View allAll Photos Tagged freon
Location: spectacledchic
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Montague%20Island/65/181/22
"Plain" Vest T'shirt by Blupr/nt
Katie Belt and leggings by Meva
This unit even has a "check filter reminder light" on it, something tells me that they ignored it or can't read. Clean your fucking filters. Oh well, more $$ in my pocket charging for a cleaning.
N247FS - Bombardier BD-100-1A10 Challenger 300 - Aviation Advisor (reg. to FREON HOLDINGS LLC - untitled - "M"-logo
at Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport (YYZ)
c/n 20068 - built in 2005
This unit even has a "check filter reminder light" on it, something tells me that they ignored it or can't read. Clean your fucking filters. Oh well, more $$ in my pocket charging for a cleaning.
Whoo, fun build. I love dem tanks.
This wouldn't be possible without Arch's half circles. There are many in there. Thanks also to everybody who gave suggestions and such whilst I was WIPing. Comment and Criticize!
100% PMG, as usual. I've got the code if anybody wants to pick through the camo.
And on the nights when the Viper would strike, only the dead would rest deeply. And on those nights their numbers did grow.
~Inca Folktale
The Viper is the Empire's newest and shiniest toy. Sporting a remotely operated, freon-cooled 20mm Autocannon as well as a PTFE waxed main cannon, the Vipers punch even harder than their predecessors, the Algoz. The Viper's cannon fires high density sabotted rounds, capable of punching clean through the competition.
This tank is equipped with the greatest of sensory equipment. Closed circuit televisual feeds give operators maximum situational awareness at minimum risk. Like it's namesake, the Viper has advanced infrared imaging technology. This makes it perfect for low visibility operations, a key specification passed down from Imperial Administration.
The Viper is encased in advanced Cermet plating, giving it protection from HE and HD rounds alike. Because competition models had some trouble with rocket and AT fire to the exposed rear tracks, all Imperial Armour Vipers are fitted with heavy duty mesh grates on the back end.
This show model is painted in the beautiful pattern natural to the Lachesis genus, the deadly Bushmaster.
Doesn't look too shabby in lightbox, either.
We live on a “Blue Planet”
but I very much doubt we are the Bluest planet in the universe.
A little bit of tinting fun imagining rivers of refrigerant running on a planet far far away that's even bluer than our own.
I suppose this was not much fine tuning to this one.
Probably not two-zone setup with a micro allergenic filter either.
It was most likely pretty much free inflight for bugs and such.
Dizzy and cool, but still inside your car.
Unrefined exhaust fumes right in your face, but cool fumes.
Chilled by freon or something else that only people with a strong death-wish would appreciate today.
But what do I know..? If anyone knows about this beautiful piece of Americana, please enlighten me.
For Monochrome Monday here's a look at an old friend in a new home
Parked on the siding just south of the Conway Depot at MP 133 on the former Boston and Maine Railroad's Conway Branch sits the iconic Flying Yankee, a legendary and historic piece of New England railroad history. I first laid eyes on her when I was 5 or 6 and she was a display at Edaville Railroad in South Carver, Mass. Since then she has wandered north to New Hampshire and called many different spots her temporary home always with the goal to return her to operation someday, but despite assorted attempts that has yet to come to fruition....maybe now is finally her time!
The Yankee was built by the Budd Company in 1935 one year after and in the same style as the famed Pioneer Zephyr of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad that ushered in the great diesel streamliner era. This little train would operate on assorted routes throughout New England over the course of a 22 year career.
Here is a history of the little train by Carl Lindblade written for the prior stewards of the train, the Flying Yankee Restoration Group:
In the midst of the Great Depression the conditions in America were so bleak that serious minded folks wondered if, in fact, this experiment in Democracy was really working. Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her book No Ordinary Time describes how in the late Depression in fact America had double digit unemployment, one third of the population had no running water, and education was obtainable by only a small number. In the years following 1929 rail passenger traffic had fallen by one half and railroads were seeking to discontinue unprofitable passenger service. The Interstate Commerce Commission had to grant approvals to discontinue service and was stingy with these permissions.
The Boston and Maine and Maine Central Railroads were in dire straits that reflected the times, which brings us to the crux of the story.
The tradition in America is that when we face adversity we bring technology and ingenuity to the fore. And so it was that the Boston and Maine-Maine Central Railroads undertook to order a new train set that for its time was truly revolutionary.
The solution was a streamlined three car unit train ordered from the Budd Company in Philadelphia on a one page letter from Mr. French, President of the Boston and Maine railroad. The new Flying Yankee was given road number 6000. It followed the delivery of the Pioneer Zephyr by only a few weeks.
Revolutionary? The train was designed as a sprinter, covering intermediate distances quickly. The Winton 201 A Diesel Electric (the first type of longer distance train not powered by steam) powered the train. The train was the first with fixed windows, thus we see Air Conditioning for the first time.
The Flying Yankee restoration group has the original maintenance manual from GM Frigidaire with a disclaimer on page 3 from the US Department of Commerce assuring users that Freon was safe for the atmosphere. The train had no diner, and indeed food was prepared in a galley and served on trays to passengers. The trays affixed to the seat in front. A prelude to airline-type service. (The Yankee's food was better!) On time, the Yankee was delivered February 10, 1935 to the yards of the B and M at Mechanicville, NY. For the next several weeks the train went on a goodwill tour over the entire BM-MEC Railroad system. Thousands of people turned out to see this shiny marvel. 10,000 in Nashua in March and 20,000 in Boston. Excitement built. Finally on April 1, 1935 the Yankee was christened with a bottle of clear cool water from Lake Sebago Maine and began service on a daily route. And what a route it was. Portland to Boston to Portland to Bangor to Portland to Boston and back, late in the day to Portland. 750 mile a day, 6 days a week. Sunday was for maintenance. Was this successful? Yes, beyond expectation. The Railroad had wondered if the new service, between Portland and Boston would draw new passengers or simply carry existing passengers. The train drew new ridership and provided a profit for the Boston and Maine-Maine Central. The running time of the Yankee in 1935 was 51 minutes faster than today's Downeaster!
A rare publicity shot shows just one of the many modifications made to the Flying Yankee. The wings were added to prevent buildup of snow on the windshield. Popular folklore says it is the result of Flying Yankee crews discovering that a plywood Victory "V" added during World War II enhanced visibility during winter operation.
Over the years the Yankee ran under different names as it served various parts of Northern New England. The Cheshire, The Minuteman, The Business Man. The Yankee went to war in World War II continuing to provide fast consistent service. Following World War II, the streamline era, whose design was begun with the Yankee and the Zephyrs, had a glorious but brief time in our history. The Super Chief, The City of New Orleans, The Crescent, The Twentieth Century had their glory days.
In the early 1950's President Eisenhower signed into law the National Defense Highway Act and with that began the building of the Interstate Highway System. For the first time in a century, America recast and rethought the way it would move people and freight. Bold new rights of way were carved across the nation from sea to sea. The last time we'd redone these paths of commerce was over 100 years before. Rails replacing canals. So it was that on May 7, 1957, The Yankee's service was discontinued.
The train set was donated by the B and M to the Edaville Railroad in Carver, Massachusetts. It sat there for almost 40 years until a visionary, Bob Morrell, determined to purchase the train, bring it to New Hampshire, restore it to operating condition, and provide for it to run again as an example of American ingenuity in the face of adversity. The train was stored in Glen, NH until 1997 when the state of New Hampshire purchased it and moved it over the road to the shops of the Claremont Concord Railroad at Claremont Junction, NH. From there, Phase I of the Flying Yankee's restoration was completed which included structural restoration as well as some of the interior and exterior cosmetic work. In August of 2005, the Flying Yankee was moved over the roadwayse to the shops of the Plymouth & Lincoln (Hobo) Railroad in Lincoln, NH.
And that's where she remained until 2024 when a new group which had formed in 2021 finally took stewardship of her with ambitious plans of its own. Known as The Flying Yankee Association after an extensive RFP the State of New Hampshire sold the train to the new FYA for one dollar. A week after the sale was consummated, on July 30th of 2024 the train moved over the highway to this location and was placed back on its own wheels and sits on a stretch of track it once ran on in revenue service as the Mountaineer.
To learn much more or to donate or join their organization click here: flyingyankee.org/
Conway, New Hampshire
Friday November 1, 2024
FREON HOLDINGS
(2005) Bombardier Challenger 300
PHL - August 27, 2021
*------------------------------------*
Copyright 2021
Paul Kanagie
The sun's in the east but reflecting off these windows. LaQuinta solar hotel across the street already has their sign lights off. Zaxby's chicken is down again with their sign losing some neon or freon on whatever, school starts today for those that have kids, and oh yes, it is St. Patrick's day today for those that celebrate however they choose. Fog is rising off the land, the Advance concrete truck missed hitting anyone so far. USA today has an interesting article on the front page which headlines "Distrust rooted in lies, loss" Blessings to us all. Have a good day.
The background picture is entitled: St. Louis, May 1940. "Downtown street on Sunday morning." and is the property of Shorpy.com. The original picture can be viewed here
* Obviously the following commentary is quite lengthy and makes for difficult reading "on screen". (If) you care to take to trouble of reading the entire text, my suggestion would be to copy the text and paste it into a Word document.
........... and you think the world is in chaos today?..............
The New York Stock Exchange crashed in October 1929 throwing the nation into the grips of poverty and financial despair. 1930 was the beginning of the Great Depression. It would last a decade in the United States, where, at its nadir in 1933, 25 percent of all workers and 37 percent of all nonfarm workers were completely out of work. Some people starved; many others lost their farms and homes. Homeless vagabonds sneaked aboard the freight trains that crossed the nation. Dispossessed cotton farmers, the “Okies,” stuffed their possessions into dilapidated Model Ts and migrated to California in the false hope that the posters about plentiful jobs were true. Although the U.S. economy began to recover in the second quarter of 1933, the recovery largely stalled for most of 1934 and 1935. A more vigorous recovery commenced in late 1935 and continued into 1937, when a new depression occurred. The American economy had yet to fully recover from the Great Depression when the United States was drawn into World War II in December 1941. Because of this agonizingly slow recovery, the entire decade of the 1930s in the United States is often referred to as the Great Depression.
Socialism declared the Death of Capitalism; Hitler rose to power; From July 1936 to April 1939 Spain was ravaged by a Civil War, In 1931, the Japanese Kwangtung Army attacked Chinese troops in Manchuria. Ominous clouds of impending war loomed on the horizon. In the United States, the majority of its citizens were too preoccupied with trying to survive another day under the strains of the depression to notice.
But all of this drove technology forward: Radio was now the dominant mass medium in the so-called civilized world; the first commercial intercontinental airline flights began.
Some inventions and innovations of the 1930s and 40’s that shaped the culture:
1930: Planet discovered: Pluto, by Clyde W. Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory
1930: Photoflash bulb
1930: Freon invented by Midgley et al.
1930: Artificial fabric polymerized from acetylene (J. Walter Reppe, Germany)
1930: High-octane gasoline invented by Ipatief (Russia)
1931: Cyclotron invented (Ernest O. Lawrence, USA)
1931: Neoprene (synthetic rubber) developed by Julius A. Nieuwland
1931: Synthetic resin, invented by Hill (England)
1931: Electronic microscope, Lroll & Ruska (Germany)
1932: Vitamin D discovered
1933: Electronic television invented by Philo Farnsworth (USA)
1933: Pure Vitamin C synthesized by Tadeusz Reichstein
1934: Launderette, invented by Cantrell (USA)
1935: Aircraft-detecting radar, by Robert Watson Watt
1935: First sulfa drug (Prontosil) for streptococcal infections (G. Domagk, Germany)
1936: Artificial Heart invented by Dr. Alexis Carrel
1937: Nylon patented for DuPont by Wallace H. Carothers
1937: First jet engine, built by Frank Whittle
1938: Fiberglass invented at Owens-Corning
1938: Teflon invented at Du Pont
1938: Vitamin E identified
1938: Fluorescent lamp, at General Electric
1939: First nylon stockings
1939: Polyethylene invented
1939: First helicopter, built by Igor Sikorsky (Russian-American)
1939: FM (Frequency Modulation) radio invented by Edwin H. Armstrong
1940: First USA helicopter flight, Vought-Sikorsky Corporation
1940: Penicillin perfected by Howard Florey as useful antibiotic
1940: Cavity Magnetron developed (key to Radar)
1940: First transuranic element (Neptunium) discovered (Philip Abelson & Edwin McMillan)
1940: First electron microscope, RCA
Meanwhile, Hitler's Nazi party gained power (in 1930), and soon led to the annexation of Austria (1938) and the invasion of Poland (1939), which drew France and Great Britain into World War II, despite the dithering of Neville Chamberlain. In June of 1940 the rapidly advancing German Army captured Paris. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is U.S. president (1932 into the next decade). Great Britain sees three kings in the decade: Edward VIII, George V, and George VI.
1930 – 1940 (what were we reading, what were we watching and what were we listening to)
BOOKS:
1932 Aldous Huxley: "Brave New World"
1932 “Tobacco Road” by Erskine Caldwell is published. It is about Georgia sharecroppers.
1938 Ayn Rand: "Anthem”
1939 James Joyce: "Finnegans Wake"
1939 “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck is published.
MOVIES:
1931 “Frankenstein”
1932"The Mummy" - With Boris Karloff.
1933 “Deluge” - New York is wiped out by tsunami. Based on 1928 novel of same name by S.
Fowler Wright. (Plot sound familiar?)
1933 “The Invisible Man” - with Claude Rains as Dr. Jack Giffin, John Carradine, Walter Brennan,
directed by James Whale.
1933 “King Kong” - with Leslie Fenton, Conrad Veidt, Jill Esmond, George Merritt. Directed by Karl Hartl.
1934 "The Thin Man" - With William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan. Based on the book by
Dashiell Hammett.
1935 "Top Hat" - With Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore.
