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DAI is working with local leaders and groups to create collaborative partnerships between government institutions, the private sector, and civil society, and increase access to information needed to promote peace, recovery, and development for Somalia. Our work with local collaborators is designed to help the Somali people achieve greater stability by encouraging economic growth, strengthening public confidence in government, enhancing cooperation between groups, and improving personal safety.
For more about the TIS project: dai.tc/xxclsp
October 3, 2013. Boston, MA.
City Life/Vida Urbana members and community activists for the third week in a row protested outside of the Boston Housing Court. Protesters assert that taxpayer owned banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have been evicting families ‘no fault’ at alarming rates in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Four people including longtime housing activist and one-time mayoral candidate Mel King committed civil disobedience in front of the courthouse and were arrested.
The group is pressing for a stop no fault evictions until Mel Watt is confirmed to the FHFA. Ed DeMarco is the current head of FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. DeMarco has resisted community-stability based solutions to the foreclosure crisis, such as principal reduction or long-term rent contracts. Pres. Obama has nominated Congressman Mel Watt to replace DeMarco. These government sponsored enterprises are 79% owned by taxpayers and they are currently among the largest mass evictors within the state, displacing thousands of working-class people and eviscerating communities of color. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own over half of mortgages in Massachusetts.
© 2013 Marilyn Humphries
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
150623-N-BX824-018 CORAL SEA (June 23, 2015) Sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) lower a rigid inflatable boat. Antietam is on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ricardo R. Guzman/Released)
Official list entry
Heritage Category: Listed Building
Grade: II
List Entry Number: 1120474
Date first listed: 20-Nov-1959
Date of most recent amendment: 09-Jan-2015
List Entry Name: Clavell Tower
Location Description: NGR SY 90892 78628
Statutory Address 1: Clavell Tower Kimmeridge, Wareham, Dorset
Location
Statutory Address: Clavell Tower Kimmeridge, Wareham, Dorset
District: Dorset (Unitary Authority)
Parish: Kimmeridge
National Grid Reference: SY9091278645
Summary
Folly and observatory, now holiday accommodation, erected 1830-31, by Robert Vining for the Reverend John Richards Clavell. Re-sited and restored in the early C21.
Reasons for Designation
Clavell Tower, which was erected in 1830-31 for the Reverend Clavell and was re-sited and restored in 2006-08, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural interest: the tower, which was sympathetically restored in the early C21, has a well-executed and striking design; * Historic interest: as an influential structure which has inspired a number of prominent authors, including Thomas Hardy and Baroness James.
History
Clavell Tower (Clavel Tower on the First and Second Edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1889 and 1902) stands in a prominent position on the cliff above Kimmeridge Bay. It was built in 1830-31 for the Reverend John Richards Clavell who took the name Clavell when he inherited the Smedmore Estate (Smedmore House, listed at Grade II*) in 1818. The tower, by John Vining of Weymouth, who was also responsible for the octagonal Spa House (Grade II) at Nottington just to the north of Weymouth in 1830 which may have influenced his designs for the former. Clavell Tower was possibly erected to celebrate the Reverend Clavell’s 70th birthday, and was described in the Dorset County Chronicle on 21st July 1831 ‘as elegant a building as the county of Dorset can boast of.’ Although principally a folly, the Chronicle also suggests that it was an observatory. The Reverend Clavell died in 1833 and the estate passed to his niece, Louisa Mansel (née Pleydell). From about the 1880s until just after the First World War the tower was used as a lookout station for the coastguards, and on occasions as a holiday let, but it was then left vacant and became increasingly derelict. From the mid-C20 erosion to the cliff face threatened the stability of the tower which perched precariously above the bay, and in 2006-08 it was dismantled, re-located and restored, with the relevant consents, to a new location 25m to the north-east.
Clavell Tower has been the source of inspiration for poets and writers over the intervening centuries since it was built. Thomas Hardy used one of his own drawings of the tower as the frontispiece for his Wessex Poems, whilst Dorset poet William Barnes used the tower as inspiration for The Leady’s Tower in his Hwomely Rhymes, A Second Collection of Poems in Dorset Dialect, published in 1859. More recently, the crime writer P D James (later Baroness James), set The Black Tower, one of her novels here; while Bill Bryson, unimpressed by the tower’s dumpy looks, acknowledges in Notes from a Small Island that ‘..somehow Kimmeridge wouldn’t seem Kimmeridge without it’.
Details
Folly and observatory, now (2014) holiday accommodation. erected 1830-31, by Robert Vining for the Reverend John Richards Clavell. Re-sited and restored in the early C21. MATERIALS: constructed of rendered brick and coursed local stone rubble, with ashlar dressings, on a concrete foundation. Early-C21 timber sash windows.
PLAN: a circular tower of three storeys plus a semi-basement.
EXTERIOR: the basement breaks forwards of the rest of the tower. It has strip pilasters and stone mullioned windows, with an entrance to the north-east side which is flanked by Tuscan columns that support the two flights of cantilevered Portland stone steps leading to the ground floor. The ground floor is surrounded by a Tuscan colonnade of twelve columns which each align with the pilasters below. It has a simple entablature surmounted by a parapet decorated with pierced quatrefoils. There is a round-headed doorway and three round-headed windows to the ground floor. The two upper storeys are divided by a stone stringcourse, and each has four round-arched windows which are aligned with the cardinal points. The parapet has false machicolations and a frieze of pierced quatrefoils.
Prior to restoration, the staircase and roof timbers were no longer extant, but although the floors were badly rotted the teak joists largely survive with some are replacements. The stairs and the roof timbers have been replaced, and new fireplaces and joinery introduced. The basement retains its original floor of Purbeck stone.
© Historic England 2023
International Monetary Fund's Financial Counsellor and Monetary and Capital Markets Department Director Jose Vinals attends the Global Financial Stability Report Press Conference September 21, 2011 at the IMF Headquarters in Washington, DC. IMF Photograph/Stephen Jaffe
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
190719-N-JL568-1171 CORAL SEA (July 19, 2019) Ensign Thomas Singley, from Morganton, North Carolina, prepares to descend off the fo’c’sle into the water during a simulated rescue swimmer exercise aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85). McCampbell, part of the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is currently participating in Talisman Sabre 2019 off the coast of Northern Australia. A bilateral, biennial event, Talisman Sabre is designed to improve U.S. and Australian combat training, readiness and interoperability through realistic, relevant training necessary to maintain regional security, peace and stability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell)
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
ACSS and Wilson Center Africa Program Event, Regional Stability and Security Issues in Africa, was held on March 23, 2012. The Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso (His Excellency, Djibril Bassole) spoke on Mediation, Prevention and Conflict Management
The Wilson Center
Washington, DC
March 23, 2012
The stability ball helps people learn better posture by strengthening core muscles. Schools should purchase some of these balls for kids. The earlier kids learn to sit up staright, the better.
October 3, 2013. Boston, MA.
City Life/Vida Urbana members and community activists for the third week in a row protested outside of the Boston Housing Court. Protesters assert that taxpayer owned banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have been evicting families ‘no fault’ at alarming rates in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Four people including longtime housing activist and one-time mayoral candidate Mel King committed civil disobedience in front of the courthouse and were arrested.
