Radub

Sorry for your loss. May he rest in peace. Radu

Beautiful model, Brian! I was fortunate enough to see it in Phoenix and it looks even better from up-close. Radu

Of course there will be a "good" kit of the P-51B in injected plastic. There may even be a few. It is just a matter if time. Radu

Let me tell you what I mean by "bluff". Have you noticed that there is one guy who always mentions Val and Kate? Have you noticed that there is one guy who always mentions Do 17? One guy asking for one model one thousand times is not the same as one thousand guys asking for one model one time. Many people go on forums asking for models and then vanish when it comes to paying for those models leaving the manufacturer in a lurch. The manufacturer simply said "Pay first and I will make it". That is "calling the bluff." The reaction from the "paying customers" shows that they were right. Radu

Thanks Harvey! If Tim can't find his, I will accept yours. I only need one. :-) Radu

Perfect! Thank you, Tim! Please let me know. Radu

I checked everywhere. Gone... Radu

I lost my little square enamel "sunburst" convention badge/pin. It was in my registration bag/package when I got on the bus to Pima, but when unpacked that bag when I got home it was not there any longer. Does anyone have a spare badge/pin? Please let me know. Radu

Best of luck with your new venture, Rich! I am really looking forward to the "new and improved" book on the Hs 129. Is there an ETA for it? Radu

This is the purest example of "calling the bluff". Some people do not understand that there is actually an expense involved with creating a model. Some people are so detached from reality that they imagine that models appear fully formed out of nothing just like Pallas Athena emerged in full armour out of Zeus' head. Yes, HpH will do custom models, but you pay for that. HpH is a business, not some kind of "make a wish foundation." Costs must be amortised by sales. Not enough sales means a loss. So, they called the bluff: you pay and we will make it. There is no point in going after me. Pay HpH. Radu

Richard is an accomplished model builder. He got a Gold and Silver medal for his car models in Phoenix. Before he joined us for dinner, while we were talking about the possibility that he may face a lot of questions from the LSP gang, his reply was "I am used to it, I get that all the time". Trust me, no beans were going to spilled at that dinner anyway. He spoke a lot about his interests and the models he likes to build. That was a lot more interesting than a "scoop". Radu

Yeah, let's go back! But somehow I imagine that Phoenix is not that much fun without a model show. I did not need to go to the front. I could see the camera, which means that the camera could see me. But then the arms went up and "pffft" went the photo op. Radu

HPH "called the bluff". They simply said "put your money where your mouth is." Manufacturers get bombarded with demands for unsaleable kits whose only "feature" is that "it was never kitted before". Maybe there is a reason why such kits were never issued before. Kits need to sell in order to amortise costs. Get enough people to pay upfront, not just say that would pay later, and they will make it. Sounds OK to me. Radu

That photo was a disaster. I was in the back row with at least two more rows of people in front of me. when the photo was taken everyone raised their hands in a "hooray" blocking everyone behind the first row. So, you may have a photo of the first row of people and a lot of raised arms. :-) Radu

Haboob! That is a funny word. The best thing was the "warning" about it. We were on the bus from Pima when the phones started going crazy with weather warnings. I remember Tim asking "is that your phone?". Yes, it was mine as well as almost every phone on the bus. In my case the warning came from Google and AccuWeather and it said something like "Warning! Dust Storm Inbound! Seek shelter immediately on the ground floor of the building with plenty of supplies". Honestly, I never ever received a warning like that on my phone, let alone being in the middle of crowd getting the same message at the same time. When I got off the bus I met David Francis and he said that he was meeting you and Brian in an Irish Pub. I thought "well, that is on the ground floor and they got supplies" so I headed there. On the way to the pub, the haboob was like a windy honey-coloured fog, crunchy. The wind knocked some signs, the valet/concierge of the hotel told me to be careful and wiped the desktop to show how much dust was there, but I still had no idea what I was witnessing. In the pub David told us how he saw the wall of dust approaching the city and I still had no idea what we were in the middle of. Only when I got back to the hotel and watched the news I finally realised what it was and how bad it got. Radu