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Componente del Grupo "Avant Garde Dance", que con el espectáculo de variedades "The Silver Tree" nos cautivaron en el Festival Internacional de Teatro y Artes de Calle de Valladolid (2010).
On 1 July 1933 the vast majority of the ownership and operation of public transport in London was transferred to the newly formed London Passenger Transport Board, better known as London Transport. For the city's tram network this at last saw a common ownership and operation of services that had previously been under multiple undertakings, both municipally and privately owned.
The largest component was that of the London County Council whose tramways operation was highly developed and well run. The LCCT services, that used conduit as well as overhead operation, had several inter-running agreements with both other municipalities (mostly in east London) as well as the three operators owned by the Underground group. These were the Metropolitan Elelectric, the London United and the South Metropolitan Elecric Tramways & Lighting Co Ltd. In summer of 1933 the variously issued maps and guides of the pre-amalgamation concerns appear to have been issued simply overstamped with the details of the new organisation and this November 1933 is, I think, the first attempt at a single map to cover all the merged routes.
It is wholly based on the old LCC map and guide that has been modified to an extent. On the map the old concept of showing the LCC services in a thick red line and connecting or inter-running routes in a thin red line has been perpetuated, the main difference being that in the key the previous distnctions ahve vanished to be replaced by a single line referring to fare sections and route numbers. The map now has the TramwayS logo of the old Underground group now adapted to show London Transport in the semi-circles. It also has an inset to show the ex-Croydon Corporation network. However the LCC evening classes advert survives! The cover also follows the pattern of LCC covers showing a work of art or illustration derived from an advert or poster. This illustration, of the old Waterloo Bridge than trams ran under, along the Subway and Embankment, rather than over is from a series of 1932/33 press adverts issued by the Underground and General companies on London's river crossings and is by, I am sure, R Austin whose "A" can just be made out.
The route guide and timetables now has all London's tram routes shown, no longer with the old LCC convention of north or south of the Thames. The list also shows, as well as night trams, the "unnumbered services" inherited from the various east and south-east London operators that had never been given such information. The other interesting panel is the appearance of the relavtively new trolleybus routes in the Kingston area. The LUT had started in 1931 to look at conversion of tram operations not to motor bus but electric trolleybus to utilise the heavy capital investment in electricity generation and distribution that had continued value unlike the depreciated first generation tramcars. The trolleybus soon became the 'way forward' for the new London Transport and over the next few years the tram map steadily became the trolleybus and tram map - a distinction that continued until the final war delayed abandonment of the 'last tram' in 1952. The trolleybus routes here carry their original route numbers before the addition of 6** (or 5**) numbers to the tram routes they replaced in later conversions and when Kingston's routes were re-numbered in the new sequence.
In 1934 LT's cartographers had got to work and a completely new version of the tram/trolleybus map, in the same style as motor bus, Country bus and Green Line operations was issued.
A rocket/missile or propulsion component, possibly of a Corporal or V-2 missile, ca. 1946-52, explodes during a static test on the 100K Static Test Stand, White Sands Proving Ground, NM.
Photo by M. C. Brown.
That's about as good as it's going to get. There's very little available regarding the test stand, let alone an explosion on it.
However, the following humorous posting does show close-up footage of, I think a Corporal engine explosion on some test stand, although it doesn't look violent enough. At the 4:24 mark:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=usT_Psp_6ew
Credit: PeriscopeFilm/YouTube
www.wsmr-history.org/HandsAcrossHistory-08-09.pdf
Both above credit: White Sands Missile Range Museum website
Who knows.
Components for a 54 Sqn SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1, including 2 Turbomeca Adour Mark 104 engines, are prepared ready for painting.
“You have to see the décor,” said Susan. “It’s amazing.”
She was talking about the Hollywood Tower, one of the key components at Disney’s Hollywood Theme park.
I look up, way up, and the first tingles of unease begin spreading through my clenching belly. The Hollywood Tower is big. REALLY big.
“Is this a roller coaster?” I ask doubtfully. I’ve long held the fear that I will one day ride a roller coaster that will actually make me pee my pants – which would be decidedly unmanly. I don’t like anything that leaves the ground. I don’t like things that whip me around. I don’t like my body rocketing downward while my not inconsiderable stomach is still somewhere above me. I don’t even like standing on chairs to change a light bulb.
Susan looks at me for a moment. “Well…we are just gonna look. It’s amazing in there. We can look at the décor and then take the chicken walk.”
“Chicken walk?” I ask. I don’t much like the sound of that either.
Susan nods. “You won’t get us on that thing. But we can go look and then just leave. You stand in the line, but you don't get on the ride. That's a Chicken Walk.”
I decide I am squarely in favor of this concept and milk a small measure of comfort from the thought of walking AWAY from something designed to send my entire body into the Bad Place.
Susan and her husband Bill took great care of us in Florida this past week. Great people.
“What does the ride do?” I ask.
Susan shudders just a little. “It takes you up there,” she pauses to point WAY up to the building. “And it drops you.”
“Drops….?” I squeak. My male orbs begin immediate retraction and frantically seek a safe hiding place. “It just drops you? Like…down?”
