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I could probably complete my 52 project with photos of what I let my kids get away with. Or at least what they try to get away with.
So, here is my daughter - feet (and knee) on the furniture, engrossed in doing something when she is supposed to be doing something else. The breakfast bar piled up with stuff that shouldn't be there (my husband always leaves the Dyson there - urgh filthy!) with school bags and a beer box crammed underneath.
Yellow Inflicts beat Orange Rulons 5-0 in R32, Speed Elites 5-3 in R16, West Germans 7-5 in Qtr.Finals, Blue OG Inflicts 7-1 in Semi Finals, and Red Rulons 11-2 in the Championship!
The original church was 142 feet long and 82 feet wide. The marble work was undertaken by Irish Marble Industries of Merlin Park, James Stewart & Sons from Lower Salthill manufactured the seats and the confessionals. The electric lighting was carried out under the supervision of Mr Ryan of UCG. The three altars were by Michael Scott, and there is a beautiful crucifix by Clare Sheridan and a fine sculpture of the Blessed Virgin by Oisín Kelly.
WH Byrne was the architect and Owen Larkin from Ballinasloe was the builder. The style was described as Lombardic Romanesque with a square tower which was 95 feet high and covered with scalloped tiles. The front was ornamented with a circular headed doorway carried out in carved limestone and containing a mosaic of Christ the King in the tympanum above the door. Above that again is a rose window. The church is cruciform in shape and consists of a nave, transepts, and sanctuary surmounted in the centre with an octagonal dome, lighted with eight circular headed windows and carried on pendentives. The nave and transepts were covered with barrel vaults, the piers supporting these being ornamented with rope mouldings and foliated capitals.
Monsignor Micheal Spelman as Parish Priest in 1965 decided that it was necessary to enlarge the church. The two wings at the front of the building were added and the altar was brought to its current location. Simon Kelly of Bearna was the architect and James Brennan was the building contractor.
In 1992 the church was again renovated redecorated and reorganised.
For various reasons I was unable to photograph Blessed Sacrament Chapel which was added in 1996
In 2009 the church gardens were removed up to make a car park. Note: During my travels I have noticed that many churches are now using their car parking facilities to raise revenue.
Michael LeBleu served in the Navy during World War II. This album was found in an abandoned building. It consists of photos, post cards, and clippings. The album cover has Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands written on it. Most of the photos are from Rio de Janerio. The originals are in the Library's Archive Collection.
I think that looks MUCH better! I added the Ghostbusters HQ, the front end of the Ecto1, a slime trail, some scattered papers and a slime coated mail box. Thanks for all the great ideas!
Except for the downward trail....not worrying about that. They say the average time for the 3 Dune hike is 49 minutes. We did it in 30 minutes....guess we should have enjoyed the views more. Views of Steel Mills in Gary and --faintly--the Chicago Sky Line across the Lake.
The complete and finished model. Picture and Edit by Jürgen Gocke.
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A LEGO® model of the Roman Villa in Heitersheim
A cooperation between Public BRICKstory and the Museum “Villa urbana” in Heitersheim
April 2017 to October 2018
Model of the Villa
A model of the villa will be built using LEGO® with the intent of depicting the villa’s main building along with the pavilion and bath house. The interior of the villa shall also be decorated and visible. The model will be accessible to visitors and designed in a way as to be playable for children. The model will cover a total area of 1.60 by 1.60m.
Exhibition and workshops
The model will be exhibited in the preserved cellar of the Museum of the “Villa urbana” in Heitersheim, starting in April 2017. The model will be accompanied by an exhibition documenting our work process, explaining the individual parts of the model and presenting the functions of a Roman villa by means of a childfriendly text.
In addition, we shall offer workshops to various themes surrounding the Villa Heitersheim, the dates of which are yet to be determined.
Who are we?
We are Public BRICKstory.
We, Kevin Walter and Oliver Isensee, are Masters students of History at the University of Freiburg. We have dedicated ourselves to the question how history is conveyed to the public and why toys play such a minor role in this regard. With this in mind we founded the project Public BRICKstory.
