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Kim Berry, DEVELOP Fellow, Wise County (Virginia), left and NASA Langley Research Center DEVELOP Center Lead Emily Gotschalk speak during the 2016 Annual Earth Science Applications Showcase, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Every summer students and young professionals from NASA’s Applied Sciences’ DEVELOP National Program come to NASA Headquarters and present their research projects. DEVELOP is a training and development program where students work on Earth science research projects, mentored by science advisers from NASA and partner agencies, and extend research results to local communities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Camera: Yashica Mat 124 G
Lens:Yashinon 80/3.5
Film: Ilford FP4+,
Film Developing: Kodak X-tol 1+1
Time: 20C° -10 min
scanned with Epson Photo V 500
Deb shows some of the botanical illustration skills she learned at the Denver Botanic Gardens a few years ago.
When she took ink drawing, one time the instructor asked to see her preliminary pencil sketch. She asked "My what?" She had been doing ink direct to paper with no preliminary pencil drawing, as she still mostly does. The watercolor follows after the ink is totally dry.
Developed in ACR with custom made "Fujifilm FinePix S5 pro" DCP profile.
Color graded in Dehancer Photoshop plugin with "Kodak Ektar 100" film profile, "Kodak Endura Glossy" paper profile and film simulation effects.
Developed by Fritz B. Burns Research Division for Housing
Architects: Walter Wurdeman and Welton Becket
Landscape Architects: Eckbo, Royston & Williams
From Google's Life Photos Archive
20130507
Minox Daylight Developing Tank:Bakelite
Jobo 1510 Tank with 1501 DoulSet reel DIY to Minox 8x11 size:Plastic
Nikkor Developing tank with Minox format reel:Stainless steel
Kindermann Minox format Developing tank and reel:Stainless steel
DIY Jobo 1501 reel to Minox 8x11 format size method link here（Dropbox）:
Developed in Fomadon R09 8 mins at 20 degrees C,scanned on Epson V550.Shot on a very basic Canon EOS 1000F on Ilford delta 400
I developed the lumen photograms in dilute developer, or fixed direc, or first bleached before processing, then developing in dilute paper developer and then fixing. They now should be real to light. When first bleaching it goes more to gray black, when first developing it keeps the brown color from the exposure.
After exposure, first bleached in C41 bleach then redeveloped in dilute paper developer in light by inspection pulled washed and fixed. This gives a more grey final image.
Developed Advanced Weapons Group, LLC for the Marine Corps, the VH-91 Gladiator was designed specifically for executive transportation.
Although VH-91's were unarmed, they featured the latest state-of-the-art radar jamming, antimissile chaff, and antidetection equipment, along with secure communication servers and videoconferencing. This allowed the Gladiator to become a mobile command center for high ranking Marines and members of the High Counsel. VH-91's were very heavily armored and even featured shielding to protect electronics against thermonuclear blasts and EMPs.
Despite being large and electronically sophisticated, Gladiators only required a crew of four to operate and could seat up to seventeen passengers.
GH-23 Cricket Infantry Dropships always flew as escort for the unarmed Gladiators and their important passengers.
I based this one on the suuuuuupersexy AgustaWestland AW101- the 101 is one of my favorite shaped helicopters and I've been wanting to build something similar for some time now. Once again I struggled with form vs function and playability, but overall I'm satisfied with the outcome. She's damn sturdy and has several play features including sliding side doors, opening rear hatch, and removable cockpit- definitely a fun build.
From an eight inch square of linen laid cotton (well, some) paper.
Developable is fifty-cent word for "can only bend in one direction at a time." That's not so much a property of paper as it is a dare.
Developed in Caffenol C-L Semi-Stand 60min;Ilford HP5+; Pentax P30; SMC Pentax 55mm f1.8; Epson V600
Roll : 2017 - Décembre- N&B- Strasbourg
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
In Autumn 1946, the Saab company began internal studies aimed at developing a replacement aircraft for the Saab B 18/S 18 as Sweden's standard attack aircraft. In 1948, Saab was formally approached by the Swedish Government with a request to investigate the development of a turbojet-powered strike aircraft to replace a series of 1940s vintage attack, reconnaissance and night-fighter aircraft then in the Flygvapnet: the B 18/S 18, J 21R/A 21R and J 30 (de Havilland Mosquito).
On 20 December 1948, a phase one contract for the design and mock-up of the proposed aircraft was issued. The requirements laid out by the Swedish Air Force were demanding: it had to be able to attack anywhere along Sweden's 2,000 km (1,245 miles) of coastline within one hour of launch from a central location. It had to be capable of being launched in any weather conditions and at day or night. In response, Saab elected to develop a twin-seat aircraft with a low-mounted wing, and equipped with advanced electronics.
On 3 November 1952, the first prototype conducted its first flight. A small batch of prototypes completed design and evaluation trials with series production of the newly designated Saab 32 Lansen beginning in 1953. The first production A 32A Lansen attack aircraft were delivered to the Swedish Air Force and proceeded through to mid 1958, at which point manufacturing activity switched to the other two variants of the Lansen, the J 32B and S 32C. These two models differed substantially from the first, the J 32 B being fitted with a new, more powerful engine for greater flight performance along with new navigation and fire control systems. On 7 January 1957, the first J 32 B Lansen conducted its maiden flight; on 26 Match 1957, the first S 32C Lansen performed its first flight. Production of the Lansen continued until May 1960.
The A 32 Lansen was Sweden's last purpose-built attack aircraft. This was the ground attack and maritime strike version. It replaced Saab B 18 and was later replaced by Viggen. In the years 1955-58 287 were delivered to the Swedish air force. This version had four 20 mm guns in the nose, covered by shutters. The shutters were opened upon "safety off", but had to be closed by command. Empty casings were kept from the air intakes by a pair of small plates under the nose. As they then impacted the external fuel tank, its nose was covered in neoprene to protect it.
The radar used in the A 32A was designated PS-431/A, actually of French design but built in Sweden. Instrumented ranges were 8, 20, 80 and 160 km. The radar gave the A 32 a true all-weather capability and was also used to aim the indigenous RB 04 anti-ship missiles.
As these aircraft always operated in groups, and as an economy measure only about 25% of them were given radars, Typically, only these leader aircraft had navigators aboard and marked the target with illumination flares, while the others, only operated by a single pilot, carried out the actual attack with bombs or missiles.
The replacement of the A 32A formally began in June 1971, the more advanced Saab 37 Viggen being slowly used to take over its attack responsibilities. The last A 32A was retired from active service in 1978. Accidents destroyed a third of all Lansens during 25 years of service.
As the type was gradually being replaced by more modern types, the versatile Saab 32 still continued to be operated into the late 1990s as target tugs and electronic warfare platforms, a total of 20 J 32Bs were converted for these duties into J 32D and Es. By 2010, at least two Lansens were still operational, having the sole task of taking high altitude air samples for research purposes in collaboration with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority; one of these collected volcanic ash samples in mid 2010. By 2012, a total of three Lansens reportedly remained in active service.
General characteristics:
Crew: two
Length: 14.94 m (49 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 13.0 m (42 ft 8 in)
Height: 4.65 m (15 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 37.4 m² (402.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 7,438 kg (16,383 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,600 kg (29,955 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Svenska Flygmotor RM5A afterburning turbojet
(a Rolls Royce Avon Mk.21/21A outfitted with an indigenous afterburner),
delivering 3,460 kp dry and 4,700 kp with afterburning
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,125 km/h (700 mph)/Mach 0.91
Never-exceed speed: 1.200 km/h (745 mph)
Cruising speed: Mach 0.8
Range with internal fuel only: 1.850 km (1,150 mi)
Service ceiling: 14,000 m (45,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 60 m/s (11,800 ft/min)
Armament:
4× 20 mm cannon with 180 rounds per gun (7 s of firing) in the lower nose section
A total of thirteen external hardpoints for a wide variety of up to 3.000 kg ordnance,
including a pair of Rb04 anti-ship missiles, unguided missiles and bombs of different calibers,
and special loads like a BOZ 3 chaff dispenser pod.
The kit and its assembly:
This is another contribution for the “Old Kit Group Build” running at whatifmodelers.com in late 2016. I had this project on the agenda for a long time, even kit and decals stashed away, but this was now a good occasion to start it.
The basis is the venerable Saab 32 Heller kit, since 1982 the only available 1:72 IP model of the Lansen – just recently Hobby Boss and Tarangus presented their own kits in 1:48 and 1:72.
The kit offers parts for an A 32A attack aircraft and optional parts for an S 32C recce aircraft (a J 32B interceptor and its derivatives needs some detail mods at the exhaust and under the nose).
This old kit has good detail, but it comes with then-state-of-the-art raised panel lines, some flash and election marks. Fit varies a lot – while the wing/fuselage intersection matches perfectly, the fuselage halves needed a lot of attention and serious bodywork. The optional lower nose section for the A and C variants is also not without trouble: the part fits, but the seams run right along the middle of the air intake channels, a pretty delicate solution. Overall, the kit builds well without major issues. But it’s a shame that it comes ”clean”, some of the exotic Swedish ordnance (e. g. the unique Rb04 missiles or the conformal under-fuselage tank) would have been a nice addition.
The Heller kit was basically built OOB as an A 32A attack aircraft, just with a few enhancements and additions. These include lowered flaps for a more lively presentation (no aftermarket parts, just a mod of the kit itself), extended air intake walls (inside, with simple styrene sheet), some new antennae and emergency fuel valves under the tail section, and twelve pylons under the wings with a dozen heavy unguided missiles. The latter come from an Airfix/Heller A-1 Skyraider and the pylons (four bigger ones, which can also hold heavier ordnance, plus eight smaller hardpoints for light loads only like 120 kg iron bombs or unguided missiles) were scratched from styrene sheet. Instead of the characteristic conformal belly tank, I installed a large, central pylon for a camera pod. After all, this aircraft flies for a test institution.
