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One of my (slightly late) birthday presents from my boyfriend arrived today and was a lovely surprise when i got home from work as i wasn't quite expecting her yet :) She's a Victorique called Elodie ♥
I like to do a 'before' picture of my girls so i can see how much their character changes their look... so here she is. The picture was taken almost in the dark, but i just couldn't wait until tomorrow!
I'm most impressed by the quality of her stock wig, it's gorgeous! But she will be getting new hair and eyes when they arrive. I have to wait until she's 'finished' before she'll show her character, i have no idea right now :)
~
Pullip Victorique
As meninas trouxeram presentes lindos pra mim.
A Cris não pôde vir,mas mandou um mini book que eu amei.
O presente maior foi a presença das meninas aqui comigo.
Conversamos muito... rimos muito ...e quero que essa amizade dure porque elas já fazem parte da minha vida e estão para sempre no meu coração.
Ah! O pior foi a parte das fotos...mas não teve como escapar.
The flowers are inspired by the "Carnation Bouquet" peony, all made in gumpaste as are the ribbons. The cake is covered in Satin Ice fondant. These are just dummies, made for fun.
I have decided to add my logo to photos as they are making their way off of flickr but not necessarily being credited to me. I hope that this doesn't sound too precious!
There are some close ups on my website.
The three POLAR BEAR are so CUTE❤
I can't get yet ℓoℓ
Yay Larcoco got it
She is winner \☻/
THREE LUCKY PRESENTS @ MIASNOW
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
In Autumn 1946, the Saab company began internal studies aimed at developing a replacement aircraft for the Saab B 18/S 18 as Sweden's standard attack aircraft. In 1948, Saab was formally approached by the Swedish Government with a request to investigate the development of a turbojet-powered strike aircraft to replace a series of 1940s vintage attack, reconnaissance and night-fighter aircraft then in the Flygvapnet: the B 18/S 18, J 21R/A 21R and J 30 (de Havilland Mosquito).
On 20 December 1948, a phase one contract for the design and mock-up of the proposed aircraft was issued. The requirements laid out by the Swedish Air Force were demanding: it had to be able to attack anywhere along Sweden's 2,000 km (1,245 miles) of coastline within one hour of launch from a central location. It had to be capable of being launched in any weather conditions and at day or night. In response, Saab elected to develop a twin-seat aircraft with a low-mounted wing, and equipped with advanced electronics.
On 3 November 1952, the first prototype conducted its first flight. A small batch of prototypes completed design and evaluation trials with series production of the newly designated Saab 32 Lansen beginning in 1953. The first production A 32A Lansen attack aircraft were delivered to the Swedish Air Force and proceeded through to mid 1958, at which point manufacturing activity switched to the other two variants of the Lansen, the J 32B and S 32C. These two models differed substantially from the first, the J 32 B being fitted with a new, more powerful engine for greater flight performance along with new navigation and fire control systems. On 7 January 1957, the first J 32 B Lansen conducted its maiden flight; on 26 Match 1957, the first S 32C Lansen performed its first flight. Production of the Lansen continued until May 1960.
The A 32 Lansen was Sweden's last purpose-built attack aircraft. This was the ground attack and maritime strike version. It replaced Saab B 18 and was later replaced by Viggen. In the years 1955-58 287 were delivered to the Swedish air force. This version had four 20 mm guns in the nose, covered by shutters. The shutters were opened upon "safety off", but had to be closed by command. Empty casings were kept from the air intakes by a pair of small plates under the nose. As they then impacted the external fuel tank, its nose was covered in neoprene to protect it.
The radar used in the A 32A was designated PS-431/A, actually of French design but built in Sweden. Instrumented ranges were 8, 20, 80 and 160 km. The radar gave the A 32 a true all-weather capability and was also used to aim the indigenous RB 04 anti-ship missiles.
As these aircraft always operated in groups, and as an economy measure only about 25% of them were given radars, Typically, only these leader aircraft had navigators aboard and marked the target with illumination flares, while the others, only operated by a single pilot, carried out the actual attack with bombs or missiles.
The replacement of the A 32A formally began in June 1971, the more advanced Saab 37 Viggen being slowly used to take over its attack responsibilities. The last A 32A was retired from active service in 1978. Accidents destroyed a third of all Lansens during 25 years of service.
As the type was gradually being replaced by more modern types, the versatile Saab 32 still continued to be operated into the late 1990s as target tugs and electronic warfare platforms, a total of 20 J 32Bs were converted for these duties into J 32D and Es. By 2010, at least two Lansens were still operational, having the sole task of taking high altitude air samples for research purposes in collaboration with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority; one of these collected volcanic ash samples in mid 2010. By 2012, a total of three Lansens reportedly remained in active service.
