View allAll Photos Tagged light_post
This is a light post right at the exit of the museum. Kids below 12 didn't pay, so they all glued their 'free-pass' stickers on the post :D
I was at a random stoplight and spotted this awesome shot. I only had a second to capture it though.
These trees have been in use since at least the early 90s, if not earlier. Dalhousie and Gore, Dec 25/06
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Douglas A4D/A-4 Skyhawk was a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta winged, single turbojet engine Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. The Skyhawk saw active combat on several occasions. The US Navy operated the type as its principal light attack aircraft during the Vietnam War, carrying out some of the first air strikes by the US during the conflict.
The Skyhawk was a conventional post-WWII design, with a low-mounted thick delta wing that held all fuel, tricycle undercarriage, and a single turbojet engine in the rear fuselage. The tail was of cruciform design, with the horizontal stabilizer mounted above the fuselage. Armament consisted of two 20 mm (.79 in caliber) Colt Mark 12 cannons, one in each wing root, originally with 100 rounds per gun, plus a large variety of bombs, rockets, and missiles carried on a hardpoint under the fuselage centerline and hardpoints under each wing (originally one per wing, later two). The short-span delta wing did not require the complexity of wingtip folding, saving an estimated 200 pounds (91 kg). Its spars were machined from a single forging that spanned across both wingtips. The leading-edge slats were designed to drop automatically at the appropriate speed by gravity and air pressure, saving weight and space by omitting actuation motors and switches. Similarly, the main undercarriage did not penetrate the main wing spar, designed so that when retracted only the wheel itself was inside the wing and the undercarriage struts were housed in a fairing below the wing. Thus, the wing structure was lighter with the same overall strength. The rudder was constructed of a single panel reinforced with external ribs. The turbojet engine was accessed for service or replacement by removing the aft section of the fuselage and sliding out the engine, a Wright J65 (an axial-flow turbojet engine produced by Curtiss-Wright under license from Armstrong Siddeley, a development of the Sapphire). This obviated the need for access doors with their hinges and latches further reducing weight and complexity. This is the opposite of what can often happen in aircraft design where a small weight increase in one area leads to a compounding increase in weight in other areas to compensate, creating a demand for more powerful, heavier engines, larger wing, and empennage area, and so on in a vicious circle.
The Skyhawk proved to be a relatively common United States Navy aircraft export. Due to its small size, it could be operated from older, smaller World War II-era aircraft carriers still used by smaller navies during the 1960s. These older ships were often unable to accommodate newer Navy fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II and F-8 Crusader, which were faster and more capable than the A-4, but significantly larger and heavier.
Several variants were developed and produced since the Skyhawk’s maiden flight in 1954, with ever-increasing capabilities and firepower. The initial A4D versions were primarily daytime strike aircraft with nuclear capability (A4D-1 and -2, becoming the A-4A and B in 1962, respectively). In 1959, an updated version introduced radar for all-weather operations, the A4D-2N/A-4C, with AN/APG-53A radar, autopilot, LABS low-altitude bombing system. A whole new Skyhawk generation followed in 1963 with more sophisticated avionics, the A-4E and later the even more capable F, with a more powerful J52 engine, improved avionics with TACAN, Doppler navigation radar, radar altimeter, toss-bombing computer, and AJB-3A low-altitude bombing system, as well as wider range of ordnance options like TV- or laser-guided smart bombs for use during the Vietnam War. The first A-4Es were flown in Vietnam in early 1965, but the A-4Cs continued to be used in the conflict until late 1970, too.
However, their withdrawal from East Asia was not the end of the Charlies’ career. 100 Naval Air Reserve A-4Cs were upgraded and assigned the designation A-4L. The upgrade was designed to bring them up to the standards of Echo and Fox Skyhawks that were then in active fleet service, in the expectation that there could be two Reserve carrier air wings that would be fully combat-ready should the need arise. The respective reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve Force followed the new concept that a reserve force squadron (RESFORON) was to be more compatible with active-duty units, resulting in a seamless support or these and in an increment of their general combat readiness.
