Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong.

October 4th.

Horrific realizations.

His job often brings him to the most despicable places. The very places where you expect to find the scum and villainy he is payed to capture: dirty, ugly and dark.

Today the landscape is different.

The day’s last rays of sun bathe his armor as he walks across the remains of the old mining facility.

He can see the sea, just few kilometers away from his current location.

The target is even closer, rummaging the abandoned facility for some valuable item.

This is going to be a quick, after all. He draws his blaster and unsheathes his vibrosword.

It can end only in two ways and he gets paid in both cases…

The amazing, badass Samurai Boba Fett is back in action in the first outdoor photo I ever took of him :)

The action figure is made by Bandai and its full “designation” is Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Ronin Boba Fett.

I hope you like this photo :)

May the Force be with You :)

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, at Self-Realization Fellowship's Lake Shrine, opened to the public in 1950. A portion of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes are enshrined behind this Golden Lotus Archway. [10 of 12]

Yes, this is that moment when Jasper feels the horrifying humiliation of the ball bouncing off his chest (see the note on the photo) rather than the satisfying squish of the ball between his teeth

G's breath caught in her throat as the realization dawned on her. She was in the presence of one of the Clockwork Sibyls, a duo revered not only for their groundbreaking contributions to the digital realm, but also for their rare status as celebrated female oracles in a domain predominantly ruled by men.

Lady Beatrice, with her keen intellect and ability to decipher the complex patterns of the cosmos, alongside Lady Abigail, whose engineering prowess brought to life inventions that were the very essence of the steampunk spirit, were figures of legend. The thought that one half of this illustrious pair was missing sent a ripple of concern through G's mind.

"To clarify," G responded, maintaining her professional demeanor while subtly acknowledging the significance of Lady Beatrice's identity, "Lady Abigail, your partner and fellow Clockwork Sibyl, is missing?"

"The last communication I had from her, she said 'BRB, bio break.' And then... silence. I believe she has vanished to a place known as 'RL', and I fear she's being held there against her will."

The term 'RL' lingered in the air, an acronym for the mysterious and unpredictable realm of Real Life. G leaned back in her chair, her mind's gears beginning to turn. This was no ordinary disappearance; this was a journey across dimensions, a voyage from the digital to the organic.

A missing avatar was one thing but vanishing into the vast unknown of Real Life was a complexity of a different caliber.

"So you suspect foul play?" G inquired.

Lady Beatrice, taking a seat with composed grace across from G, spoke with a hint of distress in her voice.

"I find myself at a loss," she admitted. "It's as though Lady Abigail has departed from our realm and is no more. I've searched tirelessly, exploiting all my intellectual resources, networks, and assets, yet she remains lost to me."

"I'll take the case," G stated, her voice soft yet resolute, silently pledging her loyalty to the captivating Lady Beatrice.

With the case now officially open, G. Aeon stood, her figure a beacon of resolve in a sea of uncertainty, thus marking the beginning of a new partnership between her and Lady Beatrice as they set out to unravel the mystery of Lady Abigail's disappearance.

Part 1 flic.kr/p/2pQizbm

Part 2 flic.kr/p/2pQtrtY

Photo taken at New Victoria Township - RP and community opening late Summer.

Story by Grace with some help from ChatGPT

More G. Aeon, Private Detective, at flic.kr/s/aHBqjBgiN8

More Clockwork Sibyls at flic.kr/s/aHBqjBiSG9

Dom through the years

[3:32pm]

2008 - Day 25

Ugh. I hate homecoming.

Although this year was alot better. I didn't actually film the whole ceremony thing this year because I finally came to the realization that the money involved would not be worth the effort. Last year I made a little over 200 dollars, which isn't bad money but unfortunatly all of my DVD's at one point or another messed up, which meant I had to deal with pissed off students and the occasional parent demanding an explination as to why the movie went halfway and then stopped. The honest truth is that I have no idea why they work on my Dvd player but not on everyone elses, I sure as hell don't do it on purpose. I think it's the program that I use though. Ulead DVD Workshop is finikey as it is but using their burning software just compounds the problem.

But anyway my point is that I made 200 dollars but put in a solid 48 hours of work on it that means that If I were to give away the copies for free, I would be making roughly 4 dollars an hour. And that amount of time was only a conservative estimate so I probably made even less. I just didn't want to deal with all the hassle of everything going wrong. That happens enough when I'm taking pictures.

But anyway, I'm going to skip ahead to 4th period because nothing intresting happened before that excpet the arrivial of the english teacher's really hot adopted daughter Anna, unfortunatly, even though she looked 16 she was 22 and recently married. Life sucks dosen't it? But anyway, we had a big test in Mrs. Britts math class, and as always I'd msised the day where they did most of the work so I only knew how to do about half of the work. I got through it though, after alot of stress and a little finageling I managed to get it done and turned it in. After the bell had rung of course.

From then until around 1:30 I stayed in the Science lab and talked to Heather and her mom. It's really strange how different Heather is when you talk to her without alot of people around. In a really good way of course. We talked for about 30 minutes in the science lab while we were counting change and tying together all of the suckers that they were going to give away at the Pep Rally and then when 1:30 rolled around, we walked down to the Gym and took pictures. Including one of me with a pom pom on my head looing rather nerdish. If I manage to get ahold of it I'll post it up here because it's really really bad.

The Pep rally was pretty funny actually, the younger girls (5-9) did a really funny version of the "Soulja Boy" (I hope I spelled that right) dance. And the highschool cheerleaders did a very provocative dance to some other rap song, I don't listen to that kind of music so I don't know, but I will tell you one thing, I found out right then that Hannah Inman can seriously dance. I'll leave the details out on that one, just use your imagination.

Anyway, after the pep rally was over and we got the Spirit Stick. Or actually we didn't actually win it but it was given to the senior class out of pitty for our dwindiling numbers. Heather and I were the only people sitting in the bleachers when the cheerleaders did there thing. It was a little wierd that we won. But that was that and after we left I just sat around the science lab and talked to Noah, Sarah and Heather.

I played so me piano afterwards and did what Stephanie said made me look like an old man. I'd just play different songs on the piano and Noah would guess which ones they were. It wasn't really the most fun thing in the world but it really sucked when everybody left and I was stuck alone in the school with nothing to do.

I took this picture during the time between the end of school and the game and yes, I know that I did this pictures a few day's ago but I don't think it turned out as good as It could have, and the girl who's eye I used previously wasn't exactly the ideal subject. But that's just my own opinion, and we all know what opinions are like.

Anyway, I'm actually very happy with this, it took a bit of convincing to get the model to cooperate though. Brooke is a 7th grader who does NOT like having her picture taken so It's always fun to annoy her with the camera. But, like I said I had to make all sorts of promises to get this picture, including a promise to kill somebody at the school, which I don't think I'll be doing. Some of the other things she said she'd do to get me to kill the guy were unsuitable for discussion here but I'm sure you can use you're imagination.

Anyway...

Sarah came back after galavanting around Whiteville with Stephanie for a few hours so I went up to the school after everybody had left and talked to them for about an hour. It was basically an hour of discussing the wierdest topics imaginable, half of the time though we were in the presence of Mr. Gergle which was a little awkward for me but Sarah and Stephanie didn't seem to mind.

They're a little wierd.

6 o'clock rolled around and I was forced to leave the two girls up at the school and go down to the gym to take pictures of the girls prancing around in there dresses. I don't like being forceful with some of these parents but I had to because the honest truth was that I was hired to take pictures of these girls and the parents, as much as I appreciate there wanting to take pictures of there kids, attempted a thousand times to set up their own pictures or try to push me out of the way and take more pictures of their own. They only got away with it once though. I had to ask nicely but forcefully for them to shove off. I don't think that these parents would expect me to be rude in that respect but I had to be, and it worked, they left.

After taking all of the picture for Mrs. Paige I went back to taking pictures of the game. It was pretty much over so I only got a few pictures before Fuller Royal one of the photographers working for the local paper came in and asked me to take some pictures of the Homecoming court so he wouldn't have to stay. I thought it was pretty cool that he trusted me enough to do his job.

What's really awsome is that one of the pictures that I took today is going to be on the front page of the sports page in the NewsReporter on Monday. Which I think is pretty awsome. I've had 5 or 6 pictures that I've taken in the Newspaper but nothing on the front page. So anyway...

Caroline got Queen and Lauren got Princess. Not really any suprise there.

After everything ended mom picked us up and we went home.

