Wumm

At the moment, the consequences of merely having the virus far outweigh the risks to the majority who actually have it. Since the initial outbreak at the Wuhan fishmarket, where the mortality rate was quite high, subsequently patients confirmed as having the Covid 19 are in the vast majority of cases recovering well from the illness. High risk of Mortality seems to be mostly confined to the Elderly and Infirm. Conversely, at least here in Au, merely having the virus or being exposed to a known patient means a 14 day quarantine period of isolation. This to some is far worse than a few days off with a mild Flu, it means no income for a fortnight. I was tested Monday and have come back as negative, but had I been positive my GP would have been required to inform the Health Department and my workplace would have been shut down, as I was in close contact with everyone there in the week previous. Unfortunately, you cannot rely on Human Beings to do the right thing and self-isolate for the greater good. Contradictions abound. Health authorities here say to avoid kissing and shaking hands, yet will also tell you that you're not at risk unless you've had 15 minutes of close personal contact with an infectious person. They are talking about starting the Football season here to empty crowds, when just last weekend there were nearly 90 thousand people crammed together in Melbourne for the Women's Cricket final. To Gazza's question... I'm not sure about the August show here in Qld. We may have to see what the IPMS chapter do with the Aspley swap meet and show in early May as a guide. And also remember... As a group, we Modellers tend not to be the most hygienic bunch of Hobbyists. S

It's marvelous stuff really... Can be used as tissues in circumstances where there's a gathering and someone's standing down for whatever reason; or in the conventional manner when you're otherwise full of sh*t. Very handy to have.

Thanks Guys... S

Double post.

Just reading up about the Austin round of the Moto GP possibly being in doubt in a month's time. With the City of Austin calling a Natural Disaster, are any of you Stateside Fellas hearing anything about the Summer San Marcos show? https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/06/media/sxsw-preparation-coronavirus/index.html

What did I just get? Hopefully, not Coronavirus... I am off to the Doctor today to be tested. Two weeks ago, a University Student returned from China having quarantined for a fortnight in Dubai. He eventually fell ill and reported to Hospital, and was confirmed as having Coronavirus. During that week, I made 6 deliveries in that suburb to Students moving into flats to start University for the year. Neither Queensland Health nor the Australian Government will confirm his name or address due to privacy reasons. Their advice was I had no reason for concern, as I was not sick and had not been Overseas. Coincidentally, on Tuesday just gone I had my yearly Cancer procedure, so I also visited my GP, the Hospital, a Pathology centre and Pharmacy... All traditionally full of sick people. Then on Friday, I started showing sore throat and having sneezing fits, and experiencing a strong chemical taste/smell (such as if you've ever had an MRI for instance). The symptoms have lessened since, but I am still going to get tested. At work, I deliver to and am in close contact with up to 50 people daily. I work closely with 20 other Drivers who each do the same. The consequences of me infecting the public or fellow workers are staggering. A Doctor in Melbourne last week went to work and even visited a Nursing Home while sick, and tested positive for the Virus. Part of being professional in your work is ensuring that you do all the right things. To me, what you do away from the Truck is just as important as securing the load and keeping to speed limits. Oh, but at least I'm sorted for toilet rolls! Steve

Well, congratulations Tony... From the secret pride of watching your Lady's tummy slowly growing, and thinking to yourself "I did this..." To the sheer terror in 7 months time, as her words echo throughout the delivery Ward... "YOU DID THIS!"" You've got it all in front of you now (well, mostly in front of her really.)

A source told me that Zoukei Mura would be debuting the 75mm cannon-armed Hs-129 variant at the May Shizuoka show. With that show now not going ahead, and the ZM kit plastic being Chinese-sourced, that kit is going to be delayed a somewhat I suspect. It's a time for rationalisation all round. Most of the larger items I deliver daily (beds, mattresses, coffee tables, outdoor settings etc) are going to be unavailable pretty soon; as they're Chinese manufactured and a lot of the Factories have closed down. It's an ideal time for local companies to step into the void, drop their prices a little, and claw back a little of the lost ground that's been given up over the last decade or so. S

I would be happy to call it Mike'O... I got a quarter way through my build, and struck a snag and lost the motivation to push on. However, there may be others who are closer to completion, and deserve a shot at finishing. Others?