The group is pressing for a stop no fault evictions until Mel Watt is confirmed to the FHFA. Ed DeMarco is the current head of FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. DeMarco has resisted community-stability based solutions to the foreclosure crisis, such as principal reduction or long-term rent contracts. Pres. Obama has nominated Congressman Mel Watt to replace DeMarco. These government sponsored enterprises are 79% owned by taxpayers and they are currently among the largest mass evictors within the state, displacing thousands of working-class people and eviscerating communities of color. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own over half of mortgages in Massachusetts.
© 2013 Marilyn Humphries
October 3, 2013. Boston, MA.
City Life/Vida Urbana members and community activists for the third week in a row protested outside of the Boston Housing Court. Protesters assert that taxpayer owned banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have been evicting families ‘no fault’ at alarming rates in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Four people including longtime housing activist and one-time mayoral candidate Mel King committed civil disobedience in front of the courthouse and were arrested.
The group is pressing for a stop no fault evictions until Mel Watt is confirmed to the FHFA. Ed DeMarco is the current head of FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. DeMarco has resisted community-stability based solutions to the foreclosure crisis, such as principal reduction or long-term rent contracts. Pres. Obama has nominated Congressman Mel Watt to replace DeMarco. These government sponsored enterprises are 79% owned by taxpayers and they are currently among the largest mass evictors within the state, displacing thousands of working-class people and eviscerating communities of color. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own over half of mortgages in Massachusetts.
© 2013 Marilyn Humphries
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
190731-N-JL568-1217 PHILIPPINE SEA (July 31, 2019) Operations Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Alba, from Santa Cruz, Calif., fires a 9mm pistol during a live-fire handgun qualification course held on the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85). McCampbell is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell/Released)
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
190731-N-JL568-1023 PHILIPPINE SEA (July 31, 2019) Operations Specialist 3rd Class Dejanee Gomez, from Brooklyn, N.Y., fires a 9mm pistol during a live-fire handgun qualification course held on the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85). McCampbell is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell/Released)
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
PHILIPPINE SEA (June 5, 2014) A Sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) stands a lookout watch on the ship’s flight deck. Kidd is currently on patrol with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group in support of regional security and stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Declan Barnes/Released)
Some background:
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the Luftwaffe during the latter half of the Second World War.
The Me 410’s origins are closely associated with the preceding Me 210. Development of this aircraft had been projected back in 1937 as a multi-purpose successor to the Bf 110, which had some identified shortcomings even prior to seeing combat service. Early on, confidence in the Me 210 had been high, to the extent that 1,000 aircraft were ordered off the drawing board; however, it would be a troubled program. Flight testing revealed poor longitudinal stability and despite modifications was considered unsatisfactory. While quantity production of the type proceeded, the Me 210 had a relatively high rate of accidents. This heavily contributed to production being halted on 14 April 1942; officials were keen to remedy the Me 210's problems and return it to production to minimize the economic loss incurred.
Various modifications to the design were explored, including the Me 310, a radical high-altitude derivative that incorporated a pressurized cockpit and more powerful engines.[9] This option was not favored by many officials, who sought a less ambitious remediation of the Me 210. It was this preference that led to the Me 410’s emergence, which was visually almost identical to the Me 210. The principal difference was the adoption of the larger (at 44.5 liters, 2,720 cu in displacement) and more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines. These engines each provided 1,750 metric horsepower (1,730 hp; 1,290 kW) compared to the 1,475 metric horsepower (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW) of the DB 605s used on the Me 210C. The extra power increased the Me 410's maximum speed to 625 kilometers per hour (388 mph), greatly improved rate of climb, service ceiling, and the cruising speed, the latter being raised to 579 km/h (360 mph).
The more powerful engines also improved payload capability to the point where the aircraft could lift a war-load greater than could fit into the bomb bay under the nose. Consequently, shackles were added under the wings for four 50-kilogram (110 lb) bombs. The changes added an extra 680 kg (1,500 lb) to the Me 210 design, but the extra engine power more than made up for the difference. As with the Me 210, the Me 410's rear gunner used the same pair of Ferngerichtete Drehringseitenlafette FDSL 131/1B turrets mounted on each side of the aircraft, each still armed with a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun, retaining the same pivoting handgun-style grip, trigger and gunsight to aim and fire the ordnance as the Me 210 did.
The new version included a lengthened fuselage and new, automatic leading edge slats. Both features had been tested on Me 210s and were found to dramatically improve handling. The slats had originally been featured on the earliest Me 210 models but had been removed on production models due to poor handling. When entering a steep turn, the slats tended to open due to the high angle of attack, analogous to the slats’ opening during the landing approach, which added to the difficulty in keeping the aircraft flying smoothly. However, when the problems with general lateral instability were addressed, this was no longer a real problem. While the Me 410 came to be regarded as a relatively stable aircraft, it had a poorer rate of turn than the Bf 110 it was intended to replace.
The wing panels of the earlier Me 210 had been designed with a planform geometry that placed the aerodynamic center farther back compared with the earlier Bf 110, giving the outer sections of the wing planform beyond each engine nacelle a slightly greater, 12.6° leading edge sweepback angle than the inner panels' 6.0° leading edge sweep angle. This resulted in unsuitable handling characteristics in flight for the original Me 210 design. The new Me 410 outer wing panels had their planform geometry revised to bring the aerodynamic center farther forward in comparison with the Me 210, thus making the leading-edge sweepback of the outer panels identical to the inner wing panels with both having identical 5.5° sweepback angles, which improved handling.
During late 1942, six Me 210As were taken off the assembly line for conversion to Me 410 standards. Near the end of that year, the Me 410 V1 prototype performed its maiden flight. Shortly thereafter, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) was suitably convinced by its performance to place a sizable production order for the Me 410. Deliveries of the Me 410 began in January 1943, two years late and continued until September 1944, by which point a total of 1,160 of all versions had been produced by Messerschmitt's facility in Augsburg and Dornier plant in München. When the Me 410 arrived, it was typically appreciated by its crews, even though its improved performance was not enough to protect it from the waves of high-performance Allied fighters that it routinely confronted at this stage of the conflict. There were various models produced to serve in distinct roles, including a light bomber, an aerial reconnaissance platform, a bomber destroyer and night fighters.
Among these the late Me 410 B-4 was the first and only dedicated version – earlier might fighters had been converted from existing Me 410 A machines and retrofitted with radar and extra armament. In contrast to this, the Me 410 B-4 had been re-designed with the new FuG 240 ‘Berlin’ radar. This device was an airborne interception radar system operating at the "lowest end" of the SHF radio band (at about 3.3 GHz/9.1 cm wavelength) and the first German radar to be based on the cavity magnetron, which eliminated the need for the large multiple dipole-based antenna arrays seen on earlier radars. Instead, a disk-shaped reflector antenna was used, which could be covered under an aerodynamic plywood hood, thereby greatly increasing the performance of the night fighters. The power output of the radar was 15 kW and was effective against bomber-sized targets at distances of up to 9 kilometers, or down to 0.5 kilometer, which eliminated the need for a second short-range radar system. The FuG 240 was introduced by Telefunken in April 1945 and immediately rushed into production.