I just played on the computer until I got to where I am now. I'm really tired, itst 2 in the morning and Tomorrow I have to get up early and take the SAT, which sucks because had that not been the case I would have been able to go out to eat with Noah and his family.

But there's always next time.

Anyway, I'm out.

The Museum of the Dreamers

The Phantastenmuseum is a museum in the Palais Palffy in the 1st district of Vienna Inner City. It shows the evolution of fantastic, surreal and visionary art of the postwar period to the present.

History

Following discussions between the Austrian artist Ernst Fuchs (* 13. Februar 1930 in Wien; † 9. November 2015) and the publisher, organizer and author Gerhard Habarta the idea of a museum of fantastic art in Vienna came to the realization. The "Austrian Cultural Center since 1958" in the Palais Palffy was enthusiastic about the idea, the plans for the new museum were concretised in the year of 2010. In autumn 2010 was started with the adaptation of the premises, which was completed in January 2011. The opening of the museum took place under the patronage of Federal President Heinz Fischer on 15 January 2011.

Premises

For the museum parts of the historical Palais Palffy due to war damage in the 1950s renovated were used.

The foyer was designed by Lehmden student Kurt Welther about The Marriage of Figaro. Here, also a lobby with the ticket office, the information and the museum shop has been set up. In this one gifts like replicas of famous works of art, sculptures, jewelery, catalogs and posters as well as original editions are sold. On the 1st floor is located opposite the Figaro Concert Hall the gallery. It is a 150 m² large space for solo exhibitions. The museum occupies the entire top floor and consists of designed spaces. In addition to works from its own collection and permanent loans, documents and portraits of artist personalities are shown.

The museum

The museum is divided into the following areas:

Impulses: Here are the inspirations identified which brought the young artists first information after the war, with works by Edgar Jené and Gustav K. Beck and Arnulf Neuwirth.

Academy: Here, the young creatives found an artistic home, including works by Albert Paris Gütersloh, Ernst Fuchs, Fritz Janschka, Anton Lehmden and Kurt Steinwendner before he turned into the filmmaker and object artist Curt Stenvert.

Contemporaries: These include older artists of fantastic, who had survived the dictatorship, like Greta Freist, Kurt Goebel, Charles Lipka or the CIA agent Charles von Ripper. And the young ones, as Rudolf Schoenwald or Arnulf Rainer as well as painters who moved in later Art Club. These include the "partisan" Maria Biljan-Bilger, Peppino Wieternik before he turned to the abstract, and Carl Unger who designed a large glass front of the Palais Palffy.

Art Club: It gathered the artistic elite of the post-war period and became with the Strohkoffer (straw suitcase) a social center.

Dog Group: It became the first counter-movement, in which the rebels as Ernst Fuchs, Arnulf Rainer and Maria Lassnig, Wolfgang Kudrnofsky and maverick visionary Anton Krejcar with graphics that today have become valuable manifested themselves.

The Pintorarium of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Ernst Fuchs and Arnulf Rainer fought actionistically with wall newspaper and nude demonstration against the established Academy, bad architecture and for the freedom of the spirit.

Hundertwasser realized the theories of Pintorarium in his buildings. A photo documentation of Kurt Pultar.

Vienna School of Fantastic Realism: The core of the museum with pictures of Arik Brauer, Wolfgang Hutter, Fritz Janschka, who lives in the United States and Anton Lehmden. Of Rudolf Hausner is - in addition to an oil painting - the documentation of long-term work on his Ark of Odysseus to see. In addition to an early work by Ernst Fuchs, a specially created for the museum great painting version of a 55 years ago arosen drawing is shown.

In the department of simultaneous 16 images of that Viennese Fantasts can be seen who presented themselves in the 1960s for the first time, among other things, in the gallery that installed Ernst Fuchs.

In the Department Next Generation are those almost still "young ones" which - despite temporary exclusion by the avant-garde - are committed to the new tendencies of the fantastic. They studied partly with Hausner, Lehmden, Hutter and Fuchs and also learned as wizards.

The Graphic Cabinet presents some etchings and lithographs to stamps. Here the global network is shown in about 30 works by international visionaries. Representatives from Japan, the US, Australia and European centers are the ambassadors of associations of fantastic artists, the Ambassadors of the Fantastic Universe.

Phantastenmuseum

Das Phantastenmuseum ist ein Museum im Palais Pálffy im 1. Wiener Gemeindebezirk Innere Stadt. Es zeigt die Entwicklung der phantastischen, surrealen und visionären Kunst von der Nachkriegszeit bis zur Gegenwart.

Geschichte

Nach Gesprächen zwischen dem österreichischen Künstler Ernst Fuchs und dem Verleger, Organisator und Autor Gerhard Habarta entstand die Idee zur Verwirklichung eines Museums für phantastische Kunst in Wien. Das „Österreichische Kulturzentrum seit 1958“ im Palais Pálffy zeigte sich von der Idee begeistert, die Pläne für das neue Museum wurden im Jahr 2010 konkretisiert. Im Herbst 2010 wurde mit der Adaptierung der Räumlichkeiten begonnen, die im Jänner 2011 abgeschlossen wurde. Die Eröffnung des Museums fand am 15. Jänner 2011 unter dem Ehrenschutz von Bundespräsident Heinz Fischer statt.

Räumlichkeiten

Für das Museum wurden Teile des historischen, aufgrund Kriegsschäden in den 1950er Jahren renovierten Palais Pálffy genutzt.

Das Foyer wurde vom Lehmden-Schüler Kurt Welther zum Thema Figaros Hochzeit gestaltet. Hier wurde auch ein Empfangsbereich mit der Ticketkasse, der Information und dem Museums-Shop eingerichtet. In diesem werden Geschenke wie Nachbildungen berühmter Kunstwerke, Skulpturen, Schmuck, Kataloge und Kunstdrucke sowie auch Original-Editionen verkauft. Im 1. Stock befindet sich gegenüber dem Figaro-Konzertsaal die Galerie. Es handelt sich um einen 150 m² großen Raum für Einzelausstellungen. Das Museum nimmt das gesamte Obergeschoss ein und besteht aus gestalteten Räumen. Neben den Werken aus eigenem Bestand und Dauerleihgaben werden Dokumente und Porträts der Künstlerpersönlichkeiten gezeigt.

Das Museum

Das Museum ist in folgende Bereiche gegliedert:

Impulse: Hier werden die Impulse aufgezeigt, die den jungen Künstlern erste Informationen nach dem Krieg brachten, mit Werken von Edgar Jené und Gustav K. Beck und Arnulf Neuwirth.

Akademie: Hier fanden die jungen Kreativen eine künstlerische Heimat, mit Werken von Albert Paris Gütersloh, Ernst Fuchs, Fritz Janschka, Anton Lehmden und Kurt Steinwendner, bevor er zum Filmemacher und Objektkünstler Curt Stenvert wurde.

Zeitgenossen: Dazu zählen ältere Künstler des Phantastischen, die die Diktatur überlebt hatten, wie Greta Freist, Kurt Goebel, Charles Lipka oder der CIA-Agent Charles von Ripper. Und die Jungen, wie Rudolf Schönwald oder Arnulf Rainer sowie Maler die sich im späteren Art Club bewegten. Dazu gehören die „Partisanin“ Maria Biljan-Bilger, Peppino Wieternik, bevor er sich zum Abstrakten wandte, und Carl Unger der für das Palais Pálffy eine große Glasfront gestaltete.

Art Club: Er versammelte die künstlerische Elite der Nachkriegszeit und wurde mit dem Strohkoffer ein geselliges Zentrum.

Hundsgruppe: Sie wurde zur ersten Gegenbewegung, in der sich die Aufrührer wie Ernst Fuchs, Arnulf Rainer und Maria Lassnig, Wolfgang Kudrnofsky und der Außenseiter-Phantast Anton Krejcar mit heute wertvoll gewordenen Grafiken manifestierten.

Das Pintorarium von Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Ernst Fuchs und Arnulf Rainer kämpfte aktionistisch mit Wandzeitung und Nacktdemonstration gegen die etablierte Akademie, schlechte Architektur und für die Freiheit des Geistes.

Hundertwasser verwirklichte die Theorien des Pintorariums in seinen Bauten. Eine Fotodokumentation von Kurt Pultar.

