight, which lasted for half an hour. Because of the shape of its fuselage, the Saab J 29 quickly received the nickname "Flygande Tunnan" ("The Flying Barrel"), or "Tunnan" ("The Barrel") for short. While the demeaning nickname was not appreciated by Saab, its short form was eventually officially adopted.
A total of four prototypes were built for the aircraft's test program. The first two lacked armament, carrying heavy test equipment instead, while the third prototype was armed with four 20mm automatic guns. Various different aerodynamic arrangements were tested, such as air brakes being installed either upon the fuselage or on the wings aft of the rear spar, along with both combined and conventional aileron/flap arrangements.
The flight test program revealed that the J 29 prototypes were capable of reaching and exceeding the maximum permissible Mach number for which they had been designed, and the flight performance figures gathered were found to be typically in excess of the predicted values.
In 1948 production of the type commenced and in May 1951 the first deliveries of operational production aircraft were received by F 13 Norrköping. The J 29 proved to be very successful and several variants and updates of the Tunnan were produced, including a dedicated reconnaissance variant and an all-weather fighter with an on-board radar.
A trainer variant was deemed to be useful, too, since the transition of young pilots from relatively slow, piston-engine basic trainers to jet-powered aircraft was considered to be a major step in the education program. At that time, the only jet-powered two-seater in Swedish inventory was the DH 115 Vampire. 57 of these, designated J 28C by the Swedish Air Force, had been procured from Great Britain in the late Forties, but an indigenous alternative (and a more capable successor) was politically favored.
In 1952 initial wind tunnel tests with scaled-down models were conducted, since it was not clear which layout would be the best from an aerodynamic, structural and educational point of view. After a thorough inspection of wooden 1:1 mock-ups of alternative tandem and a side-by-side cockpit layouts, as well as much political debate between Saab, the Swedish Air Force and the Swedish government concerning the costs and budget for a dedicated Saab 29 trainer fleet’s development and production, a compromise was settled upon in early 1953: No new trainer airframes would be produced. Instead, only existing airframes would be converted into two seaters, in an attempt to keep as much of the existing structure and internal fuel capacity as possible.
The side-by-side arrangement was adopted, not only because it was considered to be the more effective layout for a trainer aircraft. It also had the benefit that its integration would only mean a limited redesign of the aircraft’s cockpit section above the air intake duct and the front landing gear well, allowing to retain the single-seater’s pressurized cabin’s length and internal structure. A tandem cockpit would have been aerodynamically more efficient, but it would have either considerably reduced the J 29’s internal fuel capacity, or the whole aircraft had had to be lengthened with a fuselage plug, with uncertain outcome concerning airframe and flight stability. It would also have been the more costly option,
However, it would take until 1955 that the first trainer conversions were conducted by Saab, in the wake of the major wing and engine updates for the J 29 A/B fleet that lasted until 1956. The trainer, designated Sk 29 B, was exclusively based on the J 29 B variant and benefited from this version’s extra fuel tanks in the wings and fully wired underwing weapon hardpoints, which included two wet pylons for drop tanks and made the Sk 29 B suitable for weapon training with the J 29’s full ordnance range.
The trainer conversions only covered the new cockpit section, though. The Sk 29 B did not receive the new dogtooth wing which was only introduced to the converted J 29 D, E and F fighters. The upper pair of 20mm cannon in the lower front fuselage was deleted, too, in order to compensate for the two-seater’s additional cockpit equipment weight and drag. Performance suffered only marginally under the enlarged canopy, though, and the Sk 29 B turned out to be a very sound and useful design for the advanced jet trainer role.
However, budgetary restraints and the quick development of aircraft technology in the Fifties limited the number of fighter conversions to only 22 airframes. The aging Vampire two-seaters still turned out to be adequate for the advanced trainer role, and the Sk 29 B did not offer a significant advantage over the older, British aircraft. Another factor that spoke against more Sk 29 Bs was the simple fact that more trainer conversions would have reduced the number of airframes eligible for the running fighter aircraft updates.
