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Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The construction sites around Dublin are coming down as fast as they were put up. This collection of new buildings on Charlemont Street are really shooting up. COVID-19, Level 3, June 2021.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Ilford HP5 (400 ASA) black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Foresters and other Friendly societies were formed in Australia in the nineteenth century as support societies for their mainly working-class members. The societies provided insurance against sickness, death and misfortune which included sick pay, funeral expenses and financial support for families of deceased members. Despite its name, the Ancient Order of Foresters was a relatively young society, formed in Britain in 1834 as a splinter group from the Royal Foresters. Branches, known as courts, were established in Sydney and Adelaide in the 1840s. The Fortitude Valley branch, ‘Court Fortitude’ was inaugurated on 7 March 1859 at the Alliance Hall. When Queensland separated from NSW later in 1859, it became the first Foresters court in Queensland. Founding members of the court include George Warren and Thomas Skyring. By the end of 1859 the court had 90 members, with George Warren Chief Ranger and John Heal as secretary. Honorary members, who contributed funds but did not intend to use them, included politician and later Chief Justice, Charles Lilley.
The first Foresters Hall opened five months after the court’s inauguration with about forty members and friends present. The hall was attached to the Foresters’ Arms Hotel, whose publican George Warren was the court’s Chief Ranger. The old Hall was intended for use for concerts, lectures and was ‘available in many ways to meet the demands of a progressive community’. The hall also enabled the Foresters to provide a free reading room, open to the public. However, in 1861 the Foresters Hall was adopted for use as the Fortitude Valley primary school. A new Foresters Hall was constructed by George Warren in January 1862, but from April 1863 Court Fortitude Foresters’ meetings were held in Harvey’s Castle Hotel.
The benefits of membership of the Foresters society were varied and numerous. Primarily, the Friendly societies were charitable institutions, guaranteeing financial security for members in hard times. The object of the ‘Foresters’ Benefit Investment Society’, noted in the Moreton Bay Courier on the inauguration of Court Fortitude, was, ‘to give its members independency from the cold frown of the world’s scorn, at a time when the father and husband may not through the vicissitudes of life be able to pursue his calling.’ Court Fortitude, in accordance with this objective, held benefit balls for the widows and families of former members in 1882 and 1885. In addition were preventative measures: the provision of medical services. Many courts, including Court Fortitude, contracted with a medical professional who would provide medical attendance to its members and their families. Without the society, these services would be unattainable luxuries to many of those within the working-class in the nineteenth century.
The societies also performed a social function for their members: annual balls and reunions of the Court Fortitude throughout the 1870s and 1880s were frequently reported as great successes, with meals, speeches, musical entertainment and dancing (sometimes until 4am). Chief Justice Lilley affirmed this role in his speech at the opening of the new Foresters Hall, describing Court Fortitude as the working-class equivalent of a members’ club.
Court Fortitude’s first three decades were marked by prosperity and success: by 1871 400 members had joined, although due to death and transfers only 120 members were active. There were 200 active members in 1880 and in 1888 this had leapt to 280 financial members. The court’s stable financial position mirrors its popularity: the court’s bank balance rose from £300 or £400 in 1871 to £3,592 in 1888. Of Queensland’s 345 Foresters in 1880, 220 were from Court Fortitude. The rise of the Valley Foresters’ popularity coincides with the development of the Valley itself a small residential population, growing slowly until the economic boom of the 1880s which created dense working class settlement in the Valley. Membership of Foresters in the 1870s and 1880s was around four percent of the population of Fortitude Valley which in 1881, for example, was 5,148. Effectively, however, a much larger proportion of the population was covered by Foresters membership, as the families of the men of Foresters were also cared for by the court.
Given its increasing membership and stable finances, a new and permanent meeting-place was highly desirable. Tenders were called for a new Foresters Hall in February 1880. The hall’s architect, John Richard Hall, was a member of the Oddfellows Society and had designed alterations to the Oddfellows Hall in 1879. After the death of the original contractor, the hall was constructed by John Daniel Heal. Heal, as well as being one of the court’s founding members and for many years its secretary, was a prominent Valley publican, Alderman (1870-1894) and former Mayor of Brisbane. He had been a member of several of the Brisbane Municipal Council’s committees and was the original owner of the land on which the hall was constructed. Heal remained a trustee of Court Fortitude until his death in 1908.
