View allAll Photos Tagged replace
One replaced laptop screen. The old one is in the front. See the bend to the left? Yea, not so good.
I accidentally pulled my laptop off the desk when I went to get my cellphone. I was in a Skype chat at the time, and my foot got caught in my headset cable. Why did I need to get my phone? I was sent a link to a Google page, and I need my phone to do the two-factor authentication (2FA) to log in. So I am entirely blaming the damaged screen on Google.
15.04.2012
Carioca Club
Caso utilize as fotos adicionar os devidos créditos: Por Juliana Salles www.flickr.com/photos/juusalles
Two WashTec SoftCare² Pros in grey "Classic Design" with grey stripped SofTecs brushes installed in 2019, replacing two WashTec SoftCare Pros
Video - youtu.be/9cbMH_o3ZEI
• Operator •
Wharncliffe Garage
• Supplier •
WashTec UK
• Address •
Gulf Petrol Station
Summer Lane
Barnsley
S70 6BN
England
Both Car Washes replaced in 2025 with brand new WashTec SmartCares - flic.kr/p/2rroYnP
Kalalea peak 3540 ft. / 1079 meter is on the left.
Kamanu peak 3363 ft. / 1025 meter is on the right.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 26-Sep-17.
Taken through glass with some slight reflections.
Fleet No: '1379'.
This aircraft was delivered to United Airlines as N379UA in Feb-90. It was sold to a lessor in May-90 and leased back to United. It was withdrawn from use and stored at Victorville, CA, USA in Oct-09 and ferried to Walnut Ridge, AR, USA in Nov-09 and permanently retired. The aircraft was sold to Universal Asset Management the following day and broken up at Walnut Ridge in 2012. The registration was cancelled in Aug-13.
Tram tracks have a very limited number of years they can live. Contrary to most railway tracks, the changing of them is not easily done, as they are embedded into the street.
So this week the part between Goldbrunnenplatz and Gutstrasse is being replaced. Which means that they have around 48 hours to rip the old ones out, level the place again, put in the new drainage and install the new rails and start fixing them to the ground.
So it is a masterpiece of planning to get all the work done at the right point in time.
Buchanan, Georgia
Constructed in 1891, it was replaced in 1972. It is now home of the library and listed on the NRHP.
The greenway access point on Miccosukee Road at the north end of Dempsey Mayo Road. Bottom photo: Oct. 18. Middle photo: Oct. 26. Top photo: Nov. 1.
Pike replaced this pole last year. www.flickr.com/photos/81578389@N00/4658235544/in/set-7215... This pole was pretty young to be changed.
After replacing our former entertainment center with a row of bookcases, I decided to repurpose this obsolete piece of furniture into a 1:6 scale doll castle. Hubby and I moved it into my son's former bedroom, which has been converted into a guest and craft room. I am thinking of turning the central space (formerly used to hold the old, non-flatscreen TV set) into a castle Great Hall, and the three large cubicles on the left side into other rooms. The closed cabinets and shallow shelves will provide storage space for doll props and craft supplies. I will need to create some sort of wall covering in the open space behind the cabinet to hide the wallpaper. All in good time.
52-0008 NB-52B. Used by NASA for launching various test vehicles, seen here at Dryden 7/8/92. Has since been replaced by a newer (??!) B-52H.
shara again
you told me that you liked the way my eyes lit up, big and bright, that it could replace the moon if only i jumped high enough. you said that i had happy eyes, and you wanted to call me that (but i refused the nickname). and i think it was because i was always staring at you and smiling at you: you and the way you lit up like you cracked open your ribs and kept secret cities inside your quiet chest. i don’t know if you’d care enough to know this but i want you to know that i will always wait patiently for you as you explore the world, with your eager heart and moving feet.
on another note: i'm flying back home tomorrow and i've never been more excited for a flight. i probably should start packing now...
This is a 1940s Sears J.C. Higgins that was left to rust in a barn for decades. The Bicycle Escape was commissioned to restore the bike. The customer was happy to replace parts to help keep cost down as long as the original character was preserved. www.thebicycleescape.com
Read the Blog about this bike: thebicycleescape.blogspot.com/2009/10/jc-higgins-re-birth...
