View allAll Photos Tagged scaleability
A close up of the scales of an Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis), they are stained a muddy brown color from the snake spending the winter underground in its hibernaculum. Who knows, maybe this was the first day of the year that it climbed out from underneath the ground?
So many objects have a direct correlation above and below water, this pine cone reminds me of fish scales.
I take a photo (or two) of her at every Dragon*Con it seems. She was featured in the 2009 Maxim article about the "Girls of Dragon*Con."
This is Tenzin, but call him Ten (as in a perfect one)…
Fashion Credits
All enhancements are by me, unless otherwise stated.
Tenzin
Pants: Mattel – BFMC – Fashion Insider Ken
Belt: IT – Homme – Rock Steady Romain
Scarf: IT – NuFace – Style Mantra Eden
Shirt: IT – FR Convention 2013 – Color Infusion Style Lab: Red Blooded Male
Coat: Unknown
Shoes: IT – Dynamite Boys – London is Calling Kyu
Necklaces: Me
Doll is a Color Infusion Style Lab Tenzin Dahklin from 2014 Fashion Royalty Convention.
I'm happy with the end product of this image. This is a multi shot panorama of the Sydney Water Corporation offices at 1 Smith St Parramatta. I really like the building but it epitomises the issue I have with modern city design, that is the lack of human scale.
I have uploaded the full res images so you can click and see the lady walking past the building. Compare here to the size of the tower. Now the scale is a little warped as I have shot this pano from only about 20m away from the tower but it shows the conflict between humans and 15 or more storey towers.
Parramatta needs some more investigation as a shooting destination. I see myself here again soon.
I love making such little trays filled with various candies and cookies :)
Makes me smile ^^
Entirely handmade by myself except the ceramic dish.
1:12 dollhouse scale
+++ 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:
Following good performance from the pioneering diesel-hydraulic locomotive the DB Class V 80, the Deutsche Bundesbahn planned in 1953 to build several types of new diesel locomotive, primarily to replace steam powered locomotives.These were: V 60, and V 65, both shunters, the V 65.2, also for shunting as well as light freight trains, the heavy DB Class V 200, for express passenger trains, and the universal V 160 for both freight and passenger work on the main network.
The new V 160 class was a central piece in this line-up, because it would replace important steam-powered engines such as the BR 03, BR 23, BR 38.10 (former Prussian P 8 class), BR 39 (ex P 10), BR 50, BR 57 (ex G 10) and BR 78 (ex T 18). Steam heating for passenger coaches was necessary, and a top speed of 120 km/h was specified. Initially, a 1,600 hp powerplant, consisting of two engines of the same type as in the light V 80 was planned, the first newly developed diesel locomotive built for main line service by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (but only built in 10 examples). This dual engine arrangement had already been successfully introduced in the heavy V 200, which was initially powered by two 1,000 hp diesel engines. However, it was soon realized, that, if a single, high-powered engine could be used, weight, complexity and therefore maintenance and other costs would be considerably reduced. The V 160’s design was modified accordingly and a single MTU V16 four-stroke diesel engine was chosen. Both two-axle bogies were powered via drive shafts from a two speed hydraulic drive from Voith, which offered a compromise between the requested high speed for light passenger trains and the alternative reduced second gear with lower top speed, but much higher torque, for freight train service. Gears could only be switched when the locomotive was standing still, though.
In the spring of 1956, V 160 development began at Krupp. Welded steel components along with other lightweight materials were used to keep the axle load well below 20t, so that the V 160 could be safely operated on secondary lines. However, in the main production series of locomotives, some of the lighter weight welded construction was abandoned in favor of less expensively produced components - leading to an increase in axle weight from ~18.5 to ~20t, which was still acceptable but lowered overall production costs. This was furthermore not regarded as a major problem since the DB perspectively started to abandon branch lines, switching to more economical diesel multiple units or giving them up altogether towards the Seventies.
The first V 160 unit was delivered on 6 August 1960, with eight more following by 1962 from both Krupp and Henschel. These prototype units, due to their rounded, “busty” front end, were later to become unusual amongst the entire V 160 family and earned them the nickname “Lollo” (in allusion to Gina Lollobrigida). A final prototype V 160 010, the tenth, was manufactured by Henschel in 1963 and the first to feature the serial locomotives’ angled front end, which was inspired by the design of the super-heavy V 320 Henschel prototype.
