Wumm

Well that's quite full bodied... But a horrible nose though.

Hasegawa's A-5 kit utilises the wing parts from their earlier D-9 release; much like the real aircraft, only of course in reverse order. As such, specific parts needed to be generated for the short nose variants, and again like the actual aircraft are not precise in their fitment (as others have mentioned in earlier posts in this thread.) As I mentioned back on page 6... I should have been more specific in the above post. After taping all of the wing parts together, and ensuring that everything is in place and the cowl parts fit; then follow the kit's instruction sequence, except for assembling the cowl parts around the already completed lower wing and fuselage parts. S

Harv, IJA dark green is close to FS 34082, the closest Tamiya to this is XF-61. S

The one-piece resin cowling in my example of the MC 200 kit was warped into an oval shape. I tried to get a replacement through both the Australian distributor and PCM, only to be told that none were available, and none would be made available. Subsequently, I on-sold it at a swap meet for a much reduced price. This makes me curious to find where these kits have been sourced, especially as Kitlinx aren't showing most of these as available on their site. S .

Limited run-style plastic with Spartan parts count; overall fairly accurate outlines and dimensions, with some engraved panel details but no alignment pins for assembly. Most kits contain resin cockpits, wheels and some motor details to bolster the parts count. Great decals, with multiple options for most boxings. Not for beginners, but excellent results can be achieved with much application of effort and patience. S

I can sympathise with you Gaz... This sounds like my work and domestic experience about a decade ago. One place worked me increasingly harder year upon year, as I constantly struggled away out of some misplaced sense of duty. While the other, I was just expecting to get scr#wed on a daily basis. What a pity I got the two completely mixed up. S

I dated a Girl in the 80's, who lived on a Rural property between Rocky and the Coast. Every now and then, they would send a Cow off to a Mate they knew, and the deal was he'd keep half after butchery and send them half back all sliced and diced. Seems I've heard of this since as well from others about the place. I came over one Saturday morning, and their Pig was strung up headless in an adjacent tree, being bled ready for collection. Let's just say, that kind of sight leaves a lasting impression on a young Man courting a Farmer's Daughter. S

Great preparation is really paying dividends here Harv. Starting to look every bit a Butcher Bird. S

Agreed, just catching up on this build. You're doing sterling work here Phil. S

And this is a bad thing? If you're feeling blue, you could always cross the border and do something unforgettable (or is that unforgivable?) *Disclaimer: Never drive your 3PH thru KCMO while DWI. S

Well, Sunday here now and everything back to normal, at least on the Groceries front. No crowds, no queues, plenty of supplies at the shops, and hardly any traffic... The Queensland Government pulled this lockdown out of their backside on a whim at 8am on Friday morning. The Health Department weren't informed and had no idea it was happening; they admitted as much to my Wife when she called them at 9am find out if her Factory workplace was considered "essential"... They had no idea, as they told her there had been no communication from the Government and as such no guidelines put in place. Subsequently, plenty of Businesses quite understandably took this official indecision to mean "Whoopee, 4 day weekend Boys" and quickly shut up shop (especially as there's Test Match Cricket on the 'telly). The Woman who set this all in motion tested positive on Wednesday. There have been in excess of 50 thousand test done since, and not one single more positive test has been recorded. On the face of it, it seems like an abundance of caution has been applied. Inconsistencies abound; at first, the wearing of masks was mandated for everyone leaving their place of residence. Travelling in a private vehicle was not addressed specifically, then after people began asking it came through as not required... A couple of hours later this changed completely! There are further inconsistencies... A Woman flew into Melbourne from Heathrow after Christmas, and tested positive to the new UK strain while in quarantine. Vic Health allowed her to leave isolation after 10 days when she was no longer displaying symptoms, but without testing her! She then flew into Brisbane, and then went on by road to the Sunshine Coast hinterland to stay with her Parents. After she was in the Community there for 2 days, Victorian authorities finally decided to do their job properly, and advised Queensland health of her travel intentions. She was subsequently tested, and found to be still positive for Covid 19, and therefore still shedding live Virus. But for some inexplicable reason, the Sunshine Coast has not been put into lockdown like Greater Brisbane has, despite both areas having only a single known case in the Community. We are in a very fortunate situation here, in that we are all wetting our collective pants about having single cases of Covid 19 to deal with, rather than the thousands daily we see in other parts of the World. Yet I can't help the feeling that the authorities here are just making things up as they go. S

