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Natural arch developed in Jurassic sandstones in Utah, USA.
These are eolian sandstones of the Navajo Sandstone, a thick, Mesozoic-aged unit representing ancient sand dune deposits. The Navajo is a prominent cliff-forming unit in much of western America. The coloration is from hematite (Fe2O3 - iron oxide). Laterally-equivalent units are known by other names, but are all the same deposit: Glen Canyon Sandstone, Nugget Sandstone, and Aztec Sandstone.
Rock arches are rare features - they form by differential weathering and erosion of many different types of rocks, but often sandstone. If a creek or river passes underneath, it is a natural bridge. If no creek or river is present, it is a natural arch. Along lakeshores and ocean coastlines, they are called lake arches and sea arches. Very small erosional openings in rocks are called windows.
This example is Corona Arch, also known as Little Rainbow Bridge. It is not in Arches National Park, which is located northeast of here.
Stratigraphy: Navajo Sandstone, Glen Canyon Group, Lower Jurassic
Locality: Corona Arch, north of Bootlegger Canyon & east of the Colorado River, west of the town of Moab, eastern Utah, USA (38° 34' 47.66" North latitude, 109° 37' 12.35" West longitude)
Developing a fault within Buchanan Bus Station and having to wait for assistance, Scania Omnidekka 36022 is captured leaving Glasgow over an hour late.
Canon AE1-Program
Canon FD 50mm, f1.4
Kodak Vision3 50D
Tetenal Colortec C41 kit
Reflecta RPS 10M
Colorperfect, Photoshop, Lightroom.
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" (der Gabelschwanz-Teufel) by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" (2飛行機、1パイロット Ni hikōki, ippairotto?) by the Japanese, the P-38 was used in a number of roles, including dive bombing, level bombing, ground-attack, night fighting, photoreconnaissance missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings.
The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war.
The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, the exhaust muffled by the turbo-superchargers. It was extremely forgiving, and could be mishandled in many ways, but the rate of roll in the early versions was too slow for it to excel as a dogfighter. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in production throughout American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day.
Design and development[edit]
Lockheed designed the P-38 in response to a February 1937 specification from the United States Army Air Corps. Circular Proposal X-608 was a set of aircraft performance goals authored by First Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey (later Brigadier General) and First Lieutenant Gordon P. Saville (later General) for a twin-engine, high-altitude "interceptor" having "the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude." Kelsey recalled in 1977 that he and Saville drew up the specification using the word interceptor as a way to bypass the inflexible Army Air Corps requirement for pursuit aircraft to carry no more than 500 lb (227 kg) of armament including ammunition, as well as the restriction of single-seat aircraft to one engine. Kelsey was looking for a minimum of 1,000 lb (454 kg) of armament. Kelsey and Saville aimed to get a more capable fighter, better at dog-fighting and at high-altitude combat. Specifications called for a maximum airspeed of at least 360 mph (580 km/h) at altitude, and a climb to 20,000 ft (6,100 m) within six minutes, the toughest set of specifications USAAC had ever presented. The unbuilt Vultee XP1015 was designed to the same requirement, but was not advanced enough to merit further investigation. A similar single-engine proposal was issued at the same time, Circular Proposal X-609, in response to which the Bell P-39 Airacobra was designed. Both proposals required liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 engines with turbo-superchargers and gave extra points for tricycle landing gear.
The Lockheed design team, under the direction of Hall Hibbard and Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, considered a range of twin-engine configurations, including both engines in a central fuselage with push-pull propellers.
The eventual configuration was rare in terms of contemporary fighter aircraft design, with only the preceding Fokker G.1, the contemporary Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft, and the later Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter having a similar planform. The Lockheed team chose twin booms to accommodate the tail assembly, engines, and turbo-superchargers, with a central nacelle for the pilot and armament. The XP-38 gondola mockup was designed to mount two .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, with 200 rpg, two .30-caliber (7.62 mm) Brownings, with 500 rpg, and a T1 Army Ordnance 23-mm (.90 in) autocannon with a rotary magazine as a substitute for the non-existent 25-mm Hotchkiss aircraft autocannon specified by Kelsey and Saville. In the YP-38s, a larger John Browning-designed, Colt-made M9 37-mm (1.46 in) autocannon with 15 rounds replaced the T1. The 15 rounds were in three 5-round clips, an unsatisfactory arrangement according to Kelsey, and the M9 did not perform reliably in flight. Further armament experiments from March to June 1941 resulted in the P-38E combat configuration of four M2 Browning machine guns, and one Hispano 20-mm (.79 in) autocannon with 150 rounds.
