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+++ 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!
+++ 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!
"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want."
Lao Tzu
Semipalmated Plover. If you look (very) closely you can see the physical trait that definitively sets this species apart from Common Ringed Plover. The slight webbing between all of its front toes. This slight webbing is missing in the inside toes of the Common Ringed Plover.
Webbing sign showing the presence of the Eriophyid Mite (Aceria negundi). Lower surface of a Box Elder (Acer negundo) leaf. Beaverbrook Environs, Howard County, Maryland.
Pictured are members of 40 Commando on patrol in Belize.
Taunton based 40 Commando exercising in Belize, Central America, conducting Exercise Curry Trail...Delta Company (D Coy), the Jungle Warfare Specialists of 40 Commando in the jungles of Belize conducting vital training under the watchful eye of BATSUB (British Army Training Support Unit Belize) staff known as Trackers, as well as Directing Staff from the Royal Marines...During the first phase of training the Royal Marines conduct break contact drills, close target reconnaissance, survival, patrol and navigation training in the depths of Sibun Gorge. ..The Trackers taught the elite Commandos all about operating in the jungle; providing instruction about survival, building shelters and animal traps, creating fire, and understanding what plants are edible, inedible and which are medicinal, as well as what insects and wildlife to avoid in this environment...When the eight Tracker instructors, who are locals of Belize, aren’t teaching Royal Marines, the British Army or the United States Marine Corps, they are maintaining the training area for the next group of troops...Live Fire Tactical Training (LFTT) was the second phase of training which saw the transition from individual CQB (Close Quarters Battle) to four and eight-man team assaults in another training area known as Manatee...During this phase, the troops were using the SA80 rifle, LMG (Light Machine Gun), GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) and grenades. They also learned how to employ demolitions in the jungle environment.
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© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: L(Phot) Will Haigh
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Description: Small stocky cat species. Their toes have webbing between them to help them swim. Fishing cats have 2 layers of fur, one for keeping them warm and another for camouflage.
Habitat and Location: Found in wetland areas or near rivers in tropical dry forests. Distribution is spread across Southern Asia.
Diet: Carnivore. Mainly fish, crabs and frogs but will take rodents and young deer.
Reproduction: Females give birth to an average of two kittens a litter. Young will learn to fish from their mother and be independent at 10 months.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable.
Thanks for the information from 5 Sisters zoo
I enjoy making bread and I think taking the dough out after its first prove is a fascinating aspect of bread-making. After you've kneaded it (through pushing and pulling!), you pull the dough out of the bowl, and you see all of this intricate webbing that shows how much the gluten has stretched and developed. Then you shape it, prove it again and bake it. All the time, pushing and pulling helps it go from dough to loaf!
Took some shots of this creepy little guy while walking along the beach in Kitsilano a couple days ago. He apparently wasn't much of a model as he promptly dropped off his web to the ground below after this shot. When I walked back later he was back on the web.
Best viewed on a black background - Ht L.
1942 dated Smith & Wesson Military & Police (pre Model 10) Victory revolver in .38/200 (.38 S&W), the standard British and Canadian service revolver caliber of WWII and beyond.
The frame is stamped "United States Property" and bears American as well as German proof marks.
The serial number starts with V1, which dates the revolver to 1942.
The revolver has been re-parkerized as some point, unfortunally also the hammer and trigger.
The stampings, proof marks and caliber suggests that this is a lend-lease revolver, used by the British (or possible Canadian) forces during WWII and re-issued to the German police post-war. Revolvers in .38/200 were chosen, by the allies, for the German post-war police, due to the fact that the caliber was not in local production, making it possible for the allies to control the amount of ammunition available to the German authorities.
The Canadian produced 1943 and -44 dated boxes of .38/200 ammunition are still sealed. They are from a lot of ammunition dropped for the Danish resistance during the latter part of the war.
The holster and webbing in the photo are repro, I do have several sets of original British P-37 webbing and holsters (including RAC holsters), but I try to avoid adding any modern oil stains to them.
Cormorant (Disambiguation)
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed. The great cormorant (P. carbo) and the common shag (P. aristotelis) are the only two species of the family commonly encountered on the British Isles, and "cormorant" and "shag" appellations have been later assigned to different species in the family somewhat haphazardly.
Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large birds, with body weight in the range of 0.35–5 kilograms (0.77–11.02 lb) and wing span of 45–100 centimetres (18–39 in). The majority of species have dark feathers. The bill is long, thin and hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes. All species are fish-eaters, catching the prey by diving from the surface. They are excellent divers, and under water they propel themselves with their feet with help from their wings; some cormorant species have been found to dive as deep as 45 metres (150 ft). They have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have the highest flight costs of any flying bird.
Cormorants nest in colonies around the shore, on trees, islets or cliffs. They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonised inland waters – indeed, the original ancestor of cormorants seems to have been a fresh-water bird.[citation needed] They range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands.
Names
No consistent distinction exists between cormorants and shags. The names 'cormorant' and 'shag' were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, Phalacrocorax carbo (now referred to by ornithologists as the great cormorant) and P. aristotelis (the European shag). "Shag" refers to the bird's crest, which the British forms of the great cormorant lack. As other species were discovered by English-speaking sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, depending on whether they had crests or not. Sometimes the same species is called a cormorant in one part of the world and a shag in another, e.g., the great cormorant is called the black shag in New Zealand (the birds found in Australasia have a crest that is absent in European members of the species). Van Tets (1976) proposed to divide the family into two genera and attach the name "cormorant" to one and "shag" to the other, but this flies in the face of common usage and has not been widely adopted.
The scientific genus name is Latinised Ancient Greek, from φαλακρός (phalakros, "bald") and κόραξ (korax, "raven"). This is often thought to refer to the creamy white patch on the cheeks of adult great cormorants, or the ornamental white head plumes prominent in Mediterranean birds of this species, but is certainly not a unifying characteristic of cormorants. "Cormorant" is a contraction derived either directly from Latin corvus marinus, "sea raven" or through Brythonic Celtic. Cormoran is the Cornish name of the sea giant in the tale of Jack the Giant Killer. Indeed, "sea raven" or analogous terms were the usual terms for cormorants in Germanic languages until after the Middle Ages. The French explorer André Thévet commented in 1558, "... the beak [is] similar to that of a cormorant or other corvid," which demonstrates that the erroneous belief that the birds were related to ravens lasted at least to the 16th century.
Description
Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large seabirds. They range in size from the pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus), at as little as 45 cm (18 in) and 340 g (12 oz), to the flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi), at a maximum size 100 cm (39 in) and 5 kg (11 lb). The recently extinct spectacled cormorant (Phalacrocorax perspicillatus) was rather larger, at an average size of 6.3 kg (14 lb). The majority, including nearly all Northern Hemisphere species, have mainly dark plumage, but some Southern Hemisphere species are black and white, and a few (e.g. the spotted shag of New Zealand) are quite colourful. Many species have areas of coloured skin on the face (the lores and the gular skin) which can be bright blue, orange, red or yellow, typically becoming more brightly coloured in the breeding season. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes, as in their relatives.
Habitat
They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonised inland waters – indeed, the original ancestor of cormorants seems to have been a fresh-water bird, judging from the habitat of the most ancient lineage. They range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands.
Behaviour
All are fish-eaters, dining on small eels, fish, and even water snakes. They dive from the surface, though many species make a characteristic half-jump as they dive, presumably to give themselves a more streamlined entry into the water. Under water they propel themselves with their feet, though some also propel themselves with their wings. Some cormorant species have been found, using depth gauges, to dive to depths of as much as 45 metres (150 ft).
After fishing, cormorants go ashore, and are frequently seen holding their wings out in the sun. All cormorants have preen gland secretions that are used ostensibly to keep the feathers waterproof. Some sources state that cormorants have waterproof feathers while others say that they have water permeable feathers.[8][9] Still others suggest that the outer plumage absorbs water but does not permit it to penetrate the layer of air next to the skin. The wing drying action is seen even in the flightless cormorant but commonly in the Antarctic shags and red-legged cormorants. Alternate functions suggested for the spread-wing posture include that it aids thermoregulation or digestion, balances the bird, or indicates presence of fish. A detailed study of the great cormorant concludes that it is without doubt to dry the plumage.
Cormorants are colonial nesters, using trees, rocky islets, or cliffs. The eggs are a chalky-blue colour. There is usually one brood a year. The young are fed through regurgitation. They typically have deep, ungainly bills, showing a greater resemblance to those of the pelicans, to which they are related, than is obvious in the adults.