Painting and markings:
This is the whiffy and more interesting part. The paint scheme on this Lansen is based on an illustration that has been around for ages and which pops up every now and then in literature and online - always without any further information:
img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/171/pics/90_4.jpg
AFAIK the illustration was created in the GDR by an artist with the family name "Römer", probably in the Seventies. What I could find out is that the aircraft is s/n 32209, and that it was sold to the USA for private use (as a target tug) in flying condition, and the machine served, in an all-grey livery, until 1989. The only vague proof for the the odd and disruptive three-tone-scheme I found is a blurred picture of FC/29 still in Swedish service, but with a totally weathered camouflage, a nose probe and with one wing upper surface painted black while the other appears white. But the machine seems to have existed in the profile's guise, or something similar.
The scheme looks pretty experimental, though, and camouflage trials were actually carried out with the Lansen in the early Sixties and eventually led to the green/blue scheme that was adopted for the type and later for the Saab 35, too. The aircraft’s operator, the Försökscentralen (The Swedish Air Force’s research and test institution, with its traditional tactical code “FC” instead of the usual unit number on the fuselage), supports the machine’s trials role further.
Anyway, this scheme here, probably inspired by the USAF’s SEA scheme, rather looks like an early study for what would later become the unique "Fields & Meadows" splinter scheme, made famous by the Viggen in the Seventies? All these leads suggest a relatively tight, potential time frame for this aircraft in the late Sixties/very early Seventies.
Because there’s only a port side profile available of “FC/29”, the rest of the scheme had to be guessed – and for the first time I created a digital four-side view for the task. Since there’s no reference, I guesstimated the tones: The light green is Humbrol 150 (Forest Green, FS 34127) later shaded with Humbrol 80 (Grass Green). Humbrol 91 (Black Green, ~RLM70) was used for the for the dark, bluish green. Finally the brown tone was mixed with Humbrol 29 and RLM 79 (Sandgelb, from the Modelmaster Authentics range) plus a bit of Humbrol 62 (Leather) for an orange-ish, sandy tan tone, so that it does not look too much like USAF FS 30219.
The underside was painted with RLM 76 (Humbrol 247), a tone that IMHO comes very close to the dull Blågrå tone of Swedish military aircraft since WWII.
The cockpit interior was painted, according to pictures of the real aircraft, in a greenish grey – I used RLM 02 for the standard surfaces and Humbrol 111 for the dashboards and other instrument panels.
The silver wing leading edges were created with decal sheet, not painted - a clean and convenient solution.
The landing gear wells als well as the flaps’ interior became Aluminum (Humbrol 56), while the landing gear struts became dark green (Humbrol 30), a detail seen on some real life Saab 32s. The unguided missiles were – typical for the Swedish Air Force – painted as training rounds in light green (Humbrol 120, FS 34227).
Most markings come from an RBD Studio aftermarket sheet (excellent stuff!), puzzled together from various aircraft and with the benefit of additional stencils, since the OOB sheet is pretty minimalistic. To make matters worse, the OOB sheet was printed off-register, so that almost nothing with 2 colors or more could be used.
The cool thing about the RBD Studio sheet is, though, that it actually allows to create the “29” from the inspiring profile! The orange nose band, a typical marking for fighters operated by the Försökscentralen, was scratched from decal sheet.
One detail that is certainly not correct is the squadron emblem on the air intake - it is shown in the inspiring profile, so I chose something that comes visually close, F15's emblem.
Only light panel shading was done, more for the dramatic effect than true weathering. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.
A relatively simple build, without major donations or transplantations. “FC/29” - fictional or not - turned out to be quite colorful, I am positively surprised.
Its high contrast camouflage proves to be quite effective in the beauty pics, and the green ordnance as well as the bright markings are nice contrasts. Looks very different from "normal" Saab 32s, especially from the all-green fighters.
This will certainly not the last Saab 32 I’ll build, it’s a very impressive and elegant aircraft!
Many, many years ago -- eons, probably -- this species of mountain trout developed a fur coat to take a bit of the chill off the icy streams in which it lives. Now, global warming has caused the temperature of those streams to rise. Will the trout adapt to its environment once again by shedding its fur coat? Will it swim north to Canada, where it runs the risk of death by boredom? Or will it go the way of the dino and the dodo?
+++ 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 Sd.Kfz. 141/4 Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. It was intended to fight other armored fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the similar Panzer IV which was originally designed for infantry support. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, the latter was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun and the Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV. Later, the Panzer V “Panther” took over the role of the standard MBT. Production of the Panzer III as battle tank ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis was used for a range of specialized vehicles.
The Panzer III was by far the most widely used of all Axis chassis. Besides the StuG, or Sturmgeschütz III, family (9500 built), suspensions, tracks and engine were used in almost a dozen specially modified vehicles. These included the Tauchpanzer III, an improvised “submarine version” designed for “Operation Seelöwe”, the invasion of Great Britain in August 1940, the Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B (or sIG-33B), a 1941-42 conversion of regular Panzer IIIs into a self-propelled chassis for the massive 150 mm (5.9 in) field gun, or the Sturmhaubitze 42 (StuH 42), of which 1024 were built. Other conversions included the Flammpanzer III Ausf.M(Fl), an Ausf.M-based flamethrower version, the Panzerbefehlswagen III command tanks and the Artillerie-Panzerbeobachtungswagen III, which was an advanced artillery observation model of which 262 were produced, appearing on the Russian front in 1943. The Bergepanzer III recovery tank was a late (1944) version affected to the Eastern Front, mostly to Tiger units.
Another late Panzer III development was the SdKfz. 141/4, officially called Panzerspähwagen III but better known as Spähpanzer III. It was, like the Panzerbefehlswagen III, not a newly produced vehicle but rather converted from recovered late Panzer III chassis. It was developed and introduced as an alternative to the SdKfz. 234 8x8 heavy scout cars, primarily for areas where better armor and off-road capabilities were called for, and where range was not a vital asset. In fact, the Panzerspähwagen III was more or less a direct alternative to the stillborn VK 1602 ‘Leopard’ light tank, very similar to it in many aspects.
As a dedicated scout vehicle, the Panzerspähwagen III was not designed to fight tanks. Its primary mission was rather to guide heavier battle tanks to potential targets in both offensive and defensive situations, and it would also act as an artillery scout. The crew was expected to race in front of the main Panzer Division or lie in wait ahead of defensive strongholds and search out the enemy. Once they had found them, they were to use speed to get out of range or a powerful radio set to report what they had seen, so that the main attack could be prepared.
Tailored to this task, the Spähpanzer III was simplified and lightened. It had a reduced crew of only four, with only the commander and a loader in a new turret - basically the same horseshoe-shaped turret that had originally been developed for the unrealized VK 1602, and which had also found its way on the highly successful SdKfz. 234/2, too. However, in order to provide the commander with a better all-round field of view under closed hatch conditions, a standard cupola was added. Another new piece of equipment was a stereoscopic rangefinder, useful for both reconnaissance and gun aiming. A stowage box was frequently mounted to the turret’s rear, too.
While the hull armor of up to 50 mm was retained, the turret’s armor was relatively light: the front was protected by 30 mm (1.2 in) armor at an angle of 20° from the vertical, the sides and rear had 10 mm armor set at 25°, and the top plate was 10 mm (0.39 in) armor, too. The gun mantlet was rounded and was effectively 40 to 100 mm (1.6 to 3.9 in) thick. Due to its small size and low weight, the turret only had a manual traverse (saving more weight and resources) and -10° to +20° depression/elevation.
The main gun was a 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 39/1 L/60, which was sufficient to engage lightly armored enemies. It could, however, when firing armor piercing rounds from a favorable angle, penetrate at short range (100m) up to 130mm of armor at a 30° angle, enough to overcome a T-34’s armor – but this was not the vehicle’s task and rather a desperate measure. To support the vehicle’s escape, defensive smoke dischargers were often mounted, too. A 7.92 mm (0.31 in) Mauser MG 42 machine gun was fixed coaxially to the main gun, another machine gun of the same type was carried in a ball mount in a modified glacis plate. The latter was an attempt to improve the tank’s frontal protection through the clever use of angle instead of trying to add ever more armor and, consequently, weight. On the new glacis plate, the 50 mm armor was effectively extended to 115mm, and the shallow angle also deflected incoming rounds more easily. However, the rest of the armor remained almost vertical, so that this gain in protection was only marginal.
For even better ballistic protection both hull crew members (driver and radio operator) had only periscopes, similar to the late Panzer V “Panther” versions. Open vision ports at the front were deleted and therefore weak points in the front armor, even though the side ports were retained. Thanks to the smaller and lighter turret, both driver and radio operator in the hull also received individual hatches in the hull roof, which were greatly appreciated by the crews. They not only offered a better field of view when not under fire, they also provided them with a much improved escape route: former Panzer IIIs with turrets lacked these hatches and the only escape options from the hull were either via the turret or through small emergency hatches in the lower flanks, right through the running gear. The raised glacis plate furthermore offered more internal space in the tank’s front end, so that a new, semi-automatic gearbox could be installed, which made handling easier.
As a command vehicle, the Panzerspähwagen III carried two radio sets: a FuG 2 command channel set with a FuG 122 aerial, and a FuG 5 radio with an intercom system. This arrangement allowed tank commanders to listen on one frequency while transmitting and receiving on the FuG 5. This meant that the commander could listen to the regimental command net while talking to other tanks at the same time. This radio receiver could listen into a total of 125 channels, at 50 kHz channel steps in the 27.0 to 33.3 MHz range. The system had a usable range of around 4 km to 6 km, depending on the atmospheric conditions and the surrounding landscape.