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Fortune Global Tech Forum 2018
Friday, November 30th, 2018
Guangzhou, China
10:25AM - 10:55AM
RISE OF THE ROBOTS AND SMART MANUFACTURING
From assembling cars to taking care of the elderly, robots are rapidly replacing and out-performing humans. And smart manufacturing is altering the very rules of physics by bending material, for instance, that never used to be bendable. Hear from corporate executives on how the rise of robots is transforming their industries and how far smart manufacturing can go.
Chunyuan Gu, President, Asia, Middle East and Africa Region, ABB Group, Chairman, ABB (China) Ltd.
Bill Liu, Founder and CEO, Royole Corporation
Arnaud Thiercelin, Head of R&D, DJI North America
Moderator: Robert Hackett, Fortune
Photograph by Shawn Koh/Fortune
18th August 2013 at Horniman Museum (Bandstand), London SE23.
Part of Fiesta Latina (free event).
Country: Colombia (British resident). Style: Cumbia & other styles.
Line Up: Camilo Menjura (v/g/tambora), Jenny Rodriguez (v/maraca), Rafael Ayala (tambor alegre/tambora/gaita colombiana), Gregorio Merchán (d/tambora), S. Nadja Enab Lopez (maracas/guache/tablas/tambor alegre/tambora/dance).
This was the second time I’ve seen this group (see: www.flickr.com/photos/kmlivemusic/sets/72157631381854452/). This verson of the band was closer to their core lineup, but Verónica Arcila was absent and replaced by Jenny Rodriguez.
More information: www.facebook.com/cumbemusic.
Three variants of the old Standard were made, the 620, 621 and 622. The 620 had an F4.5 lens, the 621 had an F3.8 lens and the 622 had an F3.5 lens. The 622 also had a Compur-Rapid shutter, speeded to 1/500, as opposed to 1/300 of the Compur.
The lenses on these cameras are uncoated, so you get reduced contrast. This works really well with contrasty low speed black and white film, giving a range of mid tones that I previously did not even know existed. Although 80 years old, this lens is as crystal clear, with no scratches, fungus, seperation or haze.
The aperture and shutter speed levers can be seen at the 11 and 4 o'clock positions, with the shutter setting lever at the bottom of the camera. Push to the right to set the shutter, push to the left to release. Elegantly simple and the same three lever system was used on the Rolleicord until the end of production in the late 1970's.
Unusually, the four large screws on the front of my camera are nickel plated. All other old Standards I have seen have these painted black. The fact that they are nickel plated, as opposed to chrome and that they bear obvious signs of age indicate that they have been fitted to the camera for many years. Have mine been replaced? If so, why? Has the paint worn off? Is mine a very special one-off camera? Part of the fun of old cameras are these mysteries...
They have recently replaced the lighting inside St Mark. With the old lights, colloquially known as “dustbins” lined up ready for scrapping, and I having my camera handy, decided to give them a send-off for some random reason!! The new lighting now looks a lot smarter, and I will try to get a photo of St Mark interior soon :-)
FS Bretagne (D655) is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the European multi-mission frigate (FREMM) program.
Original plans were for 17 FREMM hulls to replace the nine D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos and nine anti-submarine (ASW) frigates of the Tourville and Georges Leygues classes. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17).
Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the Horizon-class frigates in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals. Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) at a cost of €8.75 billion (FY13, ~US$12 billion). The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs. In 2015, the total number of ASW variants was further reduced to just six units, including Bretagne.
Bretagne was developed as part of a joint Italian-French program known as FREMM, which was implemented to develop a new class of frigates for use by various European navies. Constructed from 2013 the frigate Bretagne was launched in September 2016 and commissioned in February 2019.
Unlike previous ASW variants of the FREMMs, Bretagne and her sister ship Normandie are fitted with SYLVER A50 launch cells (instead of SYLVER A43) able to accommodate larger Aster-30 surface-to-air missiles. This provides both ships with a potentially enhanced area air defence capability, though both vessels still lacked the boosted variant of the Herakles multi-function radar (which was necessary to accommodate the full range of Aster 30) as well as a complementary fire control radar. In June 2023, the frigate was reported to have fired her first Aster-30 missile during a multi-national exercise. Radar information was provided to Bretagne by the frigate Forbin via the Veille de Coopération Navale (VCN) framework, which allows for the exchange radar detection information between ships in real time.