P-38 armament, concentrated in the nose of the aircraft
Clustering all the armament in the nose was unlike most other U.S. aircraft, which used wing-mounted guns with trajectories set up to crisscross at one or more points in a convergence zone. Nose-mounted guns did not suffer from having their useful ranges limited by pattern convergence, meaning that good pilots could shoot much farther. A Lightning could reliably hit targets at any range up to 1,000 yd (910 m), whereas other fighters had to pick a single convergence range between 100 and 250 yd (230 m). The clustered weapons had a "buzz saw" effect on any target at the receiving end, making the aircraft effective for strafing as well. The rate of fire was about 650 rounds per minute for the 20×110-mm cannon round (130-gram shell) at a muzzle velocity of about 2,887 ft/s (880 m/s), and for the .50-caliber machine guns (43–48-gram rounds), about 850 rpm at 2,756 ft/s (840 m/s) velocity. Combined rate of fire was over 4,000 rpm with roughly every sixth projectile a 20-mm shell. The duration of sustained firing for the 20-mm cannon and .50-caliber machine guns was approximately 14 seconds and 35 seconds, respectively.
The Lockheed design incorporated tricycle undercarriage and a bubble canopy, and featured two 1,000-hp (746 kW) turbo-supercharged 12-cylinder Allison V-1710 engines fitted with counter-rotating propellers to eliminate the effect of engine torque, with the superchargers positioned behind the engines, with the exhaust side of the units exposed along the dorsal surfaces of the booms. Counter-rotation was achieved by the use of "handed" engines, which meant that the crankshaft of each engine turned in the opposite direction of its counterpart. The V-12 engines required changing only the spark plug firing order in order for the direction of the crankshaft to be reversed, according to the General Motors Allison V-1710 Service School Handbook.
It was the first American fighter to make extensive use of stainless steel and smooth, flush-riveted butt-jointed aluminum skin panels. It was also the first fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h).
Pacific theater
Wartime poster encouraging greater production of P-38s
The P-38 was used most extensively and successfully in the Pacific theater, where it proved ideally suited, combining excellent performance with very long range, and had the added reliability of two engines for long missions over water. The P-38 was used in a variety of roles, especially escorting bombers at altitudes between 18–25,000 ft (5,500-7,600 m). The P-38 was credited with destroying more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF fighter. Freezing cockpits were not a problem at low altitude in the tropics. In fact, since there was no way to open a window while in flight as it caused buffeting by setting up turbulence through the tailplane, it was often too hot; pilots taking low altitude assignments would often fly stripped down to shorts, tennis shoes, and parachute. While the P-38 could not out-turn the A6M Zero and most other Japanese fighters when flying below 200 mph (320 km/h), its superior speed coupled with a good rate of climb meant that it could utilize energy tactics, making multiple high-speed passes at its target. Also, its focused firepower was even more deadly to lightly armored Japanese warplanes than to the Germans'. The concentrated, parallel stream of bullets allowed aerial victory at much longer distances than fighters carrying wing guns. It is therefore ironic that Dick Bong, the United States' highest-scoring World War II air ace (40 victories solely in P-38s), would fly directly at his targets to make sure he hit them (as he himself acknowledged his poor shooting ability), in some cases flying through the debris of his target (and on one occasion colliding with an enemy aircraft which was claimed as a "probable" victory). The twin Allison engines performed admirably in the Pacific.
Postwar operations[edit]
The end of the war left the USAAF with thousands of P-38s rendered obsolete by the jet age. The last P-38s in service with the United States Air Force were retired in 1949.[82] A total of 100 late-model P-38L and F-5 Lightnings were acquired by Italy through an agreement dated April 1946. Delivered, after refurbishing, at the rate of one per month, they finally were all sent to the AMI by 1952. The Lightnings served in 4 Stormo and other units including 3 Stormo, flying reconnaissance over the Balkans, ground attack, naval cooperation and air superiority missions. Due to unfamiliarity in operating heavy fighters, old engines, and pilot errors, a large number of P-38s were lost in at least 30 accidents, many of them fatal. Despite this, many Italian pilots liked the P-38 because of its excellent visibility on the ground and stability on takeoff. The Italian P-38s were phased out in 1956; none survived the inevitable scrapyard.
Surplus P-38s were also used by other foreign air forces with 12 sold to Honduras and 15 retained by China. Six F-5s and two unarmed black two-seater P-38s were operated by the Dominican Air Force based in San Isidro Airbase, Dominican Republic in 1947. The majority of wartime Lightnings present in the continental U.S. at the end of the war were put up for sale for US$1,200 apiece; the rest were scrapped. P-38s in distant theaters of war were bulldozed into piles and abandoned or scrapped; very few avoided that fate.