Welcome back Buddy... It was certainly an eventful year for you. So sorry to hear about Jerry's passing, but comforting to know that at least you got to see him again that last time. All pain takes time to deal with... Fix what you can, work through what you can't. He's hoping you find comfort in all the unresolved things in life, and bounce back even better than before. Take care, Guwapong Lalaki!

Just finished an eleven-hour shift here in Brisbane, wearing masks and gloves all day. Haven't worn a mask since the 1st of October, when the Health Department stopped the requirement at Hospitals. Masks must now be on whenever outside the home, not sure whether this also means in your own car on your own with the A/C on. Hard to get any sense from the Government, this is all a reaction to a single case, but only a lockdown for 3 days when a case in Sydney recently tested possitive after quarantining for the mandatory 14 days... 3 days doesn't seem anywhere near enough time to smother this outbreak of One. Before this, Queensland previously went 115 days without a case of Community transmission. Well, hurry up and get back to work then... No Spuds at the local Coles ( or Broccoli, Carrots, Flour or Toilet Paper). Despite shopping for groceries being allowed, typically the hoarding has begun again right on queue. We're all doomed. S

It depends on how close you get. S

Thank you Mike... I often hear people say that Brisbane is like a big Country Town. Having been raised in an actual Country Town, it's still a big City to me though. Steve Irwin was quite the Individual, and exactly like you saw on the TV in real life... Just completely mad! I used to make deliveries to him in the 90's when Australia Zoo was just a couple acre petting Zoo, they built that business purely on his drive and personality. Such a tragedy the way he passed, but probably not unexpected when all things considered. S

There is a simple solution; build the G Weasel, and post the photos here in black and white. You need to think more like a Woman!

Thanks Phil... We never snorkel alone, never at dawn or dusk to avoid the feeding times of the larger Sharks, and always tell someone where we're going. Mobile phone coverage is very good on GKI, and there are services that will come and collect by Sea or on Land if you sprain an ankle and can't manage the walk back overland for whatever reason. Rob, we use a Kaiser Bass X400 camera, with a small tripod attached that allows you to set up on the Sea bed and vacate to a distance to capture the more timid Fish that typically hide when threatened. The tripod also doubles as a handle so it can be easily passed between the two of us. We usually stay in video mode, as often by the time you change to still camera the opportunity has passed. It was recommended by others on one of the Fishy Forums my Wife uses, as a cheaper alternative to Go-Pro. We are very happy with it, but may upgrade to Go-Pro and have two options so as to avoid missing opportunities like the Black Tip Shark encounter. Some further examples not shown above as a guide... Twin Otter aircraft taken in still camera setting on Whitsunday island, only in the underwater option on the camera as we were in Cousteau-mode at the time. Cropped, but otherwise un-edited. Green Turtle on Heron Island in September last year. She was at about 4 metres depth, I am halfway to the surface and following her. When I dived to get closer a minute later, she hit the afterburner and quickly outpaced me! Details are blue here because of her depth and the oblique lighting, but still fairly clear because we are on a reef shelf and not a tidal beach. Photo is a screenshot, but otherwise un-edited. Blue-spotted Stingray on Great Keppel last week. Strong sunlight, but some silt in the water at a depth of 2 metres. The magnificent iridescent blue spots that this Ray flashed on it's back when we startled it are mostly lost in this vision, the only blue seen along the tail. A Go-Pro or more expensive set-up may have captured this detail in video mode. Cropped screenshot, but otherwise un-edited. Other than this isolated motion blur, this camera suits us very well. I guess it depends on the marine life you might expect to encounter in the Canaries. S

