Precise Next Generation Design and Stout Construction

The Swell Surf System utilizes high-speed rams to adjust 5/16-inch stainless steel blades laser cut and bent to control water turbulence off the rear of the boat's running surface. The specially designed trailing edge of these blades, or flaps as these types of elements are referred to in a fluid dynamics, create a vortex-effect behind the boat resulting in specific wave shapes. Different angels of deployment of the blades create custom effects in the water turbulence to swell-up Skim and Barrel waves. Swell blades benefit from a shot peen finish, a strengthening process commonly utilized in aeronautical construction, to increase the fatigue life of the piece. The Swell System is mounted and held together by a series of stainless steel through-bolts and stainless brackets for an extremely stable platform for wave making. The Swell Surf System is available on 2014 Supra SA and SC wake boat models only.

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

The kit and its assembly:

This is a what-if model, but, as usual, it is rooted in reality – to be precise in the German late-war plans to mate the Ta 152(H) with the mighty Jumo 222 engine. I do not know what the official service designation would have been, but this combo would have resulted in a powerful fighter – AFAIK, German engineers’ calculations indicated a performance that would have been comparable with the post-WWII F4U-5!

Creating a model of such this paper aircraft called for some serious conversion work and ended almost in a kitbashing. The starting point became a (cheap) Mistercraft Fw 190D-9 kit, and I originally planned this model to be a Fw 190 variant, but eventually this turned into a Ta 152, since it would better match up with the late war time frame.

The Mastercraft/Mistercraft kit appears to be an indigenous mold and not a re-issue of a vintage kit. At first glance the parts look pretty crisp, but the kit has some serious fit and flash issues. Another selling point is the detailed decal set, which comes in three sheets and encompasses a lot of stencils – even though the instructions where to place them are not consistent, and there are even 1:48 scale(!) markings included. But that’s a Mastercraft/Mistercraft standard, anyway…

Well, the basis was sound and the kit would, in any event, be thoroughly modified. From the OOB kit, fuselage, wings and stabilizers were taken, as well as the landing gear and some other bits.

The wings were extended, in order to keep overall proportions with the new, much more massive engine cowling balanced (see below). Not an easy stunt, but I was lucky to have recently bought a set of resin Doppelreiter tanks from Airmodel which were just perfect to cover the cuts and seams on the upper wing surfaces. Inside of the wings, a styrene strip secured stability while the lower wing surface was sculpted with putty and the trailing edge of the outer wing panels was cut down by 1 mm, so that the wings’ outlines match again. Some further PSR work was necessary to blend the slipper tanks into the wings, forming the upper side of the modifications, but in the end the whole thing looks quite good.

The fuselage lost both its original engine and the tail. The latter is a donor part from a Frog Ta 152H (Revell re-boxing), but mating it with the Mistercraft Fw 190D was not easy because the fuselage shapes of the two kits are totally different! I also used the Mistercraft stabilizers because they were markedly bigger than the same parts from the Ta 152 kit!

The Jumo 222 front end was simulated with parts from the spares box, and it is a bit exaggerated. Actually, the Jumo 222 was hardly bigger (in both length and diameter) than the Fw 190D’s Jumo 213 V12 engine! The cowling and the radiator for my conversion came from a Frog He 219 engine nacelle (Revell re-boxing, too) which is utterly dubious. The nacelle parts were turned upside down and integrated into the slender Fw 190 front fuselage with several layers of putty.

Inside of the cowling, a radiator plate from an Italeri Fw 190D was mounted, together with a styrene tube adapter for the new propeller. The latter was scratched, using a drop tank as spinner and single propeller blades from the Mistercraft Fw 190D, plus one donor blade from the Frog Ta 152H kit, which had to be trimmed in order to match the other blades. But with some paint, no one will tell the small differences…

Once the bigger engine was integrated into the fuselage, the exhaust system had to be added. In real life, the Jumo 222 would have featured three clusters with two rows of four exhaust stubs, distributed evenly around the cowling. Using a drawing of this arrangement as benchmark, I started with square cuts for the cluster openings. From the back side, styrene sheet closed the gaps and offered a basis for the exhaust stubs. These were improvised with H0 scale roofing shingles – each of the 24 exhaust stubs was cut individually into shape and size and then glued into the respective openings on the upper flanks and under the engine. Finally, styrene sheet was used to create small spoilers and heat shields. The result is certainly not perfect, but comes close to what the real world arrangement would basically have looked like. In a final step, two air intakes for the two-stage supercharger, scratched from sprue material, were added to the flanks.

The cockpit remained OOB, simple as it is, as well as the landing gear, but the canopy was modified in order to allow a presentation in open position. This meant that the OOB canopy had to be cut in two parts and that the model’s spine had to be cut away, making place for a donor canopy (the late, bulged variant, IIRC from an Italeri Fw 190D-9). Internally the fuselage gap was filled with putty and the headrest had to be modified, too, but the conversion turned out to look better than expected.

As a small cosmetic improvement, the molded gun barrel stumps in the wing roots were replaced with hollow steel needles, and the outer guns were completely removed.

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

Zoom details from 1726 ' Hortus Botanicus ' by engraver William Williams.