1936 “Flash Gordon” (many sequels to follow)
1936"The Charge of the Light Brigade" - With Erroll Flynn, Olivia DeHavilland, Donald Crisp, Nigel
Bruce, Patric Knowles, David Niven.
1937 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
1938 "The Adventures of Robin Hood" - With Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude
Rains, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale. Directed by Michael Curtiz.
1939 "Gone With the Wind" - With Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia DeHavilland,
Thomas Mitchell, Hattie McDaniel.
1940 "The Grapes of Wrath" - With Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine. Directed by John
Ford.
1940 "The Bank Dick" - With W.C. Fields, Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel, Franklin Pangborn, Shemp
Howard, Grady Sutton.
MUSIC – 1940
“When You Wish Upon a Star” - Glenn Miller
“In The Mood” - Glenn Miller
“When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano” - Ink Spots
“Frenesi” - Artie Shaw
“Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar” - Will Bradley
“Tuxedo Junction” - Glenn Miller
“Body and Soul” - Coleman Hawkins
“I'll Never Smile Again” - Tommy Dorsey
“Sierra Sue” - Bing Crosby
“Blueberry Hill” - Glenn Miller
“Careless” - Glenn Miller
“Ferryboat Serenade” - Andrews Sisters
“The Woodpecker Song” - Glenn Miller
“Only Forever” - Bing Crosby
“Imagination” - Glenn Miller
RADIO:
Although the origins of television can be traced back as far as 1873 the discovery of the photoconductivity of the element selenium by Willoughby Smith, the first regularly scheduled television service in the United States was not available until July 2, 1928 and yet then it was in its infancy and certainly not perfected and not a widely accepted form of media. Radio was the media of the time. Most Americans, although barely able to put food on the table or clothes on their backs, had some type of radio in their living quarters.
1932, November 7th - the First radio broadcast of "Buck Rogers" www.buck-rogers.com/radio_serial/
What followed was a whole host of Science fiction, mystery, comedy, westerns, detective and music programs. During the mid to late 30’s and 40’s millions of American families gathered around their radios in the evening listening to their favorite radio shows. Radio broadcasts continued well into the late 50’s when eventually television became readily accessible and affordable to most Americans.
A few of the earliest radio shows:
“Flash Gordon” – September, 1935: www.oldradioworld.com/media/Flash%20Gordon%201935-09-07%2...
“The Town Crier” 1929 - 1942: www.oldradioworld.com/media/The%20Town%20Crier%20Twenty%2...
“Sam Bass, Death Valley Days” 1930 – 1945: www.oldradioworld.com/media/Death%20Valley%20Days%201936-...
“The Aldrich Family” – 1939 - 1953: www.oldradioworld.com/media/The%20Aldrich%20Family%201952...
If you would care to delve a little further into the world of radio entertainment (before the days of sex, graphic violence and endless commercials on TV), I suggest you check out this excellent site - www.oldradioworld.com/
Notable events:
1931 - Empire State Building opens in New York City
1931, September – Japanese invade Manchuria
1932 - Ford introduces the Model B, the first low-priced car to have a V-8 engine
1933 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt sworn in as President; he is the last president to be inaugurated on
March 4.
1933, February - Less than a month after Hitler became chancellor, the Reichstag burns down. When the police arrive they find Marinus van der Lubbe on the premises. Upon being tortured by the Gestapo van der Lubbe confesses to starting the fire. However he denies that he was part of a Communist
Conspiracy. Hitler later gives orders that all leaders of the German Communist Party "will be
hanged that very night." Hermann Goering announces that the Nazi Party plans "to exterminate" German communists.
1934 Chancellor Dollfuss of Austria assassinated by Nazis. Hitler becomes führer. USSR admitted to League of Nations.
1934 - John Dillinger is killed in Chicago
1935 - Mussolini invades Ethiopia; League of Nations invokes sanctions. Roosevelt opens second
phase of New Deal in U.S., calling for social security, better housing, equitable taxation, and farm assistance. Huey Long assassinated in Louisiana.
1935, September - The Nuremberg Race Laws deprive German Jews of their rights of citizenship, giving them the status of "subjects" in Hitler's Reich. The laws also make it forbidden for Jews to marry or have sexual relations with Aryans or to employ young Aryan women as household help. The Nazis settle on defining a "full Jew" as a person with three Jewish grandparents. Those with less were designated as Mischlinge or a "mixed blood."
1937, May - the German passenger airship, the Hindenburg, catches fire and is destroyed while attempting to dock during a electrical storm at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Of the 97 people on board, 15 are killed along with people killed on the ground. The exact cause for this disaster is still unknown.
1936, August – The 1936 Summer Olympics officially known as Games of the XI Olympiad, are held in Berlin, Germany. Jesse Owens wins four gold medals: the 100m sprint, the long jump, 200m sprint and after he was added to the 4 x 100 m relay team, he won his fourth on August 9.
* Owens was allowed to travel with and stay in the same hotels as whites, while at the time blacks in many parts of the United States were denied equal rights. After a New York City ticker-tape parade of Fifth Avenue in his honor, Owens had to ride the freight elevator at the Waldorf-Astoria to reach the reception honoring him.......... a sad chapter in the history of the United States. Owens said, "Hitler didn't snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram." On the other hand, Hitler sent Owens a commemorative inscribed cabinet photograph of himself. Jesse Owens was never invited to the White House nor were honors bestowed upon him by president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) or his successor Harry S. Truman during their terms. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Owens by naming him an "Ambassador of Sports."
1936 - Germans occupy Rhineland. Italy annexes Ethiopia. Rome-Berlin Axis proclaimed (Japan to join
in 1940). Trotsky exiled to Mexico.
1937 - Hitler repudiates war guilt clause of Versailles Treaty; continues to build German power. Italy withdraws from League of Nations. U.S. gunboat Panay sunk by Japanese in Yangtze River.
Japan invades China, conquers most of coastal area. Amelia Earhart lost somewhere in Pacific
on round-the-world flight. Picasso's Guernica mural – an abstract depicting the chaos and human calamity of the Spanish Civil War.
1938, November - The Kristallnacht or the "Night of Broken Glass" is a night when the Gestapo and the SS go through towns of Austria and smash the windows of Jewish occupations. Thousands of homes and businesses are ransacked, 91 Jews are murdered and 25,000 to 30,000 are arrested and placed in concentration camps.
1938, March - The Anschluss, Germany takes over Austria. The German speaking part of Austria wanted to unite with Germany and Hitler states that this was his purpose for the annexation of Austria. However, this is against the Treaty of Versailles.
1939, September - Nazi-Germany attacks Poland, essentially the beginning of World War II. Many
countries around Germany declared war on Germany but do not take overt action against the Third Reich. Recently, Adolf Hitler had agreed in the Munich Agreement that he would not invade Poland. Great Britain and Poland have a mutual aid treaty that requires either country to come to the aid of the other in the event of war. When Germany invades Poland, Britain (and the Commonwealth) is obligated to come to the aid of Poland by declaring war on Germany. The United States, however, does not officially declare war against Germany. Many countries rise up and voiced anger over Hitler’s betrayal but only Britain and the Commonwealth take overt actions to try and stop Hilter’s military aggression.
1939 - President Roosevelt, appears at the opening of the 1939 New York World's Fair, becoming the first President to give a speech that is broadcast on television. Semi-regular broadcasts air during the next two years
1940, August - The Battle of Britain begins. The German Luftwaffe attempts to take over British airspace and destroy the Royal Air Force with the intention of eventually invading England. Against all odds, Britain and The Royal Air Force resist the Luftwaffe aggression causing Hitler to abandon the idea of invading Britain and to turn his attention to Russia.
1940, March - "Lend/Lease" is the name of the program under which the US supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France and other Allied nations with vast amounts of war material in return for military bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the British West Indies. It
was intended to promote the defense of the US. This act also ended the neutrality of the United States.
1940, May (This picture) – A mostly vacant downtown area of St. Louis on an early Sunday
morning.
As this picture suggests, the United States lay basically asleep, as many Americans are either unaware , or prefer to ignore the ominous winds of war swirling all around them. In a few short months, the hammer would fall and Americans would find themselves anxiously gathered around their radios listening to the President of the United States announce:
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.”
From this day forward, life as American’s knew it, will be drastically and forever changed.
sya unang shot ko ng bti dto sa dalton dto yan sa DIG DIG caranglan.
CHASIS NUMBER- RB46S
ENGINE NUMBER-PE6T ALLISON AUTOMATIC
INCLUDING THE RETARDER
NISSAN DIESEL BUS CHASIS
SANTAROSA EXFOH SERIES
YEAR MODEL 2002
SUB ENGINE TYPE
FREON TYPE R12 SERIES
NOW CONVERTED INTO R134A FREON TYPE JAPAN SERIES
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
Sitting truckless and a bit forlorn out behind the HOBO Railroad depot in Lincoln the Flying Yankee is still a wondrous sight. I first laid eyes on her when I was 5 or 6 and she was a display at Edaville Railroad in South Carver, Mass. Since then she has wandered north to New Hampshire and been displayed in various locations always with the goal of a full running restoration. Alas I'm not sure that is ever to be....
The Yankee was built by the Budd Company in 1935 one year after and in the same style as the famed Pioneer Zephyr for the Burlington that ushered in the great diesel streamliner era. The little train would operate on assorted routes throughout New England over the course of a 22 year career.
Here is a history of the little train by Calr Lindblade as posted on the Flying Yankee Restoration Group's web site:
In the midst of the Great Depression the conditions in America were so bleak that serious minded folks wondered if, in fact, this experiment in Democracy was really working. Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her book No Ordinary Time describes how in the late Depression in fact America had double digit unemployment, one third of the population had no running water, and education was obtainable by only a small number. In the years following 1929 rail passenger traffic had fallen by one half and railroads were seeking to discontinue unprofitable passenger service. The Interstate Commerce Commission had to grant approvals to discontinue service and was stingy with these permissions.
The Boston and Maine and Maine Central Railroads were in dire straits that reflected the times, which brings us to the crux of the story.
The tradition in America is that when we face adversity we bring technology and ingenuity to the fore. And so it was that the Boston and Maine-Maine Central Railroads undertook to order a new train set that for its time was truly revolutionary.
The solution was a streamlined three car unit train ordered from the Budd Company in Philadelphia on a one page letter from Mr. French, President of the Boston and Maine railroad. The new Flying Yankee was given road number 6000. It followed the delivery of the Pioneer Zephyr by only a few weeks.
Revolutionary? The train was designed as a sprinter, covering intermediate distances quickly. The Winton 201 A Diesel Electric (the first type of longer distance train not powered by steam) powered the train. The train was the first with fixed windows, thus we see Air Conditioning for the first time.
The Flying Yankee restoration group has the original maintenance manual from GM Frigidaire with a disclaimer on page 3 from the US Department of Commerce assuring users that Freon was safe for the atmosphere. The train had no diner, and indeed food was prepared in a galley and served on trays to passengers. The trays affixed to the seat in front. A prelude to airline-type service. (The Yankee's food was better!) On time, the Yankee was delivered February 10, 1935 to the yards of the B and M at Mechanicville, NY. For the next several weeks the train went on a goodwill tour over the entire BM-MEC Railroad system. Thousands of people turned out to see this shiny marvel. 10,000 in Nashua in March and 20,000 in Boston. Excitement built. Finally on April 1, 1935 the Yankee was christened with a bottle of clear cool water from Lake Sebago Maine and began service on a daily route. And what a route it was. Portland to Boston to Portland to Bangor to Portland to Boston and back, late in the day to Portland. 750 mile a day, 6 days a week. Sunday was for maintenance. Was this successful? Yes, beyond expectation. The Railroad had wondered if the new service, between Portland and Boston would draw new passengers or simply carry existing passengers. The train drew new ridership and provided a profit for the Boston and Maine-Maine Central. The running time of the Yankee in 1935 was 51 minutes faster than today's Downeaster!
A rare publicity shot shows just one of the many modifications made to the Flying Yankee. The wings were added to prevent buildup of snow on the windshield. Popular folklore says it is the result of Flying Yankee crews discovering that a plywood Victory "V" added during World War II enhanced visibility during winter operation.
Over the years the Yankee ran under different names as it served various parts of Northern New England. The Cheshire, The Minuteman, The Business Man. The Yankee went to war in World War II continuing to provide fast consistent service. Following World War II, the streamline era, whose design was begun with the Yankee and the Zephyrs, had a glorious but brief time in our history. The Super Chief, The City of New Orleans, The Crescent, The Twentieth Century had their glory days.
In the early 1950's President Eisenhower signed into law the National Defense Highway Act and with that began the building of the Interstate Highway System. For the first time in a century, America recast and rethought the way it would move people and freight. Bold new rights of way were carved across the nation from sea to sea. The last time we'd redone these paths of commerce was over 100 years before. Rails replacing canals. So it was that on May 7, 1957, The Yankee's service was discontinued.
The train set was donated by the B and M to the Edaville Railroad in Carver, Massachusetts. It sat there for almost 40 years until a visionary, Bob Morrell, determined to purchase the train, bring it to New Hampshire, restore it to operating condition, and provide for it to run again as an example of American ingenuity in the face of adversity. The train was stored in Glen, NH until 1997 when the state of New Hampshire purchased it and moved it over the road to the shops of the Claremont Concord Railroad at Claremont Junction, NH. From there, Phase I of the Flying Yankee's restoration was completed which included structural restoration as well as some of the interior and exterior cosmetic work. In August of 2005, the Flying Yankee was moved over the roadways for one final time to the shops of the Plymouth & Lincoln (Hobo) Railroad in Lincoln, NH where the restoration of this historic streamliner will be completed.
Alas, as of now it appears all that can be hoped for is that she will be placed back on her trucks on a panel of track where she can at least be enjoyed by the public to see a glimpse of what was once considered the vanguard in transportation and that still looks sleek and futuristic at 85 years old!
Lincoln, New Hampshire
Sunday October 11, 2020
to make up for the mega upload of nothing but lego leaks, here's the next 9 figs down, leaving just 5 more left
#7: Spellbinder. Uses a plane orange base with the exception of 1 black hand. he has arm, front and side leg printing, and head printing. His accesories are 2 clear orb pieces from the guardians of the galaxy sets with printing on it, attatched to 2 of them clear stud holders.