On the Me 410 B-4 the static radar dish had a diameter of 70 cm and was mounted in a thimble-shaped wooden radome that occupied the area in front of the cockpit. This reduced the pilot’s field of view markedly (all windows under the windscreen were deleted), but since the aircraft was to be guided by the radar operator and not involved in ground attacks, this loss was regarded as acceptable. To aid the pilot in target identification and aiming a Spanner IV device, a passive infrared-sight, was added – it was mounted into the windshield. This lowered the field of sight even further but allowed the pilot to detect hot engine and exhaust areas at a range of up to 1.000 m, while the device supported weapon aiming at a range of about 600 m.
The Me 410’s bomb bay was re-purposed to house four 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as primary armament; the doors were deleted but a single ventral hardpoint for an external load of 1.000 kg was added – either for a large 500 l drop tank to extend range or for additional guns in a pod, e. g. the so-called ‘Magirus bomb’, or ‘WB 151A’ weapons pod with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and 150 rpg.
The rest of the armament was tailored to the night fighter mission profile, too: the heavy defensive FDSL 131 barbettes were deleted, and instead a staggered pair of MK 108 30 mm cannon with 100 rpg were installed behind the cockpit, firing upwards (‘Schräge Musik’), close to the aircraft’s center of gravity. It was planned to link these weapons to a SG 116 device, which would automatically trigger these through a photocell, reacting to the shadow of the target aircraft or its silhouette against the sky or coulds. This device turned out to be highly unreliable, though. The second crew member was now a dedicated radar operator who sat in the former observer/rear gunner’s position, but the seat was ‘reversed’ and now faced forward. The WSO had, beyond the bulky FuG 240’s display, a sight for the oblique guns so that these could also be triggered manually when the aircraft passed underneath its target.
Another dedicated night fighter modification of the Me 410 B-4 was its propulsion system. While the aircraft was still powered by the standard Daimler Benz DB 603A that provided up to 1,850 PS/1,360 kW, the night fighter was outfitted with handed reversible four blade propellers. The idea was to counter torque issues due to both propellers originally turning into the same direction, and the four blades were introduced to improve acceleration and especially decelration when the aircraft approached its relatively slow target at high speed and had to get into an effective and stable aiming position as quickly as possible. This also required handed engines, so that the Me 410 B-4's powerplants were designated DB 603A-1l/r to differentiate their working direction. Additionally, flame dampers were mounted as another standard night fighter measure to protect the crew from engine flares and hide the aircraft in the dark sky.
General characteristics:
Crew: two
Length: 12.75 m (41 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 16.3513 m (53 ft 7.75 in)
Height: 4.280 m (14 ft 0.5 in)
Wing area: 36.2031 m2 (389.687 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23018-636.5; tip: NACA 23010-636.5
Empty weight: 7,518 kg (16,574 lb)
Gross weight: 9,651 kg (21,276 lb)
Fuel capacity: 550 imp gal (660 US gal; 2,500 L) in four wing tanks
Powerplant:
2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A-1l/r V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, each providing:
- 1,290 kW (1,750 hp) for take-off
- 1,360 kW (1,850 PS) at 2,100 m (6,890 ft)
- 1,195 kW (1,625 PS) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
Driving handed 4-bladed VDM constant-speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 507 km/h (315 mph, 274 kn) at sea level,
624 km/h (388 mph; 337 kn) at 6,700 m (21,980 ft)
Cruise speed: 587 km/h (365 mph, 317 kn)
Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi) at maximum continuous cruise speed,
1,690 km (1,050 mi) at economical cruise speed
Ferry range: 2,300 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in ten minutes and 42 seconds
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 cannon with 300 rpg in the lower fuselage, firing forward
2× 30 mm (0.79 in) MK 108 cannon with 100 rpg behind the cockpit (“Schräge Musik”),
oriented 65° above horizontal
Up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of disposable external stores, including:
- 2x 300l + 1x 500l drop tanks
- 2x 250 kg or 4x 100kg or 4x 50 kg bombs
- 4× 21 cm (8.3 in) Werfer-Granate 21 rockets
The kit and its assembly:
Well, my Me 410 night fighter is certainly not the first one of its kind, but a personal interpretation of the subject with as much late-WWII hardware on board as possible, for a purposeful look and feel.
The basis of this build became the Italeri Me 410, mostly because it comes with “plugs” for the fuselage flanks where the original Me 410 carried its defensive gun barbettes – IMHO useless on a night fighter. The plugs are, however, quite useless, because they still have to be PSRed into the flanks so that they could be easily omitted anyway...
Another typical ingredient was a Quickboost FuG 240 thimble radome for the system's static dish antenna, originally intended for a Ju 88 G-6 night fighter but in this case mounted to the aircraft’s nose and PSRed into shape, too. The radome’s “flat” underside was also a plausible detail for an open field of fire for ventral guns in the former bomb bay – a conversion that had been done to many Me 410 heavy fighters with field modifications and cannon Rüstsätze.
The cockpit was insofar modified that the former gunner on the back seat now faced forward, and the workstation received some scratched devices like a radar screen and a tilted gun sight. The pilot received an IR sight, mounted through a hole that was drilled into the windscreen, and a separate bulletproof glass panel behind the windscreen. Since I did not want to open the already complex/fiddly three-part canopy I added two crew members.
The former machine gun barbettes were faired over, and instead two hollow steel needles were mounted behind the cockpit on sockets/bulges, plus a clear “sensor some” (all made from sprue material). Hollow steel needles were also used to simulate protruding gun barrels in the ventral cannon compartment and on the back. Under the wings a pair of OOB 300l drop tanks were added, a plausible payload, and to beef up the armament I scratched a Magirus-Bombe gun pod and mounted it on a central hardpoint from a Fw 190.
As an individual detail I lowered the aircraft's flaps, which was quite easy to do. The wing segments were simply cut out and semi-circular styrene profile used to create the hinges.
To make the Me 410 night fighter look a bit more purposeful I furthermore used flame dampers on the exhaust stubs; these were taken from an Italeri Me 110 night fighter, and this worked better then expected. I just had to modify one of the exhaust pipes due to the different position of the carburettor intakes on the Me 410. Furthermore I replaced the original three blade props with four blade alternatives (which had been tested on Me 410 V15 IIRC, but had not been adopted) from a FROG D.H. Hornet. Not a perfect match, because the spinners were slightly too big in diameter (could be trimmed down, though) and the props are handed, but that's only obvious at second glance.
Painting and markings:
I kept the livery conservative, and wanted to keep the aircraft relatively light overall, like a typical German late war night fighter. Therefore, the machine initially received an overall coat with RLM 76 (Humbrol 247), only with a few blurry fields and speckles with RLM 75 (Humbrol 246) on the wings’ upper surfaces and on the spine. Additionally, some mottling with mixed shades of RLM 76 and 75 were added, primarily to the fuselage, engine and fin flanks.
I initially considered additional mottles with lighter RLM 77 (RAL 7035, almost white) on the flanks and the upper surfaces, but when the two basic tones were applied I thought that this was already enough, so I kept the livery rather simple.