General characteristics:
Crew: two
Length: 14.94 m (49 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 13.0 m (42 ft 8 in)
Height: 4.65 m (15 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 37.4 m² (402.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 7,438 kg (16,383 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,600 kg (29,955 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Svenska Flygmotor RM5A afterburning turbojet
(a Rolls Royce Avon Mk.21/21A outfitted with an indigenous afterburner),
delivering 3,460 kp dry and 4,700 kp with afterburning
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,125 km/h (700 mph)/Mach 0.91
Never-exceed speed: 1.200 km/h (745 mph)
Cruising speed: Mach 0.8
Range with internal fuel only: 1.850 km (1,150 mi)
Service ceiling: 14,000 m (45,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 60 m/s (11,800 ft/min)
Armament:
4× 20 mm cannon with 180 rounds per gun (7 s of firing) in the lower nose section
A total of thirteen external hardpoints for a wide variety of up to 3.000 kg ordnance,
including a pair of Rb04 anti-ship missiles, unguided missiles and bombs of different calibers,
and special loads like a BOZ 3 chaff dispenser pod.
The kit and its assembly:
This is another contribution for the “Old Kit Group Build” running at whatifmodelers.com in late 2016. I had this project on the agenda for a long time, even kit and decals stashed away, but this was now a good occasion to start it.
The basis is the venerable Saab 32 Heller kit, since 1982 the only available 1:72 IP model of the Lansen – just recently Hobby Boss and Tarangus presented their own kits in 1:48 and 1:72.
The kit offers parts for an A 32A attack aircraft and optional parts for an S 32C recce aircraft (a J 32B interceptor and its derivatives needs some detail mods at the exhaust and under the nose).
This old kit has good detail, but it comes with then-state-of-the-art raised panel lines, some flash and election marks. Fit varies a lot – while the wing/fuselage intersection matches perfectly, the fuselage halves needed a lot of attention and serious bodywork. The optional lower nose section for the A and C variants is also not without trouble: the part fits, but the seams run right along the middle of the air intake channels, a pretty delicate solution. Overall, the kit builds well without major issues. But it’s a shame that it comes ”clean”, some of the exotic Swedish ordnance (e. g. the unique Rb04 missiles or the conformal under-fuselage tank) would have been a nice addition.
The Heller kit was basically built OOB as an A 32A attack aircraft, just with a few enhancements and additions. These include lowered flaps for a more lively presentation (no aftermarket parts, just a mod of the kit itself), extended air intake walls (inside, with simple styrene sheet), some new antennae and emergency fuel valves under the tail section, and twelve pylons under the wings with a dozen heavy unguided missiles. The latter come from an Airfix/Heller A-1 Skyraider and the pylons (four bigger ones, which can also hold heavier ordnance, plus eight smaller hardpoints for light loads only like 120 kg iron bombs or unguided missiles) were scratched from styrene sheet. Instead of the characteristic conformal belly tank, I installed a large, central pylon for a camera pod. After all, this aircraft flies for a test institution.
Painting and markings:
This is the whiffy and more interesting part. The paint scheme on this Lansen is based on an illustration that has been around for ages and which pops up every now and then in literature and online - always without any further information:
img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/171/pics/90_4.jpg
AFAIK the illustration was created in the GDR by an artist with the family name "Römer", probably in the Seventies. What I could find out is that the aircraft is s/n 32209, and that it was sold to the USA for private use (as a target tug) in flying condition, and the machine served, in an all-grey livery, until 1989. The only vague proof for the the odd and disruptive three-tone-scheme I found is a blurred picture of FC/29 still in Swedish service, but with a totally weathered camouflage, a nose probe and with one wing upper surface painted black while the other appears white. But the machine seems to have existed in the profile's guise, or something similar.
The scheme looks pretty experimental, though, and camouflage trials were actually carried out with the Lansen in the early Sixties and eventually led to the green/blue scheme that was adopted for the type and later for the Saab 35, too. The aircraft’s operator, the Försökscentralen (The Swedish Air Force’s research and test institution, with its traditional tactical code “FC” instead of the usual unit number on the fuselage), supports the machine’s trials role further.
Anyway, this scheme here, probably inspired by the USAF’s SEA scheme, rather looks like an early study for what would later become the unique "Fields & Meadows" splinter scheme, made famous by the Viggen in the Seventies? All these leads suggest a relatively tight, potential time frame for this aircraft in the late Sixties/very early Seventies.
