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Propwash

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Everything posted by Propwash

  1. Loved it! London is one of my favorite cities. I'd live there if it wasn't so expensive. Jerry Peterson
  2. Thanks for clueing me in on Internet Hobbies. Placed a pre-order with them and canceled the previous one. Big savings there. I heard that the official release date in the UK was June 6 -- D-Day. Very appropriate. Anyone else have an update one that? Jerry
  3. Hornby American, the only company I've been able to find so far that offers the Typhoon for pre-order here in the US, is asking $149.99. I decided to jump on the bandwagon. There may eventually be others who will sell it for less, but I suspect once it reaches these shores it's going to be in short supply for a month or two, and I don't want to have to go to the back of the cue. Jerry Peterson
  4. Boystown appears to be using a similar marketing strategy with another product, the pending Trumpeter 1/16 Pz-IV. This kit is being advertised on Boystown as available for pre-order (at a suspiciously low price), with a release date of July. Until recently, they were listing it with a release date of June, and before that, May. I've been following this kit, and to the best of my knowledge, no one else on any of the armor forums has any idea when it'll be released. From what I've seen in the past with regard to other much-anticipated armor kits, if the release date was just two months away, the forums would be abuzz with the news. So far, not a peep. Here again, it looks like Boystown is attempting to encourage a general climate of anticipation in an effort to snag a lot of pre-orders and boost sales once the Pz-IV finally is released, whenever that may be. Any one else have any thoughts? Jerry Peterson
  5. Seems like a rather counterproductive attitude for a company to take. "You can't buy from us unless you're a regular customer." Talk about a catch 22 situation, and not a particularly good strategy for growing your customer base. Jerry Peterson
  6. Try using a miter box to cut the styrene to the correct angle, then glue the ends together. You'll probably need to do some sanding to get a good, clean-looking joint. I've tried this method before and it worked for me. Good luck! Jerry Peterson
  7. HPH Models recently announced a B-17 nose compartment, which extends from the bomb bay bulkhead to the tip of the nose in 1/18 scale. Kind of large, but seems to me if you're going to build just a section of an aircraft, you should go for a large scale so you can detail it to the max. Jerry Peterson
  8. I see that Airfix is about to publish a book titled "How to Build...Airfix 1/24 Hawker Typhoon Mk.1B", by Brett Green. Lots of photos and useful info on fine detailing, colors and painting. Currently available for pre-order from ADH Publishing. I'd provide a link, but my computer isn't cooperating. Got a feeling that this kit is going to take LSP modeling to a whole new level. Jerry Peterson
  9. Propwash

    C-47

    This is beginning to sound suspiciously like another HPH project. They are without a doubt the most adventurous model company around. I took a pass on their Catalina because it looked to be a long-term project, and I already have enough kits to keep me occupied for years to come. But a C-47 is something I have a personal connection to, and therefore I say to hell with the cost, I want one! Incidentally, I see that HPH is now advertising that they will custom build any aircraft your heart desires in 1/18 or any other scale (for a king's ransom, no doubt). So if cost is no obstacle, your prayers have been answered, those of you who are yearning for a 1/32 B-29 or B-36. Jerry Peterson
  10. Propwash

