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Human nature Phil... Simplified kits are criticised, because people want a challenging Hobby. Then complex kits are released, and we bemoan the intricate internal inclusions that may never be seen, and yearn for simplified details. The poor bl**dy Model manufacturers can't win either way. The Eduard Brassin motor is very accurate in this regard. The resin cylinders impart much more details than ever possible in injection moulded plastic, and the baffles on the tops are the correct shape and handed as explained here: Zoukei-Mura seem to have moulded the baffles as a separate part to be placed atop the cylinders. Even if this is an interim view here, it's already much more refined than the Revell parts. Note that on the Fighter motor, these baffles continue to the centre of the cylinder banks from either side, where there is a sealing tube that runs over the top and contacts a perpendicular brace that sits inside the cowling. Even with this tube in-situ, the height is much lower than the cylinder heads on either side. The MA / ML Bomber motor (based on the BMW 801 A, B or C motor) ran at lower compression and revs than the dedicated Fighter C or D version, and had more clearance inside the cowling. It had a different cylinder cooling arrangement; with a raised hollow box above the cylinder tops that channeled air in one side only through a gap in the baffle, and then out to the rear. This baffle arrangement in the middle ring sat higher than the cylinder tops. Revell gave us some hybrid creation, whereby there's kind of a square hole in the baffle, but it's joined by the square top boxes at the rear where the ring sits. So not really representative of either version really, but to my eyes more Bomber than not. The parts breakdown of the fuselage side parts to me still seems to point to different variants being produced, probably the best way to get the most life from the moulds considering all the different fuselage hatch arrangements utilised over the life of the airframe. S

That's a great start though Gaz all the same. S

Who even knew that was a 'thing'? S

It was just on here in Au last night. Also, the 1943 Bogart Sahara was on one of the channels last Saturday afternoon. Then if you consider, Dan Akroyd's tank in 1941 was nicknamed "Lulubelle", and Jim Belushi was in the 1995 Sahara re-make... PS Carl... S

Thanks for that Dave... Local authorities are constantly looking to the UK for guidance on the vaccine roll-out, and there are calls from some quarters to extend the recommendation for Pfizer to also include the 50 - 59 age group. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/calls-to-review-age-cut-off-for-az-vaccine-after-latest-death/100214896 Not here, not for the foreseeable future. For instance: Federal Government gives a special dispensation to allow a fully vaccinated couple to travel from the US, so that the man can see his dying Father. Couple arrives in Sydney New South Wales, but Queensland Government refuses their entry and requires them to quarantine for 14 days if they do decide to push the issue... https://amp.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/vaccinated-man-stuck-in-sydney-quarantine-fears-for-sick-father-in-qld-hospital-20210616-p581ll.html Another: Fully vaccinated Melbourne couple flying in from overseas, and forced to quarantine after the Mother required an emergency Caesarian Section, and denied access to the Baby for over a week. https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/melbourne/couple-finally-meet-newborn-eight-days-after-birth/ar-AAKTKcu?li=AAgfYrC One is left to wonder why those fully vaccinated are still being required to quarantine upon arrival here, when they're constantly urging people to get vaccinated so that we can open up the borders! S

Cognitive dissonance Brad... You want to get vaccinated because you don't want to die from a communicable disease; yet conversely you also don't want to die from willingly submitting yourself to the medicine that's supposed to prevent it. Quite the dilemma, isn't it? My 88 year old Uncle faced the same problem recently. He is in a wheelchair, so is petrified of people's 'splatter' as he puts it. However, he's in the wheelchair in the first place because his legs were amputated due to Peripheral Arterial Disease. In the end, he opted for the A/Z jab, because if he was going to go he'd rather it quickly from a clot or aneurysm rather than a lingering death while gasping for air. This is what it boils down to for the Elderly now... choose your preferred demise. He's still kicking (pardon the pun) a month later, but if he were to pass from a clot, it would be put down to comorbidity and not attributed exclusively to the vaccine. I would do my best to get a Doctor's Certificate clearly stating your Dad's extant condition, and try to secure a Pfizer appointment for him; even if that means waiting around for a while to snaffle a shot that they might otherwise throw out at the end of the day. S

