Boskord Defense ={Colossi line}= Mark 95 Multiple Grenade Launcher, Lightweight Explosive Projectile Launcher System

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Cartridge: 20mm caseless grenades

Magazine: 4-round removable cylinder

Accuracy: High-Low (depends on range you're shooting)

Rate of fire: Semi-automatic

Range: 350-400 meters

Warfighting isn't easy business. There are many, many matters in your fight. One of these matters is the superiority. The most important rule of gunfighting is: Always win, cheat if necessary. NEVER give the enemy a fair fight. For this reason, we make you the toughest, heaviest, hardiest, deadliest weapons in the universe, in the best ways possible.

Mk.95 MGL LEPLS - One compact load of FUCK YOU

Grenade launchers are cool stuff, man. Who doesn't love blowing up things? Well, maybe those maggot hippies. But you? Of course you do love it! Then we have something for you!

The Mk.95 is one small grenade launcher. It was developed to blow up things, in whatever way you can imagine. It was developed to be an ''infantry grenade launcher'' - Compact, lightweight, but just as able.

It uses caseless 20mm grenades. It helps when you're busy reloading - There is no such thing as ''spent shell'' in there, and as such you don't have to remove one, and just insert the fresh one and continue your work! Even better, if you can't be arsed to insert the new rounds, you just remove the cylinder, and put the new one in! How cool is that?!

It also has a folding stock, which makes it quite compact when folded.

It is known to be a great all-round grenade launcher. Many nations love it!

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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First tried to do a magnum version of the Mateba MTR-8, then turned to this... I don't even... Anyways, enjoy!

I do realize that the stock isn't quite smooth but I really couldn't be arsed. I may try to fix it tomorrow.

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In the other news, it seems that I'm in love with skeletal stocks.

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint) and electronic drawing.

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[1] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

In addition to its more artistic forms, drawing is frequently used in commercial illustration, animation, architecture, engineering and technical drawing. A quick, freehand drawing, usually not intended as a finished work, is sometimes called a sketch. An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman or a draughtsman.[2]

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper/other material, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

Madame Palmyre with Her Dog, 1897. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Galileo Galilei. Phases of the Moon. 1616.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling, free hand and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

History[edit]

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

Drawing Outside the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[20] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[21] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

Technique[edit]

Raphael, study for what became the Alba Madonna, with other sketches

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[22]

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[23] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[24]

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[25]

Tone[edit]

Line drawing in sanguine by Leonardo da Vinci

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

Form and proportion[edit]

Pencil portrait by Ingres

Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive volumes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic volumes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive volumes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[26]

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.

Two-point perspective drawing

When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[27] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

Artistry[edit]

Chiaroscuro study drawing by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans element placement in the art to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features.

When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

Drawing process in the Academic Study of a Male Torso by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1801, National Museum, Warsaw)

A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearances of specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art in its own right, and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study.

Process[edit]

Individuals display differences in their ability to produce visually accurate drawings.[28] A visually accurate drawing is described as being "recognized as a particular object at a particular time and in a particular space, rendered with little addition of visual detail that can not be seen in the object represented or with little deletion of visual detail”.[29]

Investigative studies have aimed to explain the reasons why some individuals draw better than others. One study posited four key abilities in the drawing process: perception of objects being drawn, ability to make good representational decisions, motor skills required for mark-making and the drawer's own perception of their drawing.[29] Following this hypothesis, several studies have sought to conclude which of these processes are most significant in affecting the accuracy of drawings.

Motor function Motor function is an important physical component in the 'Production Phase' of the drawing process.[30] It has been suggested that motor function plays a role in drawing ability, though its effects are not significant.[29]

Perception It has been suggested that an individual's ability to perceive an object they are drawing is the most important stage in the drawing process.[29] This suggestion is supported by the discovery of a robust relationship between perception and drawing ability.[31]

This evidence acted as the basis of Betty Edwards' how-to drawing book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.[32] Edwards aimed to teach her readers how to draw, based on the development of the reader's perceptual abilities.

Furthermore, the influential artist and art critic John Ruskin emphasised the importance of perception in the drawing process in his book The Elements of Drawing.[33] He stated that "For I am nearly convinced, that once we see keenly enough, there is very little difficult in drawing what we see".

Visual memory has also been shown to influence one's ability to create visually accurate drawings. Short-term memory plays an important part in drawing as one’s gaze shifts between the object they are drawing and the drawing itself.[34]

Thousand of small tesserae and incredible accuracy are visible in the famous Dove Mosaic of the Capitoline Museum, which was found in 1737 by Cardinal Alessandro Furietti in the ACCADEMIA. It is one of the world masterpieces of mosaic art in all times, and many scholars believe it is hellenistic. Donderer thinks that it could be the famous Dove Mosaics by Sosos which ancient sources described in the royal palaces of Pergamon. www.villa-adriana.net/pages/eng/page9.html

Dual 5.56x45mm/12 gauge modular objective weapon system.

This weapon has the highest rifle capacity of all OICWs currently in existence. (Magazine Capacity: 180 round side-fed magazine)

After the booming success of Project Bedlam, Archwell Defense looked to update its vaunted MOW-Sys, also known as the MOWS-0 (Zero). This update was known as Project Stormbreaker.

The weapon was to provide the average infantryman with power of GR's four primary weapon designations (assault rifle, sniper rifle, light machine gun and shotgun) in one package.

Using parts of the now discontinued Eschaton MCAW-21, the reloading system of FN's PDW-57, and the massive magazine of the Bedlam XMDW-01, the MOWS-1, also known as the Stormbreaker Rifle, began to take shape.

Its long P90-esque magazine can hold 180 5.56x45mm titanium rounds, which slightly lags behind Eschaton's 200 box magazine tailored for the ER-15. It also features a under barrel, blow-forward, fully automatic shotgun with a 8-round capacity. Lastly, an optional fiber-optic link sighting system can be attached to this weapon via the top rail system.

The MOWS-1 is light enough for assault rifles, but its accuracy and magazine capacity rivals that of sniper rifles and machine guns respectively, which satisfies the remaining three criterion after implementing the under barrel shotgun.

Text via MS-Paint.

Zig art and graphic brush tip, and zig Millennium multiliner. 0.05mm on 8.5 by 11 inch bristol paper. the multiliner work is done free hand under microscope.

It would not be a stretch to label many of the outlier buildings in any of my large landscape pieces obscure. After all, much of what is pictured here in the foreground would likely not make the lists of must-see points of interest in Vatican City, or much less even be publicly accessible to begin with. Though it may be easy to overlook, the buildings in this area nevertheless play vital roles in the daily administration of the micronation. Some of the essential services housed here include the Central Post Office, the Vatican Typography Commissary (printing press), the Vatican Drug Store, and a supermarket. Despite the relative mundanity of these establishments, certainly no country could exist without them. Likewise, precluding them from being depicted in this landscape would not only have undermined the accuracy and comprehensive nature of my work, but also would have diminished the gradual topographical incline between the city-state’s east border and the verdant hills seen beyond.

A headshot set i did for a buddy of mine who does stand up comedy.

Check out his stand-up

Search Tom Robinson on Facebook.

Hit Explore April 6 2009

Strobist:

Kicker light pointed at white backdrop to blow it out

DIY beauty dish high camera right

Grenfell. The roaming of the local Aboriginal people was curtailed from 1833 when the first white pastoralist moved into the Grenfell district. He was John Wood squatting beyond the legal areas. It was one of Wood’s shepherds who discovered gold in 1866. He was named Cornelius O’Brien and he registered the find in Young and took out a miners lease. O’Brien went on to sell his lease in 1872 for £32,000 and his mine yielded £370,000 worth of gold over the first five years. Diggers rushed to the area in 1866, many from Lambing Flat fields (Young), when news was released and a settlement named Emu Creek sprang up overnight. On 1st January 1867 the goldfields were renamed Grenfell in honour of John Grenfell the Gold Commissioner of nearby Forbes who was killed by bushrangers in a hold up on 6th December 1866. Before then the Weddin Post Office opened at Emu Creek on 3rd December 1866 and it was changed to Grenfell PO on December 24th. The Weddin Ranges lie just to the west of Grenfell and the shire council is still the Weddin Shire. Thus the first part of Grenfell developed along the curves of Emu Creek as the fields soon had around 20,000 diggers. Buildings - hotels, dance hall and theatres, mainly canvas or wooden in the early years, crowded along the narrow George Street which was the original heart of the town. There were soon 33 licensed hotels in Grenfell. But several major fires destroyed many of the cramped buildings. Today George Street is just a narrow backstreet and the Main Street is the area of commerce, but still with a dogleg curve. The goldfield at Grenfell was a rich one but it provided its bounty for only a short time. Between 1867 and 1869 Grenfell produced over 40,000 ounces (1,100 kilograms) of gold worth over three million pounds. A few buildings of note remain in George Street despite their faded appearance and they include the Oddfellows Hall. The first one was built in 1873 and was replaced with the current building in 1888. Next to it is the old printer’s works. The Mining Record was published from 1866 (marked on the building) but became the Grenfell Record in 1875 when the new owner moved the premises to the Main Street next to the Exchange Hotel.

Among the early gold miners to rush the fields was a Norwegian digger Niels Larsen. On 17th June 1867 Larsen’s wife gave birth in their tent to a baby who they named Henry changing their surname to Lawson at the same time. Lawson built a slab hut so Henry could have been born in that. His mother Louisa made meals and sold them to the diggers for income. Niels Lawson soon moved his family to Mudgee and that is where Henry Lawson spent most of his childhood. For some years young Henry travelled the country out west doing sheep farming work with his father which gave him later inspiration for his outback stories. In 1883 Henry Lawson went to live in Sydney with his mother. Louisa established a suffragette paper for women called Dawn. She had her own printing press and Henry Lawson’s first short stories and prose were printed by his mother. His mother, with Peter Bell, printed the radical journal called the Republican. By this time she had separated from Henry’s father. Henry accepted a newspaper job in Brisbane in 1891. His first story in the Bulletin was published in 1888. By the mid-1890s Henry had taken up drinking. Despite travel and writing and several bouts of depression he persisted with life. After his wife Bertha separated from him in 1920 he took up drinking again and attempted suicide after which he entered a deep depression and downhill slide psychologically. He died alone in 1922. Although Henry Lawson did not spend much of his life in Grenfell the site where the slab hut was built was recorded and a plaque dedicated in 1924 with Lawson’s estranged wife and daughter attending the ceremony. A tree was planted at the site at that time. Grenfell was early in its recognition of Lawson’s contribution to Australian literature and folklore. The town also established the Henry Lawson Festival in 1957 which is still held annually when few towns were thinking about attracting tourists to their regions or honouring their prominent citizens. The festival covers music, singing, poetry photography, writing, theatre etc. Lawson is commemorated on our ten dollar note.