Taxonomy
The cormorants are a group traditionally placed within the Pelecaniformes or, in the Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy, the expanded Ciconiiformes. This latter group is certainly not a natural one, and even after the tropicbirds have been recognised as quite distinct, the remaining Pelecaniformes seem not to be entirely monophyletic. Their relationships and delimitation – apart from being part of a "higher waterfowl" clade which is similar but not identical to Sibley and Ahlquist's "pan-Ciconiiformes" – remain mostly unresolved. Notwithstanding, all evidence agrees that the cormorants and shags are closer to the darters and Sulidae (gannets and boobies), and perhaps the pelicans or even penguins, than to all other living birds.
In recent years, three preferred treatments of the cormorant family have emerged: either to leave all living cormorants in a single genus, Phalacrocorax, or to split off a few species such as the imperial shag complex (in Leucocarbo) and perhaps the flightless cormorant. Alternatively, the genus may be disassembled altogether and in the most extreme case be reduced to the great, white-breasted and Japanese cormorants.
Pending a thorough review of the Recent and prehistoric cormorants, the single-genus approach is followed here for three reasons: first, it is preferable to tentatively assigning genera without a robust hypothesis. Second, it makes it easier to deal with the fossil forms, the systematic treatment of which has been no less controversial than that of living cormorants and shags. Third, this scheme is also used by the IUCN, making it easier to incorporate data on status and conservation. In accordance with the treatment there, the imperial shag complex is here left unsplit as well, but the king shag complex has been.
The cormorants and the darters have a unique bone on the back of the top of the skull known as the os nuchale or occipital style which was called a xiphoid process in early literature. This bony projection provides anchorage for the muscles that increase the force with which the lower mandible is closed. This bone and the highly developed muscles over it, the M. adductor mandibulae caput nuchale, are unique to the families Phalacrocoracidae and Anhingidae.
Several evolutionary groups are still recognizable. However, combining the available evidence suggests that there has also been a great deal of convergent evolution; for example the cliff shags are a convergent paraphyletic group. The proposed division into Phalacrocorax sensu stricto (or subfamily "Phalacrocoracinae") cormorants and Leucocarbo sensu lato (or "Leucocarboninae") shags does indeed have some degree of merit. The resolution provided by the mtDNA 12S rRNA and ATPase subunits six and eight sequence data[25] is not sufficient to properly resolve several groups to satisfaction; in addition, many species remain unsampled, the fossil record has not been integrated in the data, and the effects of hybridisation – known in some Pacific species especially – on the DNA sequence data are unstudied.
List of genera
The family contains three genera:[26]
- Microcarbo (5 species)
- Phalacrocorax (22 species, including one extinct in 19th century)
- Leucocarbo (15 species)
Evolution and fossil record
Cormorants seem to be a very ancient group, with similar ancestors reaching back to the time of the dinosaurs. In fact, the earliest known modern bird, Gansus yumenensis, had essentially the same structure. The details of the evolution of the cormorant are mostly unknown. Even the technique of using the distribution and relationships of a species to figure out where it came from, biogeography, usually very informative, does not give very specific data for this probably rather ancient and widespread group. However, the closest living relatives of the cormorants and shags are the other families of the suborder Sulae—darters and gannets and boobies—which have a primarily Gondwanan distribution. Hence, at least the modern diversity of Sulae probably originated in the southern hemisphere.
While the Leucocarbonines are almost certainly of southern Pacific origin—possibly even the Antarctic which, at the time when cormorants evolved, was not yet ice-covered—all that can be said about the Phalacrocoracines is that they are most diverse in the regions bordering the Indian Ocean, but generally occur over a large area.
Similarly, the origin of the family is shrouded in uncertainties. Some Late Cretaceous fossils have been proposed to belong with the Phalacrocoracidae:
A scapula from the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary, about 70 mya (million years ago), was found in the Nemegt Formation in Mongolia; it is now in the PIN collection. It is from a bird roughly the size of a spectacled cormorant, and quite similar to the corresponding bone in Phalacrocorax. A Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous, c. 66 mya) right femur, AMNH FR 25272 from the Lance Formation near Lance Creek, Wyoming, is sometimes suggested to be the second-oldest record of the Phalacrocoracidae; this was from a rather smaller bird, about the size of a long-tailed cormorant.
As the Early Oligocene Sula" ronzoni cannot be assigned to any of the suloid families—cormorants and shags, darters, and gannets and boobies—with certainty, the best interpretation is that the Phalacrocoracidae diverged from their closest ancestors in the Early Oligocene, perhaps some 30 million years ago, and that the Cretaceous fossils represent ancestral suloids, "pelecaniforms" or "higher waterbirds"; at least the last lineage is generally believed to have been already distinct and undergoing evolutionary radiation at the end of the Cretaceous. What can be said with near certainty is that AMNH FR 25272 is from a diving bird that used its feet for underwater locomotion; as this is liable to result in some degree of convergent evolution and the bone is missing indisputable neornithine features, it is not entirely certain that the bone is correctly referred to this group.
During the late Paleogene, when the family presumably originated, much of Eurasia was covered by shallow seas, as the Indian Plate finally attached to the mainland. Lacking a detailed study, it may well be that the first "modern" cormorants were small species from eastern, south-eastern or southern Asia, possibly living in freshwater habitat, that dispersed due to tectonic events. Such a scenario would account for the present-day distribution of cormorants and shags and is not contradicted by the fossil record; as remarked above, a thorough review of the problem is not yet available.
Two distinct genera of prehistoric cormorants are widely accepted today, if Phalacrocorax is used for all living species:
- Limicorallus (Indricotherium middle Oligocene of Chelkar-Teniz, Kazakhstan)
- Nectornis (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Central Europe – Middle Miocene of Bes-Konak, Turkey) – includes Oligocorax miocaenus
The proposed genus Oligocorax appears to be paraphyletic – the European species have been separated in Nectornis, and the North American ones are placed in the expanded Phalacrocorax. A Late Oligocene fossil cormorant foot from Enspel, Germany, sometimes placed herein, would then be referable to Nectornis if it proves not to be too distinct. All these early European species might belong to the basal group of "microcormorants", as they conform with them in size and seem to have inhabited the same habitat: subtropical coastal or inland waters. Limicorallus, meanwhile, was initially believed to be a rail or a dabbling duck by some. There are also undescribed remains of apparent cormorants from the Quercy Phosphorites of Quercy (France), dating to some time between the Late Eocene and the mid-Oligocene.
Some other Paleogene remains are sometimes assigned to the Phalacrocoracidae, but these birds seem quite intermediate between cormorants and darters (and lack clear autapomorphies of either). Thus, they may be quite basal members of the Palacrocoracoidea. The taxa in question are:
- Piscator (Late Eocene of England)
- "Pelecaniformes" gen. et sp. indet. (Jebel Qatrani Early Oligocene of Fayum, Egypt) – similar to Piscator?
- Borvocarbo (Late Oligocene of C Europe)
The supposed Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene "Valenticarbo" is a nomen dubium and given its recent age probably not a separate genus.
In human culture
Cormorant fishing
Humans have used cormorants' fishing skills in various places in the world. Archaeological evidence suggests that cormorant fishing was practiced in Ancient Egypt, Peru, Korea and India, but the strongest tradition has remained in China and Japan, where it reached commercial-scale level in some areas. In Japan, cormorant fishing is called ukai (鵜飼). Traditional forms of ukai can be seen on the Nagara River in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, where cormorant fishing has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years, or in the city of Inuyama, Aichi. In Guilin, China, cormorants are famous for fishing on the shallow Lijiang River. In Gifu, the Japanese cormorant (P. capillatus) is used; Chinese fishermen often employ great cormorants (P. carbo). In Europe, a similar practice was also used on Doiran Lake in the region of Macedonia.
In a common technique, a snare is tied near the base of the bird's throat, which allows the bird only to swallow small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow a large fish, the fish is caught in the bird's throat. When the bird returns to the fisherman's raft, the fisherman helps the bird to remove the fish from its throat. The method is not as common today, since more efficient methods of catching fish have been developed, but is still practiced as a cultural tradition.
In folklore, literature, and art
Cormorants feature in heraldry and medieval ornamentation, usually in their "wing-drying" pose, which was seen as representing the Christian cross, and symbolizing nobility and sacrifice. For John Milton in Paradise Lost, the cormorant symbolizes greed: perched atop the Tree of Life, Satan took the form of a cormorant as he spied on Adam and Eve during his first intrusion into Eden.
In some Scandinavian areas, they are considered good omen; in particular, in Norwegian tradition spirits of those lost at sea come to visit their loved ones disguised as cormorants.[36] For example, the Norwegian municipalities of Røst, Loppa and Skjervøy have cormorants in their coat of arms. The symbolic liver bird of Liverpool is commonly thought to be a cross between an eagle and a cormorant.
In 1853, a woman wearing a dress made of cormorant feathers was found on San Nicolas Island, off the southern coast of California. She had sewn the feather dress together using whale sinews. She is known as the Lone Woman of San Nicolas and was later baptised "Juana Maria" (her original name is lost). The woman had lived alone on the island for 18 years before being rescued. When removed from San Nicolas, she brought with her a green cormorant dress she made; this dress is reported to have been removed to the Vatican.