Susan nods. We share a small shudder. I wonder what kind of moron goes to the top of a building and just so they can be…dropped.
“So we’re just gonna like…LOOK…right?” I ask. It’s suddenly critically important to me that we be absolutely clear on this point.
Susan nods.
“Then we take the chicken walk, right?” I say, smacking that dead horse one last time.
She nods again.
She leads us toward the building and the long line up. Susan was right. The décor is amazing: rich Disney detail everywhere. Lighting, sounds…creepy attendants…not a single trick missed. I snap image after image.
“The last time I rode this, I nearly threw up,” says a young guy in front of us. “It was great.”
“What happens?” asks his pal, oozing male bravado.
“They freaking drop you. Your freaking crap flies up. Messes you up big time. It’s great,” says the moron. I lay my most pitying gaze on him, which he pretends not to notice
I try my very best not to snort and occupy myself taking pictures and wondering if the chicken walk is CLEARLY marked.
We’re in the line-up for about fifteen minutes, a bare blink of an eye in Disney terms. I listen to the young man (who I have begun to refer to as “the freaking moron” in my mind) as he recounts in remarkably unvarying terms how he nearly threw up. He tells this story over and over again. I have assumed by now that his companion has had some sort of heinous head injury that prevents him from understanding what is essentially a fairly simple story.
We are getting distressingly close to the actual “getting on the puke-o-lator” part. I sense tension from the many other morons in the line-up. They get quieter. Okay…most of them get quieter.
“This is gonna be great,” declares The Freaking Moron. “Last time I was on this thing I nearly freaking threw up.”
I simultaneously roll my eyes and sigh and begin looking for the Chicken Walk in earnest. Nothing.
“I’m going,” says Sheree suddenly.
“Where?” I ask.
“I’m riding it,” she says.
“Are you nuts?” I ask the question which, at this point, feels almost rhetorical. I would rather not believe that my bride has become yet another Freaking Moron.
“I’m going,” she says.
“You’re probably going to nearly freaking throw up,” I warn sagely.
“You can take the Chicken Walk,” she says. “I’m riding.”
It’s one thing to take the Chicken Walk with three other people. It’s something else entirely to do so when a girl rides.
“You know what happens, right?” I ask. This is, of course, simply a feeble attempt to get her to reconsider. I’ve seen this look before. She's gonna ride.
She nods.
“They DROP you,” I say. I am now using the tone I reserve for small children and seriously drunken adults. “Why would you want that?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t wait in line all this time to walk away.”
“I did,” I say a little too softly.
“Do what you want,” she says.
“There’s a chicken walk,” I say limply.
Sheree sniffs. At me.
Have you ever done something utterly stupid while in something like a dream state? You don’t really think about it. Your rational mind goes into this strange suspension.
I watch myself drifting forward. I step onto the “pre-loading” chamber. The rational part of my mind is gibbering now. It’s saying over and over again: WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU??? KNOW WHAT YOU ARE??? YOU'RE A FREAKING MORON, THAT'S WHAT!!! YOU ARE GONNA PUKE…and pee your pants. JUST LET'S TURN AROUND AND TAKE THE CHICKEN WALK AND WE CAN FORGET ALL ABOUT THIS...OK????
I sit down in the ride. My rational mind has gone into a cave because it can’t stand being around someone so stupid. The attendant closes the door. It clangs shut like a cell door. A coffin.
Rod Serling appears to tell me that I am about to be sent into the Twilight Zone. Great. He tells me we are in an elevator that once got to the top of a hotel and then inexplicably plummeted to the ground, killing everyone on board.
Ghostly figures appear.
Not so bad, I think. I can handle this.
The lights go out. Creepy sounds.
I feel myself being lifted up very quickly. This is a speedy elevator.
Dark. Ghostly figures. No problem.
Then it all stops. We are in the dark. Not moving. These are never harbingers of good things. Soft creaking sounds. Then a SNAP. Our little elevator lists suddenly to one side.
Yeah yeah. I know it’s a ride, okay. But there’s no denying that one of the freaking cables just snapped. We sway a little. (I absolutely believe the absolute worst thing you can do when up high on anything is to sway…)
We hang there for a moment.
My heart is hammering in my chest. My mouth is dry. I know this is not going to be good. I whisper to Sheree that I have changed my mind and would like to take the Chicken Walk after all.
Then IT happens.
A sudden shriek of sound, a blaze of light and we are falling…FALLING….and it is a holy crap freaking awful moment. My sunglasses are floating and I am muttering a string of profanity. Sheree is laughing beside me…probably not at me. My stomach is nowhere in sight.
Finally the fall comes to an end. I open my eyes and surreptitiously dart a glance at my lap to see if any pee got out. Nope. I fix my eyes on the door like a dog at feeding time.
But we are going up. Again….WHY? We rise up….and fall again…and again…and again. My only wishes are for death or deliverance at this point…along with an absolutely reliable sphincter.
Eventually it stops…the door opens….and I have survived.
“That wasn’t so bad,” says Sheree. “Was it?”