The TS-83 is not that old, released maybe 3 or 4 years ago with a gold, and then a little later on also some titanium versions of same. The AS-12 is perhaps 2 decades old now, is part of their Aircraft specific range, and goes down much smoother than their silver leaf spray can; which is a better choice if you're attempting to impart weathering or a wash into the surface colour. S

Addendum Subsequent to the 2018 long nose Ki-45 kit, Zoukei Mura have since released a derivative kit containing parts specific to the early short nosed Ko and Hei variants. This new SWS 14 kit shares most of it's sprues with the SWS 13 release; ommitting 2 of these and replacing them with 3 others, a couple of which are grey and clear duplicates of the same sprue. This raises the sprue count to 26, with 517 parts in total. The kit also features new markings and amended instructions, and interestingly all of the runners in this new kit are marked as "SWS 13" on the reverse. This post is intended as a short guide featuring the new additions required to assemble the Ki-45 Ko and Hei variants, while relying on Jim's excellent review of the earlier release for the parts common to both kits. Sprue H (1 x grey, 1 x clear) A small sprue with only 6 parts, containing the 2 different short nose options, removable panels for the twin 12.7mm gun option nose, landing light lens and instrument panel with recessed dials specific to the initial Ko variant. The nose cone parts feature fine panel lines and subtle rivet detail, and are moulded as 1 piece items to eliminate the need for removing what would otherwise be a very prominent seam. The cooling louvres on the 37mm Hei nose are moulded solid, but are well represented; as are the internal details of the removable panel parts for the earlier Ko nose option. The landing light lens cover is also on this grey sprue, but is not meant to be used. Time for that lens part to shine now, as it's also included on the clear duplicate Sprue H provided here. Any or all of the other clear parts can also be used instead of their opaque counterparts; to show the internal weapons details if so desired, or perhaps to allow the more talented among us to find a way to backlight the instrument panel to maximum effect. These sprues largely replace Sprue S from the original release, which is omitted from this kit. Sprue R The final amended runner for the short nose version, Sprue R contains mostly parts specific to the initial Ko variant. The twin Ho-103 Type 1 fixed 12.7mm machine guns are here; along with their associated ammunition bins, and the necessary bulkheads and support structures to mount them inside the nose. The gun barrels, like those in the SWS 13 kit, are hollowed at the ends and exhibit subtle perforations along the length of the barrels. There are 2 small injection marks on the inside of the gun bodies, but these will mostly be hidden by smaller parts that are to be placed inbetween once assembled. Also present on this sprue are; the landing light body, specific control column and hydraulic control panel for the cockpit, and an early variant instrument panel with the dials moulded in relief. This sprue largely replace Sprue T from the original release, which is omitted from this kit. All of the other parts necessary for completing the SWS 14 short nose variants of the Ki-45, are otherwise included in the initial release kit as reviewed by Jim at the start of this thread. Some mention was made earlier about the possibility of sourcing extra sprues from Zoukei Mura, in order to make use of the included duplicate clear parts and assemble a second Toryu in this manner. However a cursory glance at the parts breakdown shows that as many as 14 of the 26 sprues will be required to do this, allowing for 2 extra engine sprues and the single part Sprue O. Your talents at scratch-building and how much internal detail you can live without may lower the number of runners required. Decals Similar to the initial release, Zoukei Mura have provided a single markings option for each variant represented in the kit, and have included the large white Home Defence bands and chrome yellow leading edge ID strips as decal options. The decals are once again supplied by Cartograf. The 2 schemes supplied are: *Ki-45 Kai Ko (initial production) 1st Lt. Isamu Kashiide 2nd Chutai, 4th Hiko-Sentai *Ki-45 Kai Hei (Army Aerial Arsenal) 2nd Lt. Sadamitsu Kimura 2nd Chutai, 4th Hiko-Sentai Zoukei Mura, in their now familiar fashion, have provided the first markings option in the instructions as a photo of a built-up example, with the second shown as an illustration. Instructions The comprehensive instructions booklet comes in a lovely plum colour, so as not to be confused with the one from the long nose kit should you happen to have both and not be able to read the Japanese cover. Everything that Jim has stated above as regards the instructions of course applies here. One thing I will add, is that green and orange colours are used to highlight the specific parts used for the each variant in the kit, and to help differentiate between the them when added to the common assemblies. Light blue is used to highlight areas to apply adhesive. Hints and tips abound throughout. Section 3.3 H... Compare to Jim's review and section 3.3 G; same parts highlighted, but the whole illustration at a slightly different angle to fit the page. And a place now for those missing fuel tanks! Supplemental As noted elsewhere, there is an anomaly with the original SWS 13 release; most likely concerning only those kits available at the Initial unveiling of the kit at the 2018 Telford show. In these kits, the part M-4 bulkhead is missing 2 lugs that the tail wheel assembly attaches to. It is possible that an earlier test shot sprue may have been substituted in error for the final one intended. The part shown from Jim's review... And the correct part that matches the assembly instructions, with the 2 lugs highlighed. My recommendation would be to contact Zoukei Mura using the parts guide information provided in the next to last page of the Instructions Booklet, should you be among those with the incorrect part in your kit. Conclusion An impressive release; even if only unstarted and still in the box, and made even more so after a couple of reads-through of the instructions to whet the appetite. I imagine it's true worth will gradually be revealed once construction starts and it's potential is gradually realised. The short nosed Toryu was perhaps not as elegant as the later variants; but was still an important type, and saw action in Rabaul, the Philippines and many other different locales as well as in the Defence of the Home Islands. So a welcome counterpart to Zoukei Mura's late Nick release, and a comprehensively detailed large scale kit that certainly does the subject justice. Highly recommended (Kit courtesy of Steve's Stash Fund)