Wiener Schule des Phantastischen Realismus: Der Kern des Museums mit Bildern von Arik Brauer, Wolfgang Hutter, dem in den USA lebenden Fritz Janschka und von Anton Lehmden. Von Rudolf Hausner ist - neben einem Ölbild - die Dokumentation der langjährigen Arbeit an seiner Arche des Odysseus zu sehen. Neben einem Frühwerk von Ernst Fuchs ist auch eine eigens für das Museum geschaffene große Gemälde-Fassung einer vor 55 Jahren entstandenen Zeichnung ausgestellt.

In der Abteilung der Gleichzeitigen sind 16 Bilder jener Wiener Fantasten zu sehen, die sich in den 1960er-Jahren zum ersten Mal präsentierten, u.a. in der Galerie, die Ernst Fuchs installierte.

In der Abteilung Next Generation sind jene fast „noch Jungen“, die sich – trotz zeitweiliger Ausgrenzung durch die Avantgarde – neuen Tendenzen des Phantastischen verpflichtet fühlen. Sie haben zum Teil bei Hausner, Lehmden, Hutter und Fuchs studiert und auch als Assistenten gelernt.

Das Graphische Kabinett stellt einige Radierungen und Lithographien bis hin zu Briefmarken aus. Hier wird in etwa 30 Werken internationaler Phantasten die weltweite Vernetzung gezeigt. Vertreter aus Japan, den USA, Australien und europäischen Zentren sind die Botschafter von Vereinigungen phantastischer Künstler, den Ambassadors of the Fantastic Universe.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantastenmuseum

This is the realization of a childhood dream. I always wanted this outfit more than anything but never had the patience to save up my allowance to buy it. Here it is and although this doll is not my childhood doll, she is the same type. Dreams really do come true.

© by Laura Matesky. Please do not use this or any of my images without my permission

who you are vs. who you want to make yourself into.

I am not a person that is good in expressing myself with words, but my short trip to India let me realize how fortunate my life is. Even if something bad happens, things that don't go well, I guess it is still pale in comparison with what I saw in the slum area over there. I tried to capture my emotion at that moment in time so that I won't forget that feeling.

On the other hand, India do have really fine historical architectures and also, warm smiles.

Lets not try to explain ourselves

shot with the little Olympus XA2

SOOC

-

twitter @thirddesign

come tumble with us!

also... we are looking for photos for our flickr group SortOfNatural just good shtuff

You can check out the rest of my work and toy reviews to these social media sites.

Please Like/Follow/Subscribe. Thanks!

Blog | www.codenamelocust.wordpress.com

Instagram | @codenamepablo

Facebook | www.facebook.com/locustblogsite

Youtube | www.youtube.com/user/dmon06660

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

Due to the restrictions of the Versailles treaties, the Reichswehr was already dealing with the increasing mobilization and motorization of the army after the end of the First World War. The realization that the speed of the troop units required appropriate equipment was available early on. However, the Reichswehr suffered from financial constraints and during the Weimar Republic the industry only had limited capacity for series production of larger, armored vehicles.

Only a total of fifty-five Sd.Kfz. 241s were completed by Magirus in Cologne until 1936, when production of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) vehicle family started and soon replaced the Sd.Kfz. 241, which was primarily operated at the Eastern Front in Poland and Czechoslovakia. By 1940, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left in any frontline army unit, but a few survivors were grouped together and handed over to police units. Their main gun was either completely deleted or sometimes replaced with a second machine gun, and they were used for urban patrols and riot control duties. However, by 1942, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left over.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)

Weight: 7.5 tons (11.450 lb)

Length: 5,85 metres (19 ft 2 in)

Width: 2,20 metres (7 ft 2 ½ in)

Height: 2,78 metres (9 ft 1 in)

Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs

Fuel capacity: 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal)

Armor:

8–15 mm (0.31 – 0.6 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 70 km/h (43.5 mph)

52 km/h (32.3 mph) backwards

Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)

Power/weight: 13 PS/ton

Engine:

Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW),

driving the rear pair of axles

Transmission:

Maybach gearbox with 5-speed forward and 4-speed reverse

Armament:

1× 37 mm KwK 30 L/45 cannon with 70 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional armored car was inspired by a leftover rear axles from an Italeri Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) model that I converted into a fictional half-track variant some time ago. I wondered if the set could be transplanted under an 8-Rad chassis, to create a kind of missing link to the 8x8 successors of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) with a total of twelve tires on four axles.

The basis became a First to Fight 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) kit – a rather simple and robust affair, apparently primarily intended for tabletop purposes. But the overall impression is good, and it would be modified, anyway, even though the plastic turned out to be rather soft/waxy and the parts’ sprue attachment points a bit wacky.

The hull was “turned around” to drive backwards, so that its rear engine ended up in the front. I eventually only used the rear twin wheels from the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad), but not its single axles and laminated springs. Instead, I first cut the OOB mudguards in two halves, removed their side skirts and glued them onto the lower hull in reversed order, so that the exhausts and their muffler boxes would end up at the rear of the front fenders. With these in place I checked the axles’ position from the OOB ladder chassis, which is a single, integral part, and found that the rear axles’ position had to be moved by 2mm backwards. Cutting the original piece and re-arranging it was easier to scratch a new rear suspension, and the rocker bars had to be shortened to accept the wider twin wheels.

The original small turret with the 20 mm autocannon was deleted and replaced with core elements from a Panzer III turret, left over from previous conversion projects. Wider than any original turret of the Sd.Kfz. 231/232 family, it had to be narrowed by roughly 5mm – I had to cut a respective plug from the turret’s and the mantlet’s middle section, the deformed hatch was covered under a Panzer III commander cupola. To mate the re-arranged turret with the OOB adapter plate to mount it onto the hull, and to add overall stability to the construction, I filled the interior with 2C putty.

The typical storage bin at the turret’s rear was omitted, though, it would have made it too large for the compact truck chassis. The shape was a perfect stylistic match, even though, with the longer gun barrel, the vehicle reminds a lot of the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car?

Most small details like the bumpers and the headlights were taken OOB, I added a whip antenna base at the rear and mounted two spare wheels at the back, one of them covered with a tarpaulin (made from paper tissue drenched with white glue, this was also used to create the gun mantlet seals).

Painting and markings:

Typical for German vehicles from the early WWII stages the Sd.Kfz. 241 was painted Panzergrau (RAL 7021; I used Humbrol 67, which is authentic, but mixed it with some 125 to create a slightly lighter shade of grey) overall - quite dull, but realistic. To make the vehicle look more interesting, though, I added authentic contemporary camouflage in the form of low-contrast blotches with RAL 8017, a very dark reddish brown, mixed from Humbrol 160 and some 98. Better, but IMHO still not enough.

After the model received a washing with highly thinned red-brown acrylic artist paint I applied the few decals and gave the parts an overall dry-brushing treatment with grey and dark earth. Everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. For even more “excitement”, I decided to add a coat of snow.

For the simulated “frosting” I used white tile grout – which has the benefits of being water-soluble, quite sturdy to touch and the material does not yellow over time like gypsum.

First, the wheels, the chassis and the inside of the wheel arches received a separate treatment with relatively dryly mixed tile grout, simulating snow and dirt clusters. Once thoroughly dried, the wheels were mounted. Then the model was sprayed with low surface tension water and loose tile grout was drizzled over hull and turret, creating a flaky coat of fake snow. Once dry again, everything received another coat of matt acrylic varnish to protect and fixate everything further.

A relatively quick build, done in a few days. The First to Fight kit is very simple and went together well, but I’d use something else the next time due to the odd material it was molded with. The outcome of an 4x8 scout car looks quite plausible, though, like the missing link between the Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 – the unintended similarity with the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car was a bit surprising, though. And the snow on the model eventually makes it look a bit more interesting, the stunt was worth the effort.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

Due to the restrictions of the Versailles treaties, the Reichswehr was already dealing with the increasing mobilization and motorization of the army after the end of the First World War. The realization that the speed of the troop units required appropriate equipment was available early on. However, the Reichswehr suffered from financial constraints and during the Weimar Republic the industry only had limited capacity for series production of larger, armored vehicles.