Another literary figure with connections to Grenfell was Anthony Trollope, the famous English novelist and social critic and commentator. Trollope wrote the Chronicles of Barchester and 47 novels in all. His social commentaries covered Australia, New Zealand, South Africa etc. Trollope visited Grenfell twice in 1871 to visit his son Frederick who worked on a sheep station near Grenfell. He then travelled to parts of QLD, SA and NSW and from it wrote several books on Australia. Trollope’s ancestors still live in Australia and they have inherited the baronetcy of Casewick Hall which is currently held by Sir Anthony Trollope a school teacher in Sydney. Trollope accused Melbournians of being loud mouth braggarts. In Adelaide he stayed with Sir Thomas Elder at Birksgate and dined at the Adelaide Club. Trollope wrote: “No city in Australia gives one more fixedly the idea that Australian colonization has been a success, than does the city of Adelaide”. His humour and irony were also evident in his quotes: “The number of sheep at these stations will generally indicate with fair accuracy the mode of life at the head station. A hundred thousand sheep and upwards require a professed man-cook and a butler to look after them; forty thousand sheep cannot be shorn without a piano; twenty thousand is the lowest number that renders napkins at dinner imperative.” And “Australian mosquitoes …were never so venomous to me as mosquitoes have been in other countries.” Or “The subject of heat is one of extreme delicacy… One does not allude to the heat in a host's house any more than to a bad bottle of wine or an ill-cooked joint of meat… You may call an inn hot, or a court-house, but not a gentleman's paddock or a lady's drawing-room.”

Although not a grand town Grenfell has charm and history. Big changes came to the town when wheat was first grown in the surrounding countryside from 1871 onwards but transport costs were a problem. A spur railway line from Cowra reached Grenfell in 1901 and agriculture expanded. A flourmill was erected in the 1880s but it burnt down within a few years. The Challenge flourmill in 1901 replaced it. That mill still stands although not in use. It produced flour for our troops during the World War Two and it finally closed in the 1960s. The heritage buildings of Grenfell include the Courthouse (1879), the School of Arts (1890) and Methodist Church (1928) in Camp Street and the Anglican Church (1877) and Presbyterian Church (1870) in Middle Street etc. In the Main Street look out for the William Wardell designed old Union Bank building built in 1890, the old Temperance Hall from the 1880s, the beautiful Exchange Hotel 1912 and the Albion Hotel which dates from 1866.

Don't know if it's really "imagination"...

My first lego minifig scale project - the British Centurion Mk.III tank. I decided to build this tank as there are so few lego versions of it on the internet and it really is such a famous tank. The whole of this was designed by me with nothing taken from any others creations.

This is the result after a few days work - working with minifig scale presented more than a slight challenge but I think I'm getting there (the model is still a work in progress).

For any tank-lover, the centurion is a true legend. Being the first true MBT, design work started on this tank during world war two and the first prototypes were delivered to Belgium less than a month after the war ended. Technically, this tank is a world war two tank.

The Centurion was an impressive machine - with the first gun stabilisation gear allowing it to fire with deadly accuracy on the move. The tank also made use of the first reclined drivers seat position - this allowed the tank to be reduced in height presenting far less of a target, the frontal armour could also be sloped far better.

The Centurion was so good, it could be upgraded massively over the years with better armour and weaponry with many marks and versions of this being used all around the world.

This feat of British engineering certainly has stood the test of time - some are still in use in armies today.

I do LOVE movie accuracy so I had to add her lovely makeup lol (also the red part on her dress didn't have the line going fully across to make the red part if you know what I mean, so I had to do it myself!)

I coloured it with felt tip pens, these are my favourite to colour with even though they do come through a little bit to the other page sometimes 😕

When it comes to skin colour though I used an orange colour pencil that's the only closest thing I could get haha. What do you guys think of it? :)

German postcard by Ross Verlag. Photo: Universal / Super Jewel. Miss DuPont in Foolish Wives (Erich von Stroheim, 1922).

Was Austrian-born Erich von Stroheim (1885-1957) a Hollywood movie star or a European film star? (Who cares!) As the sadistic, monocled Prussian officer in both American and French films, he became ‘The Man You Love to Hate’. But maybe he is best known as one of the greatest and most influential directors of the silent era, known for his extravaganza and the uncompromising accuracy of detail in his monumental films.

Erich von Stroheim's most recent biographers, such as Richard Koszarski, say that he was born in Austria-Hungary (now Austria) in 1885 as Erich Oswald Stroheim. He was the son of Benno Stroheim, a middle-class hat-maker, and Johanna Bondy, both of whom were practising Jews. Stroheim emigrated to America at the end of 1909. On arrival at Ellis Island, he claimed to be Count Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim und Nordenwall, the son of Austrian nobility like the characters he later played in his films. However, both Billy Wilder and Stroheim's agent Paul Kohner claimed that he spoke with a decidedly lower-class Austrian accent. In 1912 while working at a tavern he met his first wife, Margaret Knox, and moved in with her. Knox acted as a sort of mentor to von Stroheim, teaching him language and literature and encouraging him to write. Under Knox's tutelage, he wrote a novella entitled In the Morning, with themes that anticipated his films: corrupt aristocracy and innocence debased. The couple married in 1913, but money woes drove von Stroheim to deep depression and terrible temper tantrums, and in 1914 Knox filed for divorce. By then he was working in Hollywood. He began his cinema career in bit-parts and as a consultant on German culture and fashion. His first film was The Country Boy (Frederick A. Thomson, 1915) in which he was an uncredited diner in a restaurant. His first credited role came in Old Heidelberg (John Emerson, 1915) starring Wallace Reed and Dorothy Gish. He began working with D. W. Griffith, taking uncredited roles in Intolerance (1916). Additionally, Von Stroheim acted as one of the many assistant directors on Intolerance, a film remembered in part for its huge cast of extras. Later, he played the sneering German with the short Prussian military hairstyle in such films as Sylvia of the Secret Service (George Fitzmaurice, 1917) and The Hun Within (Chester Whitey, 1918) with Dorothy Gish. In the war drama The Heart of Humanity (Allen Holuba, 1918), he tore the buttons from a nurse's uniform with his teeth, and when disturbed by a crying baby, threw it out of a window. Following the end of World War I, Von Stroheim turned to writing.

In 1919, Erich von Stroheim directed his own script for Blind Husbands (1919), and also starred in the film. As a director, Stroheim was known to be dictatorial and demanding, often antagonizing his actors. He is considered one of the greatest directors of the silent era, with both cynical and romantic views of human nature. His next directorial efforts were the lost film The Devil's Pass Key (1919) and Foolish Wives (1922), in which he also starred. Studio publicity for Foolish Wives claimed that it was the first film to cost one million dollars. ‘Von’ translated sexual subjects in a witty and ostentatious manner, and his first films for Universal are among the most acclaimed sophisticated films of the silent era. In 1923, Stroheim began work on Merry-Go-Round. He cast the American actor Norman Kerry in a part written for himself 'Count Franz Maximilian Von Hohenegg' and newcomer Mary Philbin in the lead actress role. However, studio executive Irving Thalberg fired Von Stroheim during filming and replaced him with director Rupert Julian. He left Universal for Goldwyn Films to make Greed (1924). This monumental film is now one of Stroheim's best-remembered works as a director. It is a detailed film of Frank Norris’ novel McTeague, about the power of money to corrupt. The original print ran for an astonishing 10 hours. Knowing this version was far too long, Stroheim cut out almost half the footage, reducing it to a six-hour version to be shown over two nights. It was still deemed too long, so Stroheim and director Rex Ingram edited it into a four-hour version that could be shown in two parts. However, in the midst of filming, Goldwyn was bought by Marcus Loew and merged into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After rejecting Stroheim's attempts to cut it to less than three hours, MGM removed Greed from his control and gave it to head scriptwriter June Mathis, with orders to cut it down to a manageable length. Mathis gave the print to a routine cutter, who reduced it to 2.5 hours. In what is considered one of the greatest losses in cinema history, a janitor destroyed the cut footage. The shortened release version was a box-office failure and was angrily disowned by Von Stroheim. He followed with his most commercially successful film The Merry Widow (1925), the more personal The Wedding March (1928) and the now-lost The Honeymoon. Stroheim's unwillingness or inability to modify his artistic principles for the commercial cinema, his extreme attention to detail, his insistence on near-total artistic freedom, and the resulting costs of his films led to fights with the studios. As time went on he received fewer directing opportunities. In 1929, Stroheim was dismissed as the director of the film Queen Kelly after disagreements with star Gloria Swanson and producer and financier Joseph P. Kennedy over the mounting costs of the film and Stroheim's introduction of indecent subject matter into the film's scenario. It was followed by Walking Down Broadway, another project from which Stroheim was dismissed.