Variants:
Over 10,000 Lightnings were manufactured in all, becoming the only U.S. combat aircraft that remained in continuous production throughout the duration of American participation in World War II. The Lightning had a major effect on other aircraft; its wing, in a scaled-up form, was used on the L-049 Constellation.
Popular culture
1950 Studebaker Champion
Harley Earl arranged for several of his designers to view a YP-38 prototype shortly before World War II, and its design directly inspired the tail fins of the 1948–1949 Cadillac
The P-38 was also the inspiration for Raymond Loewy and his design team at Studebaker for the 1950 and 1951 model-year Studebakers.
The whine of the speeder bike engines in Return of the Jedi was partly achieved by recording the engine noise of a P-38, combined with that of a North American P-51 Mustang.
Studebaker Champion Convertible (1950)
Studebaker was proud to be "First by Far With a Postwar Car," but after three years on the market, its vehicles very much needed a distinctive new look for their carried-over bodies. In fact, the 1950-1951 Studebaker origins were as a counterpoint to the post-war car, when celebrated styling consultant Raymond Loewy decided his staff should look to the heavens for inspiration.
Perhaps no automaker is more identified with a single design than Studebaker with its 1950-1951 "bullet-nose" cars. The feisty South Bend independent didn't invent the "spinner" front end -- the 1948 Tucker and 1949-1950 Ford used similar themes, as have several European models. Studebaker's styling differed mainly in degree.
Ads called it "The Next Look," implying it would start a trend. It didn't, but that mattered little to company executives, who were content to chalk up sales unmatched in Studebaker's previous 48 years of auto production and in any of the next 16.
When Studebaker contracted Loewy Associates to design all-new 1947 models, Exner and Cole worked up their own proposal in secret -- with the advantage of engineering parameters not made available to the "official" Loewy team. It was this design that management ultimately chose and introduced in mid 1946. Studebaker was two years ahead of the competition -- "First by Far With a Postwar Car," as ads blared. To Exner's chagrin, advertising credited Loewy with the new styling.
Loewy promptly fired Exner for his treachery and replaced him with Bob Bourke, Exner's subordinate and friend. Bourke, who made significant contributions to the '47 design, would head Loewy's South Bend studio into 1955, after which Studebaker and Loewy parted company.
People loved the 1947 Studebakers, the little-changed '48s, and the modestly updated '49s. Though the fresh styling concealed mostly prewar mechanical concepts, refinements were made to improve longevity and reliability.
For example, the low-price Champion had arrived in spring 1939 with a lightweight L-head six of 164.3 cubic inches. This went to 169.6 cubic inches and 80 horsepower for 1941-49, then added five horsepower. The costlier Commanders used a larger six dating from Studebaker's 1932 Rockne. By 1949, this engine was up to 245.6 cubic inches and 100 horsepower.
The 1947-1949 models were a great sales success, lifting Studebaker to eighth in the U.S. industry with a market share of 4.12 percent. Production was at record levels. So were corporate profits -- $27.56 million in calendar 1949 alone. Things looked great, and were about to get even better.
The bullet-nose idea had been on Bourke's drawing board since 1940-1941, when he first sketched several elements of the eventual 1950 Studebaker. Chief among them was a protruding nose with flanking pontoon fenders suggesting the front of an airplane.
Public reaction is what matters in the auto industry, and "The Next Look" 1950 Studebaker, featuring the company's signature "bullet-nose" look for the first time, was a winner -- more popular than even the 1947. Sales began in August 1949, nearly a month ahead of other 1950 cars.
For all this hoopla, the 1950s were identical to the 1947-49 models except for the bullet nose, minor trim, and vertical instead of horizontal taillights. However, the new front end added an inch to wheelbases, taking Champions to 113, Commanders to 120. Both lines again offered two- and four-door sedans, a convertible, and a five-passenger Starlight coupe with its distinctive panoramic rear window.
Demand for the bullet-nose '50s proved so strong that Studebaker added a third shift at its large South Bend factory and ran its Southern California and Hamilton, Ontario, assembly plants at or near capacity. A 14-month model "year" (July 15, 1949, to September 27, 1950) produced 343,164 cars -- the most for any vehicle in Studebaker's long history. By the end of 1950, company employment was up to 25,000, a peacetime record.
Text for the Lockheed P-38 Lightning has been taken from Wikipedia. Text regarding the 1950 Studebaker Champion Convertible has been reproduced from sections of the website "How Stuff Works".
This Lockheed P-38 Lightning from 1941, and 1950 Studebaker Champion Convertible has been created in Lego miniland-scale for Flickr LUGNuts 79th Build Challenge, - "LUGNuts goes Wingnuts", - featuring automotive vehicles named after, inspired by, or related to aircraft.