Only a total of fifty-five Sd.Kfz. 241s were completed by Magirus in Cologne until 1936, when production of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) vehicle family started and soon replaced the Sd.Kfz. 241, which was primarily operated at the Eastern Front in Poland and Czechoslovakia. By 1940, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left in any frontline army unit, but a few survivors were grouped together and handed over to police units. Their main gun was either completely deleted or sometimes replaced with a second machine gun, and they were used for urban patrols and riot control duties. However, by 1942, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left over.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)

Weight: 7.5 tons (11.450 lb)

Length: 5,85 metres (19 ft 2 in)

Width: 2,20 metres (7 ft 2 ½ in)

Height: 2,78 metres (9 ft 1 in)

Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs

Fuel capacity: 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal)

Armor:

8–15 mm (0.31 – 0.6 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 70 km/h (43.5 mph)

52 km/h (32.3 mph) backwards

Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)

Power/weight: 13 PS/ton

Engine:

Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW),

driving the rear pair of axles

Transmission:

Maybach gearbox with 5-speed forward and 4-speed reverse

Armament:

1× 37 mm KwK 30 L/45 cannon with 70 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional armored car was inspired by a leftover rear axles from an Italeri Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) model that I converted into a fictional half-track variant some time ago. I wondered if the set could be transplanted under an 8-Rad chassis, to create a kind of missing link to the 8x8 successors of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) with a total of twelve tires on four axles.

The basis became a First to Fight 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) kit – a rather simple and robust affair, apparently primarily intended for tabletop purposes. But the overall impression is good, and it would be modified, anyway, even though the plastic turned out to be rather soft/waxy and the parts’ sprue attachment points a bit wacky.

The hull was “turned around” to drive backwards, so that its rear engine ended up in the front. I eventually only used the rear twin wheels from the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad), but not its single axles and laminated springs. Instead, I first cut the OOB mudguards in two halves, removed their side skirts and glued them onto the lower hull in reversed order, so that the exhausts and their muffler boxes would end up at the rear of the front fenders. With these in place I checked the axles’ position from the OOB ladder chassis, which is a single, integral part, and found that the rear axles’ position had to be moved by 2mm backwards. Cutting the original piece and re-arranging it was easier to scratch a new rear suspension, and the rocker bars had to be shortened to accept the wider twin wheels.

The original small turret with the 20 mm autocannon was deleted and replaced with core elements from a Panzer III turret, left over from previous conversion projects. Wider than any original turret of the Sd.Kfz. 231/232 family, it had to be narrowed by roughly 5mm – I had to cut a respective plug from the turret’s and the mantlet’s middle section, the deformed hatch was covered under a Panzer III commander cupola. To mate the re-arranged turret with the OOB adapter plate to mount it onto the hull, and to add overall stability to the construction, I filled the interior with 2C putty.

The typical storage bin at the turret’s rear was omitted, though, it would have made it too large for the compact truck chassis. The shape was a perfect stylistic match, even though, with the longer gun barrel, the vehicle reminds a lot of the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car?

Most small details like the bumpers and the headlights were taken OOB, I added a whip antenna base at the rear and mounted two spare wheels at the back, one of them covered with a tarpaulin (made from paper tissue drenched with white glue, this was also used to create the gun mantlet seals).

Painting and markings:

Typical for German vehicles from the early WWII stages the Sd.Kfz. 241 was painted Panzergrau (RAL 7021; I used Humbrol 67, which is authentic, but mixed it with some 125 to create a slightly lighter shade of grey) overall - quite dull, but realistic. To make the vehicle look more interesting, though, I added authentic contemporary camouflage in the form of low-contrast blotches with RAL 8017, a very dark reddish brown, mixed from Humbrol 160 and some 98. Better, but IMHO still not enough.

After the model received a washing with highly thinned red-brown acrylic artist paint I applied the few decals and gave the parts an overall dry-brushing treatment with grey and dark earth. Everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. For even more “excitement”, I decided to add a coat of snow.

For the simulated “frosting” I used white tile grout – which has the benefits of being water-soluble, quite sturdy to touch and the material does not yellow over time like gypsum.

First, the wheels, the chassis and the inside of the wheel arches received a separate treatment with relatively dryly mixed tile grout, simulating snow and dirt clusters. Once thoroughly dried, the wheels were mounted. Then the model was sprayed with low surface tension water and loose tile grout was drizzled over hull and turret, creating a flaky coat of fake snow. Once dry again, everything received another coat of matt acrylic varnish to protect and fixate everything further.

A relatively quick build, done in a few days. The First to Fight kit is very simple and went together well, but I’d use something else the next time due to the odd material it was molded with. The outcome of an 4x8 scout car looks quite plausible, though, like the missing link between the Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 – the unintended similarity with the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car was a bit surprising, though. And the snow on the model eventually makes it look a bit more interesting, the stunt was worth the effort.

The state of Self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been. All that is needed is that you give up your realization of the not-true as true. All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part.

Be as you are – The teachings of sri Ramana Maharishi

Week 8 Image 1 Selfie project

So at first I had not intended to use this image. I decided it was important to post it because I feel very frustrated with my own choices...this was not a first choice, yet received better reviews...sometimes I feel like I should be paying more attention to those images that I likely would just overlook.

Barcelona, Spain. Fer

The Duel of the Figures continues ( you can find the previous part here: www.flickr.com/photos/133750589@N08/24982028244/in/photos... )

It’s not battle of Jedi vs Sith, it’s not a battle of Good vs Evil, it’s a battle of coolness as the high quality “Samurai” Darth Vader action figure fights against a “mass market” version of Kit Fisto.

The energy of their blades crackles as they continue to pressed one against the other until Vader with a swift, powerful blow breaks through his opponent’s defense, severing his arm.

Fisto figure: “Aarrghhh!”

Vader: “Perhaps you should focus less on royalties [reference to their dialogue from part 1] and more on combat training.”

To be Continued…

No action figure has been harmed during the making of this photo, of course hehe :)

It seems Samurai Vader is having the upper hand here :)

Anyway for the records, in case you are curious and you didn’t saw my previous photos with this figure, Samurai Vader is the Bandai Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Samurai Taisho [General] Darth Vader, Death Star Armor. Like I often say it has a name longer than the Kessel run lol :)

I hope you like it :)

May the Force be with You :)

Shot this in sand dunes of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India. This would be my last pic in desert-sun-camel series.

Alright ! View this On Black

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

Due to the restrictions of the Versailles treaties, the Reichswehr was already dealing with the increasing mobilization and motorization of the army after the end of the First World War. The realization that the speed of the troop units required appropriate equipment was available early on. However, the Reichswehr suffered from financial constraints and during the Weimar Republic the industry only had limited capacity for series production of larger, armored vehicles.

Only a total of fifty-five Sd.Kfz. 241s were completed by Magirus in Cologne until 1936, when production of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) vehicle family started and soon replaced the Sd.Kfz. 241, which was primarily operated at the Eastern Front in Poland and Czechoslovakia. By 1940, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left in any frontline army unit, but a few survivors were grouped together and handed over to police units. Their main gun was either completely deleted or sometimes replaced with a second machine gun, and they were used for urban patrols and riot control duties. However, by 1942, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left over.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)

Weight: 7.5 tons (11.450 lb)

Length: 5,85 metres (19 ft 2 in)

Width: 2,20 metres (7 ft 2 ½ in)

Height: 2,78 metres (9 ft 1 in)

Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs

Fuel capacity: 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal)

Armor:

8–15 mm (0.31 – 0.6 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 70 km/h (43.5 mph)

52 km/h (32.3 mph) backwards

Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)

Power/weight: 13 PS/ton

Engine:

Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW),

driving the rear pair of axles

Transmission:

Maybach gearbox with 5-speed forward and 4-speed reverse

Armament:

1× 37 mm KwK 30 L/45 cannon with 70 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional armored car was inspired by a leftover rear axles from an Italeri Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) model that I converted into a fictional half-track variant some time ago. I wondered if the set could be transplanted under an 8-Rad chassis, to create a kind of missing link to the 8x8 successors of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) with a total of twelve tires on four axles.

The basis became a First to Fight 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) kit – a rather simple and robust affair, apparently primarily intended for tabletop purposes. But the overall impression is good, and it would be modified, anyway, even though the plastic turned out to be rather soft/waxy and the parts’ sprue attachment points a bit wacky.

The hull was “turned around” to drive backwards, so that its rear engine ended up in the front. I eventually only used the rear twin wheels from the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad), but not its single axles and laminated springs. Instead, I first cut the OOB mudguards in two halves, removed their side skirts and glued them onto the lower hull in reversed order, so that the exhausts and their muffler boxes would end up at the rear of the front fenders. With these in place I checked the axles’ position from the OOB ladder chassis, which is a single, integral part, and found that the rear axles’ position had to be moved by 2mm backwards. Cutting the original piece and re-arranging it was easier to scratch a new rear suspension, and the rocker bars had to be shortened to accept the wider twin wheels.