What is the aim of Public BRICKstory?
To render history tangible – in both a literal as
well as metaphorical sense.
To most people, history is never more than a theoretical object learnt in school. By the use of LEGO® for the design of historic settings and environments we intend to make this object lifelike and tangible.
Why LEGO®?
Everybody knows LEGO®.
LEGO® connects generations. Children play with it, and parents and grandparents play with their children and grandchildren. LEGO®’s great variety of building blocks allows for a very flexible implementation and realisation of ideas. LEGO® also enhances as well as demands finesse and creativity amongst all who build with it.
What do we offer?
Interactive History.
We build models in historical settings. Furthermore, we offer an interpretation of the model in its historic representation by means of an accompanying exhibition as well as workshops for anyone between 5 and 99 years of age.
16-panel nominal 4kW installation. The roof faces due south and is at an angle of 35° so pretty much ideal. The highest output I've seen so far is 2.4kW (but there hasn't been much clear sky), and an averagely bright day produces about 22kWh.
1 UNCOMPROMISING IMAGE QUALITY
2 COMPATIBILITY AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE
3 ENDURING PERFORMANCE AND VALUE
4 SILENCE AND DISCRETION
5 SPEED AND FLEXIBILITY
6 COMPLETE CONTROL OF ALL PICTURE PARAMETERS
With its extremely high-resolution image sensor in full-frame 35-mm format and cutting-edge image-processing system, the Leica M9 is uncompromisingly dedicated to capturing images of the very highest quality. The photographer may choose between image storage in JPEG format for fast processing, or as raw data in DNG format that supports a multitude of post-processing options. Alternatively, both formats may be stored simultaneously. In the DNG format, photo- graphers may also choose between a compressed, but faster and greater space-saving option, or an uncompressed version that preserves maximum image quality.
Of course the Leica M9 offers photographers access to the complete Leica M lens system lenses, long acclaimed by experts and users as the best in the world. Its development began in 1954, and the M-System has been continually advanced and improved ever since. The high-resolution, full-format image sensor of the M9 fully exploits the performance of legendary Leica lenses from corner to corner.
It is hardly unusual that a Leica, once owned, becomes a lifelong companion. This also applies to the digital M9: Its closed, full-metal housing, crafted from a high-strength magnesium alloy, and its top deck and bottom plate machined from large blocks of brass, provide perfect protec- tion for its precious inner mechanisms. The digital components and shutter assembly of the M9 are similarly constructed with endurance in mind. Free firmware updates ensure that the camera benefits from the latest technology. In short: The Leica M9 is an investment for a lifetime.
Discretion and unobtrusiveness are particular strengths of the M-system. In operation, the shutter of the M9 is as quiet as a whisper. An extremely low noise level when cocking the shutter is ensured by a sophisticated motor and gearing system. In discreet mode, the shutter is only cocked after the photographer‘s finger is lifted from the shutter release button when, for instance, the camera is concealed under a jacket. When shooting handheld at long exposure times, or whenever extreme steadiness is essential, slight pressure on the shutter release button in ‘soft release’ mode is sufficient to trigger the camera. In addition to these advantages, the fact that the combination of camera and lens is significantly more compact than any other full-frame camera system contributes to the fact that M photographers are frequently unnoticed and often simply blend into the background.
The Leica M9 adapts to its intended uses in a seamlessly flexible manner. Its sensitivity ranges from ISO 80 for wide-open apertures on bright days to ISO 2500 for low-light image capture. Very low noise levels and finely detailed images are achieved throughout the sensitivity range, even at the highest ISO settings. Very low image noise characteristics, an extremely bright viewfinder/rangefinder, low-vibration shutter and the availability of super fast lenses make the M9 the perfect camera for available-light photography.