This '68 GMC truck underwent a stunning transformation. The step side bed was replaced by a fleet side bed with a new wood floor. The gas tank was relocated to under the bed from behind the seat in the stock location inside the cab. Various rust repair and body work was performed and a fresh coat of Venetian Red paint was applied to the body , with the top of the cab painted white . The interior was completely redone with a new bench seat, carpet, door panels, headliner and Instrument panel. All of the chrome and trim was replaced along with new wheels and tires.
To see more pics see the full set at www.flickr.com/photos/cccstl/sets/72157632593496879/
For all of your custom and restoration needs call us (314)-968-8377 or www.cleancutcreations.com
Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CCCSTL
Two YB-35's were modified by replacing the four Pratt & Whitney R-4360
radial engines driving dual contra-rotating propellers with eight
Allison TG-180 (J35) turbojet engines. The Army Air Forces approved the
change order in June 1945 for the conversion program. Besides the jet
engine installations, other modifications included the addition of four
vertical stabilizers -- two on each wing installed on both sides of the
jet engine exhausts. The wings were fitted with four air dams extending
forward from the vertical stabilizer to minimize the airflow down the
swept wing (reducing lift) rather than over the wing. The completed
aircraft were redesignated YB-49.
The first aircraft conversion project took about two years and the
aircraft was ready for flight testing in October 1947. The first flight
of YB-49 No. 1 (S/N 42-102367) was on the Oct. 21. Results of flight
testing showed generally good performance; however, stability during
simulated bomb runs and political problems doomed the flying wing. The
second aircraft was ready for its first flight on Jan. 13, 1948. Testing
continued with both aircraft until the second YB-49 crashed on June 5,
1948. The crew on the ill-fated mission included Maj. Daniel H. Forbes
Jr., pilot; Capt. Glen W. Edwards, copilot; Lt. Edward L. Swindell,
flight engineer; Clare E. Lesser and C.C. La Fountain. Edwards Air Force
Base, Calif., is named in honor of Capt. Edwards.
After the crash of the second YB-49, the first aircraft was modified
with additional flight performance measuring instruments before tests
were resumed. On March 15, 1950, an Air Force crew was testing the
aircraft stabilizer response during a high speed taxi run when the nose
wheel began a violent shimmy. Before the aircraft could be brought under
control, the nose landing gear collapsed and the No. 1 YB-49 broke in
two and was destroyed. The flying wing bomber concept would remain
dormant until the appearance of the Northrop B-2 "Spirit" stealth bomber
nearly 40 years after the last flight of the YB-49.
Location: London Wall, London, England
Below London's streets, an ageing network of water mains is under increasing pressure from round-the-clock traffic and a growing population.
Over half of the water mains are over 100 years old.
We are replacing these water mains as our surveys show that the pipes in this area are in particularly bad condition. This replacement programme will lead to fewer bursts and leaks.
We will only be here a short while, but the benefits of this work will last a life time.
Please call our project office on - 0208 923 3299
with any questions or comments
Clancy Docwra working on behalf of Thames Water
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
In July 1967, the first Swedish Air Force student pilots started training on the Saab 105, a Swedish high-wing, twin-engine trainer aircraft developed in the early sixties as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force procured the type for various roles and issued the aircraft with the designation SK 60.
In the late Eighties, Saab suggested to replace the Saab 105’s Turbomeca Aubisque engines with newly-built Williams International FJ44 engines, which were lighter and less costly to operate, but this was only regarded as a stop-gap solution. In parallel, Saab also started work for a dedicated new jet trainer that would prepare pilots for the Saab 39 Gripen – also on the drawing boards at the time – and as a less sophisticated alternative to the promising but stillborn Saab 38. This project (also known as B3LA or A 38/SK 38) was a single-engine jet trainer and attack aircraft planned by Saab during the 1970s and actually a collaboration between Saab and the Italian aircraft manufacturer Aermacchi (the aircraft resembled the AMX a lot. However, the aircraft never got past the drawing board and was canceled in 1979 in favor of the more advanced Saab JAS 39 Gripen multi-role fighter. Anyway, this decision left Sweden without a replacement for the SK 60 as transitional trainer and as a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft.