Because there’s only a port side profile available of “FC/29”, the rest of the scheme had to be guessed – and for the first time I created a digital four-side view for the task. Since there’s no reference, I guesstimated the tones: The light green is Humbrol 150 (Forest Green, FS 34127) later shaded with Humbrol 80 (Grass Green). Humbrol 91 (Black Green, ~RLM70) was used for the for the dark, bluish green. Finally the brown tone was mixed with Humbrol 29 and RLM 79 (Sandgelb, from the Modelmaster Authentics range) plus a bit of Humbrol 62 (Leather) for an orange-ish, sandy tan tone, so that it does not look too much like USAF FS 30219.
The underside was painted with RLM 76 (Humbrol 247), a tone that IMHO comes very close to the dull Blågrå tone of Swedish military aircraft since WWII.
The cockpit interior was painted, according to pictures of the real aircraft, in a greenish grey – I used RLM 02 for the standard surfaces and Humbrol 111 for the dashboards and other instrument panels.
The silver wing leading edges were created with decal sheet, not painted - a clean and convenient solution.
The landing gear wells als well as the flaps’ interior became Aluminum (Humbrol 56), while the landing gear struts became dark green (Humbrol 30), a detail seen on some real life Saab 32s. The unguided missiles were – typical for the Swedish Air Force – painted as training rounds in light green (Humbrol 120, FS 34227).
Most markings come from an RBD Studio aftermarket sheet (excellent stuff!), puzzled together from various aircraft and with the benefit of additional stencils, since the OOB sheet is pretty minimalistic. To make matters worse, the OOB sheet was printed off-register, so that almost nothing with 2 colors or more could be used.
The cool thing about the RBD Studio sheet is, though, that it actually allows to create the “29” from the inspiring profile! The orange nose band, a typical marking for fighters operated by the Försökscentralen, was scratched from decal sheet.
One detail that is certainly not correct is the squadron emblem on the air intake - it is shown in the inspiring profile, so I chose something that comes visually close, F15's emblem.
Only light panel shading was done, more for the dramatic effect than true weathering. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.
A relatively simple build, without major donations or transplantations. “FC/29” - fictional or not - turned out to be quite colorful, I am positively surprised.
Its high contrast camouflage proves to be quite effective in the beauty pics, and the green ordnance as well as the bright markings are nice contrasts. Looks very different from "normal" Saab 32s, especially from the all-green fighters.
This will certainly not the last Saab 32 I’ll build, it’s a very impressive and elegant aircraft!
We found that somehow even the cows made it inside the house a few times. There is a huge piece of cow poop laying in the dining area, beautifully presented by the full moon shining through the window.
You don't want to see that big... Or do you?
Full moon, blue gelled strobe.
Always good when there is a birthday and you can buy presents. This is the new Pandora Christmas bracelet brought for Sandy's birthday today.
I hadn't taken any photos in quite awhile and really needed to get out and do something fun so I went with some friends to Arlington National Cemetery to look around. I was able to get some really neat shots, especially when we got to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for the Changing of the Guard.
This is a wedding present for my Brother-in-law and his soon to be Bride.
Its a king sized (English Size) quilt and took in the region of 12 hours to cut the fabric and another 12 hours to piece it!
Although the pattern is called the single girl quilt, I just love this modern take on the wedding ring quilt (and like it soooo much more!) and I don't think they will mind ;o)
It is currently en route to its intended recipients back home in England.
All of the fabrics are by Joel Dewberry's various lines and I chose a darker Joel Dewberry print for the backing and binding to give it some manly appeal!
This is Nan - Nan has come to Brookfield Zoo from Toledo Zoo on a breeding recommendation by the SSP.
(Species Survival Plan)
Nan will eventually be introduced to 10 yr old Hudson.
Paws crossed for future cubs. I love her already.
Polar Bear
Ursus Maritimus
Friday, 16 July 2021: we are under a Special Air Quality Statement alert today. Wildfire smoke is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility. I don't know if this is smoke from the over 1,000 BC (British Columbia) wildfires or a mix of that with smoke from the roughly 80 wildfires burning in Alberta at present. Also, a cold front will bring a threat for severe storms once again Friday (today), as another extreme heat event is already shaping up for next week. From the Weather Network.
(Thursday, 15 July 2021: our temperature is 27C (feels like 30C) at 1:00 pm. Sunrise is at 5:38 am, and sunset is at 9:44 pm. Lots more very hot weather ahead.)