    C-47

    Good grief! A C-47/DC-3 in 1/32? Is this for real or just idle speculation? I could spend the rest of my life building all the endless variations. I have a real soft spot in my heart for the old Gooney Bird. Kind of like what you might feel for an old pickup truck. Not to brag, but I'm willing to bet I'm the only one on this forum who has actually ridden on a C-47 while taking hostile fire. It was in Vietnam in 1970. Jerry Peterson
  11. And don't forget, just about the time we've purchased every conceivable B-17 aftermarket accessory, the F will hit the market and we can start all over again. Once you're caught up in this endless cycle, there's no stopping. But we must like it or we wouldn't do it. Jerry Peterson
  12. In this age when we are deluged with dire warnings from legions of sanctimonious, self-proclaimed experts who insist that we are in mortal peril from all the toxic substances that surround us, I think it's interesting to take note of my late father. He was a farmer and for most of his life he handled toxic chemicals like DDT, organic phosphate insect sprays, defoliants, painted barns with a spray gun, never wore a mask, gloves or a respirator, smoked until he was in his mid-forties, ate bacon and eggs and toast drenched in butter every morning for breakfast, loved to eat at McDonalds and Burger King and had nothing but contempt for vegetarians. Just before he died of prostate cancer at the age of 96, his doctor told him he had the cardiovascular system of a man half his age. My philosophy is no matter how careful you are, nobody gets out of life alive, so enjoy it while you can. Jerry Peterson
  13. My LSP name "Propwash" is an aside to a bygone era of aviation. I was fortunate to have served on active duty in the Air Force during the final days of piston engine aircraft, from 1967 to 1971. In college, I had a summer job as a crew chief for a crop dusting company. So I got a fair amount of exposure to aviation when prop powered aircraft were still common. There were still a few WW II vets still on active duty in those days when I was in the Air Force, and many of them had served as crew members on B-17s and B-24 in the ETO. I listened to their stories of combat over Europe with rapt enthusiasm. Even though most of my service was spent as an aircraft maintenance officer on jets and helicopters, I always preferred the older prop planes. In the Air force of the forties and fifties, propwash was slang for gossip or anything ephemeral or hard to pin down. Jerry
  14. That was awesome! Nothing like a low-level, high-speed pass for an adrenalin rush. When I was in Nam, the powers that be decided to defoliate the jungle around Phu Cat AB (where I was stationed) in order to remove any cover that Charlie might use to conceal sapper and rocket attacks. The sight of those big C-123 Ranch Hands flying in formations of three, wing tip to wing tip, at treetop level, dispensing a mist of defoliant from stray booms under their wings was spectacular. The roar and vibration of those big radial engines was a treat to the ears, better even than a trip to the drag strip. The downwash from their props as they passed overhead was like a mild shock wave. As the mist settled, we stood in the open to feel it because it was cool and refreshing, except for a funny chemical smell. Unfortunately, that mist was a compound called Agent Orange, which was later determined to be highly carcinogenic. Lots of GIs developed cancer and diabetes in the coming years. Many of them died. Some are still dying, forty and fifty years later. I was lucky. The only problem I have to date is a mild case of borderline diabetes, which is easily controllable. Jerry
  15. Shooting's too good for dim bulb like that. A long session of waterboarding followed by a massive dose of castor oil is more appropriate in this situation. Problem is, no matter what you do, there's no cure for stupidity. Jerry Peterson
  16. To all those who would attribute this tragedy to some sinister inter-governmental conspiracy, I'd like to remind them of this old adage, sometimes referred to as Hanlon's Razor: "Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is in distinguishable from malice." Myself, I've served on too many committees to believe in conspiracies. My impression is that the Malaysian government was totally out of its depth in dealing with a disaster of this scope, tried to muddle through as best it could, and ended up demonstrating its incompetence to the world. Satellite images are showing more large fields of what may be wreckage in the zone west of Perth. However, rough seas are hampering search efforts. Last night, I saw a video taken from the bridge of a ship in the search zone, and seas appeared to be running fifteen to twenty feet or even more. Must be incredibly difficult to search for wreckage when you have to hang onto the ship for dear life just to stay on your feet. Jerry Peterson
  17. If Flt 370 is never found, prepare to be inundated with an endless barrage of outrageous, crackpot, barking-mad conspiracy theories, claims of alien abductions and pseudoscience gibberish . I heard one commentator speculating that 370 might have flown into a black hole! Someone informed him if there was a black hole big enough to swallow a commercial jetliner it would also absorb the entire planet, followed by the moon, nearest planets, and, eventually, the whole solar system. Brace yourselves for a whole lot of craziness, which by itself might be amusing if not for the underlying tragedy. Jerry Peterson
  18. In one crash at sea that affected me personally because several good friends were lost, a large section of the wing from a C-130 stayed afloat for several days. If not for extremely rough seas, it probably would have continued to float for considerably longer. Incidentally, in spite of catastrophic airframe break-up, one man managed to survive and was picked up hours later floating in a life vest. Jerry Peterson
  19. The fuselage is lined with insulation material, which is buoyant, and could presumably keep a large section of wreckage afloat. Air is often trapped inside wings, ailerons, rudders, flaps, etc. In a water impact, the wings are often ripped from the fuselage, and if the fuel tanks were low they would give the wings buoyancy. Speaking as someone who has served on several military aircraft accident investigation boards, the best course of action in situations like this tragic event is to check out all the leads with an open mind while maintaining a wait and see attitude until all the facts are in and have been thoroughly analyzed. Jerry Peterson
  20. About ten years ago, one of the 1/18 scale companies was planning to bring out a B-25 in that scale. They abandoned the project in the prototype phase. I saw a picture of the partially completed prototype online and it was, as would be expected, huge. You'd need a whole room to display it, which is probably why they dropped the project, not to mention the price, which was estimated to be between $750 and $1,000. Jerry Peterson
  21. Myself, I'm waiting for the 1/200 HMS Hood, a ship which has always held a certain fascination for me. Over the years, I've collected a fairly extensive library on this warship and its tragic end, so when I finally do get around to building it (whenever that may be) I'll have plenty of reference material. Jerry Peterson
  22. Strange, isn't it? Here we are about to get what may well be one of the most longed-for large scale aircraft kits ever (next to the B-17), and people are already wishing it was something else. As the old song goes, "When you get what you want, you don't want it." Actually, I wouldn't mind a 1/32 C-47, but until one appears, I'll settle for whatever else comes along. Jerry Peterson
  23. The "correct color controversy" isn't just limited to scale modelers. I have friends who collect and restore full-size military vehicles, and they're just as divided in their opinions. I even knew guy who was kicked out of a military vehicles collectors club by mass affirmation of the membership because of his continued dogmatic insistence, which occasionally even escalated to bullying, that his particular concept of color should be the standard for everyone else. Arguing with people who think that way is like arguing with someone from the Flat Earth Society. My philosophy is if it looks good to me, it is good, and I don't care what anyone else says. Jerry Peterson
  24. If your budget allows for it, you might want to consider installing surveillance cameras with monitors in a prominent location at the front desk to let visitors know they're being watched. That's what most museums are doing these days. It's a sad commentary on our times, but I've seen firsthand the havoc and destruction that bunch of hyperactive middle-schoolers can wreak on museum displays when they set out on a rampage. Jerry Peterson
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