The original small turret with the 20 mm autocannon was deleted and replaced with core elements from a Panzer III turret, left over from previous conversion projects. Wider than any original turret of the Sd.Kfz. 231/232 family, it had to be narrowed by roughly 5mm – I had to cut a respective plug from the turret’s and the mantlet’s middle section, the deformed hatch was covered under a Panzer III commander cupola. To mate the re-arranged turret with the OOB adapter plate to mount it onto the hull, and to add overall stability to the construction, I filled the interior with 2C putty.

The typical storage bin at the turret’s rear was omitted, though, it would have made it too large for the compact truck chassis. The shape was a perfect stylistic match, even though, with the longer gun barrel, the vehicle reminds a lot of the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car?

Most small details like the bumpers and the headlights were taken OOB, I added a whip antenna base at the rear and mounted two spare wheels at the back, one of them covered with a tarpaulin (made from paper tissue drenched with white glue, this was also used to create the gun mantlet seals).

Painting and markings:

Typical for German vehicles from the early WWII stages the Sd.Kfz. 241 was painted Panzergrau (RAL 7021; I used Humbrol 67, which is authentic, but mixed it with some 125 to create a slightly lighter shade of grey) overall - quite dull, but realistic. To make the vehicle look more interesting, though, I added authentic contemporary camouflage in the form of low-contrast blotches with RAL 8017, a very dark reddish brown, mixed from Humbrol 160 and some 98. Better, but IMHO still not enough.

After the model received a washing with highly thinned red-brown acrylic artist paint I applied the few decals and gave the parts an overall dry-brushing treatment with grey and dark earth. Everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. For even more “excitement”, I decided to add a coat of snow.

For the simulated “frosting” I used white tile grout – which has the benefits of being water-soluble, quite sturdy to touch and the material does not yellow over time like gypsum.

First, the wheels, the chassis and the inside of the wheel arches received a separate treatment with relatively dryly mixed tile grout, simulating snow and dirt clusters. Once thoroughly dried, the wheels were mounted. Then the model was sprayed with low surface tension water and loose tile grout was drizzled over hull and turret, creating a flaky coat of fake snow. Once dry again, everything received another coat of matt acrylic varnish to protect and fixate everything further.

A relatively quick build, done in a few days. The First to Fight kit is very simple and went together well, but I’d use something else the next time due to the odd material it was molded with. The outcome of an 4x8 scout car looks quite plausible, though, like the missing link between the Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 – the unintended similarity with the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car was a bit surprising, though. And the snow on the model eventually makes it look a bit more interesting, the stunt was worth the effort.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

Due to the restrictions of the Versailles treaties, the Reichswehr was already dealing with the increasing mobilization and motorization of the army after the end of the First World War. The realization that the speed of the troop units required appropriate equipment was available early on. However, the Reichswehr suffered from financial constraints and during the Weimar Republic the industry only had limited capacity for series production of larger, armored vehicles.

Only a total of fifty-five Sd.Kfz. 241s were completed by Magirus in Cologne until 1936, when production of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) vehicle family started and soon replaced the Sd.Kfz. 241, which was primarily operated at the Eastern Front in Poland and Czechoslovakia. By 1940, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left in any frontline army unit, but a few survivors were grouped together and handed over to police units. Their main gun was either completely deleted or sometimes replaced with a second machine gun, and they were used for urban patrols and riot control duties. However, by 1942, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left over.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)

Weight: 7.5 tons (11.450 lb)

Length: 5,85 metres (19 ft 2 in)

Width: 2,20 metres (7 ft 2 ½ in)

Height: 2,78 metres (9 ft 1 in)

Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs

Fuel capacity: 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal)

Armor:

8–15 mm (0.31 – 0.6 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 70 km/h (43.5 mph)

52 km/h (32.3 mph) backwards

Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)

Power/weight: 13 PS/ton

Engine:

Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW),

driving the rear pair of axles

Transmission:

Maybach gearbox with 5-speed forward and 4-speed reverse

Armament:

1× 37 mm KwK 30 L/45 cannon with 70 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional armored car was inspired by a leftover rear axles from an Italeri Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) model that I converted into a fictional half-track variant some time ago. I wondered if the set could be transplanted under an 8-Rad chassis, to create a kind of missing link to the 8x8 successors of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) with a total of twelve tires on four axles.

The basis became a First to Fight 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) kit – a rather simple and robust affair, apparently primarily intended for tabletop purposes. But the overall impression is good, and it would be modified, anyway, even though the plastic turned out to be rather soft/waxy and the parts’ sprue attachment points a bit wacky.

The hull was “turned around” to drive backwards, so that its rear engine ended up in the front. I eventually only used the rear twin wheels from the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad), but not its single axles and laminated springs. Instead, I first cut the OOB mudguards in two halves, removed their side skirts and glued them onto the lower hull in reversed order, so that the exhausts and their muffler boxes would end up at the rear of the front fenders. With these in place I checked the axles’ position from the OOB ladder chassis, which is a single, integral part, and found that the rear axles’ position had to be moved by 2mm backwards. Cutting the original piece and re-arranging it was easier to scratch a new rear suspension, and the rocker bars had to be shortened to accept the wider twin wheels.

The original small turret with the 20 mm autocannon was deleted and replaced with core elements from a Panzer III turret, left over from previous conversion projects. Wider than any original turret of the Sd.Kfz. 231/232 family, it had to be narrowed by roughly 5mm – I had to cut a respective plug from the turret’s and the mantlet’s middle section, the deformed hatch was covered under a Panzer III commander cupola. To mate the re-arranged turret with the OOB adapter plate to mount it onto the hull, and to add overall stability to the construction, I filled the interior with 2C putty.

The typical storage bin at the turret’s rear was omitted, though, it would have made it too large for the compact truck chassis. The shape was a perfect stylistic match, even though, with the longer gun barrel, the vehicle reminds a lot of the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car?

Most small details like the bumpers and the headlights were taken OOB, I added a whip antenna base at the rear and mounted two spare wheels at the back, one of them covered with a tarpaulin (made from paper tissue drenched with white glue, this was also used to create the gun mantlet seals).

Painting and markings:

Typical for German vehicles from the early WWII stages the Sd.Kfz. 241 was painted Panzergrau (RAL 7021; I used Humbrol 67, which is authentic, but mixed it with some 125 to create a slightly lighter shade of grey) overall - quite dull, but realistic. To make the vehicle look more interesting, though, I added authentic contemporary camouflage in the form of low-contrast blotches with RAL 8017, a very dark reddish brown, mixed from Humbrol 160 and some 98. Better, but IMHO still not enough.

After the model received a washing with highly thinned red-brown acrylic artist paint I applied the few decals and gave the parts an overall dry-brushing treatment with grey and dark earth. Everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. For even more “excitement”, I decided to add a coat of snow.

For the simulated “frosting” I used white tile grout – which has the benefits of being water-soluble, quite sturdy to touch and the material does not yellow over time like gypsum.

First, the wheels, the chassis and the inside of the wheel arches received a separate treatment with relatively dryly mixed tile grout, simulating snow and dirt clusters. Once thoroughly dried, the wheels were mounted. Then the model was sprayed with low surface tension water and loose tile grout was drizzled over hull and turret, creating a flaky coat of fake snow. Once dry again, everything received another coat of matt acrylic varnish to protect and fixate everything further.

A relatively quick build, done in a few days. The First to Fight kit is very simple and went together well, but I’d use something else the next time due to the odd material it was molded with. The outcome of an 4x8 scout car looks quite plausible, though, like the missing link between the Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 – the unintended similarity with the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car was a bit surprising, though. And the snow on the model eventually makes it look a bit more interesting, the stunt was worth the effort.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

Due to the restrictions of the Versailles treaties, the Reichswehr was already dealing with the increasing mobilization and motorization of the army after the end of the First World War. The realization that the speed of the troop units required appropriate equipment was available early on. However, the Reichswehr suffered from financial constraints and during the Weimar Republic the industry only had limited capacity for series production of larger, armored vehicles.