The new Foresters’ Hall was built for in a surprisingly short amount of time for such a substantial building – the call for tenders closed in March 1880 and the hall was opened in October that year. Its size (90ft x 40ft) and position close to public transport were proudly highlighted when the hall was advertised for rentals.
Following the construction of the new Foresters Hall, both the United Brisbane District of the Ancient Order of Foresters and the Fortitude District held their meetings there. The Hall became a popular venue for balls, concerts, fundraisers, lectures and public and political meetings and meetings of other societies, such as the Oddfellows. It was also used as a Fortitude Valley polling station. Extensions in 1887 added a second storey, so the ground floor could be let to other groups while Foresters meetings were held on the second floor. Further improvements in 1888 extended the length of the hall and added extra facilities. It also meant that Court Fortitude owned two-thirds of the wealth in the United Brisbane District.
The court had enjoyed success, but by the 1890s it was not without troubles. Secretary Alexander Bell was prosecuted for embezzling nearly £300 from the court’s funds in 1896. As industry moved into the Valley, assisted by the progress of the railway line, the residential nature of the Valley began to be eroded. Instead, courts established in suburban areas thrived, including ‘Court Foresters Hope’ in Paddington ([601662]). The Fortitude Valley Foresters Hall was offered for sale in major newspapers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in late 1900 by the court’s trustees, and again in 1902. The court however maintained possession of the hall and hosted its meetings there until 1923, but from 1910 the hall was primarily used for other purposes. Gradually, improvements to State-provided social security diminished the appeal of the societies. In the 1930s the focus of Foresters shifted away from its original social and mutual aid functions. Foresters’, amalgamated with other friendly societies, exists today as a financial institution.
Foresters Hall continued to be a meeting place for Valley residents and visitors when it began its new life as a picture theatre. Foresters Hall was leased to Sidney Cook, who renamed it ‘Cook’s Picture Palace’ and, after some internal alterations, opened it on 4 June 1910. This was the first picture theatre in Fortitude Valley and the inaugural sessions played films including the Sydney memorial service for King Edward VII to crowded houses. The hall was still rented out for meetings and even religious services. In March 1913 alterations to the building submitted by Mr S. Cook were approved. These alterations were designed by respected Brisbane architect H.G.O Thomas. It is believed that the internal pressed metal sloped ceiling was installed at this time. The alterations probably consisted of two single-storey brick buildings flanking the hall, as shown in a 1911 photograph. Both wings were sold and removed in 1924.
The picture theatre ran until 1922 when Cook subleased it. In 1923 the land was sold to Francis Bruce Charlton for £7,250, subject to a lease. The hall’s additional brick wings, comprised of approximately 10,000 bricks, were removed and sold in 1924, as they were projecting onto the land that had been resumed for Barry Parade. Various lessees have occupied the building since then, plying trades as diverse as hairdressing and running a wine saloon. The building has also been used as a café, a millenary factory, the ‘Shamrock Billiard Saloon’ in the early 1930s, when the site was used for illegal gambling, cabaret hall and nightclub. Alterations were completed in 1974 and 1979. Title passed to the current owners in 1994 and permission was granted in 2009 for further alteration work, primarily to the interior, in order to refit the building as a live music venue.
Today Forester's Hall has been incorporated into the Flatiron and Valley House development, where it serves as a street-front restaurant. It is interesting to note that the terrace facades several meters up the street were not deemed significant for heritage listing but the developer, GURNER™, insisted to restore and repurpose them.
Source: Brisbane City Council Heritage Register & broadsheet.com.au
Lightning over Germany. Sadly didn't catch many of those until it got to dangerous to continue shooting :(
If you'de like to support me feel free to visit my Facebook page www.facebook.com/phlog
When I arrived at my Far South Cottage, I found these notifications from the local council under the front door mat. Although my house escaped, it was an unexpected reminder of what might have been.
SMC TAKUMAR 55mm f2
Day 11 of Pentax Forum's Daily in January 2020 Challenge.
The long span of the bridge of your life is supported by countless cables that you are spinning now, and that is why today is such an important day. Make the cables strong!
L. G. Elliott
Long day at work followed by a doctors appointment. Happy to be home and in Leggs Sheer Energy Active Support Suntan Pantyhose.
Technology image of the week:
A prototype version of a self-sustaining life-support system, intended to allow humans to live in space indefinitely, is seen in Spain’s University Autònoma of Barcelona.
This is the pilot plant of the international ESA-led Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative, or MELiSSA, a mini-ecosystem behind airtight glass.