The most precise drawings of these gates I have seen in the public realm to date. The colour seems to match existing stone

in current day 2024.

An 1821-1830 painting by artist & draughtsman Augustus Charles Pugin ( father of future architect Augustus Welby Pugin, born iin 1812 ) shows the Oxford Botanic Garden’s Danby Gate in colour.

Learn more here: Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Botanic_gate.jpg

Love these old images ... some TLC ... Latin replaced with English.

COPYRIGHT

All Copyrights of this Public Domain image remain with :

Harvard University Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection.

The image can be used only for educational & research purposes. This is a new historic series: HISTORIC OXFORD BOTANIC GARDEN.

(we do not sell images ... at this time).

ENTRY GATE

This gate is named the Danby Gate in honour of the creator of the garden Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby.

It remains in tact, minus the 2 statues.

SIDE GATES

Both the East & West gates exist in current day 2024.

COLOUR

William Williams original colour is shown.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS

Welsh architectural draughtsman, engraver and delineator William Williams created the iconic 1732-1733 ' Oxonia Depicta ' collection.

This image is 298 years old, as of the Mar2024 uploading to our photostream.

Image Title: Hortus Botanicus - entry gate details

Image Date: 1726

Draughtsman & Engraver: William Williams

Image Source: Harvard University - Dumbarton Oaks Research & Study Collection

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

Warangal Fort, in the present-day Indian state of Telangana, appears to have existed since at least the 13th century CE. Although precise dating of its construction and subsequent enhancements are uncertain, historians and archaeologists generally accept that an earlier brick-walled structure was replaced with stone by Ganapatideva, who died in 1262, and that his successors – Rudramadevi and Prataparudra II – added to its height and added gateways, square bastions and additional circular earthern walls prior to the latter's death in 1323. This places the construction towards the end of the Kakatiya period. There were later modifications between the 15th and 17th centuries, comprising principally the addition of barbicans to the four gates in the stone wall and the creation of gates in the outer earthern wall.

Remnants of the structure can be seen today near to the town of Warangal, which was the Kakatiya capital. The Archaeological Survey of India has listed the remains as a Monument of National Importance.

_____________________________

The 12th and the 13th centuries saw the emergence of the Kakatiyas. They were at first the feudatories of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyana, ruling over a small territory near Warangal. A ruler of this dynasty, Prola II, who ruled from A.D.1110 to 1158, extended his sway to the south and declared his independence. His successor Rudra (A.D.1158--1195) pushed the kingdom to the north up to the Godavari delta. He built a fort at Warangal to serve as a second capital and faced the invasions of the Yadavas of Devagiri. The next ruler Mahadeva extended the kingdom to the coastal area. In A.D.1199, Ganapati succeeded him. He was the greatest of the Kakatiyas and the first after the Satavahanas to bring the entire Telugu area under one rule. He put an end to the rule of the Velanati Cholas in A.D.1210. He forced the Telugu Cholas of Vikramasimhapura to accept his suzerainty. He established order in his vast dominion and encouraged trade.

As Ganapati Deva had no sons, his daughter Rudramba succeeded him in A.D.1262 and carried on the administration. Some generals, who did not like to be ruled by her, rebelled. She could, however, suppress the internal rebellions and external invasions with the help of loyal subordinates. The Cholas and the Yadavas suffered such set backs at her hands that they did not think of troubling her for the rest of her rule.

Prataparudra succeeded his grandmother Rudramba in A.D.1295 and ruled till A.D.1323. He pushed the western border of his kingdom up to Raichur. He introduced many administrative reforms. He divided the kingdom into 75 Nayakships, which was later adopted and developed by the Rayas of Vijayanagara. In his time the territory constituting Andhra Pradesh had the first experience of a Muslim invasion. In A.D.1303, the Delhi Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji sent an army to plunder the kingdom. But Prataparudra defeated them at Upparapalli in Karimnagar district. In A.D. 1310, when another army under Malik Kafur invaded Warangal, Prataparudra yielded and agreed to pay a large tribute. In A.D.1318, when Ala-ud-din Khilji died, Prataparudra withheld the tribute. It provoked another invasion of the Muslims. In A.D.1321, Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country then called Tilling. He laid siege to Warangal, but owing to internal dissensions he called off the siege and returned to Delhi. Within a short period, he came back with a much bigger army. In spite of unpreparedness, Prataparudra fought bravely. For want of supplies, he surrendered to the enemy who sent him to Delhi as a prisoner, and he died on the way. Thus ended the Kakatiya rule, opening the gates of the Telugu land to anarchy and confusion yielding place to an alien ruler.

The Kakatiya period was rightly called the brightest period of the Telugu history. The entire Telugu speaking area was under the kings who spoke Telugu and encouraged Telugu. They established order throughout the strife torn land and the forts built by them played a dominant role in the defence of the realm. Anumakonda and Gandikota among the `giridurgas', Kandur and Narayanavanam among the `vanadurgas', Divi and Kolanu among the `jaladurgas', and Warangal and Dharanikota among the `sthaladurgas' were reckoned as the most famous strongholds in the Kakatiya period. The administration of the kingdom was organized with accent on the military.