Despite the single main engine, the V 160 was still a complex locomotive. In addition to the main engine, the V 160 featured a small, independent auxiliary diesel engine, driving a generator providing the 110 V electrical supply for lighting as well as driving an electric air compressor for the brakes. The steam heating apparatus, sourced from Hagenuk and powered by fuel oil, took up one end of the locomotive, between the engine and drivers cabin. It had the capacity to satisfactorily heat 10 coaches when the outside temperature was -10°C. For passenger train service, most V 160 locomotives were also equipped for push-pull operation, as well as for multiple working, controlled via a 36 pin control cable and respective sockets on the locomotives front ends.
The prototypes performed well, and volume production began, numbers V 160 011 to V 160 224 being built between 1964 and 1968 by Krupp, Henschel, KHD, Krauss-Maffei and MaK. The first V 160/216 locomotives entered service on the Hamburg to Lübeck line, working push-pull double decked passenger trains, replacing the BR 38.10 and BR 78 steam engines. The engines were also used on freight workings as well. On push-pull passenger working, the locomotives were sometimes found in the middle of the train - which facilitated easier separation of carriages en route.
By the time the 156th example was under completion, the Deutsche Bundesbahn changed its numbering system. From then on, the V 160 class were re-designated as Class (Baureihe = BR) 216, with the individual unit numbering continuing as before. Over the next decade, because of changing requirements – mostly in terms of increased power, speed as well as the requirement for electrical passenger heating – a number of related classes sprang up, the BR 210, 215, 217, 218 and 219. Although some were a little longer and carried additional components (e.g. an auxiliary jet engine), all of them were essentially based on the original V 160 and more than 800 machines of all types were eventually built.
Since the 1990s, the Bundesbahn’s BR 216 locomotives scope of work started to shift more on freight than on passenger trains because of the lack of steam-heated passenger stock. From 2000 onwards, the Deutsche Bahn AG’s BR 216 fleet was phased out, with the last locomotive being decommissioned in 2004.
Several locomotives were sold to private operators like rail construction companies and remained in frequent use, and some retired BR 216s were re-built and offered for sale, too. The first in the series of rebuilt Class 216s was called type “DH 1504” and created in 1998 by the firm 'On Rail'. Despite only little external changes, the result was an almost completely new locomotive, only the transmission, bogies and frame were saved from the original locomotive. The original V16 diesel engine with 1,370 kW (1.900 hp), was replaced with a lighter but more powerful 1500 kW (2,085 hp) V12 four-stroke diesel engine, also from MTU. On customer demand, a new electric Webasto heating system could be installed instead of the original steam heating system, making the DH 1504 capable of operating modern passenger trains, and for this purpose the units were also fitted for multiple working as well as for remote control operation (e.g. for shunting). Another option was additional ballast, so that the axle load could be kept at 20 tons for better traction. Otherwise, 18 t axle load was standard for the revamped DH 1504.
Since 1998, 6 of these locomotives were re-built for private operators in Germany. By late 2019, three DH 1504 locomotives were in the use of the Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen (OHE), two work for the Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe (NIAG) and one for the Mindener Kreisbahnen (MKB). However, the biggest sales success for OnRail’s modernized BR 216 was the export to Poland, where the PKP (Polskie Koleje Państwowe, Polish State Railways). After its privatization in 2001, the PKP was looking for a low-cost replacement for its last ST-43 Class diesel electric freight locomotives of Romanian origin, which dated back to the 1960ies. Twenty DH 1504 locomotives for mixed duties were built by OnRail between 2001 and 2005 and entered PKP service as Class SU-29 (spalinowa uniwersalna = mixed-traffic diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission and multiple-unit control). Their initial primary field of duty was the cross-border freight traffic on the east-west relation on the PKP “Polskie line Kolejowe”, the so-called “Niederschlesische Gütermagistrale”. Since 2005, this route had been expanded, electrified and became double-railed, so that the SU-29s gradually took over more and more passenger train duties on non-electrified major lines. The SU-29 machines are expected to remain in PKP service beyond 2030.