Snatched from the streets of San Diego in late March 2016 by a group of masked assailants, Diz has been spending some time (voluntarily) working on a guest post covering motion picture film development at home.
If you've ever thought about shooting and developing your own motion picture stock ...
emulsive.org/articles/developing-motion-picture-film-dark...
Articles, Experiments
#C41, #Darkroom, #Developing, #Diz, #ECN2, #Kodak, #Kodak_250D_5207, #Kodak_500T_5219, #Kodak_50D_5203
Stanmer Park, Brighton
Rolleiflex 3.5F, expired T-Max 400 @ 200 iso, stand developed in Rodinal 1+100 for 1 hour.
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5 Mark II + OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
Developed by Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC 2015.7
Finally had some activity at El Franco Lee this past week and this huge cloud began to catch a bit of the setting sun. Photo was taken with my old venerable Sony A700 at the park.
DSC00373ulp
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Arsenal (de l'Aéronautique) VB 31 was a French naval fighter aircraft developed shortly after World War II. In January 1947 Arsenal were given a contract to develop a powerful naval fighter for the four French aircraft carriers. Since the modernization of the Aéronavale was pressing, the aircraft had to be developed fast. In order to cut time, the initial concept, the VB 30, was based on the unrealized German Messerschmitt Me 155 project.
The Me 155 naval fighter had been a naval development of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G, intended for the German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, which never saw the light of day. When it was clear that the Me 155 was a dead end, the basic design was developed further into a high altitude interceptor and the project handed over to Blohm & Voss. The resulting, highly modified Bv 155 saw the prototype stage in the late years of WWII, but was never put into service. Years later, though, the Me 155 should surface again: Evolved by Ingenieur-General Vernisse and M. Badie, the VB 30 did not only use many design features of the original Me 155 design, it also heavily drew on the indigenous VB 10 heavy fighter which had been previously under development since WWII.
The VB 30 was more compact than the VB 10, though, even though it had similar proportions. IIt was an all-metal single-seat fighter with a low-wing monoplane, a retractable tailwheel undercarriage and of largely orthodox configuration. The wings had an inverted gull wing shape, in order to shorten the main undercarriage as much as possible, and were foldable. The landing gear retracted inwards, and the tail wheel was retractable, too.
The VB 30's layout resembled much the smaller North American Mustang. The aircraft was powered by a powerful Arsenal 24 H engine which was theoretically capable of 3.400hp – itself a development based on the cylinder blocks of the German Junkers IV12 213 engine. A huge radiator bath for the liquid-cooled engine was located under the fuselage, at the wings’ trailing edge.
The aircraft was heavily armed, with a newly developed, compact 30mm cannon (which would eventually become the famous DEFA cannon), firing through the propeller axis, plus four HS-404 20mm cannons or six 12.7mm machine guns in the wings, outside of the propeller arc. Various ordnance loads, including bombs of up to 500 kg caliber, drop tanks or unguided missiles, could be carried under the fuselage and outer wings.
Unlike the huge, tandem-engined VB 10, the VB 30 was (relatively) more successful, but its career started under misfortunate stars: Just one month after the VB 10 contract was cancelled, the prototype VB 30-01 made its maiden flight on 8th of December 1948. Overall, the aircraft behaved well, but its low speed handling was hampered by the immense torque of the Arsenal 24 H engine and the huge, four-bladed propeller. This problem was eventually countered with an enlarged fin, which earned the type its nickname "Requin" (Shark).
With this and many other detail modifications the aircraft was now called VB 31and cleared for series production, even though it was already apparent that the future of the fighter lay with jet power. A second prototype, the VB 30-02, had been started, but its assembly lagged so much behind that it was eventually finished as the first serial VB 31. Anyway, the development of the VB 31 continued as a safety net for France's nascent jet fighter programs, since it was not clear when pure jets would eventually offer the appropriate performance for carrier use, and when they'd be ready for service.
The VB 31’s development saw several drawbacks, including constant problems with the complicated, liquid-cooled engine, the radiator system and the landing gear. Serial production and service introduction of the VB 31 started slowly and was delayed until January 1951 – by which the French Air Force already had to rely on surplus British and American fighters to tide it over until domestically-produced jet fighters appeared. Time was already working against the VB 31.
Additionally, with the brooding Indochina War since August 1945, the need for a maritime fighter and fighter-bomber became so dire that the Aéronavale had to order the WWII Vought F4U-7 to fill this specific gap and replace several obsolete types. The XF4U-7 prototype did its test flight on 2 July 1952 with a total of 94 F4U-7s built for the French Navy's Aéronavale (79 in 1952, 15 in 1953), with the last of the batch, the final Corsair built, rolled out on 31 January 1953. With this proven (and cheaper) alternative, only a single batch of 40 VB 31 aircraft (instead of the planned 200!) was eventually built and put into service.