The bird has inspired numerous writers, including Amy Clampitt, who wrote a poem called "The Cormorant in its Element". The species she described may have been the pelagic cormorant, which is the only species in the temperate U.S. with the "slim head ... vermilion-strapped" and "big black feet" that she mentions.
A cormorant representing Blanche Ingram appears in the first of the fictional paintings by Jane in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre.
The cormorant served as the hood ornament for the Packard automobile brand.
Cormorants (and books about them written by a fictional ornithologist) are a recurring fascination of the protagonist in Jesse Ball's 2018 novel Census.
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org]
Scrappy 3" squares. I didn't have webbing so I made my own handles. Lining is Doe Eyed from Tula Pink Moonshine range.
A cute easy pattern, I would just make my panels longer when I next make it to get a slightly deeper basket, and maybe line the interfacing too.
Pattern from: www.etsy.com/shop/greenletterday
Color and Pattern
(From Left to Right, Models Facing)
Bernhard Willhelm German 1972 –
Dress, Socks, and Shoes Spring/Summer 2013
Shoes made by Camper, Spain, 1975 –
Pleated polyester satin; cotton/acrylic knit; leather, rubber with polyester cord, twill tape, double-weave webbing.
Checked socks and multicolored trainers bring even more energy to avant-garde German designer Bernhard Willhelm’s contemporary ensemble, already pulsating with color and graphic patterns. Willhelm approaches design with a sense of experimentation and humor, mixing ecelectic influences from pop culture, contemporary art, and the digital age. He lets his clothes speak for themselves, welcoming different interpretations of his unconventional work.
Gift of Bernhard Willhelm, 2014-135-5a-e
From the Placard: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/873.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Willhelm
......
Christian Lacroix French 1951 –
Designed for Christian Lacroix Luxe, Paris, active late 80s
Catsuit Fall/Winter 1990
Printed nylon/spandex knit
Exotic fish and butterflies inspired the florescent colors and patterns on this printed catsuit by Christian Lacroix. The designer’s exuberant use of unexpected colors, dazzling patterns, and lavish surface decoration prompted Time magazine to call him “the man with the magic paintbrush.” Sleek and sexy, Lacroix’s flamboyant one-piece garment was ideal for women who wanted to take a walk on the wild side.
Gift of Martin Field, 2014-206-37
From the Placard: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/873.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Lacroix
......
Upper Tier ( Deep pink &black)
Gustave Tassell American, 1926-2014
Evening Dress Spring 1967
Acetate/rayon crepe
Gustave Tassell explores both color and geometry in this sophisticated update of a toga, layered with a diagonal swath of black over an intense pink one-sleeved, body-skimming dress. The designer studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before opening his ready-to-wear business in Los Angeles. This dress illustrates Tassell’s design restraint, perfect proportions, and uncompromising purity of line.
Gift of the designer, 1972-175-10
From the Placard: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/873.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Tassell
www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-gustave-tassell-20...
.......
Emilio Pucci Italian 1914 – 1992
Dress and Tights Ensemble 1965
Printed cashmere wool/nylon knit; printed nylon knit
Emilio Pucci’s prints—colorful, exotic, and distinctive—display his inventive flair, as well as his first name, to show they’re authentic. His 1965 collection, inspired by medieval pageboys, included a number of tunics with matching tights. This ensemble’s floral pattern shows Turkish influences and a punchy new combination of colors. It was donated by the fashion editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time, who championed Pucci’s clothes as fun, modern fashion.
Gift of Rubye Graham, 1969-54-4a,b
From the Placard: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/873.html
"Man does not weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." ~ Chief Seattle
+++ 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!
The most common of the small plovers on migration through most areas. The name "semipalmated" refers to partial webbing between the bird's toes.394A5177
Old Hope site sold; in line for makeover
By David Casey
Pawtucket Times | March 24, 2005
The Los Angeles-based company that purchased the six-building, 600,000 square-foot former Hope Webbing mill complex for $2.5 million Wednesday plans to invest an additional $20-$25 million to transform the late 19th century brick-and-timber behemoth into a veritable Greenwich Village. Ron Wierks, the director of operations for Urban Smart Growth’s fast-growing east coast bureau, said the company intends to restore the buildings back to their original condition and fill them with artists – a familiar strategy in Pawtucket.
USG, which “takes old mills and under-performing assets and re-develops them into viable assets for the community,” according to Wierks, is artist-friendly Mayor James Doyle’s dream-come-true.
For the past seven years, Doyle has courted the state’s arts community, which has been increasingly priced-out of the Providence marketplace. After several successful mill conversions, arts festivals and a truckload of economic outreach, he’s finally managed to fill two city block’s worth of un-taxable tinder at the heart the city’s new 300-acre Arts & Entertainment District with a honeycomb of Bohemian cafes, artist’s lofts, workshops and retailers.
“This is the biggest project to hit the City of Pawtucket in the last 50 years,” Doyle told The Times Wednesday. “Nothing even comes close. To see the amount of money they’re putting into this and the scale and quality of this project …this is going to make people who haven’t noticed Pawtucket before, stand up and pay attention. If someone is building a massive project like this here, maybe people will start wondering why.”
Doyle knows that buzz begets buzz, and for the better part of the last decade, he’s believed that Pawtucket can achieve economic success by repackaging itself as a trendy, urban outpost. The logic is simple: Artists like mills because they’re affordable and spacious; mills in Providence (just 7 miles away) and Boston (about 45 miles away) are too expensive; and Pawtucket, a depressed mill city straddling Interstate 95, could use the buzz consumer markets artists bring with them.
According to Wierks, who is in the process of getting the 600,000-square-foot complex re-zoned from industrial to general commercial (Pawtucket’s Arts and Entertainment District only provides for tax-free art sales), the “Hope Artiste Village” will be a regional commercial-cultural “destination.”
All told, the complex will feature boutiques and artists’ galleries, live-work space, apartments, restaurants and cafes, light-industrial space (woodworking, glass-blowing, etc.), an outdoor live music venue in the courtyard, a black-box theater and an executive business center, where out-of-towners can rent fully-equipped office space by the month.
The breakdown is roughly: 25-30 percent living space, 40 percent retail, 15 percent office space, 10 percent restaurants and cafes, and 10-15 percent light manufacturing, according to Wierks.
Manufacturing units will range from 1,600 to 10,000 square feet, starting at $5 per square foot; live/work units will be around 2,000 square-feet, starting at $5 per square foot; and apartments will range from 700 to 1,400 square-feet, starting at $2 per square foot.
And this is no rush-job, according to Wierks, who helped introduce the run-down East Coast mill market to USG’s core market of run-down Art Deco motels and apartment buildings in Southern California. After all, Rhode Island’s generous historical tax credits are the number one reason this nationwide developer chose to base its east coast bureau in little, old Pawtucket.
“The basic tax credits in the State of Rhode Island are a tremendous incentive to developers like us,” said Wierks. “That’s what we do – we restore buildings to their original condition. We get the city’s support and all of the exposure, and they get the ambience and people they’re looking for.”
As such, floors will be sanded and re-finished, brick and tresses left exposed wherever possible, and windows replaced with stylistically-appropriate facsimiles of their 100-year-old counterparts. And this sort of attention to detail takes time.
The entire project is expected to take five years to complete, with buildings 1-6 reaching completion in order of market priority. The Hope Artiste Village will become the fourth east project for USG, which is currently working on the Eagle Square (the former Eastern Butcher Block) project in Providence (144 condo units), Greystone Mill project in North Providence (136 condo units) and a 114-condo complex in Bloomfield, New Jersey.
The male Monarch Butterfly may be easily distinguished from the female by noting the two highly visable black spots on the insect's hind wings and the thinner black webbing within the wings. The female's webbing is thicker and she has no identifying wing spot as the male does.
Prologue: Today is January 1st, 2099. A couple months ago, my life completely changed. Long story short, I was experimented on by a company called Alchemax. They did an experiment on me, which fused my DNA with the DNA of a spider. I thankfully survived this, but I quickly noticed my newfound powers. I could create webbing from my wrists, and climb on walls with my sharper finger tips, I gained super strength, and heightened agility. This was unusual for a person to have, especially that the time we now call the "heroic age" was over, for the longest time. But I made my own costume, and went on to start a new heroic age. My name is Miguel O'Hara... But I'm mostly known as Spider-Man.
I swung through the bright, loud, city of Nueva York. It's charming, even though it's so aggressively ear bleeding. I heard fireworks in the distance... I landed on a building, and took my mask off for a breather.
Spider-Man: *uff*... Ugh, that was tiring.
