ssculptor

I would like to know the address of the HpH website? Anyone? Thanks,

Many thanks, Rick. I just called Jeff Roberts and he feeling good and is still trying to sell his Combat Models business. If anyone is interested they can call him at 570 450 5647. He lives in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Stephen

I fell out of communication with Jeff during the Covid-19 era. I want to get in touch with him but I managed to misplace his phone number. Does anyone out there in modeling land have it? I heard he died but I would like to call his wife, at least, to offer my condolences. Thanks, Stephen Auslender auslend@optimum.net

I am curious, is all this palaver about 1/32 scale HpH Letov S-238 floats or are these discussed here 1/48 scale? I ask because I wish to put 1/32 scale floats on my 1/32 Swordfish. Stephen

I was about to suggest that a replica G-3 should be built and flown. But I found it has been done already! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyP-vOXpkAE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdQCVrrL7pQ Enjoy,

You guys know that there was a 1/24 kit of the G-3 on the market many years ago, don't you? Occasionally one appears on eBay but beware as in all the kits I have seen the cast resin fuselage frames have all disintegrated over time. A problem with the resin formulation they used. Still the rest of the kit is super.

Don't diss the women. They are just as capable as the men. They are also smarter as they act the part of the frail ladies who need the help of the big strong men.

I think you might be surprised by the jump in prices over the past 8 years. Tighten your seatbelt. However on eBay the older kits from 30-40 years ago are still at lower prices; but the postage costs have jumped up too. Ya just cant win.

Back in the late '60's-early '70's I used to go to the biannual meetings of the Armor Assn. They had a demo where an all female crew switched a tank engine in record time. They didn't break a fingernail.

I disagree most emphatically! Maybe UK women are too dainty and delicate to work with rigging wires (Ooo! Rigging wires may be covered with icky, slimy oil. That will mess up my hair do). Talk about an outdated anti-female concept! In WW2 women were working on steam locomotives along with airplanes and the like. Don't utter such bigoted, short sighted ideas in front of the "Rosie the Riveters" of WW2 days and of these days. Also you are lucky you do not reside in the U.S.A. because the members of female engineer associations hereabouts would cut you a new one! Forsooth!

Well, those loose dresses look very comfortable. I would not appear in public wearing one, but in a factory...well.

By the way, if any of you survive doing the rigging on this G-3 you can buy TWO more of the G-3 and combine them to make a twin engine G-4. I'm a real glutton for punishment but it should be comfortable living in a padded cell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnPG1v61AEk I hope this plays OK.

I have this image which just popped into my head: a group of country women of 150 years ago, sitting around making a patchwork quilt. Their hands all moving up and down, up and down as their hands move their needles, stitching the squares of cloth in place. A frenzy of creativity as the quilt takes form. That will be us as we do the rigging on this beastie. My wife makes patchwork quilts the olde fashioned way but, she uses a digitized $4,000 Pfaff electronic sewing machine! State of the art 2021. I, on the other hand, will be stitching by hand, state of the art 1870. Lucky me! We should all get together and have a "rigging bee", like our female ancestors had "quilting bees." Ssculptor

I'm researching my second novel and I am starting it with the 1907 air expo in France. In researching the aviation of the Austro-Hungarians and English I discovered that I knew nothing about the Austrian aeroplanes. I have been lucky in that there are a number of recent books on the aviation of eastern European theaters of conflict. I'm an American, what do we know of WW1 except for the few novels and early movies? I never knew that the pilots were flying small flying boat fighters against each other in the Adriatic. I love flying boats and float planes! So I am enthralled by all these new aeroplanes. There are probably no 1/32 1/24 scale models of these planes so I may have to scratch build them (even more fun). Now I have to find plans of these. I have found some very good books that describe and illustrate these planes and I have to find more. I will use the models for illustrations in my book. I am really running with the governor disconnected. My mojo is raging! Happy happy joy joy! Ssculptor

Why would press people want to remember important events that are old news? Cannot make money touting old events like major or even minor wars. Gotta have fresh news. Older people remember important events which is why we have so many ceremonies commerating our combatants who fought and suffered so we can enjoy our freedoms. Ssculptor

Many thanks, Richard. I just found a copy of Die Flugzeuge der k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe und Seeflieger 1914-1918 on eBay. It is in German so back to my "German for Dummies" or is that Deutsche fur Dummkopfs". Also the http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/lft.htm looks very helpful. Yours, Stephen

Thank you Jennings. My knowledge of WW1 history is limited to the five participants: Britain, Belgium, France, Germany and Russia. I know that Italy was involved because Hemingway participated for a while as an ambulance driver for the Italians. I also know that the natives of the Balkans countries got involved somehow. Didn't also at the end we (USA) ran stumbling into the fray and as soon as the going got hot the Germans, like the Russians a year or two earlier, called it quits, took all their toys and went home. My ignorance is embarrassing; My maternal grandparents were born in Romania and my father was born in Moldova. But as soon as they got to the USA no mention was made of those countries. So I knew nothing of the pre WW1 history. I guess it is time to visit the libraries and start reading. Cordially, Stephen

I am looking for histories of activities of the Austrian Air Force in World War One. Books, articles, studies, etc. Hopefully written in English but if necessary I will take a refresher course in the German language. I'll buy, borrow, or rent such material. Many thanks, Stephen Auslender, P.O. Box, 122, Wilton, CT 06897 USA auslend@optimum.net

I went onto Google and simply typed in Linke-Hofmann R.I and up popped oodles and oodles of these planes. Wonderful!

I think a second D-7 kit would be necessary for the mid-ships pair of wings. If I can find more photos, or plans I'll build one of these.

Lets see now. Obviously Herr Fokker was influenced by the old fairy tale about Goldilocks and the three bears. This time the three wings. The front triplanes were the papa wings, the midships biplanes were the mama wings and the horizontal stabilizer in the rear was the baby wing. When von Richtoftenella saw this she immediately quit flying and she became a Uboat sailor. But seriously folks, this is a very safe aircraft to fly. If you lose one wing in combat you still have 4 more that will keep you flying. Now, if I combine three Fokker D-7 kits I can make one of these.

Kinda looks like a bug, don't it?

She probably never operated a dial phone in a phone booth where you had to insert a nickle (a 5 cent coin) to prepay for the call . By golly I am getting older. I am turning into a real alte cocker.

I had a large amount of their books, until the room that housed my library (6,000) books caught fire six years ago. I then had a room full of wet pulp. Nobody got hurt and the house was repaired. The insurance was generous and I added a 20 foot by 30 foot room to provide my wife with a sewing room. The books? Well I had colored them in by that time so all was well. It gave me an excuse to go buy new books.

translation: I carried my tears, farewell a friend.