The VB 31 just came in time for the First Indochina War between France’s French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Emperor Báo Dai’s Vietnamese National Army against the Viet Minh, Led by Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap. During this conflict, the French used many different pre Cold War aircraft of World War Two, as well as the new types.The VB 31 were distrubuted between Flotille 3F and 12F, where they replayced Curtiss SB2C Helldivers and Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats, respectively. Flotille 12F pilots arrived in Asia on board of the aircraft carrier 'Arromanches' in early 1952, equipped with both VB 31 and F4U-7 fighters. Both types were deployed from the carrier and also served from Haiphong for CAS and escort duties in the Tonkin area.
The operational era of the VB 31 did not last long, though. The type was powerful, but complicated. The VB 31 also needed much more maintenance than the sturdy Corsair, which could also take more damage and had a considerable larger range. Hence, already in June 1953, all VB 31 were returned to Europe and based at Hyères, where they replaced obsolete F6F-5 Hellcats and were mainly used for training purposes. In the early sixties, with naval jet fighters finally available, the VB 31 were quickly withdrawn and scrapped, being replaced by Sud-Ouest SO-203 'Aquilon' (license-built D.H. Sea Venom) and Dassault Etendard IVM.
General characteristics:
Crew: one, pilot
Length: 11.63 m (38 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 13.07 m (43 ft 6 in)
Height (peopeller at max. elevation): 4,9 m (16 ft 1 in)
Powerplant:
1 × Arsenal 24 H, 2.260 kW (3.000 hp), driving a four-bladed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 665 km/h (413 mph)
Range: 1.191 km (740 miles)
Service ceiling: 11.125 m (37.100 ft)
Rate of climb: 10.2 m/s (2008 ft/min)
Armament:
1× 30 mm cannon with 100 RPG, firing through the propeller axis
4× 20 mm HS-404 cannons with 200 RPG or 6×12,7mm machine guns with 250 RPG in the outer wings
1.500kg (3.300 lbs.) of external ordnance, including bombs of of to 454kg (1.000 lbs) calibre, drop tanks or up to eight unguided missiles under the outer wings.
The Kit and its assembly:
I wonder if you recognize the basis for this fantasy airplane? It's actually a modified Bv 155 kit from ART Model/Special Hobby from Russia (Both kits are identical; the ART Model contains an injected clear canopy while the Special Hobby kit offers two vacu canopies, though).
Inspiration struck when I read about the huge VB 10, which has, in its profile view, much resemblance to the Bv 155 - and the latter actually has some naval-friendly features, e .g .the raised cockpit, placed pretty far forward at the wings' leading edge, or the massive landing gear. Since France used some German aircraft after WWII (e.g. Fw 190 for the Air Force and Ju 188 for the Navy), why not create a naval fighter from the Me 155/Bv 155 concept? Well, here it is... the Arsenal VB 31.
For this fantasy conversion, the Bv 155 kit saw major modifications, e. g.:
● The wing span was reduced - from each wing, 4.2cm/1.65" were taken away
● The wings received a new inverted gull wing shape, the cuts came handy
● Outer wings were clipped by 10mm/0,4" each
● Original wing tips were transplanted and re-sculpted to fit
● The rear fuselage was shortened by about 1.3cm/0.5"
● A carburetor intake was added under the nose (from a Hawker Hurricane)
● New horizontal stabilizers from a Grumman Panther (Matchbox)
● Lower position of the horizontal stabilizers
● New landing gear wells had to be cut out, a simple interior was scratch-built
● The landing gear retracts now inwards, original struts and covers were slightly shortened
● New main wheels from a Douglas Skyknight (Matchbox) were used
● New tail wheel (front wheel of a Revell F-16, I guess)
● Modified tail section with an arrestor hook
● The original, extensive exhaust piping between the engine and the turbo charger had to go
● New exhausts at the nose were added (scratch, HO scale roof tiles)
● New propeller from a Matchbox Hawker Tempest was mated with the original spinner
● Cockpit was taken OOB, but a different seat, a pilot and a radio in the rear were added
● Some panel lines had to be re-engraved, due to putty work and/or logical reasons
● Missile hardpoints under the wings come from an F4U
● Antennae were added, accoring to French F4U-7 pictures
There actually was no big plan - I had an idea of what to make from the kit, but modifications came step by step, as the parts fell together and looked or looked not right.