Due to material shortages, esp. the lack of natural and synthetic rubber, most Panzerspähwagen III conversions received simplified, lightweight all-metal road wheels, which made the ride less comfortable but helped to reduce the vehicle’s overall weight. Protective side-skirts against hollow charges could be mounted, but these were normally left away since they added weight and got easily lost in action, so that their benefit was only marginal – and the Panzerspähwagen III was expected to avoid direct confrontations, anyway. Altogether, the Panzerspähwagen III weighed about 19 tons, five tons less than the final Panzer III battle tank versions with 75mm guns and uprated armor, and this markedly improved the vehicle’s performance and agility. The light turret, which markedly lowered the vehicle’s center of gravity, improved the handling, too.
A few Panzerspähwagen IIIs were ready to fight in Normandy in 1944, but their movements were constrained because of Allied air supremacy. However, a good use of the bocage proved that the Panzer III was still a match for most Allied tanks and that the Spähpanzer concept worked well. Only a limited number of this SdKfz. 141 type was produced, though, since resources were concentrated on the development and production of heavy battle tanks. Production numbers are uncertain, but less than 50 Panzerspähwagen IIIs seem to have been re-built until early 1945.
By the end of 1944 the regular Panzer IIIs were no longer the bulk of the German armored forces, and they were relegated to second line duties, e .g in composite small defensive units. And as the production had stopped earlier, their numbers decreased even more, and by fall of 1944, there were perhaps 80 still operational on the Eastern Front. By then, new generations of US, British and Soviet tanks had nailed their coffin. The type had reached its limits as a battle tank, its former advanced features were now commonly used, and no further up-gunning was possible.
The last Panzer IIIs fought in the Netherlands, Northern Italy (Gothic line), and in eastern Prussia. Perhaps a handful still operational were spread between desperately weakened companies in March-April 1945, like the Steiner Brigade.
Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander/gunner, loader, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)
Weight: 19.2 tonnes
Length: 5.56 m (18 ft 3 in), hull only
6,04 m (19 ft 10 in) overall
Width: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in) w/o antenna mast
Suspension: Torsion bar
Fuel capacity: 320 liter
Armor:
15 – 50 mm (0.6 – 1.97 in)
Performance:
Maximum road speed: 44 km/h (27 mph)
Off-road speed: 28 km/h (18 mph)
Operational range: 165 km (103 mi) with internal fuel
Power/weight: 15.63 PS (11.24 kW)/tonne
Engine:
Maybach HL120 TRM water-cooled 12-cylinder gasoline engine with 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW),
combined with a Maybach OG 55 11 77 semi-automatic transmission
Armament:
1× 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 39/1 L/60 with sixty rounds
2× 7.92 mm MG 42 machine guns (coaxial with main gun and in the front hull) with 2.400 rounds
The kit and its assembly:
This converted Panzer III was spawned by the idea that, by 1944, this 1936 design could have been re-built for a different use than a battle tank – a task for which this medium tank had become much too light, with an utter lack of development potential. A dedicated recce variant appeared plausible. This idea was further promoted by the fact that I had a surplus VK 1602 turret in the donor bank, left over from a Hasegawa SdKfz. 234/2 “Puma”.
The chassis was taken from a Revell “Panzer III Ostwind” kit and modified in two ways. Firstly, I changed the glacis plate, replacing the old-school vertical front with a sloped alternative, crafted from styrene sheet pieces. A new ball mount for the hull machine gun was added, as well as periscopes for the crew on new hatches, which became possible through the smaller turret.
The turret opening in the hull had not to be adapted to the smaller Puma turret – the latter was only a little bit smaller than the opening, so that some spacers were enough to make it fit snuggly, and a thin “distance ring” between hull and turret was added, too, so that it would not directly sit on the body. Fairings for a stereoscopic rangefinder were added to the turret flanks, scratched from styrene profile material, and I also added a typical Panzer III stowage box to the turret’s rear. It had to be customized to the smaller “Puma” turret, but I think that this visual enlargement of the turret is a good balance to the rest of the hull, and the box changes the vehicle’s silhouette, too. The commando cupola from the Revell kit (which comes, beyond the open “Ostwind” AA turret, with a full, early standard Panzer III turret) was left open, using the hatch from the VK 1602 turret, and I put a figure into the opening – this German commanding officer is actually 1:76, but that’s not obvious. The figure comes IIRC from a Matchbox “Wespe” SPG that I built more than 30 years ago. Since the figure had somehow lost a leg in the meantime, the Panzerspähwagen III became a suitable new workplace for the handicapped, after having been stripped off of an old enamel paint layer and outfitted with a multi-colored new uniform. Other small changes include the scratched antenna mast for the vehicle’s uprated radio equipment (from heated sprue material) and some re-arranged external equipment.
As another, subtle gimmick, I replaced the original main wheels, for a different and somewhat confusing look. A simplified running gear, without rubber on the main wheels, appeared quite plausible for 1944 onwards. The new road wheels came from a Zvezda IS-2 tank. I had a dozen of these left over from another conversion project, just in the right number and their diameter is virtually identical to the Panzer III’s original wheels! Just the spare wheels had to be taken over from the Revell kit. The fiddly OOB segmented plastic tracks were replaced with soft vinyl tracks from a Panzer III/IV CMK aftermarket set. Personally, I find them easier to handle and to paint – due to their anthracite black color and the material’s smoothness. Nice stuff!
Painting and markings:
As a late WWII vehicle I decided to apply a non-standard/fictional paint scheme, something different from the popular “Hinterhalt” scheme, and I settled upon a pattern similar to an E-100 tank I had built a while ago. The scheme consists of an overall coat of grey-green (RLM02, a universal and omnipresent tone) with disrupting, large spots of dark grey (RAL 7021, Schwarzgrau), which were strategically placed over corners and edges of the hull, so that the outlines break up. I adapted the concept onto my modified Panzer III, but somehow this looked goofy – probably due to the much smaller size and classic tank silhouette of the vehicle: the whole affair was way too reminiscent of the Allied late-war “Mickey Mouse” scheme in olive drab and black!
In order to provide a more outstanding look and lighten everything up a little, I added small grey-green mottles to the dark grey areas. After that, however, the still uniform grey-green areas stood out, so that I eventually applied mottles in RAL 7028 (Dunkelgelb) to these areas, too. The contrast is rather low, but I think that the overall look is in the end more balanced with them, and the mottles overall help to break up the outlines even further – and the paint scheme looks more “different” now. The wheels and the running gear sections of the hull were – as a standard order of the time – left without the mottles, because the swirling patterns would be rather obvious when the vehicle was moving.
The basic tones are Revell 45, Humbrol 67 and ModelMaster 1584, later treated with a dark, red-brown overall washing with acrylic paint, dry-painting with a greyish beige all over (Revell 89, nice weathering tone for fresh, clayish mud) and some watercolor in ochre and umbra for dust and mud residues. Tactical markings are minimal and come from the Revell Ostwind kit and a Hasegawa Panther. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and some mineral pigments were dusted onto the model’s lower areas.
An interesting result, and the fictional Panzerkampfwagen III looks IMHO disturbingly plausible, as it combines well-known elements and comes with subtle updates/modifications. And somehow the vehicle (unintentionally) reminds me a lot of the comparable M24 Chaffee. And isn’t there a certain look of a mini KV-1, due to the turret’s shape and proportions?
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Airbus Helicopters Tiger, formerly known as the Eurocopter Tiger, is a four-bladed, twin-engined attack helicopter which first entered service in 2003. It is manufactured by Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters), the successor company to Aérospatiale's and DASA's respective helicopter divisions, which designate it as the EC665. In Germany and Australia it is known as the 'Tiger'; in France and Spain it is called the 'Tigre'. Finland, the youngest export customer, calls the EC665 'Tiikeri'.
Development of the Tiger started during the Cold War and it was initially intended as an anti-tank helicopter platform to be used against a Soviet ground invasion of Western Europe. During its prolonged development period the Soviet Union collapsed, but France and Germany chose to proceed with the Tiger, developing it instead as a multirole attack helicopter.
It achieved operational readiness in 2008 and since the type's introduction to service, Tigers have been used in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, and Mali.
The Tiger has the distinction of being the first all-composite helicopter developed in Europe. Even the earliest models also incorporate other advanced features such as a glass cockpit, stealth technology and high agility to increase its survivability. The Tiger has a tandem-seat cockpit and is operated by a two-man crew; the pilot is placed in the forward position, with the gunner seated behind.
Either of the crew members can manage the weapon systems or the primary flight controls, switching roles if necessitated.
In addition to flying the aircraft, the Tiger's pilot would typically be in control of the self-defense systems and communications, as well as some secondary weapon functions.
Amongst the Tiger's notable qualities, it possesses very high levels of agility, much of which is attributed to the design of its 13-meter four-bladed hinge-less main rotor; the Tiger can perform full loops and negative g manoeuvres. Power is provided by a pair of FADEC-controlled MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce MTR390 turboshaft engines.
Finland is only a small operator of the helicopter. The type’s procurement for the country’s army came as a surprise, even though it is part of the thorough modernization program of the Finnish Army and its equipment.
This modernization program started in October 2001 when Finland signed a contract for 20 NH90 TTHs for the Finnish Army to replace their ageing fleet of Mil Mi-8 helicopters from 2004 onwards.
NH 90 deliveries became delayed, though, and in the meantime the tactical potential of an additional, dedicated combat helicopter was assessed and positively evaluated. One of the major factors that led to the Tiger’s purchase was the fact that Finland participated in nearly all sub-areas of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and had for example provided peacekeeping forces to both the Afghanistan and Kosovo missions. The possibility of Finland's membership in NATO was one of the most important political issues and continues to be a prominent issue in Finnish politics.
Within the Finnish Army the EC665 is regarded as an armed complement to the new NH90 transport helicopters. An initial order for eight EC-665s was placed in 2004, including an option for eight more, at estimated costs of €27m/unit.