After the introduction of sound film, Erich von Stroheim returned to working principally as an actor, in both American and French films. One of his most famous roles is the prison-camp commandant Von Rauffenstein in Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion/Grand Illusion (1937) with Jean Gabin. It is a classic anti-war film about friendship, comradeship, and human relations. Working in France on the eve of World War II, Stroheim was prepared to direct the film La dame blanche from his own story and screenplay. Jean Renoir wrote the dialogue, Jacques Becker was to be assistant director, and Stroheim himself, Louis Jouvet, and Jean-Louis Barrault were to be the featured actors. The production was prevented by the outbreak of the war on 1 September 1939, and Stroheim returned to the United States. There he appeared in Five Graves to Cairo (Billy Wilder, 1943). He is perhaps best known as an actor for his role as Max von Mayerling in Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950), co-starring Gloria Swanson. For this role, Von Stroheim was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His character states in the film that he used to be one of the three great directors of the silent era, along with D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, and he and Swanson watch excerpts from Queen Kelly in the film. Their characters in Sunset Boulevard thus had an autobiographical basis and reflected the humiliations Von Stroheim suffered through his career. Erich von Stroheim was married three times. His second wife was Mae Jones. Their son Erich Jr. became an assistant director. With his third wife, actress Valerie Germonprez, he had another son, Joseph Erich von Stroheim, who eventually became a sound editor. From 1939 until his death, he lived with actress Denise Vernac. She had worked for him as his secretary since 1938 and starred with him in several films. Von Stroheim spent the last part of his life in France where his silent film work was much admired by artists in the French film industry. In France, he acted in films, wrote several novels that were published in French, and worked on various unrealized film projects. Erich von Stroheim was awarded the French Légion d'honneur shortly before his death in 1957 in Maurepas, France at the age of 71.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, AllMovie, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

In the Region of Stone, rare arcs of energy, called "Desert Lightning" by the Villagers, rip through the sand, leaving energized crystals in their wake. It was this phenomenon that Nilkuu gained the materials for his special mask, and yet the same phenomenon took his arm. He was rarely seen in his village after that. However, Skull Spiders were even more rare, thanks to his deadly accuracy with his single-shot crystal cannon.

I was trying hard for a rough and rugged desert wanderer vibe for Nilkuu. His light armor is assembled from scraps and bones, and he is protected from the sand by his large pants and scarf (because of course Nilkuu needed a scarf, it was just a shame Rey's cloth didn't work as well as I hoped). Then there's the rather obvious and noncanon crystallized arm with built in energy claw and stud sniper. Nilkuu's trans-neon yellow bones became the yellow and lime highlights throughout his body, intended to look like he had been partially crystallized himself.

Playing with my Hasselblad 503CWD

Colour accuracy is very important to me.

Perhaps the most accurate way to achieve colour accuracy is using a colour temperature meter. Sadly, most cameras allow the photographer to set a close approximation, only, in his/her camera. Fine adjustments must be made in software.

A Kodak grey card remains one of the best ways to assure Red, Green, Blue are each set between 0 and 255, in software. That is fine, for a scene like this, but taking photos of a broad, sweeping landscape, or of flowers or a waterfall in a forest, with a thick canopy, it is not so practical.

There are photographic accessories that facilitate achieving colour accuracy . . . such as "Spyder Cube", which is used in the same way as a grey card, but has black, white, and a black hole to set black to 0. Again, it would be best suited for studio work or photographing flowers in a garden. The grey card and Spyder Cube require the photographer to take two photos of the subject . . . One with the grey card or Spyder Cube in the scene and one without. Shooting film, that would be expensive!

Another device which is quite good, is ExpoDisc, which is an excellent tool. It allows a "Custom White Balance" to be set, in camera, except for my Hasselblad 503CWD, which allows either a Manually set Colour Temperature in 100˚K increments or a Pre-set, such as Tungsten, Daylight, Flash, etc.

It might be interesting to note that with ISO 50, 1/60sec., f/16.0, with White Balance set on the Pre-set "Flash", with the Expodisc over the lens, pointing toward the Sun, I noticed the RGB Histogram right in the centre, with 5,500˚K. With the cursor right over the centre of the 6 X 6 grey frame, I noticed Red 138, Green 141, Blue 135 . . . not exactly 128, 128, 128. After I had adjusted Tint (Green-Magenta Shift) +18 and reduced EV to -0.24, only then did it render RGB 128, 128, 128 . . . Mind games.

Worthwhile reading: www.red.com/learn/red-101/color-cast-tutorial www.cambridgeincolour.com/color-management-printing.htm

In this photo, www.flickr.com/photos/cassidyphotography/25369907146/

the only way I could accurately match the colour was holding the material next to the colour calibrated computer monitor (iMac 27") and make adjustments.

A gentle reminder about copyright and intellectual property-

Ⓒ Cassidy Photography (All images in this Flickr portfolio)

cassidyphotography.net

cassidy-photography.tumblr.com/

Week 10: Perspective.

Checking the accuracy of new £5 note.

I question the accuracy of the original text under the picture in the old book.

What pictures I have found of the church looks nothing like this picture.

Illustration from the old book “Quaint Corners of Ancient Empires: Southern India, Burma, and Manila”

Author(s): Shoemaker, Michael Myers, Date of publication: 1899, Publisher: G. P. Putnam's

Place of publication: London; New York (England; United States of America)

British Library, London, England

Yes the Sony a7 IV has Eye-AF accuracy issues. Several shots and even complete series have been out of focus. Often focus is not as good as it should be, therefore pictures are not as detailed as they could be if focused correctly.

Just a quick look at the accuracy in scaling of some key features on my “Chicago & Alton 4-6-2 Light Pacific Locomotive #656” LEGO model. Within one (1) plate (3.2mm) (at 1:44 scale) almost everywhere! Overall, this is about as accurate as possible with LEGO.

FYI, I chose to model at this scale because with these XXL drivers, the driver wheelbase scaled out to within 1mm at 1:44 scale!

"Love's Cable. Handed in at Cupid's Court. No code book is needed for these cables, true love deciphers them. St. Valentine. Bow and Arrow Avenue, Feb. 14. To my valentine, I cable to say, I am yours today, my heart is true, my love to you. If the accuracy of this message be doubted, it will gladly be confirmed on payment of twenty kisses."

This folded Valentine's Day greeting was a parody of a "cablegram" (often shortened to "cable"), which was a message transmitted over the submarine communications cables that were laid across the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere as early as the 1850s.

So why would you need to use a code book to send a cablegram? Author Frank C. McClelland described how these worked in the following excerpt from his book, Office Training and Standards (Chicago: A. W. Shaw, 1919), p. 49:

How to use a code book. Firms with foreign connections or correspondents also find use for a cable-code book which helps greatly to cut down the expense of cable messages by shortening the number of words required to convey the message. A code book is simply a directory of code words arranged alphabetically, each word being the code for a certain phrase. For example, the word "Dardejante" may stand for "Draft has been presented for payment." and the word "Daricus" may stand for "Draft is correct; please pay." Nearly every kind of message is given in a code book.

Suppose we desired to send a cablegram to London reading "Merritt Brothers draft has been presented for payment for two hundred dollars Shall we pay for your account?" If we did not use a code book the cablegram would contain 18 words in addition to the name, address, and signature, which might bring the number of words up to 27. At 31 cents a word, the cablegram would cost $8.37. By using code words we would get this result: "(name) (address) Merritt Brothers Dardejante Morderesti Genageld (signature)," making only eight words, which would cost only $2.48, a saving of $5.89.

On April 23, 2006, I rode a Speeder from Cordele to Plains, Georgia on a trip sponsored by NARCOA (aka North American Rail Car Owners Association). Since I don't own a Motor Car (aka a Speeder), I rode with a friend who owns two Motor Cars. The Next Day, Monday April 24, 2006, I spent another Day (near Cordele) to get a more comprehensive look at the SAM Short Line Tourist Line and the surrounding area.

One of the places I visited was Veterans Park, where I found some Military Antiques to Photograph, such as this 155 mm Howitzer MA1918A3.

The Long Tom 155mm GUN M1 is mounted on a Carriage. It is a Superior Artillery Weapon with Excellent Long Range. Accuracy. It's apparently the only US ARMY Towed Artillery Weapon.

The Long Tom, along with 150mm and 8 Inch Howitzers, were the Backbone of US Heavy Artillery !

The Long Tom was also Nicknamed: 'BIG OLE" !

It was manufactured by Mesta Machine Company in Pittsburgh in 1943. The Carriage was produced by Pettibone Mulliken in 1943.

Business shoot series.

Shot with the a7 IV running with the 1.0 firmware, that have had random Eye-AF accuracy issues.

Boskord Defense ={Daedalus line}= Gewehr 12 A1 Dominator Combat Assault Rifle System

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Cartridge: Various

Magazine: 20, 30 or 40-round magazines

Accuracy: High

Rate of fire: 1600 rounds per minute(first 3 rounds), 700 rounds per minute, semi-automatic, 3-round burst

Range: 700 meters

Sometimes your standard carbine may start to have a hard time trying to hit that target. Maybe you need something more advanced? Maybe you need something extraordinary? For this, we make you the most advanced weapons you can find, but do not sacrifice the lower costs.

G12A1 DCARS - The best in world, right in your hands

Did I ever tell you how cool caseless rifles are? I mean, they eliminate the problem of ejecting althogether! No one likes those shells flying around! But all rifles use cases and there aren't any good caseless rifles around! Well there IS a good caseless rifle around!

The G12A1 is one of the best rifles around. It was designed for the German army in 2058, who weren't too fond of their M8s anymore. But they liked the G11, and wanted us to modify it, as they were too lazy to modify it. But instead of just modifying it we CHANGED it, and solved its problems!

It uses caseless rounds, although cased variants do exist. Rather than using a conventional firing mechanism it fires the rounds using electrics. Whilst this does make for a more sensitive system nothing can go wrong with Boskord! We also solved the overheating problem - It will never fire unless you tell it to!

Standard-issue variants come with the Mk.330 underbarrel multipurpose launcher. It uses 12 gauge shells, or 23x75mm shells, or 20mm grenades, all being caseless. It uses the Metal Storm 3GL's system - Caseless rounds, firing with electric systems, multiple rounds on a single barrel! Isn't that cool? 12 gauge variants can be loaded with 3 shells, while others can be loaded with only 2.

It uses a horizontal, top-loaded magazine like the P90. It is also bullpup, homever! Whilst it doesn't eject anything, if it jams, it can just eject the unspent rounds from the bottom. See, one fine way to clear jams! Oh and before I forget, it also has a double-stage trigger for more accuracy and easier pulls!

It also has a sidemount for scopes - Dovetail mounts, as seen in Russian rifles. This enables you to easily switch between Russian optics OR Western optics! As you can see, the gun here is attached with a Mk.1 P30 optical sight.

It is known to BE the best assault rifle around the world - Tested and proven, by many nations! This is the best you will get - Until we make another best, of course!

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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Based on one of my concepts. I had some major motivation blocks on this, but I managed to make it! Hope you enjoy!

I may heavily modify this and make a G11-ish one. Stay in touch!

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Credit to IRC crew for helping me out!