“Nah,” I reply. “Is it over already?”
My knees wobble just a little as I leave.
Only getting out of a dentist chair feels better.
*****************************************
This story is for Susan and Bill. Thank you for sharing your corner of the world and your lives so generously with Sheree and me. We loved meeting you and getting to know you both. I hope this has made you smile, my friends.
I am currently in the Seattle airport. It’s nearly one in the morning here. It’s 4 am in Florida, where my body has been for the past week. I don’t fly out for another seven hours. But I wanted you to know that at this precise moment, I am thinking of both of you and smiling.
These are the patterns I made with the skinner blend roll to use in making my purple kaleidoscope cane.
This was fastened together by two self-tapping screws and not rivets as the old toys utilised.
I reverted back to when I was a young lad and just had to take it to pieces to see what was inside.
That is what all inquisitive young lads do - sometimes with disastrous consequences.
Estas son las tres piezas que he creado para una de las chicas de El Reto.Espero que le gusten y que monte algo bonito con ellas.He incorporado la cremallera,que tanto me acompaña estos días, al embroidered.
The action of the Helvara rifle is totally unlike other bolt action rifles. The action is locked by a locking block dropping into recesses in the receiver; when the bolt carrier is pulled back, a wedge pulls the locking block up and out of these recesses. The trigger is a two-stage design which wraps around the sear.
See also:
AGI's flagship supercar model, the Feuersturm is the epitome of speed and style.
Based on my STUDio model, I made adjustments based on component availability, and decided to call it a different model year. This was a ton of fun to build. Enjoy!
Components of nature !
Yalova Harbor - Turkey 2009
for better quality
www.yousifalhomoudi.com/?gallery_category=tourism#!pretty...[pp_gal]/17/
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently installed a key component called the frangible joint assembly onto the adapter that connects the core stage to the upper part of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The cone-shaped stage adapter, called the launch vehicle stage adapter, will be part of the SLS mega rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis III mission to the Moon. The frangible joint sits atop the adapter and operates as a separation mechanism. The frangible joint is designed to break apart upon command, allowing the upper part of the rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, and the crew inside Orion to quickly separate from the SLS core stage and adapter. Frangible joint assemblies are widely used across the space industry in a variety of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft to efficiently separate fairings or stages during launch, during ascent, in orbit and during payload deployment. The stage adapter used for Artemis III is set to be the last of its kind as SLS evolves into a larger and more powerful configuration for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis IV. The adapter is fully assembled at Marshall by NASA and lead contractor Teledyne Brown, which is also based in Huntsville.
SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
Image credits: NASA/Sam Lott
#NASA #NASAMarshall #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis
Two electric multiple units of the Portuguese Railways leave Lisboa Roma-Areeiro station as train 18016, the 16.33 Sintra – Alverca commuter service.
Comboio Sintra–Alverca realizado por duas automotoras série 2300.
A unidade da retaguarda (2407), pertencente à sub-série construída pela SOREFAME para a CP entre 1997 e 1999, foi recentemente submetida a uma acção de renovação exterior e revisão geral de meia-vida na oficina de Entroncamento.
HMS Ark Royal was the former flagship of the Royal Navy. One of three Invincible class aircraft carriers she was affectionately known as The Mighty Ark. Her keel was laid by Swan Hunter at Wallsend on 7th December 1978 and she was launched on 20th June 1981 and completed in 1985. Major deployments included the Bosnian war (1993) and the invasion of Iraq (2003). More recently, she assisted in the repatriation of air travellers stranded by the 2010 volcanic eruption.
Most photographs and images in this set are taken from the Swan Hunter Collection held by Tyne and Wear Archives Service.
Ref: TWAS:ds-swh-4-ph-5-109-7
(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk.
To purchase a hi-res copy please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk quoting the title and reference number.
Copyright © 2022 by Craig Paup. All rights reserved.
Any use, printed or digital, in whole or edited, requires my written permission.
One of my work colleagues ordered this circuit board in a kit form.
I offered to put it together for him, as I used to work as a communications technician.
It's been over 16 years since I last fitted components onto a circuit board....it was quite enjoyable.
It worked 1st go!!
It is a voice changer module
Here are the six pieces used in C6 mechs (in case you hadn't already figured it out).
More importantly, however, is the XML needed to create a Wanted List on BrickLink. The list is for 20 of each of the pieces in new condition in Light Bluish Gray (Also called Medium Stone Grey by Lego). Once you import the list you can adjust the colors and quantities, etc. to your liking.
Here is the XML in a text doc. Just open the file, copy all the text and paste it into the Upload section of the "Add Item" tab, in your Wanted List on BrickLink.
If anyone needs more detailed instructions, let me know and I'll post them (I know it's not a very intuitive system).
Edit: I should mention that this is part of the C6 System for building Lego mechs for the game MFØ, just in case you ended up here randomly.
Four visiting F-16AM's from 350 Sqn, 2 Wg, Belgian Air component grace the RAF Valley ramp.
Nearest to the camera is FA-117 followed by FA-129, FA-91 and at the rear FA-83.