The Finnish variant was optimized for the anti-tank and fire support role, but also capable of armed reconnaissance and artillery spotting. Its avionics and sensor suite was not as sophisticated as other nations’ variants, but still built around existing state-of-the-art equipment and tailored to the Finnish needs.
Amongst the key avionics features of the helicopter are the EUROGRID battlefield management and map display systems, integrated communications (HF/VHM/FM radio and satellite) and data transfer links, a high-authority digital automatic flight control system, and redundant MIL 1553 data buses. Two redundant mission computers control the weapons, sensors, and targeting functions. The Tiger's navigational suite includes GPS, dual-redundant inertial referencing, Doppler radar, separated air data units, radio altimeter and distributed air speed sensors.
The most significant single avionics system fitted upon the Finnish Tiger is the mast-mounted OSIRIS sight/sensor. This incorporates optical TV and thermal cameras, a laser range finder/tracker/designator, and multiple gyroscopes for stabilization. OSIRIS performs as the main sensor for target observation and acquisition, providing firing and targeting data via the weapons computer. Furthermore, OSIRIS also enables entirely passive target acquisition to be undertaken, greatly reducing the risk of enemy detection.
Each crew member has a pair of multifunction liquid-crystal data displays at their control station, typically used to display internal systems information and sensory data, and to interact with the aircraft's higher systems. An additional display system is available to both crew in the form of the helmet-mounted display (HMD). The HMD is used by the flying pilot to display basic flight data with digitally enhanced optics, such as night vision or infrared imagery from the sensors, superimposed against; the gunner can use the HMD to interact with and control on-board weapon systems and view targeting data.
The 'Tiikeri' can operate during day or night in all-weather conditions, and has been designed to include operations in the aftermath of nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare. It can even be used in the maritime environment, able to operate from the decks of ships including frigates and during extreme weather conditions.
The Tiger is capable of equipping various armaments including rockets, cannon, and a range of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, controlled via a dedicated weapons control computer. The Finnish variant’s main armament is the AGM-114 ‘Hellfire’ missile, up to sixteen of these weapons can be carried. Other munitions for anti-ground warfare include an assortment of external gun pods and up to four launchers for 70mm and 68mm rockets, all to be mounted under the Tiger's stub-wings. A nose-mounted Nexter turret with a GIAT 30 mm gun is also available.
In March 2008, EC665 deliveries began, together with the delayed NH90s. To minimize further delay, aircraft were first delivered to an Initial Operational Configuration (IOC-) and Nearly Operational Configuration (IOC+), to be later modified by Patria into a Final Operational Configuration (FOC). In parallel, initial pilot training and conversion had been conducted at the Franco-German pilot training school at Le Luc in Provence. Operational status of the first batch was achieved in early 2009, and delivery of the second batch started in 2010.
In June 2011, six Finnish EC665 participated in the Finnish Defense Forces' main field exercise, escorting NH90 troop transports; their performance was described as having exceeded expectations.
General characteristics
Crew: Two (pilot and weapon systems officer)
Length: 14.08 m fuselage (46 ft 2 in)
Rotor diameter: 13.00 m (42 ft 8 in)
Height: 3.83 m (12 ft 7 in)
Disc area: 133 m² (1,430 ft²)
Internal fuel capacity: 1,080 kg (2,380 lb)
Empty weight: 3,060 kg (6,750 lb)
Loaded weight: 5,090 kg (11,311 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 6,000 kg (13,000 lb)
Powerplant:
2× MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce MTR390 turboshafts, 958 kW (1.303 shp) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 290 km/h (157 knots, 181 mph)
Range: 800 km (430 nm, 500 mi) in combat configuration
1,300km with external tanks in the inboard stations
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 10.7 m/s (2,105 ft/min)
Power/mass: 0.23 hp/lb (0.38 kW/kg)
Armament:
1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GIAT 30 cannon in chin turret, with up to 450 rounds.
Four stub wing hardpoints for e.g. 20 mm (0.787 in) autocannon pods, 68 mm (2.68 in) SNEB or
70 mm (2.75 in) Hydra 70 unguided rockets pods or starters with 4x AGM-114 Hellfire missiles
The kit and its assembly:
This whiffy Tiger helicopter was (again) inspired by a CG side profile by fellow users nighthunter & Darth Panda at whatifmodelers.com. The model is more or less a hardware recreation of this profile on the basis of the Italeri kit.
The Italeri kit itself ain’t bad, but it has raised details and fit, esp. around the engines and the rotor mast, is rather dubious. Anyway, it was built more or less OOB, the only changes are the added pilot figures (Hobby Master pygmies), other antennae and the different armament. The Hellfires and their racks come from an Italeri AH-64, the small six-shot rocket pods belong to a Revell G.91 and actually contain unguided air-to-air rockets. Another modification is the use of the OOB French chin turret implanted under the German nose with a scratched mount, a scratched IR jammer and a pair of chaff/flare dispensers on the stub wings’ upper sides (AH-1 style, scratched, too). Internally, a vertical styrene tube in the kit’s CG offers an attachment point for an iron wire holder (for the beauty pics).
The model is not a 100% match with the CG benchmark, but the most important and obvious elements are there.
Painting and markings:
CG profiles are, like print colors, always hard to interpret, and this case was no different. nighthunter’s profile shows the Tiger in a tricolor paint scheme with two greens and black. These could be the German colors (which are actually used on the Finnish NH90 transporters, RAL 6003, FS 34079 and RAL 7021), but then the typical German Tiger camouflage pattern would not match, the CG profile rather shows the French pattern. Alternatively, the colors could be those from contemporary Finnish Army ground vehicles carry, but these carry a splinter scheme.
I decided to combine both options, using the original, organic wraparound pattern in French style and use the Finnish Army colors. I could not find official descriptions of the latter, so I improvised, using several vehicle pics as reference.
Choice of colors was not easy: my basic tones are Revell 45 (RAL 7003 ‘Moosgrau’, a kind of dark variant of RLM 02), FS 34096 (very close to the typical Finnish WWII olive green) and the German RAL 7021, a very dark grey. The greens appear rather light and pale, but I wanted the more greyish look and a strong contrast to the dark grey.
The interior as well as the rotor blades were painted in Neutral Grey (FS 36173), the latter with orange tips.
After the basic painting process a black ink wash was applied, and panels were shaded with lighter tones, including RLM 02 and FS 37066 from ModelMaster as well as Humbrol 105. As usual, everything was done with brushes.
Decals came next. The national markings are 1:144 aftermarket roundels and the tactical code was created from single letters and numbers from TL Modellbau. The few warning stencils etc. were taken from the OOB sheet and from the scrap box.
After that, the kit was carefully and only slightly rubbed with grinded graphite on a soft cotton cloth, in order to emphasize the fine, raised surface details. Finally, the kit was sealed under a coat of matt acrylic varnish.
The paint scheme ended up lighter than expected, but the result looks IMHO good and has that special “Finnish Touch”. It’s also relatively close to the CG profile that inspired it, a quick and rather smooth build.
CIA developed the highly secret A-12 OXCART as the U-2’s successor, intended to meet the nation’s need for a very fast, very high-flying reconnaissance aircraft that could avoid Soviet air defenses. CIA awarded the OXCART contract to Lockheed (builder of the U-2) in 1959. In 1965, after hundreds of hours flown at high personal risk by the elite team of CIA and Lockheed pilots, the A 12 was declared fully operational, attaining the design specifications of a sustained speed of Mach 3.2 at 90,000 feet altitude. The A-12 on display at CIA Headquarters—number eight in production of the 15 A-12s built—was the first of the operational fleet to be certified for Mach 3. No piloted operational jet aircraft has ever flown faster or higher. To learn more about the CIA, visit www.cia.gov.
patrickjoust | flickr | tumblr | IG | prints for sale
...
Konica Hexar RF and Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/4
Kentmere 400 developed in Xtol (1:2)
+++ 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 Sd.Kfz. 141/4 Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. It was intended to fight other armored fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the similar Panzer IV which was originally designed for infantry support. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, the latter was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun and the Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV. Later, the Panzer V “Panther” took over the role of the standard MBT. Production of the Panzer III as battle tank ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis was used for a range of specialized vehicles.
The Panzer III was by far the most widely used of all Axis chassis. Besides the StuG, or Sturmgeschütz III, family (9500 built), suspensions, tracks and engine were used in almost a dozen specially modified vehicles. These included the Tauchpanzer III, an improvised “submarine version” designed for “Operation Seelöwe”, the invasion of Great Britain in August 1940, the Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B (or sIG-33B), a 1941-42 conversion of regular Panzer IIIs into a self-propelled chassis for the massive 150 mm (5.9 in) field gun, or the Sturmhaubitze 42 (StuH 42), of which 1024 were built. Other conversions included the Flammpanzer III Ausf.M(Fl), an Ausf.M-based flamethrower version, the Panzerbefehlswagen III command tanks and the Artillerie-Panzerbeobachtungswagen III, which was an advanced artillery observation model of which 262 were produced, appearing on the Russian front in 1943. The Bergepanzer III recovery tank was a late (1944) version affected to the Eastern Front, mostly to Tiger units.
Another late Panzer III development was the SdKfz. 141/4, officially called Panzerspähwagen III but better known as Spähpanzer III. It was, like the Panzerbefehlswagen III, not a newly produced vehicle but rather converted from recovered late Panzer III chassis. It was developed and introduced as an alternative to the SdKfz. 234 8x8 heavy scout cars, primarily for areas where better armor and off-road capabilities were called for, and where range was not a vital asset. In fact, the Panzerspähwagen III was more or less a direct alternative to the stillborn VK 1602 ‘Leopard’ light tank, very similar to it in many aspects.