Douglas developed a conversion kit that was tested on a single A-4C, and the first Lima was flown on August 21, 1969. Conversions were applied at Douglas’ Long Beach factory to 99 more aircraft, and deliveries already started in December of that year and lasted until 1972. The upgrade included the installation of an uprated J65-W-20 engine with 8400 lb static thrust for takeoff to all A-4Ls, plus additional avionics that brought the A-4C to a status comparable with the then-state-of-the-art A-4F. These had to be fit into a dorsal “hump”, due to the lack of internal space in the A-4C’s nose section, which was already occupied by the AN/APG-53A radar. In addition, the wing lift spoilers that were first introduced on the TA-4F trainer were included in the modification kit, too, which improved landing characteristics a lot. However, the number of weapons pylons remained only at three.
A-4Ls were exclusively operated by Navy Reserve squadrons and Marine Corps Reserves; VA-207 was one of these units, nicknamed the “Golden Chargers”. It was established as Attack Squadron 207 (VA-207) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida on 1 July 1970. The squadron exclusively flew the A-4L Skyhawk and relocated in 1972 to NAS Fort Worth, Texas. There, the Golden Chargers took over further missions beyond their RESFORON role and started to act as adversaries to active-duty Fleet fighter and strike fighter squadrons being trained for deployment, and advanced weapons training (e.g. the deployment of guided weapons).
In May 1972, VA-207’s Limas deployed to NAS Oceana in Virginia to participate in exercise Exotic Dancer V, designed to test multiservice operations under a unified command organization. In February 1980, the squadron and its Skyhawks furthermore participated in a combined NATO forces exercise conducted at NAS Bermuda at St. David's Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Transitioning to the A-7E Corsair II in 1983, VA-207's primary mission changed to provide contributory support to the fleet, and to be ready to deploy to an aircraft carrier during a crisis as an activated reserve light attack squadron. Many A-4Ls converted from Vietnam War veterans had by that time reached their structural limit and were scrapped, but Limas based on younger airframes that were still in good shape were set aside and offered for sale. Malaysia bought 25 Charlies und 63 Limas, of which forty were reworked to A-4PTM status in 1982 (as a side note, the suffix “PTM” is frequently misinterpreted as “Peculiar To Malaysia”, but actually it is an abbreviation for “Persekutan Tanah Melayu”, meaning Republic of Malaysia). These aircraft received a new bombing computer, body refurbishments and wiring updates, while around the same number of Charlie and Lima airframes were stored for spares. They remained active until 1994.
Following its next transition to the F/A-18 Hornet in October 1996 and becoming VFA-207, the Golden Warriors relocated to NAS Atlanta, Georgia, and it was to be ready to deploy as an activated reserve strike-fighter squadron. However, VFA-207 was deactivated on 30 June 2004 prior to the BRAC-directed closure of NAS Atlanta, and eventually disbanded.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 40 ft 1 in (12,24 m)
Wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8,40 m)
Height: 15 ft (4,58 m)
Wing area: 259 ft² (24.15 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 0008-1.1-25 at the wing root
NACA 0005-0.825-50 at the tip
Empty weight: 9.860 lb (4.476 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,500 lb (8.400 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 22,500 lb (10.215 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Wright J65-W-20 turbojet, rated at 8400 lb thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 637 mph
Cruise speed: 498 mph
Stalling speed: 137 mph
Range: 1,000 miles with 2,025 lbs of stores
1650 miles with two 300-gallon drop tanks
Service ceiling: 40,500 ft.
Rate of climb: 7,950 feet per minute initially
Wing loading: 71.4 lb/ft² (348 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.45
g-limit: +8/-3g
Armament:
2× fixed forward firing 0.79 in (20 mm) Colt Mk. 12 machine cannon with 100 RPG
3× hardpoints for a total of up to 8,200 lbs (3.722 kg) of external stores
The kit and its assembly:
I had for a long time the plan to build/create an A-4L, a rather obscure Skyhawk variant that originated from factory conversions of 100 A-4Cs. This turned out to be a tricky plan because there is no OOB kit for an A-4L in 1:72, even a Charlie is hard to get – and it’s a quite unique variant with a characteristic nose. The only (decent) A-4C kit comes from Fujimi, and it was recently re-boxed under the Hobby 2000 label, with new decals by Cartograph and some paint masks. I was lucky to get my hands on a relatively cheap specimen and also had reserved a surplus dorsal avionics hump from a Hasegawa A-4E/F kit, already with a potential A-4L build in mind.