#8: Shriek. i wanted to do a new fist mold with the claws, but i didn't knew how that could've been achieved. so it's just using a modified blaster piece but flattened down. new helmet mold and armour mould. he has extra printing on his arms. so pretty basic
#9: Mr freeze. Second best fig i made so far. new shoulderpad and helmet attachment really pops the blue on him. i've already seen customs of his face online, and i didn't wanna lean too close to it but you can clearly see some simularities there. Uses the new overwatch gun with extra studs. has duel molded arms and legs in blue and black with printing
#10: 2-D man. Very obscure character in the batman beyond mythos, member and leader of the terrific trio. also containing characters like him, freon (to which i'll get to next) and magma (to which i'm not gonna add...probably) He's litterally the simplist of detailed figures. manly inspired by emmet and/or the classic blank face lego figures of the old times. has legs and arm printing fro straps and has duel molded lavender and light yellow legs
#11: Freon. The next (and again probably last i'll do) member of the terrific trio, and i like this figure more and more by the second. Tho i could've worked on the details a bit better. She is sorta like if invisible women and kller frost were squashed into one, tho honestly i thought she had ghost power. In most shots you see her nearly translucent, so that's why she uses some sand blue arms and legs duel molded with clear plastic and would have printing that bleads and fades into eachother. New hair mold that woud reach down midway to her legs, and an alternate expression
#12: BATMAN. the dark knight himself suited up and ready do fight crime. I believe this version of batman was after he fell intot he lazouris pit and was re-juvenised, and uses a highly armoured suit. this uses the new flat batman cowel with onl eye printing, new shoulder pads in the shape of his emblem, the new belt i've introduced into this series, and 2 blades attachable by hands. if you remove the armour you get basically a second figure. i re-used the comissioner gordon hair in black with white sideburns and have him a black head with flesh printing. duel molded arms in black and light silver (tho it doesn't look like it is but the gray is silver)
#13: Joker. again, theirs already alot of custom and offical versions of joker from the batman begins movie, so i wanted to do my thing and sorta just add more stuff to him. he still uses the widow's peak hair piece but with green detailing for that shine. a full black torso with arm, toros and front leg printing. comes with a pair of chattering teeth which use a red 1x1 arch tile and a new 1x1 arch stud piece, that would both have teeth printing.
#14: Kobra. Know little to nothing about him but he was fun to do, uses a dark nugat torso with front and back printing. duel molded legs in dark nugat and pearl gold with front and side printing. has a green cape and a red snake for accesories. comes with an almost new snake helmet. i just used the ninjago head with extra frills
#15: Ghoul. a popular member of the jokerz gang through the show's franchise, mostly a scarecrow ripoff but not a bad one. i didn't know wether to use the flat hat and hair or the pointy hat and hair, but i think he looks a bit better with the flat head. he has black and light gray duel molded arms, plain olive green legs with front printing, and comes with a halloween bucket (perfect for this time of month)
so tell me what you think of all the figs. and apologies again for keeping it in the dark from ya guys.
W Tatrach
В Татрах
View of Kasper Peak.
Morning while winter hiking. Sun shines through waves of warm foehn wind - „Halny” that rises about mountain ranges and blows through the valleys. Lustering hiking trail provides to the top of the mountain
Widok na Kasprowy Wierch.
Poranek podczas zimowej wyprawy. Słońce przebija się przez fale ciepłego wiatru „Halny” – freon zrywa się z grani gór i spływa do dolin. Do wierzchołku góry prowadzi ścieżka
Вид на Каспровый Верх.
Утро зимнего похода. Солнце просвечивает через потоки теплого ветра „Хальный” – фреон своим потоком срывается с хребтов и спускается в долины. На пик горы поблескивая вьётся тропа.
BB 2600. :
Les BB 26000 sont une série de locomotives électriques de la SNCF, surnommées « Sybic » contraction de « Synchrone » et « Bicourant ». Ce sont, avec leurs petites sœurs les BB 36000, les locomotives les plus puissantes de la SNCF.
Description
Double traction avec deux BB 26000 tractant un train Copenhague - Modane dans un décors montagneux et enneigé
Double traction de BB 26000 avec la 26075 en tête (livrée béton) et la 26163 (livrée « En voyage ») tractant un train Copenhague - Modane à l'approche de son terminus.
Après la livraison en 1986 des dernières BB 22200, la SNCF s'attelle à recevoir une nouvelle série de locomotives bicourant universelles, c’est-à-dire capables de tracter aussi bien des trains de voyageurs rapides à 200 km/h que des trains de marchandises lourds.
Ces machines doivent donc disposer d'une grande puissance disponible aussi bien sous 1,5 kV continu que sous 25 kV 50 Hz.
Le type de motorisation retenu est le même que celui des TGV Atlantique développés à la même époque : le moteur synchrone. À partir des essais réalisés sur les prototypes BB 20011-20012, les cinq premières machines (machines de présérie) sont livrées en 1988. Leur puissance de 5 600 kW n'atteint pas celle des CC 6500 avec leurs 5 900 kW, mais elles sont beaucoup plus légères (90 t au lieu de 116 t).
La 26001 sort d'usine début 1988 et est livrée le 1er avril 1988.
Suivront les 26002 (6 mai), 26003 (10 mai), 26004 (1er juillet), et 26005 (1er septembre).
Il y aura de longues années de livraisons intensives (jusqu'à quatre machines par mois).
Les cinq dernières 26000 seront livrées en 1998, la toute dernière (26234) étant mise en service le 23 juillet 1998.
Points particuliers :
les Sybic sont les dernières locomotives électriques à bogie monomoteur de la SNCF ;
sur les 264 locomotives commandées, seules 234 ont été livrées. Les 30 dernières sont devenues, par avenant au marché, les 30 premières BB 36000 ;
les Sybic sont les locomotives les plus performantes de la SNCF.
Toutefois, elles présentaient quelques points faibles :
l'absence de climatisation des cabines de conduites, elles seront équipées en 2009 en chaîne spéciale.
un débit d'air insuffisant de la climatisation.
un temps de réaction du freinage avec de longs convois de fret.
Source:
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/BB_26000
Traduction / Translation 🇬🇧 GB. UK.
SNCF Class BB 26000
The SNCF BB 26000 locomotives are a class of dual voltage, four axle B'B' electric locomotives capable of a top speed of 200 km/h built by GEC Alsthom between 1988 and 1998 for SNCF. The locomotives are also commonly known as the Sybics
Design and development
The class were built to fulfil both freight and passenger roles; the specifications included the ability to haul 16 Corail coaches at 200 km/h (124 mph) on a 0.25% gradient, and to haul a 2,050 t (2,018 long tons; 2,260 short tons) freight train at 80 km/h (50 mph) on a 0.88% gradient.
The locomotives are a two cabin design with the body built out of steel, two pantographs are fitted; one for 1500 V operation, the other for 25 kV operation. A 25 kV AC supply is stepped down and rectified to 1500 V, a 1500 V supply feeds the power electronics directly. Each of the three elements of the thyristor bridge based three phase inverter circuits are connected in parallel, with the two three phase supplies per motor being series connected. For speeds below 15 km/h (9.3 mph) one supply voltage reducing chopper circuit (French:hacheur) per motor bogie is used to assist control. The power electronics of the two motor bogies are connected in parallel, and are evaporatively cooled by boiling Freon 113.
The bogies are a monomoteur design,[note 3] with helical spring primarily suspension.
The traction motors are three phase synchronous type (as used in the contemporary TGV Atlantique) but with two three phase stator windings offset by 30 degrees.Drive from the traction motors to wheel is via a floating ring vibration isolation element (French:anneau dansant) and hollow shaft drive.
Mono-motor bogies were chosen based on the good performance in the SNCF BB 22200, SNCF BB 15000 and SNCF BB 7200 classes. A synchronous motor was chosen over a commutated motor or an asynchronous motor due to the reduced mass, simplicity of equipment, and price.[6]
Two locomotives SNCF BB 20011 and 20012 were used to develop and test the dual voltage traction system, microprocessor control systems and auxiliary motors, BB 20012 was used to develop and test the pneumatic and electrical braking system.[6]
The Paris-based industrial design group MBD Design contributed to the design of the locomotive..........
Source :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_Class_BB_26000
Übersetzung / Translation 🇩🇪 DE.
Die Baureihe BB 26000 ist eine elektrische Mehrzwecklokomotive der Französischen Staatsbahnen (SNCF),. Sie wurde zwischen 1988 und 1998 von Alstom – zur damaligen Zeit noch als Alsthom firmierend – in Belfort gebaut.
Geschichte
Seit den 1970er-Jahren hatte die SNCF Elektrolokomotiven mit durch Thyristoren geregelter Phasenanschnittsteuerung beschafft. Dieses waren die Baureihen BB 7200 als reine Gleichstromlok, die BB 15000 als reine Wechselstromlok und die BB 22200 als Zweisystemlok. Zwecks einfacherem Unterhalt und flexiblerem Einsatz wurde jedoch noch während der Planung bzw. Fertigung dieser beiden Baureihen entschieden, künftige Elloks nur noch in Zweisystemausführung zu beschaffen. Dementsprechend wurde die ab 1976 gefertigte BB 22200 bereits als Zweisystemlok ausgeführt.
In der ersten Hälfte der 1980er-Jahre fällte die SNCF die Entscheidung, dass die auf die 22200 folgenden Elloktypen umrichtergesteuerte Drehstrommotoren erhalten sollten. Abweichend beispielsweise von den westdeutschen Lokomotivbauern, die etwa im gleichen Zeitraum die Baureihe 120 entwickelt haben, setzte man in Frankreich jedoch zunächst auf Synchronmotoren anstelle von Asynchronmotoren.
Die erste Lokomotive dieser neuen Baureihe, die als BB 26000 bezeichnet wurde, konnte am 1. April 1988 vorgestellt werden. Bis 1998 wurden 234 Einheiten hergestellt. Ab der Betriebsnummer 26188 wurden die Maschinen serienmäßig mit einem Dreilicht-Spitzensignal ausgestattet.[1]
Die BB 26000 ist unter dem Kunstnamen Sybic gut bekannt; dieses wurde aus synchrone für die Synchronmotoren und bicourant für die Zweisystemfähigkeit gebildet.
Konstruktion :
Die BB 26000 ist vorwiegend aus Stahl gefertigt und besitzt aufgrund ihres kantigen Designs eine sehr eigene Erscheinung. Besonders bemerkenswert mit Blick auf ihre Konstruktion ist die Tatsache, dass sie, wie bereits einige frühere französische Elloks, so genannte Monomoteur-Drehgestelle besitzt, in denen jeweils nur ein großer Fahrmotor über eine nachgeschaltete Getriebeeinheit alle Achsen des jeweiligen Drehgestells antreibt. Die Zugkraftübertragung zwischen Lokkasten und Drehgestellen erfolgt über tief liegende Zug- und Druckstangen. Die Primärfederung erfolgt mit Schraubenfedern und die Sekundärfederung mit Gummi-Stahl-Blöcken. Die Kraftübertragung vom jeweiligen Fahrmotor bzw. vom Verteilergetriebe auf die Radsätze erfolgt über Hohlwellen-Gummiringfeder-Antriebe.
Im elektrischen Teil kommen auf GTO-Thyristoren basierende, flüssigkeitsgekühlte Traktionsstromrichter zur Anwendung. Diese arbeiten mit einer Zwischenkreisspannung von 1,5 kV Gleichstrom und können somit während des Betriebs im französischen Gleichstromnetz ohne weiteres direkt aus der Oberleitung gespeist werden. Im Wechselstromnetz ist ihnen der Haupttransformator vorgeschaltet.
Auf dem Dach sind zwei unterschiedliche Stromabnehmer angebracht, jeweils einer für Gleichstrom (mit vier Schleifleisten) und Wechselstrom (mit zwei Schleifleisten).
Für die Bedienung stehen dem Lokführer eine einfache manuelle Zug- und Bremskraftsteuerung, das so genannte „dispositif de vitesse imposée“ (eine Geschwindigkeitssteuerung ähnlich der deutschen AFB, aber ohne Koppelung mit der pneumatischen Bremse) und als Hilfe für den Betrieb im 1,5-kV-Netz eine Leistungsbegrenzung zur Limitierung der Stromaufnahme zur Verfügung. Bedienelemente für direkte und indirekte Bremse sind ebenfalls vorhanden. Die BB 26000 besitzt Bordgeräte für die Zugsicherungssysteme RS bzw. „Crocodile“ und KVB.............
Source :
A timelapse flight over a cloudy part of the world, spot the International Space Station radiators top-right? Like our solar panels they move with us to keep our systems and the inhabitants inside at optimal temperature. They circulate ammonia, a toxic substance but very good at exchanging heat given off by our electical systems. It works like a car radiator or a refrigerator, but uses heat radiation instead of convection to keep cool. In space, sunlight warms very quickly, but the shade is very cold: varying from -100°C to +100°C. The goal is to keep the solar panels in the sun and the ammonia radiators in the shade. We have the temperature set at a constant 23°C – except when certain people are on board and complain about how cold it is… it has been raised to 25°C before, true story!
If you know that the Space Station always flies from west to east you can roughly know which way the camera was pointing in each timelapse... in this case: south!