The Leica M9 aids photographers with automatic functions whenever they’re required, but it never dictates how to shoot or interferes with the picture-taking process. Depending on the light level, the automatic ISO shift function increases the sensitivity of the camera as soon as the shutter speed falls below a hand-holdable value. At the same time, it also limits the shift to a maximum value determined by the photographer. This means that correct exposure without camera shake and the lowest possible sensitivity is always available to guarantee the best possible image quality in all situations. In addition, the M9 also offers automatic exposure bracketing with a user-selectable number of shots and exposure increments. This function ensures that even high-contrast subjects are perfectly captured.
Like every M camera of the past half century, the M9 is concentrated, by design, on the most photographically relevant functions. Its manual focusing – based on the combined viewfinder and rangefinder concept – and aperture priority exposure mode enable photographers to achieve maximum creative expression without imposing any limitations on their creative freedom. In combination with the 2.5-inch LCD monitor on the back, the simple, intuitive menu navigation system controlled by only a few buttons ensures rapid access to the entire range of camera functions.
7 FULL FRAME 24 × 36 MM – WITHOUT ANY COMPROMISES
8 OPTIMIZED SENSOR
9 INTUITIVE CONTROLS
10 ALL INFORMATION AT THE PUSH
OF A BUTTON
The CCD image sensor in the M9 was specifically designed and developed for this camera and offers full 35-mm film format without any compromises. All M lenses mounted on the M9 offer the same exact angle of view they had when shooting film material and therefore can now be used to an optimum effect. In other words, all the outstanding characteristics of Leica M lenses are now fully maintained for digital photography as well. In short, the high resolution and superior image quality of the M9 has the ability to fully exploit the enormous potential of M lenses.
In the case of the M9, it wasn’t a matter of modifying the lenses to match the image sensor, but rather the other way around. Our dedication to further developing the image sensor has resulted in a component perfectly matched to its intended role in the very compact M-System as well as to the performance of M lenses. The special layout of the micro lenses found in the M9 sensor makes it tolerant of oblique light rays impinging on its surface, thus assuring uniform exposure and extreme sharpness from corner to corner in every image. As a result, future Leica M lenses can be designed and optimized with uncompromising dedication to the achievement of the highest performance and compact construction. A newly developed sensor filter ensures the suppression of undesirable infrared light. The conscious decision to do without a moiré filter, a cause of image deterioration through loss of resolution, ensures maximum resolution of fine detail. The optimized signal-noise ratio of the CCD image sensor reduces the need for digital post-processing and ensures that M9 images possess an unrivaled and natural visual impact.
The key control element of the M9 is an intuitive four-way switch and dial combination used in conjunction with the 2.5-inch LCD monitor on the back. To set the ISO sensitivity, simply maintain light pressure on the ISO button while simultaneously turning the dial to select the required setting. All other functions important for everyday situations are quickly and easily accessible by pressing the set button: white balance, image-data compression, resolution, exposure correction, exposure bracketing, and programmable user profiles. The user profiles can be programmed with any combination of camera and shooting settings, stored under an assigned name, and accessed quickly whenever required for a particular situation. An additional pre-defined snapshot profile is also available. In snapshot mode, the M9 automa- tically sets as many settings as possible, thus providing a valuable aid to spontaneous and discreet photography. All other functions – from automatic lens recognition via six-bit lens- mount coding and selection of the required color space to cleaning of the sensor – are easily found in the clearly arranged main camera menu.
Pressing the “info” button in shooting mode displays the precise charge level of the battery, the remaining number of frames on the installed memory card, and the most important basic shooting settings, for example the shutter speed, on the camera’s brilliant 2.5-inch LCD monitor. In image-view mode, users can switch between an image-only view (with a zoom option up to single pixel level) or access other information by simply turning the dial. The available data includes information on the ISO sensitivity setting and shutter speed in use, plus a precise histogram display.