With these ingredients the modifications to turn the Charlie into a Lima were limited. The A-4C was basically built OOB, just using the inner wing pylons, and the camelback hump was, with some light modifications, PSRed into the spine – resulting in the unique, very compact, and chunky silhouette of the A-4L. The only other addition is a pair of AGM-62 Walleye glide bombs, which the A-4L was capable of deploying, thanks to its improved avionics. These were taken from a Hasegawa air-to-ground weapons set. The ventral drop tank came OOB from the Fujimi kit.
Slats, flaps and air brakes were mounted in open/lowered positions, following the options the Fujimi kit offers (even though the flaps had to be cut out individually and modded slightly to fit into the deployed position). Another potential mod would have been the spoilers, as “counterparts” to the flaps, but I eventually left them down/closed, because I was not certain about their interior.
A final word about the Fujimi A-4 kit: it’s quite nice and well detailed, but also has some weak spots. One is the front-end construction; the mould designers wanted to be clever and allow different cockpit sections (from the A/B and the C versions) to be mated with the hull, but together with the air intake duct and the protruding wing roots this creates a messy area that is really hard to assembly without seams and offset. And why the arrester hook was moulded onto one of the fuselage halves instead of being a separate part, which would have been much easier to mount and paint, is beyond me? If you build one, cut it off and glue it back into place after PSR, makes life a LOT easier…
Painting and markings:
It might be a bit disappointing, but the only serious whiffy aspect of this build became the fictional unit and its markings, because I wanted an authentic look for the Lima (and did not want a later operator like Malaysia or something fictional). AFAIK, VA-207 did not exist, but I wanted an aircraft in the USN’s bright hi-viz livery from the Seventies with its colorful unit markings, before everything turned all-grey. Therefore, the basic paint scheme consists of classic Light Gull Grey (FS 36440) over white, with any rudders’ upper surfaces left in anti-nuclear flash white. For an even finish and saving time with the landing gear, all white areas were painted/primed with white from a rattle can, and the grey (I used Humbrol 40 in this case) was later added by brush. To emphasize the A-4L’s radar I gave the aircraft a nose in radome tan (Humbrol 71) with a dirty black tip, even though real Limas had typically their camouflage extended to the nose tip; however, but some early aircraft also had all-black radomes, making their nose look very similar to the contemporary F4Ds’.
After basic painting the kit received an overall light black ink washing to emphasize panel lines and surface details, as well as a very light post-panel-shading treatment to make the aircraft look a bit more “uneven”, but not really worn.
General markings are USN standard, and the A-4C/L retained the unusual position of the large stars-and-bars fuselage roundel under the cockpit, which enhanced the type’s stout look. Thankfully the Hobby 2000 decal sheet provides an extra roundel which contains a “distorted” area that can be wrapped around the refueling probe. This is easily done, because the carrier film is very thin and flexible.
Even though USN reserve units rather carried simple decorations, I wanted to make them colorful on this fictional one. The yellow unit/fin decoration was inspired by the colors of an F-14 from the early Seventies, from the VF-32 “Swordsmen”, and I adapted that for the small A-4L. To make the fin stand out I painted the whole area with a deep yellow (Revell 310); the tail code “AF” was adapted from the other CVWR-20 reserve attack units, which all shared it, and the letters and the sword icon were adapted from a Matchbox F-14 decal sheet.
The rest became standard: white landing gear and respective well, a medium grey (Dark Gull Grey) cockpit and canopy interior. The TV-guided walleye glide bombs were painted in bright blue like training rounds, with bare aluminum fins and a white sensor head – a nice color contrast to the yellow and red on the aircraft. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final details like position lights were added.
A rather subtle whif, and this one is, concerning the hardware, even a realistic representation of the rather fameless Lima Skyhawk. The bright yellow unit markings add a fresh touch to the standard livery, though, and the bright blue Walleye bombs appear like jewelry under the Scooter’s wings.
Not spectacular, but I can finally erase the A-4L from my project list. 😉
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Douglas A4D/A-4 Skyhawk was a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta winged, single turbojet engine Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. The Skyhawk saw active combat on several occasions. The US Navy operated the type as its principal light attack aircraft during the Vietnam War, carrying out some of the first air strikes by the US during the conflict.