Only a total of fifty-five Sd.Kfz. 241s were completed by Magirus in Cologne until 1936, when production of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) vehicle family started and soon replaced the Sd.Kfz. 241, which was primarily operated at the Eastern Front in Poland and Czechoslovakia. By 1940, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left in any frontline army unit, but a few survivors were grouped together and handed over to police units. Their main gun was either completely deleted or sometimes replaced with a second machine gun, and they were used for urban patrols and riot control duties. However, by 1942, no Sd.Kfz. 241 was left over.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)

Weight: 7.5 tons (11.450 lb)

Length: 5,85 metres (19 ft 2 in)

Width: 2,20 metres (7 ft 2 ½ in)

Height: 2,78 metres (9 ft 1 in)

Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs

Fuel capacity: 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal)

Armor:

8–15 mm (0.31 – 0.6 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 70 km/h (43.5 mph)

52 km/h (32.3 mph) backwards

Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)

Power/weight: 13 PS/ton

Engine:

Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW),

driving the rear pair of axles

Transmission:

Maybach gearbox with 5-speed forward and 4-speed reverse

Armament:

1× 37 mm KwK 30 L/45 cannon with 70 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional armored car was inspired by a leftover rear axles from an Italeri Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) model that I converted into a fictional half-track variant some time ago. I wondered if the set could be transplanted under an 8-Rad chassis, to create a kind of missing link to the 8x8 successors of the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad) with a total of twelve tires on four axles.

The basis became a First to Fight 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) kit – a rather simple and robust affair, apparently primarily intended for tabletop purposes. But the overall impression is good, and it would be modified, anyway, even though the plastic turned out to be rather soft/waxy and the parts’ sprue attachment points a bit wacky.

The hull was “turned around” to drive backwards, so that its rear engine ended up in the front. I eventually only used the rear twin wheels from the Sd.Kfz. 231 (6-Rad), but not its single axles and laminated springs. Instead, I first cut the OOB mudguards in two halves, removed their side skirts and glued them onto the lower hull in reversed order, so that the exhausts and their muffler boxes would end up at the rear of the front fenders. With these in place I checked the axles’ position from the OOB ladder chassis, which is a single, integral part, and found that the rear axles’ position had to be moved by 2mm backwards. Cutting the original piece and re-arranging it was easier to scratch a new rear suspension, and the rocker bars had to be shortened to accept the wider twin wheels.

The original small turret with the 20 mm autocannon was deleted and replaced with core elements from a Panzer III turret, left over from previous conversion projects. Wider than any original turret of the Sd.Kfz. 231/232 family, it had to be narrowed by roughly 5mm – I had to cut a respective plug from the turret’s and the mantlet’s middle section, the deformed hatch was covered under a Panzer III commander cupola. To mate the re-arranged turret with the OOB adapter plate to mount it onto the hull, and to add overall stability to the construction, I filled the interior with 2C putty.

The typical storage bin at the turret’s rear was omitted, though, it would have made it too large for the compact truck chassis. The shape was a perfect stylistic match, even though, with the longer gun barrel, the vehicle reminds a lot of the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car?

Most small details like the bumpers and the headlights were taken OOB, I added a whip antenna base at the rear and mounted two spare wheels at the back, one of them covered with a tarpaulin (made from paper tissue drenched with white glue, this was also used to create the gun mantlet seals).

Painting and markings:

Typical for German vehicles from the early WWII stages the Sd.Kfz. 241 was painted Panzergrau (RAL 7021; I used Humbrol 67, which is authentic, but mixed it with some 125 to create a slightly lighter shade of grey) overall - quite dull, but realistic. To make the vehicle look more interesting, though, I added authentic contemporary camouflage in the form of low-contrast blotches with RAL 8017, a very dark reddish brown, mixed from Humbrol 160 and some 98. Better, but IMHO still not enough.

After the model received a washing with highly thinned red-brown acrylic artist paint I applied the few decals and gave the parts an overall dry-brushing treatment with grey and dark earth. Everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. For even more “excitement”, I decided to add a coat of snow.

For the simulated “frosting” I used white tile grout – which has the benefits of being water-soluble, quite sturdy to touch and the material does not yellow over time like gypsum.

First, the wheels, the chassis and the inside of the wheel arches received a separate treatment with relatively dryly mixed tile grout, simulating snow and dirt clusters. Once thoroughly dried, the wheels were mounted. Then the model was sprayed with low surface tension water and loose tile grout was drizzled over hull and turret, creating a flaky coat of fake snow. Once dry again, everything received another coat of matt acrylic varnish to protect and fixate everything further.

A relatively quick build, done in a few days. The First to Fight kit is very simple and went together well, but I’d use something else the next time due to the odd material it was molded with. The outcome of an 4x8 scout car looks quite plausible, though, like the missing link between the Sd.Kfz. 231 and 232 – the unintended similarity with the Soviet BA-10 heavy armored car was a bit surprising, though. And the snow on the model eventually makes it look a bit more interesting, the stunt was worth the effort.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole [against the sky].

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My new homeland offers nearly everything I longed for. Most important for me are the countless creeks in the close surroundings, and a gorgeous river: the Emme which has its source a couple of kilometers from my home.

The stonemen above and the others of this series were built in the Emme's river bed. I spent a whole afternoon there, playing with the stones like a child with toy blocks: lost in a world of pure magic...

It was the first time since my return from Greece in May 2010 that I was able to enter the magic world beyond consciousness, and to devote myself copletely to the innermost which for me is the inexhaustible source of creativity, love, and healing.

San Diego, California, Tyler

The enigmatic title of this chapter is partially illuminated by a brief passage near the end (III, 351.21-22), where this mysterious “fifth tawakkul” is again briefly mentioned as one of the distinctive forms of spiritual knowledge Ibn 'Arabi saw in his culminating vision of the “Muhammadan Station”: .”..And I saw in it the knowledge of the person who acts deliberately and (at the same time) relies on God, and this is the fifth tawakkul, and it is

(expressed in) God's saying in Sura 73: '[...There is no god but Him,] so take Him as your Trustee (wakil)!' (73:9).”Elsewhere (chapter 198, II, p. 420, 36th tawhid), Ibn 'Arabi explains this same Qur’anic verse as a reference to man's inherent ontological status as a pure “servant,” with no possessions of his own, a description resembling the inner state of “pure servanthood” Ibn

'Arabi also realized in his culminating revelation (IV-I below). Similarly, a key phrase in this description, “to act deliberately” (itta'ada), is applied in Ibn 'Arabi's cautionary advice earlier

in chapter 367 (at n. 143 below; = III, 349.13) to those Sufis who would mistakenly take the ecstatic state of “annihilation in God” (fana', implying a heedlessness of the external world) to be the end and goal of the spiritual Path. All of these hints seem to point to this highest form of “trust in God” as reflecting an advanced inner state of spiritual insight in which the

saint's absolute reliance on God—an attitude that in lower stages of tawakkul is usually conceived of as implying a sort of ascetic disdain and unconcern for the “secondary causes”

(asbab) or things of this world—is now seen as simultaneously “affirming the secondary causes” (a phrase from opening poem of this chapter, at III, 340.15), which are finally perceived in their true metaphysical status, as necessary and intrinsic manifestations of the ever-present divine Reality. This form of tawakkul would thus closely correspond to Ibn 'Arabi's characteristic emphasis on the superiority of the state of “enlightened abiding” in the world (baqa') characterizing those saints who—like the Prophet—have “returned” (the raji'un) from the station of divine Proximity while retaining the ongoing realization of that insight in the world. The term tawakkul, “trust” or “inner confidence” in God, occurs many times in the Qur’an and gradually became a key term in Sufi spiritual psychology; see, for example, chapter 118 of the Futuhat (II, 199-201), on the maqam al-tawakkul, where Ibn 'Arabi mentions at the end that “the levels of tawakkul, for the true Knowers, are 487....” Near the

beginning of the R. al-Anwar (Chodkiewicz, Seal of the Saints, p. 151; T. Harris, Journey to the Lord of Power, p. 30) he also discusses tawakkul as the last of the preparatory stages

before the spiritual Mi'raj, marked by four distinctive “charismatic powers” (karamat)....God said “There is nothing like His likeness [and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing]” (Qur’an 42:11),27 so He described Himself with a description that necessarily belongs only to Him, which is. His saying: “And He is with you wherever you are” (Qur’an 57:4).28 Thus He is with us wherever we

are, in the state of His “descending to the heaven of this world during the last third of the night,”29 27This famous Qur’anic verse, with its paradoxical “double negations” (corresponding to the shahada) of God's “resemblance” to created things, is usually treated by Ibn 'Arabi as a classic reference to the mystery of the simultaneous immanence (tashbih) and transcendence (tanzih) of the Divine Reality reflected in the Perfect Manwhich is the central intuition of all his work. Often he even interprets the expression “His Likeness” in this verse as a direct reference to the Perfect Man, alluding to Adam's creation (according to a famous hadith) “in the image of the Merciful”: see the famous discussions of this verse in the chapters on Noah (ch. 3) and Hud (ch. 10) in the Fusus alHikam,and further references in the Futuhat I, 62, 97, 111, 220; II, 129, 510, 516-17, 541, 563; III,