As a dedicated scout vehicle, the Panzerspähwagen III was not designed to fight tanks. Its primary mission was rather to guide heavier battle tanks to potential targets in both offensive and defensive situations, and it would also act as an artillery scout. The crew was expected to race in front of the main Panzer Division or lie in wait ahead of defensive strongholds and search out the enemy. Once they had found them, they were to use speed to get out of range or a powerful radio set to report what they had seen, so that the main attack could be prepared.
Tailored to this task, the Spähpanzer III was simplified and lightened. It had a reduced crew of only four, with only the commander and a loader in a new turret - basically the same horseshoe-shaped turret that had originally been developed for the unrealized VK 1602, and which had also found its way on the highly successful SdKfz. 234/2, too. However, in order to provide the commander with a better all-round field of view under closed hatch conditions, a standard cupola was added. Another new piece of equipment was a stereoscopic rangefinder, useful for both reconnaissance and gun aiming. A stowage box was frequently mounted to the turret’s rear, too.
While the hull armor of up to 50 mm was retained, the turret’s armor was relatively light: the front was protected by 30 mm (1.2 in) armor at an angle of 20° from the vertical, the sides and rear had 10 mm armor set at 25°, and the top plate was 10 mm (0.39 in) armor, too. The gun mantlet was rounded and was effectively 40 to 100 mm (1.6 to 3.9 in) thick. Due to its small size and low weight, the turret only had a manual traverse (saving more weight and resources) and -10° to +20° depression/elevation.
The main gun was a 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 39/1 L/60, which was sufficient to engage lightly armored enemies. It could, however, when firing armor piercing rounds from a favorable angle, penetrate at short range (100m) up to 130mm of armor at a 30° angle, enough to overcome a T-34’s armor – but this was not the vehicle’s task and rather a desperate measure. To support the vehicle’s escape, defensive smoke dischargers were often mounted, too. A 7.92 mm (0.31 in) Mauser MG 42 machine gun was fixed coaxially to the main gun, another machine gun of the same type was carried in a ball mount in a modified glacis plate. The latter was an attempt to improve the tank’s frontal protection through the clever use of angle instead of trying to add ever more armor and, consequently, weight. On the new glacis plate, the 50 mm armor was effectively extended to 115mm, and the shallow angle also deflected incoming rounds more easily. However, the rest of the armor remained almost vertical, so that this gain in protection was only marginal.
For even better ballistic protection both hull crew members (driver and radio operator) had only periscopes, similar to the late Panzer V “Panther” versions. Open vision ports at the front were deleted and therefore weak points in the front armor, even though the side ports were retained. Thanks to the smaller and lighter turret, both driver and radio operator in the hull also received individual hatches in the hull roof, which were greatly appreciated by the crews. They not only offered a better field of view when not under fire, they also provided them with a much improved escape route: former Panzer IIIs with turrets lacked these hatches and the only escape options from the hull were either via the turret or through small emergency hatches in the lower flanks, right through the running gear. The raised glacis plate furthermore offered more internal space in the tank’s front end, so that a new, semi-automatic gearbox could be installed, which made handling easier.
As a command vehicle, the Panzerspähwagen III carried two radio sets: a FuG 2 command channel set with a FuG 122 aerial, and a FuG 5 radio with an intercom system. This arrangement allowed tank commanders to listen on one frequency while transmitting and receiving on the FuG 5. This meant that the commander could listen to the regimental command net while talking to other tanks at the same time. This radio receiver could listen into a total of 125 channels, at 50 kHz channel steps in the 27.0 to 33.3 MHz range. The system had a usable range of around 4 km to 6 km, depending on the atmospheric conditions and the surrounding landscape.
Due to material shortages, esp. the lack of natural and synthetic rubber, most Panzerspähwagen III conversions received simplified, lightweight all-metal road wheels, which made the ride less comfortable but helped to reduce the vehicle’s overall weight. Protective side-skirts against hollow charges could be mounted, but these were normally left away since they added weight and got easily lost in action, so that their benefit was only marginal – and the Panzerspähwagen III was expected to avoid direct confrontations, anyway. Altogether, the Panzerspähwagen III weighed about 19 tons, five tons less than the final Panzer III battle tank versions with 75mm guns and uprated armor, and this markedly improved the vehicle’s performance and agility. The light turret, which markedly lowered the vehicle’s center of gravity, improved the handling, too.
A few Panzerspähwagen IIIs were ready to fight in Normandy in 1944, but their movements were constrained because of Allied air supremacy. However, a good use of the bocage proved that the Panzer III was still a match for most Allied tanks and that the Spähpanzer concept worked well. Only a limited number of this SdKfz. 141 type was produced, though, since resources were concentrated on the development and production of heavy battle tanks. Production numbers are uncertain, but less than 50 Panzerspähwagen IIIs seem to have been re-built until early 1945.
By the end of 1944 the regular Panzer IIIs were no longer the bulk of the German armored forces, and they were relegated to second line duties, e .g in composite small defensive units. And as the production had stopped earlier, their numbers decreased even more, and by fall of 1944, there were perhaps 80 still operational on the Eastern Front. By then, new generations of US, British and Soviet tanks had nailed their coffin. The type had reached its limits as a battle tank, its former advanced features were now commonly used, and no further up-gunning was possible.
The last Panzer IIIs fought in the Netherlands, Northern Italy (Gothic line), and in eastern Prussia. Perhaps a handful still operational were spread between desperately weakened companies in March-April 1945, like the Steiner Brigade.
Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander/gunner, loader, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)
Weight: 19.2 tonnes
Length: 5.56 m (18 ft 3 in), hull only
6,04 m (19 ft 10 in) overall
Width: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in) w/o antenna mast
Suspension: Torsion bar
Fuel capacity: 320 liter
Armor:
15 – 50 mm (0.6 – 1.97 in)
Performance:
Maximum road speed: 44 km/h (27 mph)
Off-road speed: 28 km/h (18 mph)
Operational range: 165 km (103 mi) with internal fuel
Power/weight: 15.63 PS (11.24 kW)/tonne
Engine:
Maybach HL120 TRM water-cooled 12-cylinder gasoline engine with 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW),
combined with a Maybach OG 55 11 77 semi-automatic transmission
Armament:
1× 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 39/1 L/60 with sixty rounds
2× 7.92 mm MG 42 machine guns (coaxial with main gun and in the front hull) with 2.400 rounds
The kit and its assembly:
This converted Panzer III was spawned by the idea that, by 1944, this 1936 design could have been re-built for a different use than a battle tank – a task for which this medium tank had become much too light, with an utter lack of development potential. A dedicated recce variant appeared plausible. This idea was further promoted by the fact that I had a surplus VK 1602 turret in the donor bank, left over from a Hasegawa SdKfz. 234/2 “Puma”.
The chassis was taken from a Revell “Panzer III Ostwind” kit and modified in two ways. Firstly, I changed the glacis plate, replacing the old-school vertical front with a sloped alternative, crafted from styrene sheet pieces. A new ball mount for the hull machine gun was added, as well as periscopes for the crew on new hatches, which became possible through the smaller turret.
The turret opening in the hull had not to be adapted to the smaller Puma turret – the latter was only a little bit smaller than the opening, so that some spacers were enough to make it fit snuggly, and a thin “distance ring” between hull and turret was added, too, so that it would not directly sit on the body. Fairings for a stereoscopic rangefinder were added to the turret flanks, scratched from styrene profile material, and I also added a typical Panzer III stowage box to the turret’s rear. It had to be customized to the smaller “Puma” turret, but I think that this visual enlargement of the turret is a good balance to the rest of the hull, and the box changes the vehicle’s silhouette, too. The commando cupola from the Revell kit (which comes, beyond the open “Ostwind” AA turret, with a full, early standard Panzer III turret) was left open, using the hatch from the VK 1602 turret, and I put a figure into the opening – this German commanding officer is actually 1:76, but that’s not obvious. The figure comes IIRC from a Matchbox “Wespe” SPG that I built more than 30 years ago. Since the figure had somehow lost a leg in the meantime, the Panzerspähwagen III became a suitable new workplace for the handicapped, after having been stripped off of an old enamel paint layer and outfitted with a multi-colored new uniform. Other small changes include the scratched antenna mast for the vehicle’s uprated radio equipment (from heated sprue material) and some re-arranged external equipment.
As another, subtle gimmick, I replaced the original main wheels, for a different and somewhat confusing look. A simplified running gear, without rubber on the main wheels, appeared quite plausible for 1944 onwards. The new road wheels came from a Zvezda IS-2 tank. I had a dozen of these left over from another conversion project, just in the right number and their diameter is virtually identical to the Panzer III’s original wheels! Just the spare wheels had to be taken over from the Revell kit. The fiddly OOB segmented plastic tracks were replaced with soft vinyl tracks from a Panzer III/IV CMK aftermarket set. Personally, I find them easier to handle and to paint – due to their anthracite black color and the material’s smoothness. Nice stuff!
Painting and markings:
As a late WWII vehicle I decided to apply a non-standard/fictional paint scheme, something different from the popular “Hinterhalt” scheme, and I settled upon a pattern similar to an E-100 tank I had built a while ago. The scheme consists of an overall coat of grey-green (RLM02, a universal and omnipresent tone) with disrupting, large spots of dark grey (RAL 7021, Schwarzgrau), which were strategically placed over corners and edges of the hull, so that the outlines break up. I adapted the concept onto my modified Panzer III, but somehow this looked goofy – probably due to the much smaller size and classic tank silhouette of the vehicle: the whole affair was way too reminiscent of the Allied late-war “Mickey Mouse” scheme in olive drab and black!
In order to provide a more outstanding look and lighten everything up a little, I added small grey-green mottles to the dark grey areas. After that, however, the still uniform grey-green areas stood out, so that I eventually applied mottles in RAL 7028 (Dunkelgelb) to these areas, too. The contrast is rather low, but I think that the overall look is in the end more balanced with them, and the mottles overall help to break up the outlines even further – and the paint scheme looks more “different” now. The wheels and the running gear sections of the hull were – as a standard order of the time – left without the mottles, because the swirling patterns would be rather obvious when the vehicle was moving.