Le système de refroidissement de la Station s’invite dans ce timelapse au-dessus d’une mer de nuages. Il maintient la température aux alentours des 23°C - on monte à 25°C quand l'ISS accueille des astro0nautes italiens qui se plaignent du froid...! On y fait circuler de l’ammoniaque, très toxique mais aux capacités calorifiques élevées, et ils permettent, exposés au vide de l’espace, de dissiper la chaleur accumulée par les systèmes électriques, à l’intérieur de la Station. Comme un radiateur de voiture, ou l’arrière d’un frigo où du fréon circule, mais avec un principe d’échange de chaleur différent (par radiation, et non par conduction ou convection). À noter que dans l’espace, dès qu’on est au soleil il fait très chaud, et dès qu’on est à l’ombre il fait très froid : de +100 à -100 °C environ. Le principe est donc de maintenir les panneaux solaires le plus possible au soleil, et les radiateurs le plus possible à l’ombre…
Credits: ESA/NASA
GMT111_17_20_
The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1982 and 2011 for the 1983 to 2012 model years. Introduced as a replacement for the Mazda-produced Ford Courier sold from 1971 to 1982, the Ranger was produced in three generations. Introduced a year after the Chevrolet S-10, the Ranger would go on to become the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.
Production of the Ranger was sourced from three different assembly plants. Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota produced the Ranger for its entire model run; the last vehicle produced at Twin Cities Assembly was the final 2012 Ford Ranger. But from 1983 to 1999, production was supplemented at Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky and from 1993 to 2004, Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey.
Although Ford began to use the Ranger name on all compact trucks worldwide starting in 1998, global export of the North American version was primarily limited to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; South American versions of the Ranger were produced in Argentina from 1998 to 2012.
Rebadged variants of the second-generation Ford Ranger were marketed by Mazda as the B-Series with Mazda using engine displacement for their model designation: the B2500 had the 2.5-liter inline-four engine and the B4000 has a 4.0-liter V6. For 2002, the B-Series was renamed to simply Mazda Truck in the United States.
Second generation
1992–1997
The redesign in 1992 for 1993 featured mild restyling, flush-mounted door glass, wider doors, and slight fender flares. The 1989-style dashboard remained, but the seats and door panels were new. The 2.9-liter engine was discontinued. For the first time, every model was produced with a flareside bed. The engines offered were offered in displacements of 2.3-, 3.0- and a 4.0 liters. The Mazda M5OD-R1 was now the sole manual transmission option. A new "Splash" model was introduced, which had a flare side bed, unique chrome wheels, 1 inch (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and a 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), and special vinyl "Splash" decals on the sides and the tailgate.
The 1993 Splash trim level was offered with regular cab in arctic white, gloss black, red orange, and sky blue. The Mazda B-Series became a re-badged Ranger for the 1994 model year, but the Mazda B-Series did not offer an equivalent to the Splash model. While 1993 Rangers used R-12 Freon, 1994 model year saw the transition to CFC-free air-conditioning systems in compliance with the Clean Air Act. For the 1994 model year, the Splash trim had options which all included; a 1 in (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), flare side bed, an extended cab, and unique chrome wheels. The decals also underwent subtle changes. While the 1993–1994 models sported red, yellow and blue stripes, the 1995–1996 models had lime green stripes. Additionally, the available colors for the Splash model changed from the 1993–1994 models to the 1995–1997 models. The latter were offered in Maroon Red, Gloss black, White, and Canary Yellow.
Ford Ranger jump seat open
Fall 1994 production (1995 model year) included a steering wheel modified to include a driver's side airbag and a redesigned dashboard which included a double DIN radio head unit. Also for 1995 (model year), SuperCab trucks could have a power driver's seat. The A4LD transmission was updated. 2.3 L and 3.0 L models got the 4R44E, while 4.0 L trucks got the 4R55E. The front brakes were changed to use the same 2-piston brake calipers as the second-generation Explorer, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes were added as standard on 4x4 and 4.0 L models. From October 1995 (1996 model year), an optional passenger airbag (the first compact truck to offer one) became available, with a key-operated cutoff switch that allowed the airbag to be turned off for smaller passengers riding in the front seat. In October 1996, the 1997 model year brought in the first ever five-speed automatic transmission to be used by an American manufacturer. The 4.0-liter models were equipped with the 5R55E, while the 3.0-liter was still mated to the 4R44E.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_(North_America)
This miniland-scale Lego Ford Ranger X Cab Pickup (1996 - North America Offroad Custom) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
This model was a 'By Request' offered up by Lino, for a Ford 1996 Ranger customised to the gills. I chose for this model to present the vehicle as specified by a recreational offroad enthusiast (not hardcore). and also presented in the style of the original 'Model Team' Lego models.
On this date (22nd May) in 1968, the United States Navy lost a submarine:
The USS Scorpion (SS-589) was the third of six Skipjack-class nuclear powered fast attack submarines that were built for the United States Navy between 1956 and 1961.
The Skipjack-class design was based on the USS Albacore (AGSS-569), a unique experimental diesel-electric powered that pioneered the use of the 'teardrop' hull-shape in modern US submarines. The teardrop hull is a design for better submarine performance while submerged over surface performance. It was often used early on in submarine development, but was dropped early in the 20th century in favour of hull designs that would optimize surface performance over submerged. The Skipjacks were also the first submarines installed with the new S5W reactor. They were the fastest U.S. nuclear submarines and remained so until the USS Los Angeles entered service in 1974.
Career:
The keel for USS Scorpion SSN-589 was laid down by the 'General Dynamics Electric Boat Co' at Groton, Connecticut on August 20th 1958. She was launched on December 19th the following year, sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth S. Morrison, the daughter of Lt. Cdr. Maximilian Gmelich Schmidt. Schmidt was commander of the previous USS Scorpion (SS-278) when that submarine was lost with all hands in 1944.
USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was commissioned July 29th 1960, with Commander Norman B. Bessac in command, and was to spend her relatively short career as part of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 6, based at Norfolk Virginia.
On February 1st 1967, Scorpion entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for refuelling and then for a much needed complete overhaul. Cold War pressures were pushing US submarines to their limits, and constant service had taken it's toll on the submarine. Systems had began to break down, there were frequent serious oil leaks in the machinery, and sea water seeped in from the propeller shaft seal. The submarine was experiencing serious vibration, and her operational depth was limited to 300 ft. The constant mechanical problems led the crew to nickname their boat the 'Scrapiron'.
Cold War pressures also required Scorpion to be back in service as soon as possible, and to achieve this her overhaul was much reduced, and long-overdue 'SUBSAFE' work, such as a new central valve control system, was deffered. Critically, the Emergency 'Main Ballast Tank Blow' system which had been 'unusable' was deemed to be working as-is by Charleston shipyard. Basically Scorpion underwent emergency repairs Because of the incomleted work it was decided to limit her operational depth to 500 ft. In late October 1967, Scorpion started refresher training and weapons system acceptance tests, and was given a new commanding officer 'Commander Francis Slattery'.
Loss:
On February 15th 1968, USS Scorpion (SSN-589) departed Norfolk, Virgina for a three month deployment to take part in NATO exercises with the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. During the deployment, the submarine suffered several mechanical malfunctions, including a chronic problem with Freon leakage from refrigeration systems. There was also an electrical fire in an escape trunk caused by a water leak shorting out a shore power connection. While the crew occasionally enjoyed liberty in Italy, Sicily, and Spain, they also worked tirelessly to keep their boat operational until their return to Norfolk at the end of May.
On May 16th, Scorpion dropped two men off at Naval Station Rota in Spain (RM2 Eric Reid for a family emergency , and ICS Joseph Underwood for health reasons) before beginning the journey home. On route Scorpion was detailed to observe Soviet naval activities in the vicinity of the Azores, where an Echo II-class submarine, and a guided missile destroyer were operating with a Soviet 'research group'.
Shortly before midnight on May 20th, Scorpion attempted to send radio communications to Naval Station Rota, but the messages were only picked up by a Navy communications station in Nea Makri, Greece, who forwarded the messages to Commander Submarine Force Atlantic (COMSUBLANT). Commander Slattery's last message reported that he was closing on the Soviet submarine and research group, running at a steady 15 kn at a depth of 110 m to begin surveillance. Nothing more was ever heard from Scorpion.
On May 27th, families eagerly waited at Pier 2, Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia where Scorpion was due in at 13.00, but the submarine failed to arrive. The submarine's failure to break radio silence by late morning was already causing concern among SUBRON-6 officials. Repeated transmissions of Scorpion’s call sign "Brandywine" went unanswered. Eventually the worried families of Scorpion's crew had to go home not knowing what had happened to their loved ones. The subsequent search for the missing submarine was fruitless, and on June 5th, the U.S.Navy declared that Scorpion and her crew was "presumed lost".
Weck:
The wreck of USS Scorpion was found in late October 1968 by the Navy's oceanographic research ship 'Mizar', approximately 400 nmi SW of the Azores, at a depth of more than 9,800 ft. This was after the area of search was narrowed down, following the release of recordings of the submarine's destruction picked up by underwater hydrophones.
Other vessels were dispatched to the scene to collect photographs and other data, including the bathyscaphe Trieste II. Analysis of the sound recordings, and the photographs of the wreckage leave no doubt that Scorpion's destruction was caused by the submarine imploding under massive pressure as she passed her crush depth, but the cause of her sinking still remains a mystery.
Roll of honour:
Keith Alexander Martin Allen - Fire Control Technician 2nd Class
Thomas Edward Amtower - Interior Communication Technician 2nd Class
George Gile Annable - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Joseph Anthony Baar, Jr. - Fireman
Michael Jon Bailey - Radioman 2nd Class
Walter William Bishop - Chief Torpedoman - Chief of the Boat
Michael Reid Blake - Interior Communication Electrician 3rd Class
Robert Harold Blocker - Machinist's Mate 1st class
Kenneth Ray Brocker - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
James Kenneth Brueggeman - Machinist's Mate 1st Class
Robert Eugene Bryan - Chief Machinist's Mate
John Patrick Burke - Lieutenant
Daniel Paul Burns Jr. - Radioman
Ronald Lee Byers - Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class
Duglas Leroy Campbell - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Samuel J. Cardullo - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Francis King Carey II - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Gary James Carpenter - Seaman
Robert Lee Chandler - Machinist's Mate 1st Class
Mark Helton Christiansen - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Romeo S. Constantino - Steward 1st Class
Robert James Cowan - Machinist's Mate 1st Class
Joseph Cross - Steward - 1st class - (Bronze Star with combat V)
Garlin Ray Denney - Chief Radioman
Michael Edward Dunn - Fireman
Richard Philip Engelhart - Electronics Technician Radar 2nd Class
George Patrick Farrin - Lieutenant
William Ralph Fennick - Seaman
Robert Walter Flesch - Lieutenant
Vernon Mark Foli - Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class
James Walter Forrester Jr. - Lieutenant Junior Grade
Ronald Anthony Frank - Seaman
Michael David Gibson - Commissaryman Seaman
Steven Dean Gleason - Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class
William Clarke Harwi - Lieutenant
Michael Edward Henry - Sonar Technician 2nd Class
Larry Leroy Hess - Storekeeper 2nd Class
Richard Curtis Hogeland - Electronics Technician 1st Class
John Richard Houge - Machinist's Mate 1st Class
Ralph Robert Huber - Electrician's Mate 2nd Class
Harry David Huckelberry - Torpedoman 2nd Class (SS)
John Frank Johnson - Electrician's Mate 3rd Class
Robert Johnson - Senior Chief Radioman
Steven Leroy Johnson - Interior Communications Electrician
Julius Johnston III - Quartermaster 2nd Class
Patrick Charles Kahanek - Fireman
Donald Terry Karmasek Sr. - Torpedoman 2nd Class
Richard Allen Kerntke Sr. - Chief Machinist's Mate
Rodney Joseph Kipp - Electronics Technician 3rd Class
Dennis Charles Knapp - Machinist's Mate 3rd Class
Charles Lee Lamberth - Lieutenant
Max Franklin Lanier - Machinist's Mate 1st Class
John Weichert Livingston - Electronics Technician 1st Class
David Bennett Lloyd - Lieutenant Commander (XO)
Kenneth Robert Martin - Electronics Technician 2nd Class
Frank Patsy Mazzuchi - Senior Chief Quartermaster
Michael Lee McGuire - Electronics Technician 1st Class
Steven Charles Miksad - Torpedoman's Mate 3rd Class
Joseph Francis Miller Jr. - Torpedoman's Mate 3rd Class
Cecil Frederick Mobley - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Raymond Dale Morrison - Quartermaster 1st Class
Michael Anthony Odening - Lieutenant Junior Grade
Daniel Christopher Petersen - Chief Electrician's Mate
Dennis Paul Pferrer - Quartermaster 3rd Class
Gerald Stanley Pospisil - Electrician's Mate 3rd Class
Donald Richard Powell - Interior Communications 3rd Class
Earl Lester Ray Jr. - Machinist's Mate 1st Class
Jorge Luis Santana - Commissaryman 1st Class
Lynn Thompson Saville - Chief Hospital Corpsman
Richard George Schaffer - Electronics Technician 2nd Class
William Newman Schoonover - Seaman
Phillip Allan Seifert - Fireman
Francis Atwood Slattery - Commander (C0)
George Elmer Smith Jr. - Chief Electronics Technician
Laughton Douglas Smith - Lieutenant
Robert Bernard Smith - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Harold Robert Snapp, Jr. - Sonar Technician 1st Class
Daniel Peter Stephens - Lieutenant Commander
Joel Candler Stephens - Electronics Technician 2nd Class
David Burton Stone - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
John Phillip Sturgill - Electrician's Mate 2nd Class
Richard Norman Summers - Yeoman 3rd Class
John Driscoll Sweeney, Jr. - Torpedoman's Mate Seaman
John Charles Sweet - Lieutenant
James Frank Tindol III - Communications Electronics Technician 2nd Class
Johnny Gerald Veerhusen - Commissaryman Seaman
Robert Paul Violetti - Torpedoman's Mate Third Class
Ronald James Voss - Sonar Technician 3rd Class
John Michael Wallace - Fire Control Technician 1st Class
Joel Kurt Watkins - Machinist's Mate 1st Class (SS)
Robert Westley Watson - Machinist's Mate Fireman
James Edwin Webb - Machinist's Mate 2nd Class
Leo William Weinbeck - Senior Chief Yeoman
James Mitchell Wells - Chief Machinist's Mate
Ronald Richard Williams - Seaman
Robert Alan Willis - Machinist's Mate 3rd Class
Virgil Alexander Wright III - Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class
Donald Howard Yarbrough - Torpedoman's Mate 1st Class
Clarence Otto Young Jr. - Electronics Technician 2nd Class
Rest in eternal peace.