Today, International Space Station crews must be resupplied from Earth, but such supply lines will become impractical as explorers venture farther out into space.
Instead, the 11-nation MELiSSA seeks to perfect a regenerative life-support system that could supply astronauts with all the oxygen, water and food they require.
The pilot plant hosts a multi-compartment loop with a light-powered bioreactor and a culture of oxygen-producing algae to keep ‘crews’ of three rats alive and comfortable for months at a time. While the algae yield oxygen and trap carbon dioxide, the rats do exactly the reverse.
A MELiSSA-based experiment is being run on the International Space Station. In May, experts will gather to discuss MELiSSA and closed-loop life support systems, along with topics such as air, water and waste recycling and food production.
Credit: ESA/UAB
Showing their support for Armed Forces Day, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards proudly display the flag at the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh.
Armed Forces Day will be on Saturday, 28 June 2014.
It's an opportunity to do two things. Firstly, to raise public awareness of the contribution made to our country by those who serve and have served in Her Majesty's Armed Forces, Secondly, it gives the nation an opportunity to Show Your Support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving troops to Service families and from veterans to cadets.
-------------------------------------------------------
© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: MARK OWENS/ HQ Scotland
Image HQScot-2014-026-0776.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
Use of this image is subject to the terms and conditions of the MoD News Licence at www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/fotoweb/20121001_Crown_copyrigh...
For latest news visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
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West Licking Firefighters Association, Ohio Support 402. Farber Specialty Vehicles Trailer, with donated truck from Truro Township (Former Station 168).
The Purple Hotel in Lincolnwood, IL. This photo was taken while the building was being demolished in 2013.
Featured on Gapers Block 09/06/13.
© Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved
+++ 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:
The OV-10 Bronco was initially conceived in the early 1960s through an informal collaboration between W. H. Beckett and Colonel K. P. Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to live near each other. The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support.
The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads as runways. Speed was to be from very slow to medium subsonic, with much longer loiter times than a pure jet. Efficient turboprop engines would give better performance than piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted on the centerline to get efficient aiming. The inventors favored strafing weapons such as self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets. The airframe was to be designed to avoid the back blast.
Beckett and Rice developed a basic platform meeting these requirements, then attempted to build a fiberglass prototype in a garage. The effort produced enthusiastic supporters and an informal pamphlet describing the concept. W. H. Beckett, who had retired from the Marine Corps, went to work at North American Aviation to sell the aircraft.
The aircraft's design supported effective operations from forward bases. The OV-10 had a central nacelle containing a crew of two in tandem and space for cargo, and twin booms containing twin turboprop engines. The visually distinctive feature of the aircraft is the combination of the twin booms, with the horizontal stabilizer that connected them at the fin tips. The OV-10 could perform short takeoffs and landings, including on aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious assault ships without using catapults or arresting wires. Further, the OV-10 was designed to take off and land on unimproved sites. Repairs could be made with ordinary tools. No ground equipment was required to start the engines. And, if necessary, the engines would operate on high-octane automobile fuel with only a slight loss of power.
The aircraft had responsive handling and could fly for up to 5½ hours with external fuel tanks. The cockpit had extremely good visibility for both pilot and co-pilot, provided by a wrap-around "greenhouse" that was wider than the fuselage. North American Rockwell custom ejection seats were standard, with many successful ejections during service. With the second seat removed, the OV-10 could carry 3,200 pounds (1,500 kg) of cargo, five paratroopers, or two litter patients and an attendant. Empty weight was 6,969 pounds (3,161 kg). Normal operating fueled weight with two crew was 9,908 pounds (4,494 kg). Maximum takeoff weight was 14,446 pounds (6,553 kg).
The bottom of the fuselage bore sponsons or "stub wings" that improved flight performance by decreasing aerodynamic drag underneath the fuselage. Normally, four 7.62 mm (.308 in) M60C machine guns were carried on the sponsons, accessed through large forward-opening hatches. The sponsons also had four racks to carry bombs, pods, or fuel. The wings outboard of the engines contained two additional hardpoints, one per side. Racked armament in the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods with white phosphorus marker rounds or high-explosive rockets, or 5" (127 mm) four-shot Zuni rocket pods. Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-dropped unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6 battlefield illumination flares, and other stores were also carried.
Operational experience showed some weaknesses in the OV-10's design. It was significantly underpowered, which contributed to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain because the pilots could not climb fast enough. While specifications stated that the aircraft could reach 26,000 feet (7,900 m), in Vietnam the aircraft could reach only 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Also, no OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.