Also, I might make some of these with different attachments. Just ask it.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The ZSU-37-6 (“ZSU” stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka / Зенитная Самоходная Установка = "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount"), also known as Object 511 during its development phase and later also as “ZSU-37-6 / Лена”, was a prototype for a lightly armored Soviet self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system that was to replace the cannon-armed ZSU-23-4 “Shilka” SPAAG.

The development of the "Shilka" began in 1957 and the vehicle was brought into service in 1965. The ZSU-23-4 was intended for AA defense of military facilities, troops, and mechanized columns on the march. The ZSU-23-4 combined a proven radar system, the non-amphibious chassis based on the GM-575 tracked vehicle, and four 23 mm autocannons. This delivered a highly effective combination of mobility with heavy firepower and considerable accuracy, outclassing all NATO anti-aircraft guns at the time. The system was widely fielded throughout the Warsaw Pact and among other pro-Soviet states. Around 2,500 ZSU-23-4s, of the total 6,500 produced, were exported to 23 countries.

Having become obsolete, the sole Object 511 prototype was retired in 1981 and mothballed. It is today part of the Military Technical Museum collection at Ivanovskaya, near Moscow, even though not part of the public exhibition and in a rather derelict state, waiting for restoration and eventual display.

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, gunner, driver)

Weight: about 26,000 kg (57,300 lb)

Length: 7.78 m (25 ft 5 1/2 in) with gun facing forward

6.55 m (21 ft 5 1/2 in) hull only

Width: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)

Height: 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in) overall,

2.66 m (8 8 1/2 ft) with search radar stowed

Suspension: Hydropneumatic

Ground clearance: 17–57 cm

Fuel capacity: 760 l (200 US gal, 170 imp gal)

Armor:

Unknown, but probably not more than 15 mm (0.6”)

Performance:

Speed: 65 km/h (40 mph) maximum on the road

Climbing ability: 0.7 m (2.3')

Maximum climb gradient: 30°

Trench crossing ability: 2.5 m (8.2')

Fording depth: 1.0 m (3.3')

Operational range: 500 km (310 mi)

Power/weight: 24 hp/t

Engine:

1× 2V-06-2S water-cooled multi-fuel diesel engine with 510 hp (380 kW)

1× auxiliary DGChM-1 single-shaft gas turbine engine with 70 hp at 6,000 rpm,

connected with a direct-current generator

Transmission:

Hydromechanical

Armament:

1× GSh-6-37 six-barreled 37mm (1.5 in) Gatling gun with 1.600 rounds,

plus 800 more in an optional, external auxiliary magazine

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional SPAAG was intended as a submission to the “Prototypes” group build at whatifmodellers.com in August 2020. Inspiration came from a Trumpeter 1:72 2P25/SA-6 launch platform which I had recently acquired with a kit lot – primarily because of the chassis, which would lend itself for a conversion into “something else”.

The idea to build an anti-aircraft tank with a gatling gun came when I did research for my recent YA-14 build and its armament. When checking the American GAU-8 cannon from the A-10 I found that there had been plans to use this weapon for a short-range SPAAG (as a replacement for the US Army’s M163), and there had been plans for even heavier weapons in this role. For instance, there had been the T249 “Vigilante” prototype: This experimental system consisted of a 37 mm T250 six-barrel Gatling gun, mounted on a lengthened M113 armored personnel carrier platform, even though with a very limited ammunition supply, good only for 5 sec. of fire – it was just a conceptual test bed. But: why not create a Soviet counterpart? Even more so, since there is/was the real-world GSh-6-30 gatling gun as a potential weapon, which had, beyond use in the MiG-27, also been used in naval defense systems. Why not use/create an uprated/bigger version, too?

From this idea, things evolved in a straightforward fashion. The Trumpeter 2P25 chassis and hull were basically taken OOB, just the front was modified for a single driver position. However, the upper hull had to be changed in order to accept the new, large turret instead of the triple SA-6 launch array.

The new turret is a parts combination: The basis comes from a Revell 1:72 M109 howitzer kit, the 155 mm barrel was replaced with a QuickBoost 1:48 resin GSh-6-30 gun for a MiG-27, and a co-axial laser rangefinder (a piece of styrene) was added on a separate mount. Unfortunately, the Revell kit does not feature a movable gun barrel, so I decided to implant a functional joint, so that the model’s weapon could be displayed in raised and low position – primarily for the “action pictures”. The mechanism was scratched from styrene tubes and a piece of foamed plastic as a “brake” that holds the weapon in place and blocks the view into the turret from the front when the weapon is raised high up. The hinge was placed behind the OOB gun mantle, which was cut into two pieces and now works as in real life.

Further mods include the dish antenna for the tracking radar (a former tank wheel), placed on a disc-shaped pedestal onto the turret front’s right side, and the retractable rotating search radar antenna, scratched from various bits and pieces and mounted onto the rear of the turret – its roof had to be cleaned up to make suitable space next to the commander’s cupola.

Another challenge was the adaptation of the new turret to the hull, because the original SA-6 launch array has only a relatively small turret ring, and it is placed relatively far ahead on the hull. The new, massive turret had to be mounted further backwards, and the raised engine cowling on the back of the hull did not make things easier.

As a consequence, I had to move the SA-6 launcher ring bearing backwards, through a major surgical intervention in the hull roof (a square section was cut out, shortened, reversed and glued back again into the opening). In order to save the M109’s turret ring for later, I gave it a completely new turret floor and transplanted the small adapter ring from the SA-6 launch array to it. Another problem arose from the bulged engine cover: it had to be replaced with something flat, otherwise the turret would not have fitted. I was lucky to find a suitable donor in the spares box, from a Leopard 1 kit. More complex mods than expected, and thankfully most of the uglier changes are hidden under the huge turret. However, Object 511 looks pretty conclusive and menacing with everything in place, and the weapon is now movable in two axis’. The only flaw is a relatively wide gap between the turret and the hull, due to a step between the combat and engine section and the relatively narrow turret ring.

Painting and markings:

AFAIK, most Soviet tank prototypes in the Seventies/Eighties received a simple, uniform olive green livery, but ,while authentic, I found this to look rather boring. Since my “Object 511” would have taken part in military maneuvers, I decided to give it an Eighties Soviet Army three-tone camouflage, which was introduced during the late Eighties. It consisted of a relatively bright olive green, a light and cold bluish grey and black-grey, applied in large patches.

This scheme was also adapted by the late GDR’s Volksarmee (called “Verzerrungsanstrich” = “Distortion scheme”) and maybe – even though I am not certain – this special paint scheme might only have been used by Soviet troops based on GDR soil? However, it’s pretty unique and looks good, so I adapted it for the model.

Based upon visual guesstimates from real life pictures and some background info concerning NVA tank paint schemes, the basic colors became Humbrol 86 (Light Olive Green; RAL 6003), Revell 57 (Grey; RAL 7000) and Revell 06 (Tar Black; RAL 9021). Each vehicle had an individual paint scheme, in this case it was based on a real world NVA lorry.

On top of the basic colors, a washing with a mix of red brown and black acrylic paint was applied, and immediately dried with a soft cotton cloth so that it only remained in recesses and around edges, simulating dirt and dust. Some additional post-shading with lighter/brighter versions of the basic tones followed.

Decals came next – the Red Stars were a rather dramatic addition and came from the Trumpeter kit’s OOB sheet. The white “511” code on the flanks was created with white 3 mm letters from TL Modellbau.

The model received a light overall dry brushing treatment with light grey (Revell 75). As a finishing touch I added some branches as additional camouflage. These are bits of dried moss (collected on the local street), colorized with simple watercolors and attached with white glue. Finally, everything was sealed and stabilized with a coat of acrylic matt varnish and some pigments (a greyish-brown mix of various artist mineral pigments) were dusted into the running gear and onto the lower hull surfaces with a soft brush.

An effective kitbashing, and while mounting the different turret to the hull looks simple, the integration of unrelated hull and turret so that they actually fit and “work” was a rather fiddly task, and it’s effectively not obvious at all (which is good but “hides” the labour pains related to the mods). However, the result looks IMHO good, like a beefed-up ZSU-23-4 “Schilka”, just what this fictional tank model is supposed to depict.

Boskord Defense ={Slayer}= Assault Rifle, Model 20, Multiple Purpose Assault Rifle System

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Cartridge: 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel (the US-built ones) 7.92x45mm, 5.45x45mm, 7.62x54mm unrimmed (others)

Magazine: 20 or 30-round magazines

Accuracy: Medium-high

Rate of fire: 850 rounds per minute, 2-round burst (as shown here), semi-auto

Range: 550-650 meters

Death is an art - but gunfighting isn't. You never arrived to battlefield to have fun. You arrived there to kick your OPFOR's ass, by any and all means. For this reason, you must make it quick. We offer you one of the most accurate, reliable, hard-hitting and the cheapest. You may watch your enemy die in a bloodbath, or you can take one silent, never-noticed shot at him without spilling any blood, or you can just make a punch-sized hole in that bastard's chest. Peace through superior firepower - Something that Turkish have mastered upon time.

ARM-20 MPARS - Tactical meets practical

Man I had always hated those ARs used by US military. Come on now, they are expensive and the companies make it look ''super versatile, super effective, super reliable''. Hell there are so many better rifles out there! But no, the US military doesn't like using them. But then, the US military becomes annoyed by it and decides to replace them. Time for us to shine!

The AR20 (yes, that is in fact how you are supposed to pronounce it) is a brand new rifle from us. It first started out as a similar but different, much more efficient AR15. But, it was seen that the AR15 wasn't all that fit unlike they say, and we decided to make an entirely new rifle! And it resulted very well.

The AR20 is made from tough, yet lightweight and at the same time cheap material. Titanium, polymer, aluminium, carbon, stainless steel - It's all in there!

It sports very fancy and very efficient equipment. It has a mount for all kinds of stocks - Standard buffer tube AR15 stocks, folding stocks, fixed stocks, it all fits! Homever, it is seen with a folding stock here. It comes with a tri-rail system where you can mount your sights and electronics! Additional rails are always available!

It can be easily converted to use with various cartridges. While you usually see 6.8 SPC you can convert it to 7.92x45mm, even 7.62x54mm unrimmed and some others!

It has a greatly simplified system. It almost never jams or rusts! Tested and proven. It has a detachable front sight and a gas block. Just two screws and you can remove it! It also comes with a double stage trigger.