General characteristics:
Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge
UIC axle arrangement: B´B´
Overall length: 16,800 mm (52 ft 57⁄8 in)
Pivot distance: 8,600 mm
Bogie distance: 2,800 mm
Wheel diameter (when new): 1000 mm
Fuel supply: 3,800 l
Service weight: 80 t
Engine:
MTU 4000R20 V12diesel engine with 1500 kW (2,085 hp) at 1,800 RPM
Gearbox:
Voith L821rs 2-speed gearbox
Performance:
Maximum speed: 120 km/h (75 mph) or 80 km/h (50 mph)
Torque: 235,2 kN
The kit and its assembly:
Well, this is a rather unusual what-if “build”, since this not a model kit as such but rather the conversion of a readymade H0 gauge model railway locomotive for the “Back into service” group build at whatifmodelers.com in late 2019.
The inspiration was not original, though: some time ago I stumbled across a gift set from the former East-German manufacturer Piko, apparently for the Polish market. It contained a set of double deck passenger wagons, and a (highly simplified, toy-like) German BR 216 in PKP markings. It was called SU-29 and carried a very crude and garish green livery with yellow front ends – inspired by real world PKP diesel locomotives, but… wrong. I found this so bizarre that it stuck in my mind. When I dug a little further, my surprise even grew when I found out that there were other national adaptations of this simple Piko BR 216 (e .g. for Denmark) and that Piko’s competitor Roco offered a similar BR 215 in PKP colors, too! This time, the fictional locomotive was designated SU-47 (which cannot be since this would indicate a locomotive with electric power transmission – poor job!), and it also wore a bright green livery with yellow front markings. Bizarre… And the PKP does NOT operate any BR 216 at all?!
However, with the GB topic in mind, I decided to create my own interpretation of this interesting topic – apparently, there’s a market for whiffy model locomotives? The basis became a 2nd hand Märklin 3075 (a BR 216 in the original red DB livery), not a big investment since this is a very common item.
In order to easy painting, the locomotive was disassembled into its major sections and the body stripped of any paint in a one-week bath in oven cleaner foam, a very mild and effective method.
The heavy metal chassis was not modified, it just received a visual update (see below).
The upper body underwent some cosmetic surgery, though, but nothing dramatic or structural, since the DH 1504 described above only differs in minor external details from the original BR 216. I decided to modify the front ends, especially the lights: Locomotives in PKP service tend to have VERY large lamps, and I tried to incorporate this characteristic feature through masks that were added over the original light conductors, scratched from styrene tube material.
In the course of this facial surgery, the molded handles at the lower front corners were lost. They were later replaced with three-dimensional silver wire, mounted into small holes that were drilled into the hull at the appropriate positions. Fiddly stuff, but I think the effort was worth it.
The original vent grills between the lower lamps were sanded away and covers for the multiple working cable adapters on the front ends added – scratched with small styrene profile bits.
For a cleaner, modern look, I removed the original decorative aluminum profile frame around the upper row of cooling louvers. The roof was modified, too: beyond the bigger headlight fairing, the exhaust for the auxiliary diesel engine was removed, as well as the chimney for the old steam heating system. The diesel engine’s exhaust pipes were lengthened (inspired by similar devices carried by DB BR 218), so that the fumes would be deviated away from the locomotive’s hull and the following wagons. Horns and a blade antenna for each driver’s cabin were added, too.
Painting and markings:
Both Piko and Roco V 160s in PKP markings look garish – righteously, though, since PKP locomotives used to carry for many years very striking colors, primarily a dark green body with a light green/teal contrast area on the flanks and yellow quick recognition front markings. However, I did not find any of the two model designs convincing, since they rather looked like a simple toy (Piko) or just wrong (Roco, with a surreal grass green contrast tone instead of the pale teal).