To fill this gap Saab presented in 1991 another new trainer design, internally called "FSK900", to the Swedish Air Force. The aircraft was a conservative design, with such a configurational resemblance to the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet that it is hard to believe Saab engineers didn't see the Alpha Jet as a model for what they wanted to do. However, even if that was the case, the FSK900 was by no means a copy of the Alpha Jet, and the two machines can easily be told apart. FSK900 had a muscular, rather massive appearance, while the Alpha Jet was more wasp-like and very sleek. The FSK900 was also bigger in length and span and had an empty weight about 10% greater.
The FSK900 was mostly made of aircraft aluminum alloys, with some control surfaces made of carbon-fiber / epoxy composite, plus very selective use of titanium. It had high-mounted swept wings, with a supercritical airfoil section and a leading-edge dogtooth; a conventional swept tail assembly; tricycle landing gear; twin engines, one mounted in a pod along each side of the fuselage; and a tandem-seat cockpit with dual controls. The wings had a sweep of 27.5°, an anhedral droop of 7°, and featured ailerons for roll control as well as double slotted flaps. The tailplanes were all-moving and featured an anhedral of 7°, too. An airbrake was mounted on each side of the rear fuselage. Flight controls were hydraulic, and hydraulic systems were dual redundant.
Instructor and cadet sat in tandem, both on zero-zero ejection seats, with the instructor's seat in the rear raised 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) to give a good forward view. The cockpit was pressurized and featured a one-piece canopy, hinged open to the right, that provided excellent visibility. The landing gear assemblies all featured single wheels, with the nose gear retracting forward and the main gear retracting forward and into the fuselage, featuring an antiSKid braking system. The twin engines were two Williams International FJ44-4M turbofans without reheat, each rated at 16.89 kN (3,790 lbst). These were the same engines that Saab had already proposed for the SK 60 modernization program, even though in an unrestricted variant for the bigger/heavier new aircraft.
The FSK900 could be outfitted with two pylons under each wing and under the fuselage centerline, for a total of five hardpoints. The inner wing pylons were wet and could be used to carry 450 liter (119 US gallon) external tanks, a total external payload of 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) could be carried.
The Swedish Air Force accepted the Saab design, leading to a contract for two nonflying static-test airframes and four flying prototypes. Detail design was complete by the end of 1993 and prototype construction began in the spring of 1994, leading to first flight of the initial prototype on 29 July 1994. The first production "SK 90 A", how the basic trainer type was officially dubbed, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force in 1996.
The SK 90 was regarded as strong, agile, and pleasant to fly, while being cheap to operate. SK 90 As flying in the training role were in the beginning typically painted in the unique “Fields & Meadows” splinter camouflage, although decorative paint jobs showed up on occasion and many aircraft received additional dayglow markings. Some of the few aircraft given to operational squadrons, which used them for keeping up flight hours and as hacks, were mostly painted in all-grey camouflage to match the combat aircraft they shared the flight line with.
With the SK 90 S a second variant was soon introduced, replacing the SK 60 C, two-seat ground attack/reconnaissance version for the Swedish Air Force, basically a standard SK 60 A with an extended camera nose that featured a similar camera arrangement with a panoramic camera, plus an avionics pallet in the baggage compartment for a modular DICAST (Digital Camera And Sensor Tray) pod under the fuselage. Unlike the SK 60 C, which was converted from existing SK 60 A trainers, the SK 90 S was an original design. 20 were delivered until 1997, together with the standard trainers, which were kept on the production lines at slow pace until 1999.
A total of 108 production SK 90 trainers were built, and modest foreign sales could be secured: Austria procured 36 SK 90 Ö in 2002 (basically comparable with the updated SK 90 B with a weather radar, see below), replacing its Saab 105 fleet and keeping up its close connection with Saab since the Seventies. Malaysia showed interest, too, as well as Singapore, Myanmar Finland, Poland and Hungary. Eventually only a leasing and later purchase deal for seven refurbished SK 90 As with Hungary was closed, and the young Republic of Scotland leased in 2017 another dozen SK 90 As from Sweden, too.
The majority of Swedish aircraft underwent an MLU program after 2000 that included a modern "glass cockpit" to provide advanced training for the Saab Gripen (which had entered service in June 1992), and a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) for the FJ44-4M turbofans. Integration of the Rb.75 (the AGM-65A/B Maverick in Swedish service) together with a pod-mounted FLIR camera system was also suggested, improving the SK 90’s attack capability dramatically. The modified aircraft received the designation SK 90 B and SK 90 SB, respectively, and until 2006 the whole fleet was modernized.