Though Saivism continued to be the religion of the masses, intellectuals favoured revival of Vedic rituals. They sought to reconcile the Vaishnavites and the Saivites through the worship of Harihara. Arts and literature found patrons in the Kakatiyas and their feudatories.

WIKIPEDIA & WIKIMAPIA

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

When was the world's first railway laid? No one is quite confident on a precise date but simple rails have been used to guide vehicles for centuries, definitely as far back as the middle ages and possibly even in ancient Greece.

What is certain is that in the early 1600s a Nottinghamshire businessman called Huntingdon Beaumont came to Northumberland and laid rails from collieries near Blyth to a shipping point on the coast.

His waggonway used horses hauling wooden waggons on wooden wheels on wooden rails, however this was not a financial success. It did though provide the spark of progression from primitive wooden rails over short distances, to a railway network which would change Britain and the world forever.

Tyneside Roads

From the mid 1600 onwards waggonways and the Tyneside coal industry became linked so closely that they were known throughout the rest of Britain as 'Tyneside Roads'. A network of lines linked collieries on both sides of the Tyne to the river.

It is no coincidence that the North East was the area where waggonways took greatest hold, because canal building was impossible due to deep valleys and steep hills. What set the rail systems of Tyneside apart from all others was its use of the flanged wheel - a key element of the modern railway as we know it.

A revelation

When the Tanfield Railway - or waggonway as it was known at the time - was built in 1725, it was a revelation. Its massive engineering was unlike anything else in its era, or even since the Roman Empire. It was a triumph of engineering over nature, a clear signal that a new industrial age was upon the world, and that railways would play a massive part.

First laid down more than a quarter of a century before the first railway officially sanctioned by government, over 75 years before the first steam locomotive and a whole 100 years earlier than the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Tanfield Railway is the world's oldest railway. We will be the first railway to celebrate our tricentenary in 2025.

The precise location of that first church has been lost. The present building dates from the time of Pope Sixtus III (432 - 440) and contains many ancient mosaics from this period. Its form so exactly follows the conventions of an imperial basilica it has at times been taken for one.[9] The Athenian marble columns supporting the nave are even older, and either come from the first basilica, or from another antique Roman building; thirty-six are marble and four granite, pared down, or shortened to make them identical by Ferdinando Fuga, who provided them with identical gilt-bronze capitals.[10] The 14th century campanile, or bell tower, is the highest in Rome, at 240 feet, (about 75 m.). The basilica's 16th-century coffered ceiling, to a design by Giuliano da Sangallo, is said to be gilded with Inca gold presented by Ferdinand and Isabella to the Spanish pope, initially brought by Christopher Columbus[citation needed], Alexander VI (something which factually is erroneous, since the Inca empire was conquered during the reign of Charles V). The apse mosaic, the Coronation of the Virgin, is from 1295, signed by the Franciscan friar, Jacopo Torriti. The Basilica also contains frescoes by Giovanni Baglione, in the Cappella Borghese.

The Piazza dell'Esquilino with the apse area of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The Borghese (or Pauline) Chapel

The 12th-century façade has been masked by a reconstruction, with a screening loggia, that were added by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743, to designs by Ferdinando Fuga that did not damage the mosaics of the façade. The wing of the canonica (sacristy to its left and a matching wing to the right (designed by Flaminio Ponzio) give the basilica's front the aspect of a palace facing Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. To the right of the Basilica's façade is a memorial representing a column in the form of an up-ended cannon barrel topped with a cross: it was erected by Pope Clement VIII immediately after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of Protestants, though today it is reputed to celebrate the end of the French Wars of Religion [1].

The Marian column erected in 1614, to designs of Carlo Maderno is the model for numerous Marian columns erected in Catholic countries in thanksgiving for remission of the plague during the Baroque era. (An example is the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, the Czech Republic). The column itself is the sole remaining from Constantine's Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in Campo Vaccino, as the Roman Forum was called until the 18th century [2]; Maderno's fountain at the base combines the armorial eagles and dragons of Paul V.

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

BOOM.

Replacing my ancient Wacom Art Pad, which dates back to when I had desktop Apple computers many years ago, was a task well overdue.

Using a tablet does take a bit of getting used to at first but once you have it mastered, there is no going back. Editing photos becomes so much more precise. It is a bit like making the leap from taking your pictures in JPEG to taking them in RAW- a whole range of new possibilities opens up.

It is as if the Wacom Intuous 5 touch, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop were made for each other!!

PS As a bonus,the touch versions act like a giant trackpad on which you can use all the gestures that are instantly familiar to Apple MacBook Pro and Apple Touchpad users.

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

Tank Infantry Mark III, Valentine IX (E2000.577)

The precise identity of this tank is not clear, all identification marks having been removed many years ago. It stood outside the Army Base at Long Kesh in Northern Ireland for many years, subsequently moving to the Maze Prison and Lisanelly Camp, Omagh.

It was subsequently acquired by Vickers Defence Systems and restored to running order in Newcastle using the engine from our Valentine Archer (E1969.43). In due course it was offered to the Tank Museum on loan and ultimately, in March 2002 was gifted to the Museum.

The Valentine Mark IX was upgunned to fit a 57mm (six-pounder) gun into the turret although this did not leave enough room for a co-axial machine gun and in any case, with just a two-man turret crew the tank was very difficult to fight.