The Leica M9 embodies the heritage and amassed experience of more than five decades of the M-System. It is also, simultaneously, a digital system camera at the absolute pinnacle of modern technology. For Leica designers, photography has always been their prime concern – whether film or digital. The combination of an extremely efficient image sensor, the latest digital components, and the classic viewfinder/rangefinder principle – consistently optimized over many years – make the Leica M9 absolutely unique in all the world.
1
WORKFLOW SOFTWARE IS INCLUDED
The digital image processing workflow solution Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® is included in the M9 package.
The M9 is supplied complete with Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom®, a professional digital work- flow solution for Apple Mac® OS X and Microsoft Windows®. The software is available as a free of charge online download for all Leica M9 customers. This also ensures that the latest release is always readily available. Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® offers a vast range of functions for the administration, processing, and exporting of digital images. If the images from the M9 are saved as raw data in the standardized and future-proof Adobe Digital Negative Format (DNG), then the sophisticated and precise processing options of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® guarantee direct and extremely high-quality image processing with maximum image quality. At the same time, the 16-bit per channel color information captured by the image sensor is maintained throughout the processing workflow from image import to image export, ensuring that the most delicate tonal differentiations are preserved in maximum quality after completion of the post-processing sequence.
The Leica M9 can display a precise RGB tonal value histogram of the captured image after each shot, and also offers optional integration of the histogram in the automatic image view display. The clipping warning display over- and underexposed zones in each image, warning the photographer of potentially unusable images. An innovative feature is that the histogram is recalculated every time a new part of the image is viewed, thus enabling a precise quality assessment of small image areas and even the finest image details.
Yay! My Mod Sampler Quilt Along is finally complete! I call it "Traffic Jam".
Thanks so much to Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson! for sharing this fabulous pattern and her quilting knowledge.
Some background:
]The VF-4 Lightning III began development in 2005 under the initial designation of the VF-X-4. Developed as a successor craft to the VF-1 Valkyrie, the VF-4 Lightning III was designed as a variable fighter that emphasized mobility in outer space.
The VF-4's development began with the prototype VF-X-4 and the VF-X-3. However, when Earth was devastated in Space War I the loss of military facilities also resulted in loss of the VF-X-3. Amongst the airframes under development exist prototype No. 1 craft, VF-X-4V1 and the trial manufactured VF-4A-0 and thus the surviving VF-X-4 was developed and completed as the VF-4 Lightning III. A trial-produced variable fighter, designated the VF-4A-0, was also built using 25% VF-1 Valkyrie parts.
VF-X-4 underwent flight tests, including being test piloted by Space War I veteran Hikaru Ichijo. Once successful operational models were ready, the VF-4 began mass production on February 2012. Initial deployment began on the SDF-2 Megaroad-01 in VF-1 Skull and SVF-184 Iron Chiefs Squadrons on September 2012. When the SDF-2 Megaroad launched in the same month, Hikaru Ichijō flew a VF-4 alongside the new colonization vessel as the ship lifted from Earth and began exploration outside of the Sol system.
As a result of integrating existing Overtechnology and Zentradi-series technology, the VF-4 had a characteristic three-hulled-type airframe structure remarkably different from the conservative VF-1 Valkyrie design. The three-hulled style of the VF-4 increased fuselage volume, propellant capacity and armament load capability that all resulted in a 40% improved combat ability over the VF-1. Fully transformable, the VF-4 could shift into Battroid and Gerwalk modes like previous variable fighters.
However, the VF-4 did suffer minor mobility problems within an atmosphere and the new type was primarily deployed to the Space Air Corps of emigrant fleets to serve as the main fighter craft of the UN Forces in the 2020s. It was because flight performance within the atmosphere was not as good as the VF-1 that the VF-5000 Star Mirage became the main combat craft within atmosphere, while the VF-4 operated mainly in outer space.
Built as a space fighter, the VF-4 primary weapons became two large beam cannons, though the craft was capable of carrying a GU-11 gun pod in Gerwalk and Battroid modes. In addition to the powerful primary beam guns, the Lightning III also featured twelve semi-recessed long-range missiles, as well as underwing pylons for additional missiles and other stores.