The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, as well as in the service of a number of other countries. In U.S. military service, the Bronco was operated until the early Nineties, and obsoleted USAF OV-10s were passed on to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for anti-drug operations. A number of OV-10As furthermore ended up in the hands of the California Department of Forestry (CDF) and were used for spotting fires and directing fire bombers onto hot spots.
This was not the end of the OV-10 in American military service, though: In 2012, the type gained new attention because of its unique qualities. A $20 million budget was allocated to activate an experimental USAF unit of two airworthy OV-10Gs, acquired from NASA and the State Department. These machines were retrofitted with military equipment and were, starting in May 2015, deployed overseas to support Operation “Inherent Resolve”, flying more than 120 combat sorties over 82 days over Iraq and Syria. Their concrete missions remained unclear, and it is speculated they provided close air support for Special Forces missions, esp. in confined urban environments where the Broncos’ loitering time and high agility at low speed and altitude made them highly effective and less vulnerable than helicopters.
Furthermore, these Broncos reputedly performed strikes with the experimental AGR-20A “Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS)”, a Hydra 70-millimeter rocket with a laser-seeking head as guidance - developed for precision strikes against small urban targets with little collateral damage. The experiment ended satisfactorily, but the machines were retired again, and the small unit was dissolved.
However, the machines had shown their worth in asymmetric warfare, and the U.S. Air Force decided to invest in reactivating the OV-10 on a regular basis, despite the overhead cost of operating an additional aircraft type in relatively small numbers – but development and production of a similar new type would have caused much higher costs, with an uncertain time until an operational aircraft would be ready for service. Re-activating a proven design and updating an existing airframe appeared more efficient.
The result became the MV-10H, suitably christened “Super Bronco” but also known as “Black Pony”, after the program's internal name. This aircraft was derived from the official OV-10X proposal by Boeing from 2009 for the USAF's Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance requirement. Initially, Boeing proposed to re-start OV-10 manufacture, but this was deemed uneconomical, due to the expected small production number of new serial aircraft, so the “Black Pony” program became a modernization project. In consequence, all airframes for the "new" MV-10Hs were recovered OV-10s of various types from the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
While the revamped aircraft would maintain much of its 1960s-vintage rugged external design, modernizations included a completely new, armored central fuselage with a highly modified cockpit section, ejection seats and a computerized glass cockpit. The “Black Pony” OV-10 had full dual controls, so that either crewmen could steer the aircraft while the other operated sensors and/or weapons. This feature would also improve survivability in case of incapacitation of a crew member as the result from a hit.
The cockpit armor protected the crew and many vital systems from 23mm shells and shrapnel (e. g. from MANPADS). The crew still sat in tandem under a common, generously glazed canopy with flat, bulletproof panels for reduced sun reflections, with the pilot in the front seat and an observer/WSO behind. The Bronco’s original cargo capacity and the rear door were retained, even though the extra armor and defensive measures like chaff/flare dispensers as well as an additional fuel cell in the central fuselage limited the capacity. However, it was still possible to carry and deploy personnel, e. g. small special ops teams of up to four when the aircraft flew in clean configuration.
Additional updates for the MV-10H included structural reinforcements for a higher AUW and higher g load maneuvers, similar to OV-10D+ standards. The landing gear was also reinforced, and the aircraft kept its ability to operate from short, improvised airstrips. A fixed refueling probe was added to improve range and loiter time.
Intelligence sensors and smart weapon capabilities included a FLIR sensor and a laser range finder/target designator, both mounted in a small turret on the aircraft’s nose. The MV-10H was also outfitted with a data link and the ability to carry an integrated targeting pod such as the Northrop Grumman LITENING or the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). Also included was the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) to provide live sensor data and video recordings to personnel on the ground.
To improve overall performance and to better cope with the higher empty weight of the modified aircraft as well as with operations under hot-and-high conditions, the engines were beefed up. The new General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines improved the Bronco's performance considerably: top speed increased by 100 mph (160 km/h), the climb rate was tripled (a weak point of early OV-10s despite the type’s good STOL capability) and both take-off as well as landing run were almost halved. The new engines called for longer nacelles, and their circular diameter markedly differed from the former Garrett T76-G-420/421 turboprop engines. To better exploit the additional power and reduce the aircraft’s audio signature, reversible contraprops, each with eight fiberglass blades, were fitted. These allowed a reduced number of revolutions per minute, resulting in less noise from the blades and their tips, while the engine responsiveness was greatly improved. The CT7-9Ds’ exhausts were fitted with muzzlers/air mixers to further reduce the aircraft's noise and heat signature.