An unusual detail is a single black wing underside, though. This is/was not a camouflage measure, rather an identification marking for anti-aircraft artillery on the ground to avoid friendly fire. This was, just as in real life, done with water-soluble paint (acrylic tar black, Revell 06), so that the original light blue-grey paint would shine through here and there and the black paint would easily wear or flake off.
To achieve this effects and to blur the mottling the whole model received, after it had been painted, an overall treatment with fine wet sand paper. A similar method was used to simulate flaked paint on the wooden radome. After a light black ink washing some post-panel-shading was done, too.
The cockpit interior became very dark grey (RAL 7021, I used Revell 09 Anthracite) while the landing gear and its respective wells were painted in RLM 02 (Tamiya XF-22).
The decals were puzzled together from various sources. The code G9+F(red)N is plausible for an aircraft of the Nachtjagdgeschwader 1's 5th squadron. The unit emblem is fictional, though, the gauntlet motif came from an RAF Tornado. The black iron crosses were reduced to a minimum - except for the underwing markings, which were kept more complex even during the final war stages, and in the case of the black wing these markings also offer more contrast for a secure identification from below.
After some soot stains done with graphite around the exhausts and the gun muzzles the model was finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish and the wire antenna made from heated black sprue material was added.
Some background:
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the Luftwaffe during the latter half of the Second World War.
The Me 410’s origins are closely associated with the preceding Me 210. Development of this aircraft had been projected back in 1937 as a multi-purpose successor to the Bf 110, which had some identified shortcomings even prior to seeing combat service. Early on, confidence in the Me 210 had been high, to the extent that 1,000 aircraft were ordered off the drawing board; however, it would be a troubled program. Flight testing revealed poor longitudinal stability and despite modifications was considered unsatisfactory. While quantity production of the type proceeded, the Me 210 had a relatively high rate of accidents. This heavily contributed to production being halted on 14 April 1942; officials were keen to remedy the Me 210's problems and return it to production to minimize the economic loss incurred.
Various modifications to the design were explored, including the Me 310, a radical high-altitude derivative that incorporated a pressurized cockpit and more powerful engines.[9] This option was not favored by many officials, who sought a less ambitious remediation of the Me 210. It was this preference that led to the Me 410’s emergence, which was visually almost identical to the Me 210. The principal difference was the adoption of the larger (at 44.5 liters, 2,720 cu in displacement) and more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines. These engines each provided 1,750 metric horsepower (1,730 hp; 1,290 kW) compared to the 1,475 metric horsepower (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW) of the DB 605s used on the Me 210C. The extra power increased the Me 410's maximum speed to 625 kilometers per hour (388 mph), greatly improved rate of climb, service ceiling, and the cruising speed, the latter being raised to 579 km/h (360 mph).
The more powerful engines also improved payload capability to the point where the aircraft could lift a war-load greater than could fit into the bomb bay under the nose. Consequently, shackles were added under the wings for four 50-kilogram (110 lb) bombs. The changes added an extra 680 kg (1,500 lb) to the Me 210 design, but the extra engine power more than made up for the difference. As with the Me 210, the Me 410's rear gunner used the same pair of Ferngerichtete Drehringseitenlafette FDSL 131/1B turrets mounted on each side of the aircraft, each still armed with a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun, retaining the same pivoting handgun-style grip, trigger and gunsight to aim and fire the ordnance as the Me 210 did.
The new version included a lengthened fuselage and new, automatic leading edge slats. Both features had been tested on Me 210s and were found to dramatically improve handling. The slats had originally been featured on the earliest Me 210 models but had been removed on production models due to poor handling. When entering a steep turn, the slats tended to open due to the high angle of attack, analogous to the slats’ opening during the landing approach, which added to the difficulty in keeping the aircraft flying smoothly. However, when the problems with general lateral instability were addressed, this was no longer a real problem. While the Me 410 came to be regarded as a relatively stable aircraft, it had a poorer rate of turn than the Bf 110 it was intended to replace.
The wing panels of the earlier Me 210 had been designed with a planform geometry that placed the aerodynamic center farther back compared with the earlier Bf 110, giving the outer sections of the wing planform beyond each engine nacelle a slightly greater, 12.6° leading edge sweepback angle than the inner panels' 6.0° leading edge sweep angle. This resulted in unsuitable handling characteristics in flight for the original Me 210 design. The new Me 410 outer wing panels had their planform geometry revised to bring the aerodynamic center farther forward in comparison with the Me 210, thus making the leading-edge sweepback of the outer panels identical to the inner wing panels with both having identical 5.5° sweepback angles, which improved handling.
During late 1942, six Me 210As were taken off the assembly line for conversion to Me 410 standards. Near the end of that year, the Me 410 V1 prototype performed its maiden flight. Shortly thereafter, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) was suitably convinced by its performance to place a sizable production order for the Me 410. Deliveries of the Me 410 began in January 1943, two years late and continued until September 1944, by which point a total of 1,160 of all versions had been produced by Messerschmitt's facility in Augsburg and Dornier plant in München. When the Me 410 arrived, it was typically appreciated by its crews, even though its improved performance was not enough to protect it from the waves of high-performance Allied fighters that it routinely confronted at this stage of the conflict. There were various models produced to serve in distinct roles, including a light bomber, an aerial reconnaissance platform, a bomber destroyer and night fighters.
Among these the late Me 410 B-4 was the first and only dedicated version – earlier might fighters had been converted from existing Me 410 A machines and retrofitted with radar and extra armament. In contrast to this, the Me 410 B-4 had been re-designed with the new FuG 240 ‘Berlin’ radar. This device was an airborne interception radar system operating at the "lowest end" of the SHF radio band (at about 3.3 GHz/9.1 cm wavelength) and the first German radar to be based on the cavity magnetron, which eliminated the need for the large multiple dipole-based antenna arrays seen on earlier radars. Instead, a disk-shaped reflector antenna was used, which could be covered under an aerodynamic plywood hood, thereby greatly increasing the performance of the night fighters. The power output of the radar was 15 kW and was effective against bomber-sized targets at distances of up to 9 kilometers, or down to 0.5 kilometer, which eliminated the need for a second short-range radar system. The FuG 240 was introduced by Telefunken in April 1945 and immediately rushed into production.
On the Me 410 B-4 the static radar dish had a diameter of 70 cm and was mounted in a thimble-shaped wooden radome that occupied the area in front of the cockpit. This reduced the pilot’s field of view markedly (all windows under the windscreen were deleted), but since the aircraft was to be guided by the radar operator and not involved in ground attacks, this loss was regarded as acceptable. To aid the pilot in target identification and aiming a Spanner IV device, a passive infrared-sight, was added – it was mounted into the windshield. This lowered the field of sight even further but allowed the pilot to detect hot engine and exhaust areas at a range of up to 1.000 m, while the device supported weapon aiming at a range of about 600 m.
The Me 410’s bomb bay was re-purposed to house four 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as primary armament; the doors were deleted but a single ventral hardpoint for an external load of 1.000 kg was added – either for a large 500 l drop tank to extend range or for additional guns in a pod, e. g. the so-called ‘Magirus bomb’, or ‘WB 151A’ weapons pod with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and 150 rpg.