The day before yesterday, 13 July 2021, I needed to escape the indoor heat of my home. I decided to do a similar drive to the one I made with my daughter on 17 June 2021. That drive felt so good, after keeping apart for the last year and a half because of COVID restrictions. The drive on 13 July was a shorter distance (391 km) than I had planned, as I kept stopping to photograph birds especially and ended up returning home before getting to my last two destinations.
It was a good day for birds. The very first bird I spotted was a beautiful Long-billed Curlew, Just a quick visit with it, as she must have had babies out in the field. Next, a Brewer's Blackbird on a high wire, and a little further, the first of many hawks seen this day. Most were Swainson's Hawks, but at least one was a Red-tailed Hawk. A wonderful family of an adult hawk with three youngsters has me puzzled, as they were very distant and I can't decide if they were Red-tailed or Ferruginous Hawks. A single hawk later in the day was a definite Ferruginous hawk, perched on a distant fence post way out in a field. Thanks to it being an extremely hazy day with awful heat distortion, I will eventually be posting a blurry photo, but they are such amazing hawks, that I want to post a photo for the record.
A few of the other birds that I was lucky enough to see include a second Long-billed Curlew at a different location. A couple of beautiful Horned Larks posed nicely on fence posts. Plenty of Vesper Sparrows to be seen. A few Canada Geese, and several duck species. Three Great Blue Herons were good to see. A couple of American Robins, always a welcome sighting, and a great 'broken-wing' display by a Killdeer added to the day. Surprisingly, I only caught a quick glimpse of one Western Meadowlark. Some of the ponds/wetlands have completely dried up, which is such a shame.
I have barely been out to see any wildflowers this year, as most of my activity has been by car. I did photograph a few on this trip. A couple of plants that I was happy to see were a small species of Sunflower, and a couple of plants of Milkweed.
No new barns or other old buildings, as I had driven these roads before. Still enjoyed photographing a few of them again, though.
By late afternoon, the light had become impossible for photography, still very hazy and under sun-blocking cloud. Probably just as well, as it really was time to start on the long journey home. No stopping anywhere en route, as I was already tired out. Felt good to reach home, after a 10-hour, great day.
Ganhei de pessoas queridas... a de chapéu...ganhei da querida Zoraida...um amor de pessoa...e a
de fuxicos...da querida Sherry...
Adorei conhecê-las....bjs
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Supermarine 370 “Stalwart” was a British twin-engined long-range maritime patrol flying boat. Originally designed for the Royal Air Force Coastal Command as an anti-submarine aircraft for long range operations over the Atlantic the type saw, with the change of threats and global priorities from 1944 on, only limited production and use in the Pacific theathre of operations in late WWII.
The 370’s design started in early 1940, intended primarily for military use, but also with an option for commercial duties. The military 370 was intended as a more powerful alternative to the Consolidated PBY Catalina, as well as a faster and twin-engined successor to the Short S.25 Sunderland. The civil version was supposed to carry seats for 52 passengers, or sleeper accommodation for 28.
The 370 accepted by the RAF and received the name "Stalwart". The flying boat was a gull-winged, alle-metal aircraft with twin oval vertical stabilizers on top of a deep fuselage. The fuselage was divided into eight watertight compartments to improve survivability. Despite its size the 370 was only to be powered by two engines - one of the reasons for the type's protracted development phase until mid 1944. The engines were installed in the bends of the wings with the floats on an underwing cantilever rack. Each float was divided into four watertight compartments.
Progress was good, but the lack of appropriate engines in the 2.000+ hp class in time delayed the project. Nevertheless, equipped only with 1.600 hp Hercules engines, the underpowered 370 prototype first flew on 30th April 1942. The type showed much potential, with very good handling characteristics both in the air an at sea, but it was not until the availability of the sufficiently powerful Bristol Centaurus engine in 1944 that the Stalwart could show its full potential and actually be put into service - and even this engine was not deemed to be sufficient.
Consequently, the Stalwart became the first (and, eventually, the only) aircraft to be powered by the Bristol Orion engine. Designed by Sir Roy Fedden, the Orion (a name used previously for a variant of the Jupiter engine, and later re-used for a turboprop one), was an enlarged capacity version of the Centaurus. It was also a two-row, 18 cylinder sleeve valve engine with the displacement increased to 4,142 cubic inches (67.9 l), nearly as large as the massive American Wasp Major four-row, 28-cylinder radial, the largest displacement aviation radial engine ever placed in quantity production.