I speak to myself sometimes, it gets lonely. My phone rings in my pocket, so I take it out, and answer it.
Spider-Man: Hello?
The person who answered was Lyla, my best friend in a way. She's an artificial intelligence, programed by my ex-girlfriend.
Lyla, on phone: Hi, Miguel. How's it going?
Spider-Man: Uh, fine, I guess? Why are you calling me?
Lyla, on phone: Thought I should remind you that you planned on going out with Dana tonight?
Spider-Man: Sh#t... Completely forgot about that. Thanks.
Lyla, on phone: Language, and your welcome. Also, you wrote "Dana" on your calendar, which is why I said it, but I thought you were dating that other girl, "Xina?"-
Spider-Man: It's complicated.
Lyla, on phone: ...Okay, cool. Bye.
She hung up, and I put my phone back in my pocket. Right after, I saw a beam of yellow light shoot out from behind the building I was standing on.
Spider-Man: Well, that doesn't look good.
I put my mask on, and dropped down off the building. My fingertips brushed the glass of the building, lightly cutting it, before I landed on my feet, in an alley, behind a red and gold armored man, talking to a guy in a black hoodie, with a blue mohawk. The armored guy didn't notice me, not yet at least.
Armored guy: See? Isn't that impressive? That's the good tech Alchemax makes, alright? Get some of this next time!
I saw the blue haired man was shaking...
Armored guy: Huh? What's so scary?
He pointed his finger at me... The armored man turned around, and looked at me.
Armored guy: What the hell?!
Spider-Man: Hey hey!
Armored guy: Who's this guy supposed to be?!!
He shot a yellow laser towards me from his gauntlet, but I flipped out of the way.
Spider-Man: You can call me Spider-Man. You?
Armored guy: Hm... If we're gonna go with nicknames, I guess I'll be... Hm... How about, the Shocker?
He fired another laser, this one hit me, and hit me towards the ground.
Spider-Man: *uff*... Clever.
Usually I can anticipate attacks, with a little thing I call "spider-sense". Doesn't always work, though. I saw the blue haired guy get freaked out, and pull a metal rod from his pocket.
Mohawk guy: Get outta here, vigilante!!!
He pressed a button on the rod, it extended out into a long blade, it looked like a chainsaw with a sword handle. He charged at me with it, but I got up, and caught it.
Spider-Man, still holding blade: Ooh, that almost hurts!
I used my other hand to fire a web at the mans face, he backed up a step, releasing the blade from my hand, and ripping off the web.
Mohawk guy: Ugh... That's it!
He swung his sword-thingy again, but I jumped out of the way, and his blade got stuck in a wall.
Mohawk guy: Aghh..!!!
Spider-Man: Now I have something I can get you arrested for! You've swung a deadly weapon at me, twice! In addition to whatever was going on here already!
Shocker: Nothing else you can prove, punk!
He aimed his gauntlet at me, but before he could fire it, I used a web to pull his face to the ground!
Shocker: Ach!!!
I fired a couple more webs to him to keep him on the ground. I looked over, and saw the other criminal still trying to pull his sword from the wall.
Mohawk guy: Come on... Come on!
I used a web to pull him over Shocker, and webbed him over them, leaving the sword in the wall.
Spider-Man: Just let it go, man.
I pulled out my phone, and called Dana.
Dana, on phone: Hey, babe, where are you?
Spider-Man: Hi. I'll be at the restaurant in a second, A.S.A.P. Love you, bye.
I hung up the phone.
~Madam Web
Detail of 1/6th set. Foam core, plastic, fabric, paint, plexi, decals, found objects, webbing spray, plaster..
Set dimensions approx. 14"x18"x22". 2016
I really liked the underside gills of these common ones and specially also the fine webbing underneath the edge of the cap. I find these mushroom type fungi quite difficult to identify.
+++ 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.
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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!
Here is a tiny black ant crawling on an odd nest of webbing in a small shrub of Prickly-Phlox (Leptodactylon californicum, Polemoniaceae) that is starting to green up for a new growing season. This is the same webbing I showed in this photo for Arachtober, but this is a different shot for Web Wednesday. I'm thinking this web might be the work of a Leafcurling Sac Spider in the genus Clubiona of the family Clubionidae, see my [Previous] photo for what may be the spider responsible. Happy Web Webnesday! (San Marcos Pass, 1 November 2020)
This is spider webbing on Wild Sweetpea (Lathyrus vestitus, Fabaceae). Happy Web Webnesday! (San Marcos Pass, 14 September 2021)
Publication History
Black Widow is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editor Stan Lee, scripter Don Rico, and artist Don Heck, the character debuted as an enemy of Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #52 (1964). She reformed as a hero in The Avengers #30 (1966) and her most well-known design was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970). Black Widow has been the main character in several comic issues since 1970, and she received her own Black Widow series in 1999. She has also frequently appeared as a supporting character in The Avengers and Daredevil.
Natalia Alianovna "Natasha Romanoff" Romanova (Russian: Наталья Альяновна "Наташа" Романова) is introduced as a spy for the Soviet Union until she defects to the United States. She subsequently joins the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., partners with Daredevil, and encounters a rival Black Widow in Yelena Belova. Though she has no distinct superpowers, she was augmented in the Red Room, a Soviet training facility, to increase her strength and reduce her aging. She has training in combat and espionage, and wields bracelets that fire electric shocks and project wires she uses to traverse skyscrapers.
Black Widow stories often explore her struggle to define her own identity as a spy and the trauma she endured from her life of training in the Red Room. Early stories emphasized her Soviet origin, portraying her superiors as evil and contrasting her with more noble American superheroes. Black Widow's status as a leading female character and femme fatale has influenced her portrayal.
Black Widow has been adapted into a variety of other media, including film, animated series, and video games. A version of the character was portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise from her first appearance in Iron Man 2 (2010) to her final one in Black Widow (2021). Johansson's portrayal brought increased attention to the character and influenced Black Widow's depiction in comics.
1960s
A comic book cover depicting Iron Man fighting the Crimson Dynamo. Black Widow stands behind the Crimson Dynamo wearing a fur coat. A caption beside her reads "Introducing: the gorgeous new menace of... the Black Widow!"
Black Widow first appeared in Tales of Suspense #52 (1964) as an opponent of Iron Man. She was designed by artist Don Heck for a story plotted by Stan Lee and written by Don Rico under the pseudonym N. Korok. The character was portrayed as a seductress who was spying on Tony Stark for the Soviet government, making her one of several Soviet villains who faced Iron Man in the 1960s. She was infatuated with Tony Stark's looks and wealth and easily distracted by jewelry. Comics historian Brian Cronin has suggested that her name was a reference to Natasha Fatale from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.
Black Widow first took the role of a supervillain in Tales of Suspense #64 (1965) after the Soviet government gave her a costume and equipment when they forced her to continue working for them. Her first costume took the form of a blue bodysuit made primarily of fishnet-style webbing, a cape, and a mask designed to resemble the one used by Hawkeye. With the costume came her first use of tactical equipment, including gloves that let her adhere to walls and the weaponized bracelets that later became her primary weapon. She was the villain in five Iron Man stories, all within a span of twelve issues.
Black Widow next appeared as the villain in Avengers #29–30 (1966), where she manipulated Hawkeye, Power Man, and Swordsman into doing her bidding. At the end of the story, she reformed and allied with the Avengers, as her love for Hawkeye motivated her to switch sides after recovering from brainwashing by the Soviet government. This made her one of several Marvel Comics villains who become good by defecting from the Soviet Union to the United States, symbolizing a moral preference for American individualism over Soviet communism.
Black Widow's design underwent various changes as she appeared in the following issues of Avengers. The character's backstory was expanded in Avengers #43 (1967), when she discovered that the secret identity of the Red Guardian was her husband Alexei, who had been presumed dead. This story explained that it was because of his supposed death that she trained to be a spy. After her redemption, Black Widow became associated with the fictional intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D.
1970s
Black Widow went one year without being in any new comic books until she appeared in Avengers #76 (1970) to end her relationship with Hawkeye (then named Goliath), effectively making her an independent character. She then underwent a full redesign in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970), where she was given the black costume and long red hair that became identified with her character.
John Romita Sr. designed the costume, basing it on the 1940s Miss Fury comic strip. Marvel followed this the same year with a series of Black Widow stories published in Amazing Adventures, which also published stories about the Inhumans. Marvel's first series to feature stories led by a female superhero, it portrayed Black Widow as a wealthy jet setter who doubled as a crime-fighter.
The first issues, written by Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Gene Colan, were about political issues. Writers Roy Thomas and then Gerry Conway moved it away from politics in favor of melodrama, developing the relationship between Black Widow and her father figure Ivan Petrovich. Amazing Adventures ran for eight issues before Black Widow was removed from the comic book so the Inhumans could have a standalone series.