The rest of the armament was tailored to the night fighter mission profile, too: the heavy defensive FDSL 131 barbettes were deleted, and instead a staggered pair of MK 108 30 mm cannon with 100 rpg were installed behind the cockpit, firing upwards (‘Schräge Musik’), close to the aircraft’s center of gravity. It was planned to link these weapons to a SG 116 device, which would automatically trigger these through a photocell, reacting to the shadow of the target aircraft or its silhouette against the sky or coulds. This device turned out to be highly unreliable, though. The second crew member was now a dedicated radar operator who sat in the former observer/rear gunner’s position, but the seat was ‘reversed’ and now faced forward. The WSO had, beyond the bulky FuG 240’s display, a sight for the oblique guns so that these could also be triggered manually when the aircraft passed underneath its target.
Another dedicated night fighter modification of the Me 410 B-4 was its propulsion system. While the aircraft was still powered by the standard Daimler Benz DB 603A that provided up to 1,850 PS/1,360 kW, the night fighter was outfitted with handed reversible four blade propellers. The idea was to counter torque issues due to both propellers originally turning into the same direction, and the four blades were introduced to improve acceleration and especially decelration when the aircraft approached its relatively slow target at high speed and had to get into an effective and stable aiming position as quickly as possible. This also required handed engines, so that the Me 410 B-4's powerplants were designated DB 603A-1l/r to differentiate their working direction. Additionally, flame dampers were mounted as another standard night fighter measure to protect the crew from engine flares and hide the aircraft in the dark sky.
General characteristics:
Crew: two
Length: 12.75 m (41 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 16.3513 m (53 ft 7.75 in)
Height: 4.280 m (14 ft 0.5 in)
Wing area: 36.2031 m2 (389.687 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23018-636.5; tip: NACA 23010-636.5
Empty weight: 7,518 kg (16,574 lb)
Gross weight: 9,651 kg (21,276 lb)
Fuel capacity: 550 imp gal (660 US gal; 2,500 L) in four wing tanks
Powerplant:
2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A-1l/r V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, each providing:
- 1,290 kW (1,750 hp) for take-off
- 1,360 kW (1,850 PS) at 2,100 m (6,890 ft)
- 1,195 kW (1,625 PS) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
Driving handed 4-bladed VDM constant-speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 507 km/h (315 mph, 274 kn) at sea level,
624 km/h (388 mph; 337 kn) at 6,700 m (21,980 ft)
Cruise speed: 587 km/h (365 mph, 317 kn)
Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi) at maximum continuous cruise speed,
1,690 km (1,050 mi) at economical cruise speed
Ferry range: 2,300 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in ten minutes and 42 seconds
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 cannon with 300 rpg in the lower fuselage, firing forward
2× 30 mm (0.79 in) MK 108 cannon with 100 rpg behind the cockpit (“Schräge Musik”),
oriented 65° above horizontal
Up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of disposable external stores, including:
- 2x 300l + 1x 500l drop tanks
- 2x 250 kg or 4x 100kg or 4x 50 kg bombs
- 4× 21 cm (8.3 in) Werfer-Granate 21 rockets
The kit and its assembly:
Well, my Me 410 night fighter is certainly not the first one of its kind, but a personal interpretation of the subject with as much late-WWII hardware on board as possible, for a purposeful look and feel.
The basis of this build became the Italeri Me 410, mostly because it comes with “plugs” for the fuselage flanks where the original Me 410 carried its defensive gun barbettes – IMHO useless on a night fighter. The plugs are, however, quite useless, because they still have to be PSRed into the flanks so that they could be easily omitted anyway...
Another typical ingredient was a Quickboost FuG 240 thimble radome for the system's static dish antenna, originally intended for a Ju 88 G-6 night fighter but in this case mounted to the aircraft’s nose and PSRed into shape, too. The radome’s “flat” underside was also a plausible detail for an open field of fire for ventral guns in the former bomb bay – a conversion that had been done to many Me 410 heavy fighters with field modifications and cannon Rüstsätze.
The cockpit was insofar modified that the former gunner on the back seat now faced forward, and the workstation received some scratched devices like a radar screen and a tilted gun sight. The pilot received an IR sight, mounted through a hole that was drilled into the windscreen, and a separate bulletproof glass panel behind the windscreen. Since I did not want to open the already complex/fiddly three-part canopy I added two crew members.
The former machine gun barbettes were faired over, and instead two hollow steel needles were mounted behind the cockpit on sockets/bulges, plus a clear “sensor some” (all made from sprue material). Hollow steel needles were also used to simulate protruding gun barrels in the ventral cannon compartment and on the back. Under the wings a pair of OOB 300l drop tanks were added, a plausible payload, and to beef up the armament I scratched a Magirus-Bombe gun pod and mounted it on a central hardpoint from a Fw 190.
As an individual detail I lowered the aircraft's flaps, which was quite easy to do. The wing segments were simply cut out and semi-circular styrene profile used to create the hinges.
To make the Me 410 night fighter look a bit more purposeful I furthermore used flame dampers on the exhaust stubs; these were taken from an Italeri Me 110 night fighter, and this worked better then expected. I just had to modify one of the exhaust pipes due to the different position of the carburettor intakes on the Me 410. Furthermore I replaced the original three blade props with four blade alternatives (which had been tested on Me 410 V15 IIRC, but had not been adopted) from a FROG D.H. Hornet. Not a perfect match, because the spinners were slightly too big in diameter (could be trimmed down, though) and the props are handed, but that's only obvious at second glance.
Painting and markings:
I kept the livery conservative, and wanted to keep the aircraft relatively light overall, like a typical German late war night fighter. Therefore, the machine initially received an overall coat with RLM 76 (Humbrol 247), only with a few blurry fields and speckles with RLM 75 (Humbrol 246) on the wings’ upper surfaces and on the spine. Additionally, some mottling with mixed shades of RLM 76 and 75 were added, primarily to the fuselage, engine and fin flanks.
I initially considered additional mottles with lighter RLM 77 (RAL 7035, almost white) on the flanks and the upper surfaces, but when the two basic tones were applied I thought that this was already enough, so I kept the livery rather simple.
An unusual detail is a single black wing underside, though. This is/was not a camouflage measure, rather an identification marking for anti-aircraft artillery on the ground to avoid friendly fire. This was, just as in real life, done with water-soluble paint (acrylic tar black, Revell 06), so that the original light blue-grey paint would shine through here and there and the black paint would easily wear or flake off.
To achieve this effects and to blur the mottling the whole model received, after it had been painted, an overall treatment with fine wet sand paper. A similar method was used to simulate flaked paint on the wooden radome. After a light black ink washing some post-panel-shading was done, too.
The cockpit interior became very dark grey (RAL 7021, I used Revell 09 Anthracite) while the landing gear and its respective wells were painted in RLM 02 (Tamiya XF-22).