The Skyhawk was a conventional post-WWII design, with a low-mounted thick delta wing that held all fuel, tricycle undercarriage, and a single turbojet engine in the rear fuselage. The tail was of cruciform design, with the horizontal stabilizer mounted above the fuselage. Armament consisted of two 20 mm (.79 in caliber) Colt Mark 12 cannons, one in each wing root, originally with 100 rounds per gun, plus a large variety of bombs, rockets, and missiles carried on a hardpoint under the fuselage centerline and hardpoints under each wing (originally one per wing, later two). The short-span delta wing did not require the complexity of wingtip folding, saving an estimated 200 pounds (91 kg). Its spars were machined from a single forging that spanned across both wingtips. The leading-edge slats were designed to drop automatically at the appropriate speed by gravity and air pressure, saving weight and space by omitting actuation motors and switches. Similarly, the main undercarriage did not penetrate the main wing spar, designed so that when retracted only the wheel itself was inside the wing and the undercarriage struts were housed in a fairing below the wing. Thus, the wing structure was lighter with the same overall strength. The rudder was constructed of a single panel reinforced with external ribs. The turbojet engine was accessed for service or replacement by removing the aft section of the fuselage and sliding out the engine, a Wright J65 (an axial-flow turbojet engine produced by Curtiss-Wright under license from Armstrong Siddeley, a development of the Sapphire). This obviated the need for access doors with their hinges and latches further reducing weight and complexity. This is the opposite of what can often happen in aircraft design where a small weight increase in one area leads to a compounding increase in weight in other areas to compensate, creating a demand for more powerful, heavier engines, larger wing, and empennage area, and so on in a vicious circle.
The Skyhawk proved to be a relatively common United States Navy aircraft export. Due to its small size, it could be operated from older, smaller World War II-era aircraft carriers still used by smaller navies during the 1960s. These older ships were often unable to accommodate newer Navy fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II and F-8 Crusader, which were faster and more capable than the A-4, but significantly larger and heavier.
Several variants were developed and produced since the Skyhawk’s maiden flight in 1954, with ever-increasing capabilities and firepower. The initial A4D versions were primarily daytime strike aircraft with nuclear capability (A4D-1 and -2, becoming the A-4A and B in 1962, respectively). In 1959, an updated version introduced radar for all-weather operations, the A4D-2N/A-4C, with AN/APG-53A radar, autopilot, LABS low-altitude bombing system. A whole new Skyhawk generation followed in 1963 with more sophisticated avionics, the A-4E and later the even more capable F, with a more powerful J52 engine, improved avionics with TACAN, Doppler navigation radar, radar altimeter, toss-bombing computer, and AJB-3A low-altitude bombing system, as well as wider range of ordnance options like TV- or laser-guided smart bombs for use during the Vietnam War. The first A-4Es were flown in Vietnam in early 1965, but the A-4Cs continued to be used in the conflict until late 1970, too.
However, their withdrawal from East Asia was not the end of the Charlies’ career. 100 Naval Air Reserve A-4Cs were upgraded and assigned the designation A-4L. The upgrade was designed to bring them up to the standards of Echo and Fox Skyhawks that were then in active fleet service, in the expectation that there could be two Reserve carrier air wings that would be fully combat-ready should the need arise. The respective reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve Force followed the new concept that a reserve force squadron (RESFORON) was to be more compatible with active-duty units, resulting in a seamless support or these and in an increment of their general combat readiness.
Douglas developed a conversion kit that was tested on a single A-4C, and the first Lima was flown on August 21, 1969. Conversions were applied at Douglas’ Long Beach factory to 99 more aircraft, and deliveries already started in December of that year and lasted until 1972. The upgrade included the installation of an uprated J65-W-20 engine with 8400 lb static thrust for takeoff to all A-4Ls, plus additional avionics that brought the A-4C to a status comparable with the then-state-of-the-art A-4F. These had to be fit into a dorsal “hump”, due to the lack of internal space in the A-4C’s nose section, which was already occupied by the AN/APG-53A radar. In addition, the wing lift spoilers that were first introduced on the TA-4F trainer were included in the modification kit, too, which improved landing characteristics a lot. However, the number of weapons pylons remained only at three.