However, the FSK900 design bore even more development potential than just the basis for a highly efficient jet trainer. When the aircraft was conceived the Swedish Air Force started to retire/modernize its Saab 37 Viggen fleet, with the plan to replace the type with the new and lighter Saab 39 Gripen.
However, budget restraints and production capacity limits did not allow an increased output of the Gripen, which was rather regarded as a replacement for the JA 37 interceptors than for the AJ, SF and SH attack and reconnaissance versions, which underwent a modernization program to extend their life beyond the millennium. But the foreseeable the lack of JAS 39 reinforcements would have left the country with a significant defense gap after 2004, esp. against ground and naval targets. As a stopgap solution, a less complex and costly aircraft, again comparable with the cancelled Saab 38 project was envisioned, and so Saab proposed a new aircraft, but this time based on the existing and proven SK 90, which could be quickly developed and use avionics and ordnance from the JAS 39 Gripen to save costs. This became the ASH 90 (Attack/Spaning Havsövervakning (or just Häv for short) for attack and secondary maritime reconnaissance capability)
The ASH 90 shared the basic airframe with the SK 90 trainer, with only minimal structural modifications to save costs and development time. The most obvious change was the reduction of the crew to a single pilot, while the rear cockpit was used to house additional avionics for advanced weapons and an Ericsson/GEC-Marconi PS-05/A pulse-doppler-radar radar – the same that was installed in the initial JAS 39 A/B Gripen, too, but with less range (only 50 instead of 120 km due to a smaller radome) and optimized for ground surveillance and attack missions. Its antenna was housed under a pointed nose which significantly changed the aircraft’s profile. The rear cockpit was partially faired over, with only two small side windows left to give the pilot a sufficient field of view to the rear because – again to save costs – no new bubble canopy was developed.
The armament was considerably improved: another visible change was a pair of missile launch rails on the wing tips, for Rb.74 (AIM-9 L Sidewinder) AAMs, so that the ASH 90 now had a total of seven external hardpoints, and all underwing as well as the centerline station were now plumbed to extend ferry range and have more flexibility. The central weapon the ASH 90 was supposed to deploy in its strike roll was the indigenous jet-powered RBS-15 Mk. III anti-ship missile. This weapon’s development began in the mid-1990s, and it was produced by Saab in co-operation with Diehl Defence of Germany. Emphasis of this advanced version was put on increased range (due to a larger fuel capacity and a new fuel type the range was ~200 km), improved accuracy (integrated GPS) and selectable priority targeting, including land-based targets. Two of these weapons, each weighing 650kg, 250 kg of that a SAPHE warhead, could be carried on new reinforced inner wing pylons. Tests to carry earlier versions of this weapon had already been executed with the radar-less SK 90 trainer, using a datalink with a nearby Gripen for target illumination and guidance, but these trials had not proven to be effective. However, with its own avionics and as an independent system, the ASH 90 became a much more effective platform.
Further air-to-ground ordnance included the Rb.75 (AGM-65A/B Maverick), pods with unguided 135 mm rockets and iron bombs. Several sensor pods could be carried, too, including photo cameras as well as a FLIR video camera system that could transmit recordings in real time, so that the aircraft could beyond strike mission also take over many of the outdated SF and SH 37s’ reconnaissance missions.
The ASH 90 still did not carry an internal gun, but a conformal ventral pod with a 27mm Mauser BK revolver cannon with 120 rounds, originally developed for the SK 90 trainer and carrying the same weapon as the JAS 39 Gripen, was frequently carried to engage both air and ground targets.
For better performance and to compensate for a raised all-up weight the ASH 90 was powered by uprated engines, a pair of Williams International FJ44-5M turbofans. These were still without reheat, again to save time and money, but thanks to a higher air flow and higher combustion temperatures the output of each engine was raised by almost 20% to 20 kN (4,490 lbst), providing the aircraft with almost supersonic performance (easily possible in a dive, though) and a much better rate of climb and acceleration.
Thanks to the use of many existing components the ASH 90’s development was quick and went smoothly. The first prototype already made its maiden flight in early 2000, and the first service aircraft – an order for 40 single-seaters for two squadrons (replacing not modernized AJ and SH 37s within Flygflottilj F7 and F17) – joined the active units in 2002.