The decals were puzzled together from various sources. The code G9+F(red)N is plausible for an aircraft of the Nachtjagdgeschwader 1's 5th squadron. The unit emblem is fictional, though, the gauntlet motif came from an RAF Tornado. The black iron crosses were reduced to a minimum - except for the underwing markings, which were kept more complex even during the final war stages, and in the case of the black wing these markings also offer more contrast for a secure identification from below.
After some soot stains done with graphite around the exhausts and the gun muzzles the model was finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish and the wire antenna made from heated black sprue material was added.
Launch of the Fine Gael Stability Treaty Facebook App at Fine Gael HQ - 2 May 2012 - The application allows people to send questions to Fine Gael about the Stability Treaty.
ANKYLOS® is more than a taper – ANKYLOS® is TissueCare!
And soft tissues just love ANKYLOS®: the geometry in the
emergence region leaves plenty of room for an ample, healthy
gingiva – the progressive thread design contributes to retention
of the crestal bone and the bone apposition right up
to the abutment keeps the soft tissues permanently on form.
On the following pages we will introduce you to the five
success factors for long-lasting red-white esthetics – our
“TissueCare Concept”.
More Information: www.dentsply-friadent.com/en/4242.htm
THIGH LIFT AND STABILITY (90 degrees flexion of hip)
To start
Lie in a constructive rest position. Your pelvis is in neutral. Place your hands on your femoral folds.
Inhale and feel the width of your sacrum and back ribcage
Exhale and hollow. Imagine the hollow energizes you in new length of the connection of your head-tail.
The movement
Level I
Inhale and breath wide into your back body
Exhale to engage spinal hug and lift your bent right leg up until your femur bone is perpendicular to the floor. Keep the shin and the foot relaxed. Put your attention to lifting the thigh from the psoas. Your hands are feeling the softening of the hinge of your femur in your hip socket.
Inhale and lower the right thigh back to its original position.
Exhale with a hollow and lift your bent left thigh up to 90 degrees. Your pelvis should remain in neutral
Inhale to lower the left leg back to constructive rest position.
Observation
Were you able to keep the pelvis still? What did you do with the leg not doing the thigh lift? Did the opposite side of the thigh lift move when the leg was raised?Photos of different events at Movements Afoot
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Carrie Williams and Heather Olson are placed on doll stands for stability, and placed next to their separately sold counterparts (who are on the outside in this photo). Here I discover that the ''Deluxe'' in the box didn't only mean that all six of the PNK sorority sisters were represented, but that their sweaters now had glitter, and had rhinestones in their collars. They were definitely better looking with the iridescent glitter in their sweaters, and I was happy that they were an upgrade from the original dolls. Otherwise, the dolls were identical to their originals. The new Carrie had hair and eyelashes that was a bit messy, but nothing too bad. Deluxe Heather was almost perfect. The glitter does shed, but I don't mind it when their outfits look so spiffy.
The MU Deluxe Fashion Dolls have been fully deboxed, and are laid down on a counter, in the same order that they were in the box. Then after I had identified who was who, I switch the places of Carrie and Crystal, so they would match the image on the back of the box, and be with their natural partners. Then they were stood up, leaning up against a wall for support. They can free stand on their hooves, but are not especially stable as they are top heavy.
First the Monsters University Deluxe Fashion Doll Set is removed from the box by sliding out the backing tray out of the box, after breaking the seals on the top lid. I wanted to identify all the dolls, but was confused at first by the dolls not matching the photo of the animated characters in the back of the box. They are in reverse order of the dolls in the box, but also I figured out that Carrie had been switched with Crystal in the box, compared to the box image. I verified that by comparing the boxed Carrie with my deboxed separately bought Carrie doll. I also looked at the image on the Disney Store website, and saw that my dolls were packaged identically to the stock image. It would have been nice if Carrie was next to Heather in the original packaging, and Crystal next to Taylor, as they are always pictured together in other Disney images, Carrie and Heather were the original dolls released by Disney. Carrie and Crystal look almost identical, except for the color of their skin. Carrie has pink skin, while Crystal has purple skin.
My first look at the 6 doll Monsters University Deluxe Fashion Doll Set. It is currently part of the 40% off MU sale. I just received them last night (October 30, 2013) and will photograph them boxed, during deboxing, and fully deboxed. I will also pose them with other comparable dolls.
Monsters University - Deluxe Fashion Doll Set
US Disney Store
Released October 21, 2013
now $47.97
reg $79.95, you save: 40%
Item No. 6171040901272P
Snake charmers
Putting the fear in cheer, six members of Python Nu Kappa sorority join together in this Deluxe Fashion Doll Set. The Monsters University students certainly have an eye for style. In fact they have three each.
Magic in the details...
•Set Includes: Carrie Williams, Heather Olson, Taylor Holbrook, Crystal Du Bois, Naomi Jackson, Britney Davis
•Poseable 11'' fashion dolls
•Rooted and styled hair
•Knit Python Nu Kappa sweaters
•Faux fur tutu and leg warmers
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Plastic / polyester
•11'' H
•Imported
Clinic Director and Senior Osteopath, Clive Lathey, giving his lecture titled 'The Role of Spinal Stability in the Prevention of Injury' at our Open Day.
October 3, 2013. Boston, MA.
City Life/Vida Urbana members and community activists for the third week in a row protested outside of the Boston Housing Court. Protesters assert that taxpayer owned banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have been evicting families âno faultâ at alarming rates in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Four people including longtime housing activist and one-time mayoral candidate Mel King committed civil disobedience in front of the courthouse and were arrested.
The group is pressing for a stop no fault evictions until Mel Watt is confirmed to the FHFA. Ed DeMarco is the current head of FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. DeMarco has resisted community-stability based solutions to the foreclosure crisis, such as principal reduction or long-term rent contracts. Pres. Obama has nominated Congressman Mel Watt to replace DeMarco. These government sponsored enterprises are 79% owned by taxpayers and they are currently among the largest mass evictors within the state, displacing thousands of working-class people and eviscerating communities of color. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own over half of mortgages in Massachusetts.
© 2013 Marilyn Humphries
Clinic Director and Senior Osteopath, Clive Lathey, giving his lecture titled 'The Role of Spinal Stability in the Prevention of Injury' at our Open Day.
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
Baby hands and flower. the little boy is holding a flower. glade with yellow flowers. child, exploring the world, love of nature, stability.
Public Housing residents graduate from NYCHA Resident training academy through Public-Private Partnership focused on financial stability
190805-N-JL568-1038 PHILIPPINE SEA (August 05, 2019) Seaman Recruit Christopher Pinamartinez, from Brunswick, N.J., secures chock and chains on the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85). McCampbell is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell/Released)
I have craved stability my whole life - it's been like a child's hat blown off at the beach; you keep chasing, trying to catch it but unseen gusts take it further from your grasp, do you give up, take the loss or strategically pause, observe the patterns and try again ♀️
It seems you just about get one area of your life kinda stable then pooft something happens.
As a young adult I thought I would find stability starting my own family young but nope 😁
Career gets going but then lack of stability with love or maybe money's more stable but then time is not ♀️
So I'm rewriting my stability list,
I'm going to take a bit from the mountains which have always brought me such an all encompassing feel of stability, they are there through times, seasons, weather comes and goes but in a quiet majesty they take it all but remain strong♥
October 3, 2013. Boston, MA.