But there was more to the Orion radial than just sheer size and power. It also benefited from a late-war era invention, known as the "blowdown turbine" or "power-recovery turbine" (PRT). This design extracted energy from the momentum of the moving air in the exhaust system, but did not appreciably increase back-pressure. Effectively, this avoided the undesirable effects of conventional designs when connected to the exhaust of a piston engine, and a number of manufacturers studied this concept, because the PRT not only boosted the engine output, it also gave an extra 15 to 35 percent fuel economy - highly appreciated for a long range aircraft like the Stalwart.
Due to the engine troubles the 370’s serial production was just starting when the war situation relaxed and the need for a Sunderland update waned. Hence, after 20 initial airframes in early 1945, the original production order of 200 was cancelled. The already finished Stalwart airframes were equipped and put into RAF servoce but only saw use during the last months of the Second World War in the Pacific theatre or operations under SEAC command.
From the start, the Supermarine Stalwart was equipped with the ASV Mark III, which operated in the centimetric band and used antennae mounted in blisters under the wings outboard of the floats, instead of the cluttered stickleback aerials of former radar systems. The ASV enabled the flying boat to attack submarines on the surface, and allowed surveillance operations at day and night.
As weapons they carried, beyond conventional torpedos, water bombs or mines, new Mk.24 acoustic mines (nicknamed "Fido") that automatically homed in on the sound of submerged submarines or, lacking a homing signal, patrolled a certain area in circles in hope for an accidental collision hit.
In this role the Stalwart GR.Is were operated primarily by RAF 205 from Ceylon and 357 Squadron from Madras, but after the hostilities ended the flying boats were quickly phased out: the Orion engine and its complicated turbine mechanism proved to be unreliable and hard to service, and the tropical climate of the operation zone did not make things better - even though the Stalwart was easy to fly and a stable platform for various tasks. Nevertheless, all aircraft were scrapped, and the idea of a commercial version was also quickly let down due to the technical advances of land-based aircraft.
General characteristics
Crew: 9—11 (2 pilots, radio operator, radar operator, navigator, engineer, bomb-aimer, 3-5 gunners)
Length: 24,62 m (80 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 33 m (110 ft)
Height: 7.64 m (25 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 120 m² (1.292 ft²)
Empty weight: 18.827 kg (41.506 lb)
Loaded weight: 23.456 kg (51.711 lb)
Landing weight: 20.928 kg (46.138 lb))
Max. take-off weight: 29.000 kg (64.000 lb)
Powerplant:
2× Bristol Orion PRT II compund radial piston engines with 3.000 hp (2.158 kW) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 414 km/h (218 kn, 257 mph) at 1.800 m (5.900 ft)
Cruise speed: 280 km/h (173 mph) at 2.000 m (6.600 ft)
Landing speed: 147 km/h (105 kn, 91 mph)
Range: 5.000 km (2.700 kn, 3.100 mi)
Service ceiling: 6.100 m (20.013 ft)
Armament:
10x 0.5 (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in nose, dorsal, side and rear turrets
2x 0.78 (20 mm) fixed Hispano cannons, firing forward
2× 1.000 kg (2.205 lb) torpedoes plus 4.410 lbs (2.000 kg) of bombs or depth charges, or 10 mines, under the wings
The kit and its assembly
A large flying boat, especially a conversion of the vintage Beriev Be-6 VEB Plasticart kit from the Col War era, had been on my project/idea list for very long. But the sheer size of the aircraft/kit had been holding me back: building sucha thing is one thing, but where to leave it once it's finished?
Anyway, what eventually evolved as Supermarine Stalwart (a tribute to the British aircraft manufacturer who's Spitfire is the most iconic product, but they produced and proposed several flying boats, too) originally was intended as a Be-6 outfitted with turrets from a Vickers Wellington and in 1943/44 Coastal Command colors.
But once I started I thought that the Be-6 would look more modern, so that a late WWII aircraft was more plausible, with heavier guns of American origin. This story also opened the opportunity for SEAC markings and colors (see below).
So, the Wellington idea was dropped, and instead I went for the "big solution": I integrated almost anything a Consolidated PB4Y Privateer (Matchbox kit) had to offer, and added a cockpit plus s scratched beaching gear.
The basic airframe of the VEB kit was retained. OOB, the cockpit is simply... empty. The parts box revealed an old Airfic B-17 cockpit, which could easily be implanted. New seats were added, as well as pilot figures (a total crew of seven polulates cockpit and weapon stations), and bulkheads were added. To my surprise the cockpit glazing is very clear, so that something of the interios can actually be seen.
Behind the cockpit a navigator/observer's bubble (from a Matchbox Beaufighter) was added, plus a floor and more bulkheads inside - an interior would not be recognizable, but leaving the fuselage empty could be seen.