The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1982 and 2011 for the 1983 to 2012 model years. Introduced as a replacement for the Mazda-produced Ford Courier sold from 1971 to 1982, the Ranger was produced in three generations. Introduced a year after the Chevrolet S-10, the Ranger would go on to become the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.
Production of the Ranger was sourced from three different assembly plants. Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota produced the Ranger for its entire model run; the last vehicle produced at Twin Cities Assembly was the final 2012 Ford Ranger. But from 1983 to 1999, production was supplemented at Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky and from 1993 to 2004, Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey.
Although Ford began to use the Ranger name on all compact trucks worldwide starting in 1998, global export of the North American version was primarily limited to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; South American versions of the Ranger were produced in Argentina from 1998 to 2012.
Rebadged variants of the second-generation Ford Ranger were marketed by Mazda as the B-Series with Mazda using engine displacement for their model designation: the B2500 had the 2.5-liter inline-four engine and the B4000 has a 4.0-liter V6. For 2002, the B-Series was renamed to simply Mazda Truck in the United States.
Second generation
1992–1997
The redesign in 1992 for 1993 featured mild restyling, flush-mounted door glass, wider doors, and slight fender flares. The 1989-style dashboard remained, but the seats and door panels were new. The 2.9-liter engine was discontinued. For the first time, every model was produced with a flareside bed. The engines offered were offered in displacements of 2.3-, 3.0- and a 4.0 liters. The Mazda M5OD-R1 was now the sole manual transmission option. A new "Splash" model was introduced, which had a flare side bed, unique chrome wheels, 1 inch (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and a 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), and special vinyl "Splash" decals on the sides and the tailgate.
The 1993 Splash trim level was offered with regular cab in arctic white, gloss black, red orange, and sky blue. The Mazda B-Series became a re-badged Ranger for the 1994 model year, but the Mazda B-Series did not offer an equivalent to the Splash model. While 1993 Rangers used R-12 Freon, 1994 model year saw the transition to CFC-free air-conditioning systems in compliance with the Clean Air Act. For the 1994 model year, the Splash trim had options which all included; a 1 in (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), flare side bed, an extended cab, and unique chrome wheels. The decals also underwent subtle changes. While the 1993–1994 models sported red, yellow and blue stripes, the 1995–1996 models had lime green stripes. Additionally, the available colors for the Splash model changed from the 1993–1994 models to the 1995–1997 models. The latter were offered in Maroon Red, Gloss black, White, and Canary Yellow.
Ford Ranger jump seat open
Fall 1994 production (1995 model year) included a steering wheel modified to include a driver's side airbag and a redesigned dashboard which included a double DIN radio head unit. Also for 1995 (model year), SuperCab trucks could have a power driver's seat. The A4LD transmission was updated. 2.3 L and 3.0 L models got the 4R44E, while 4.0 L trucks got the 4R55E. The front brakes were changed to use the same 2-piston brake calipers as the second-generation Explorer, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes were added as standard on 4x4 and 4.0 L models. From October 1995 (1996 model year), an optional passenger airbag (the first compact truck to offer one) became available, with a key-operated cutoff switch that allowed the airbag to be turned off for smaller passengers riding in the front seat. In October 1996, the 1997 model year brought in the first ever five-speed automatic transmission to be used by an American manufacturer. The 4.0-liter models were equipped with the 5R55E, while the 3.0-liter was still mated to the 4R44E.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_(North_America)
This miniland-scale Lego Ford Ranger X Cab Pickup (1996 - North America Offroad Custom) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
This model was a 'By Request' offered up by Lino, for a Ford 1996 Ranger customised to the gills. I chose for this model to present the vehicle as specified by a horse-riding enthusiast. Styling-wise, my two daughters assisted in how the car should look, including the matching horse trailer.
The Ranger sports a custom full-width chrome grill treatment, including headlight covers. The paintwork is two-tone aqua and white, and appears as a miniland-scale version of what Lego 'Friends' vehicular sets would look like (without some of the colour-blindness which blights them). The Ranger also boasts moon-disc wheels, chrome tube side steps. White lifting cover for the pickup tray, monochrome tail lamps and a tow hitch, for the one-horse trailer.
Sign on an old gasoline pump at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California
There is a strange and interesting story behind the discovery and widespread use of tetraethyl lead as an antiknock additive in gasoline, compounded by the discovery and use of Freon -- both by the same man, Thomas Midgley, Jr. His death is also has a bizarre twist. Read the Wikipedia entry below and see if you don't agree. A great lesson in the need to consider the second and third order consequences of doing almost anything.
With a little time to kill before chasing the Mass Bay special back to Meredith I did a little walk around the Granite State Scenic Railway's yard and shop are here.
Sitting truckless out behind the the depot is the iconic Flying Yankee, a legendary and historic piece of New England railroad history. I first laid eyes on her when I was 5 or 6 and she was a display at Edaville Railroad in South Carver, Mass. Since then she has wandered north to New Hampshire and been displayed in various locations always with the goal of a full running restoration. Alas despite assorted attempts that has yet to come to fruition.
The Yankee was built by the Budd Company in 1935 one year after and in the same style as the famed Pioneer Zephyr of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad that ushered in the great diesel streamliner era. This little train would operate on assorted routes throughout New England over the course of a 22 year career.
Here is a history of the little train by Carl Lindblade that was copied from the former web page of the now defunct Flying Yankee Restoration Group:
In the midst of the Great Depression the conditions in America were so bleak that serious minded folks wondered if, in fact, this experiment in Democracy was really working. Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her book No Ordinary Time describes how in the late Depression in fact America had double digit unemployment, one third of the population had no running water, and education was obtainable by only a small number. In the years following 1929 rail passenger traffic had fallen by one half and railroads were seeking to discontinue unprofitable passenger service. The Interstate Commerce Commission had to grant approvals to discontinue service and was stingy with these permissions.
The Boston and Maine and Maine Central Railroads were in dire straits that reflected the times, which brings us to the crux of the story.
The tradition in America is that when we face adversity we bring technology and ingenuity to the fore. And so it was that the Boston and Maine-Maine Central Railroads undertook to order a new train set that for its time was truly revolutionary.
The solution was a streamlined three car unit train ordered from the Budd Company in Philadelphia on a one page letter from Mr. French, President of the Boston and Maine railroad. The new Flying Yankee was given road number 6000. It followed the delivery of the Pioneer Zephyr by only a few weeks.
Revolutionary? The train was designed as a sprinter, covering intermediate distances quickly. The Winton 201 A Diesel Electric (the first type of longer distance train not powered by steam) powered the train. The train was the first with fixed windows, thus we see Air Conditioning for the first time.
The Flying Yankee restoration group has the original maintenance manual from GM Frigidaire with a disclaimer on page 3 from the US Department of Commerce assuring users that Freon was safe for the atmosphere. The train had no diner, and indeed food was prepared in a galley and served on trays to passengers. The trays affixed to the seat in front. A prelude to airline-type service. (The Yankee's food was better!) On time, the Yankee was delivered February 10, 1935 to the yards of the B and M at Mechanicville, NY. For the next several weeks the train went on a goodwill tour over the entire BM-MEC Railroad system. Thousands of people turned out to see this shiny marvel. 10,000 in Nashua in March and 20,000 in Boston. Excitement built. Finally on April 1, 1935 the Yankee was christened with a bottle of clear cool water from Lake Sebago Maine and began service on a daily route. And what a route it was. Portland to Boston to Portland to Bangor to Portland to Boston and back, late in the day to Portland. 750 mile a day, 6 days a week. Sunday was for maintenance. Was this successful? Yes, beyond expectation. The Railroad had wondered if the new service, between Portland and Boston would draw new passengers or simply carry existing passengers. The train drew new ridership and provided a profit for the Boston and Maine-Maine Central. The running time of the Yankee in 1935 was 51 minutes faster than today's Downeaster!
A rare publicity shot shows just one of the many modifications made to the Flying Yankee. The wings were added to prevent buildup of snow on the windshield. Popular folklore says it is the result of Flying Yankee crews discovering that a plywood Victory "V" added during World War II enhanced visibility during winter operation.
Over the years the Yankee ran under different names as it served various parts of Northern New England. The Cheshire, The Minuteman, The Business Man. The Yankee went to war in World War II continuing to provide fast consistent service. Following World War II, the streamline era, whose design was begun with the Yankee and the Zephyrs, had a glorious but brief time in our history. The Super Chief, The City of New Orleans, The Crescent, The Twentieth Century had their glory days.
In the early 1950's President Eisenhower signed into law the National Defense Highway Act and with that began the building of the Interstate Highway System. For the first time in a century, America recast and rethought the way it would move people and freight. Bold new rights of way were carved across the nation from sea to sea. The last time we'd redone these paths of commerce was over 100 years before. Rails replacing canals. So it was that on May 7, 1957, The Yankee's service was discontinued.
The train set was donated by the B and M to the Edaville Railroad in Carver, Massachusetts. It sat there for almost 40 years until a visionary, Bob Morrell, determined to purchase the train, bring it to New Hampshire, restore it to operating condition, and provide for it to run again as an example of American ingenuity in the face of adversity. The train was stored in Glen, NH until 1997 when the state of New Hampshire purchased it and moved it over the road to the shops of the Claremont Concord Railroad at Claremont Junction, NH. From there, Phase I of the Flying Yankee's restoration was completed which included structural restoration as well as some of the interior and exterior cosmetic work. In August of 2005, the Flying Yankee was moved over the roadways for one final time to the shops of the Plymouth & Lincoln (Hobo) Railroad in Lincoln, NH where the restoration of this historic streamliner will be completed.
Since this was written a new group has risen from the ashes with ambitious plans of its own. Known as The Flying Yankee Association they have recently been selected to receive the train as a donation from the State of New Hampshire and legal transfer should take place in the coming months. Allegedly they are talking about moving the trainset to North Conway to undertake restoration but time will tell I suppose. To learn more they have a web site you can find here:
Until then you can still pay her a visit here in Linconln but here's hoping she polishes the rails again someday!
Lincoln, New Hampshire
Saturday May 18, 2024
The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1982 and 2011 for the 1983 to 2012 model years. Introduced as a replacement for the Mazda-produced Ford Courier sold from 1971 to 1982, the Ranger was produced in three generations. Introduced a year after the Chevrolet S-10, the Ranger would go on to become the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.
Production of the Ranger was sourced from three different assembly plants. Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota produced the Ranger for its entire model run; the last vehicle produced at Twin Cities Assembly was the final 2012 Ford Ranger. But from 1983 to 1999, production was supplemented at Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky and from 1993 to 2004, Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey.
Although Ford began to use the Ranger name on all compact trucks worldwide starting in 1998, global export of the North American version was primarily limited to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; South American versions of the Ranger were produced in Argentina from 1998 to 2012.
Rebadged variants of the second-generation Ford Ranger were marketed by Mazda as the B-Series with Mazda using engine displacement for their model designation: the B2500 had the 2.5-liter inline-four engine and the B4000 has a 4.0-liter V6. For 2002, the B-Series was renamed to simply Mazda Truck in the United States.
Second generation
1992–1997
The redesign in 1992 for 1993 featured mild restyling, flush-mounted door glass, wider doors, and slight fender flares. The 1989-style dashboard remained, but the seats and door panels were new. The 2.9-liter engine was discontinued. For the first time, every model was produced with a flareside bed. The engines offered were offered in displacements of 2.3-, 3.0- and a 4.0 liters. The Mazda M5OD-R1 was now the sole manual transmission option. A new "Splash" model was introduced, which had a flare side bed, unique chrome wheels, 1 inch (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and a 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), and special vinyl "Splash" decals on the sides and the tailgate.
The 1993 Splash trim level was offered with regular cab in arctic white, gloss black, red orange, and sky blue. The Mazda B-Series became a re-badged Ranger for the 1994 model year, but the Mazda B-Series did not offer an equivalent to the Splash model. While 1993 Rangers used R-12 Freon, 1994 model year saw the transition to CFC-free air-conditioning systems in compliance with the Clean Air Act. For the 1994 model year, the Splash trim had options which all included; a 1 in (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), flare side bed, an extended cab, and unique chrome wheels. The decals also underwent subtle changes. While the 1993–1994 models sported red, yellow and blue stripes, the 1995–1996 models had lime green stripes. Additionally, the available colors for the Splash model changed from the 1993–1994 models to the 1995–1997 models. The latter were offered in Maroon Red, Gloss black, White, and Canary Yellow.
Ford Ranger jump seat open
Fall 1994 production (1995 model year) included a steering wheel modified to include a driver's side airbag and a redesigned dashboard which included a double DIN radio head unit. Also for 1995 (model year), SuperCab trucks could have a power driver's seat. The A4LD transmission was updated. 2.3 L and 3.0 L models got the 4R44E, while 4.0 L trucks got the 4R55E. The front brakes were changed to use the same 2-piston brake calipers as the second-generation Explorer, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes were added as standard on 4x4 and 4.0 L models. From October 1995 (1996 model year), an optional passenger airbag (the first compact truck to offer one) became available, with a key-operated cutoff switch that allowed the airbag to be turned off for smaller passengers riding in the front seat. In October 1996, the 1997 model year brought in the first ever five-speed automatic transmission to be used by an American manufacturer. The 4.0-liter models were equipped with the 5R55E, while the 3.0-liter was still mated to the 4R44E.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_(North_America)
This miniland-scale Lego Ford Ranger X Cab Pickup (1996 - North America Offroad Custom) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
This model was a 'By Request' offered up by Lino, for a Ford 1996 Ranger customised to the gills. I chose for this model to present the vehicle as specified by a recreational offroad enthusiast (not hardcore). and also presented in the style of the original 'Model Team' Lego models.