It is known to be both performance and cost-wise much more efficient than all AR15 series, and this rifle would be adopted by the US and some other armed forces in 2070!

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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One of my original concepts. I can't help but say I'm proud of it. I hope you enjoy it!

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I am going to release some parts of it. While they are likely not all that fancy to be released individually, some are. Such as the LAM, front sight and anything else you may wish! I may also do a top-view variant of the LAM.

Boasting more power and a better accuracy, the DL-X is the successor to the aging DL-44, best known for being the preferred sidearm of Han Solo.

Grip inspired by Archkyrie. Done in PMG 0.6.

Note: The photos have been taken with the old a7 IV v1.0 firmware that have had the Eye-AF accuracy issue that might be visible on several photos.

Note: The photos have been taken with the old a7 IV v1.0 firmware that have had the Eye-AF accuracy issue that might be visible on several photos.

Yes the Sony a7 IV has Eye-AF accuracy issues. Several shots and even complete series have been out of focus. Often focus is not as good as it should be, therefore pictures are not as detailed as they could be if focused correctly.

the accuracy is in the precision.

attempt in the technical scope of the insight into the accuracy.

versuch in dem technischen bereich den einblick in der genauigkeit

Boskord Defense - Avtomat Kalashnikova Skladnoy 13 ukorochennyj Compact, Lightweight Assault Rifle System ''Anfisa''

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Cartridge: Various (7.92x45, 7.62x39, 5.45x39, 5.56x45, etc.)

Magazine: Various

Accuracy: Low

Rate of fire: 750 rounds per minute

Range: Depends on cartridge

Death is an art - but gunfighting isn't. You never arrived to battlefield to have fun. You arrived there to kick your OPFOR's ass, by any and all means. For this reason, you must make it quick. We offer you one of the most accurate, reliable, hard-hitting and the cheapest. You may watch your enemy die in a bloodbath, or you can take one silent, never-noticed shot at him without spilling any blood, or you can just make a punch-sized hole in that bastard's chest. Peace through superior firepower - Something that Turkish have mastered upon time.

AKS-13u CLARS - Small size, big punch

Is Vepr trying to sell you their so-called super-advanced marble launchers that can't even hit a damn thing and jams like a fucker, and Tenth Frame is trying to sell fancy-looking copycat stuff? You just don't have enough money but you still want something that works like a charm in the middle of a sandstorm but performs extraordinarily well? Then check this out!

You do know the AK-13, right? That doesn't really matter though. You just want a compact assault rifle. Oh no, something hella compact, maybe something like AKS-74u? How about AKS-13u?!

When that OPFOR busts your door right at that moment, you have considerably less time to think and act - You just gotta give 'em down the hell with that superb rate of fire and rather-light round, in a smaller, maneuverable package. Nah, your standard assault rifle ain't enough for that - You gotta rain some superbly rapid fire but you gotta stay mobile too. For that, we have the AKS-13u!

It is one hell of a versatile rifle, I gotta say. Not only it can accept many types of Russian stuff, but also many Western stuff at the same time! You can mount a Kobra red dot sight and a AN-PEQ and flashlight too! You can mount basically anything and everything, provided you have the necessary equipment. Buy from us, though - Trust me, our stuff is one of the only stuff that can work like a charm in all aspects but also remain cheaper than water!

It has a number of improvements, too. It has a much easier-to-switch fire selector and a much larger magazine extractor. The trigger is much lighter than usual and can be pulled fairly quickly and easily, and also everything is ambidextrous! How cool is that?!

Just like its elder brother, you can also use it with almost any type of cartridges - 7.92x39, 7.62x39, 5.45x39, 5.56x45mm, anything and everything, as long as you have the equipment!

It also has another variant, the Mod.1. It utilizes a new type of flash-hider, which also works as a gas block, nicknamed ''meat tenderizer''. You can crush the OPFOR's door and spray through, killing everyone before you can even breach, or you can simply crush your OPFOR's head! Homever, we don't recommend the latter. Trust me, you're gonna get a lot of blood on your face.

It is quite good for vehicle drivers, special forces and basically any military personnel who would rather knock the enemy's door rather than waiting for them. Many of the countries request this one, too, just like its elder brother.

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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It's not too significantly different from the AK-13, but it'd do it at the very least. Enjoy!

The semi automatic AS-50 50 BMG anti-material/sniper rifle, manufactured by the British company Accuracy International, the same company who produces the arctic warfare magnum, the L96, and the L115 sniper rifles. Credit to hongooi for the muzzle brake that I slightly modified.

Katyusha multiple rocket launchers (Russian: Катюша) are a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Compared to other artillery, these multiple rocket launchers deliver a devastating amount of explosives to an area target quickly, but with lower accuracy and requiring a longer time to reload. They are fragile compared to artillery guns, but inexpensive and easy to produce. Katyushas of World War II, the first self-propelled artillery mass-produced by the Soviet Union,[1] were usually mounted on trucks. This mobility gave Katyushas (and other self-propelled artillery) another advantage: being able to deliver a large blow all at once, and then move before being located and attacked with counter-battery fire.

Katyusha weapons of World War II included the BM-13 launcher, light BM-8, and heavy BM-31. Today, the nickname is also applied to newer truck-mounted Soviet multiple rocket launchers—notably the common BM-21—and derivatives.

The nickname

Initially, the secrecy kept their military designation from being known by the soldiers who operated them. They were called by code names such as Kostikov Guns (after the head of the RNII), and finally classed as Guards Mortars.[2] The name BM-13 was only allowed into secret documents in 1942, and remained classified until after the war.[3]

Because they were marked with the letter K, for Voronezh Komintern Factory,[3] Red Army troops adopted a nickname from Mikhail Isakovsky's popular wartime song, Katyusha, about a girl longing for her absent beloved, who is away performing military service.[4] Katyusha is the Russian equivalent of Katie, an endearing diminutive form of the name Katherine: Yekaterina →Katya →Katyusha.

German troops coined the sobriquet Stalin's organ (German: Stalinorgel), after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin for its visual resemblance to a church musical organ and alluding to the sound of the weapon's rockets. They are known by the same name in Sweden. [4]

The heavy BM-31 launcher was also referred to as Andryusha (Андрюша, “Andrew”, endearing diminutive).[5]

Katyushas of World War II

Katyusha rocket launchers were mounted on many platforms during World War II, including on trucks, artillery tractors, tanks, and armoured trains, as well as on naval and riverine vessels as assault support weapons.

The design was relatively simple, consisting of racks of parallel rails on which rockets were mounted, with a folding frame to raise the rails to launch position. Each truck had between 14 and 48 launchers. The 132-mm diameter M-13 rocket of the BM-13 system was 180 centimetres (70.9 in) long, 13.2 centimetres (5.2 in) in diameter and weighed 42 kilograms (92 lb). Initially, the caliber was 130 mm, but the caliber was changed (first the designation, and then the actual size), to avoid confusing them with regular artillery shells[3]. It was propelled by a solid nitrocellulose-based propellant of tubular shape, arranged in a steel-case rocket engine with a single central nozzle at the bottom end. The rocket was stabilised by cruciform fins of pressed sheet steel. The warhead, either fragmentation, high-explosive or shaped-charge, weighed around 22 kg (48 lb). The range of the rockets was about 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi). Later, 82-mm diameter M-8 and 310-mm diameter M-31 rockets were also developed.

The weapon is less accurate than conventional artillery guns, but is extremely effective in saturation bombardment, and was particularly feared by German soldiers. A battery of four BM-13 launchers could fire a salvo in 7–10 seconds that delivered 4.35 tons of high explosives over a four-hectare (10 acres) impact zone.[2] With an efficient crew, the launchers could redeploy to a new location immediately after firing, denying the enemy the opportunity for counterbattery fire. Katyusha batteries were often massed in very large numbers to create a shock effect on enemy forces. The weapon's disadvantage was the long time it took to reload a launcher, in contrast to conventional guns which could sustain a continuous low rate of fire.

The sound of the rocket launching also was unique in that the constant "woosh" sound that came from the firing of the rockets could be used for psychological warfare. The rocket's devastating destruction also helped to lower the morale of the German army.

Development

Katyushas of World War II

Katyusha rocket launchers were mounted on many platforms during World War II, including on trucks, artillery tractors, tanks, and armoured trains, as well as on naval and riverine vessels as assault support weapons.

The design was relatively simple, consisting of racks of parallel rails on which rockets were mounted, with a folding frame to raise the rails to launch position. Each truck had between 14 and 48 launchers. The 132-mm diameter M-13 rocket of the BM-13 system was 180 centimetres (70.9 in) long, 13.2 centimetres (5.2 in) in diameter and weighed 42 kilograms (92 lb). Initially, the caliber was 130 mm, but the caliber was changed (first the designation, and then the actual size), to avoid confusing them with regular artillery shells[3]. It was propelled by a solid nitrocellulose-based propellant of tubular shape, arranged in a steel-case rocket engine with a single central nozzle at the bottom end. The rocket was stabilised by cruciform fins of pressed sheet steel. The warhead, either fragmentation, high-explosive or shaped-charge, weighed around 22 kg (48 lb). The range of the rockets was about 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi). Later, 82-mm diameter M-8 and 310-mm diameter M-31 rockets were also developed.

The weapon is less accurate than conventional artillery guns, but is extremely effective in saturation bombardment, and was particularly feared by German soldiers. A battery of four BM-13 launchers could fire a salvo in 7–10 seconds that delivered 4.35 tons of high explosives over a four-hectare (10 acres) impact zone.[2] With an efficient crew, the launchers could redeploy to a new location immediately after firing, denying the enemy the opportunity for counterbattery fire. Katyusha batteries were often massed in very large numbers to create a shock effect on enemy forces. The weapon's disadvantage was the long time it took to reload a launcher, in contrast to conventional guns which could sustain a continuous low rate of fire.

The sound of the rocket launching also was unique in that the constant "woosh" sound that came from the firing of the rockets could be used for psychological warfare. The rocket's devastating destruction also helped to lower the morale of the German army.