It's patience that's wearing thin up here... After the Melbourne lockdown had started, a middle-aged couple decided to go on a little holiday, driving 2000 klms north through New South Wales and into Queensland. Having arrived a week later, of course they've now both tested positive for Covid, sending over a thousand close and casual contacts into enforced isolation along the way. 5 other Victorians have also been found to be up here in breach of the lockdown, and will be fined $4000 each by the Queensland authorities. Meanwhile, the Queensland Premier had her first Pfizer Vaccination this week. Despite being over 50, the reasons given for Pfizer were that because she had prioritised a 'Flu shot first this year, she now had no time to have both A/Z shots before she might be required to fly to Tokyo to accept the 2032 Olympics nomination. This very quickly set off people's 'Bullsh#t' metres, and shortly vision appeared online of her 'Flu shot press conference; where the needle was never seen to enter her arm... The Nurse's thumb was never seen to be on the plunger... And the cap appeared to be on the syringe the whole time... Leading some to believe that the whole thing was an elaborate set-up to avoid the Asta Zenica. For comparison; by June 2nd, the New South Wales Premier had received her 'Flu shot and both doses of Astra Zenica. For context, it turned out that the actual incident in question happened last year, but it shows the extent to which some will go to force their particular narrative. Speaking of which... This week the TGA confirmed a second blood clot death caused by the A/Z vaccine (along with 7 others listed as 'possible'). This now doubles the Nation's Covid-19 deaths this year, which was a single case back in April. S

Wisden's just called Gus... They'd like their 1981 Almanack returned please. S

That would very soon have the Police around. You get arrested here just for having a replica. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-02/man-with-replica-gun-detained-in-rochedale-south-brisbane/6994344 Quick Gaz, try that now while it's Winter. From September to April however, that would soon turn into a melted brown puddle! S

The Rats here are also far too clever to fall for mechanical traps... We live near bushland in F'Lake, and there's often 'evidence' left around the BBQ. Rat traps invariably have their bait pilfered, and we don't use poison baits as there's Powerful Owls in the nearby park who would perish after eating the carcasses. So we resort to keeping the BBQ area as clean as possible, and putting the occasional trap out. Thankfully, they don't seem to get into the house. We sometimes hear them at night on the roof (could also be Possums) but there was no evidence in the roof cavity last time I was up there. The Spaniels have the run of the house 24/7, and my girl is an excellent Mouser! S

So, the Vaccination rollout has now slowly descended into farce here. The first Queensland Vaccine Hub has opened at a fairground here in Southside Brisbane. This is particularly apt, as some might describe the situation as a bit of a Circus. It's only open to 40 - 49 year olds, and only dispensing Pfizer vaccine. The reason for this being, the Queensland Government has sent back their stockpile of Astra Zenica, and directed the Federal Government to sent our share of the A/Z to private GP Clinics instead. They have completely washed their hands of the responsibility of dealing with the A/Z vaccine. The major problem is, that hardly any of the Doctors want the responsibility of administering the vaccine themselves. They don't want to store it, can't afford the extra staff to administer it, and don't want to get sued if the Patient dies from DVT. My Doctor's Surgery doesn't want to do it, so then you have to call around to find another who does, and has stock of the A/Z, because it's all I can have as I'm over 50. Even with a Doctor's certificate, you can't get an exemption to have the Pfizer jab (or so I've been told) if you have an elevated risk of blood clots, or (like me) you've had Cancer or another condition that may compromise your immunity. So, you go to your regular Doctor to get your exemption, just in case. Then you go to the Federal Government website (because that's what the State Health Department is advising) to find another Doctor. When you can't find one that can firstly fit you in, or then has any Vaccine left, the options are: "Contact your State Government's website!" Who then tell you that as you're over 50, they really can't help you because you can't have the Pfizer, and that's the only brand they're administering now. But you're always welcome to come down to the Circus, er Fairground and wait in line for hours crammed together with other Hopefulls in case they have any Pfizer left over at the end of the day. In which case, after having taken the day off work just on speculation, and if there's any spare... They will happily give you a dose of the Pfizer Vaccination that you're not allowed to have. S