The ASH 90 confirmed its ancestor’s robust nature and good service record. Until 2004 all 40 machines had been delivered. In 2008 an upgrade program was initiated, to improve the ASH 90’s combat efficiency, and the modernized machines received a “B” suffix, while the original version became re-designated “A”. The upgrade included avionics to deploy the Rb.99 (AIM-120 AMRAAM) missile and a more powerful datalink, so that the ASH 90 Bs could engage BVR targets on their own or act as multiplier platforms for the more capable JAS 39 Gripen, allowing these to attack with a high number of missiles at once so that ECM defense could be oversaturated and hit probability increased. Outwardly, the “B” variant’s only difference was a new IRST sensor in front of the cockpit, which allowed the pilot to detect and track heat signatures of both air and ground targets without engaging the radar and giving away the aircraft’s presence through respective emissions. Another novelty was the option to attach a retractable IFR-probe above the left air intake – in-flight refueling had only been introduced to Swedish aircraft with the JAS 39, but international cooperations and relocations required this addition which also greatly expanded the ASH 90 B’s capabilities and tactical value.
The updates were carried out during regular overhauls, and by 2010 the whole ASH 90 fleet was upgraded to “B” standard, including four new aircraft that were built to replace losses during the type’s initial years of operation.
In the following years the ASH 90s frequently took part in several national and international exercises, for instance a NATO training in Swedish Lapland. In late 2010 a number of US military aircrafts landed in Luleå, Swedish Lapland, where they took part in joint exercises with the Swedish Air Force. Also, the British aircraft carrier “HMS Illustrious” was part of the training.
The following joint exercises, which included both US. bombing of a local shooting field and joint air maneuvers with Swedish aircrafts, were a continuation of the 2009 Loyal Arrow training. Then, 50 airplanes and 2000 persons, aircraft carrier personnel included, from ten countries took part in what was the biggest air force drill ever in the Finnish-Swedish Bothnia Bay. For this occasion, F17’s SHA 90Bs deployed far to the north, occupying the temporary Kalixfors airfield near Kiruna, carried out regular training attacks but also acted as aggressors and simulated low-flying cruise missiles to test aerial defenses. For this occasion, the dozen machines that were sent up north received individual and experimental camouflage, including various splinter paint scheme reminiscent of the famous “Fields & Meadows” scheme, just with tones more suitable for winter operations.
General characteristics:
Crew: two pilots in tandem
Length incl. pitot: 13.0 m (42 ft 8 in) for the A trainer, 13.68 m (44 ft 10 in) for the S variant
Wingspan: 9.94 m (32 ft 7 in)
Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Empty weight: 3,790 kg (8,360 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 7,500 kg (16,530 lb)
Powerplant:
2× Williams International FJ44-5M turbofans without reheat, rated at 20 kN (4,490 lbst) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,150 km/h (714 mph)
Range: 1,670 km (900 nm)
Armament:
No internal gun; seven hardpoints for 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of payload and a variety of ordnance
The kit and its assembly:
I have already converted several Hasegawa 1:72 Kawasaki T-4 into “my” fictional Saab SK 90 trainer, with little modifications. Originally, I wondered what an overdue Saab 105 replacement could or would look like? The interesting Saab 38 never saw the light, as mentioned above, there was also an A-10-style light attack aircraft, and I assume that neutral Sweden would rather develop its own aircraft than procure a foreign product.
I recently converted another T-4 into a JASDF attack single-seater with a totally new nose section (from a Eurocopter Tiger), and while I was thinking about the project I also considered a less ambitious “variant” with a faired-over rear cockpit – inspired by the Mitsubishi F-1 derived from the T-2 trainer. And since I was in the right mood and had another T-4 kit in The Stash™ I used the flowing mojo to tackle another SK 90 build – the Swedish ASH 90 attack derivative.
Using the F-1/T-2 benchmark I wanted to keep things simple, though, so the T-4 kit was mostly taken OOB – there are actually two different Hasegawa kits/molds out there, and this is the earlier one. It’s a pleasant building experience; the kit is relatively simple, and fit is very good, with only minimal PSR necessary.
The changes I made for the attack variant were additional hardpoints under the wings and on the wingtips, a pointed radome (from an F-16), a ventral gun pod (from a Heller Alpha Jet), and the canopy was cut into two pieces so that the rear section could be blended into the hull, leaving small side windows free. This and the radome radically change the stubby aircraft’s look, making it look fast than it might be in real life and surprisingly purposeful! The IFR probe came from an Italeri Tornado kit, the IRST was scratched from a piece of clear sprue (and painted with Tamiya “Smoke” for good effect).