Combat history

BM-13 battery fire, during the Battle of Berlin, April 1945, with metal blast covers pulled over the windshields

The multiple rocket launchers were top secret in the beginning of World War II. A special unit of the NKVD secret police was raised to operate them.[2] On July 7, 1941, an experimental artillery battery of seven launchers was first used in battle at Orsha in Belarus, under the command of Captain Ivan Flyorov, destroying a station with several supply trains, and causing massive German Army casualties. Following the success, the Red Army organized new Guards Mortar batteries for the support of infantry divisions. A battery's complement was standardized at four launchers. They remained under NKVD control until German Nebelwerfer rocket launchers became common later in the war.[6]

A battery of BM-31 multiple rocket launchers in operation

On August 8, 1941, Stalin ordered the formation of eight Special Guards Mortar regiments under the direct control of the General Headquarters Reserve (Stavka-VGK). Each regiment comprised three battalions of three batteries, totalling 36 BM-13 or BM-8 launchers. Independent Guards Mortar battalions were also formed, comprising 36 launchers in three batteries of twelve. By the end of 1941, there were eight regiments, 35 independent battalions, and two independent batteries in service, holding a total of 554 launchers.[11]

In June 1942 Heavy Guards Mortar battalions were formed around the new M-30 static rocket launch frames, consisting of 96 launchers in three batteries. In July, a battalion of BM-13s was added to the establishment of a tank corps.[12] In 1944, the BM-31 was used in Motorized Heavy Guards Mortar battalions of 48 launchers. In 1943, Guards Mortar brigades, and later divisions, were formed equipped with static launchers.[11]

By the end of 1942, 57 regiments were in service—together with the smaller independent battalions, this was the equivalent of 216 batteries: 21% BM-8 light launchers, 56% BM-13, and 23% M-30 heavy launchers. By the end of the war, the equivalent of 518 batteries were in service.[11]

[edit] Katyushas since World War II

Russian forces use BM-27 rocket launchers during the Second Chechen War

The success and economy of multiple rocket launchers (MRL) have led them to continue to be developed. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union fielded several models of Katyushas, notably the BM-21 launchers fitting the stereotypical Katyusha mould, and the larger BM-27. Advances in artillery munitions have been applied to some Katyusha-type multiple launch rocket systems, including bomblet submunitions, remotely-deployed land mines, and chemical warheads.

With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited most of its military arsenal including the Katyusha rockets. In recent history, they have been used by Russian forces during the First and Second Chechen Wars and by Armenian and Azerbaijani forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Georgian government forces are reported to have used BM-21 or similar rocket artillery in fighting in the 2008 South Ossetia war.[13]

Katyushas were exported to Afghanistan, Angola, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, East Germany, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Poland, Syria, and Vietnam. They were also built in Czechoslovakia[14], People's Republic of China, North Korea, and Iran.[citation needed]

Katyushas also saw action in the Korean War, used by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army against the South and United Nations forces. Soviet BM-13s were known to have been imported to China before the Sino-Soviet split and were operational in the People's Liberation Army.

Israel captured BM-24 MRLs during the Six-Day War (1967), used them in two battalions during the Yom Kippur War (1973) and the 1982 Lebanon War, and later developed the MAR-240 launcher for the same rockets, based on a Sherman tank chassis. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Hezbollah fired between 3,970 and 4,228 rockets, from light truck-mounts and single-rail man-portable launchers. About 95% of these were 122 mm (4.8 in) Syrian-manufactured Katyusha artillery rockets, which carried warheads up to 30 kg (66 lb) and had a range of up to 30 km (19 mi).[15][16].[15][17][18] Hamas has launched 122-mm “Grad-type Katyusha” rockets from the Gaza Strip against several cities in Israel,[19] although they are not reported to have truck-mounted launchers.

Katyushas were also allegedly used by the Rwandan Patriotic Front during its 1990 invasion of Rwanda, through the 1994 genocide. They were effective in battle, but translated into much anti-Tutsi sentiment in the local media.[20]

It was reported that BM-21 launchers were used against American forces during 2003 invasion of Iraq. They have also been used in the Afghanistan and Iraq insurgencies. In Iraq, according to Associated Press and Agence France-Presse reports, Katyusha rockets were fired at the Green Zone late March 2008.[21][22]

Boskord Defense ={Scavenger line}= Mark 63 Modification 0 Easily Convertable Assault Rifle System ''Anna''

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Cartridge: Various (7.92x39, 7.92x45, 7.62x54mm unrimmed cartridge)

Magazine: 20, 30-rounds magazine, 60-round quad-stack magazines

Accuracy: Depends on type of barrel

Rate of fire: Fully-automatic, semi-automatic

Range: Depends on type of barrel

You know what they say - If you can't solve the problem, use more guns. Sometimes the only thing that matters is the number. Sometimes the maths speak. For this, we push the limits, to make the cheapest possible guns, but without sacrificing quality.

Mk.63 Mod.0 ECARS - One rifle, one world

You know... Soldiers would never actually want a so-called, super-accurate rifle that could jam if one small piece of sand could get into their rifles, and would give him/her a lot of trouble even when disassembling. They would want to do less of that shit. They would prefer to have more fun in the battefield than cleaning their shit up. For this, Boskord got your back!

The Mark 63 is a wonderful weapon. It almost never overheats (if it does, that is YOUR fault)! Its barrel is easily-changeable thanks to the relatively simple gas system. Just hold the foregip, push it juuuust a little forward, and there ya go, barrel is free! Homever, you cannot fit it with any fancy RIS now. You just have only one rail, and that is for optics! Though you don't really need them anyway.

One of the biggest advantages of the rifle is that the user can actually carry and use more than one barrels! If your barrel overheats (which almost never happens), just swap a new one out from your backpack and replace your heated one with the fresh one! Easily done, also!

It is also unparalalled in reliability - Not even the AKs could hold out as long as this!

It can be also converted to several calibers. While standard modifications allow for only 7.92x39, 7.62x45 and unrimmed 7.62x54mm rounds, your master gunsmith should be able to fit it with any sort of cartridge (that is smaller than 7.62x54mm).

The stock is not replacable, as it holds the major recoil buffers. This allows you to fire almost any round with relative ease! It can be used as a sniper rifle, battle rifle, carbine AND a sniper rifle, all at the same time! Provided you have the necessary gear of course.

It is one of the cheapest, most efficient, most outperforming rifles to be known in the history. It is ordered by almost every single nation in the earth. It is a rifle that is even greater than the AK-series!

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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It's actually a reproduction of one of my quickies. Enjoy! :)

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Miscellanous:

Without bipod and optic:

puu.sh/1wLIr

Mk.63 Mod.1, carbine model:

puu.sh/1wLyb

Mk.63 Mod.2, marksman model:

puu.sh/1wLvL

Typical instructional accuracy in japanese sign-culture, where signs like these instruct pedestrians where to stand at crossings. Tokyo, June 2011.

UrUXSux: Useless Weather Channel “Faux-Accuracy” Weather Alerts - IMRAN™

Talk about useless and inaccurate alerts, it was funny to get The Weather Channel’s faux-accuracy-implying alert. It says that snow would start at “08:41 am”… Hmmm. Sounds so specific and accurate, right?

This photo of the message was taken right when the alert arrived at 08:30 am. It clearly shows that it had already been snowing for quite a while before the “alert” arrived.

© 2024 IMRAN™

Boskord Defense ={Colossi line}= Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyarova - Modernizova model 45 Modular Machine Gun System

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Cartridge: 7.62x45mm, 7.62x39mm

Magazine: Depends on length of belt

Accuracy: Medium-High

Rate of fire: 700 rounds per minute

Range: 650-750 meters

Warfighting isn't easy business. There are many, many matters in your fight. One of these matters is the superiority. The most important rule of gunfighting is: Always win, cheat if necessary. NEVER give the enemy a fair fight. For this reason, we make you the toughest, heaviest, hardiest, deadliest weapons in the universe, in the best ways possible.

RPD-M45 MMGS - A belt-load of fun!

It was just another day at the office. Czech called us and told us that they wanted a cool machine gun. We were busy though, as we were already making a gigantic load of other guns. They had got big moneys on the line though - And for that reason we couldn't refuse the offer!

The RPD-M45 is of a new design. It was designed to be easily convertible and very reliable and cheap, but at the same time hard-hitting and accurate. The 7.62x45 and 7.62x39mm are quite fit for such a role! It is belt-fed, and as such the capacity is potentially limitless! Only physics and financial issues can prevent it.

Whilst the name may imply that it is based off from the RPD, make no mistake - It is a mixture of AK and RPD! Many of the parts can be used on other AKs. And as such, this is in fact labeled as a ''conversion kit'' for AKs!

It was designed to compete with lightweight LMGs such as M249. It can beat them in all aspects - Reliability, compactness, weight, accuracy, damage, price! All thanks to the precision instrument and usage of low-cost yet efficient material!

Many barrel, gas tube, stock and et cetera conversions exist for it. Round conversions also do exist - Mainly made for usage of 7.92x45mm, 5.45x45mm and 6.8 SPC rounds. It is known to be one of the coolest LMGs out there.

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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One of my original concepts! Turned out well IMO. Hope you enjoy!

Three Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs, from the 63rd Fighter Squadron, and a General Dynamics (its aviation unit now part of Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon, from the 309th Fighter Squadron, fly in formation alongside a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, from the 161st Air Refueling Wing, during a refueling mission near Phoenix Aug. 27, 2019. Six F-35s from the 63rd FS competed in Exercise Panther Beast where the pilots tested their munition dropping accuracy.

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --

From start to finish, many Airmen contribute to the success of an F-35A Lightning II strike mission.

Mission success depends on a smooth transition from every required task from building bombs to maintaining the jets to flying them. For a strike mission, the whole process starts with building the munitions.

“There’s a lot of prep work that goes into building a munition,” said Staff Sgt. Noah Dankocsik, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron conventional maintenance crew chief. “It requires reading through multiple steps in our technical data to properly putting it together. To build munitions, you have to put on tails and noses, and you have the bomb body itself to prepare.”

Once munitions are built they are put on a trailer and the Airmen from the line delivery section pull the trailers of bombs to the flightline to transfer to the weapons load crews. Weapons then take those bombs and load them onto the jets, Dankocsik said.

In addition to having the weapons loaded, F-35s are inspected and prepped for flight.