Another novel and striking feature was the addition of so-called “tip sails” to the wings: each wingtip was elongated with a small, cigar-shaped fairing, each carrying three staggered, small “feather blade” winglets. Reputedly, this installation contributed ~10% to the higher climb rate and improved lift/drag ratio by ~6%, improving range and loiter time, too.
Drawing from the Iraq experience as well as from the USMC’s NOGS test program with a converted OV-10D as a night/all-weather gunship/reconnaissance platform, the MV-10H received a heavier gun armament: the original four light machine guns that were only good for strafing unarmored targets were deleted and their space in the sponsons replaced by avionics. Instead, the aircraft was outfitted with a lightweight M197 three-barrel 20mm gatling gun in a chin turret. This could be fixed in a forward position at high speed or when carrying forward-firing ordnance under the stub wings, or it could be deployed to cover a wide field of fire under the aircraft when it was flying slower, being either slaved to the FLIR or to a helmet sighting auto targeting system.
The original seven hardpoints were retained (1x ventral, 2x under each sponson, and another pair under the outer wings), but the total ordnance load was slightly increased and an additional pair of launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinders or other light AAMs under the wing tips were added – not only as a defensive measure, but also with an anti-helicopter role in mind; four more Sidewinders could be carried on twin launchers under the outer wings against aerial targets. Other guided weapons cleared for the MV-10H were the light laser-guided AGR-20A and AGM-119 Hellfire missiles, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the light Hydra 70 rockets, the new Laser Guided Zuni Rocket which had been cleared for service in 2010, TV-/IR-/laser-guided AGM-65 Maverick AGMs and AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missiles, plus a wide range of gun and missile pods, iron and cluster bombs, as well as ECM and flare/chaff pods, which were not only carried defensively, but also in order to disrupt enemy ground communication.
In this configuration, a contract for the conversion of twelve mothballed American Broncos to the new MV-10H standard was signed with Boeing in 2016, and the first MV-10H was handed over to the USAF in early 2018, with further deliveries lasting into early 2020. All machines were allocated to the newly founded 919th Special Operations Support Squadron at Duke Field (Florida). This unit was part of the 919th Special Operations Wing, an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It was assigned to the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command and an associate unit of the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). If mobilized the wing was gained by AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) to support Special Tactics, the U.S. Air Force's special operations ground force. Similar in ability and employment to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Tactics personnel were typically the first to enter combat and often found themselves deep behind enemy lines in demanding, austere conditions, usually with little or no support.
The MV-10Hs are expected to provide support for these ground units in the form of all-weather reconnaissance and observation, close air support and also forward air control duties for supporting ground units. Precision ground strikes and protection from enemy helicopters and low-flying aircraft were other, secondary missions for the modernized Broncos, which are expected to serve well into the 2040s. Exports or conversions of foreign OV-10s to the Black Pony standard are not planned, though.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 42 ft 2½ in (12,88 m) incl. pitot
Wingspan: 45 ft 10½ in(14 m) incl. tip sails
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 290.95 sq ft (27.03 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 64A315
Empty weight: 9,090 lb (4,127 kg)
Gross weight: 13,068 lb (5,931 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 17,318 lb (7,862 kg)
Powerplant:
2× General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each,
driving 8-bladed Hamilton Standard 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter constant-speed,
fully feathering, reversible contra-rotating propellers with metal hub and composite blades
Performance:
Maximum speed: 390 mph (340 kn, 625 km/h)
Combat range: 198 nmi (228 mi, 367 km)
Ferry range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) with auxiliary fuel
Maximum loiter time: 5.5 h with auxiliary fuel
Service ceiling: 32.750 ft (10,000 m)
13,500 ft (4.210 m) on one engine
Rate of climb: 17.400 ft/min (48 m/s) at sea level
Take-off run: 480 ft (150 m)
740 ft (227 m) to 50 ft (15 m)
1,870 ft (570 m) to 50 ft (15 m) at MTOW
Landing run: 490 ft (150 m)
785 ft (240 m) at MTOW
1,015 ft (310 m) from 50 ft (15 m)
Armament:
1x M197 3-barreled 20 mm Gatling cannon in a chin turret with 750 rounds ammo capacity
7x hardpoints for a total load of 5.000 lb (2,270 kg)
2x wingtip launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs
The kit and its assembly:
This fictional Bronco update/conversion was simply spawned by the idea: could it be possible to replace the original cockpit section with one from an AH-1 Cobra, for a kind of gunship version?