All Sk 29 Bs were concentrated at the F 5 Ljungbyhed Kungliga Krigsflygskolan training wing in southern Sweden, where two flights were equipped with it. Unofficially dubbed “Skola Tunnan” (literally “School Barrel”), the Sk 29B performed a solid career, even though the machines were gradually retired from 1966 onwards. A dozen Sk 29 B remained active until 1972 in various supportive roles, including target tugging, air sampling and liaison duties, while the final Vampire trainer was already retired in 1968. But by the early Seventies, the trainer role had been taken over by the brand new Saab 105/Sk 60 trainer, the long-awaited domestic development, and Sk 35 Draken trainers.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 10.23 m (33 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 24.15 m² (260.0 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,120 kg (11,277 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 8,375 kg (18,465 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Svenska Flygmotor RM2 turbojet, rated at 5,000 lbf (22.2 kN)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,010 km/h (627 mph)
Range: 1,060 km (658 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)
Rate of climb: 30.5 m/s (6,000 ft/min)
Armament:
2x 20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon in the lower front fuselage
Underwing hardpoints for various unguided missiles and iron bombs, or a pair drop tanks
The kit and its assembly:
Another Saab 29 conversion of a variant that was thought about but never materialized, much like the radar-equipped all-weather fighter. The impulse to tackle this stunt was a leftover D. H. Vampire trainer fuselage pod in my stash (from the ‘Mystery Jet’ conversion a couple of months ago, from an Airfix kit). The canopy’s shape and dimensions appeared like a sound match for the tubby J 29, and so I decided to try this stunt.
The basis is the Heller J 29 kit, which is, despite raised surface details, IMHO the better kit than the rather simple Matchbox offering. However, what makes things more hazardous, though, is the kit’s option to build the S 29 C reconnaissance variant – the lower front fuselage is a separate part, and any surgery around the cockpit weakens the kit’s overall stability considerably. Unlike the J 29D all-weather fighter built recently, I had no visual reference material. The only valid information I was able to dig up was that a side-by-side cockpit had been the preferred layout for this paper project.
Implanting a new cockpit is always hazardous, and I have never tried to integrate a side-by-side arrangement into a single seater. The Vampire cockpit was finished first, and also mounted into the Vampire’s original cockpit pod halves, because I was able to use its side walls and also had the original canopy parts left over – and using the Vampire’s cockpit opening would ensure a good fit and limit PSR work around the clear parts. Once the Vampire cockpit tub was complete, the “implant” was trimmed down as far as possible.
Next step was to prepare the Tunnan to accept the donor cockpit. In order to avoid structural trouble I finished the two fuselage halves first, mounted the air intake with the duct to the front end, but left the fighter version’s gun tray away (while preparing it with a load of lead). The idea was to put the Vampire cockpit into position from below into the Tunnan’s fuselage, until all outer surfaces would more or less match in order to minimize PSR work.
With the Vampire cockpit as benchmark, I carefully tried to draw its outlines onto the upper front fuselage. The following cutting and trimming sessions too several turns. To my surprise, the side-by-side cockpit’s width was the least problem – it fits very well inside of the J 29 fuselage’s confines, even though the front end turned out to be troublesome. Space in length became an issue, too, because the Airfix Vampire cockpit is pretty complete: it comes with all pedals, a front and a rear bulkhead, and its bulged canopy extends pretty far backwards into an aerodynamic fairing. As a result, it’s unfortunately very long… Furthermore, air intake duct reaches deep into the Tunnan’s nose, too, so that width was not the (expected) problem, but rather length!
Eventually, the cockpit lost the front bulkhead and had to trimmed and slimmed down further, because, despite its bulky fuselage, the Tunnan’s nose is rather narrow. As a consequence the Vampire cockpit had to be moved back by about 3mm, relative to the single-seater’s canopy, and the area in front of the cockpit/above the air intake duct had to be completely re-sculpted, which took several PSR stages. Since the Vampire’s canopy shape is very different and its windscreen less steep (and actually a flat glass panel), I think this change is not too obvious, tough, and looks like a natural part of the fictional real-life conversion. However, a fiddly operation, and it took some serious effort to blend the new parts into the Tunnan fuselage, especially the windscreen.