PictionID:44808639 - Title:Atlas Payload Component - Catalog:14_014200 - Filename:14_014200.TIF - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Splits easily and demonstrates orange main component (close double itself, K2 class, 3,18m) and fainter but hotter bluish (B8 class, 5,8m) companion.
Sorry for oblong stars :|
Aquisition time: 19.10.2013 around 22:00-23:00 MSK (UTC+4)
Equipment:
Canon EOS 60D (unmodded) running Magic Lantern firmware override on Celestron OMNI XLT 150 mm Newtonian riding on Celestron CG-4 equatorial mount with motor.
Aperture 150 mm
Focal length 750 mm
Tv = 30 seconds
Av = f/5
ISO 800
Exposures: 5 (plus 10 dark frames and 10 offset frames plus 4 fake flat-field frames).
Processing: Images were converted to 16-bit TIFFs in Canon DPP and outputs were fed to DSS. Flatfields were made from four randomly picked exposure by appliyng Gausian Blur (250 pixels radius) and adjusting histogramm to achieve 70% fill.
Colours were balanced (almost successfully) in DSS and final touches were made in Photoshop.
One of two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) for the Broadway Subway Project that will bore the 5-kilometre-long tunnel portion of this extension to the Millennium Line. Each TBM will be 6 metres in diameter, 150 metres long and weigh in at nearly 1,000,000 kilograms. The machines will be launched separately and tunnel boring will take approximately one year to complete.
La carpintería de ribera chilota es un oficio de larga tradición y es un componente central en la identidad cultural de esta antigua provincia. Los carpinteros de ribera de esta zona son depositarios de un saber heredado, que profundiza en la naturaleza, la madera, su transformación, resistencia y flotabilidad. Este conocimiento ha perdurado en el tiempo gracias a los maestros que, contra toda adversidad, han persistido en mantener las bases materiales de una navegación autosustentable y propia de los habitantes del archipiélago. En este empeño los conocimientos de antaño han evolucionado, adaptándose a nuevas necesidades. Han sido, por tanto, una continuidad de generaciones de carpinteros quienes, a través de una práctica ininterrumpida han aprendido, transmitido y transformado dichos conocimientos.La profundidad y extensión de estos saberes se reflejan en la especificidad de la terminología que posee el oficio. La carpintería de ribera maneja un amplio léxico que evidencia una centenaria tradición, connotada por el parentesco con remotas y lejanas prácticas navales que, a pesar del desuso en que se hallan en sus lugares de origen, mantienen su vigencia en el uso cotidiano de la construcción y navegación. En tal sentido, la carpintería de ribera revela algunas semejanzas con prácticas ibéricas ya desaparecidas, especialmente en la lancha velera que se vincula muy directamente con la balandra. Este glosario es parte del habla común de los carpinteros de ribera e interviene en la designación de piezas y maniobras, constituyendo un tipo de patrimonio lingüístico vinculado al oficio.Entre las habilidades de los carpinteros de ribera se cuenta la capacidad para la observación y memorización de mensuras, modelos y técnicas constructivas, destrezas que solo se aprenden por la práctica sostenida. Esta pericia les permite ser artesanos navales prolijos, con un alto nivel para la ejecución artesanal de lanchas de gran ductilidad, resistencia, estabilidad y capacidades marinas. Paralelamente, las embarcaciones que producen estos carpinteros son obras singulares y, aunque siguen patrones comunes, cada lancha se distingue de otra, puesto que cada una de ellas es una respuesta específica a una solicitud particular.
c1910 postcard view of Elwood, Indiana. This was a scene on the northeast corner at the intersection of Main and Anderson streets. The business sign advertised MOREHEAD BROS. PIANOS. The photographer was standing near the south side of Main Street and facing north-northwest. The note on the back identified, “Wayne, Marie, Walter, Dad + Mother Morehead in front of Dad’s music store Elwood Indiana.” Jane Lyle has researched these names and concluded the note probably was written many years after the photograph was taken. She found Ora (Orian, age 38) and Cora (age 38) Morehead in the 1910 census along with children Wayne (age 7), Marie (age 4), Walter (age 2) and baby Inez. These were probably the four children in this photograph. We’re speculating that Inez wrote the note. She mentioned only two adults. Since at least one of Ora’s brothers was a business partner, one or possibly both of the other men in the photograph could have been Ora’s brothers.
A 1902 directory¹ listed O. Morehead’s music business at 1341 South A Street. The 1910 Sanborn™ map set for Elwood shows a vacancy at this location where the photograph was taken. The 1916 map set shows a pool hall at this location. A sign over the sidewalk advertised SINGER SEWING MACHINES. The signs inside the display window advertised WHEELER & WILSON SEWING MACHINES, CHUTE & BUTLER PIANOS and STARR PIANOS. Chute & Butler manufactured pianos in Peru, Indiana, and Starr manufactured pianos at Richmond, Indiana. The CHUTE & BUTLER CO. name was printed on the nearest crate beside the building. These crates probably contained new pianos that had just been delivered to the store.