The 24 cylinder Arsenal 24 H engine was really under development in France, so it was a neat choice for such a relatively large aircraft. The huge turbocharger bath under the fuselage of the Bv 155 could easily be taken as a radiator bath for the large, liquid-cooled engine, so that no additional adaptations had to be made.
Overall, I wanted to save the elegant lines of the Bv 155. With the reduced wing span the aircraft looks even elegant, IMHO. All in all, and with its slender, inverted gull wings, the VB 31 somehow reminds of the Ju 87 and the later paper Ju 187 development. There's also something IL-2ish to it?
A side note concerning the kit itself: it has nice engraved details and some fine resin parts for the cockpit or the radiators. But wall strength is high (up to 2mm!), the material is somewhat soft and waxy, and fit is mediocre, so expect serious putty work. Not a bad kit, but something for the experienced modeler. Things surely were worse here, since my modifications to wings and fuselage called for even more sculpting.
Painting and markings:
It took some time to settle on a French naval aircraft, since I already have an all dark-blue whif in my collection (the whiffy F1J Sea Mustang). But I had some appropriate decals at hand, and the time frame as well as the potential user offered a good and plausible story behind the VB 31 in Aéronaval service.
Overall, the aircraft was painted in Blue Angels Blue (FS 15050, Testors 1718) and weathered with slightly lighter shades of blue and grey, for a sun-bleached look and in order to emphasize the panel lines. One can argue about this tone: many Aéronavale aircraft look much darker, rather like FS 15042, but I have seen pictures of such bright aircraft - I'd assume that the color standard was not very strict, as long as the aircraft was "dark blue"?
After basic painting the VB 31 looked very bright, so I did some major dry painting with darker/duller shades like Humbrol 67, 77 and 104 to tame things down, and the result is O.K. now.
The interior surfaces were painted in Mid Stone and dry-painted with Chromate Yellow (Humbrol 225 and 81). AFAIK, this is the typical interior finish for Aéronavel aircraft of that time, and it is a nice contrast to the dark and uniform outside.
Most markings come from an F4U-7 decal sheet, some things like the tail rudder Tricolore had to be improvised (comes from a 30 year old Airfix Bristol Blenheim decal sheet!).
Beyond the dry-painted blue and grey hues on the upper surfaces, the model was slightly weathered with exhaust and soot stains and some dry-painted silver on the leading edges. This makes the all-blue aircraft look a bit more lively and is IMHO authentic for Aéronavale fighters of the 50ies, esp. under the harsh climate of South East Asia.
Finally, everything was sealed under a semi-matt varnish (Tamiya Acryllics, rattle can), and some additional matt varnish was applied on the upper surfaces, also for a dull and sun-bleached look.
The kit was built in a week from sprues to pictures, overall a sleek and elegant aircraft with plausible lines - an hommage to the many elegant and innovative aircraft which were developed in France in WWII and later but which are easily overlooked today!
My first trials with Harman Phoenix II.
This is (almost) straight out of scanner, with only minor corrections to make it look good on screens.
I quite like the results. The colors are not 'accurate´ but they reflect the atmosphere nicely. At least that's what I think.
Let me know your opinion in the comments
Technical Stuff: Leica R7 21-35 Vario Elmar
Self-developed with Bellini C41
Self-scanned with Nikon LS5000 + vuescan (windows) + darktable (linux)
Masterpiece of Raymond Loewy, developed in an extreem short period. Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert immediately approved the design sketches and after seven weeks a clay model was ready. Loewy was assisted by a team consisting of Johnny Ebstein, Robert Andrews and Tom Kellogg. Chief engineer Eugene Harding choose a Lark Daytone convertible as basis for the new sports car.
The Avanti was announced in late 1962 but technical problems caused production delay right from the start. Enthusiast potential buyers switched to the Chevrolet Corvette, which was immediately available. Also the 1964 Ford Mustang attracted many buyers. Final sale numbers stayed far below expectations.
The body was made of fiberglass plastic.
4736 cc V8 R1 or R2 engine.
C. 1540 kg.
Production Studebaker Avanti Coupe: Autumn 1962-1964.
Production Avanti this 1st version: Late 1962-1963.
Picture was taken from:
Cars of the Sizzling '60s, a Decade of Great Rides and Good Vibrations, by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, Publications International LTD, Lincolnwood, 1997.
Original photographer, place and date unknown.
Book collection Sander Toonen (1998).
Halfweg, July 15, 2024.