The weapons stations took major body work. The dorsal stand was the easiest, since a round OOB opening was just widened enough to accept a Privateer's Martin turret. For the tail station, the OOB gun station was simply cut off and the Privateer's turret added - the tail had to be widened a bit with putty.
The side stations at first caused major headaches. In the Privateer kit they are integral parts of large fuselage panels, which ceratinly would not fit into the Be-6's lines. So I cut the teardrop fairings out, opened the flanks just far enough and glued the side stations onto the flanks. Some gaps were there, but hiding them with putty was, in the end, easier than expected. Even the gunners could be taken over from the PB4Y.
The nose station was tricky, because I could not simply slice the Be-6 nose off and replace it with the ball turret - the ship hull had to be kept intact, while the turret was to blend neatly with the rest of the fuselage. Width was not a problem, but the height (the Matchbox turret is oversized, anyway) was critical. I eventually assembled the turret and merged it in a trial-and error fashion. Again, putty work was needed to blend the shapes - but the whole thing turned out so well and plausible that there was space left for a bomb aimer/observer station under the turret foundation.
The most critical conversion were new engines. The OOB radials of the Be-6 are... simple. And totally useless, if you want to buidl a real Be-6. Being only a two engine aircraft I first tried to integrate a pair of Centaurus engines, which would have been appropriate for the kit's time frame and also sufficient in regard of power. But these turned out to be MUCH too small in diameter. It would have taken completely new fairings, and even then the result ahd looked rather comical.
I was lucky to have some resin engines for a Constellation airliner at hand. These were still a bit too small, but overall more massive - and together with the five-bladed props a balanced solution.
Still, lots of body work had to be done around the engine fairings, and I am pleased that the results look almost natural.
Another neat resin addition are ASR.III radomes from Pavla which ended up under the outer wings, just outside of the floats (OOB). Other minor additions are a new rudder, the cannon fairings at the nose flanks and underwing hardpoints for torpedos and mines.
In order to populate them I scratched four Mk. 24 acoustic mines - nicknamed "FIDOs" and effectively late WWII predecessors of acoustic torpedos. They were created from NATO 1.000lb bombs, with scratched fins and screws, plus shackles made from thin wire. Not 100% correct, but as ordnance they are more than enough.
Last addition is the scratched beaching gear. It has no real world paradigm, but I took a look ate the devices usedto beach Short Sunderlands or the real Be-6. The main struts are frame parts from a missile dolly (for a Soviet X-20 cruise missile) plus leftover tank wheels, while the tail cart was mostly constructed from styrene strips, and it carries wheels from a Bf 109E.
Painting
One impulse for SEAC markings came from a respective Short Sunderland I came across during research, and the fact that the Revell (ex Matchbox) Wellington I originally had in store as donation kit featured SEAC markings in perfect size, too.
Anyway, I wanted to create a late WWII look, and also avoid white undersides. As a result I came up with a rather classic livery, but uncommon to naval aircraft: upper sides in RAF Dark Green and Ocean Green, combined with black undersides and a high waterline. Experimental, but it suits the Stalwart/Be-6 well and was much easier to apply than dreaded white...
Painting was done with brushes; the upper side was painted with enamels (Dark Green from Modelmaster, plus Humbrol 106) while the lower side received special treatment. Instead of painting the belly black and add flaked paint with brush effects I created this effect just the way as in real life: first, a primer coat with acrylic Aluminum was applied. On top of that came a coat of Humbrol 113, simulating primer and anti-corrosion sealant. Next came acrylic flat black. When this final coat had dried I wet-sanded the planing surfaces, letting the red and metal paint shine through. Did not work 100%, but still the result looks conclusive. Later, some flaw were hidden under dry-brushed Humbrol 173 (Brown Bess), which was slso used, mixed with black, for panel shading, creating the impression that the red sealant was showing through, but much less than on the worn undersides.
The beaching gear was painted dull yellow, and the only color highlights on the aircraft are the blue spinners which are to match the single tactical code's color and the SEAC roundels. I wanted a murky look, and I think that was achieved.
All interior surfaces were painted with FS34096, a darker shade than RAF Interior Green, but still with a gray-ish touch.
After some additional dry-painting with grey tones, a black ink wash and soot stains around the exhausts the kit was sealed under a coat of matt acrlyic varnish.
A literally huge project (the thing was ~23" wings span, almost half a meter!), and taking pics was almost more demanding than building the Stalwart. But I think the result looks cool - reminds a lot of the Martin Mariner, but almost any semblance of the Be-6 is IMHO gone!