The building at the left stood on the west side of Anderson Street between Main Street and the alley to the north. The 1910 map set shows a bank in that building on the northwest corner at Main Street and a commission house occupying the north end of that large building. A Western Union Telegraph office was located in the middle of the building facing Anderson Street. The bell-shaped telephone sign on the utility pole indicated a public telephone was available in the telegraph office. The bicycle at the curb may have been associated with the telegraph business as well.
The commission house awnings advertised FRUITS & VEGETABLES. The south end of the awning advertised WHOLESALE FRUIT and the front included a partially visible name that was probably MANGHELLI & SONS. Their business was listed as “Commission Merchants, Dealers in Fruits and Vegetables” in the 1902 directory.² Upstairs, the signs advertised the location of the B. P. O. E. (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks) Hall. By the time the 1916 map set was being prepared, the B. P. O. E. Hall had moved to the south end of the building, the bank had been replaced by a pool hall/barbershop and the commission house had been replaced by a dry goods business.
The building in the background with the turret was on the west side of Anderson Street and on the north side of the P. C. C. & St. L. (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis) Railway. The 1910 and 1916 Sanborn™ fire insurance map sets for Elwood identified that building simply as office space. In this view, a sign advertised INSURANCE. The post office (built in 1911) is directly across the street from that location. All the buildings in this scene are gone, but the post office (not visible in this view) is still at 119 North Anderson Street.
1. Johnson’s Business and Professional Directory (Washington, D. C.: Johnson Publishing Co., 1902). Available online at archive.org/details/johnsonsbusiness190203wash, page 128.
2. Ibid., page 127.
From a private collection.
The full postcard image can be seen here.
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/24800668315/i...
Copyright 2008-2016 by Hoosier Recollections. All rights reserved. This image is part of a creative package that includes the associated text, geodata and/or other information. Neither this package in its entirety nor any of the individual components may be downloaded, transmitted or reproduced without the prior written permission of Hoosier Recollections.
Imaginative Components.
Courtisans importants erratiques mécontents satiristes ballades flagrantes circulation,
puritanical scriptores vertiginous impetus periculosum devoravit,
Begrenzung Ernten finanziell empfindlich erstaunlich wiederholt imaginären unorthodoxen,
gwrthfesurau ddiwygio pregethwyr pryderus i'r amlwg,
признал, охватывающий гедонизма пророческие окружающие мощные критики,
paesaggi discorsive evoca metafore rigogliosamente morti,
ανθρώπινες συνειδητοποιήσεις ρητορική έμφαση διευκολύνει συρρίκνωση αποφάσεις εντάσσονται,
încălcări hrănit restrâns mituri poezie evocări fără precedent colectate,
diskou transparan progrès unpersuasive monak allusion pale,
stále nejisté verze náboženské sonety sympatického rýmované překlady dluhopisy,
צורות עוינות חדשנות קיצונית ביקורת מניפולטיבית נאבקות תהילים טקסים,
Molann militancy monarchical láidre traidisiúnta mhúineadh gníomhaíochta Dhiaga,
vicissitudes grunsemdir sameina miskunnarlaus hnjóðs berjast gegn flókinn accentual pathos,
spegling policies belastningar investera kulturella lingvistiska invånare aristokrati struktur,
信用をアクセント破壊根本人間味中世の伝統.
Steve.D.Hammond.
More info about these bad boys on my blog:
cyclingwmd.blogspot.com/2009/02/introducing-vallie-compon...
everything but hubs is nos nib, hubs used but in great condition. Both 36h. crank is 165mm long 52t chainring, 3 cogs are 16t
Hey you, yes you, thanks for taking the time to check out my image!
If you really enjoyed this image, be sure to click on over to my Urbex & Street Art Collection and check out more of my Urbex & Street Art photos.
Even better, if you have some Urbex & Street Art to share, come on over to the Urbex & Street Art (NSW & ACT) Group, join up & share away!
If you’re feeling ’a little more adventuress’ then click on over to all my Albums and browse through my collection.
Cheers. ‘Squiz’
Just in case anyone was wondering what a Gardner 6HLXB looked like, well, here's your chance. This one was removed in typically grimy state, from a long stored Ulsterbus Bristol RE which we dismantled recently. The rear axle went to repair an ex Crosville RE (once preserved but now owned by travellers) and the gearbox is to be used to re-equip a Trent example. As yet, the quite fit engine is un-spoken for. The vast majority of the engines from this source are one big black oily blob, which I suppose speaks well for their reliability as no one has had to mine their way through the grime to fix ewt!
+++ 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 Saab 35 Draken ('The Kite' or 'The Dragon') was a Swedish fighter-interceptor developed and manufactured by Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. Development of the Saab 35 Draken started in 1948 as the Swedish air force future replacement for the then also in development Saab 29 Tunnan dayfighter and Saab 32B Lansen night fighter. It featured an innovative but unproven double delta wing, which led to the creation of a sub-scale test aircraft, the Saab 210, which was produced and flown to test this previously unexplored aerodynamic feature. The full-scale production version entered service with frontline squadrons of the Swedish Air Force on 8 March 1960. It received the designation Flygplan 35 (Fpl 35; 'Aeroplane 35') and was produced in several variants and types, most commonly as a fighter type with the prefix J (J 35), standing for Jaktflygplan (Pursuit-aircraft), the Swedish term for fighter aircraft.