The VF-4 was only slightly heavier than the VF-1, but featured considerably more powerful engines, making the craft ideal for operations deeper out in space. The Lightning III was also much faster in the atmosphere than the older VF-1, although the VF-4’s flight mobility performance was not as great.
The VF-4 was also notable as the first production variable fighter to utilize a HOTAS system (Hands On Throttle And Stick) for the cockpit HMI (Human-Machine Interface). Furthermore, the VF-4's cockpit was laid out as a single hexagonal MFD (Multi-Function Display) that proved so successful that it was retrofitted into "Block 6" VF-1 fighters, as well as providing the template for all future variable fighter cockpits.
By the end of 2015, mass production of the VF-1 series at last had come to an end. From 2020 onward, the VF-4 Lightning III officially replaced the VF-1 to become the main variable fighter of U.N. Forces. Production of the VF-4 continued for a decade and ceased in 2022, with a total of 8,245 Lightning III variable fighters produced.
The VF-4 variable fighter remained in active service into the late 2040's but was complemented or substituted in many branches of the UN Forces by the cheaper and more atmospherically maneuverable VF-5000 Star Mirage. The VF-4 Lightning III was eventually replaced as the main variable fighter of U.N. Spacy in the later half of the 2030s by the VF-11 Thunderbolt.
General characteristics:
Manufacturer: Stonewell/Bellcom
Equipment Type: Variable fighter
Government: U.N. Spacy, U.N. Space Marines
Introduction: 2012
Operational Deployment: September 2012
Dimensions:
Accommodation: pilot only
Fighter Mode: wingspan 12.65 meters; height 5.31 meters; length 16.8 meters
Mass: empty 13.95 metric tons
Structure: space metal frame, SWAG energy conversion armor
Powerplant:
2x Shinnakasu/P&W/Roice FF-2011 thermonuclear turbine engines,
rated at 14,000 kg (137.34 kN) each
2x dorsal rocket engines (mounted on top of the main thermonuclear turbine engines)
2x ramjet engines (embedded into the inner wing sections)
P&W HMM-1A high-maneuverability vernier thrusters
Performance:
Fighter Mode: Mach 3.02 at 10,000 m
Mach 5.15 at 30,000+ m
Thrust-to-weight ratio: (empty) 2.01 (rating for turbine engine thrust ONLY)
g limit: unknown
[Armament:
2 x large beam cannons in forward engine nacelles
12x semi-recessed long range missiles (mounted on engine nacelles and ventral fuselage)
8x underwing pylons for missiles, gun pods an/or drop tanks
The kit and its assembly:
Well, this build has been lingering for almost 25 years in the back of my mind. It just took so long that a suitable IP kit (with a reasonable price tag) would materialize!
The original inspiration struck me with a VF-4 profile in the source book "This is animation special: Macross PLUS" from 1994, which accidently fell into my hands in a local Japanese book store. Among others, a side and top view profile of an aggressor VF-4 in an all-brown, Soviet-style paint scheme was featured. At that time I found the idea and the scheme pretty cool, so much that I even built a modified 1:100 VF-1 as a ground attack aircraft in this paint scheme.
However, the original VF-4 profile from the source book had always been present, but for years there had been no affordable kit. There have been garage/resin kits, but prices would start at EUR 250,-, and these things were and are extraordinarily rare.
Things changed for the better when WAVE announced an 1:72 VF-4 kit in late 2016, and it eventually materialized in late 2017. I immediately pre-ordered one from Japan (in a smart move, this even saved money) and it eventually turned up here in Germany in early 2018. Patience pays out, it seems...
I had preferred a 1:100 kit, though, due to space issues and since almost any other Macross variable fighter model in my collection is in this small scale, but I am happy that a decent VF-4 kit at all appeared after so many years!