Our tank carried the number T123358 on the turret which is correct for the type but not necessarily for this actual vehicle. Mark IX Valentines saw service in North Africa and some may have been suppplied to Russia but by 1943 the Valentine had been replaced in front line service by more modern vehicles and was either being relegated to secondary roles or supplied to other countries such as Portugal.

The Valentine development started without a specification from the War Office (hence the absence of an army designation), as a private design by Sir John Carden, and was submitted on February, 10, 1938, to the authorities. By then, the Matilda II had been chosen for production, but the Valentine was something different.

Vickers engineers basically tried to enhance their A10 Cruiser tank design, with a dramatic increase in protection (up to 60 mm/2.36 in). This choice allowed the use most components and parts of the already produced Cruiser I and II, therefore creating an efficient and cheap solution to the need of new infantry tank models. By then, the Matilda II was found to be far costlier than the Matilda I, and not suitable for mass-production. Comparatively, the Valentine seemed a good compromise. The name itself still is a mystery. It could have originated either from Sir John Carden’s middle name, or the date of its first submission (St. Valentine day), or a composed Vickers factory codename, though most historians agree that Valentine was just a simple codename during development.

The Mark I set the tone for the entire series of eleven main variants, with many sub-variants, and a staggering total of 8300 units. The main armament and turret design, as well as the engine and protection, were continuously improved while keeping roughly the same general appearance until 1945. The Mk.I was recognizable by its original two-man turret and 2-pdr (40 mm/1.575 in) gun. From the start, a coaxial Besa machine-gun constitued the secondary armament. The crew consisted of only three men due to the cramped interior, and the commander was also busy as gun loader, machine-gunner and radio operator. The production was rushed to such point that many problems were later detected and fixed with the next Mk.II. The main engine was the AEG A189 petrol delivering only 135 hp, and the hull was riveted. 350 were delivered in all, most seeing action in Libya, while others stayed at home for training.

Tankfest by World of Tanks - 24.-25.6.2016

The Tank Museum - Bovington, UK

Worlds biggest and best live display of historic armour, living history, and much more at the Home of the Tank - The Tank Museum, Bovington, United Kingdom.

More from Tankfest:

www.flickr.com/photos/jukkaokauppinen2/albums/72157670621...

More from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/jukkaokauppinen

Tankfest videos:

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIGRHBJyGQb3PpXwFlOKve2OUJ...

My Imgur galleries:

grendelb.imgur.com/

The kit and its assembly:

This is a what-if model, but, as usual, it is rooted in reality – to be precise in the German late-war plans to mate the Ta 152(H) with the mighty Jumo 222 engine. I do not know what the official service designation would have been, but this combo would have resulted in a powerful fighter – AFAIK, German engineers’ calculations indicated a performance that would have been comparable with the post-WWII F4U-5!

Creating a model of such this paper aircraft called for some serious conversion work and ended almost in a kitbashing. The starting point became a (cheap) Mistercraft Fw 190D-9 kit, and I originally planned this model to be a Fw 190 variant, but eventually this turned into a Ta 152, since it would better match up with the late war time frame.

The Mastercraft/Mistercraft kit appears to be an indigenous mold and not a re-issue of a vintage kit. At first glance the parts look pretty crisp, but the kit has some serious fit and flash issues. Another selling point is the detailed decal set, which comes in three sheets and encompasses a lot of stencils – even though the instructions where to place them are not consistent, and there are even 1:48 scale(!) markings included. But that’s a Mastercraft/Mistercraft standard, anyway…

Well, the basis was sound and the kit would, in any event, be thoroughly modified. From the OOB kit, fuselage, wings and stabilizers were taken, as well as the landing gear and some other bits.

The wings were extended, in order to keep overall proportions with the new, much more massive engine cowling balanced (see below). Not an easy stunt, but I was lucky to have recently bought a set of resin Doppelreiter tanks from Airmodel which were just perfect to cover the cuts and seams on the upper wing surfaces. Inside of the wings, a styrene strip secured stability while the lower wing surface was sculpted with putty and the trailing edge of the outer wing panels was cut down by 1 mm, so that the wings’ outlines match again. Some further PSR work was necessary to blend the slipper tanks into the wings, forming the upper side of the modifications, but in the end the whole thing looks quite good.

The fuselage lost both its original engine and the tail. The latter is a donor part from a Frog Ta 152H (Revell re-boxing), but mating it with the Mistercraft Fw 190D was not easy because the fuselage shapes of the two kits are totally different! I also used the Mistercraft stabilizers because they were markedly bigger than the same parts from the Ta 152 kit!

The Jumo 222 front end was simulated with parts from the spares box, and it is a bit exaggerated. Actually, the Jumo 222 was hardly bigger (in both length and diameter) than the Fw 190D’s Jumo 213 V12 engine! The cowling and the radiator for my conversion came from a Frog He 219 engine nacelle (Revell re-boxing, too) which is utterly dubious. The nacelle parts were turned upside down and integrated into the slender Fw 190 front fuselage with several layers of putty.