The basis is the Academy OV-10D kit, mated with the cockpit section from a Fujimi AH-1S TOW Cobra (Revell re-boxing, though), chosen because of its “boxy” cockpit section with flat glass panels – I think that it conveys the idea of an armored cockpit section best. Combining these parts was not easy, though, even though the plan sound simple. Initially, the Bronco’s twin booms, wings and stabilizer were built separately, because this made PSR on these sections easier than trying the same on a completed airframe. One of the initial challenges: the different engines. I wanted something uprated, and a different look, and I had a pair of (excellent!) 1:144 resin engines from the Russian company Kompakt Zip for a Tu-95 bomber at hand, which come together with movable(!) eight-blade contraprops that were an almost perfect size match for the original three-blade props. Biggest problem: the Tu-95 nacelles have a perfectly circular diameter, while the OV-10’s booms are square and rectangular. Combining these parts and shapes was already a messy PST affair, but it worked out quite well – even though the result rather reminds of some Chinese upgrade measure (anyone know the Tu-4 copies with turboprops? This here looks similar!). But while not pretty, I think that the beafier look works well and adds to the idea of a “revived” aircraft. And you can hardly beat the menacing look of contraprops on anything...
The exotic, so-called “tip sails” on the wings, mounted on short booms, are a detail borrowed from the Shijiazhuang Y-5B-100, an updated Chinese variant/copy of the Antonov An-2 biplane transporter. The booms are simple pieces of sprue from the Bronco kit, the winglets were cut from 0.5mm styrene sheet.
For the cockpit donor, the AH-1’s front section was roughly built, including the engine section (which is a separate module, so that the basic kit can be sold with different engine sections), and then the helicopter hull was cut and trimmed down to match the original Bronco pod and to fit under the wing. This became more complicated than expected, because a) the AH-1 cockpit and the nose are considerably shorter than the OV-10s, b) the AH-1 fuselage is markedly taller than the Bronco’s and c) the engine section, which would end up in the area of the wing, features major recesses, making the surface very uneven – calling for massive PSR to even this out. PSR was also necessary to hide the openings for the Fujimi AH-1’s stub wings. Other issues: the front landing gear (and its well) had to be added, as well as the OV-10 wing stubs. Furthermore, the new cockpit pod’s rear section needed an aerodynamical end/fairing, but I found a leftover Academy OV-10 section from a build/kitbashing many moons ago. Perfect match!
All these challenges could be tackled, even though the AH-1 cockpit looks surprisingly stout and massive on the Bronco’s airframe - the result looks stockier than expected, but it works well for the "Gunship" theme. Lots of PSR went into the new central fuselage section, though, even before it was mated with the OV-10 wing and the rest of the model.
Once cockpit and wing were finally mated, the seams had to disappear under even more PSR and a spinal extension of the canopy had to be sculpted across the upper wing surface, which would meld with the pod’s tail in a (more or less) harmonious shape. Not an easy task, and the fairing was eventually sculpted with 2C putty, plus even more PSR… Looks quite homogenous, though.
After this massive body work, other hardware challenges appeared like small distractions. The landing gear was another major issue because the deeper AH-1 section lowered the ground clearance, also because of the chin turret. To counter this, I raised the OV-10’s main landing gear by ~2mm – not much, but it was enough to create a credible stance, together with the front landing gear transplant under the cockpit, which received an internal console to match the main landing gear’s length. Due to the chin turret and the shorter nose, the front wheel retracts backwards now. But this looks quite plausible, thanks to the additional space under the cockpit tub, which also made a belt feed for the gun’s ammunition supply believable.
To enhance the menacing look I gave the model a fixed refueling boom, made from 1mm steel wire and a receptor adapter sculpted with white glue. The latter stuff was also used add some antenna fairings around the hull. Some antennae, chaff dispensers and an IR decoy were taken from the Academy kit.
The ordnance came from various sources. The Sidewinders under the wing tips were taken from an Italeri F-16C/D kit, they look better than the missiles from the Academy Bronco kit. Their launch rails came from an Italeri Bae Hawk 200. The quadruple Hellfire launchers on the underwing hardpoints were left over from an Italeri AH-1W, and they are a perfect load for this aircraft and its role. The LAU-10 and -19 missile pods on the stub wings were taken from the OV-10 kit.