The W.Nr. is very small, at the base of the fin near the tailplane. I would use the small numerals included in various 1/35 Wehrmacht kits that are provided for number plates. S

Some more information to complicate things... Werk No. is 15912, it is an Erla-built G-6 variant although technically a G-5 airframe... G-5's were pressurised, and built alongside standard Erla G-6 batches, but they lacked the fresh air inlet under the windshield on the left side, as well as the plate that sealed the cockpit behind the main canopy... Note the normal headrest with gaps here. This photo also shows the typical Erla process of painting the gun cover in the lighter RLM 77 grey. As you can see, the wings and tailplanes featured saw-tooth Camo demarcations, and the whole airframe was highly polished to gain the most airspeed possible (note the sheen on the tailplane, and the Balkenkreuz worn away in some places). Refer to this photo rather than the colourised one for camouflage markings. Mottle is heavy in the typical mid-war Erla style, with spots in RLM 02, 74 and 75. Tall aerial mast, and green is usually given as the numeral colour, but red is equally likely. The first two of Weiroster's victories were scored on the Schweinfurt rain of August 17th 1943, and we see him here with 4 tabs on the rudder when the Wochenshau PK crews paid JGr.50 a visit on 16th of September that year. http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2016/08/jgr-50-september-1943-maj-hermann-graf.html?m=1 HTH, S.

The unknown factor is how far along they are with development, and what we're being allowed to see... Everything looks to be progressing well, but there's still some work ahead according to these photos. Note the hard edges adjacent to the canopy pulley wheel, whereby on the real thing it's already transitioned to a curve by that point. At least they're giving us the BMW fighter motor, and not the bomber motor Revell replicated. S

27 genuine Thrombosis episodes out of 4 million injections is miniscule in the overall scheme of things. It's just that it's really unfortunate for you if you're one of the 27. And there's no way to predict beforehand if you're going to have an adverse reaction. The Media plays on the sensationalism of it all to an extent, and then it becomes part of the narrative. Vaccinations in Melbourne have doubled in the past week. It's like people were complacent about it, until it hit the fan and now suddenly they're faced with lockdown number 4. So now Melbournians are lining up in queues in the cold next to one another, when they should be at home isolating. People are turning up without booking, because the phone lines are jammed and of course being Australia there's no online option to book an appointment... Why would that even be necessary? So folks are leaving disappointed because there's not enough Pfizer for walk-ins, from the Exhibition Hall mass hub in Carlton... When the A/Z Vaccine is produced in Parkville in the very suburb next door and is in plentiful supply. The whole thing is just dripping in irony. Over the past year, we made all the tough calls and did everything necessary to recover from the Pandemic. We used our isolation to advantage; controlled the borders, and apart from isolated outbreaks, suppressed the Virus. But since then, the separate States have all gone down different pathways, there's no coordination between strategies or vaccinations, and no consistency in messages. Our State Government is currently spending millions of dollars on the 2032 Olympics bid and $1500 dollar incentives to get people to relocate to the Tropics for Tourism jobs, but we still have no mass Vaccination hub. Complacency. S