Inside of the cowling, a radiator plate from an Italeri Fw 190D was mounted, together with a styrene tube adapter for the new propeller. The latter was scratched, using a drop tank as spinner and single propeller blades from the Mistercraft Fw 190D, plus one donor blade from the Frog Ta 152H kit, which had to be trimmed in order to match the other blades. But with some paint, no one will tell the small differences…

Once the bigger engine was integrated into the fuselage, the exhaust system had to be added. In real life, the Jumo 222 would have featured three clusters with two rows of four exhaust stubs, distributed evenly around the cowling. Using a drawing of this arrangement as benchmark, I started with square cuts for the cluster openings. From the back side, styrene sheet closed the gaps and offered a basis for the exhaust stubs. These were improvised with H0 scale roofing shingles – each of the 24 exhaust stubs was cut individually into shape and size and then glued into the respective openings on the upper flanks and under the engine. Finally, styrene sheet was used to create small spoilers and heat shields. The result is certainly not perfect, but comes close to what the real world arrangement would basically have looked like. In a final step, two air intakes for the two-stage supercharger, scratched from sprue material, were added to the flanks.

The cockpit remained OOB, simple as it is, as well as the landing gear, but the canopy was modified in order to allow a presentation in open position. This meant that the OOB canopy had to be cut in two parts and that the model’s spine had to be cut away, making place for a donor canopy (the late, bulged variant, IIRC from an Italeri Fw 190D-9). Internally the fuselage gap was filled with putty and the headrest had to be modified, too, but the conversion turned out to look better than expected.

As a small cosmetic improvement, the molded gun barrel stumps in the wing roots were replaced with hollow steel needles, and the outer guns were completely removed.

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

The kit and its assembly:

This is a what-if model, but, as usual, it is rooted in reality – to be precise in the German late-war plans to mate the Ta 152(H) with the mighty Jumo 222 engine. I do not know what the official service designation would have been, but this combo would have resulted in a powerful fighter – AFAIK, German engineers’ calculations indicated a performance that would have been comparable with the post-WWII F4U-5!

Creating a model of such this paper aircraft called for some serious conversion work and ended almost in a kitbashing. The starting point became a (cheap) Mistercraft Fw 190D-9 kit, and I originally planned this model to be a Fw 190 variant, but eventually this turned into a Ta 152, since it would better match up with the late war time frame.

The Mastercraft/Mistercraft kit appears to be an indigenous mold and not a re-issue of a vintage kit. At first glance the parts look pretty crisp, but the kit has some serious fit and flash issues. Another selling point is the detailed decal set, which comes in three sheets and encompasses a lot of stencils – even though the instructions where to place them are not consistent, and there are even 1:48 scale(!) markings included. But that’s a Mastercraft/Mistercraft standard, anyway…

Well, the basis was sound and the kit would, in any event, be thoroughly modified. From the OOB kit, fuselage, wings and stabilizers were taken, as well as the landing gear and some other bits.

The wings were extended, in order to keep overall proportions with the new, much more massive engine cowling balanced (see below). Not an easy stunt, but I was lucky to have recently bought a set of resin Doppelreiter tanks from Airmodel which were just perfect to cover the cuts and seams on the upper wing surfaces. Inside of the wings, a styrene strip secured stability while the lower wing surface was sculpted with putty and the trailing edge of the outer wing panels was cut down by 1 mm, so that the wings’ outlines match again. Some further PSR work was necessary to blend the slipper tanks into the wings, forming the upper side of the modifications, but in the end the whole thing looks quite good.

The fuselage lost both its original engine and the tail. The latter is a donor part from a Frog Ta 152H (Revell re-boxing), but mating it with the Mistercraft Fw 190D was not easy because the fuselage shapes of the two kits are totally different! I also used the Mistercraft stabilizers because they were markedly bigger than the same parts from the Ta 152 kit!

The Jumo 222 front end was simulated with parts from the spares box, and it is a bit exaggerated. Actually, the Jumo 222 was hardly bigger (in both length and diameter) than the Fw 190D’s Jumo 213 V12 engine! The cowling and the radiator for my conversion came from a Frog He 219 engine nacelle (Revell re-boxing, too) which is utterly dubious. The nacelle parts were turned upside down and integrated into the slender Fw 190 front fuselage with several layers of putty.

Inside of the cowling, a radiator plate from an Italeri Fw 190D was mounted, together with a styrene tube adapter for the new propeller. The latter was scratched, using a drop tank as spinner and single propeller blades from the Mistercraft Fw 190D, plus one donor blade from the Frog Ta 152H kit, which had to be trimmed in order to match the other blades. But with some paint, no one will tell the small differences…

Once the bigger engine was integrated into the fuselage, the exhaust system had to be added. In real life, the Jumo 222 would have featured three clusters with two rows of four exhaust stubs, distributed evenly around the cowling. Using a drawing of this arrangement as benchmark, I started with square cuts for the cluster openings. From the back side, styrene sheet closed the gaps and offered a basis for the exhaust stubs. These were improvised with H0 scale roofing shingles – each of the 24 exhaust stubs was cut individually into shape and size and then glued into the respective openings on the upper flanks and under the engine. Finally, styrene sheet was used to create small spoilers and heat shields. The result is certainly not perfect, but comes close to what the real world arrangement would basically have looked like. In a final step, two air intakes for the two-stage supercharger, scratched from sprue material, were added to the flanks.