Perhaps just going by the score... The visuals and concept are more reminiscent of the 21st Century re-imagining of the Cosmos series.

Dale, You have helped so many by simply prevailing. Where others faced with your situation might have given in to darkness and doubt, you have been a shining light to others. Where others might have retreated into themselves, you have given freely of your time and your talents. Long may you prevail Mate!

Will be watching this one Ernie... I went up home last September to stay with Mum (and visit the Islands), and took half a kit to keep me occupied. So Mum says... "Oh, are you still doing your little models Steven?" S

Spectacular work Barry!

Trumpeter may have an employee with the virus. Dragon may not. The memes have started already... Hysterics could be just one reason. There's enough Trumpeter-bashing in the Hobby, without the usual suspects telling us they caught Coronavirus from one of their kits. Better to just shut the site down for a month.

If their production or distribution is affected by the Coronavirus, the website may have been shut to limit the spread of not only a virus, but information as well. This often happens in an authoritarian regime. Facebook pages will stay up, as it's an independently-run hosting site, but if there's no one in the Trumpeter or Hobby Boss office to fix a glitch, it will stay unfixed. S

ARBA possibly?

So... You're at the Pub, after a shopping spree at the Hobby Store, and there's a young Woman waiting upon your return? On the face of it, a pretty good Sunday!

Just re-read your post Dale... How did she get your number to text you?

Is it today, or was it yesterday? I never know... So much easier when you were in Nippon! Happy Birthday Mate!

Possibly because the Rolling Stones would let them in. Crazy or not. However, this is definitely not a viable option if you don't have your own Security to turf them out afterwards. Don't do this. This can and will be misconstrued as Sexual Harassment in Au. Then you get evicted, and she gets to annoy the next Tenant. Put a video on inside your flat on continuous loop of the movie "The Ring" or similar, so it's playing when she next comes to your door. See if that helps

The F spinner was re-done with that kit, and is the more accurate of the two. The shape and size is a better representation; as are the prop openings, which pinch slightly at the base. S

Needs some teeth Ernie. Not DeSoto... Mater style (And lose the hood!)