The Saab 35 Draken was known for, among other things, its many "firsts" within aviation. It was the first Western European-built combat aircraft with true supersonic capability to enter service and the first fully supersonic aircraft to be deployed in Western Europe. Design-wise it was one of, if not the first, combat aircraft designed with double delta wings, being drawn up by early 1950. The unconventional wing design also had the side effect of making it the first known aircraft to perform and be capable of the Cobra maneuver. It was also one of the first Western-European-built aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in level flight, reaching it on 14 January 1960.
The Draken functioned as an effective supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War period. Even though the type was designed and intended as an interceptor, the Draken was considered to be a very capable dogfighter for the era, and its large wing area allowed the compact Saab 35 to carry a relatively high payload, too. In Swedish service, it underwent several upgrades, the ultimate of these being the J 35 J model which served until 1999. The Draken was also exported to several countries and remained operational in Austria until 2005.
In Swedish service, the Saab 35 was replaced by the Saab 37 “Viggen”. Development work on the new type was already initiated at Saab in 1952 and, following the selection of a radical canard delta wing configuration, the resulting aircraft performed its first flight on 8 February 1967 and entered service on 21 June 1971. However, being a radical and new design, the service introduction of the Viggen – esp. of its initial version, the AJ 37 fighter-bomber – was not without teething troubles, and in the late Sixties the Swedish Air Force expected an attack aircraft gap in its line-up. The former A 32 A Lansen attack aircraft were reaching the end of their airframe lifetime and were simply outdated, even though it was still needed as an anti-ship attack platform for the indigenous Rb 04 guided missile, so that Saab suggested an interim solution: the conversion of seventy of the 120 produced J 35 D fighters into dedicated attack aircraft, with the designation A 35 G (Gustav).
The Saab A 35 G was heavily modified to make it into a fighter bomber aircraft. Compared to the fighter versions the outer wings where completely redesigned and the aircraft featured 9 hardpoints in total. Airframe and landing gear were strengthened to cope with an increased payload of 10,000 lb (4,540 kg) vs. the fighters’ usual 6,393 lb (2,900 kg). Several airframe components were restored or replaced to extend the life of the aircraft, and the landing gear featured low-pressure tires for a better field performance on improvised/dispersed airfields.
A wide array of ordnance could be carried, such as bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber, MERs with up to six 100 kg (220 lb) bombs each, pods with unguided 75 mm or 135 mm rockets, single 14.5 cm psrak m49/56 high-explosive anti-tank rockets and, as a new weapon, the indigenous guided Rb 05 air-to-ground missile. This had been developed for the AJ 37 "Viggen in 1967 and was roughly comparable with the American AGM-12 Bullpup, but had some unique features. The Rb 05’s supersonic speed was deemed necessary to reduce the threat of surface-to-air missiles, and it allowed the missile to be deployed against slow/large aerial targets, too, making it a dual-purpose weapon. Consequently, the Rb 05’s fuze could be set by the pilot to impact mode for ground targets, or proximity mode for attacking air targets such as bombers.
The missile had a maximum range of 9 km (5.6 ml) and would usually be launched after a high-speed attack run on very low altitude and a climb to 400m for launch. Since the RB 05 was roll-stabilized, the aircraft did not need to be aimed straight at the target when launching and could immediately descend into terrain cover again, and this also made it possible to attack aerial targets from unusual angles and flight paths. Tracking the flares on the missile, the pilot would then visually guide the missile (the missile's engine was smokeless as to not obscure the view) with a small manual joystick towards the target. Guidance commands were transmitted to the missile via a jam-proof radio transmission link.
The A 35 G kept the J 35 D’s two 30 mm ADEN cannons, and a limited air defense capability was retained, too: the Gustav could carry up to four IR-guided Rb 24 (AIM-9B Sidewinder) AAMs, in addition to the Rb 05 in air-to-air mode. However, the aircraft lacked any air intercept radar, and had instead a Ferranti LRMTS (laser rangefinder and marked target seeker) and a counterweight installed in the nose, which resembled the S 35 E photo reconnaissance version’s nose, just without the windows for the side-looking cameras. For its attack role, the A 35 G received a new inertial navigation system, new altimeters and a ballistic computer from Saab called BT-9Rm, which worked with both bombs and rockets and even allowed for toss bombing. The Gustav Draken was furthermore fitted with electronic countermeasure (ECM) systems, a RHAWS and chaff and flare dispensers in their tail cones to improve its survivability over the battlefield.
The Gustav conversion program was accepted by the Swedish government in 1968. Work started in early 1969, the first revamped aircraft reached the operational units in late 1971. However, since production of the AJ 37 was starting at the same time, only 61 aircraft were eventually re-built from existing J 35 D airframes (one prototype and sixty production aircraft). Västgöta Wing (F 6) at Karlsborg was the first squadron to receive the A 35 G, replacing its A 32 A fighter bombers, the other unit to operate the type was Skaraborg Wing (F 7) at Såtenäs.