The cockpit remained OOB, simple as it is, as well as the landing gear, but the canopy was modified in order to allow a presentation in open position. This meant that the OOB canopy had to be cut in two parts and that the model’s spine had to be cut away, making place for a donor canopy (the late, bulged variant, IIRC from an Italeri Fw 190D-9). Internally the fuselage gap was filled with putty and the headrest had to be modified, too, but the conversion turned out to look better than expected.

As a small cosmetic improvement, the molded gun barrel stumps in the wing roots were replaced with hollow steel needles, and the outer guns were completely removed.

Designer: Cai An (才安)

1980s?

The crane operator's signals must be precise

Qizhong zhihui xinhao yao zhunque (起重指挥信号要准确)

Call nr.: BG E17/10 (IISH collection)

More? See: chineseposters.net

Buddy Brewer, SOASTA, Beyond Apdex: Defining a precise SLA for performance, keynote speaker, with wide shots of the audience from the balcony, Velocity; New York; 2015

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

When was the world's first railway laid? No one is quite confident on a precise date but simple rails have been used to guide vehicles for centuries, definitely as far back as the middle ages and possibly even in ancient Greece.

What is certain is that in the early 1600s a Nottinghamshire businessman called Huntingdon Beaumont came to Northumberland and laid rails from collieries near Blyth to a shipping point on the coast.

His waggonway used horses hauling wooden waggons on wooden wheels on wooden rails, however this was not a financial success. It did though provide the spark of progression from primitive wooden rails over short distances, to a railway network which would change Britain and the world forever.

Tyneside Roads

From the mid 1600 onwards waggonways and the Tyneside coal industry became linked so closely that they were known throughout the rest of Britain as 'Tyneside Roads'. A network of lines linked collieries on both sides of the Tyne to the river.

It is no coincidence that the North East was the area where waggonways took greatest hold, because canal building was impossible due to deep valleys and steep hills. What set the rail systems of Tyneside apart from all others was its use of the flanged wheel - a key element of the modern railway as we know it.

A revelation

When the Tanfield Railway - or waggonway as it was known at the time - was built in 1725, it was a revelation. Its massive engineering was unlike anything else in its era, or even since the Roman Empire. It was a triumph of engineering over nature, a clear signal that a new industrial age was upon the world, and that railways would play a massive part.

First laid down more than a quarter of a century before the first railway officially sanctioned by government, over 75 years before the first steam locomotive and a whole 100 years earlier than the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Tanfield Railway is the world's oldest railway. We will be the first railway to celebrate our tricentenary in 2025.

When was the world's first railway laid? No one is quite confident on a precise date but simple rails have been used to guide vehicles for centuries, definitely as far back as the middle ages and possibly even in ancient Greece.

What is certain is that in the early 1600s a Nottinghamshire businessman called Huntingdon Beaumont came to Northumberland and laid rails from collieries near Blyth to a shipping point on the coast.

His waggonway used horses hauling wooden waggons on wooden wheels on wooden rails, however this was not a financial success. It did though provide the spark of progression from primitive wooden rails over short distances, to a railway network which would change Britain and the world forever.

Tyneside Roads

From the mid 1600 onwards waggonways and the Tyneside coal industry became linked so closely that they were known throughout the rest of Britain as 'Tyneside Roads'. A network of lines linked collieries on both sides of the Tyne to the river.

It is no coincidence that the North East was the area where waggonways took greatest hold, because canal building was impossible due to deep valleys and steep hills. What set the rail systems of Tyneside apart from all others was its use of the flanged wheel - a key element of the modern railway as we know it.

A revelation

When the Tanfield Railway - or waggonway as it was known at the time - was built in 1725, it was a revelation. Its massive engineering was unlike anything else in its era, or even since the Roman Empire. It was a triumph of engineering over nature, a clear signal that a new industrial age was upon the world, and that railways would play a massive part.

First laid down more than a quarter of a century before the first railway officially sanctioned by government, over 75 years before the first steam locomotive and a whole 100 years earlier than the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Tanfield Railway is the world's oldest railway. We will be the first railway to celebrate our tricentenary in 2025.

Dorothy Ashby's precise and intricate solo harp playing is highlighted on the song "If It's Magic" from the classic album, Stevie Wonder's 1976 Motown Tamla LP "Songs In The Key of Life".

This landmark musical production was a two record album set plus an extended play 45 rpm single. The release of "Songs In the Key of Life" remains one of, if not the most significant and successful recording projects in Stevie Wonder's stellar career.

This album was hugely significant to the career of Dorothy Ashby because she is the sole musical accompaniment to Wonder's singing and harmonica playing on the beautiful song "If It's Magic". Ashby's sensitive and intricate positioning of individual notes on the harp supported and accentuated Wonder's beautiful vocals on this song. This musical duet was accomplished, (according to private papers written by Dorothy Ashby) after Stevie Wonder auditioned several harpists (including Alice Coltrane) for the assignment.