The basic tones are Revell 45, Humbrol 67 and ModelMaster 1584, later treated with a dark, red-brown overall washing with acrylic paint, dry-painting with a greyish beige all over (Revell 89, nice weathering tone for fresh, clayish mud) and some watercolor in ochre and umbra for dust and mud residues. Tactical markings are minimal and come from the Revell Ostwind kit and a Hasegawa Panther. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and some mineral pigments were dusted onto the model’s lower areas.
An interesting result, and the fictional Panzerkampfwagen III looks IMHO disturbingly plausible, as it combines well-known elements and comes with subtle updates/modifications. And somehow the vehicle (unintentionally) reminds me a lot of the comparable M24 Chaffee. And isn’t there a certain look of a mini KV-1, due to the turret’s shape and proportions?
The Bogatyr two-section low-level city tram (model 71-923) was developed by the PC Transport Systems LLC, Russia (ООО "ПК Транспортные системы"). Its updated version the domestic streetcar Bogatyr M, presented at the Nevsky Electric Transport Plant in St. Petersburg in May 2022, is currently the most innovative in Russia. Development of the model 71-923 was started in 2017, taking into account the highest operating requirements on urban routes with high passenger traffic: 100% low floor, 4 wide doorways, wide accumulation platforms, hinged ramp and wheelchair space, seating for passengers with limited mobility. The 2019 design upgrade (71-923M Bogatyr M) added a heated floor, autopiloting elements, and increased the number of passenger seats. The project is based on a modern low-level elastic bogie of all "in-house design" and production. Final assembly of streetcars manufactured by the PC Transport Systems LLC is performed in St. Petersburg at the facilities of the Nevsky Electric Transportation Plant named after F.A. Pirotsky (Невский завод электрического транспорта имени Ф.А. Пироцкого), using the production site of the Oktyabrsky Electric Wagon Repair Plant (Октябрьский электровагоноремонтный завод, OEVRZ), which has been repairing and manufacturing subway cars and upgrading of old Soviet streetcars built in Leningrad since 2008. The bodies are manufactured at the Tver Carriage Works (TVSZ, Тверской Вагоностроительный Завод) and supplied from Tver.
The PC Transport Systems LLC was founded by Felix Vinokur in 2013. In 2014 at the leased facilities of the Tver Carriage Works new company launched the production of the 71-911 "City Star" tram and later the "Vityaz" tram which received a certificate for industrial production in 2015. The history of the company shows all the twists and turns of big business. At early 2000s the one of the leaders in streetcar production in the USSR and Russia, The Ust-Katav Wagon-Building Plant named after S. M. Kirov (Ust-Katavskiy Carriage Works, UKCW; Усть-Катавский вагоностроительный завод имени С. М. Кирова) located in Ust-Katav, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia started to develop modern model of city tram with all low-level floor that needed design of new special bogies. But the innovation tram of the model 71-625 has never been produced. After the design of the new tramway bogie was completed, the UKCW unexpectedly broke off relations with its Trading house that had sponsored the development. In 2013 the chief engineer of UKCP moved to a new company founded by Felix Vinokur which bought the rights for the bogie after his leaving the founders of the Trading house Ust-Katav Wagon-Building Plant LLC. Thus, a new tram manufacturer appeared in Russia.
Praktica MTL50
Pentacon 135mm/2.8
Kodak Supercolor 200
Rollei Digibase C-41 Kit
So after developing my first roll of b/w, why not move on straight to C-41? Why didn't anyone ever tell me how easy it is? I've always imagined it to be complicated, fiddly and time-consuming.
And what better to start with than a test roll from a "new" camera!
Found a Praktica MTL50 along with three Pentacon lenses (29mm/2.8, 50mm/1.8, 135mm/2.8) all in great condition for €30 at a flea market while on vacation in southern France. Obviously wanted to try it out immediately but didn't have any extra film and it was getting late saturday evening.
Incredibly, they had one single roll of Kodak Supercolor at the local newsagent, which also happened to be the only shop still open.
SO a colour test using the Petri 7s. Lencarta smart flash, via PC cable through diffused beauty dish camera right.
Home developed and scanned by me, rangefinder selfiess are a bit tricky!! Manual focus, manual exposure!!
Theres some kind of light leak - not sure at which stage this might have happened!
Window in an old grain elevator. Photographed with Kodak Instamatic X-15F Camera. Ilford Delta 100 35mm film Semi-Stand developed in Adonal (Rodinal) 1-100 for about 1 hour.
From thedailylumenbox.com Adox CMS 20II shot with Leica Ic and
Voigtlander (Cosina) 12mm Ultra-Wide Heliar at ISO 25. Developed in Adotech IV.
Holga pinhole camera, Ilford HP5 ISO 400, developed in caffenol C, 2-sec exp
130-year-old cottonwood at teh San Pedro RIver Riparian Area, near Sierra Vista, Az USA
Dec 25, 2009
Finally developed some of the film I shot at Photostock 2014. Here is my first Photostock 2014 post. This is Friendship Township Hall in Emmet County.
Taken on 6/19/2014 in Emmet County Michigan
Bronica ETRSi
Efke IR820 infrared film (non-Aura)
Zenzanon E II 75mm f/2.8 lens
f/8
1/4 second
89B filter
Negative scanned with Epson V500
+++ 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 AH-64 Apache originally started as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra. The prototype YAH-64 was first flown on 30 September 1975. The U.S. Army selected the YAH-64 over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976, and later approved full production in 1982. After purchasing Hughes Helicopters in 1984, McDonnell Douglas continued AH-64 production and development. The helicopter was introduced to U.S. Army service in April 1986. The first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, an upgraded Apache variant, was delivered to the Army in March 1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and more than 2,000 AH-64s have been produced to date.
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage. It has four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat survivability.
The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64; it has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Greece, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates; as well as being produced under license in the United Kingdom as the AgustaWestland Apache. American AH-64s have served in conflicts in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Israel used the Apache in its military conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip; British and Dutch Apaches have seen deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Studies for a naval version of the Apache were begun during 1984 and since that time the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company has proposed several modified Apaches to both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. The navalized Apache was viewed as a replacement for the aging Bell AH-1 Sea Cobras that are in service with the Navy and Marines. With the introduction of a four-blade rotor system to the then current Marine Sea Cobra, the AH-1W, the Bell Cobra was believed to have reached the limit of its development. While older Sea Cobra airframes could be brought up to AH-1W standards, the Marines saw the need for a replacement for the Sea Cobra with some urgency.
The proposed Sea Apache (also known as the ‘Gray Thunder’) was intended for operations from smaller Navy ships such as frigates and cruisers and by the Marines from Amphibious Assault Ships (LHA) and smaller helicopter capable amphibious ships of a Marine Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). These ships would frequently operate outside the air cover of a carrier task group, so that the Sea Apache was also tasked with limited air defense duties and regarded as an offensive surface strike platform, with more capable weapons than the Army's version.
Since 1984, several design studies and formal proposals had evolved, with the Navy requesting changes in the Sea Apache configuration as it refined the aircraft's missions and roles. All in all the project went through no less than three stages, and each of these proposed navalized versions of the Apache differed in several ways from the standard Army AH-64A, although all three proposals had the same powerplants in common, two 1,723shp naval standard General Electric T700-GE-401 engines.
Also in common were increased corrosion preventive measures, improved electro-magnetic interference protection, a Doppler navigation system, upgraded brakes, additional tie down points, and a powered automatic rotor blade fold system.
Some of the missions envisioned by the Navy for the Sea Apache were:
- Escort for amphibious assault craft
- Anti-shipping strike
- Combat Air Patrol (CAP) with up to six Sidewinders
- Over the Horizon (OTH) targeting for surface ships
- Air support for SEAL special warfare teams
- Standoff surveillance
- Long range coastal patrol
Originally (designated “Stage 1”), the Sea Apache was to be a basic AH-64A airframe modified with a folding tail boom, a relocated tail wheel, a mast-mounted radar for surface/air search and attack, and provisions for Harpoon and Sidewinder missiles. Over time, however, the engineering studies and changing roles/missions requirements revealed that the Sea Apache's final configuration would have to be altered drastically.
One of the early problems encountered with navalizing the Apache was the narrow wheel base of the main landing gear. Engineering studies found that the standard Apache main wheel track was too narrow, causing the aircraft to be very unstable on the deck of a small ship. The roll of the deck in heavy seas, coupled with the aircraft's narrow wheel base and a relatively high center of gravity, could easily cause the Sea Apache to tip over. To solve this problem, McDonnell Douglas engineers redesigned the main landing gear, relocating it from the fuselage to the tips of the stub wings. The revised main landing gear was also retractable, with the gear retracting into streamlined housings (although the wheel itself remains uncovered) on the end of each reinforced stub wing. These housings also had provisions for mounting Sidewinder missile launcher rails.
The revised landing gear configuration was put forward in the second proposal (Stage 2) which also deleted the 30mm Chain Gun and its associated ammunition storage system. Furthermore, the Stage 2 Sea Apache featured a revised nose contour and replaced the TADS/PNVS with a nose mounted radar.
Extended fuselage side sponsons carried additional electronics and fuel cells. The sponsons themselves were smoothly faired into the fuselage to lower drag and extended almost to the tip of the nose. This aircraft was to also have provision for carrying two AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on short racks on the fuselage underside, a folding tail assembly and a retractable tail wheel.
This design had been refined still further, and the Stage 3 Sea Apache proposal had the side fuselage sponsons deleted and featured a larger nose radome intended to house an APG-65 Sea Search radar. This radar, developed from the multi-mode radar used on the F/A-18 Hornet fighter/attack aircraft, was compatible for both air-to-surface attack and air-to-air engagements. The forward fuselage was deepened to house additional fuel cells and the relocated avionics bays.