As the writer for Daredevil, Conway introduced Black Widow as a supporting character and established a romance between her and Daredevil as "a way to re-energize the title". She joined the series in Daredevil #81 (1971). Colan illustrated the series with drawings of Black Widow that emphasized her acrobatics and long red hair. Conway credited Colan with creating the "first empowered sexy babe" in comics. This run allowed for deeper characterization for Black Widow, and she was given a last name, Romanoff, in issue #82 (1971).
Her story line in the series saw her framed for killing a supervillain, with Daredevil's friend Foggy Nelson leading the prosecution. Conway then moved the setting to San Francisco, and their relationship became the main focus of the series. The pairing was one Marvel had to handle carefully given potential backlash to an unmarried couple living together, having them live on separate floors and having Ivan live with them. Responding to criticism that his treatment of Black Widow was sexist, Conway reworked her role beginning in Daredevil #91 (1972), having her stand up for herself when she felt neglected by Daredevil. The series was retitled Daredevil and the Black Widow in the following issue.
Steve Gerber became the writer for Daredevil with issue #97 (1972), and he moved the focus away from Black Widow back to Daredevil's superhero activity in response to weak sales. Her name was dropped from the title after issue #107 (1973). She appeared in Avengers #111–112 (1973), but left the team almost immediately as she wished to return to Daredevil.
Tony Isabella became the writer for Daredevil with issue #118, and feeling that the relationship dynamic between Daredevil and Black Widow harmed both characters, he set out to split them apart. She departed from the series in issue #124 (1975), with the character leaving by saying that she felt overshadowed by Daredevil and that he robbed her of her independence.
When Isabella began writing The Champions, he included Black Widow as a member. Originally intended to be a duo of Iceman and Angel, editor Len Wein mandated several changes to The Champions, including the requirement of a female character. Besides his experience writing for Black Widow, Isabella used her in hope that continuing to work with her would prevent another writer from reuniting her with Daredevil.
The seventh issue of The Champions, "The Man Who Created the Black Widow", focused on Black Widow's backstory and introduced the villain Yuri Bezukhov, the son of Ivan Petrovich. Isabella wanted to continue this story by revealing Ivan to be Black Widow's biological father, but he left Marvel Comics after completing the issue. The Champions ended after 16 issues, and Black Widow was returned to Avengers in issue #173 (1978) during the "Korvac Saga". She returned to Daredevil as a supporting character in issues #155–165 (1978–1980).[26]
1980s
Black Widow was less prominent in the 1980s. She made an appearance in the anthology book Bizarre Adventures #25 (1981), as one of the superheroines leading a story written by Ralph Macchio and illustrated by Paul Gulacy under the issue's "Lethal Ladies" theme. The story followed Black Widow as she infiltrated a Soviet arms depot in South Africa led by her former instructor. Macchio moved away from elements he felt were reminiscent of James Bond, instead looking to the works of John le Carré for inspiration so readers "really didn't know who were the good guys and the bad guys".
Black Widow made another return to Daredevil beginning in issue #187 (1982), written by Frank Miller. She was redesigned during Miller's run, giving her a more casual and stronger appearance with a gray leotard and shorter hair. She also appeared in the shared books Marvel Two-in-One and Marvel Team-Up.
The anthology book Marvel Fanfare, issues #10–13 (1983–1984) featured Black Widow in her next solo story. Written by Macchio and illustrated by George Pérez with other artists, this story had her pursue Ivan on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. before discovering that he had been brainwashed. Macchio and Pérez had begun working on the story in 1978, but its intended publication was cancelled twice, in Marvel Premiere and then Marvel Spotlight. Macchio made it explicit in this run that Black Widow killed adversaries when necessary.
1990s
Black Widow appeared in three entries of the Marvel Graphic Novel line in the 1990s. Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990) is the 61st entry in the series, featuring Black Widow as she is tricked into believing that her husband is alive and is forced to work for the Soviet Union to save him. Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (1992) is the 74th entry in the series and features Black Widow working with the Punisher to defeat Malum.
Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir (1993) is the 75th and final entry in the series, featuring Black Widow and Daredevil as they investigate the murders of telepaths. She then starred in separate graphic novel, Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty (1995). Although she shares the title with Nick Fury, he only briefly appears in the book, and she instead teams with Night Raven in his first appearance in Marvel's mainline continuity.
Black Widow returned to her black jumpsuit in the 1990s and began working alongside Iron Man during the run of writer John Byrne and artist Paul Ryan, beginning in Iron Man #269 (1991). She again became a member of the Avengers with its new roster in Avengers #343 (1992). This led to her becoming the leader of the Avengers for a period of time. Her association with the Avengers increased her prominence among Marvel superheroes, allowing for appearances in Captain America and Force Works.
Black Widow returned to Daredevil in issue #362 (1997), which had her become more vengeful as she responded to the Onslaught event that caused the apparent deaths of her allies in the Avengers. She reappeared in the new volume of the Avengers, but only infrequently as a guest character. Black Widow then starred in a three-issue arc, "The Fire Next Time", by writer Scott Lobdell and penciller Randy Green, in Journey into Mystery #517–519 (1998). At the same time, writer Kevin Smith had her return to Daredevil during the first storyline of its second volume. Black Widow's Marvel Fanfare story was reprinted as a single volume in 1999, titled Black Widow: Web of Intrigue.
A new character, Yelena Belova, took the moniker Black Widow beginning in Inhumans #5 (1999). The two Black Widows came into conflict in the limited series Black Widow published the same year, which was written by Devin Grayson and illustrated by J. G. Jones, running for three issues. The series was part of the Marvel Knights imprint and encompassed a single story, "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider". This was the first time a comic book series featured Black Widow as its sole main character; the only other title to do this was her standalone 1990 graphic novel.
2000s
Grayson wrote a second three-issue Black Widow miniseries featuring the Natasha and Yelena Black Widows in 2001, alongside co-writer Greg Rucka and artist Scott Hampton. Black Widow returned to Daredevil in its "The Widow" storyline (2004) by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev. Richard K. Morgan wrote Black Widow: Homecoming in 2004 with Bill Sienkiewicz and Goran Parlov, simplifying Black Widow's backstory into a consistent series of events.
The series featured a more violent Black Widow and ran for six issues. Morgan then wrote another six-issue series, Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her, in 2006 with Sienkiewicz and Sean Phillips. This continued from the previous series and followed Black Widow as she went on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. An alternate version of Black Widow was created for the Ultimate Universe in the 2000s, where she is a member of the Ultimates.
Black Widow: Deadly Origin ran in 2009–2010, written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by Tom Raney and John Paul Leon. The series followed Black Widow's history through flashbacks from different points in her life. The reimaginings of her earlier adventures had her wearing more modest costumes relative to her original appearances.
2010s
Black Widow became more widely known to the public after the character was adapted to film in Iron Man 2 (2010). The film's emphasis on her as a spy instead of a superhero influenced how she was portrayed in comics over the following years. With the character's popularity came additional publications, such as Black Widow and the Marvel Girls (2010), which was created by Salvador Espin, Veronica Gandini, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Paul Tobin.
Black Widow received a new volume, beginning with the "Name of the Rose" (2010) story arc. It was written by Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Daniel Acuña, the latter creating art influenced by film noir. The series was then transferred to writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Manuel Garcia for the "Kiss and Kill" story arc. Jim McCann wrote the Widowmaker limited series in 2010 with artist David López. The series was a crossover between Black Widow and the ongoing Hawkeye & Mockingbird series. Black Widow also appeared as a main character in Secret Avengers.
A new Black Widow series was published under the Marvel Now! branding in 2014, created by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto. This series returned to Grayson's characterization of Black Widow as more introspective than action-oriented. It was the longest running Black Widow series with 20 issues, ending in 2015 with the Secret Wars event. Black Widow: Forever Red, a young adult novel featuring the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Black Widow, was written by Margaret Stohl and released in 2015.
The next volume of Black Widow was introduced in 2016, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Chris Samnee. These stories followed the lead of the cinematic version, exploring her work with S.H.I.E.L.D. and her experiences in the Red Room. Waid's series ran for twelve issues. Horror writers Jen and Sylvia Soska wrote a Black Widow miniseries in 2019 with artist Flaviano, and Jody Houser wrote the five issue series Web of Black Widow the same year, with Stephen Mooney as its artist.
2020s
Ralph Macchio joined artist Simon Buonfantino in a return to Black Widow with Black Widow: Widow's Sting in 2020. The one-shot comic was written as a more traditional spy drama, using many of the genre's common tropes. Kelly Thompson began writing a Black Widow series the same year, with Elena Casagrande as the volume's artist. The series was split into three-story arcs: "The Ties that Bind" introduced a brainwashed Black Widow who believed she lived a domestic life as a mother,
"I Am the Black Widow" continued the story with her memory returned and a new team of sidekicks and partners fighting alongside her, and "Die by the Blade" concluded the 15-issue series with Black Widow and her team fighting a human-trafficking ring.