A-4Ls were exclusively operated by Navy Reserve squadrons and Marine Corps Reserves; VA-207 was one of these units, nicknamed the “Golden Chargers”. It was established as Attack Squadron 207 (VA-207) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida on 1 July 1970. The squadron exclusively flew the A-4L Skyhawk and relocated in 1972 to NAS Fort Worth, Texas. There, the Golden Chargers took over further missions beyond their RESFORON role and started to act as adversaries to active-duty Fleet fighter and strike fighter squadrons being trained for deployment, and advanced weapons training (e.g. the deployment of guided weapons).
In May 1972, VA-207’s Limas deployed to NAS Oceana in Virginia to participate in exercise Exotic Dancer V, designed to test multiservice operations under a unified command organization. In February 1980, the squadron and its Skyhawks furthermore participated in a combined NATO forces exercise conducted at NAS Bermuda at St. David's Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Transitioning to the A-7E Corsair II in 1983, VA-207's primary mission changed to provide contributory support to the fleet, and to be ready to deploy to an aircraft carrier during a crisis as an activated reserve light attack squadron. Many A-4Ls converted from Vietnam War veterans had by that time reached their structural limit and were scrapped, but Limas based on younger airframes that were still in good shape were set aside and offered for sale. Malaysia bought 25 Charlies und 63 Limas, of which forty were reworked to A-4PTM status in 1982 (as a side note, the suffix “PTM” is frequently misinterpreted as “Peculiar To Malaysia”, but actually it is an abbreviation for “Persekutan Tanah Melayu”, meaning Republic of Malaysia). These aircraft received a new bombing computer, body refurbishments and wiring updates, while around the same number of Charlie and Lima airframes were stored for spares. They remained active until 1994.
Following its next transition to the F/A-18 Hornet in October 1996 and becoming VFA-207, the Golden Warriors relocated to NAS Atlanta, Georgia, and it was to be ready to deploy as an activated reserve strike-fighter squadron. However, VFA-207 was deactivated on 30 June 2004 prior to the BRAC-directed closure of NAS Atlanta, and eventually disbanded.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 40 ft 1 in (12,24 m)
Wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8,40 m)
Height: 15 ft (4,58 m)
Wing area: 259 ft² (24.15 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 0008-1.1-25 at the wing root
NACA 0005-0.825-50 at the tip
Empty weight: 9.860 lb (4.476 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,500 lb (8.400 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 22,500 lb (10.215 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Wright J65-W-20 turbojet, rated at 8400 lb thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 637 mph
Cruise speed: 498 mph
Stalling speed: 137 mph
Range: 1,000 miles with 2,025 lbs of stores
1650 miles with two 300-gallon drop tanks
Service ceiling: 40,500 ft.
Rate of climb: 7,950 feet per minute initially
Wing loading: 71.4 lb/ft² (348 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.45
g-limit: +8/-3g
Armament:
2× fixed forward firing 0.79 in (20 mm) Colt Mk. 12 machine cannon with 100 RPG
3× hardpoints for a total of up to 8,200 lbs (3.722 kg) of external stores
The kit and its assembly:
I had for a long time the plan to build/create an A-4L, a rather obscure Skyhawk variant that originated from factory conversions of 100 A-4Cs. This turned out to be a tricky plan because there is no OOB kit for an A-4L in 1:72, even a Charlie is hard to get – and it’s a quite unique variant with a characteristic nose. The only (decent) A-4C kit comes from Fujimi, and it was recently re-boxed under the Hobby 2000 label, with new decals by Cartograph and some paint masks. I was lucky to get my hands on a relatively cheap specimen and also had reserved a surplus dorsal avionics hump from a Hasegawa A-4E/F kit, already with a potential A-4L build in mind.
With these ingredients the modifications to turn the Charlie into a Lima were limited. The A-4C was basically built OOB, just using the inner wing pylons, and the camelback hump was, with some light modifications, PSRed into the spine – resulting in the unique, very compact, and chunky silhouette of the A-4L. The only other addition is a pair of AGM-62 Walleye glide bombs, which the A-4L was capable of deploying, thanks to its improved avionics. These were taken from a Hasegawa air-to-ground weapons set. The ventral drop tank came OOB from the Fujimi kit.