Projected armament included both the Harpoon or Penguin air-to-surface missiles (although the number of stations had been reduced to two) as primary weapons against surface targets, plus two Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense.
Additional weapons included Stinger, Sidearm, AMRAAM, and Hellfire missiles, as well as 127mm Zuni and 70mm FFAR rockets. Performance goals specified for the Sea Apache by the Navy at this stage included a 370km mission radius, and a four hour endurance on station. To extend the Sea Apache's time on station even further, an extendable in-flight refueling probe would be mounted on the starboard fuselage side below the cockpit. Consideration was also being given to installing the Canadian developed Bear Trap automatic haul-down landing system, which allowed operations during heavy sea states.
In 1989 the Navy gave serious consideration to the purchase of the Sea Apache once adequate funding was made available to finance prototype construction. The Navy desires the Sea Apache not only for its capabilities, but also because the aircraft would cost far less to acquire than to undertake the design of a totally new aircraft to replace the AH-1W in service.
It took until 1992 that the AH-64N, how the Sea Apache was now officially called, was given green lights and a total of seven prototypes were ordered (five for flight tests and in different configurations from Stage 2 and 3, plus two static airframes), and trials took another four years. During this time, one prototype was lost in a fatal crash and the overall budget for the new helicopter was slimmed down, so that the service aircraft became less drastically changed from the Army helicopter, and was eventually designated “Stage 2+”. It carried the Stage 3 avionics suite, but the performance goals became less ambitious, so that the deepened fuselage was not necessary anymore, improving aerodynamics and compensating a little for the reduced internal fuel capacity.
The first production AH-64Ns were delivered in 1998 and entered service on board of US Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ships, e. g. the newly built USS Bataan (LHD-5), in 1999. Bataan was also one of many vessels in the Middle East region at the beginning of the Iraq war on or about 20 March 2003. After delivering her attack and transport helicopters, troops and vehicles she was employed as a "Harrier Carrier" with primary duties supporting two Marine AV-8B Harrier II squadrons along with USS Bonhomme Richard. USN AH-64Ns of the newly formed HLA-80 light attack helicopter squadron served successfully in the Combat Air Patrol (CAP) role, armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9L Sidewinders, as well as in the escort role for emergency medical care transports in the conflict region.
Until 2003, a total of 80 AH-64Ns were built, exclusively for the US Navy. The US Marines showed interest in the new helicopter, but budget restrictions forced the USMC to stay with its AH-1W helicopters and the AV-8B fleet. A proposed Marine Corps variant would retain the TADS/PNVS and Hellfire missile system, for use in the close air support role and for anti-shipping duties while escorting amphibious vessels. This variant would also relocate the radar dome back to the top of the rotor mast. Another option favored by the Marines was the capability to use the four tube TOW missile system as a back-up to the Hellfire missile system. But due to further budget restrictions, this variant that resembled the initial Stage 1 design of the AH-64N, never left the drawing board.
Further export ambitions received a blow when the British Army successfully deployed license-built AgustaWestland Apaches in 2003 upon the Royal Navy's HMS Ocean, a Landing Platform Helicopter, demonstrating that the land-based Army helicopter was quite capable of naval operations.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2 (pilot, and co-pilot/WSO)
Length: 58.17 ft (17.73 m) (with both rotors turning)
Fuselage length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
Rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Height: 12.7 ft (3.87 m)
Disc area: 1,809.5 ft² (168.11 m²)
Empty weight: 11,387 lb (5,165 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,650 lb (8,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 23,000 lb (10,433 kg)
Powerplant:
2× General Electric T700-GE-701C turboshaft engines, delivering 1,890 shp (1,409 kW) each,
driving a foldable 4 blade main rotor and a 4 blade tail rotor in non-orthogonal alignment
Performance:
Never exceed speed: 197 knots (227 mph, 365 km/h)
Maximum speed in level flight: 165 knots (190 mph, 306 km/h)
Cruise speed: 143 knots (165 mph, 265 km/h)
Range: 290 nmi (332 mi, 535 km) with two AGMs and four AAMs
Combat radius with two hours loitering time: 162 nmi (186 mi, 300 km)
Ferry range: 1,080 nmi (1,242 mi, 2,000 km)
Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m) minimum loaded
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)
Disc loading: 9.80 lb/ft² (47.9 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (0.31 kW/kg)
Armament:
No internal gun;
Four pylon stations on the stub wings; the inner pair under the wings can carry a wide range of
AGMs and AAMs, including AGM-84 Harpoon and AGM-119 Penguin against surface targets.
Alternatively, up to eight AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or pods with Hydra 70 70 mm, CRV7 70 mm,
and APKWS 70 mm air-to-ground rockets can be carried
Stations on each wingtip and under the fuselage can carry launch rails for up to four
AIM-120 AMRAAM and/or AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs.
The kit and its assembly:
Another entry for the 2016 “In the Navy” group build at whatifmodellers.com, and to my surprise I was so far the only builder of this interesting “real” what-if project – even though the navalized Apache had been tackled by other modelers several times before.
The three design stages, plus USMC options, offer a wide range of potential builds – but I did not want to build a 1:1 copy of any of these. I wanted a sleek helicopter, purely armed with guided missiles, so I settled for “something between Stage 2 and 3”, or rather something that combines design elements from these:
- Nose radome (Stage 2)
- Recontoured upper fuselage (Stage 2 onwards)
- Retractable landing gear in wing tip pods & relocated tail wheel (Stage 2 onwards)
- Deleted sponsons (Stage 3), but also no deepened Stage 3 fuselage
A nice basis for my plan was Academy’s new AH-64 kit – it’s selling point in my case was the fact that it is the only kit that comes with separate sponson parts. Any other kit I know has them as integral part of the fuselage halves, so that Stage 1 would be fairly easy to build, Stage 2 challenging and Stage 3 a total re-sculpting of the forward fuselage. But in this case, the sponsons can simply be left away and a floor panel needs some modifications.
The thimble radome is an aftermarket resin piece, actually for a WWII FuG 240 Morgenstern radar on board of a Ju 88G night fighter. It simply replaces the original nose and it was blended into the fuselage through a 2C putty “plug”.
Stage 2 and 3 of the navalized Apache feature a higher upper deck around the rotor gear cover. On a 1:72 kit it’s not much, maybe 2mm, but recognizable to keen eyes. I scratched it through donation parts (including an air brake from an Airfix A-1 Skyraider…), styrene strips and some putty. The rotor mast was also extended by the same amount, compensating for the higher dorsal line. Subtle, but worked out fine.
I was a little uncertain concerning the stub wings. Stage 3 had a reduced span, and I found the OOB wings a little too small for the wingtip pods (scratched from styrene profiles and some 2C putty) with the landing gear. I eventually added 3mm depth to the wings through inserted styrene profiles – probably hard to recognize at all when hidden under paint, but proportions look IMHO more balanced, also with the missile ordnance on board and the longer nose. Any means to move the landing gear forward is helpful!
Work on struts and wheels started once the wings and the pods were in place, for a proper ground clearance. The struts are modified parts from the Academy kit, I just replaced the fat low-pressure main wheels for the land-based version with donations from a Hobby Boss MiG-15: similar diameter, but less wide and an interesting wheel hub cover.
For the retractable tail wheel, a well opening was cut of the tail boom and an interior plus covers added.
The whole tail wheel comes OOB from the kit, the struts were just re-arranged for a more vertical position in the well.
The ordnance comes from a Hasegawa US weapon set and encompasses a pair of AGM-119 Penguins, a pair of AIM-120 AMRAAM and a pair of AIM-9 Sidewinder, plus the missiles’ respective launch rails.
Anyway, nothing goes without trouble. In this case, disaster struck in the form of a cracked canopy while trying to dry-fit the clear part over the finished cockpit and fuselage. Sh!t.
I was lucky to have a spare AH-64A canopy at hand, from an early Italeri kit. While not as sharp in detail as the Academy part, the shape and outline of both pieces was almost identical, the Italeri part only turned out to be 2-3mm too short at its rear end, a gap that could be bridged with styrene strips, though.
Overall, the implantation called for some modifications around the cockpit opening, but for a donor part solution the result is thankfully pretty good, phew! When painting started, I was even more happier, because the putty work associated with the implantation turned out to be better than expected. On the downside, the donor part seems to bear a lot of micro-cracks – they are only visible from certain angles and in direct light, though, and once I discovered them the piece had already been blended into the fuselage, so I stuck with the solution.
Another final modification was a little rhinoplasty – I did not assess the amount of putty correctly that was needed to blend the radome with the rest of the fuselage, it added 4-5mm in length. The result, once the fuselage was completed and overall proportions clearer, looked a littel Pinocchio-esque, though. So, with a bleeding heart and shaky hands, I cut a 5mm disc out of the massive resin nose and fitted the two remaining parts together again, blending the cut and the differences in diameter with putty. This worked out fine, too, and I also used the opportunity to re-shape the radome’s underside a little, so that the whole outline would come closer to the Stage 2 sketches. Looks better, in the end.
Painting and markings:
I stuck to the livery many illustrations of this fictional helicopter show: a typical, all-gray low-viz scheme, similar to the USMC’s late AH-1 helicopters. Everything very straightforward and based on contemporary USN benchmarks.
Basic colors are FS 35237 for all upper surfaces and FS 36375 for the undersides – as a personal twist I added a third tone, FS 36320, to the flanks – after all, it’s a whif kit.
A light black ink wash and some dry-brushing on panels were used for weathering, as well as some grinded graphite around the engines and the stabilizers for exhaust soot stains.