Black Widow's character underwent a major redesign in Venom #26 (2023) when she became the host of a symbiote. She was given a new costume designed by CAFU, based on the appearance of Venom. The symbiote version of Black Widow made appearances in Thunderbolts by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Geraldo Borges, and then in Black Widow & Hawkeye by writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Paolo Villaneli. As a symbiote host, Black Widow became a major character in the "Venom War" storyline. Her role in the story was introduced in the one shot Black Widow: Venomous, written by Erica Schultz and illustrated by Luciano Vecchio. She also appeared in a three-issue limited series, Venom War: Venomous, in late 2024, also created by Schultz and Vecchio.
Character Evolution
It is rumored that Black Widow is somehow related to the last ruling czars of Russia, but this has yet to be proven. Not much is known about Black Widow's history prior to World War II other than she was born as Natalia Romanova in Stalingrad, Russia to unknown parents. Nazis set fire to the building that Natasha and her parents were living in and her mother threw Natasha out of the window into the arms of a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovitch, who was serving in the army at the time. Ivan took care of Natasha while she was growing up and later became her chauffeur.
After a youth spent traveling through war-torn Europe with Ivan and his company of troops, Natasha was recruited by the Red Room. Her masters there arranged a marriage with the hero pilot Alexei Shostakov, and soon with the help of Red Room brainwashing, Natasha became convinced she was an ordinary Russian housewife. When Alexei was (seemingly) killed, Natasha found she had a deep-rooted desire to serve her country and demanded the government let her serve in his place. She became the KGB's top agent.
Major Story Arcs
Young Natasha
For a while, Black Widow was trained and helped by Wolverine, who temporarily left his violent ways for her and cared very much about her well-being. Ivan also protected Natasha, until in 1941, when she was kidnapped by the Nazi Baron Strucker and was made an assassin for the Hand. However, she was taken back (against her will) by Ivan, Captain America, and Wolverine.
When Wolverine came back to America, Black Widow saved him from Hydra assassins and encountered him again when Ben Grimm and Carol Danvers stole the Red Storm project from Russia. She pursued them but was ordered to abort the mission. During this time, Widow fell in love with a somewhat brainwashed Bucky Barnes.
Agent of the USSR
One of her assignments was to infiltrate Stark Industries with her partner Boris Turgenov in the assassination of Anton Vanko. The Black Widow, however, had her plans foiled by Iron Man. Natasha was attracted to Tony Stark and decided to try and distract him so that her partner could destroy Stark’s plants. Soon after her partner Boris Turgenov and enemy, Anton Vanko died, Natasha decided to stay in America and act as an undercover spy in order to regain the favor of the K.G.B.
She faked sympathy in Tony Stark in order to steal his anti-gravity device. Natasha would be successful in stealing the device and used it to cause destruction. Eventually, Iron Man would be able to destroy his anti-gravity device but was unable to apprehend Natasha.
Hawkeye
Natasha would soon run into Hawkeye, who was a wanted man by mistake. She would sometimes use Hawkeye as he was attracted to her, and he would help her in some of her missions. Natasha was able to trick Hawkeye into stealing plans from Tony Stark. Hawkeye agreed to her plan and would eventually run into Iron Man. The two fought each other while Natasha watched from far away. However, one of Hawkeye’s arrows was reflected by Iron Man and it flew off and hit Natasha, knocking her unconscious.
After she woke up, the K.G.B. gave her orders to stop attacking Stark Industries and gave her a new target, the Williams Innovations. Natasha would again convince Hawkeye somehow into attacking the company. However, Hawkeye would encounter Spider-Man, who convinced him that he was doing the wrong thing. However, Natasha would somehow convince Hawkeye again into stealing the Stark plans again. While Hawkeye was on the mission, the K.G.B. came and kidnapped Natasha, bringing her back to Russia.
They designed a new costume for Natasha and new equipment. Natasha then returned to join Hawkeye in a battle against Iron Man. However, Iron Man would defeat them when he shocks Natasha with an electrical blast.
However, her attraction towards Hawkeye questioned her loyalty to Russia. Hawkeye refused to work with Black Widow and joined the Avengers. The K.G.B. once again kidnapped Natasha and brainwashed her into serving them again. They ordered her to attack the Avengers, but she freed herself from their brainwashing and reunited with Hawkeye. She became an ally of the Avengers, aiding them in many missions. However, she was not a full-time member as she did not respect the Avenger’s oath of non-killing.
Natasha later decided to join SHIELD to be their double agent and operative against the K.G.B. During a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha discovered that Alexei Shostakov was in fact still alive and had become the Red Guardian. She and the Avengers fought Red Guardian and he died in battle. Distraught, she declined the Avengers' offer to make her an official member and abandoned her Black Widow alias for a while.
Relationship with Daredevil
Black Widow's relationship with Hawkeye ended when Natasha resumed her identity as the Black Widow. She told him that she wanted to pursue a solo career and had to break it off with him. She became an all-new Black Widow, changing her costume into an all-black color. She became a vigilante and fought against common criminals in New York. Eventually, Natasha would be reunited with Ivan when he comes to America, Ivan served as Natasha’s chauffeur and would occasionally give her advice. While working in New York, Natasha would encounter Daredevil. The two quickly teamed up and eventually developed a romantic relationship.
Natasha’s relationship with Foggy Nelson, Matt's partner, was never good, as he was brainwashed into prosecuting Natasha for the murder of the Scorpion. Natasha never forgave Foggy for that incident, even though she was proven innocent. Eventually, Matt and Natasha’s relationship would go so far to the point where Matt broke up with Karen Page. The new couple decided to move to San Francisco to start a new life there. They continued their duo-vigilante careers in the streets of San Francisco.
Natasha would pursue a career outside of crime-fighting and would try to become a fashion designer. However, she failed in this endeavor. This did not help her relationship with Matt, which had become a bit shaky. Natasha and Daredevil would later aid the Avengers in a battle against Magneto, and the two were offered memberships to the Avengers which they accepted.
However, Natasha soon realized that she was not a comfortable fit for a team while fighting the Lion God. Natasha quit the Avengers and reconciled with Matt. They continued their relationship for quite some time, but eventually, Natasha would break up with Matt because she felt he did not treat her equally on the battlefield. She would remain friends with Matt and continue to help him on occasion.
The Champions
She remained on the West Coast and briefly joined and led the Champions of Los Angeles, all the while having a romantic relationship with Hercules. The group was funded by Angel and achieved moderate success, but was eventually broken off due to bankruptcy. Shortly after the Champions had disbanded, Natasha and Hercules answered a summons from their former team the Avengers, and aided them in battling the nigh-omnipotent man-god Michael Korvac. Hercules and the Black Widow split up a short time later and Natasha went solo for a while.
Natasha was still widely known by the criminal underworld as one of Daredevil’s lovers. With this knowledge, Bullseye kidnapped Natasha, wanting to use her as bait to lure Daredevil into a trap. Natasha was able to free herself and aided Daredevil in defeating Bullseye. Later, an enemy of Natasha’s named Damon Dran captured Ivan in order to lure Black Widow into his trap. He had an army of female combatants. Damon Dran wanted to send a fake Black Widow to assassinate Nick Fury. Natasha defeated Dran's agents and told Fury about the attempted assassination saving Ivan before Dran's island was bombed by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Later, when The Hand wanted to steal and revive the body of Kirigi - a dead master warrior - Black Widow tried to thwart their plans but they poisoned her and she died, only to be restored to life again by Stone of the Chaste. After witnessing a strange interaction between Matt and his fiancee Heather Glenn, out of concern for Matt's mental health, Natasha visited Foggy Nelson.
He told Natasha that Matt was very depressed following the death of Elektra, but also alleged that Matt had ruined his fiancee Heather Glenn's career to force her to agree to marry him. The two decided to write forged notes to both Matt and Heather to make them break up (the truth of Heather and Matt's dispute was that Matt stopped Heather's business life after her company was corrupted by Kingpin's cohorts).
Natasha then teamed up with Daredevil to stop the Hand who were attempting to revive Elektra to serve as their new champion. During the battle, a desperate Daredevil himself attempts to revive Elektra's corpse but thinks his attempt has failed, and he leaves with Black Widow. Natasha however, knew that Elektra had been successfully revived, but she kept this information from Daredevil for his own good.
Heather Glenn was so upset by the breakup that she committed suicide. This made Natasha partly responsible for her death. Russian agents duped Natasha into doing their dirty work by building a model of Alexei Shostakov called a Life Model Decoy (LMD). They threatened to kill "Alexei" if she did not participate in their plans. When Natasha got what they needed, they revealed the truth and tried to kill her but she defeated them with Ivan’s help.