Concerning the WAVE kit, there’s light and shadow. First of all, you have to know that you get a VF-4A. This is mentioned nowhere on the box, but might be a vital information for hardcore modelers. The early VF-4A is a rather different aircraft than the later VF-4G, with so fundamental differences that it would warrant a completely new kit! On the other side, with a look at the kit’s parts, I could imagine that a VF-4B two-seater could be easily realized in the future, too.
The kit is a solid construction, a snap-fit kit molded in different colors so that it can be built without painting. This sounds toy-like, but - like many small scale Bandai Valkyrie kits - anything you ask for is actually there. When you use glue and put some effort into the kit and some donor parts, you can make a very good model from it.
The kit's box is pretty oversized, though (any sprue is shrink-wrapped, horrendous garbage pile and wasted space!), and the kit offers just a single decal (water-slide decals, not stickers) option for a Skull Squadron VF-4A – AFAIK it’s Hikaru Ichijoe’s machine that appears in one of the Macross Flash Back 2012 music videos, as it escorts the SDF-02 “Megaroad” colonial ship after launch from Earth towards the center of our Galaxy.
The parts are crisply molded, and I actually like the fact that the kit is not as uber-engineered as the Hasegawa Valkyries. You can actually call the WAVE kit simple - but in a positive sense, because the parts number is reduced to a minimum, material strength is solid and the kit's construction is straightforward. Fit is excellent – I just used some putty along the engine gondolas due to their complex shape, but almost anything else would either fit almost perfectly or just call for some sanding. Impressive!
Surface details etc. are rather basic, but very crisp and emphasized enough that anything remains visible after adding some paint. However, after all, this aircraft is just a fictional animation mecha, and from this perspective the kit is really O.K..
After building the kit I most say that it's nothing that leaves you in awe, and for a retail price of currently roundabout EUR 50-70,- (I was lucky to get it for an early bird deal at EUR 40,-, but still pricey for what I got) the kit is pretty expensive and has some weaknesses:
The model comes with a decent (= simple) cockpit and a very nice and large pilot figure, but with no ordnance except for the semi-recessed long-range missiles (see below). The cockpit lacks any side consoles, floor or side wall details. If you put the pilot into the cockpit as intended, this is not a big issue, since the figure blocks any sight into the cockpit’s lower regions. However, the side sticks are molded into the pilot’s hands, so that you have to scratch a lot if you want to present the cockpit open and with an empty seat.
The landing gear is simple, too, and the wells are very shallow (even though they feature interior details). As a special feature, you can switch with some extra parts between an extended or retracted landing gear, and there are extra parts that allow the air intakes and some vectoring nozzles to be closed/extended for orbital operations. However, detail fetishists might replace the OOB parts with the landing gear from an 1:72 F-18 for an overall better look.
Provisions for underwing hardpoints are actually molded into the lower fuselage part (and could be punched/drilled open - another indication that more VF-4 boxings with extra sprues might follow?), but the kit does not come with any pylons or other ordnance than the dozen fuselage-mounted AAMs. Furthermore, the semi-recessed missiles are just that: you only get the visible halves of the only provided ordnance, which are simply stuck into slits on the model’s surface. As a consequence, you have to mount them at any rate – building a VF-4 for a diorama in which the missiles are about to be loaded would require massive scratch-building efforts and modifications.
Another problem indirectly arises when you put some effort into the kit and want to clean and pre-paint the missiles before assembly: every missile is different and has its allocated place on the VF-4 hull. The missiles are numbered – but only on the sprue! Once you cut them out, you either have to keep them painstakingly in order, or you will spend a long evening figuring out where which missile belongs! This could be easily avoided if the part number would be engraved on the missiles’ back sides – and that’s what I actually did (with a water-proof pen, though) in order to avoid trouble.
The clear canopy is another issue. The two parts are crystal-clear, but, being a snap-fit kit, the canopy parts have to be clipped into the fuselage (rear part) and onto a separate canopy frame (front part). In order to fit, the clear parts have cramps molded into their bases – and due to the excellent transparency and a magnifier effect, you can see them easily from the outside – and on the inside, when you leave the cockpit open. It’s not a pretty solution, despite the perfect fit of the parts.