This is one case where the lines between perception and reality are blurred for many here Gus... The Therapeutic Goods Administration (our version of the MHRA or FDA) approved the use of the A/Z Vaccine on March 26th this year. According to the link: https://www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-chadox1-s Of particular concern are the parts contained within that specifically mention that this approval hinges on ongoing clinical trials, and that it was granted despite the unknown nature of the extent of the vaccine's actual prevention of Covid-19. Reasonable people are left to wonder just why it was cleared for use while clinical trials are still ongoing, and while doubts exist about its efficacy... Never mind that there's been 27 cases of TTS Thrombosis and six deaths since. For some, this seems to be the very definition of 'rushed through'. We have the choice of Pfizer for those under 50 years of age, or A/Z for overs. If you are considered at risk of clots or have a comparable Medical condition your Doctor can arrange for over 50's to have the Pfizer instead. The Moderna is coming apparently but not available yet, and the J&J was rejected. There was a promising early effort developed locally by the University of Queensland which worked well in trials, however it was rejected as it was also giving recipients false HIV positive results. The Astra Zenica is being made in Melbourne under licence at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories; the Australian Government have put most of their eggs in that basket, which may speak to why they are persisting with it. As for open borders, I honestly don't think most people are concerned at this point. The Country had a dip into Recession last year, but the economy has rebounded into 2021 and for the most part life continues as normal. We have the occasional lock-down from a few days to a week to allow small outbreaks to be properly contact-traced, and then it's back to business again. We have a reciprocal travel agreement with New Zealand, and others can come to the Country for work or other legitimate reasons (mostly Hollywood movie stars it seems). Then there's the unanswered questions about herd immunity, constant reports of Covid being detected in sewage tests, and whether the Virus is living in the community asymptomatically and we've all had it without knowing. Either way, people don't seem too concerned... "She'll be right Mate!" S

I agree with you about the benefits to Society Doc... However, I'm also greatly concerned that the Government here has approved a specific Medication, that they know has the potential to kill otherwise healthy Citizens when used as directed, and have admitted this to the Public in writing within the link I provided above. It's one thing to have unintended consequences. But harm and possible death is now a known outcome, from a medication actively encouraged and administered by the State. To me this goes against both the Hippocratic Oath, and good Governance. S

Figures as at last Sunday... 22 thousand adverse reactions ranging from the sniffles to death, out of 3.6 million total Australian vaccinations. One confirmed death from the A/Z jab, one probable and one possible. So with just the single confirmed Covid death this year in the whole Country, and according to the Official figures... Statistically you are at least likely to die from the vaccine in Australia in 2021 than the actual Covid-19, perhaps moreso. https://www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report-27-05-2021 Not helping much, am I Gaz? My former Partner had a severe adverse reaction from Gadalinium dye administered during an MRI scan. One of the symptoms was loss of sight; completely in one eye, and reduced to monochrome in the other (I think I may have mentioned this earlier). This was a foreign substance that she voluntarily had administered into her body, and signed a waiver for. Reactions to vaccinations are less common than the militant minority would have us believe, yet they still happen, and to varying degrees of severity. The really tough thing is... You don't know you're likely to have a reaction, until it happens. I'll be taking two aspirin a day for the week before my vax (when I can arrange it) and for a month after. And also I'll be wearing the stockings I have set aside that I used during my last operation. It's Winter here, I'll just wear long pants for a month. No biggie. S