Natasha's brain was then reprogrammed into an agent called "Oktober" launching missiles to ignite World War III. Natasha was successful in launching the missiles. Iron Man, however, stopped the missiles from detonating and helped her capture the K.G.B. agent responsible for the reprogramming.
Joining the Avengers
Natasha returned to the Avengers and even though Black Knight was the leader on the field, she was leader in managing the team's plans. During this time, she was attracted to Captain America, but she ended up with Iron Man. Under her leadership of the team, they were all apparently killed in battle by Onslaught. She attempted to recruit new heroes, but failed and threatened legal action against her from Mary Stark Foundation and let go.
After Onslaught
Natasha believed herself to be the last Avenger and so operated alone, hunting down the Avengers' enemies Grey Gargoyle and the Masters Of Evil. She came across Daredevil again who was concerned with her mental state, but this only complicated his life because he was rebuilding his relationship with Karen Page.
Natasha wanted to reconcile their relationship, but she understood that Karen and Matt were trying to rebuild theirs, so left them their space. She even offered to help Karen when Mr. Fear framed her for murder. Later when the hero team the Thunderbolts were revealed to be the Masters of Evil in disguise, Natasha convinced them that other criminals had turned a new leaf and they managed to become real heroes.
Heroes Return
The Avengers returned from the alternate Universe they had been shunted off to and Natasha would sometimes help on their missions, though she felt she was responsible for their break up. Natasha worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and shut down Freedom's Light, a terrorist group, and asked Iron Man's help in her infiltration of a forced-labor camp run by The Mandarin. Natasha then battled a man called Vindiktor, who claimed that he had diaries from her deceased mother and revealed that he was her brother. He died before he could confirm this, however.
When Daredevil believed that baby Karen was the Anti-Christ, Natasha protected the baby but was severely injured. In the end, Karen Page died protecting the child. Natasha revealed that she still loved Matt, though they were too far apart to become a couple again.
A Second Black Widow
Natasha came into competition with another Black Widow named Yelena Belova. Yelena was also trained in the “Red Room” and became obsessed with being the only Black Widow. They encountered each other on a mission where while attempting to retrieve the Endless Fury bioweapon. The two would eventually fight, afterward, Natasha and Yelena traded appearances in order for Yelena to realize that her superiors did not care if she died or lived. Despite the other Black Widow, Natasha remains as one of the greatest S.H.I.E.L.D. agents alive.
Civil War
After the incident involving the New Warriors in Stamford, Natasha was a supporter of the Superhuman Registration Act and worked with Iron Man’s group to capture rogue Super Heroes. After the death of Captain America, Natasha was assigned to transport Captain America’s shield. However, in doing so, she was attacked by Bucky Barnes. Bucky knocked Natasha unconscious and stole the shield.
It was revealed that Natasha and Bucky had a romantic relationship back when she was still training to become an operative. Shortly after this, Natasha was given a dull SHIELD job training agents by some angry officials. She was so angry she became a violent and resentful teacher. Natasha was overjoyed when Tony Stark took her out of this job so she could join the Avengers. While working for them she battled Ultron, alien symbiotes, and Doctor Doom.
She and the Falcon rescued Bucky from the Red Skull and brought him to S.H.I.E.L.D. There Bucky becomes the new Captain America, and she later helps him stop the Red Skull's plan to control America, in the process saving S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter. Natasha then started to date James again. She was later ordered by S.H.I.E.L.D. to help capture Hercules, but let him go because of her respect for the Greek god.
Secret Invasion
Natasha joined the Mighty Avengers as they traveled to the Savage Land to take a look at a crashed Skrull ship and together with the New Avengers, fought off a group of Skrulls that looked like different superheroes dressed in their old costumes. She and the Avengers later joined the final Skrull battle in Central Park. After this, she continued to date Captain America (James Barnes) and continued to be his partner, but no longer with the Mighty Avengers or with S.H.I.E.L.D. after it was shut down by Norman Osborn.
Dark Reign
Natasha was revealed to have been posing as Yelena Belova on Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts team, secretly working for Nick Fury. She helps Songbird escape the Thunderbolts and reunite with former teammates Fixer and Abner Jenkins. Wolverine entrusted Black Widow with what remained of the Muramasa Blade. She participated in his plan to be prepared for attacks by Weapon X members and left the sword exactly where Wolverine wanted it (Wolverine then used the sword to kill Omega Red).
Solo Again
After helping Maria Hill and Pepper Potts save Tony Stark's life, the Black Widow embarks on a new solo career. She immediately finds herself under attack from a hidden foe who uses robot minions to carry out an operation to steal a secret data storage chip she has implanted under her skin. Isolated from her friends and allies, Natasha has to rely on her wits and physical toughness to figure out the aims and identity of her foe and bring his cruel vendetta to an end. It turns out that Imus Champion had discovered the existence of the chip and wanted to blackmail Black Widow with it and provoke her into attacking and killing him so he can transplant his mind into a new body.
Black Widow tracks down Imus and transmits a virus with the secret intel data so that all computers that have received it will be destroyed. In the final fight with Imus, Natasha smashes the brain of Ivan that Imus had kept with him, but refuses to kill him and instead deletes his mind transfer data.
Widowmaker
Shortly after this, in the Widowmaker story arc, Natasha is framed in a plot targeting global spies. She is accused of assassinating US senator Whit Crane. The senator's son, Nick, is captured by a rival spy Fatale, who wants to know his source for implicating Natasha. Natasha steals Nick away from her and takes him to a secret CIA base to scare him into giving her his source instead.
The plan backfires when both of them are attacked. Natasha and Nick escape, but while in Poland they are attacked by Fantasma and Crimson Dynamo. Natasha takes down Crimson Dynamo, but then Fatale shows up and knocks out Fantasma. Fatale reveals that she was hired to kill Whit Crane but found he had already taken his own life and she needed to use Nick to track down who had actually paid for the hit. Nick gives them the name of a source 'Sadko' (not his true source of info), but when they arrive it's a trap wired with explosives and the two spies are forced to escape.
The conspiracy against spies turns out to be wider and Natasha encounters Mockingbird and Hawkeye on the same trail in Russia where they find many trainee spies and a SHIELD agent have been killed. Perun, Crimson Dynamo, Fantasma, and Sputnik show up to apprehend Hawkeye, believing him to be the Ronin behind the spy deaths. Discovering that this is merely a diversion, the three heroes and Dominic Fortune alert the true target - an ambassador in St Petersburg, Russia.
They next travel to Japan. Dominic and Mockingbird discover an amassing battle force on the Russian coast near the northern Japanese islands, while Natasha and Hawkeye track down 'the Madame' - an old Ninja working with the new Ronin to bring about this Russian attack. The four heroes meet up on the disputed island 'Iturup' where they meet the Ronin, who is revealed as Alexi Shostakov.
His plan was to kill off-world intelligence operatives leaving countries blind while he made his attack, and bring the four heroes to him so he could kill them. Shostakov sets off the volcano on the island, but Natasha and the others use the lava to defeat his forces. He is defeated when Natasha shows Fantasma his true plan and Fantasma then hypnotizes him into seeing Natasha's death, allowing the real Natasha to take him down.
The Longest Winter
Natasha and Bucky were looking for a sleeper agent of the Zephyr project, in a stasis container at a Vegas casino and when they got there they realized the agent had been awakened. They have a briefing in the morning with Jasper Sitwell who tells them about a former KGB agent named Nico Stanovich, who went into hiding and is perhaps the handler of the awoken sleeper agent. Bucky and Natasha head to Minnesota where they meet another former KGB agent of the same squad named Mikel Bulgakov.
They interrogate Bulgakov until he gives them the little info he knows about the sleepers' activation codes which he sold to some unknown buyers and the next sleeper. Bucky and Natasha go to the warehouse location and dispatch the agents in there. They get assaulted by a genetically modified gorilla with a chain gun and after a brief battle, the gorilla flies off. They head back for another briefing and find the activated sleeper, while Nick Fury gives them some intel on an infiltration mission at an auction.
Bucky starts a raid and him and Nat defeat the goons there and get more info on the buyer of the codes who also happened to buy a doom bot. They narrow down the possible people who want to use these agents and bot to start a war between the U.S. and Latveria to Lucia Von Bardas.
In order to get help and prevent a war, Bucky and Natasha infiltrate Dr. Doom's fortress who attacks them in confusion and dispatches Widow quickly. While Bucky and Dr. Doom deal with the Doombot and Arkady, Natasha is sent to investigate a simian research facility and she realizes the people there had left just a few hours ago.
Widow along with Dr. Doom and Winter Soldier, infiltrate Doom's missile silo where Lucia is at. While Bucky runs off to fight Dimitri, Natasha fights the gorilla soldiers and watches as Doom dismantles Von Bardas. She informs Bucky of some secret intel that Fury left behind about the code buyer.