City Life/Vida Urbana members and community activists for the third week in a row protested outside of the Boston Housing Court. Protesters assert that taxpayer owned banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have been evicting families ‘no fault’ at alarming rates in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Four people including longtime housing activist and one-time mayoral candidate Mel King committed civil disobedience in front of the courthouse and were arrested.
The group is pressing for a stop no fault evictions until Mel Watt is confirmed to the FHFA. Ed DeMarco is the current head of FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. DeMarco has resisted community-stability based solutions to the foreclosure crisis, such as principal reduction or long-term rent contracts. Pres. Obama has nominated Congressman Mel Watt to replace DeMarco. These government sponsored enterprises are 79% owned by taxpayers and they are currently among the largest mass evictors within the state, displacing thousands of working-class people and eviscerating communities of color. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own over half of mortgages in Massachusetts.
© 2013 Marilyn Humphries
Some background:
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the Luftwaffe during the latter half of the Second World War.
The Me 410’s origins are closely associated with the preceding Me 210. Development of this aircraft had been projected back in 1937 as a multi-purpose successor to the Bf 110, which had some identified shortcomings even prior to seeing combat service. Early on, confidence in the Me 210 had been high, to the extent that 1,000 aircraft were ordered off the drawing board; however, it would be a troubled program. Flight testing revealed poor longitudinal stability and despite modifications was considered unsatisfactory. While quantity production of the type proceeded, the Me 210 had a relatively high rate of accidents. This heavily contributed to production being halted on 14 April 1942; officials were keen to remedy the Me 210's problems and return it to production to minimize the economic loss incurred.
Various modifications to the design were explored, including the Me 310, a radical high-altitude derivative that incorporated a pressurized cockpit and more powerful engines.[9] This option was not favored by many officials, who sought a less ambitious remediation of the Me 210. It was this preference that led to the Me 410’s emergence, which was visually almost identical to the Me 210. The principal difference was the adoption of the larger (at 44.5 liters, 2,720 cu in displacement) and more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines. These engines each provided 1,750 metric horsepower (1,730 hp; 1,290 kW) compared to the 1,475 metric horsepower (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW) of the DB 605s used on the Me 210C. The extra power increased the Me 410's maximum speed to 625 kilometers per hour (388 mph), greatly improved rate of climb, service ceiling, and the cruising speed, the latter being raised to 579 km/h (360 mph).
The more powerful engines also improved payload capability to the point where the aircraft could lift a war-load greater than could fit into the bomb bay under the nose. Consequently, shackles were added under the wings for four 50-kilogram (110 lb) bombs. The changes added an extra 680 kg (1,500 lb) to the Me 210 design, but the extra engine power more than made up for the difference. As with the Me 210, the Me 410's rear gunner used the same pair of Ferngerichtete Drehringseitenlafette FDSL 131/1B turrets mounted on each side of the aircraft, each still armed with a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun, retaining the same pivoting handgun-style grip, trigger and gunsight to aim and fire the ordnance as the Me 210 did.
The new version included a lengthened fuselage and new, automatic leading edge slats. Both features had been tested on Me 210s and were found to dramatically improve handling. The slats had originally been featured on the earliest Me 210 models but had been removed on production models due to poor handling. When entering a steep turn, the slats tended to open due to the high angle of attack, analogous to the slats’ opening during the landing approach, which added to the difficulty in keeping the aircraft flying smoothly. However, when the problems with general lateral instability were addressed, this was no longer a real problem. While the Me 410 came to be regarded as a relatively stable aircraft, it had a poorer rate of turn than the Bf 110 it was intended to replace.
The wing panels of the earlier Me 210 had been designed with a planform geometry that placed the aerodynamic center farther back compared with the earlier Bf 110, giving the outer sections of the wing planform beyond each engine nacelle a slightly greater, 12.6° leading edge sweepback angle than the inner panels' 6.0° leading edge sweep angle. This resulted in unsuitable handling characteristics in flight for the original Me 210 design. The new Me 410 outer wing panels had their planform geometry revised to bring the aerodynamic center farther forward in comparison with the Me 210, thus making the leading-edge sweepback of the outer panels identical to the inner wing panels with both having identical 5.5° sweepback angles, which improved handling.
During late 1942, six Me 210As were taken off the assembly line for conversion to Me 410 standards. Near the end of that year, the Me 410 V1 prototype performed its maiden flight. Shortly thereafter, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) was suitably convinced by its performance to place a sizable production order for the Me 410. Deliveries of the Me 410 began in January 1943, two years late and continued until September 1944, by which point a total of 1,160 of all versions had been produced by Messerschmitt's facility in Augsburg and Dornier plant in München. When the Me 410 arrived, it was typically appreciated by its crews, even though its improved performance was not enough to protect it from the waves of high-performance Allied fighters that it routinely confronted at this stage of the conflict. There were various models produced to serve in distinct roles, including a light bomber, an aerial reconnaissance platform, a bomber destroyer and night fighters.
Among these the late Me 410 B-4 was the first and only dedicated version – earlier might fighters had been converted from existing Me 410 A machines and retrofitted with radar and extra armament. In contrast to this, the Me 410 B-4 had been re-designed with the new FuG 240 ‘Berlin’ radar. This device was an airborne interception radar system operating at the "lowest end" of the SHF radio band (at about 3.3 GHz/9.1 cm wavelength) and the first German radar to be based on the cavity magnetron, which eliminated the need for the large multiple dipole-based antenna arrays seen on earlier radars. Instead, a disk-shaped reflector antenna was used, which could be covered under an aerodynamic plywood hood, thereby greatly increasing the performance of the night fighters. The power output of the radar was 15 kW and was effective against bomber-sized targets at distances of up to 9 kilometers, or down to 0.5 kilometer, which eliminated the need for a second short-range radar system. The FuG 240 was introduced by Telefunken in April 1945 and immediately rushed into production.
On the Me 410 B-4 the static radar dish had a diameter of 70 cm and was mounted in a thimble-shaped wooden radome that occupied the area in front of the cockpit. This reduced the pilot’s field of view markedly (all windows under the windscreen were deleted), but since the aircraft was to be guided by the radar operator and not involved in ground attacks, this loss was regarded as acceptable. To aid the pilot in target identification and aiming a Spanner IV device, a passive infrared-sight, was added – it was mounted into the windshield. This lowered the field of sight even further but allowed the pilot to detect hot engine and exhaust areas at a range of up to 1.000 m, while the device supported weapon aiming at a range of about 600 m.
The Me 410’s bomb bay was re-purposed to house four 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as primary armament; the doors were deleted but a single ventral hardpoint for an external load of 1.000 kg was added – either for a large 500 l drop tank to extend range or for additional guns in a pod, e. g. the so-called ‘Magirus bomb’, or ‘WB 151A’ weapons pod with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and 150 rpg.