And in that vein... The Australian State of Victoria has gone into another lockdown, this time for 7 days. An Australian citizen who flew into South Australia from overseas later returned to Melbourne in Victoria and has started an outbreak there of 30 new cases. It is thought that he contracted Covid in Hotel Quarantine, but was still negative at the end of his 14 day stay, and later tested positive after becoming ill with the Indian variant back in Victoria. There are over 80 sites now in Melbourne and surrounds where positive cases are known to have visited in the last fortnight. Through an abundance of caution, Greater Melbourne is now in lockdown, masks are to be worn, and travel restrictions apply. And of course, the Shops there have run out of toilet paper again. Repatriation flights have begun arriving again from India, at about 150 people at a time. The first flight was almost half empty, as 70 passengers either tested positive or were close contacts of positive cases. Controversy erupted when many of these people left behind in India tested negative soon afterwards, and claimed that the Facility that QANTAS used was not properly accredited. The man in India who sued the Australian Government lost his case on Constitutional grounds, and abandoned further legal action as the border was now effectively open again. Covid vaccinations nationally reached 4 million injections this week. This is only a tenth of the way towards covering the 20 million Adult Australians in the population. It was revealed mid-week that neither the Queensland State Premier or Chief Health Officer had sat for their first Covid injections... Both of them prioritised having their 'Flu shot first. The Premier, when asked whether she would be taking the Astra Zenica vaccine, responded that she would "be taking the advice of her Doctor". This has done little to inspire confidence in the community towards either the efficacy of the Vaccine, or of the risks of blood clotting and embolisms being associated with the A/Z jab... The State Premier is 51 years old; over 50's are recommended to have the A/Z Vaccine. Unlike most Australian capital Cities, Brisbane has no centralised Covid Vaccination Hub. Since earlier in May, I am now eligible to be vaccinated as the rollout has extended to over 50's now. However, my GP is not offering this service from their clinic as they have no facilities to store the Vaccine, and can't justify the extra staff required above and beyond the normal running of the Practice. Getting people the Jab doesn't appear to be a huge priority for either the Government or the Healthcare Community, at least here in Queensland. S

It looks overly complicated at first, but the breakdown of the Fw-190 fuselage parts will allow them to utilise different sprues for the early and late variants, which had different shaped radio hatches. They have also taken this approach to the wing lower surfaces, instead of the compromises made by both Hasegawa and Revell in this area. This modular construction isn't to everyone's liking, but it has it's advantages. You could always wait for the 'Basic' A-3 or A-5/6/7 versions which should be available soon after the initial release. S

Zoukei-Mura have posted updates this week, announcing that their Fw-190 A-4 and Bf-109 G-14 kits are due for release next year. Their second Hs-129 offering was due this time last year, but Covid happened. It will likely be their next 1/32nd scale release. https://www.zoukeimura.co.jp/sentiment/oyajiblog_113.html?fbclid=IwAR3kUASPBRyFbqNzMW6ZVQX2qVgFMOOoKD11HfMo5Tkm_oaW9yjpkIe2aiE New moulds are expensive. The Japanese manufacturers are competing with Heavy Industry, Automotive and Electronics manufacturers who are all experiencing shortages and delays in their supply chains. If you're a manufacturer and you have the capacity to make moulds and extrude plastic, who are you going to support... Hasegawa or Toyota? S

Roger that... Jeeps (note the RAAF under windshield)... Or various marques of British or American truck... Or even Tractors. We were a mere bit player, so utilised anything the major powers brought with them. S

Merely one of the consequences of the item being manufactured in a Country where English is not the first language... At least they didn't put a Bicycle in a TV box! S

I think it's most probably a "No" Danny, at least here on home soil... Once the Japanese entered the War, Australia was pretty much left to her own devices until the Yanks arrived en masse. Along with all the infrastructure, they brought Jeeps and other specialist vehicles for their own airfield requirements. There would already have been Hillman and Austin cars here, many of which may have been converted to tray or panel configuration, but were mostly used as Farm runabouts and not for Military use. Specialised V8 Ford, Chevy and International brand pick-ups were already popular here by the time the War broke out, but these were more rugged for agricultural use, and are in another vehicle class. In early 1945, the British Government started sending Austin, Hillman and Standard Tilly's to Australia, to alleviate the general vehicle shortage here. As an aside; my Father had a 20 year old FJ Holden panel Van that we used to take down onto the beach to go Crabbing and Fishing in the '70's... My Grandfather used to call this a 'Tilly', as he did Dad's later 1982 Ford Falcon Utility. 'Ute' is the popular term here for a Sedan-based Pickup. S