“Our crew chiefs perform Before Operation Servicing (BOS) inspections to ensure aircraft are serviced and ready for flight,” said Master Sgt. Micheal Whitehead, 63rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) F-35 lead production superintendent. “Crew chiefs, avionics, weapons, Autonomic Logistics Information System expediters will then review aircraft forms and clear any discrepancies. The production superintendent will perform a forms review and a walk around of the aircraft, (prior to) releasing it for flight.”

Recently, all the cohesion and cooperation between these units came together Aug. 27 during the ‘Panther Beast’ 63rd Fighter Squadron competition.

Competing pilots flew 50 miles to acquire and destroy 6 to 12 targets over a 45-minute period in hopes of becoming the winners of ‘Panther Beast’, said Lt. Col. Curtis Dougherty, 63rd Fighter Squadron commander.

“After landing, the tape review will reveal the truth, and we’ll celebrate the victors at a fighter squadron and aircraft maintenance unit awards ceremony,” said Dougherty.

Airmen from multiple units worked together to build the munitions used, maintain the aircraft and fly the jets. Dougherty said it was their cooperation that made the competition possible.

“The work started weeks before weapons hit targets,” he said. “Our AMU has been hard at work loading aircraft with external pylons that we’ve never flown with before at Luke. Ammo has spent countless hours building more weapons than we’ve ever dropped in this squadron’s history. The pilots have spent that time planning: determining which targets and attacks will challenge the squadron’s instructors and ensuring everyone has the knowledge requisite to succeed. On the day of the mission, it all comes together.”

While the competition is a special event, maintenance, ammo and pilots work together to perform these tasks frequently. Dougherty said, it’s this synergy that allows our Air Force to be an effective fighting force.

“To succeed, we rely on the world’s finest maintenance professionals to care about the small details so that all of the critical aircraft systems work at their peak capability and weapons function the way they were intended,” he added. “We ask our pilots to prepare and brief with diligence to be ready to execute at the highest levels. The team environment and esprit de corps that extends across our aircraft maintenance unit and fighter squadron inspires the finest our Airmen have to offer.”

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.

The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.

The United States principally funds F-35 development, with additional funding from other NATO members and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. These funders generally receive subcontracts to manufacture components for the aircraft; for example, Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts until its removal from the program in July 2019. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft.

As the largest and most expensive military program ever, the F-35 became the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2013 and 2014, critics argued that the plane was "plagued with design flaws", with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed "to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time," instead of identifying and fixing "defects before firing up its production line". By 2014, the program was "$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule". Critics also contend that the program's high sunk costs and political momentum make it "too big to kill".

The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. In July 2015, the United States Marines declared its first squadron of F-35B fighters ready for deployment. However, the DOD-based durability testing indicated the service life of early-production F-35B aircraft is well under the expected 8,000 flight hours, and may be as low as 2,100 flight hours. Lot 9 and later aircraft include design changes but service life testing has yet to occur. The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. The U.S. Navy declared its first F-35Cs ready in February 2019. In 2018, the F-35 made its combat debut with the Israeli Air Force.

The U.S. stated plan is to buy 2,663 F-35s, which will provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.

Development

F-35 development started in 1992 with the origins of the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program and was to culminate in full production by 2018. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.

The F-35 was developed to replace most US fighter jets with the variants of a single design that would be common to all branches of the military. It was developed in co-operation with a number of foreign partners, and, unlike the F-22 Raptor, intended to be available for export. Three variants were designed: the F-35A (CTOL), the F-35B (STOVL), and the F-35C (CATOBAR). Despite being intended to share most of their parts to reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, by 2017, the effective commonality was only 20%. The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets.

By 2017, the program was expected to cost $406.5 billion over its lifetime (i.e. until 2070) for acquisition of the jets, and an additional $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as: carrying a small internal payload; performance inferior to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the F-16; lack of safety in relying on a single engine; and flaws such as the vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (wing drop). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.

Design

Overview

Although several experimental designs have been developed since the 1960s, such as the unsuccessful Rockwell XFV-12, the F-35B is to be the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter. The single-engine F-35 resembles the larger twin-engined Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, drawing design elements from it. The exhaust duct design was inspired by the General Dynamics Model 200, proposed for a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship.

Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF's F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the F-15E Strike Eagle in the ground-attack role. It has also stated the F-35 is intended to have close- and long-range air-to-air capability second only to that of the F-22 Raptor, and that the F-35 has an advantage over the F-22 in basing flexibility and possesses "advanced sensors and information fusion".

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on 25 March 2009, acquisition deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mark D. "Shack" Shackelford, stated that the F-35 is designed to be America's "premier surface-to-air missile killer, and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition".

Improvements

Ostensible improvements over past-generation fighter aircraft include:

Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms.

Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control (C2) nodes.

High-speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel (Fibre Channel is also used on Boeing's Super Hornet.

The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and Computerized maintenance management system to help ensure the aircraft can remain operational with minimal maintenance manpower The Pentagon has moved to open up the competitive bidding by other companies. This was after Lockheed Martin stated that instead of costing 20% less than the F-16 per flight hour, the F-35 would actually cost 12% more. Though the ALGS is intended to reduce maintenance costs, the company disagrees with including the cost of this system in the aircraft ownership calculations. The USMC has implemented a workaround for a cyber vulnerability in the system. The ALIS system currently requires a shipping-container load of servers to run, but Lockheed is working on a more portable version to support the Marines' expeditionary operations.

Electro-hydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system.

A modern and updated flight simulator, which may be used for a greater fraction of pilot training to reduce the costly flight hours of the actual aircraft.

Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries to provide power to run the control surfaces in an emergency.

Structural composites in the F-35 are 35% of the airframe weight (up from 25% in the F-22). The majority of these are bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials. The F-35 will be the first mass-produced aircraft to include structural nanocomposites, namely carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy. Experience of the F-22's problems with corrosion led to the F-35 using a gap filler that causes less galvanic corrosion to the airframe's skin, designed with fewer gaps requiring filler and implementing better drainage. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the A and B variants is set by the F-35B's requirement to fit inside the Navy's current amphibious assault ship parking area and elevators; the F-35C's longer wing is considered to be more fuel efficient.

Costs

A U.S. Navy study found that the F-35 will cost 30 to 40% more to maintain than current jet fighters, not accounting for inflation over the F-35's operational lifetime. A Pentagon study concluded a $1 trillion maintenance cost for the entire fleet over its lifespan, not accounting for inflation. The F-35 program office found that as of January 2014, costs for the F-35 fleet over a 53-year lifecycle was $857 billion. Costs for the fighter have been dropping and accounted for the 22 percent life cycle drop since 2010. Lockheed stated that by 2019, pricing for the fifth-generation aircraft will be less than fourth-generation fighters. An F-35A in 2019 is expected to cost $85 million per unit complete with engines and full mission systems, inflation adjusted from $75 million in December 2013.

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White-banded Triggerfish, Baliste picasso (French - New Caledonia) or Dibu (Kumak - New Caledonia) (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) in the Natural Pool on the Isle of Pines (Ile des Pins), New Caledonia. Photographed on 19 October 2018.

www.fishbase.de/summary/Rhinecanthus-aculeatus.html

www.inaturalist.org/observations/50851809

Another series with that beautiful model within a sparkle dress.

Go thru the albums if you want to see more of her.

Shot with the a7 IV with the old 1.0 firmware that have had Eye-AF accuracy issues.

The Beaten Generation

During the course of 2015 I recommissioned my 21st birthday present from my father – a Micro Seiki MB-14ST that I brought over to the UK from my mom’s place in South Africa. I’ve also been slowly bringing over my collection of vinyl albums, meticulously selected and acquired, and lovingly cared for between the early-70’s and the late-80’s. They’ve also been stashed away at my mom’s place, protected from the elements in plastic sleeves and stored in bespoke cases holding about 50 albums apiece. Over the course of the past few months I’ve been playing some of the gems in my collection, and it’s been very rewarding to reconnect with my past. Both the good and the “interesting”.

On one of our trips to Europe in the late-80’s my future wife and I made our regular pilgrimage to the music stores, including WOM (World of Music) in Germany. It was here (in which city, I don’t recall) that I bought the LP "Viva Umkhonto!" a compilation of punk and hardcore music that featured previously unreleased material by European and US bands. The record was released in April 1987 as a collaborative effort by two independent labels, namely Mordam Records (USA) and De Konkurrent (Holland), both of whom were strong backers of the struggle against Apartheid. According to a statement on the back of the sleeve, “All money raised by this record goes to Umkhonto We Sizwe”. So this was a benefit album for the military wing of the ANC (African National Congress).

For context, allow me to turn to Wikipedia:

“Umkhonto We Sizwe (abbreviated as MK, Zulu for "Spear of the Nation") was the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), co-founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre. Its founding represented the conviction in the face of the massacre that the ANC could no longer limit itself to nonviolent protest; its mission was to fight against the South African government. After warning the South African government in June 1961 of its intent to resist further acts of terror if the government did not take steps toward constitutional reform and increase political rights, MK launched its first attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961. It was subsequently classified as a terrorist organisation by the South African government and the United States, and banned”.

The album itself was definitely banned in South Africa and so possessing it was illegal. I took it into the country through Jan Smuts Airport (subsequently known as “Johannesburg International” and now, “O.R. Tambo International”) on my return from my trip to Europe and kept it safely tucked away in the belly of the beast in South Africa's capital city, Pretoria.

On the tenth anniversary of the Soweto uprising, the Nationalist regime declared State of Emergency in June 1986. It forbade any action that could undermine the Apartheid state, nationwide. Also forbidden were any kind of “subversive statements”, defined as statements that promoted unlawful strikes, boycotts or civil disobedience, attacked military conscription, promoted disinvestment or sanctions, or that “aggravated feelings of racial hostility”. The penalty for engaging in these actions was a maximum of ten years imprisonment. Ouch - I definitely did not want to be caught with this album!

Of the people detained under these draconian regulations (circa-8,000 in the first couple of months) no names were published with the exception of those released at the discretion of the South African Police. Throughout the State of Emergency, newspapers had to engage in self-censorship, at the risk of being closed down by the government, and many used to print disclaimers alongside their articles that read” “This report has been restricted to comply with the Emergency Regulations”. Some newspapers and magazines were not able to appear, and no news came out of the black townships, except through the state’s Bureau of Information. At the time I stuck stickers on the front of my television screen and computer monitor that read “SABC News is Biased” just to remind myself to be vigilant about government disinformation.