The ordnance was taken wholesale from an Italeri Saab Gripen kit, including the odd EAJP ECM pod which rather looks like a Soviet/Russian than a Swedish product. Just the camera pod on the outer portside underwing pylon was scratched from a Heller Alpha Jet drop tank and putty, simulating the slender SKA 24 long-range camera pod the SH 37 frequently carried.
Furthermore, some blade antennae were added and the ejection seat was pimped with handles made from brass wire.
Painting and markings:
This was a bigger challenge than the building phase, because I wanted something …different. I had already built an SK 90 in Fields & Meadows (the first one) as well as in a Gripen-style all-grey livery (a Scottish aircraft), so what could be a new yet “realistic” alternative? Inspiration eventually struck when I came across pics of a JAS 39E, carrying a symmetrical three-tone splinter camouflage on the upper surfaces. Apparently, there was more than one aircraft decorated in this fashion, but I assume that these were demonstrators and the paint scheme not an official camouflage?
Adapting the scheme from the canard-winged Gripen for the conventional T-4/SK 90 was not easy, though, and to make it less decorative I moved away from the symmetric pattern, at least on the upper surfaces (even though the flanks were not mirrored, just quite similar). Since I could not find a reliable color reference I guesstimated the tones and ended up with RLM 63 (ModelMaster #2077) underneath, because I used that tone before for Gripen-style liveries, and for the splinter scheme I went for Humbrol 67 (RAL 7021, a VERY dark grey), 106 (RAF Ocean Grey, even though a rather brownish interpretation of that tone) and 64 (Royal Navy Light Grey).
The cockpit was painted in neutral grey, while the landing gear and the air intakes became white – very conservative. The Sidewinders and the pods were painted in a different medium grey (RAL 7000), and the massive RBS 15 missiles became Field Grey with dark olive drab tips and red exhaust covers.
The markings were kept simple, puzzled together from various sources. Tactical codes, some major stencils and roundels came from an Italeri Saab 39 Gripen sheet – with the benefit (and tactically prepared through paint and scheme choices…) that the grey low-viz markings’ brightness falls nicely between Humbrol 67 and 106, for a very consistent look. Many smaller things came from the T-4’s OOB sheet and from a Hasegawa Saab 35 Draken sheet. The silver trim at the fin rudder was made with generic 0.5mm decal stripes in silver. Similar but wider strips in black were used to create the de-icers on the wings' leading edges.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
A pretty result, if not elegant – in total contrast to the brutish A-2 build with its edgy helicopter cockpit nose and the resulting hunchback. I’s amazing how much the pointed nose changes the aircraft’s profile and impression, and the wing tip launch rails also add visual length and “speed”. The paint scheme also turned out nicely, and with the low-viz markings the overall grey scheme looks interesting and quite plausible, too – and well-suited for a winter exercise up north in Lapland.
Here the nearside wooden inserts have been replaced and treated with a wood preserve that will hopefully see out my life time.
Now that all the screws have been removed, you can pull out the old FEP. Set it aside, don't throw it away! Clean it up, The guy who is selling these replacement FEP's can possibly use your old FEP as a pattern for cutting replacements to size, with precut mounting holes for your tank. There are a LOT of resin printers on the market. Sending him old FEP's of many models will make replacements all that much easier. Although using the generic FEP without holes is really IMHO pretty darn easy.
The floor boards were salvaged from the Waupaca armory gymnasium before it was torn down. Here the edges of the boards were being cleaned up using a belt sander and table saw.
Our recent get together of friends led me to a epiphany about laptop
batteries. They are all messed up! One friend asked me about her
laptop battery which could barely hold a charge. Then another, then
another. I didn't manage to fix any of their laptops while they were
hear, but we took some apart to see what was going on inside. After
our friends left I searched around for replacement cells and picked
some up from ebay. Now with ten minutes of time and $30 of replacement
cells I can repack a battery. This video shows the process. I should
mention that lithium ion batteries do have the potential to burst into
flames although I've not seen anything more than a little sparking :).
Now my little ibook which could hold a charge for 10 minutes lasts
over four hours!