Once the cockpit was in place, the lower front fuselage with the guns (the upper pair had disappeared in the meantime) was mounted, and the wings followed suit. In this case, I modified the flaps into a lowered position, and, as a subtle detail, the Tunnan kit lost its retrofitted dogtooth wings, so that they resemble the initial, simple wing of the J 29 A and B variants. Thanks to the massive construction of the kit’s wings (they consist of two halves, but these are very thin and almost massive), this was a relatively easy task.
The rest of the Tunnan was built mostly OOB; it is a typical Heller kit of the Seventies: simple, with raised surface detail, relatively good fit (despite the need to use putty) and anything you could ask for a J 29 in 1:72 scale. I just replaced the drop tanks with shorter, thicker alternatives – early J 29 frequently carried Vampire drop tanks without fins, and the more stout replacements appeared very suitable for a trainer.
The pitots on the wing tips had to be scratched, since they got lost with the wing modifications - but OOB they are relatively thick and short, anyway. Further additions include a tail bumper and extra dorsal and ventral antennae, plus a fairing for a rotating warning light, inspired by a similar installation on the late J 29 target tugs.
Painting and markings:
As usual, I wanted a relatively plausible livery and kept things simple. Early J 29 fighters were almost exclusively left in bare metal finish, and the Swedish Vampire trainers were either operated in NMF with orange markings (very similar to the RAF trainers), or they carried the Swedish standard dark green/blue grey livery.
I stuck to the Tunnan’s standard NMF livery, but added dark green on wing tips and fin, which were widely added in order to make formation flight and general identification easier. However, some dayglow markings were added on the fuselage and wings, too, so that – together with the tactical markings – a colorful and distinct look was created, yet in line with typical Swedish Air Force markings in the late Fifties/early Sixties.
The NMF livery was created with an overall coat of Revell 99 acrylic paint (Aluminum), on top of which various shades of Metallizer were dry-brushed, panel by panel. Around the exhaust, a darker base tone (Revell 91, Iron Metallic and Steel Metallizer) was used. Around the cockpit, in order to simulate the retrofitted parts, some panels received a lighter base with Humbrol 191.
The raised panel lines were emphasized through a light black in wash and careful rubbing with grinded graphite on a soft cotton cloth – with the benefit that the graphite adds a further, metallic shine to the surface and destroys the uniform, clean NMF look. On the front fuselage, where many details got lost through the PSR work, panel lines were painted with a thin, soft pencil.
The cockpit interior became dark green-grey (Revell 67 comes pretty close to the original color), the landing gear wells medium grey (Revell 57). The dark green markings on fin and wing tips were painted with Humbrol 163 (RAF Dark Green), which comes IMHO close to the Swedish “Mörkgrön”. The orange bands were painted, too, with a base of Humbrol 82 (Orange Lining) on top of which a thin coat of fluorescent orange (Humbrol 209) was later added. Even though the NMF Tunnan did not carry anti-dazzle paint in front of the windscreen, I added a black panel because of the relatively flat area there on the modified kit.
Decals come from different sources: roundels and stencils come from the Heller kit’s sheet, the squadron code number from a Flying Colors sheet with Swedish ciphers in various colors and sizes for the late Fifties time frame, while the tactical code on the fin was taken from a Saab 32 sheet.
Finally the kit was sealed with a “¾ matt”, acrylic varnish, mixed from glossy and matt varnishes.
An effective and subtle conversion, and a bigger stunt than one might think at first sight. The Tunnan two-seater does, hoewever, not look as disturbing as, for instance, the BAC Lightning or Hawker Hunter trainer variants? The rhinoplasty was massive and took some serious PSR, though, and the livery was also more demanding than it might seem. But: this is what IMHO a real Saab 29 trainer could have looked like, if it had left the drawing boards in the early Fifties. And it even looks good! :D