The music on the compilation album is okay, but it’s the packaging and presentation that I really enjoyed as a snapshot of the times, and as an interesting piece of social history. Along with the record were included a poster and a booklet filled with newspaper clippings and ANC propaganda about the armed struggle against Apartheid. It also highlights companies that were breaking economic sanctions by continuing to do business with South Africa. The “Throw Well – Throw Shell” slogan is parody of oil the giant’s official marketing tag-line at the time, namely “Go Well – Go Shell”. I have uploaded a scan of this booklet to my DropBox.

I’m not going to comment on the accuracy or veracity of the information in the booklet, but in those turbulent times – under a state of emergency, with broad media censorship and where owning certain music could earn you a jail sentence – it was thrilling to see what people abroad were thinking and to read material that was not towing the official National Party line. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s fascinating to see how right Matt Johnson was back in 1989 (The The – “Mind Bomb”). Although he wasn’t talking about South Africa, per se, when he sang that we were the “beaten generation, reared on a diet of prejudice and misinformation”, he pretty much hit the nail on the head. Prejudice and misinformation were weapons in the arsenal on both sides of the struggle in South Africa. I was one of the few pale South Africans to have the privilege of being exposed to both sides of that deformed coin.

The The - "The Beat(en) Generation" - YouTube Video Clip

When you cast your eyes upon the skylines

Of this once proud nation

Can you sense the fear and the hatred

Growing in the hearts of its population

And our youth, oh youth, are being seduced

By the greedy hands of politics and half truths

The beaten generation, the beaten generation

Reared on a diet of prejudice and mis-information

The beaten generation, the beaten generation

Open your eyes, open your imagination

We're being sedated by the gasoline fumes

And hypnotized by the satellites

Into believing what is good and what is right

You may be worshiping the temples of mammon

Or lost in the prisons of religion

But can you still walk back to happiness

When you've nowhere left to run?

The beaten generation, the beaten generation

Reared on a diet of prejudice and mis-information

The beaten generation, the beaten generation

Open your eyes, open your imagination

And if they send in the special police

To deliver us from liberty and keep us from peace

Then won't the words sit ill upon their tongues

When they tell us justice is being done

And that freedom lives in the barrels of a warm gun

The beaten generation, the beaten generation

Reared on a diet of prejudice and mis-information

The beaten generation, the beaten generation

Open your eyes, open your imagination

If you'd like to take a listen to "Viva Umkhonto!" I've found a ripped copy of the LP available for download here.

Also take a look at my Blogger posting.

Cheers, 2016 ©

Strike Fighter Squadron 31 was made active in July 1935, originally designated VF-1B. This makes VFA-31 the second oldest U.S. Navy fighter squadron behind VFA-14 “Tophatters”. During WW2 the squadron underwent multiple redesignations but retained its Felix the Cat logo, resulting in some controversy with the ownership of the squadron logo. During the first several years of U.S. involvement, the squadron was assigned to USS Enterprise CV-6, and flew missions in the battles of Wake Island, Marcus Island, Guadalcanal, and Solomon Islands. In the last years of the war, the squadron flew missions over the Philippines, China, Formosa, and Okinawa. During the Cold War, a VF-31 F-4J scored an aerial kill over North Vietnam, making it the only Navy squadron to have aerial victories in 3 wars (WW2, Korea, and Vietnam). In 1981, VF-31 received the F-14 Tomcat and was assigned to the USSJohn F. Kennedy CV-67. While deployed with the Carl Vinson during the 1990s, VF-31 participated in Operations Southern Watch and Desert Strike. In 2006, the squadron retired its F-14s and were redesignated VFA-31 as the new F/A-18 Super Hornets were being received. Today, the squadron is assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush CVN-77 and operates the E-model (single-seater) of the Super Hornets. Throughout the Tomcatters’ history, they have operated 10 different piston and jet propelled fighter aircraft. Their official call sign is “Felix”. They are based at NAS Oceana in Virginia along with 16 other Navy squadrons.

This post marks the end of my Super Hornet project, and is a culmination of all the things I’ve learned over the last couple of months about the F-18 and LEGO designing. The amazing stickers that round off this build so well are from the @brickmaniatoys F-14 sticker pack. The printed HUD piece is also from Brickmania. I built it in 1/35 scale, and accuracy was my main concern when building it. Going into this project, I thought it would be quite difficult. However, as I went it was pretty straight forward once the middle section was complete. I chose to have a mostly conventional design, but I did mix some SNOT in there. I tried to incorporate as many accurate features as I could. I am missing the working slats on the wing’s leading edge. The control surfaces move (rudders, horizontal stabilizers, ailerons, and flaps), the wing tips fold, and the landing gear retract and extend. The cockpit does fit a minifigure with their helmet on. It’s not as good as Cody Osell’s or tkbrickdesign’s but it works for me.

At the Australian Wooden Boat Festival

Saturday 9th February 2019

I needed a scene with some sky to make it easier to assess the shutter accuracy of this camera. At 1/1000, a classic Leica-type horizontal focal plane shutter runs the tightest slit width across the film gate.

Typically, any variation in the running speed of the two curtains or signs of curtain bounce will be most evident at the fastest times. This one passed with flying colours, impressive for a 1950s era model, and a better result than many untouched Leicas of similar vintage would achieve. I'm really impressed by the Reid and Sigrist Ltd quality of materials and assembly.

Camera: Reid III No. P2431.

Lens: Taylor-Hobson 2 inch Anastigmat f/2 No. 328890.

Film: Agfa APX 100 35mm black and white negative.

Exposure: 1/1000 @ f/2.

Development: Ilford ID-11 1 + 3 20C/20m.

© 2019 Brett Rogers All Rights Reserved

Boskord Defense ={Slayer line}= Ruchnoy Pulemyot Spetsialniy model 21A High-Capacity Assault Rifle System

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Cartridge: 7.62x54mm caseless, can be reconfigured

Magazine: 55-rounder ''tsilindr'' magazines

Accuracy: Medium

Rate of fire: 700 rounds per minute

Range: 200-250 meters

Death is an art - but gunfighting isn't. You never arrived to battlefield to have fun. You arrived there to kick your OPFOR's ass, by any and all means. For this reason, you must make it quick. We offer you one of the most accurate, reliable, hard-hitting and the cheapest. You may watch your enemy die in a bloodbath, or you can take one silent, never-noticed shot at him without spilling any blood, or you can just make a punch-sized hole in that bastard's chest. Peace through superior firepower - Something that Turkish have mastered upon time.

RPS-21A HCARS - Big bullet, small gun

So last month a guy (his ID will be kept hidden) approached us, and said: ''I want a really, and I mean REALLY compact light machine gun, but it's gotta be caseless.'' It'd be easy if it wasn't for the caseless part, wouldn't it, you'd say. Well nope!

The RPS-21A HCARS is a brand new light machine gun from us, one that is modified after the proven Rk105 CAKRS, and seems small enough to be a carbine. But in reality, it's not: It utilizes caseless 7.62x54mm rounds, feeding from a 55-rounder ''tsilindr'' magazine. It's not exactly a helical magazine, it's way better! It doesn't jam, and houses 55 rounds in it. That's a lot of dakka for such a small gun! Thanks to the powerful recoil springs, pretty low recoil, too!

As with its brother elder bro it has a folding stock that can fold into either side, is completely ambidextrous, and can use not only Western optics, but also Eastern ones! It also has the same gas block/piston of the Rk105 that allows it to cool easily. It is made from fine materials as well, that allows you to fire for very, very long periods of time without no heat.

It has an excellent sight radius that allows it to fire accurately on very long ranges, and also has: one set of tri-rails, one set of double-rails, and one top rail! Homever, it also has a space for an extra LAM/flashlight. It is also surprisingly light, allowing it to be a very good companion for paratroopers.

Whilst this rifle has just been introduced, it is met with great interest. No one makes cool stuff likes this anymore, you know, except us!

Our weapons are known to be made of cheap, easily-available and reliable material. With the swift, accurate and incredibly cheap power of the Boskord, you will rule the battlefield - All by the Turkish power!

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Yeah. Started as a boredom project to modify the Rk105 I made to some degree and give it this mag and stuff, but this is how it turned out. Hope you like it!

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With flash hider, without bipod:

puu.sh/4q6S9.png

Without any fancy stuff:

puu.sh/4q6Tx.png

My Razer Naga Molten Gaming Mouse and Razer Vespula Mouse Mat.

Anyone here play Heroes of Newerth and DOTA?

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Please check my mini-site here ...

Check my MOBILE-only site here

GET EXPLORED!

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This photo is copyright protected and can not be used without the owner's explicit permission.

Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.

You may send me a flickr mail if you are interested in using any of my photos.

All rights reserved, Lemuel Montejo

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I came up with this very simple solution to test how accurate the faster speeds of my old cameras are. Testing the slower speeds is simple. You can do that with a computer and microphone. But when it comes to 1/125 or faster, you have a problem.

The solution is: MOTION BLUR!

You need:

- A record player that has a strobe. The strobe is used to fine tune the speed of the record player to 33 1/3 RPM or 45 RPM. We actually do not need the strobe but the dots.

- Your old camera and a roll of film.

- A trustworthy camera with accurate shutter speeds. I used my EOS 1000D.

1. Let the record player go as fast a possible, e.g. 45 RPM + 9%

2. With both cameras, take photos of the dots (not the strobe) at all shutter speeds.

3. Compare with photos of the old camera with the photos of the other camera. The times must be the same if the motion blur of the moving dots is the same.

The photo shows an example. The test revealed here that the 1/125 s of my P6 is actually 1/500 s. I knew it was off but didn't know it was that much. As it was serviced a while ago I can now ask for a proper speed adjustment on warranty.

I've been trying to notice the blues that I see in shadows on snow. Sometimes the shadows seem very grey, sometimes mauve, and sometimes turquoise blue. But in truth, I don't always aim for accuracy of colour in my work, but more to portray my response to what I experience as I meet with the beauty and the wonder of Creation.

Two textures from Flypaper Textures and two from jfrancis

www.flickr.com/photos/digitalartform/

flypapertextures.blogspot.com/

A team of physicians prepare a young gang member, with three gunshot wounds, for a surgery in the operating room of a public hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador. © Jan Sochor Photography