Slats, flaps and air brakes were mounted in open/lowered positions, following the options the Fujimi kit offers (even though the flaps had to be cut out individually and modded slightly to fit into the deployed position). Another potential mod would have been the spoilers, as “counterparts” to the flaps, but I eventually left them down/closed, because I was not certain about their interior.
A final word about the Fujimi A-4 kit: it’s quite nice and well detailed, but also has some weak spots. One is the front-end construction; the mould designers wanted to be clever and allow different cockpit sections (from the A/B and the C versions) to be mated with the hull, but together with the air intake duct and the protruding wing roots this creates a messy area that is really hard to assembly without seams and offset. And why the arrester hook was moulded onto one of the fuselage halves instead of being a separate part, which would have been much easier to mount and paint, is beyond me? If you build one, cut it off and glue it back into place after PSR, makes life a LOT easier…
Painting and markings:
It might be a bit disappointing, but the only serious whiffy aspect of this build became the fictional unit and its markings, because I wanted an authentic look for the Lima (and did not want a later operator like Malaysia or something fictional). AFAIK, VA-207 did not exist, but I wanted an aircraft in the USN’s bright hi-viz livery from the Seventies with its colorful unit markings, before everything turned all-grey. Therefore, the basic paint scheme consists of classic Light Gull Grey (FS 36440) over white, with any rudders’ upper surfaces left in anti-nuclear flash white. For an even finish and saving time with the landing gear, all white areas were painted/primed with white from a rattle can, and the grey (I used Humbrol 40 in this case) was later added by brush. To emphasize the A-4L’s radar I gave the aircraft a nose in radome tan (Humbrol 71) with a dirty black tip, even though real Limas had typically their camouflage extended to the nose tip; however, but some early aircraft also had all-black radomes, making their nose look very similar to the contemporary F4Ds’.
After basic painting the kit received an overall light black ink washing to emphasize panel lines and surface details, as well as a very light post-panel-shading treatment to make the aircraft look a bit more “uneven”, but not really worn.
General markings are USN standard, and the A-4C/L retained the unusual position of the large stars-and-bars fuselage roundel under the cockpit, which enhanced the type’s stout look. Thankfully the Hobby 2000 decal sheet provides an extra roundel which contains a “distorted” area that can be wrapped around the refueling probe. This is easily done, because the carrier film is very thin and flexible.
Even though USN reserve units rather carried simple decorations, I wanted to make them colorful on this fictional one. The yellow unit/fin decoration was inspired by the colors of an F-14 from the early Seventies, from the VF-32 “Swordsmen”, and I adapted that for the small A-4L. To make the fin stand out I painted the whole area with a deep yellow (Revell 310); the tail code “AF” was adapted from the other CVWR-20 reserve attack units, which all shared it, and the letters and the sword icon were adapted from a Matchbox F-14 decal sheet.
The rest became standard: white landing gear and respective well, a medium grey (Dark Gull Grey) cockpit and canopy interior. The TV-guided walleye glide bombs were painted in bright blue like training rounds, with bare aluminum fins and a white sensor head – a nice color contrast to the yellow and red on the aircraft. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final details like position lights were added.
A rather subtle whif, and this one is, concerning the hardware, even a realistic representation of the rather fameless Lima Skyhawk. The bright yellow unit markings add a fresh touch to the standard livery, though, and the bright blue Walleye bombs appear like jewelry under the Scooter’s wings.
Not spectacular, but I can finally erase the A-4L from my project list. 😉
Rule of Thirds - The light post is neatly aligned with the right third. The head of the light is centered around the top right 2/3
Veiling Flare - A nice flare is produced by the very strong light source right in front of the camera
I like this image because it reminds me of a toy soldier, as it stands alone in the middle of the night.
Last summer Cooking Light posted a recipe for Blueberry-Peach Cobbler, and I could not resist, especially considering all of the bounty at our farmer's market and local farms. On a summer morning, I got to work with all of my fresh yummy fruits.
First, you slice up your peaches and lay them out in the baking dish.
The most amazing clouds were about at sunset this evening when I got off the train, but alas, the train station has no good vantage spots for photography that don't have light posts or electricity lines in them.
Thus I had to wait until I got to Cedar Creek Rd before there was a clear, unobstructed view and by then the interesting clouds had mostly gone, so all you get is this silhouetted tree and a touch of pink.