If you are curious to know what is inside, these to pictures give you an idea. The model is constructed in the same way a majority of pickup trucks and vans are (as well as most US-built cars prior to 1960) - that is 'Body On Frame' - BOF. The term 'full-frame' is also used.
The construction method uses a fully structural 'ladder' assembly, to which is mounted a majority of the powertrain and chassis systems (engines, transmission, cooling, axles, suspension, steering etc). The body is a completely separate assembly, and is designed primarily for occupant comfort and appearance, rather than body strength or stiffness. The advantage is that the frame can be shared between many different products, reducing the costs. The disadvantage is that the frame takes up space under the vehicle, reducing the occupant space inside the car (particularly an issue for low-riding cars). Also, the frame is not inherently 'stiff', nor the attached body, so there tends to be greater movement between assemblies as the frame flexes.
For Pickups and Vans, though, the frame has the advantage in the rail section depth can be increased easily to provide heavy weight loading capacity.
The frame shown here is one thay I developed for my Global Ford T6 Ranger a few years ago. The frame assembly is a better design than ones I had made previously, but still not optimised. As on real vehicles, the frame should drop lower under the passenger area, while being raised at the rear to clear the movement of the live-sprung axle. Also, the T6 Ranger is equipped only with inline 4 and 5-cylinder engines (which fit between the rails) while the North American Ranger (and related Explorer) also had V6 engines, which are wider (a problem in Lego where vee-engines are 7-bricks wide and difficult to package).
The model also has 4wd and independent front suspension, all part of the frame-based assemblies.
This makes for a tough and robust model, but with a lot more package optimisation to do,
This link will always start with my most recent Flickr image and it will play the old-school Flickr Slideshow: www.flickr.com/mikeygottawa/show
Here's the Rink of Dreams Website: ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/get-know-your-city/use-public-spac...
The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1982 and 2011 for the 1983 to 2012 model years. Introduced as a replacement for the Mazda-produced Ford Courier sold from 1971 to 1982, the Ranger was produced in three generations. Introduced a year after the Chevrolet S-10, the Ranger would go on to become the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.
Production of the Ranger was sourced from three different assembly plants. Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota produced the Ranger for its entire model run; the last vehicle produced at Twin Cities Assembly was the final 2012 Ford Ranger. But from 1983 to 1999, production was supplemented at Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky and from 1993 to 2004, Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey.
Although Ford began to use the Ranger name on all compact trucks worldwide starting in 1998, global export of the North American version was primarily limited to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; South American versions of the Ranger were produced in Argentina from 1998 to 2012.
Rebadged variants of the second-generation Ford Ranger were marketed by Mazda as the B-Series with Mazda using engine displacement for their model designation: the B2500 had the 2.5-liter inline-four engine and the B4000 has a 4.0-liter V6. For 2002, the B-Series was renamed to simply Mazda Truck in the United States.
Second generation
1992–1997
The redesign in 1992 for 1993 featured mild restyling, flush-mounted door glass, wider doors, and slight fender flares. The 1989-style dashboard remained, but the seats and door panels were new. The 2.9-liter engine was discontinued. For the first time, every model was produced with a flareside bed. The engines offered were offered in displacements of 2.3-, 3.0- and a 4.0 liters. The Mazda M5OD-R1 was now the sole manual transmission option. A new "Splash" model was introduced, which had a flare side bed, unique chrome wheels, 1 inch (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and a 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), and special vinyl "Splash" decals on the sides and the tailgate.
The 1993 Splash trim level was offered with regular cab in arctic white, gloss black, red orange, and sky blue. The Mazda B-Series became a re-badged Ranger for the 1994 model year, but the Mazda B-Series did not offer an equivalent to the Splash model. While 1993 Rangers used R-12 Freon, 1994 model year saw the transition to CFC-free air-conditioning systems in compliance with the Clean Air Act. For the 1994 model year, the Splash trim had options which all included; a 1 in (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), flare side bed, an extended cab, and unique chrome wheels. The decals also underwent subtle changes. While the 1993–1994 models sported red, yellow and blue stripes, the 1995–1996 models had lime green stripes. Additionally, the available colors for the Splash model changed from the 1993–1994 models to the 1995–1997 models. The latter were offered in Maroon Red, Gloss black, White, and Canary Yellow.
Ford Ranger jump seat open
Fall 1994 production (1995 model year) included a steering wheel modified to include a driver's side airbag and a redesigned dashboard which included a double DIN radio head unit. Also for 1995 (model year), SuperCab trucks could have a power driver's seat. The A4LD transmission was updated. 2.3 L and 3.0 L models got the 4R44E, while 4.0 L trucks got the 4R55E. The front brakes were changed to use the same 2-piston brake calipers as the second-generation Explorer, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes were added as standard on 4x4 and 4.0 L models. From October 1995 (1996 model year), an optional passenger airbag (the first compact truck to offer one) became available, with a key-operated cutoff switch that allowed the airbag to be turned off for smaller passengers riding in the front seat. In October 1996, the 1997 model year brought in the first ever five-speed automatic transmission to be used by an American manufacturer. The 4.0-liter models were equipped with the 5R55E, while the 3.0-liter was still mated to the 4R44E.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_(North_America)
This miniland-scale Lego Ford Ranger X Cab Pickup (1996 - North America Offroad Custom) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
This model was a 'By Request' offered up by Lino, for a Ford 1996 Ranger customised to the gills. I chose for this model to present the vehicle as specified by a recreational offroad enthusiast (not hardcore). and also presented in the style of the original 'Model Team' Lego models.
The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1982 and 2011 for the 1983 to 2012 model years. Introduced as a replacement for the Mazda-produced Ford Courier sold from 1971 to 1982, the Ranger was produced in three generations. Introduced a year after the Chevrolet S-10, the Ranger would go on to become the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.
Production of the Ranger was sourced from three different assembly plants. Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota produced the Ranger for its entire model run; the last vehicle produced at Twin Cities Assembly was the final 2012 Ford Ranger. But from 1983 to 1999, production was supplemented at Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky and from 1993 to 2004, Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey.
Although Ford began to use the Ranger name on all compact trucks worldwide starting in 1998, global export of the North American version was primarily limited to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile; South American versions of the Ranger were produced in Argentina from 1998 to 2012.
Rebadged variants of the second-generation Ford Ranger were marketed by Mazda as the B-Series with Mazda using engine displacement for their model designation: the B2500 had the 2.5-liter inline-four engine and the B4000 has a 4.0-liter V6. For 2002, the B-Series was renamed to simply Mazda Truck in the United States.
Second generation
1992–1997
The redesign in 1992 for 1993 featured mild restyling, flush-mounted door glass, wider doors, and slight fender flares. The 1989-style dashboard remained, but the seats and door panels were new. The 2.9-liter engine was discontinued. For the first time, every model was produced with a flareside bed. The engines offered were offered in displacements of 2.3-, 3.0- and a 4.0 liters. The Mazda M5OD-R1 was now the sole manual transmission option. A new "Splash" model was introduced, which had a flare side bed, unique chrome wheels, 1 inch (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and a 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), and special vinyl "Splash" decals on the sides and the tailgate.
The 1993 Splash trim level was offered with regular cab in arctic white, gloss black, red orange, and sky blue. The Mazda B-Series became a re-badged Ranger for the 1994 model year, but the Mazda B-Series did not offer an equivalent to the Splash model. While 1993 Rangers used R-12 Freon, 1994 model year saw the transition to CFC-free air-conditioning systems in compliance with the Clean Air Act. For the 1994 model year, the Splash trim had options which all included; a 1 in (25 mm) lowered rear suspension and 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), flare side bed, an extended cab, and unique chrome wheels. The decals also underwent subtle changes. While the 1993–1994 models sported red, yellow and blue stripes, the 1995–1996 models had lime green stripes. Additionally, the available colors for the Splash model changed from the 1993–1994 models to the 1995–1997 models. The latter were offered in Maroon Red, Gloss black, White, and Canary Yellow.
Ford Ranger jump seat open
Fall 1994 production (1995 model year) included a steering wheel modified to include a driver's side airbag and a redesigned dashboard which included a double DIN radio head unit. Also for 1995 (model year), SuperCab trucks could have a power driver's seat. The A4LD transmission was updated. 2.3 L and 3.0 L models got the 4R44E, while 4.0 L trucks got the 4R55E. The front brakes were changed to use the same 2-piston brake calipers as the second-generation Explorer, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes were added as standard on 4x4 and 4.0 L models. From October 1995 (1996 model year), an optional passenger airbag (the first compact truck to offer one) became available, with a key-operated cutoff switch that allowed the airbag to be turned off for smaller passengers riding in the front seat. In October 1996, the 1997 model year brought in the first ever five-speed automatic transmission to be used by an American manufacturer. The 4.0-liter models were equipped with the 5R55E, while the 3.0-liter was still mated to the 4R44E.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_(North_America)
This miniland-scale Lego Ford Ranger X Cab Pickup (1996 - North America Offroad Custom) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
This model was a 'By Request' offered up by Lino, for a Ford 1996 Ranger customised to the gills. I chose for this model to present the vehicle as specified by a recreational offroad enthusiast (not hardcore). and also presented in the style of the original 'Model Team' Lego models.
If you are curious to know what is inside, these to pictures give you an idea. The model is constructed in the same way a majority of pickup trucks and vans are (as well as most US-built cars prior to 1960) - that is 'Body On Frame' - BOF. The term 'full-frame' is also used.
The construction method uses a fully structural 'ladder' assembly, to which is mounted a majority of the powertrain and chassis systems (engines, transmission, cooling, axles, suspension, steering etc). The body is a completely separate assembly, and is designed primarily for occupant comfort and appearance, rather than body strength or stiffness. The advantage is that the frame can be shared between many different products, reducing the costs. The disadvantage is that the frame takes up space under the vehicle, reducing the occupant space inside the car (particularly an issue for low-riding cars). Also, the frame is not inherently 'stiff', nor the attached body, so there tends to be greater movement between assemblies as the frame flexes.
For Pickups and Vans, though, the frame has the advantage in the rail section depth can be increased easily to provide heavy weight loading capacity.
The frame shown here is one thay I developed for my Global Ford T6 Ranger a few years ago. The frame assembly is a better design than ones I had made previously, but still not optimised. As on real vehicles, the frame should drop lower under the passenger area, while being raised at the rear to clear the movement of the live-sprung axle. Also, the T6 Ranger is equipped only with inline 4 and 5-cylinder engines (which fit between the rails) while the North American Ranger (and related Explorer) also had V6 engines, which are wider (a problem in Lego where vee-engines are 7-bricks wide and difficult to package).
The model also has 4wd and independent front suspension, all part of the frame-based assemblies.
This makes for a tough and robust model, but with a lot more package optimisation to do,
This is one of those pictures that I absolutely love but won't appeal to most people because it's so nerdy.
In brief it's picture of a pellet that is going about twice the speed of sound. My pellet rifle will go close to the speed of sound with a super light pellet. The trick is that the gas that the pellet is going through is very dense and the speed of sound in that gas is half the speed of sound in air. The idea for this came from one of my smart co-workers, Andy.
I spent way more time on this than the picture warrants. But I had fun figuring things out. The first job was to find a supply of very dense gas. Sulfur hexaflouride was the first thought but I didn't want to buy a bottle of the stuff. Then I remembered a vintage can of Freon that I saved from the trash. It turns out that the average Freon has really high density. The average speed of sound is about half that of air. Perfect.
The next job was building a container to hold the gas that had high quality glass sides. A square plastic bottle with rectangular holes worked well. I sealed the glass with some silicone seal and cut two round holes on the other two sides to let the pellet through. This round holes were sealed with packing tape.
The only other big job was building a sturdy support to hold the pellet rifle and sensor. I got everything running last night so I set-up for the actual shot this morning.
I warmed up by setting up some Halloween decorations, gotta get ready for the sucrose hungry hordes.
The amazing thing was that after I filled up the container with Freon and fired the first pellet, this is what I got. Pretty much everything I wanted. If you look closely, behind the surpersonic shock wave, you can see faint shock waves that curve slightly. These are the near supersonic waves in air. The contrast between the two gases is obvious.
I'm very happy with this picture. Thanks Andy for the great idea.
Cheers.
Character Creation
Steel is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a genius engineer who builds a mechanized suit of armor that mirrors Superman's powers. Steel initially seeks to replace Superman, who has been killed by Doomsday. After Superman is resurrected, he accepts Steel as an ally. Steel's sledgehammer and real name of John Henry Irons are references to the mythical railroad worker John Henry. He has a niece named Natasha Irons who is also a superhero with similar steel armor.
Publication history
First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993), he is the second character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove.
The character is portrayed by Shaquille O'Neal in the 1997 film adaptation of the same name and Wolé Parks in the television series Superman & Lois. Additionally, Michael Dorn and Zeno Robinson have voiced the character in animation.
Modern Age: New Earth: Reign of the Supermen
After the death of Superman, Metropolis was without a protector watching over it. After several weeks without a Superman, new heroes appeared and declared themselves to be Superman. One was Eradicator, dubbed "the Last Son of Krypton," who looked the most like Superman but was merciless in his approach to crime-fighting. Also, Superboy tried to take up the mantle by getting the media on his side, but his youth and arrogance prevented him from being a true successor.
Also, Cyborg Superman claimed to be the real deal, and got the federal government to back his claims. After realizing the the weapons he used to design for a living were being manufactured and sold to street gangs and inspired by the example Superman set, John created a suit of armor to help him fight crime and stop the sale of his weapons.
Due to all of the new Supermen running around, the media focused on all of them, with the press giving John the title the "Man of Steel." Also, a local psychic told the media that he was the real Superman reincarnated in a robotic body. During his adventures, the Man of Steel ran into Superboy, and explained to him how a Superman should act. He also encountered Lex Luthor, who tried to get hire him. However, he turned Lex's offer down. He later ran into Lois Lane, who wanted to know if he really was Superman. He set her straight by telling him that he never claimed to be Superman. Though she realized he was not actually Superman, Lois believed he was most like the original.