109, 165, 266, 282, 340, 412, 492; IV, 135, 141, 306, 311, 431. In addition to the ambiguity of the expression kamithlihi (which can also be read simply as “like Him”—i.e., like God), Ibn 'Arabi likewise stresses the apparently paradoxical contrast between the absolute insistence on divine transcendence at the beginning of this verse and the apparent anthropomorphism of its conclusion. Thus, according to either reading, the absolute universality of the divine Presence implied by this verse includes all the particular, “restricted” modalities of the divine “descent” (nuzul) and Self-manifestation indicated in the following verses and hadith—each of which is likewise the subject of numerous discussions throughout the Futuhat. 28 For Ibn 'Arabi, this verse is simply a direct implication of the broader truth implied in the opening verse: this inner correspondence between the different manifestations of God and the Perfect Man (al-Insan al-Kamil), at all the levels of being (or “worlds”) is assumed throughout the rest of this chapter. More generally, the reality of the divine “compresence” (ma'iya, “with-ness”) with all things expressed in this verse is discussed in many parts of the Futuhat, including a number of the shorter metaphysical or cosmological excerpts included in this anthology. 29 A reference to a famous “divine saying” (hadith qudsi) which Ibn 'Arabi included in his own

collection of such hadith, the Mishkat al-Anwar (no. 56, and cited from the Sahih of Muslim); available in English translation by S. Hirtenstein and M. Notcutt in Divine Sayings, p. 65: “God, ever

mighty and majestic is He, says, when He descends during the third part of the night: ‘I am the King! Who is there that calls out to Me, that I may answer him? Who is there that asks of Me, that I may give to him? Who is there that asks pardon of Me, that I may forgive him?’”[MORRIS’S TRANSLATION“Our Lord descends every night to the heaven of this world when the last third of

the night remains, and then He says: 'I am the King! Whoever calls on Me, I answer him. Whoever asks (something) of Me, I give to him. Whoever requests My forgiveness, I forgive him.”] This hadith is recorded, with a number of minor variations, by Muslim, Malik, Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja, and Ahmad b. Hanbal: see detailed references and variants in W. Graham, Divine Word and Prophetic Word in Early Islam (The Hague, 1977), pp. 177-178. As Ibn 'Arabi explains in detail in the latter part of chapter 34 of the Futuhat (OY ed., III, 320-332), the “night,” in this hadith, “is the place of the descent in time of God and His Attribute” (of Mercy), and this “last third of the night”—which, Ibn 'Arabi insists, lasts forever—is none other than the Perfect Man (the first two “thirds” being “the heavens and the in the state of His being mounted upon the Throne (Qur’an 5:20; etc.),30 in the state of His being in the “Cloud,”31 in the state of His being upon the earth and in heaven (Qur’an 43:84; etc.),32 in the state of His being closer to man than his jugular vein (Qur’an 50:16)33—and all of these are qualifications with which only He can be described. earth,” man's “two parents”). The following verses and hadith (at notes 30-32 here) are interpreted in chapter 34 as references to different ontological degrees or “moments” of that

universal divine Self-manifestation. 30 There are seven Qur’anic verses referring to God's being “mounted (istawa') on the Throne,” often following “the creation of the heavens and the earth” (i.e., what lies “beneath” or constitutes the Throne in its cosmological sense). For Ibn 'Arabi's understanding of these verses, see the extensive references to the Futuhat in Hakim, Al-Muʻjam al-sūfī, pp. 791-803 (on the many meanings of the

divine “Throne,” 'arsh) and pp. 622-629 (on istiwa').

For Ibn 'Arabi, however, an even more fundamental meaning of the “Throne” is “the Heart of the man of true faith” (which is “the Throne of the Merciful,” according to a famous

hadith), i.e., the Perfect Man (see Hakim, Al-Muʻjam al-sūfī, pp. 916-921, on the qalb). The inner connection between these two senses is brought out explicitly in the famous hadith

qudsi discussed at n. 7 above and quoted at n. 37 below, and is a basic assumption throughout sections III and IV below, since the “Heart” is precisely the “theater” of the entire journey:

that point is made most forcefully in sections IV-G and IV-I below. Elsewhere, (e.g., in chapter 34, OY ed., III, 320 ff.), Ibn 'Arabi frequently stresses the particular importance of the

Qur’anic specification (at 5:20) that it is “the Merciful” (al-Rahman), the Source of all being, Who is “mounted” or “seated” there. 31 A reference to the following hadith, concerning the Prophet's response to the question “Where was our Lord before He created the creation?”: “He was in a Cloud ('ama'), without air above it and without air below it, and He created His Throne upon the Water.” (This famous hadith is found in the collections of Ibn Maja, Tirmidhi and Ahmad b. Hanbal.) Our translation here reflects Ibn 'Arabi's interpretation in chapter 34 of the Futuhat (OY ed., III, 323 ff.), where he also stresses the fact that this particular ontological reality concerns the divine Name “Lord” (rabb)—and not “the Merciful” (see n. 29). For the broader meaning of the term 'ama' (“the Cloud”) in Ibn 'Arabi, see the

references in Hakim, Al-Muʻjam al-sūfī, pp. 820-826 and in the Futuhat II, 310, as well as its treatment in the penultimate stage of the cosmological mi'raj in chapter 167 (S. Ruspoli, L’Alchimie, pp. 138-140). 32 This phrase is contained (with minor variations) in a number of other Qur’anic verses (3:5; 10:61; 14:38; 22:70) all insisting on God's intimate acquaintance with all things: see, for example, “Our Lord, surely You know what we say openly and what we hide: not a thing upon the earth and in heaven is hidden from God” (Qur’an 14:38); or even more appropriately, “He is God in the heavens and upon the earth; he knows your secret [sirr] and what you proclaim, and He knows what you gain” (Qur’an 6:3). 33 Ibn 'Arabi's understanding of the divine “nearness” (see the related notion of “with-ness,” ma'iya,

at n. 28 above) expressed in this Qur’anic phrase is intimately bound up with the reality of 19 Hence God does not move a servant from place to place in order that (the servant) might see Him, but rather “so that He might cause him to see of His Signs” (Qur’an 41:53; etc.)34 those that were unseen by him. He said: “Glory to Him Who made His servant journey one night from the Sacred Place of Worship to the Furthest Place of Worship, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We might cause him to see of Our Signs!” (Qur’an 17:1)35 And similarly, when God moves (any) “perpetual creation” (khalq jadid) expressed in the rest of the verse and its immediate context: .”..yet they are in confusion about the (ever-) renewed creation; but surely We created man [alinsan] and We know what his soul insinuates to him and We are closer to man than his jugular vein” (Qur’an 50:15-16). As indicated in the Introduction, for Ibn 'Arabi the spiritual “station of Proximity” (maqam al-qurba), in which one actually realizes the full extent of this intimate relation with God, is the ultimate goal of the Ascension of the saints outlined in this chapter: that relation is outlined schematically, in the theological language of 'ilm al-kalam, in section III and discussed in

more experiential terms in the final two parts of section IV. (See the extensive references in Hakim, Al-Muʻjam al-sūfī, pp. 936-940 and Chodkiewicz, Seal of the Saints, index s.v. [maqam al-qurba].) 34 While Ibn 'Arabi is alluding in particular to the “reason” for the Prophet's Ascension described at Qur’an 17:1 (see following note), the same phrase (with only minor variations in the pronouns) is addressed to mankind more generally in a number of other Qur’anic verses (27:93; 31:31; etc.). Of these, certainly the most important and best known is the verse 41:53—to such an extent that it is clearly assumed whenever Ibn 'Arabi mentions the divine “Signs” (ayat): “We shall cause them to

see Our Signs on the horizons and in their souls, so that it becomes clear to them that He is the Truly Real [al-Haqq]—or is your Lord not enough, for surely He is witnessing every thing! What, are they in doubt about meeting their Lord? Does He not surely encompass all things?” Especially important, for Ibn 'Arabi as for so many other Islamic thinkers, is the insistence in this verse on the coincidence of the Signs “on the horizons,” i.e., in the external world (but note also Muhammad's decisive revelation at the “Loftiest Horizon,” Qur’an 53:7) and those “in the souls,” in the totality of awareness of the “Perfect Man” (al-insan al-kamil). Secondly, Ibn 'Arabi always emphasizes the causative, active meaning of the verb form 'Ara as “to make someone see,” not just “to show”: for him, God's “Signs” are already there, in the totality of our experience, but usually “unseen” (ghaba)—i.e., not perceived as such. Thus the whole purpose of the spiritual journey is simply to open our (spiritual) eyes to the reality of “things” as Signs, or as Ibn 'Arabi goes on to explain immediately below (and in more detail in section III), to recognize the divine Names “in our states.” All this is implicit

in the famous prayer of the Prophet likewise assumed throughout this chapter: “O my God, cause us to see things as they really are!” 35 The masjid al-haram (“Sacred Place of Worship”) was a common name for the sanctuary of the