Among Sweden’s Draken fleet the Gustav was easy to recognize because it was the only version that carried the new “Fields & Meadows” splinter camouflage as standard livery. Service of the A 35 G lasted only until the early Eighties, though: as more and more AJ 37 all-weather fighter bombers reached the Swedish frontline units during the Seventies, the interim attack Draken, which was only effective under daylight and more or less good weather conditions, was withdrawn and either used for spares in the running J 35 J modernization program or directly scrapped, because many airframes had, suffering from the special stress of low-level flight operations, reached the end of their lifespan.
Another factor for the quick withdrawal was the disappointing performance of the type’s primary weapon, the Rb 05 missile: Its manual joystick steering in the cramped Draken cockpit (to be operated while the pilot was expected to fly at low altitude and evade enemy fire!) presented a number of problems, and the Rb 05’s ultimate accuracy was, even under ideal conditions, on the order of just 10 meters (33 ft), greater than desired. Targets like tanks or even ships were hard to hit with this level of scattering, combined with imminent danger for the pilot, and the air-to-air mode was even less effective. On the more modern Saab 37 the Rb 05 was therefore replaced by the Rb 75, a license-produced version of the American TV-guided AGM-65 Maverick “fire and forget” weapon. TV and laser seeker heads for the Rb 05 to improve the weapon’s accuracy and handling had been planned since the early Seventies, but were never realized.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 15.35 m (50 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 9.42 m (30 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.89 m (12 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 49.2 m² (530 ft²)
Airfoil: 5%
Empty weight: 8,175 kg (18,006 lb)
Gross weight: 11,500 kg (25,330 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 13,554 kg (29,845 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Svenska Flygmotor RM6C (license-built Rolls Royce Avon with Swedish EBK67 afterburner)
turbojet engine, 56.5 kN (12,700 lbf) thrust dry, 77.3 kN (17,240 lbf) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 2,150 km/h (1,335 mph, 1,168 kn) at 11,000 m (36,089 ft), clean
1,430 km/h (888 mph, 777 kn) w. two dop tanks and two 454 kg (1.00 lb) bombs
Range: 1.120 km (605 nmi; 696 mi); clean, internal fuel only
Ferry range: 2,750 km (1,480 nmi; 1,710 mi) with four external 500 l drop tanks
Service ceiling: 20,000 m (66,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 199 m/s (39,200 ft/min)
Wing loading: 231.6 kg/m² (47.4 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.7
Takeoff roll: 800 m (2,625 ft)
Armament:
2× 30 mm akan m/55 ADEN cannon with 100 rounds per gun
9× hardpoints with a total capacity of 4,500 kg (10.000 lb)
The kit and its assembly:
Even though the model depicts a what-if aircraft, the Draken’s proposed “Gustav” attack variant based on the J 35 D interceptor was real – even though I could not find much detail information about it. So, I took some inspiration from the contemporary Danish Saab 35XD export version, which probably had similar features to the Gustav? Another inspiring factor was a pair of Rb 05 missiles (from an Airfix Viggen) that I had bought with a spare parts lot some time ago – and an attack Draken would be the perfect carrier for these exotic (and unsuccessful) missiles.
For a low-budget build I used one of Mistercraft’s many recent re-boxings of the vintage Revell Draken from 1957(!), and this kit is nothing for those who are faint at heart. It is horrible.
The kit probably depicts a late J 35 A (already with a long tail section), but even for this variant it lacks details like the air scoops for the afterburner or a proper landing gear. The Draken’s characteristic tail wheel is also missing completely. Worst pitfall, however: there is NO interior at all, not even a lumpy seat! The canopy, the early model with struts, is disturbingly clean and crisp, though. The overall fit is mediocre at best, too – there are only a few visible seams, but any of them calls for filling and PSR. It’s a very toyish kit, even though the general outlines are O.K.
And the Mistercraft instructions are really audacious: they show all the parts that are actually NOT there at all. Suddenly a seat appears in the cockpit, a fin fairing from a J 35 D or later, or the tail wheel… And the decal sheets only roughly meet the aircraft you see in the painting instructions - there are three sheets, totally puzzled together, including material for aircraft not mentioned in the instructions, but that’s a common feature of most Mistercraft kits. But: how much can you taunt your disappointed customers?
So, this leaves lots of room for improvements, and calls for a lot of scratching and improvisation, too. First measure was to open both the air intakes (which end after 2mm in vertical walls) and the exhaust, which received an afterburner dummy deep inside to create depth. Next, I implanted a complete cockpit, consisting of s scratched dashboard (styrene sheet), the tub from an Italeri Bae Hawk trainer’s rear cockpit (which comes with neat side consoles and fits quite well) plus a shallow vintage ejection seat, probably left over from an early MiG from a KP kit or one of its many later reincarnations. As an alternative, there’s a Quickboost resin aftermarket set with a complete cockpit interior (even including side walls, IIRC intended to be used with the Hasegawa Draken) available but using it on this crappy kit would have been a waste of resources – it’s more expensive than the kit itself, and even with a fine cockpit the exterior would still remain sh!t.