Painting and markings:
Finding a suitable and somewhat interesting – but still plausible – paint scheme was not easy. Taking the A-10 as benchmark, an overall light grey livery (with focus on low contrast against the sky as protection against ground fire) would have been a likely choice – and in fact the last operational American OV-10s were painted in this fashion. But in order to provide a different look I used the contemporary USAF V-22Bs and Special Operations MC-130s as benchmark, which typically carry a darker paint scheme consisting of FS 36118 (suitably “Gunship Gray” :D) from above, FS 36375 underneath, with a low, wavy waterline, plus low-viz markings. Not spectacular, but plausible – and very similar to the late r/w Colombian OV-10s.
The cockpit tub became Dark Gull Grey (FS 36231, Humbrol 140) and the landing gear white (Revell 301).
The model received an overall black ink washing and some post-panel-shading, to liven up the dull all-grey livery. The decals were gathered from various sources, and I settled for black USAF low-viz markings. The “stars and bars” come from a late USAF F-4, the “IP” tail code was tailored from F-16 markings and the shark mouth was taken from an Academy AH-64. Most stencils came from another Academy OV-10 sheet and some other sources.
Decals were also used to create the trim on the propeller blades and markings on the ordnance.
Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and some exhaust soot stains were added with graphite along the tail boom flanks.
A successful transplantation – but is this still a modified Bronco or already a kitbashing? The result looks quite plausible and menacing, even though the TOW Cobra front section appears relatively massive. But thanks to the bigger engines and extended wing tips the proportions still work. The large low-pressure tires look a bit goofy under the aircraft, but they are original. The grey livery works IMHO well, too – a more colorful or garish scheme would certainly have distracted from the modified technical basis.
Dennis Dart (Mk.II) SLF Command Support Unit (2000) Engine
Cummins B Series
Body East Lancs Spryte
Decals Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue
Registration Number X 785 CUY (London C)
DENNIS ALBUM
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623721924929...
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined single-decker midibus chassis that was introduced by Dennis of Guildford, England, in 1989, replacing the Dennis Domino. Initially built as a high-floor design
In 1996, Dennis launched a low-floor version of the Dart known as the Dart SLF, with the letters SLF standing for Super Low Floor in reference to the new low-floor design. It was 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) wide and initially offered in lengths of 10 m (33 ft) and 10.6 m (35 ft), with air suspension introduced in place of the taper leaf used in the original design. . It was also offered with a wide variety of bodies, namely the East Lancs Spryte, UVG Urbanstar (later renamed as the Caetano Compass)
X 785 CUY
This is a very unusual one, bodied by East Lancs Spryte as a Fire and Rescue Command Support vehicle, it was supplied new to Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Services and was based at Malvern Fire Station.
Diolch am 94,092,040 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.
Thanks for 94,092,040 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.
Shot 28.05.2022 at Smallwood Steam Rally. Cheshire REF 160-136
Class 47 locomotive No. 47848 brings up the rear of 1Z80, the 16:38 Worcester Shrub Hill to Norwich return excursion as it passes Steynors Park in Droitwich Spa on Saturday 6th April 2024. LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 steam locomotive No. 44871 was at the front.
Support it on LEGO IDEAS : ideas.lego.com/projects/2d338638-5679-42b6-b8d7-7c0166bab999
Yes it is a functioning telescope, just like 21323 Grand Piano is a functioning piano. Meaning, you can see what's in the sky, but not actual stars, nor the real Moon.
So how does it work ? There's a light brick hidden inside the model. It is activated by pressing the lens, and the light passes through a decorated transparent piece (sets like 75810, 10273 or 70917 use this principle), magnifying glasses (I know, the way they are placed on the model is not realistic, but it's for LEGO IDEAS), bounces on a "mirror" (a tile with a shiny sticker), so when you look through the eyepiece, you can see what you could see if you looked through an actual telescope.
Since it could be a bit boring to always see the same thing, my entry comes with four different patterns, that were designed by Thi's studs. There's a galaxy, Jupiter with the Galilean moons, the Moon, and the Solis Magna system. Jupiter and the Moon are a reference to Galileo Galilei, who invented the telescope and discovered the existence of satellites orbiting Jupiter. The Solis Magna system is a nod to BIONICLE.