I rather went for something inspired by real world locomotives, like the PKP’s SU- and SP-45s. The basic design is an upper body with a dark green base (Humbrol 76, Uniform Green) and a pale green-grey area around the upper row of louvres (an individual mix of Humbrol 96 and 78). The kink under the front windows was used for waterline reference, the front section under the windows (in the dark green base) was painted in bright yellow (Humbrol 69) as a high-viz contrast, a typical feature of PKP locomotives. The chassis received a grey-green frame (somewhat visually stretching the locomotive) with bright red (Humbrol 19) headstocks, a nice color contrast to the green body and the yellow bib.
Silver 1.5mm decal stripes (TL Modellbau) were used to create a thin cheatline along and around the whole lower section. At some time I considered another cheatline between the light and dark green, but eventually ignored this idea because it would have looked too retro. The locomotive’s roof became medium grey (Revell 47).
The running gear and the tanks between the bogies were painted in very dark grey (Humbrol 67, similar to the original DB livery in RAL 7021) and weathered with a light black ink wash, some thinned Burnt Umbra (simulating dust and rust) plus some light dry-brushing with dark grey that emphasized the surface details. This used look was also taken to the upper body of the locomotive with watercolours (Grey, Black and some Sienna and Burnt Umbra) for a more natural look of daily service – rather subtle, and I emphasized the louvres, esp. on the light background, where they tended to disappear.
Individual markings consist of single decal letters in silver and white in various sizes (also TL Modellbau) for the locomotive’s registration code as well as of H0 scale catenary warnings from Nothaft Hobbybedarf, plus some generic stencils from various model decal sheets (incl. Cyrillic stencils from an 1:72 MiG-21 decal sheet…).
For a uniform finish I gave the locomotive an overall coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can – it still has a slightly sheen finish and matches well the look of Märklin’s standard rolling stock.
A different kind of what-if project, but this has not been my first H0 scale locomotive conversion. The fictional PKP SU-29 looks a bit weird, with the garish paint scheme and the oversized headlights, but this strangeness makes this model IMHO quite convincing. The model is fully functional, even the light works well in the enlarged headlight fairings. Maybe I’ll sell it, since I do not have the appropriate model railway set at hand to effectively use it (which is also the reason for the rather limited scope of pictures of the finished item). And I am curious what people might be willing to pay for such a unique, fictional item?
1:12 scale Chinoiserie Roombox by Ken Haseltine : Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced chi•noi•se•rie. : a style in art (as in decoration) reflecting Chinese qualities or motifs; also: an object or decoration in this style.
The second obi that arrived in my house this week was this lovely Taisho Period Darari. I stumbled upon it on YJA a few months back and won it for all of 200 Yen. That's equal to maybe $5 USD. It's got some damages, but considering the price I snagged it for, and the fact that it's nearly 100 years old, it was one of my all time best kimono buys. This darari is also a chuuya obi in that it has a more formal filled in crest on one side and a less formal open crest on the other. I believe that this obi was at one point shortened and narrowed to hide previous damage because the crest is just slightly off centre, and I can just barely see through the fabric on one side, a blue line that would have marked the end of the obi. It's now tucked up inside under the crest.
This obi creates a slightly shorter darari knot that my modern darari. Not quite short enough for han-darari, but stubby enough for a tiny maiko. It's such an incredibly adorable stubby darari.
I named this my Dragon Scale Darari because the seigaiha pattern reminds me of dragon scales and its probably the closest I'll ever get to owning my dream darai: one with dragons on it.
Sweden, being a pretty cold place on occasion, only has six species of reptiles (grass snake, smooth snake, European adder, viviparous lizard, sand lizard and slow worm ). We spent a Thursday in May in Tyresta National Park just to the south of Stockholm and within the hour we met three out of those six.
This is a quite cute little viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) which was suprisingly calm once I held her between two fingers.
Never seen a lizard behave like this. I got a few "normal" shots then decided to try for a macro. That worked, so I tried for a "supermacro". The S2 will focus down to the point where the lens is touching the subject, and I almost got there (EXIF info shows the focus distance at 0.011M, or 0.42"). The closer I got, the sleepier the lizard got. Maybe it was just afraid of being poked in the eye with a camera, I don't know, but when we left it was still there in the same spot, blending in with the stones.