Since I could not find any detail about the Gustav Draken’s equipment I gave it a laser rangefinder in a poor-fitting S 35 E (or is it a Danish export F-35?) nose that comes as an optional part with the vintage Revell mold – which is weird, because the recce Draken was built between 1963 and 1968 in 2 series, several years after the kit’s launch? Maybe the Mistercraft kit is based on the 1989 Revell re-boxing? But that kit also features an all-in-one pilot/seat part and a two-piece canopy… Weird!
Once the hull was closed many surface details had to be added. The afterburner air scoops were created from plastic profiles, which are aftermarket roof rails in H0 scale. Styrene profile material was also used to create the intakes behind the cockpit, better than nothing. The OOB pitot on the fin was very robust, and since it would be wrong on a J 35 D I cut it off and added a fairing to the fin tip, a shortened/modified ACMI pod, which bears a better pitot alternative at its tip. The pitot on the nose was scratched from heated styrene, since the kit offers no part at all.
Under the rear fuselage the whole tail wheel arrangement had to be scratched. The shallow fairing consists of a section from a Matchbox EA-6B drop tank, the wheel and its strut were tinkered together with bits from the scrap box and profile material. Not stellar, but better than OOB (= nothing!).
The landing gear struts were taken from the kit but beefed up with some details. The main wheels had to be replaced, the new ones come from a KP MiG-21, IIRC.
The ordnance consists of a pair of Rb 05’s from an Airfix Viggen, a pair of OOB drop tanks and MERs from a Matchbox A-7D, together with fourteen streamlined bombs from the same kit – twelve on the MERs and single bombs on the outer pylons. AFAIK, Sweden never used MERs on their aircraft, but the bombs come pretty close to some small bombs that I have seen as AJ 37 ordnance. Most pylons are OOB, I just added a single ventral station and two outer hardpoints under the wings. The Rb 05s received a prominent place under the air intakes on Sidewinder launch rails.
Painting and markings:
Finally a good excuse to apply the famous and complex “Fields & Meadows” paint scheme to a Draken model! However, this “combo” actually existed in real life, but only on a single aircraft: around 1980 a J 35 B (s/n 35520), aircraft “20” of F18, was painted in this fashion, but AFAIK it was only an instructional airframe. You find some pictures of this aircraft online but getting a clear three-side view (esp. from above!) as a reliable painting benchmark is impossible. However, a complete paint scheme of this aircraft is provided with one of Mistercraft’s Revell Draken re-boxings (not the one I bought, though), even though it is mismarked as a J 35 F of F10 in the instructions. One of the common Mistercraft errors, err, “surprises” (*sigh*).
Finding suitable model paints for the elaborate scheme is not easy, either, and after having applied it several times I stuck to my favorites: Humbrol 150 (Forest Green, FS 34127), 75 (Bronze Green), 118 (US Light Tan, FS 30219, a bit light but RAF Dark Earth is too somber) and Revell 06 (Tar Black, RAL 9021) on the upper surfaces and Humbrol 247 (RLM76) underneath.
A large ventral section was, typical for the J 35, left in bare metal, since leaking fuel and oil would frequently eat away any paint there. The section was painted with Revell 91 (Iron) and later treated with Matt Aluminum Metallizer (Humbrol). As per usual, the model received an overall light black ink washing and some post-shading in order to emphasize the panels, correct the splinter camouflage and dramatize the surface. Some extra weathering was done around the gun ports and the jet nozzle with graphite.
Internal details like the cockpit and the landing gear were painted with the help of Swedish Saab 35 reference pictures. The cockpit tub was painted in a dark, bluish green (Humbrol 76) with grey-green (Revell 67) side walls.
The landing gear and its respective wells were painted in a bluish grey (Revell 57), parts of the struts were painted in a bright turquoise (a mix of Humbrol 89 and 80; looks quite weird, but I like such details!). The wheel hubs became medium grey (Revell 47). The Rb 05 missiles were painted in white as live weapons, so that they stand out well from the airframe. The drop tanks received the same blue-grey as the underside (Humbrol 247). MERs and launch rails were painted in a neutral grey (RAL 7001) and the bombs became olive drab (RAL 6014, Gelboliv) with yellow rings and golden fuzes.
Decals/markings were puzzled together from a Moose Republic Saab 32 sheet (unit code number and emblem) and the spares box, including the red tactical tail code from an Italeri 1:72 Gripen and roundels from a Hasegawa Draken. Stencils were taken from the kit’s OOB sheet and also from the Hasegawa Draken sheet. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
What a horror trip! The paint scheme itself was/is challenging enough, but modding the crappy vintage Revell kit into something more presentable was already a fight in itself. However, I like the outcome. “Fields & Meadows” suits the Draken with its huge and flat upper surface well, and while the Gustav conversion did not take much effort the “mud mover” ordnance under this Mach 2 fighter really looks strange and makes you wonder what this is. A nice what-if model, despite its blurriness!