Stevie Wonder has recently said onstage in concert that of all the harp players that auditioned to play on his "Songs In Dorothy Ashby was the best. It has been suggested that Dorothy Ashby got the nod to play on the "If It's Magic" song only because Alice Coltrane was not available but according to both Stevie Wonder and Dorothy Ashby, this was not the case. Private notes written by Dorothy herself indicated that her selection to play on the song was the end result of a auditioning process that included Alice Coltrane but in the end, Alice Coltrane was not selected. Listening to the song I am much more inclined to believe Ashby's story because it is well known that Stevie Wonder is a very exacting musician who insists on the best from his fellow musicians. Stevie Wonder took almost two years to record this album. Wonder took his time to produce the best album of his career so it stands to reason that he would have waited for his first choice in terms of a harpist. Especially for a song that highlighted to skills of the harpist as much as the song "If It's Magic".

Stevie Wonder was producing the best albums of his career and artists were lining up to work with him at this time. The most widely held story is that Bill Withers (who had been recently produced by Dorothy Ashby) , personally recommended Dorothy Ashby to Stevie Wonder.

On the song "If It's Magic" Dorothy Ashby's signature style of individual and distinct note playing on the harp is evident. Alice Coltrane was much more inclined to strum the harp continuously when playing and that would not have worked as well in this song.

Dorothy Ashby's poignant singular harp playing along side Stevie Wonder's singing on "If It's Magic" was a high point on the album. "If It's Magic" was played on many stations nationwide and the attention that Dorothy Ashby received was probably the most that she had ever received ever.

One thing is certain, Dorothy Ashby was very much in demand as a session musician after the release of this album. In fact, Dorothy Ashby played harp on many records released on Motown Records that have not yet been documented.

© All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

Ellenborough Falls are situated on the Ellenborough River and are widely regarded as one of the longest single drop falls in NSW.

Various figures are given ranging from 200 metres on the Greater Taree City Council website to 130 metres on another. The reality is probably somewhere in between with one figure quoted as - single drop 160 metres - full height 200 metres.

I would be interested to know if anyone can provide more precise information.

Ellenborough Falls are situated at 390 metres above sea level on the edge of the Bulga Plateau not far from the rural village of Elands. A drive of some 29 km west of Wingham on the NSW Mid North Coast will get you there but the last 17 km is gravel road and is sometimes treacherous in wet conditions.

A kiosk operates at the top, with viewing platforms at the point the falls crash over the escarpment, as well as at the Knoll, a point from which views back across the gorge can be had. After the strenuous 641 step walk down the timber boardwalk to the bottom a comfortable seat awaits from where one can take in the full magesty of these impressive falls. Unfortunately there is no escalator to return you to the top.

The walk to the bottom passes through sub tropical rainforest with some large red cedars and birds nest ferns to be seen along the way. While the walk down, and the breathlessness of the return journey are obvious disincentives the effort is well worth it.

More images of Ellenborough Falls,Bulga Plateau, Comboyne Plateau's including Boorganna Nature Reserve - HERE

Australia's Tallest Waterfalls

Wallaman Falls with a single horsetail drop of 268 metres are Australia's tallest waterfall. Located west of Ingham in North Queensland, if casades and ledges are included, their height reaches 305 metres.

Wollomombi Falls located within the World Heritage listed Oxley Wild Rivers National Park east of Armidale on the edge of the New England Tablelands are believed to be the second highest Australian waterfalls. Wollomombi Falls includes cascades and a horsetail drop of 260 metres. If all cascades and ledges are considered the height reaches 424 metres which some argue makes it the tallest waterfall in Australia.

Dandongadale Falls located on the edge of Mount Cobbler Plateau in Victoria's Alpine National Park near the town of Mansfield at 255 metres are the third highest falls and the highest waterfalls in Victoria. The water supplying the falls originates in Lake Cobbler from where it spills over successive cascades in a series of significant drops, culminating in the final drop over the escarpment.

Precise asian design, easy maintenance.

The kit and its assembly:

This is a what-if model, but, as usual, it is rooted in reality – to be precise in the German late-war plans to mate the Ta 152(H) with the mighty Jumo 222 engine. I do not know what the official service designation would have been, but this combo would have resulted in a powerful fighter – AFAIK, German engineers’ calculations indicated a performance that would have been comparable with the post-WWII F4U-5!

Creating a model of such this paper aircraft called for some serious conversion work and ended almost in a kitbashing. The starting point became a (cheap) Mistercraft Fw 190D-9 kit, and I originally planned this model to be a Fw 190 variant, but eventually this turned into a Ta 152, since it would better match up with the late war time frame.

The Mastercraft/Mistercraft kit appears to be an indigenous mold and not a re-issue of a vintage kit. At first glance the parts look pretty crisp, but the kit has some serious fit and flash issues. Another selling point is the detailed decal set, which comes in three sheets and encompasses a lot of stencils – even though the instructions where to place them are not consistent, and there are even 1:48 scale(!) markings included. But that’s a Mastercraft/Mistercraft standard, anyway…

Well, the basis was sound and the kit would, in any event, be thoroughly modified. From the OOB kit, fuselage, wings and stabilizers were taken, as well as the landing gear and some other bits.