Broken Arrow
Natasha is helping Bucky investigate and deal with the final sleeper agent. Novokov ends up managing to separate Widow from Bucky as she was his intended target.
Widow Hunt
Natasha is captured by Novokov and is reprogrammed back to her old ways. She is undercover as a ballet dancer and recaptured by Barnes and S.H.I.E.L.D. They manage to undo her first layer of programming but switches back to her old self again as she attacks an agent and kills him and takes his weapon. She kills more soldiers and aims at Fury, who puts up a fight. Natasha lines up the kill shot but the shot is blocked by Sitwell who ends up being killed by the storm of bullets. Natasha leaves and rejoins Novokov once more.
Leo and Widow are at a bomb site when Bucky invades. He manages to fight off both of them and defeat Novokov when S.H.I.E.L.D arrives. Leo attempts to use Natasha as a hostage but they are separated due to Hawkeye while Bucky shoots Leo. S.H.I.E.L.D manages to reconnect all of Widow's memories up until current day except for her memory of Bucky. Bucky is heartbroken by this outcome but finds solace that at least Natasha doesn't have to suffer anymore.
San Francisco
After her return, Natasha was kidnapped by an evil organization made up of some of Marvel's most villainous foes. For the next couple months she and a regular civilian named James were brainwashed and reprogrammed. The organization also used their DNA to create their clone son named Stevie. When Natasha woke, she believed herself to be a civilian, the wife of James, and the mother of Stevie. They lived like a normal family and no one had known that Natasha was gone until Clint noticed as a pedestrian on T.V. one day.
He teamed up with Bucky and the two went to investigate. On their watch, they concluded that Natasha's behavior was strange. Clint went in and introduced himself to more and when he reported back to Bucky, said that she seemed happy and wasn't sure what to do. Then, they learned that Yelena was undercover there in hopes to save Natasha.
The three partnered up and eventually saved Natasha, fighting the organization who had done this to her in the process. Natasha was distraught by all of this and, wanting the best for Stevie and James, had them live far away from her, without knowing her at all to protect them.
Natasha then partnered up with Yelena, Lucy Nguyen, Anya Corazon, and Kate Bishop to take down an evil group in San Fransisco before she learned that James and Stevie were in danger. She decided to go save them. Learning that, Bucky returned to San Fransisco and questioned her on why she looked for them. When she asked him about Stevie, Bucky reassured her that he was okay.
Then, Natasha was tipped off about a situation brewing, and she and her team - along with Bucky and Clint - decided to investigate. They went to a dance where Natasha and Bucky maintained their covers by dancing and the rest got into position. When Anya, Lucy, and Clint stopped responding to their comms, Natasha and Yelena investigated. Natasha saw that Clint was unconcious and realized that Bucky should've joined them by now. She was then faced with someone she used to know in Madripoor - someone she feared, named The Living Blade.
A flashback revealed that he had come after her and nearly killed her while she was on a mission in Madripoor. He injured her greatly and then left her alive, saying he'd be back. Facing him again in the present day, Natasha fought him off and told Yelena to run. Living Blade quickly outmatches Natasha before chopping her right arm off, being stopped by Hawkeye before he could kill her. Saving all those captured to be sold off by The Host, Nat and Clint find "The Starfish" a teen who can heal, who repays Widow by regenerating her arm back in place.
Natasha continues on and finds a tortured Apogee, who she frees as one-time pass. She finds the Living Blade defeating Yelena in battle, and in the ensuing rematch Natasha gets the upper hand. Surrounded by her friends and allies, Natasha spares Living Blade's life as he did her back in Madripoor. Realizing he is outmatched, her acquiesces.
Powers and Abilities
Natasha has taken a different version of the Super-Soldier Serum. This gave her physical abilities much like Captain America, though not as great as his. She possesses peak-level physiology, making her as strong, agile, fast, and durable as a female human can possibly be without being classified as superhuman. This also extends to her senses and immune system, which are similarly heightened to peak human level.
From a young age, Natasha was trained to become a martial artist the martial arts she knows are karate, judo, kenpo, jujutsu, ninjutsu, aikido, savate, Muay Thai, Sambo, and multiple styles of kung fu sharpshooter and acrobat, and has become a master of all of these skills. She has since become one of the top espionage operatives in the world. Natasha has also proven herself to be one of the best information gatherers in the Marvel Universe.
She is fluent in many different languages and is an expert computer programmer and hacker. She is an accomplished battle strategist and field commander, and has been the leader of the Avengers and even SHIELD on one occasion.
In the 2004 Black Widow mini-series, Natasha's background was retconned. She was subjected to biotechnological and psycho-technological enhancement. This answers the question as to why Natasha is still so youthful despite being born prior to World War II.
Paraphernalia
Despite its skin-tight appearance, the black catsuit that Natasha wears is made of a high-tech synthetic fabric that is resistant to high temperatures and even small-arms fire. It is further enhanced with tiny suction cups that allow her to cling to walls and even ceilings, much like her black widow spider namesake. She carries state-of-the-art versions of gear used by top modern spies, including stunners, tear-gas, a cable and a transmitter.
Natasha can quickly travel across rooftops and from building to building with a grappling hook and a retractable line called the Widow's Line. She also carries various types of weapons, ranging from melee to long distance. Her primary weapon is the 'Widow's Bite,' which is delivered via her wrist cartridges. They emit a potent electrical blast with a maximum power of around 30,000 volts.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: Natasha Romanoff
Publisher: Marvel
First appearance: Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964)
Created by: Stan Lee (editor/plotter)
Don Rico (writer)
Don Heck (artist)
URF! HeroClix did Natasha no favors with this terrible sculpt and paint. We're getting close to the end of the HeroClix figures and now we're coming back to some of the ones we skipped over.
Black Widow has been seen in:
Labor Day 2018!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/29522109657/
In action in the Paprihaven story such as issue 1482!
The British Expeditionary Force Regular Soldier of 1914-1915 was sparsely equipped.
Armed with a Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I, the fast-operating Lee bolt-action and 10-round magazine capacity enabled a well-trained rifleman to perform the "mad minute" firing 20 to 30 aimed rounds in 60 seconds, making the Lee-Enfield the fastest military bolt-action rifle of the day. It featured a simplified rear sight arrangement and a fixed, rather than a bolt-head-mounted sliding, charger guide, the chamber was adapted to fire the new Mk VII High Velocity spitzer .303 ammunition.
Along with a Pattern 1907 (P'07) sword bayonet it was the infantryman's best friend.
The British Brodie Helmet developed by John L. Brodie, the Model 1915 "Brodie" helmet also known as the "Tommy" helmet, was the first steel helmet introduced to British soldiers during WW1. There was no head protection until late 1915, supply was limited until 1916 when there were over 1,000,000 made. It served to reduce the number of casualties and fatalities that were due to falling shrapnel.
So until that time the British soldier went to war in August 1914, wearing a stiffened peak cap was worn, made of the woolen material dyed khaki, with a leather strap, brass fitting and secured with two small brass buttons. The 1902 Pattern Service Dress tunic and trousers was a thick woolen tunic, also dyed khaki. There were two breast pockets for personal items and the soldiers AB64 Pay Book, two smaller pockets for other items, and an internal pocket sewn under the right flap of the lower tunic where the First Field Dressing was kept. Rifle patches were sewn above the breast pockets, to prevent wear from the webbing equipment and rifle. Shoulder straps were sewn on and fastened with brass buttons, with enough space for a brass regimental shoulder title. Rank insignia was sewn onto the upper tunic sleeves, while trade badges and Long Service and Good Conduct stripes were placed on the lower sleeves. Puttees were worn round the ankles and calves, and ammunition boots with hobnail soles on the feet. On the outbreak of war, it became clear that the Mills Equipment Company would be quite unable to keep up with the sudden demand for webbing. Therefore, a version of the 1908 equipment was designed to be made in leather, as both Britain and the USA had large leather working industries with excess capacity. The leather was coloured with either a brown or khaki finish, and the packs and haversacks were made from canvas. It was originally intended that the leather equipment would be used by units in training or on home service, and that it would be exchanged for webbing before going on active service. However in practice, reinforcement drafts and sometimes whole battalions would arrive at the front line still with their leather equipment.
The standard issue oilskin groundsheet double as a cape to provide protection from the weather.
Catering and personal care came in the form of a mess roll, mess tin and cleaning equipment for the SMLE MkIII and Ammunition boots.
Image processed in Lr5.6 straightened, corrected for convergence and ratio. OnOne PPS7 Perfect B&W 19th Cent Bronze with integral film border, shadows and highlights lifted.
copyrights reserved © 2014 Art Hutchins ~ Art's Eye photographic©
+++ 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.
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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!