Eventually, Steel found the location of the one distributing his weapons. When he went to confront them, he discovered that his ex-girlfriend and development partner, Angora Lapin a.k.a. White Rabbit was the distributor. Having pieced together the Man of Steel's identity, she offered him a chance to join her in her pursuits, but he promptly turned her down. To escape, she shot him with a Toastmaster and fled as he recovered.
While trying to track White rabbit down, he had a run-in with the Eradicator. After watching him kill a criminal he had apprehended, John told Eradicator that he could not be the real Superman. Upset at the notion, Eradicator attacked John until Lois arrived and stopped the two. However, Eradicator got upset again and flew Steel into orbit. The two landed in California and fought to a standstill. When Steel tells Eradicator that a Superman needs to have compassion, he calms down and leaves.
Unable to fly back to Metropolis, Steel hitches a ride on an airplane. When they land, White Rabbit and her men ambush him at the airport. He manages to fight them off, grab Angora, and force her to take him to the plant where she is producing the Toastmasters. However, the plant was rigged with traps that John manages to escape. He manages to get clear of the plant as it explodes, but Angora is still inside and is presumed dead. Despite the death of the supplier, John knows that there will still be Toastmasters may resurface on day.
The Return of Superman
After Coast City is destroyed, he investigates the destruction personally and runs into Cyborg Superman. He tells John that Eradicator was responsible, but Steel does not fully trust his account. After running into Lois Lane, also suspicious of the story, the notice a disturbance near the harbor, meeting Luthor and Supergirl on the scene. As Steel attacks the suit, Superboy arrives to to warn everyone that Cyborg Superman was truly responsible for the events in Coast City, and that he's coming for Metropolis next. At that moment, the real Superman comes from inside of the warsuit. Despite being powerless, he vows to stop Cyborg Superman's plans.
No one present, including John, believes he is the real Superman, but he nonetheless goes to the ruins of Coast City with Superman and Superboy. Once there, the group sees Engine City where Coast City used to be and manage to force their way inside, but Superboy leaves to stop a missile fired at Metropolis. Once inside, Supergirl appears, having been secretly tailing them at Superman's suggestion. While talking, Superman abbreviates his title from Man of Steel to simply Steel. The three encounter Mongul, who had just activated the jets inside the city in a bid to knock the Earth out of orbit.
While Superman and Supergirl fend off Mongul, Steel heads off to shut down the reactors powering the jets. Once there, Cyborg Superman uses his connection to the machinery to control and morph the room to stop him. Eventually, he takes over his armor, but before he can kill him, John flies the armor into the gear system, jamming it with his armor and disabling the jets.
Though John survives with minimal injuries, his armor is destroyed, leaving him defenseless when Cyborg Superman uses the landscape to try to kill him again. This time, Superboy arrives just in time to save him.After Superman regains his powers and defeats his Cyborg counterpart, everyone returns to Metropolis. With no armor, he continues trying to get toastmasters off the street with little success. After a talk with Superman, Steel decides to leave Metropolis and retire as Steel.
Steel: Returning Home
After his adventures in Metropolis, Steel decides to return to his hometown: Washington D.C. Having originally stayed away to avoid being pursued by his old bosses at Amertek, he decides to take the chance that they have lost interest in him and move back in with his family. Present to greet him at the bus station is his niece Natasha, who greets him by her childhood nickname "Uncle Hunk." While the two talk, a fight breaks out between the Central Avenue Sharks, who are using Toastmasters, and the East Streeters who rely on the strength enhancing drug Tar.
Though John tries to intervene, he is distracted by the sight of his nephew Jehmal in the fray, giving a Tar-Freak an opening to knock him out. When he recovers, he and Natasha head home, where John is greeted by the rest of the family; his grandparents Butter and Bess, his sister-in-law Blondell, her second son Paco, and her foster kids Tyke and Darlene.
While the Irons family is having dinner Jehmal arrives home late. John, remembering what happened that afternoon, asks Bess how he has been, but while they talk, and group of armored thugs working for Amertek appear and attack the family. John manages to take them out, but Butter takes a stray shot. Feeling guilty about bringing danger to his family, John uses his old armor and parts he salvaged from the thugs' armor to improve the suit and become Steel once again. Knowing that his mission would require him to operate outside the law, John keeps the "S" shield off his new armor to avoid dishonoring Superman.
Steel begins balancing investigating Amertek with stopping the constant gang skirmishes plaguing the neighborhood. During on fight, Steel sees Jehmal fighting, confirming his suspicions that he was in a gang. In response, he forces him to tell the rest of the family about it and quit the gang (he actually did not quit). Steel then finds the location of the place where the Toastmasters are sold by a member named Spiral. Steel interrupts the sale and manages to get a lead on the source of the weapons.
However, Spiral, afraid of being considered as a snitch, tricks the gang leader Cowboy into thinking Jehmal sold them out to Steel. The group then captures Jehmal and turns him over to the supplier of the weapons, Amalgam. Before Jehmal is killed, Steel arrives, having tracked Spiral again. As he battles Amalgam, Steel tells Amalgam that Jehmal was innocent. Steel manages to pin Amalgam down, but he assumes Spiral was his informant and kills him. Once the police arrive, Steel leaves, but thanks to something Amalgam said, John gets the idea to use the media to fight Amertek.
Later, John confront his former boss, Col. Weston about dealing the Toastmasters, but he feigns innocence, and john trusts him enough to leave. After breaking into Amertek to find incriminating evidence, a fight involving armored guards lead to the building being destroyed, but he manages to escape with a CD-ROM with the evidence he needed to take down Amertek. Weston uses the incident to paint Steel as a criminal in the eyes of the public. To further add to his troubles, he begins orchestrating on John directly and members of his family.
In a short period, John is attacked by a Tar-Freak at a funeral, Tyke loses the use of his legs after he and Jehmal are caught in a drive-by shooting, Natasha is hit by a car, and Blondell is mugged. Realizing he can't beat Amertek alone, he enlists Detective Shauna Beryl to use the a hard disk full of evidence he broke into Amertek for to take down Amertek. While she gets the information decrypted, John learns that Jehmal found out his gang was responsible for hurting his family. Seeking revenge, Jehmal steals a more powerful, potentially lethal version of Tar and uses it to confront Cowboy. Steel findd them and pins Jehmal down until the S-Tar wears off.
Worlds Collide
After getting Jehmal to the hospital, he then goes to Amertek intent on taking down Weston. The armored guards aren't enough to stop Steel from getting to Weston. He considers killing him, but Detective Beryl arrives to arrest him, and talks Steel down. John forces Weston to tell him who has Amertek selling weapons to gangs. Weston tells about a group in Metropolis led by a man named Hazard, before John hands him over to the police. He then heads to Metropolis to track down Black Ops.
When he arrives he find the city is still recovering from recent events. While searching for Amertek, he encounters Superboy, Rocket and Hardware, the latter two having been transported from their universe into the DC Universe. Steel put his search for Black Ops on hold to help stop their two universes from merging together.
War with Black Ops
When John continues investigating Black Ops, Hazards begins sending his team to attack Steel and further his agenda in Washington. Along the way, he deals with a super-powered serial killer and helps Maxima avoid being captured by an alien warlord. At the same time, his armor begins mysteriously teleporting on and off his body seemingly at random. His fight with Black Ops is interrupted again by the return of White Rabbit, who survived her last encounter with Steel and now plans to brainwash several Congressmen to help her monopolize gun sales in the country.
She sends one of her super-powered thugs to distract Steel and a visiting Superman while her plan came into fruition. However, Natasha was interning for a Congresswoman who was brainwashed, and tipped Steel off that something was wrong. While investigating, he met and befriended actor/British spy Double, and the two team up to stop Angora. While they shut down her plan and capture her crew, Angora herself escapes.
When he returns from fighting White rabbit, he finds out that Tyke has been kidnapped. He begins searching for him to no avail. At the same time, a hi-tech bounty hunter begins targeting Steel, and he finds out that someone is offering a money reward for his armor. He then gets a lead from Detective Beryl that leads him to a child-experimentation operation.
When Steel goes to shut the operation, the bounty hunter from before arrives for another round. After John shows him that his employer is exploiting children, he decides to help Steel free them instead of continue fighting, and tells Steel that Hazard was the one who put up the bounty and that he knows where Hazard's base is.
The two head out to take down Black Ops. They storm the base and take down most of the team, but Hazard and Split escape. However, he finds Tyke inside, but it turns out Tyke went with Hazard willingly because he had promised Tyke the use of his legs again. Though he is returned home safely, he now harbors a deep hatred for his uncle.
Underworld Unleashed
A few days after Tyke is returned home, Steel is helping contain a protest that evolved into a riot when a bomb goes off at a nearby mosque. While rescuing people trapped inside the building, he is attacked from behind. He turn around to find Metallo was the culprit. Remembering Metallo's weakness from his time in Metropolis, Steel manages to knock Metallo's head off.
However, when Neron was supercharging the powers of supervillians around the world, he gave Metallo the power to survive having his head knocked off and control any nearby metal to create a new body, which he does. Steel tries again, knocking his head into the Potomac. With no metal nearby, Steel is satisfied and returns to helping people in the mosque. However, the junk at the bottom of the river and a nearby patrol cruiser provide enough metal to create a bigger and better body. He then tries to absorb Steel's armor,but he can't.
The distraction gives Steel an opening to knock Metallo's head off again, and it conveniently lands at the feet of Lieutenant (formerly detective) Beryl. She then warns Steel about another bomb threat at a local hospital. Steel instructs her to take Metallo's head to S.T.A.R. Labs and races to find the bomb. After capturing the thugs who planted the bomb, they reveal that it is wired to blow if it is tampered with. With less than a minute on the timer, Steel flies as fast as he can to get the bomb to a less populated area.
On the way, he is stopped by Metallo, who managed to reform himself before he could be taken to Star. Steel tries to keep moving, but Metallo equipped himself with rockets, allowing him to follow. With no time to move the bomb, John tosses the bomb at Metallo, but he absorbs it instead. However, while the bomb casing was metal, the explosive was actually plastique, which he couldn't absorb. The bomb then goes off, destroying Metallo entirely. Steel survives the blast, but he passes out in midair.
The Superman Rescue
Before Steel can fall, Alpha Centurion catches him. He tells Steel that Superman has been kidnapped and he is assembling a rescue team to find him before the world realizes he is missing. Steel agrees to help, but wants to get this done as soon as possible before Washington falls apart.
Steel joins Supergirl, Superboy and the Eradicator on the Centurion's ship and head out into space. Superboy tells the others he does not trust the Centurion. These fears are realized when the Centurion abandons the rest to battle an alien platoon on an asteroid. Out-manned and stranded, Steel manages create a makeshift transport. Arriving on a nearby planet, the team is confronted by the Cyborg Superman, who takes them all down. He turns them over as prisoner of the Tribunal he is allied with.
While in custody, Steel discovers the Alpha Centurion is also a prisoner. Steel manages to teleport his armor to him an escape along with Supergirl and Eradicator. While Steel and Supergirl, both in disguise, go to a local bar to try and find information, Eradicator stays behind to try and rescue Superboy. Unfortunately, Steel and Supergirl are discovered and a bar fight breaks out. It ends quickly when the Cyborg turns up and recaptures them. For escaping, they are both sentenced to death.
Fortunately, the group is taken the same place as Superman. Together they manage to escape and rally behind Superman. Thanks to the Cyborg turning on the Tribunal. Superman leads them to confront the Tribunal itself, which ultimately decides to drop the charges against them rather than keep fighting. The group then returns to Earth.
On the way back, Superman thanks Steel for going so far for his sake, John believes that they did little to help, while he saved them and an entire planet. Superman disagrees, and asks him to hang out with him when they reach Metropolis home. Though grateful, John declines in order to get home in time for thanksgiving.
Ending Black Ops
When John returns from space, he parts ways with the squad and return to Washington. However, Tyke, still bitter over having been denied a chance to walk again, was searching for a way for it to be so. Thinking he had found an operation that could restore his legs in a local tabloid, Tyke sought a way to pay for such an operation. When he learned that federal agents were offering a reward for information on Steel's secret identity, Tyke tracked them down and told that Steel was John Henry Irons.
However, they only gave him a measly $20 for the information, meaning he sold out his uncle for nothing. Also, the agents were working with Hazard, meaning his enemy now know who he is. In response, Hazard sics a cyborg named Hardwire (who, ironically, was transformed by the same process Tyke thought would cure his paralysis) on Steel. When he gets there, he guns down the Irons family as they sit down for dinner. No one is killed, but a seriously wounded John is captured..
Hardwire takes John to the agents, but before they can take him, Hardwire turns on them. He grabs them all and flies them to the Washington Monument and blows the top off. When John recovers, his armor appears around him and the two fight. During the fight, Hardwire attaches explosives on himself, Steel, and the two agents, planning to kill himself and them. As they fight, the two agents are killed before the countdown even finishes. Unable to get Hardwire to disarm the devices, Steel teleports his armor off to save his life, so the bombs only kill Hardwire. When the police and the media arrive, John had no choice but to reveal his secret identity to the public.
After his declaration, John is blamed by the police for the destruction of the Monument and is arrested. However, Hazard sends Split to bring John to Hazard's base. Angered at all Hazard has done, he rushes him, but is suspended in the air by his telekinesis. When he asks him why he broke him out of holding, he responds that he is using the "breakout" to distract everyone with a manhunt and masks his agenda. That said, he prepares to kill John.
In a desperate gambit, John tries to summon his armor. He succeeds and fights off the Black Ops members. They reach a standstill when Steel takes Shellshock's twin sister Shellgame hostage. He manages to get her to reveal Hazard's plan; he is hacking into the Pentagon's computers to gain control of America's nuclear arsenal. Once he learns the truth, Hazard nearly kills him with his telekinesis, but Steel manages to teleport himself away along with his armor.
Steel reappears in the "White Zone" his armor goes to when it teleports. However, both he cannot remain there with his armor on, so he teleports back to Washington. However, he winds up in the air with a military chopper that immediately attacks him. As he recovers, Black Ops teleports in to renew their attack, and Steel retreats with the intent to expose Hazard's plan. Steel fends them off, but realizes he still needs to warn someone about Hazard's plan.