The cockpit and visible parts of the rotor system became very dark gray (a mix of black and FS 36081), while the blades became neutral gray (FS 36173). The landing gear and its wells standard all-white in order to reveal leaks in the hydraulic system, as well as all six launch rails. The ordnance was painted according to the real world, I just chose a medium grey finish for the Penguins.
The decals were puzzled together from various sources, HLA-80 as a unit and its markings are purely fictional. The grey walkways are grey decal strips (TL Modellbau stuff).
Despite the canopy and nose trouble on the way, the result looks pretty good. O.K., my build does not match any of the three proposed design stages, but many characteristic details are there – and who knows how a real navalized AH-64 might finally have looked like?
She's a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, a girl who just wants to have fun, find out about her true colours.
A decade before ‘girl power’ became the war cry of the 90s, Cyndi Lauper called on women everywhere to fight for equality whilst embracing their femininity. A singer, songwriter, musician and an actress, the New York native has maintained her steely determination without losing her ability to entertain millions.
One might say that Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper ‘burst’ into the world on 22 June 1953, rather than being born into it. One of three children born to Fred and Catrine Lauper, the vivacious child was originally from Brooklyn, New York, but was raised by her mother in Queens following her parents’ divorce in 1958.
Growing up during the peak of the civil rights movement and surrounded by the sounds of The Beatles, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald, Lauper developed an intense love of music from an early age and learned to play guitar at the age of 12.
With her mother’s support for her blossoming creativity, the headstrong teen dropped out of high school to perform with a variety of cover bands. However, Lauper soon suffered a major setback which threatened to destroy her musical ambitions.
In 1977, the ambitious performer damaged her voice and was told by doctors that she would never be able to sing again. In spite of this damning medical diagnosis, Lauper persevered and sought the help of singing coach Katie Agresta. Her resolve was rewarded and the star has since credited Agresta with the return of her most precious instrument: her vocals.
Lauper began performing again and co-founded a band called Blue Angel. With her four octave voice at its forefront, the group found success in 1980, when it released a self titled album with Polydor Records. However, with this victory came one of Lauper’s most difficult setbacks. Following poor album sales, Blue Angel was sued by its manager. The claim left Lauper with no recourse but to file for bankruptcy.
The deflated artist had little choice but to work in the retail industry during the day, whilst trying to rebuild her musical career with appearances in her spare time. It was after one such performance at a local club in 1981 that Lauper first met a music manager called David Wolff. The two fell in love and Wolff became the singer’s manager. As their relationship blossomed, so did Lauper’s prospects. With Wolff behind her, she was signed to Portrait Records and began to record an album.
Excited by the challenge of creating her own sound, Lauper was determined to write her own songs, but faced a reluctant record label. Portrait had its own conception about the type of music that the new artist was to record and it was only following a ferocious battle that Lauper was able to put her own mark on the music. The result was groundbreaking.
In 1983, Lauper released ‘She’s So Unusual’ to rave reviews. Described by Rolling Stone as “really first-rate material”, the album went on attain six-time platinum and double platinum statuses in the US and UK respectively.
Lauper became a feminist idol. In addition to legions of fans clamouring to emulate her inimitable dress sense, her videos, such as the raucous clip for the hit, ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, were constantly played on MTV.
Having proven herself a star, Lauper went on to explore a variety of projects. In 1985, she made the first of many charitable contributions, joining celebrities such as Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson in the 1985 USA for Africa single, ‘We Are the World’.
Lauper’s next move was one that few would have anticipated. With Wolff’s encouragement, she forged a contractual alliance with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), appearing on the wrestling show and even participating in story lines. Even when she was presented with the 1985 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Lauper was accompanied by WWF’s Hulk Hogan, who called himself her ‘bodyguard’.
Lauper’s second album release was ‘True Colours’ (1986). The dedicated artist was much more heavily involved in the follow-up to ‘She’s So Unusual’, co-writing many of the songs, such as the ballad ‘Change of Heart’, which reached number 3 in the US charts.
However, despite containing three hit singles and attaining platinum status, ‘True Colours’ was unable to replicate the success of Lauper’s debut album. A telling sign was that the fourth single from the album, entitled ‘Boy Blue’, was the first of the chart princess’s singles to fail to achieve top forty status in the US. Even so, Lauper donated the proceeds of sales for that single to AIDS research.
After a 1987 tour called ‘Cyndi: Live in Paris’, Lauper was keen to prove that she was a multifaceted performer. In 1988, she embraced the new challenge of acting, taking on the role of a zany psychic in the comedy, ‘Vibes’ (1988).
Unfortunately for the Grammy winner, this venture did not prove successful. Despite boasting a stellar cast, including Jeff Goldblum, the film failed to impress either the critics or the public, grossing less than $2 million in the US box office. Even Lauper’s contributory track for the film, ‘Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)’ (1985), only reached number 54 on the US charts, although it was very popular in Australia. The song did not feature on the film’s official soundtrack.
After a short break from the studio, Lauper’s released ‘A Night to Remember’ (1989). Despite the fact that one song on the album, called ‘I Drove All Night’, did return the pop star to number one in the singles charts, the record’s impact failed to compare to Lauper’s earlier achievements. Disillusioned by her inability to draw the attention she had once commanded, Lauper’s relationship with Wolff suffered. By the end of the year, the two had severed both their personal and professional ties.
Lauper would not release another album for almost four years. In the meantime, she lent her iconic status to a number of collaborations. In 1990, she joined an all star line-up to perform at Roger Waters’ concert, ‘The Wall – Live in Berlin’. She also joined her friend, Yoko Ono, in a tribute concert to John Lennon.
The performer also took the opportunity to try acting again. Starring as a lounge singer on a mission to identify her boyfriend’s killer, Lauper began filming ‘Off and Running’ (1991). The movie was only released in Europe, seemingly indicating another doomed attempt to break into Hollywood. However, for the 38-year-old, the film marked a new beginning. It was on the set of this endeavour that Lauper met and fell in love with actor, David Thornton. On 24 November 1991, the singer and the Englishman wed in New York.
With her personal life blossoming, Lauper turned her attention back to business. After contributing two songs to the 1992 French stage show, ‘Starmania’, one of which earned double platinum status in France, she set her mind to releasing her fourth album.
Soul, funk and hip-hop influences filled ‘A Hat Full of Stars’ (1993), allowing the vibrant artist to showcase her diversity. Despite its poor sales, the album, which dealt with difficult issues such as incest and domestic abuse, was critically applauded, Rolling Stone praising the record’s “fresh sound”.
Critical acclaim also followed in 1992, as the aspiring thespian finally fulfilled a long term ambition by joining the cast of the sitcom, ‘Mad About You’ (1989). Her portrayal of the quirky Marianne Lugasso earned her an Emmy award and further recurring appearances on the show. For Lauper, the accolade represented acceptance as an actress.
Lauper returned to the recording studio in 1996. The result was the upbeat dance record, ‘Sisters of Avalon’ (1996), which sold a respectable one million copies worldwide. With issues such as the conflicts of being a drag queen dominating the album, its main impact was in the gay community, where Lauper was hailed as a heroine.
In November 1997, Lauper and Thornton welcomed their son, Declyn Wallace Thornton, into the world. Lauper relished her new role as a mother, flaunting her pregnant belly in the video for the song ‘The Ballad of Cleo and Joe’. However, she refused to allow her two worlds of parent and rocker to conflict, and in fact the proud mother cited Declyn as a major inspiration for her 1998 album, ‘Merry Christmas, Have a Nice Life’. She even included his vocals on the song ‘First Lullaby’.
Lauper continued to act, appearing in ‘The Simpsons’ (1989) and independent films such as ‘The Opportunists’ (2000). She also enjoyed touring, joining Cher on her celebrated ‘Do You Believe?’ (1999) and ‘Living Proof’ (2002) tours.
The songstress intended to release her sixth studio album in 2001, but the ill-fated project stalled just weeks before its intended release date as Lauper’s record company collapsed. The final result, ‘Shine’ (2004), would only be released in Japan.
In fact, it was Lauper’s 2003 studio performances which would form her follow-up to ‘Sisters of Avalon’. ‘At Last’ (2003) was a collection of cover songs including a Grammy nominated version of ‘Unchained Melody’. Whilst gaining mixed reviews, the effort was a commercial hit, selling 4.5 million records and reaching the top 40 in the US and Australia.
As Lauper grew into a self-proclaimed ‘hockey mom’, her social conscience never failed her. She continued to champion gay causes as well as headlining a charitable ‘True Colours’ tour in 2007.
Always keen to adapt to changing styles and fashions, Lauper stepped onto the dance floor for her 2008 album, ‘Bring Ya to the Brink’. With input from the likes of Basement Jaxx and Scum Frog, praise such as The Guardian’s statement that this was “the album Madonna should have made instead of ‘Hard Candy’” proved Lauper to be an adept chameleon of the arts.
The image of a fun loving Cyndi Lauper exploding onto the eighties pop scene is emblazoned onto the hearts and minds of the era of women who heeded her message of freedom and self-expression. Yet, as her audience has matured, Lauper has had to call upon the same tenacity that had helped her overcome financial ruin in order to maintain her star status. Now a mother, philanthropist and revered performer, it can truly be said that she is the Queen of Queens.
In the middle part of our country, it is common practice to put fruit-flavored gelatin into an ornamental bowl with a variety of disparate substances: cottage cheese, crushed pineapple, shredded vegetables, olives, nuts, grass clippings, coffee grounds, what have you. Then, just before dinner, the skillful chef unmolds the jello. It jiggles and shimmers and strikes fear into the hearts of lesser cooks.
In the northern plain states, this dish is euphemistically called, "salad." No kidding. Sometimes, with a dab of mayonnaise on top, for verisimilitude.
That said, I make a mean one, myself.
This fold reminds me of the ornamental bowl used to mold the jello. Unimproved Crease Pattern. Also in Encapsulated Postscript.