The painting over the fireplace, titled “Eleanor and Her Sister”, is by Tamara di Lempica, a popular Art Deco artist best known for her portraits of sexy women in stylish outfits. Di Lempicka’s story was the subject of a stage play that ran two years in Los Angeles before opening Off-Broadway and later a one-woman show.
She was born in 1898 to a wealthy and prominent Polish couple. Her father was a lawyer; her mother, a socialite. Maria (her given name) attended Swiss boarding school and spent the 1911 winter with her grandmother on the French Riviera and in Italy, where she got her first exposure to the paintings of the Old Masters.
Following her parents’s divorce Maria was sent to live with a wealthy aunt in St. Petersburg, Russia. At the age of fifteen, while attending the opera, she spotted a man she set her cap to marry. Three years later they were wed. Tadeusz di Lempicka was a notorious ladies man, who was swayed by her large dowry.
In 1917 during the Russian Revolution, Tadeusz was arrested by the Bolsheviks. Maria searched the prisons for him, finally securing his release. The couple traveled to Copenhagen, London and finally Paris, where they lived off the sale of her family jewels. It was there she gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Kizette.
Very quickly Tamara’s dramatic style developed, following her exposure to what is sometimes called “soft cubism”. Whereas di Lempica believed many of the Impressionists drew badly and used “dirty” colors, by contrast her own work was clean and elegant.
For her first major show in Milan in 1925 di Lempicka painted 28 new works in six months. She was soon the most popular portrait painter of her generation, charging the equivalent in today’s dollars of $20,000 per painting. In 1929 she completed what is probably her best-known work -- Tamara in the green Bugatti – a self-portrait for the cover of a German magazine.
During the Roaring Twenties in Paris, Tamara was leading a wild Bohemian life, hanging out with Picasso, Cocteau and Gide. Famous for her libido, she was bisexual; her affairs with both men and women were considered scandalous even by today’s standards. Soon her husband, tired of their relationship, abandoned her and their young child; the next year they divorced.
Obsessed with her work and social life. Tamara neglected more than her husband; she rarely saw her daughter. Kizette lived with her grandmother when she wasn’t away at boarding school. In 1929 when di Lempicka wrote her mother and daughter she wouldn’t be returning from America for Christmas, Malvina was so angry she burned her daughter’s enormous collection of designer hats, as Kizette stood by cheering.
Although Kizette was ignored, she was also immortalized because her mother repeatedly used her as a model. It’s said that in other paintings, many subjects tended to look like the pretty blonde girl.
In 1928 her long-time patron, the Baron Raoul Kuffner, visited her studio to commission a portrait of his lover. She finished the project, then replaced his mistress in the Belgian’s life.
During her first visit to the U. S. she had a very successful show in Pittsburgh, but lost the proceeds when the banks collapsed. In reality, the Depression had little effect on her. By the early Thirties she and the Baron had settled in Beverly Hills, where her work was in great demand by film stars and nobility -- even kings and queens -- all wishing to be captured on canvas by her paintbrush. Museums began to collect her work.
She did war relief work like so many other immigrants. And somehow managed to get Kizette out of Nazi-occupied Paris via Lisbon. By ’43 the couple had relocated to New York City. Although she continued to live in style, socializing continuously, her popularity as a society painter had started to wane.
After Kuffner’s death from a heart attack in 1962, Tamara sold most of her possessions and made three around-the-world cruises. Finally, she settled in Houston to be near Kizette.
Her daughter, who tried serving as Tamara’s business manager and social secretary, suffered under her mother’s controlling domination and childish behavior. In 1978 De Lempicka moved to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to live among a colony of aging international jetsetters and faded aristocrats. To be said in Kizette’s defense, in 1980 she cared for her mother for three months until the artist died in her sleep.
Testing out the Edmund Optics Plan 20x Apo, NA 0.42.
Camera and Equipment:
Nikon D810
Stackshot rail
Thorlabs optical setup.
Lens and Magnification:
Edmund Optics 20x Plan Apo
Custom designed tube lens
20:1, which is 20 times life-size.
Settings:
Stack of 218 exposures
Zerene Stacker, PMax.
Stackshot Rail at 1um/step
ISO 64, 0.3-second exposure
Microscopy Method:
Focus Stacking
Reflected Light
Processed in Capture One Pro.