One option I can think of is to carefully sand the cramps and the attachment points away, but I deem this a hazardous stunt. I eventually hid the cramps behind a thin line of paint, which simulates a yellow-ish canopy seal. The extra windscreen framing is not accurate, but the simplest solution that hides this weak point.
The kit itself was built OOB, because it goes together so well. I also refrained from adding pylons and ordnance – even though you can easily hang anything from Hasegawa’s VF-1 weapon set under the VF-4’s wings and fuselage. A final, small addition was a scratched, ventral adapter for a 3.5 mm steel rod, as a display for the flight scene beauty pic.
Painting and markings:
As mentioned above, the livery is based on an official profile which I deem authentic and canonical. My aircraft depicts a different machine from VFT-127, though, since I could not (and did not really want to) 100% replicate the profile's machine from the Macross PLUS source book, "13 Red". Especially the squadron’s emblem on the fin would create massive problems.
For the two-tone wrap-around scheme I used Humbrol 72 (Khaki Drill) and 98 (Chocolate Brown), based on the printed colors in the source book where I found the scheme. The pattern is kept close to the benchmark profile, and, lacking an underside view, I just mirrored the upper scheme. The starboard side pattern was guesstimated.
As a second-line aggressor aircraft, I weathered the VF-4 with a black ink wash, some post-shading with various lighter tones (including Humbrol 160, 168, 170 and 187) and did some wet-sanding treatment for an uneven and worn look.
Interior surfaces were painted according to visual references from various sources: the landing gear and the air intakes became white, while the cockpit was painted in RAF Dark Sea Grey.
In order to add some color to the overall brown aircraft I decided to paint the missiles all around the hull in white with tan tips – in the profile, the appear to be integrated into the camouflage, what I found dubious.
Most stencils come from the OOB sheet, but I added some more from the scrap box. The grey "kite" roundels come from an 1:72 Hasegawa Macross F-14 Tomcat kit sheet, which I acquired separately for a reasonable price. Even though it took four weeks to be delivered from Asia, the investment was worthwhile, since the sheet also provided some useful low-viz stencils.
The VAT-127 “Zentraedi Busters” unique tail insignia was more complicated, because these had to be printed at home. As a side note, concerning the fin marking, I recently found a translation of the benchmark profile's text on mahq.net, which is interesting: "The Regult within the targeting reticle on the tail met with disapproval from micronized Zentraedi pilots, and so was only used for a short time." The comment also reveals that the original aircraft's modex is "713", not just "13" as depicted, so I tried to reflect these details on my build, too.
I eventually settled for a solution that was partly inspired by the kit’s OOB fin marking and the wish for more contrast for the motif: I scanned the original Regult pod illustration from the source book and printed it on white decal sheet. This was sealed with two layers of glossy acrylic varnish (applied with a rattle can) and then cut into a white field that fills the fixed part of the fin (using the WAVE kit’s OOB fin markings as reference). Once in place and dry, two black outlines were added separately (generic decal material) which help blend the decal and the surroundings. Finally, thin strips of silver decal sheet were used for the fins’ leading edges.
This design variation, compared with the original “13 Red” illustration, led to the idea of a flight leader’s machine with slightly more prominent markings. In order to take this concept further I also gave the aircraft a white stripe around the front fuselage, placed under the kite roundel and again with black outlines for a consistent look. It’s not much different from “13 Red”, but I think that it looks conclusive and, together with the white fin markings and the missiles, livens up the VF-4’s look.
The appropriate flight leader tactical code “01 Red” was puzzled together from single digits from a Begemot Su-27 sheet, the rest of the bort numbers were taken from the OOB sheet (which incidentally feature a “01” code, too).