Presenting the lovely town of Flåm. This is the view from the ferry from Gudvangen as it closes in on the jetty.
Aside from the view of the fjord, the coolest thing about this place is the many waterfalls looming in the background.
Vintage Kitsch British Bulldog Cruet Set " A Present From Bedford " £1 Car Boot Sale Find Last Weekend
Gente, mil desculpas pela foto horrível. Só vi que tinha ficado tão ruim depois que passei para o pc (tirei com o cel) e já guardei os vidrinhos em seus lugares, então vai ficar essa ruim mesmo. =p
Na fila de cima estão os vidrinhos que chegaram na caixinha que a Eli mandou:
O Anita (Céu Estrelado) e o Vult (Dress Code) foram presentes dela. Ainda vieram um creme para as mão e um doce. Adorei tudo! Obrigada, Elinda!
Pelo que consegui saber, o Nati (Rainha da Bateria) foi enviado pela Nety. Adorei! Ele tem uns brilhinhos lindos! Obrigada, Nety!
O Laccor (Malícia), o Realce (It Blue) e os Hits (Moderno e Menos Ciúmes) foram desapegos que vieram de SP. Já faz tanto tempo que mostraram que nem lembro mais quem desapegou, mas adorei as cores! Obrigada!
Na fila de baixo tem:
Os novos sands da Avon (Roxo e Esmeralda) que peguei com uma amiga que revende e consegui um preço bem amigo.
O Essie (Sand Tropez), que tava com a May há um bom tempo e foi comprado na Sepha.
Paixão (Hortelã), Bella & Chick (Licor) e Verona (Glitter Day) comprados em lojas locais.
Os dois últimos foram misturinhas que fiz. A primeira foi com receita da Nety. A foto não mostra a beleza dele. É cheio de brilhinhos e flocos. O segundo fiz com um mix pronto de glitters que comprei na KK.
15 novos vidrinhos para a coleção.
Esse mês consegui desapegar bastante. 6 foram para o lixo, 9 foram para a May distribuir no interior e 8 foram para novas donas. No total, então, foram 23 vidrinhos embora. \o/
What a lovely surprise! A little present has arrived in our post few days ago and there was this cute little dress modelled by Aini. Thank you to Ute - Aini's new Mummy!! So sweet of you. x
Entre los helechos presentes en la sierra de Guadarrama cabe una mención especial para aquellos del género Asplenium donde podemos encontrar al menos 8 especies en el área. En la península ibérica tenemos 20 especies, además de un buen número de subespecies e híbridos.
Todos estos helechos tienen una vinculación especial con la piedra a la que suelen acompañar y en nuestras latitudes no nos será difícil encontrar helechos de este género en los bordes de río y arroyos en cárcavas o cortados pétreos.
Pasamos a enumerar las diferentes especies del género que hemos encontrado:
- Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, se trata de una especie relativamente común en la sierra de Guadarrama, sobre todo entre las fisuras y a los pies de las piedras de los bordes de arroyos y ríos, generalmente en el entorno de robledal y pinar, pudiendo subir hacia zonas más despejadas en mayores altitudes, habiéndola encontrado hasta los 1700 msnm.
- Asplenium obovatum subsp. billotti, es una especie muy común en la Sierra, generalmente en el entorno del encinar pudiendo también aparecer en el robledal e incluso en el pinar. Rara vez la encontramos por encima de los 1500 msnm, generalmente en ubicaciones más secas o soleadas que las especies afines (onopteris y adiantum-nigrum), por lo que a veces se la encuentra entre las grandes piedras de pequeñas cumbres alejada de corrientes de agua.
- Asplenium onopteris, es una especie escasa en la sierra de Guadarrama ya que prefiere ubicaciones más térmicas, siendo muy frecuente en el litoral y escaseando en el interior de la Península. La hemos encontrado en algunas ubicaciones, del entorno del encinar o pinar, por ejemplo en los Montes de Valsain en el entorno del río Frío o de la Acebeda, también está citada en La Pedriza, etc, en ubicaciones umbrías a los pies de pedreras junto a los arroyos.
- Asplenium ceterach es una especie que aunque tiene predilección por las zonas calizas donde puede encontrarse incluso en zonas con una humedad no muy elevada y buena insolación, también se puede encontrar en zonas silíceas adyacentes o incluso algo alejadas de estas. Es una especie común en el pie de monte calizo de la Sierra pudiéndose encontrar algunos ejemplares en ubicaciones silíceas de Otero de Herreros, San Ildefonso, San Rafael, etc. Llega hasta los 2000 m.s.n.m en el entorno del Pico de La Flecha.