He then teleports back to the White Zone to come up with a new plan. When he does, he teleports to his old laboratory to find something he hid there long ago, hoping never to use it but keeping it just in case. The object he finds is the Annihilator, the most powerful weapon he ever designed. Deciding to wait before using it, he begins his plan to stop Hazard.
First, he posts the details of Hazard's plan on the internet, knowing the government would have to investigate. Shortly after, part of the Black Ops team arrives to fight at the same time the FBI arrives to arrest Steel. While Black Ops defeats the agents, Steel flies off again, but they quickly catch up again. They quickly overpower him. The tides tun when Natasha, haven ingested a vial of Tar, helps him out.
Together they fend Black Ops off, but the military arrives to stop them all. Black Ops teleports away, but the grab Natasha and offer her safety for his surrender. Unable to see a better option, Steel takes the Annihilator from it's hiding place and arms it, ready to take the fight to Hazard. After a quick test, he teleports to Black Ops base, ready to take them all down.
He gives the team one chance to free Natasha, but they refuse. He then begins fighting them, but avoids firing the Annihilator. The chaos gives Natasha time to free herself and the two fight Black Ops together. When the are cornered, Steel tries to teleport them both out, but he cannot teleport others with him.
Backed into a corner again, Steel begins using the Annihilator to destroy Hazard's computers, stopping him from hacking into the Pentagon. Hazard tries to immobilize him, but Steel keeps firing into the base, so Hazard has Split teleport them back outside. The fight continues, but Hazard pulls his team back after Steel accidentally hit three of his people with the Annihilator. The two go at it, but when the military intervenes, Steel uses the opening to defeat Hazard.
Once Hazard is detained, Steel learns of the consequences of his actions. While everyone is still alive Child Protective services reclaim Tyke and Darlene feeling that being around Steel is too dangerous. Later, John meets with the government, who claim that Hazard will be dealt with. However he was secretly allowed to go free and granted custody of Tyke. In order to keep the Annhilator out of the wrong hands, he leaves it in Hazard's base and triggers it's self-destruct.
Leaving D.C.
Now that Steel's identity is out, his family has no peace. They are harassed by neighbors and mobs of people, who feel he is too dangerous to have near their homes. Later, Natasha is kidnapped by Plasmus, who is trying to blackmail Steel into creating a suit for himself. Steel rescues her by building a suit with a trap for Plasmus inside.
Though Natasha is safe, John is still worried that he is endangering his family. Steel moves out (temporarily staying with his friend Dr. Amanda Quick) but the family is still harassed. His family is attacked by both Doctor Polaris and the Parasite, both arriving seeking the Annihilator. John Henry's beloved grandmother Bess is killed in the fight when she tries to attack Parasite. Deciding it is too dangerous for his family, he enlists Double to move them somewhere secret.
After teleporting into White Zone, he sees a nightmarish looking version of his armor. He quickly teleports again, ending up at Hazard's old lair. He discovers the three Black Ops member he killed were actually still alive. They corner him, as he teleported without his armor, but the armor has followed him to the lair.
John Henry works with the other three to try and fight off the armor. They try to flee, but the armor keeps finding them. Natasha, having run away to avoid being relocated, took some Tar and followed him there and tries to help. John Henry realizes that the armor is his dark side given form. Realizing this, Steel banishes the armor to the White Zone, seemingly for good. Later, John realizes Natasha is handling Bess's death poorly.
She spends several nights sleeping at the cemetery and then attacks John in a Tar fueled rage when he confronts here there. A blind gravedigger tells them that Bess's soul is not at rest because someone stole her wedding ring and she wants to be buried with it. Steel manages to track down the thief and the recover wedding ring. To return it, John and Natasha exhume Bess's body is exhumed and rebury her with the ring, letting her soul rest. John Henry and Natasha fix up their old home before leaving it and D.C. behind.
The Death of Steel
Irons suffered mortal wounds after releasing Doomsday from the JLA Watchtower to battle Imperiex. Superman was unable to turn away the Black Racer, a being that gathers souls and ushers them into the afterlife. This time, however, the Black Racer showed mercy and delivered Irons to Apokolips, where the evil Darkseid healed Iron's body. Darkseid placed Irons in the Entropy Aegis, a burned out Imperiex-probe altered by Apokoliptan science. This new armor was far superior to his old, but the upgrades made it more of a curse than a blessing. Darkseid was able to use the Entropy Aegis to control Steel and make him serve Apokolips.
Superman gathered the members of Team Superman and challenged Darkseid on the field of battle for the return of Steel. After his defeat Darkseid removed Steel from the armor only to reveal that he was returning him as he found him in a state of near death. Natasha Irons and a Multiverse displaced Supergirl were able to act quickly and save his life. Upon his return to Earth John allowed his niece, Natasha to take up the mantle of Steel while he recovered.
52 Weeks
During the year where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman disappear, Steel was the active hero of Metropolis. Using a new armor he had to deal with his rebellious niece, Natasha, who wants to be a superhero, the mystery of Supernova, and Lex Luthor's Everyman Project. When Natasha tries to join the Teen Titans, he stops her by destroying her armor, and tells her to build her own armor if she wants it badly enough. As part of Luthor's conspiracy, John Henry was unknowingly given new powers: a steel coated skin than he could heat at will.
When Natasha found out, she was upset as he forbade her from participating. In response, she joins anyway and earns a spot on Lex's Infinity Inc. team. When Steel comes to get Natasha away from Lex, she attacks him and drives him away. However, when Natasha catches onto Luthor's plans, she tries relaying her findings but is caught. When John comes to help her, he finds Natasha's teammates opposing him. He easily tears through them, but the Teen Titans arrive to back him up.
Steel dispatches Everyman at the cost of his armor, but he reaches Luthor. However, that Luthor used the meta-gene therapy to give him powers like those of Superman. Steel fights him anyway but is overpowered. Thanks to Luthor being overwhelmed by his super-senses and Natasha finding a way to disable his powers, Steel comes out on top. Before he knocks him out, Steel reveals that the meta-gene therapy was toxic to the human body, and he would have died in six months if they hadn't intervened.
Infinity Inc.
Several months after the Everyman Project was shut down, John realized something was wrong with Natasha. Despite going to therapy to help with her state of mind, Natasha did not get better. When Natasha refused to continue therapy, he tried to talk to her about it. When he touched her though, Natasha turned into a cloud of mist that dissipated. Distraught, he asked Superman to search for her to no avail. After checking with other former Everyman project members Gerome and Erik, he is attacked by Kid Empty, another Everyman participant who feeds on the minds of others.
Before he can kill him, Natasha regains her solid form and drives him away. John realizes that everyone involved in the project is gaining new powers and deduces that their powers reflect their mental state, with Natasha's power reflecting her fear of abandonment. At the same time, Mercy Graves, trying to avoid being found by Luthor, who is in hiding after the Everyman Project fell apart, asks to run with him to avoid being caught. Skeptical that she has changed, he gives her a chance to prove herself.
After Jerome, Erik, and Natasha use their new powers to take down an Kid Empty, John decides to have them and their new friend Lucia reform Infinity Inc. to help them round up the the participants who gain new powers and show the world that the Everyman members are not all dangerous. While the team was in the field, John remained in touch with them from Steelworks to lend support.
After a few missions Steel answers a call from Superman who found a gruesome body of an Everyman teen in the Arctic. Eventually he and the team realizes that someone is capturing, experimenting on, and killing Everyman participants. When the teams gets a lead on the killer's location, Natasha opts not to tell Steel. Leaving alone, Natasha sent a voicemail telling John what they were up to. Rushing after them, Steel and Superman arrive to find a crater where the building the killer was hiding in used to be. Supermans asks if Steel is okay, and responds that he vows to find Natasha and the team again.
Reign of Doomsday
Steel resurfaces for a fight with Doomsday. With no other heroes around, Steel is left to fight Doomsday by himself. Natasha Irons tries to persuade her uncle not to fight Doomsday, but John insist and heads off into battle. John gave the fight all he had. John even managed to hit Doomsday with a direct hit from his hammer. Steel had hurled his hammer from a thousand feet away.
During the fight Doomsday evolves growing armor out his body and also possess the ability to fly. John manages to break away a piece of Doomsday's chest armor which allowed John to introduce nanonytes into Doomsday's body. The nanonytes were suppose to paralyze Doomsday for an hour until help arrived, but the effects only lasted a few seconds. John then gets pounded by Doomsday until he is knocked unconscious. We last see John being carried off by a flying Doomsday.
New 52
John Henry Irons debuted as a scientist working for Gen. Sam Lane for Metal-0 Project, an initiative to develop an armored super-soldier designed to stop the recently debuted Superman. But he quit when he saw how Luthor tortured the captured Superman, under Lane's license.
When Brainiac, calling himself the Collecter of Worlds, attacked Metropolis and take control of John Corben, Irons donned a Metal-0 suit prototype and stopped the controlled soldier with a PC virus of his own design.
Steel has been seen within the pages of Action Comics, during a back up storyline. In this story, Steel helps Superman to fight crime. Steel was then seen in Action Comics Annual helping Superman fend off the villain called Kryptonite Man. Steel defeats the villain and managed to make his powers defunct. He is later was seen in Australia, helping the poor and searching new ways to use his technologies in less aggressive scenarios.
He has joined The Reverse Suicide Squad with Power Girl, Unknown Soldier, and Warrant. The Thinker under the guise of Amanda Waller is leading them.
After Forever Evil, Steel joined the forces than were fighting against Doomsday, but he was affected by the toxic emanations from the monster. To stop the damage and prevent more infection, Steel added to his armor a film of liquid metal. He would join to Lana Lang in a search for Doomsday possessed Superman in space to help him but they discovered than in Superman absence, Brainiac attacked the earth again.
Currently he is in a relationship with Superwoman aka Lana Lang.
DC: Rebirth
As things begin to change in the DC Universe, Steel began a new initiative in Metropolis. Having started up Steelworks with Natasha and letting Lana move in with him while she starts a new job in Metropolis while operating as Steel. Using new armors, he fights alongside Natasha and Lana, now operating as Superwoman. When Ultrawoman takes over the city in a bid to steal Superwoman's powers, Steel helps lead and coordinate the efforts take the city back and defend the people from her army of female Bizarro clones.
Once Ultrawoman is defeated, John Henry has to help Lana, whose powers have begun killing her. Desperate to save his girlfriend, he enlists Superman's help, and he stays with her while she recovers. When she does, they discover that Lana has lost all of her powers. John tries to support her while she copes, but she pushes him away instead, though they later reconcile.
John Henry and Natasha then give Lana a power suit to help her continue as Superwoman. However, they discover that the last time Lana donned it, the suit was able to permanently copy her now lost powers. With Lana's problem resolved, the three return to fighting crime and rounding up the escaped metahuman prisoners.
Powers and Abilities
John Henry Irons possess no superhuman powers. He is an exceptionally gifted intellect that specializes in various fields of engineering. A genius of the highest order, he built a bullet proof suit of armor whose computerized pneumatic exoskeletal joints gave him superhuman strength.
In specific situations Steel had temporarily developed superpowers:
Teleportation: When under unexplained circumstances he was able to transport himself to a "white void zone".
Organic steel skin: During 52 Steel was injected with the formula of the Everyman Project by Lex Luthor and developed an invulnerable organic steel skin than he could super heat at will and throw as a projectile.
Weapons and Equipment - Armors
Steel had used different armors since his first appearance:
Man of Steel armor: Homemade armor created in homage to Superman.
Shieldless armor: Used after the return of Superman and from the time Steel fought against Hazard and AmerTek.
JLA armor: From the time he joined the JLA, and used a similar yet different "S" shield.
Faceless armor: Similar to the previous one, but with a faceless helmet instead his steal coated face.
Entropy Aegis armor: Forged in Apokolips, was instrumental to bring him back to life. However it was feeding of his soul, so he had to quit using it.
52 armor: Using after Infinity Crisis and during the year of absent of Superman, he used again the El house crest as his own symbol.
Metal-0 Prototype armor: In the New 52 continuity, this was his first armor. He used it to fight Metallo and the Kyptonite Man.
Shield Armor: Using against the Suicide Squad and Doomsday. He would later add a film of liquid steel.
Armor Systems
Helmet systems include broadband communications array, VDU readouts for environmental controls, and retractable one-way visor.
Life-support systems which recycle oxygen supply, remove waste, and convert perspiration to potable water.
Independent heating and freon-compressed air-conditioning units regulate internal temperatures.
Hydraulic servomotors along his exoskeletal joints increase strength and speed tenfold
Air-cooled cannons in his forearms gauntlet fire metal spikes and rubber projectiles. They function as the launching platform for concussive sonic grenades.
Segmented breakaway boots that can be jettisoned if necessary.
Micro-jet engine compressors controlled by Pressure sensitive toggles in his gloves.
Thrusters proved a wide range of airborne manoeuvrability.
Armor is composed of breathable fire-retardant nomex fabric.
Embedded solar cells help keep his armor fully charged.
His suit is made of a composite high-tensile steel alloy treated with micron-thick reflective sealant to shield against microwave and subatomic particle radiation.
Trivia : According to JLA 1000000, his Armor is going to last all the way to the 118th Century and be worn by Steel 7 in the 51st Century, Steelman of New Centurions in the 100th Century and Lancelot Grail, the Cosmic Knight in 118th Century
Hammer Abilities
Remote-controlled
Can alter trajectory or stop mid-throw
Polarizing inertial dampers within hammer increase inertia relative to distance hurled
Magnetically attaches to back of armor.
Segmented handle telescopes into locked position.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: Dr. John Henry Irons II
Publisher: DC
First appearance: The Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993)
Created by: Louise Simonson (Writer)
Jon Bogdanove (Artist)
First appearance cover:
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/51737806513/
This is Steel's first appearance, but his namesake, John Henry, appeared in BP 2019 Day 270!