The rest of the armament was tailored to the night fighter mission profile, too: the heavy defensive FDSL 131 barbettes were deleted, and instead a staggered pair of MK 108 30 mm cannon with 100 rpg were installed behind the cockpit, firing upwards (‘Schräge Musik’), close to the aircraft’s center of gravity. It was planned to link these weapons to a SG 116 device, which would automatically trigger these through a photocell, reacting to the shadow of the target aircraft or its silhouette against the sky or coulds. This device turned out to be highly unreliable, though. The second crew member was now a dedicated radar operator who sat in the former observer/rear gunner’s position, but the seat was ‘reversed’ and now faced forward. The WSO had, beyond the bulky FuG 240’s display, a sight for the oblique guns so that these could also be triggered manually when the aircraft passed underneath its target.
Another dedicated night fighter modification of the Me 410 B-4 was its propulsion system. While the aircraft was still powered by the standard Daimler Benz DB 603A that provided up to 1,850 PS/1,360 kW, the night fighter was outfitted with handed reversible four blade propellers. The idea was to counter torque issues due to both propellers originally turning into the same direction, and the four blades were introduced to improve acceleration and especially decelration when the aircraft approached its relatively slow target at high speed and had to get into an effective and stable aiming position as quickly as possible. This also required handed engines, so that the Me 410 B-4's powerplants were designated DB 603A-1l/r to differentiate their working direction. Additionally, flame dampers were mounted as another standard night fighter measure to protect the crew from engine flares and hide the aircraft in the dark sky.
General characteristics:
Crew: two
Length: 12.75 m (41 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 16.3513 m (53 ft 7.75 in)
Height: 4.280 m (14 ft 0.5 in)
Wing area: 36.2031 m2 (389.687 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23018-636.5; tip: NACA 23010-636.5
Empty weight: 7,518 kg (16,574 lb)
Gross weight: 9,651 kg (21,276 lb)
Fuel capacity: 550 imp gal (660 US gal; 2,500 L) in four wing tanks
Powerplant:
2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A-1l/r V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, each providing:
- 1,290 kW (1,750 hp) for take-off
- 1,360 kW (1,850 PS) at 2,100 m (6,890 ft)
- 1,195 kW (1,625 PS) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
Driving handed 4-bladed VDM constant-speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 507 km/h (315 mph, 274 kn) at sea level,
624 km/h (388 mph; 337 kn) at 6,700 m (21,980 ft)
Cruise speed: 587 km/h (365 mph, 317 kn)
Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi) at maximum continuous cruise speed,
1,690 km (1,050 mi) at economical cruise speed
Ferry range: 2,300 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in ten minutes and 42 seconds
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 cannon with 300 rpg in the lower fuselage, firing forward
2× 30 mm (0.79 in) MK 108 cannon with 100 rpg behind the cockpit (“Schräge Musik”),
oriented 65° above horizontal
Up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of disposable external stores, including:
- 2x 300l + 1x 500l drop tanks
- 2x 250 kg or 4x 100kg or 4x 50 kg bombs
- 4× 21 cm (8.3 in) Werfer-Granate 21 rockets
The kit and its assembly:
Well, my Me 410 night fighter is certainly not the first one of its kind, but a personal interpretation of the subject with as much late-WWII hardware on board as possible, for a purposeful look and feel.
The basis of this build became the Italeri Me 410, mostly because it comes with “plugs” for the fuselage flanks where the original Me 410 carried its defensive gun barbettes – IMHO useless on a night fighter. The plugs are, however, quite useless, because they still have to be PSRed into the flanks so that they could be easily omitted anyway...
Another typical ingredient was a Quickboost FuG 240 thimble radome for the system's static dish antenna, originally intended for a Ju 88 G-6 night fighter but in this case mounted to the aircraft’s nose and PSRed into shape, too. The radome’s “flat” underside was also a plausible detail for an open field of fire for ventral guns in the former bomb bay – a conversion that had been done to many Me 410 heavy fighters with field modifications and cannon Rüstsätze.
The cockpit was insofar modified that the former gunner on the back seat now faced forward, and the workstation received some scratched devices like a radar screen and a tilted gun sight. The pilot received an IR sight, mounted through a hole that was drilled into the windscreen, and a separate bulletproof glass panel behind the windscreen. Since I did not want to open the already complex/fiddly three-part canopy I added two crew members.
The former machine gun barbettes were faired over, and instead two hollow steel needles were mounted behind the cockpit on sockets/bulges, plus a clear “sensor some” (all made from sprue material). Hollow steel needles were also used to simulate protruding gun barrels in the ventral cannon compartment and on the back. Under the wings a pair of OOB 300l drop tanks were added, a plausible payload, and to beef up the armament I scratched a Magirus-Bombe gun pod and mounted it on a central hardpoint from a Fw 190.
As an individual detail I lowered the aircraft's flaps, which was quite easy to do. The wing segments were simply cut out and semi-circular styrene profile used to create the hinges.
To make the Me 410 night fighter look a bit more purposeful I furthermore used flame dampers on the exhaust stubs; these were taken from an Italeri Me 110 night fighter, and this worked better then expected. I just had to modify one of the exhaust pipes due to the different position of the carburettor intakes on the Me 410. Furthermore I replaced the original three blade props with four blade alternatives (which had been tested on Me 410 V15 IIRC, but had not been adopted) from a FROG D.H. Hornet. Not a perfect match, because the spinners were slightly too big in diameter (could be trimmed down, though) and the props are handed, but that's only obvious at second glance.
Painting and markings:
I kept the livery conservative, and wanted to keep the aircraft relatively light overall, like a typical German late war night fighter. Therefore, the machine initially received an overall coat with RLM 76 (Humbrol 247), only with a few blurry fields and speckles with RLM 75 (Humbrol 246) on the wings’ upper surfaces and on the spine. Additionally, some mottling with mixed shades of RLM 76 and 75 were added, primarily to the fuselage, engine and fin flanks.
I initially considered additional mottles with lighter RLM 77 (RAL 7035, almost white) on the flanks and the upper surfaces, but when the two basic tones were applied I thought that this was already enough, so I kept the livery rather simple.
An unusual detail is a single black wing underside, though. This is/was not a camouflage measure, rather an identification marking for anti-aircraft artillery on the ground to avoid friendly fire. This was, just as in real life, done with water-soluble paint (acrylic tar black, Revell 06), so that the original light blue-grey paint would shine through here and there and the black paint would easily wear or flake off.
To achieve this effects and to blur the mottling the whole model received, after it had been painted, an overall treatment with fine wet sand paper. A similar method was used to simulate flaked paint on the wooden radome. After a light black ink washing some post-panel-shading was done, too.
The cockpit interior became very dark grey (RAL 7021, I used Revell 09 Anthracite) while the landing gear and its respective wells were painted in RLM 02 (Tamiya XF-22).
The decals were puzzled together from various sources. The code G9+F(red)N is plausible for an aircraft of the Nachtjagdgeschwader 1's 5th squadron. The unit emblem is fictional, though, the gauntlet motif came from an RAF Tornado. The black iron crosses were reduced to a minimum - except for the underwing markings, which were kept more complex even during the final war stages, and in the case of the black wing these markings also offer more contrast for a secure identification from below.
After some soot stains done with graphite around the exhausts and the gun muzzles the model was finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish and the wire antenna made from heated black sprue material was added.