The wings were extended, in order to keep overall proportions with the new, much more massive engine cowling balanced (see below). Not an easy stunt, but I was lucky to have recently bought a set of resin Doppelreiter tanks from Airmodel which were just perfect to cover the cuts and seams on the upper wing surfaces. Inside of the wings, a styrene strip secured stability while the lower wing surface was sculpted with putty and the trailing edge of the outer wing panels was cut down by 1 mm, so that the wings’ outlines match again. Some further PSR work was necessary to blend the slipper tanks into the wings, forming the upper side of the modifications, but in the end the whole thing looks quite good.

The fuselage lost both its original engine and the tail. The latter is a donor part from a Frog Ta 152H (Revell re-boxing), but mating it with the Mistercraft Fw 190D was not easy because the fuselage shapes of the two kits are totally different! I also used the Mistercraft stabilizers because they were markedly bigger than the same parts from the Ta 152 kit!

The Jumo 222 front end was simulated with parts from the spares box, and it is a bit exaggerated. Actually, the Jumo 222 was hardly bigger (in both length and diameter) than the Fw 190D’s Jumo 213 V12 engine! The cowling and the radiator for my conversion came from a Frog He 219 engine nacelle (Revell re-boxing, too) which is utterly dubious. The nacelle parts were turned upside down and integrated into the slender Fw 190 front fuselage with several layers of putty.

Inside of the cowling, a radiator plate from an Italeri Fw 190D was mounted, together with a styrene tube adapter for the new propeller. The latter was scratched, using a drop tank as spinner and single propeller blades from the Mistercraft Fw 190D, plus one donor blade from the Frog Ta 152H kit, which had to be trimmed in order to match the other blades. But with some paint, no one will tell the small differences…

Once the bigger engine was integrated into the fuselage, the exhaust system had to be added. In real life, the Jumo 222 would have featured three clusters with two rows of four exhaust stubs, distributed evenly around the cowling. Using a drawing of this arrangement as benchmark, I started with square cuts for the cluster openings. From the back side, styrene sheet closed the gaps and offered a basis for the exhaust stubs. These were improvised with H0 scale roofing shingles – each of the 24 exhaust stubs was cut individually into shape and size and then glued into the respective openings on the upper flanks and under the engine. Finally, styrene sheet was used to create small spoilers and heat shields. The result is certainly not perfect, but comes close to what the real world arrangement would basically have looked like. In a final step, two air intakes for the two-stage supercharger, scratched from sprue material, were added to the flanks.

The cockpit remained OOB, simple as it is, as well as the landing gear, but the canopy was modified in order to allow a presentation in open position. This meant that the OOB canopy had to be cut in two parts and that the model’s spine had to be cut away, making place for a donor canopy (the late, bulged variant, IIRC from an Italeri Fw 190D-9). Internally the fuselage gap was filled with putty and the headrest had to be modified, too, but the conversion turned out to look better than expected.

As a small cosmetic improvement, the molded gun barrel stumps in the wing roots were replaced with hollow steel needles, and the outer guns were completely removed.

When was the world's first railway laid? No one is quite confident on a precise date but simple rails have been used to guide vehicles for centuries, definitely as far back as the middle ages and possibly even in ancient Greece.

What is certain is that in the early 1600s a Nottinghamshire businessman called Huntingdon Beaumont came to Northumberland and laid rails from collieries near Blyth to a shipping point on the coast.

His waggonway used horses hauling wooden waggons on wooden wheels on wooden rails, however this was not a financial success. It did though provide the spark of progression from primitive wooden rails over short distances, to a railway network which would change Britain and the world forever.

Tyneside Roads

From the mid 1600 onwards waggonways and the Tyneside coal industry became linked so closely that they were known throughout the rest of Britain as 'Tyneside Roads'. A network of lines linked collieries on both sides of the Tyne to the river.

It is no coincidence that the North East was the area where waggonways took greatest hold, because canal building was impossible due to deep valleys and steep hills. What set the rail systems of Tyneside apart from all others was its use of the flanged wheel - a key element of the modern railway as we know it.

A revelation

When the Tanfield Railway - or waggonway as it was known at the time - was built in 1725, it was a revelation. Its massive engineering was unlike anything else in its era, or even since the Roman Empire. It was a triumph of engineering over nature, a clear signal that a new industrial age was upon the world, and that railways would play a massive part.

First laid down more than a quarter of a century before the first railway officially sanctioned by government, over 75 years before the first steam locomotive and a whole 100 years earlier than the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Tanfield Railway is the world's oldest railway. We will be the first railway to celebrate our tricentenary in 2025.

Precise carpentry technique is seen in upstairs balcony details.

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

Width (Beam): 100"

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

Draft: 26"

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

Capacity - Passenger: 10

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

With precise attention to detail and using dimensions and specifications from the original rifle, the craftsmen at Turnbull Mfg. Co have re-created one of the most famous Winchester rifles ever produced. The production of this “TR Model 1876” will be limited to no more than 25 rifles. Each rifle will be individually numbered TR01-TR25 and will come in a custom display case. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each rifle will benefit the Doug Turnbull Restoration Conservation Laboratory at the National Firearms Museum. Specifications: 45-75 caliber, button magazine, fancy pistol grip butt stock, 28" 1/2 round, 1/2 octagon barrel, steel grip cap, cheek piece stock, H-pattern checkering, checkered steel buttplate, Freund rear sight, sporting front sight, gold inlaid stock oval, color case hardened receiver.