© 2024 Sander Toonen, Halfweg | All Rights Reserved
I thought that this photo was the little sister in the second photo (www.flickr.com/photos/addie-b/7701320452/in/photostream/) but now that I've viewed it in a larger size, I'm not 100% sure. If it is, she's got short hair and a romper rather than a dress (though it does have a flower print) . But, it could possibly be a little boy. This is one of very few of the pictures that has no developer's mark on the back, so that might signal it as an earlier picture, but the other ones with blank backs are later. I really don't know what to think and the time frame it was taken in really depends on who's in the picture too. Any opinions?
Whoever it is, he or she seems to be well on his/her way to achieving the level of stoicism that the boy from the first few pictures displays.
There is what looks like a name written on the back which might settle the question if anyone can make it out. I'll post a scan of the reverse below.
On another note, I do believe that's the backside of a rocking horse in the bottom left corner. I didn't notice it until last night when I was taking the picture over to the printer to scan it.
*UPDATE*- After taking a closer look at another one of the pictures ( www.flickr.com/photos/addie-b/7733811116/in/photostream/ ) I think this is the same little girl in that picture, but I'm not quite sure who she is. It's possible that she's the sister of the little boy from the first few pictures, but I'm more inclined to think that she's another little girl altogether. Perhaps a cousin or just a neighborhood kid.
One thing I love about this other life of ours is the ability the to make connections with wonderful and interesting people from over the world. You develop casual online friendships with likeminded people and you always think about how amazing it would be to actually meet up with them in real life. And sometimes, if you are really lucky and the timings work out, you can.
I’ve talked to Pamela online for ages and as soon as we booked our trip to Ireland I began wondering if we could meet up somewhere.
Initially I was thinking about somewhere glamorous. A ruined monastery. A dilapidated castle (anything that makes me look young by comparison really) but definitely somewhere atmospheric because that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Location, location, location!
Only… it isn’t. It never is. It’s people, people, people because it doesn’t really matter where you are as long as you are with people you like and you can enjoy yourself with.
So I met up with Pamela in a nice but decidedly non gothic location but she brought with her something far better than any glorious backdrop. She brought Debbie along and like Pamela she’s someone you feel instantly at ease with and could talk to all day. Which is lucky because we pretty much did.
So glad I got to meet them both and really, really hope I get to meet them again someday. Although hopefully in a quiet pub or out somewhere a bit more exotic next time.
Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Kościół Zesłania Ducha Świętego) in Łódź, Poland.
Built in 1828, extensively expanded and remodeled in 1891.
Shot on Kodak Ektar 100 @ EI100
Developed in Fuji C41 X-Press kit on Jobo CPE2 processor
Scanned in Nikon Scan 4.0.3 on Nikon Super Coolscan 8000 ED
Manually inverted in Adobe Photoshop
And talking about how awesome it was.
She's changed a lot since my first impression of her.
The stripe down the side is uneven developing - I did stand developing but didn't mix the Rodinal very long and forgot to agitate it halfway through, so either one could be to blame. Probably the bad mixing.
Developed from the single seat Yak-50, the '52 was a standard trainer for the former soviet airforce, although it has proved a popular mount for civil display pilots as well.
S.S. Badger and S.S. Spartan. Catching up on developing and scanning. Shot a roll of very expired film. This is one of the more interesting images from that roll. Taken with a No. 1A Autographic Kodak Jr camera, manufactured 1914 thru 1925. It takes 116 film, and I came across some very expired Ansco Plenachrome "safety film", expired May 1956. I was not sure if I would get any images at all. Film is definitely very fogged, but I got images! Metered the film at ISO 1. Lens is a Bausch & Lomb Rapid Rectilinear, max aperture f/8. Aperture settings on this lens are very interesting. The aperture numbers go from 4 thru 128. But they are not f-stops, they are relative numbers, so 4 is twice the aperture of 8, 8 is twice the aperture of 16, etc. It works out that number 16 is equal to f/16. So, 4= f/8, 8=f/11, etc. By what I can see, Kodak used to refer to these numbers as the "U.S. system", in contrast to the "normal" aperture settings we are familiar with today, which they called the "F. system". At least, they did back in 1914 :-) Negatives developed in Rodinal 1+100 semi-stand development for 1 hour.
I've just posted a big blog entry on developing your own 4x5 colour film. It's quite a breakthrough for me as it reduces developing costs from about £2.00 per sheet to about 16p per sheet. This is one of the images that came off the batch that I processed on video for the blog article..
Home Developing of 4x5 Sheet Film
I also started using sheet film which further brings the cost down from £2.00 per sheet to about £1.00 per sheet and I also bought some post dated film in bulk from Fuji that works out at 40p per sheet...
Soo .. Big saving going from 4.50 per photo to 56p per photo! I just need to take more pictures now :-)
Developed specifically for the World Sportswear Championship, the 936 ranks among the most successful Porsche racing cars, with 3 Le Mans victories to its credit.