Kaaba at Mecca, but there is some disagreement in the hadith surrounding the identification of the masjid al-aqsa: it was sometimes, especially in later traditions, identified with the site of the Temple at Jerusalem (al-bayt al-maqdis, “the sacred House”) where Muhammad stops to pray before his heavenly ascension according to several hadith accounts (including that followed by Ibn 'Arabi below); but the earlier traditions agree that it refers to the “furthest point” (al-darah) or goal of the

Mi'raj (i.e., where Muhammad received the culminating revelation described in Sura 53), and is therefore more or less identical with the “Inhabited House” or heavenly Temple of Abraham (al-bayt 20 servant through his (inner spiritual) states in order also to cause him to see His Signs, He moves him through His states.36 ...(I.e., God) says: “I only made him journey by night in order that he see the Signs, not (to bring him) to Me: because no place can hold Me and the relation of all places to Me is the same. For I am such that (only) 'the heart of My servant, the man of true faith, encompasses Me,'37 so how could he be 'made to journey to Me' while I am 'with him wherever he is' (Qur’an

57:4)?!” al-ma'mur), the symbol of the Heart discussed in section IV-H (notes 168-172) below. Ibn 'Arabi implicitly seems to follow the latter interpretation. See also the articles from the SEI/EI cited in n. 1 above. Throughout this chapter (and in the K. al-Isra', etc.) Ibn 'Arabi generally uses the Qur’anic expression isra' to refer to the Prophet's ascension and its spiritual analogues—

possibly because the term mi'raj might appear limited only to the “ascending” portion, whereas Ibn 'Arabi always is at pains (as in sections III and IV-F below, and at the end of his R. al-Anwar) to emphasize the critical importance of the “descending” phase of return (ruju'), which distinguishes the highest rank of the saints (and of course the prophets). We have consistently translated isra' and its related verbal forms here as “journey,” but it must be kept in mind that the Arabic term refers specifically to a nocturnal journey: for Ibn 'Arabi, especially, this nuance no doubt corresponds to the fact that the spiritual isra', at least, is an

inner, “secret” process largely hidden from outward observation, especially in those saints (the afrad or malamiya) who have followed it through to the end. In the K. al-Isfar 'an Nata'ij al-Asfar (Rasa'il, II, no. 24), pp. 17-21, Ibn 'Arabi offers

an elaborate interpretation of this same Qur’anic verse (17:1) focusing—as is typically the case in his reading of the Qur’an—on the complex inner significance of the grammatical and

lexical details of its particular Arabic expressions, such as the apparent duplication of “at night” (laylan) and asra (meaning “to cause to journey at night”), etc. Our translation cannot

convey most of those nuances or alternative meanings.

36Here, as so often with Ibn 'Arabi (see especially section III below), the pronouns are rather ambiguous; in this case the intended meaning is clarified by the following untranslated lines (III, 340.25-30) which cite several other hadith and Qur’anic passages where God shows some of “His” creations to certain prophetic messengers in order to teach them a particular lesson. Here Ibn 'Arabi implicitly contrasts this spiritual journey of the saints (and ultimately of all men) through their inner “states”—i.e., the “Signs in your souls” of verse 41:53 (see notes 34 and 72)—with the physical (or possibly “imaginal”) journey through places which, as he explains below (end of section II), was the exclusive privilege of the Prophet on this single occasion.37 An allusion to the celebrated hadith qudsi already mentioned at n. 7 above: “My earth does not encompass Me, nor does My heaven, but the heart of My servant, the man of true faith, does encompass Me.” This famous divine saying (not found in the canonical collections, but favored by many Sufi authors) is cited repeatedly by Ibn 'Arabi, who takes it as a classical reference to the role

of the “Heart” (of the “Perfect Man,” as realized by the accomplished saints) as the complete mirror of the divine tajalliyat. See the references at notes 30 and 33 above, and all of section IV-H (notes 167-173) below.

dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:107287/datastream/PDF/...

life is going in the right direction, we thank God for that.

We stopped along the road to enjoy the scenery when I noticed a larger yellow bird off on a tree near us. It was a western tanager - a bird I had never seen before. What a great spot for bird watching. Wonderful drive and hike up Flagstaff Mountain to the west of Boulder, Colorado late on Saturday June 3rd, 2023. The outdoor spaces near Boulder are definitely worth the trip and live up to their billing. Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park and Boulder, Colorado with my son for a few days. What an amazing place. Pictures from June 3rd, 2023.

“The drum of the realization of the promise is beating,

we are sweeping the road to the sky.

Your joy is here today, what remains for tomorrow?

The armies of the day have chased the army of the night,

Heaven and earth are filled with purity and light.

Oh! joy for he who has escaped from this world of perfumes and color!

For beyond these colors and these perfumes, these are other colors in the heart and the soul.

Oh! joy for this soul and this heart who have escaped the earth of water and clay,

Although this water and this clay contain the hearth of the philosophical stone.”

(“Mystic Odes” by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, known as Jelaluddin Rumi - Persian poet, jurist, theologian, and mystic, 1207–1273)

This was shot near Gai Ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras) where this man has been washing his laundry.

He was streching his clothes under the sun.

It was two days ago, I thought that it was uncommon to have such an heat in November.

View On Black

Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography

© All photographs are copyrighted and all rights reserved.

Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).

The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.

Who you are vs. who you want to make yourself be.

You can check out the rest of my work and toy reviews to these social media sites.

Please Like/Follow/Subscribe. Thanks!

Blog | www.codenamelocust.wordpress.com

Instagram | @codenamepablo

Facebook | www.facebook.com/locustblogsite

Youtube | www.youtube.com/user/dmon06660

Click here to view on an all-black background:

View On Black

Name: Urban Entertainment Centre

City: Almere

Architect(s): William Alsop (UK)

Realization: 2004

The Urban Entertainment Centre in Almere comprises of 16,000sqm of new buildings containing shopping, pop concert hall, disco, hotel, bicycle park and associated leisure, cafe and restaurant facilities. These elements are grouped together beside a new sunken square and form an edge to the southern limit of the existing town centre.

The 'polder city' of Almere, close to Amsterdam, has grown up as a low-rise development along the lines of the English garden cities. Although the residential areas of Almere are attractive, the settlement lacks a real 'heart' and the lack of local amenities encourages people to commute to Amsterdam for entertainment. Almere has, however, something of a tradition of encouraging bold and innovative architecture and this has underpinned moves to transform the central area.

In line with the development masterplan for Almere, which envisages a process of 'intensification' for the city centre, Alsop designed a 16,000sqm waterfront entertainment centre. The Centre consists of a family of buildings grouped around a new square and elevated four metres on a unifying podium, which covers a parking area. Varied in form, the buildings use a variety of materials to create a rich new urban landscape.

At the heart of the development is the Pop Zaal, its reinforced concrete structure clad in pre-weathered zinc and steel mesh. The scale of the structure is not apparent at first sight and cloaks the various internal functions of auditorium, disco, bar and ancillary spaces in a continuous metal skin.

The Almere Hotel is a 120 room 4-star hotel clad in cedar boarding. The hotel has a raised 'sleeping block' approximately 4,000sqm, that is lifted eight metres above street level. Below the ground plain is the car park with a direct connection to the lobby.

The 400sqm two-level entrance building is organic in shape and clad with brass. It houses the lobby, meeting rooms, a restaurant, a bar, offices, and storage spaces. Two elevators, a staircase and a services shaft connect the entrance bubble with the main accommodation component.

The square itself is a lively place, with cafes and restaurants, attractive in all seasons.

text: www.alsoparchitects.com