- Asplenium trichomanes, es una especie muy común en pequeños cortados y fisuras de las piedras en los entornos de arroyos y ríos umbrosos e incluso entre las piedras de la alta montaña en ubicaciones algo abrigadas, encontrándose incluso por encima de los 2000 msnm por ejemplo en el entorno de Peñalara.
- Asplenium septentrionale, con una ecología muy similar a la especie anterior, esta tambien es una especie muy común en pequeños cortados y fisuras de las piedras en los entornos de arroyos y ríos umbrosos e incluso entre las piedras de la alta montaña en ubicaciones algo abrigadas, encontrándose incluso por encima de los 2000 msnm por ejemplo en el entorno de Peñalara.
- Asplenium scolopendrium, es una especie realmente escasa en la sierra de Guadarrama, donde prefiere ubicaciones calizas, actualmente parece sólo existir en Rascafría en el área caliza cercana al río Lozoya, aunque hay un pliego en el RJB de esta especie de los jardines de la Granja, donde hoy parece desaparecido. Ha sido utilizado como planta medicinal desde antaño por los boticarios por lo que no sabemos si el origen de esta planta en los jardines de Palacio era original o plantado.
- Asplenium ruta-muraria, es una especie muy escasa en la sierra de Guadarrama ya que prefiere ubicaciones calizas y más térmicas, tan sólo la hemos visto en los muros de los jardines de San Ildefonso y una planta en la pared de una edificación de la misma localidad (com. personal Teo Martín), también la hemos encontrado en áreas calizas de Otero de Herreros.
Os dejo aquí unas claves para poder identificar los helechos de este género presentes en la sierra de Guadarrama:
1. Indusio (membrana protectora de los soros) rudimentario, envés de la lámina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) densamente cubierto de un tomento dorado (de ahí el nombre común)...... Asplenium ceterach (Doradilla)
2. Indusio (membrana protectora de los soros) doble, fronde con láminas (= hojas en las plantas con semillas) no divididas, de forma lanceolada acabada en un ápice agudo............Asplenium scolopendrium (Leguna de Ciervo)
3. Un sólo indusio (membrana protectora de los soros), fronde con láminas (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) divididas ......4
4a. Lamina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) dividida de manera dicotómia (cortado en dos partes) o en pequeños segmentos terminales, todos estos segmentos lineares (largos y estrechos con forma de línea)......... Asplenium septentrionale (Ruda septentrional o norteña)
4b. Lamina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) dividida en segmentos no lineares (no son largos ni estrechos) ni de manera dicotómica (no cortado en dos partes)............5
5a. Lamina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) dividida solamente una vez, dejando dos conjuntos de segmentos a lo largo del raquis..........................................Asplenium trichomanes (Culantrillo bastardo)
5b. Lamina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) varias veces dividida..............................6
6a. Raquis (=tallo en las plantas con semillas) de color verde. Indusio ciliado o fimbriado...................................Asplenium ruta muraria (Ruda de los muros)
6b. Raquis (= tallo en las plantas con semillas) de color castaño o castaño oscuro. Indusio no ciliado o fimbriado.....................7
7a. Lamina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) de contorno ovado-lanceaolado (pinnas inferiores más cortas que las medias).............................Asplenium obovatum subsp. billotti (Culantrillo de Billot)
7b. Lamina (= hoja en las plantas con semillas) de contorno triangular (pinnas inferiores más largas que las anteriores) .............................. 8
8a. Pinnas (divisiones foliares) caudatas (con peciolo o tallo), las inferiores y medias arqueadas hacia el ápice...................................Asplenium onopteris (Culantrillo mayor)
8b. Pinnas (divisiones foliares) no caudatas (sin peciolo o con este muy reducido), las inferiores y medias patentes o sólo ligeramente arqueadas...................Asplenium adiantum-nigrum (Culantrillo negro)
Christmas Present graphic available for download at dryicons.com/free-graphics/preview/christmas-present/ in EPS (vector) format.
View similar vector graphics at DryIcons Graphics.
Viva la Woolly Mammoth!
Reese posted the full video of my Biotech 2.0 talk, and he kept a steady hand throughout.
and it takes a lot or behind the scenes work to make this old gal presentable
My thanks to Leigh at TGMIss.com
Wrapped - Birthday present from my sisters
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A surprise present!
Nice knife, but i think i need to get it professionally sharpened to get a smoother edge. The bamboo board will be good for non-stinky items :)
Photos:
- Wrapped
- More layers!