Concerning the OOB decal sheet, there’s much light but also some deep shadow. While the register is excellent and the carrier film flexible enough to lay down smoothly, the instructions lack information where to place the zillion of stencils (“No step” and “Beware of Blast” stuff) are to be placed! You only get references for the major markings – the rest has either to be guessed, OR you are in possession of the VF-4 source book from Softbank Publishing which was (incidentally?) released in parallel with the WAVE kit. This mecha porn offers an overview of all(!) relevant stencils on the VF-4A’s hull, and ONLY with this information the exhaustive decal sheet makes some sense…
As final steps, the VF-4 received some dry-brushing with light grey around the leading edges, some chipped paint was simulated with dry-brushed aluminum and, finally, light soot stains around the vectoring nozzles all around the hull and the weapon bays were created with graphite. Then the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
Well, in the end, it’s not a carbon copy of the inspiring illustration, but rather another machine from the same squadron, with more creative freedom. I stayed as true to the benchmark as possible, though, and I like the result. Finally, after almost 25 years, I can tick this project off of my long ideas and inspiration list.
Considering the kit itself, I am really torn. I am happy that there finally is a VF-4 IP kit at all after so many years, but to me it’s a contradictive offer. I am not certain about the target group, because for a toy-like snap-fit kit it’s too detailed and expensive, but for the serious modeler it has some major flaws.
The biggest issue is the kit’s horrendous price – even if it would be more detailed or contained some fine resin or PE parts (which I would not want, just a “good” plastic kit). Sure, you can put some effort into the kit and improve it, e .g. in the cockpit or with a donor landing gear, but weak points like the “flat” missiles and the lack of proper bays for them are IMHO poor. For the relatively huge price tag I’d hoped for a “better” OOB offer. However, the kit is easy to build and a good representation of the Lightning III, and I am curious if there are kit variants in WAVE’s pipeline?
Complete with coat of arms.
Selective desaturation didn't make a great deal of difference - the 'building' is grey, the road in the foreground likewise, and the undergrowth in the background is a dull green.
After completing the 'Maury St Shuffle' reverse move, the eastbound Sunset Limited prepares to hop onto the NW connection track at Tower 26 to head for its UP Beaumont Sub route out of Houston. Besides the train's lead unit, other veterans present are the old SP searchlights and the Elysian Street Viaduct, both of which have since been replaced.
AMT2 25 (EB Sunset Limited)
AMTK P42DC #42
AMTK P42DC #140
Houston, TX
December 27th, 2013
*SURLY* steamroller complete bike
BLUE LUG custom
SPEC
Frame: *SURLY* steamroller BLUE LUG CUSTOM PAINT by COOK PAINT WORKS
Wheels:*ALEX RIMS* × *SURLY*
Tire: *PANARACER*
Brake:*DIA-COMPE* 610 centerpull brake
Brake lever:*DIA-COMPE*
Handle:*NITTO* b135aa randonneur drop handle (silver)
Stem:*FAIRWEATHER* UI-7 integrated stem (black)
Rack:*SOMA* porteur rack (silver)
Completed in 1912, Smith Memorial Arch is an American Civil War monument at South Concourse and Lansdowne Drive in Philadelphia, PA. Built on the former grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it serves as a gateway to West Fairmount Park. The Memorial consists of two colossal columns supported by curving, neo-Baroque arches, and adorned with 13 individual portrait sculptures (2 equestrians, 3 figures, and 8 busts); two eagles standing on globes; and architectural reliefs of 8 allegorical figures.
Finally made it through day 1 of a 30 day tutorial on CAD software, please don't ask how many day it took me! I'm sure as I get more into it I will be even slower, no hurry I guess no one watching me...
The Funeral of Akidi
they stared loss directly in the face
and let it soak into their skin
connected to the nature of it all
Part VI of "The Funeral of Akidi"
A selective color photography series meant as an exploration into the process of mourning, the depth of loss, and the fantastic beauty that is held within it.
This series was taken on April 9th, 2014 at a traditional Northern Ugandan funeral. It is paired with a collection of poems, wire wrapped necklaces and audio recordings.
Ladwar