The model is made of 231 parts, and you can see it in 3D on Mecabricks : www.mecabricks.com/en/models/oK2w7Rk029k
Cockeysville Volunteer Fire Company
Baltimore County, Maryland
Tanker Support 394
2022 F550/Vengeant (1000/200)
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The queen had cut his supply of gold, but still he had to make another expedition down below, that Dragon, That gold and those mysterious cave-crystals it was just to teasing for his mind...
...of cause he did make some money from selling his sleazy books mostly to women of the upper class, (since the lower classes coudn´t read) still, that was a small market and the work of writing every single letter in a book was far to much hard work under dim candle light, it took ages and ages and add a few more ages, time he could have spent to experimenting in his lab, reading his ancient book or go out and explore...
How, could that simple woman (Esmeralda the Queen) not pay for his expeditions any longer, then he had two genius ideas at once, he was thinking of books and women...
The first idea was an idea on how to press letters in books all at once with a machine, this Idea soon faded in his misty ancient head...
The second idea was even better, Women, He had a charming nature that worked on these strange creatures...
...He started making two commercial boards full of heart-shaped he made out of an invention he called plastacine a rubbery substance easily shaped in to different forms when heated the right way...
Then he collected all his musical instruments a flute, a lute, and a strange bellow-sack with weird pipes sticking out of it at random, he had gotten this exotic instrument from one of the queens Highland Guards, the one who was wearing a skirt and ate deep-fried intestin voluntary on his day off and zipped a brown liquid he called the water of life...
(some time later)
it is early morning about four o´clock outside the city quarters of the women who had lost their husbands in battle a strange sound woke the inhabitants it sounded like someone had blown air in to a pig and then let it go to fly by it self in the air...
then these was a almost silent flute playing, then some poetry read from a raspy ancient voice!
"Thau woman, you besutten up on ye window, how much of a rose you smell, make your rosy parts open and squirt into mine direction a stream of gilded gold as bright as Mother Sol herself!"
Then it was lute music and romantic tunes sung...
all this in the early mornings when the lonely women was still in their beds, when the looked out of their windows, the sawthe make standing in his "special romantic" wizards-hat and beside him plaques with a written text:
I the town-mage, is in need of your support, if you like my poetry, verse and music, take a groat from your keep and trow it on the ground, if you hit my chart you get to get a piece of impromptu poetry read for just you, if you hit the rug I will play a tune for just you...
if you hit the pot I will share you bed the rest of the morning for a small fee...
The mage´s plan worked out quite well, he managed to collect quite a lot of money, which was later confiscated by the sheriff and his bailiffs, also the old man got to spend some time in the jail, once again!
A series of industrial concrete support columns is photographed in the basement of a Rotterdam warehouse. The abandoned underground space is lit with a bright light as though a camera flash was used.
photo: conceptual social theme
subject: support
soldier: ryan
photographer : alex calder
location: fort sutter, ca
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A huge thank you to Cal Fire and all the mutual aid providers who risked their lives to protect life and property during the Springs Fire. Your bravery and hard work is appreciated.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection serves and safeguards the people and protects the property and resources of California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is an emergency response and resource protection department. CAL FIRE protects lives, property and natural resources from fire; responds to emergencies of all types, and protects and preserves timberlands, wildlands, and urban forests. The department’s varied programs work together using ongoing assessments of the condition of natural resources and challenges of an increasing population to plan protection strategies for California. Department personnel and equipment are a familiar sight throughout the
state with responsibility for protecting over 31 million acres of California’s privately-owned wildlands, and providing emergency services of all kinds through local government agreements within 35 of California’s 58 counties.
CAL FIRE covers the state with 21 operational units, 803 fire stations (228 state and 575 local government), 39 conservation camps, 13 air attack, and 9 helitack bases. The heart of CAL FIRE’s emergency response and resource protection capability is a force of nearly 4,700 full-time fire professionals, foresters, and administrative employees; 3,100 seasonal firefighters; 5,600 local government volunteer firefighters; 2,600 Volunteers In Prevention; and 4,300 inmates and wards. To transport and support these forces, CAL FIRE operates over 1,095 fire engines (336 state and 759 local government); 215 rescue squads; 63 paramedic units; 38 aerial ladder trucks; 58 bulldozers; 5 mobile communication centers; and 11 mobile kitchen units. The department funds, via contract, an additional 82 engines and 12 bulldozers in six counties – Kern, Los Angeles, Marin,
Orange, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. From the air, CAL FIRE operates 23 1,200-gallon air tankers, 11 helicopters, and 13 air tactical planes.