In 1976, it was the first Porsche with a turbo engine to win in Le Mans. In 1977, Jacky Ickx, Jürgen Barth & Hurley Halewood defeat the Renault factory armada of 6 racing cars.
In 1981, the 936 makes a sensational comeback at Le Mans with yet another overall victory.
2.142 cc
6 Cylinder Boxer Turbo
540 PS
Vmax : 360 km/h
Sonderausstellung : 24 Stunden für die Ewigkeit
Special exhibition : 24 Hours for Eternity
Le Mans
26/03/2014 - 31/08/2014
Porsche Museum
Zuffenhausen - Stuttgart
Germany
Juli 2014
patrickjoust | flickr | tumblr | facebook | books
...
Leica M3 and Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 5cm f/2 (collapsible)
Kodak Tri-X 400 developed @ 3200 in Xtol (1:3)
Powerful Storms developed across the Northwoods of Wisconsin during the afternoon hours of August 10 2017. A severe warned cell developed. Some beautiful structure on a marginal day.
Until the end of 2013, Etna's recent eruptive activity was mainly focused on the latest creation of the volcano, the new cone of the Southeast Crater, which was the site of 21 episodes of intense Strombolian activity and - in all cases except the latest two - lava fountaining accompanied by the emission of copious loose volcanic rock material, called tephra. The latest - and weakest - of these episodes took place between 29 and 31 December 2013, although minor lava outflow continued through the two first days of the year 2014, ending altogether during the night of 2-3 January 2014.
For some time, though, we've seen some activity also at the Northeast Crater, the tallest - and since many years, least violently active - of Etna's four summit craters. On 26 October 2013, when the new cone of the Southeast Crater was the site of the first episode of lava fountaining for six months, spectacular ash emissions started also from the Northeast Crater, where the latest significant visible activity had occurred during the summer of 2002. Strangely enough, the conduit of this crater has remained open - possibly down to 1000 or even more meters below the summit - and it has been the source of the most intense and continuous gas emissions of Etna over the past decade.
As the new cone of the Southeast Crater continued to make its eruptive episodes through the fall of 2013, we often saw some sympathetic minor ash emissions at the Northeast Crater, but over the past few days they have become virtually continuous. Today, 9 January 2014, the weather conditions are particularly favorable, with clear skies and a virtually complete absence of wind at Etna's summit, and the plume of ash is rising straight to a few hundred meters above the peak of the mountain. This phenomenon is also well visible from Catania, and from the roof of the INGV building in the center of town, from where I took this photograph on the early afternoon of 9 January 2014 (I admit that I deleted the metal thread of an antenna out of the right upper part of the image).
This is something different, and now everybody is wondering whether old Northeast Crater, after many years of steaming and producing rumbling sounds from deep within its conduit is feeling the drive to return on the scene on a grander scene. The signals that are constantly monitored by the INGV - seismic activity, gas emissions, ground deformation - do not presently indicate that something big is on the move. But Etna, after all, is an active volcano. So we should not be surprised if she gave us another surprise, after all the surprises she's unleashed on us over the years ...
Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.
Developed in ACR with CC24-based matrix linear DCP profile.
Color graded in Dehancer plugin for Adobe Photoshop with "Fujifilm 3513 Print Film" profile and film simulation effects.
Additional color tweaks made in Adobe Photoshop
While browsing through old family photos recently, I came across two old photo-related items that one could find at the Wal-Mart 1-Hour Photo lab in the mid-'90s.
attempted to develop film on vacation in Mexico - reblixed weeks later for four hours
Arista C-41 kit diluted to 1:12 of recommended stock solutions
stand developed for 1 hour at 20C 68F in Paterson tank with inversions initially and at 30 mins
Blix for 45 mins at 1:12 dilution, Stabilizer for 10 mins
Kodak Portra NC 160 ISO 120 roll film
Zenza Bronica ETRS 6:4.5 medium format SLR
Zenzanon f3.5 150mm EII aspherical lens with electronic leaf shutter
(~85mm effective vs 35mm frame) AE prism view finder and speed grip
Scanned with Epson Perfection 4490 at 4800 dpi 48 bit
See [www.youtube.com/watch?v=hawoHRGaDFw] for Bronica medium format camera operation
A combination of straight lines, circle arcs and s-curves on a circle divided in 10.
I know that morning glories are five-sided, but they have a pronounced crease in the middle of each side.
A developing Supercell across far Northeast Wisconsin on July 1 2017. Only isolated storms were expected, but this beast began to develop along an old outflow boundary from a storm early in the afternoon. Aiding in the development was a lake breeze boundary. The updraft was so explosive.