I'm really finding it hard to understand the hate (especially elsewhere) for mainstream aircraft subjects modelled in 1/35th scale. Not merely "I would never buy this", but "I hope they fail". There must be at least a dozen 1/35 figure sets from multiple Manufacturers that can be easily modified to maintenance or Ordnance loading crews. Similarly vehicles; Italeri fuel tanker, Tamiya Citroen Avant and Opel Blitz, ICM Opel Kadett or Mercedes autos. Why on Earth would you use a Panther Tank in an Aircraft diorama with so many other options available? Use your imagination people! S

A view of the landing gear of FW-190 G-3 W.Nr 160016, captured by the Americans on Sicily in 1943. Added to show the oleo cover (and some examples of panel lines). S

To satisfy my Wife's obsession to visit at least one Reef site every year, last Monday we found ourselves on Great Keppel Island. Covid 19 thwarted our attempts for most of the year, having to twice cancel trips because of enforced restrictions or cancelled Holidays. But the lure of the Sea was too strong to resist. Great Keppel is the largest of the Keppel group of 16 Islands; 30 minutes by boat from Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast of Queensland, itself 30 minutes drive from my home town of Rockhampton. Formed as the top of a now submerged volcanic plug, it sits inside the Southern Great Barrier Reef; just north of the Capricorn Group of Islands, of which Heron Island is perhaps the most well known. Conditions on the day offered us fine 30 degree Celsius ambient temperature with occasional Cumulocirrus clouds, a 10 knot easterly wind changing to S/Easterly later with a half-metre swell in open seas. Water temperature in the shallows was 27 Celcius. Underwater visibility was good in bright sunlight, but not great. The UV rating on the day was 14.2, as GKI lies directly on the Tropic of Capricorn and we are only a week past the Summer Solstice. Coral and marine life on GKI is limited to area beyond the rocky outcrops at the points between it's many long beaches, before the Island drops off into the depths. Not being a Coral Cay like Heron Island, the best viewing is to be had at or approaching the low tide, as any corals exposed to the midday Sun would soon die. We snorkeled Shelving Reef and Monkey Beach at GKI, however the tide was against us for Monkey Beach and too high to allow decent visibility at the depth the corals live. Below, a view of the main beach from the hill above Shelving Beach, the overland track a good hike but well worth the effort to get there. A selection of photos we took... The predominant corals at Shelving Reef are Staghorn Acropora hard coral, extending around the rocky point for about a quarter acre in area. From our observations, none of the Staghorn was bleached, which is a very good sign. A massive orange Platygyra 'Maze' coral, over a metre in length. Strikingly coloured mantle flesh on this Giant Sea Clam. There were many of these large Sarcophyton 'Leather' corals to be found. These soft fleshed corals bend their bodies to channel water in and around their bodies to trap and collect nutrients in the water. An unusually coloured lavender Sarcophyton Elegans, similar yet distinct from the type above. Such large soft corals thriving alongside hard corals in the same section of reef is another good sign. An orange Gonipora 'LPS' coral; these have a rocky perforated body that hide the fleshy feeding polyps that here are shown extended, but then retract at night or when threatened... Ergo, a Large Polyp Stony coral. New growth Acropora amongst the established Staghorn. We were extremely fortunate to surprise a metre long Epaulet Shark; these are notoriously hard to spot in the middle of the day, but were on the list that we might expect to see on GKI. Beck also had an encounter with a couple of small Black Tip Sharks; unfortunately I had the camera and was too far away at the time to get footage. Yours Truly! A thoroughly enjoyable trip, and one we'll do again soon I'm sure. S

Somewhere, the Sun still shines... The World turns, and everything old is new again. May this new year be blessed and full of hope for every one of us. Steve

Creative Models Australia... Was looking at local options first. I'm finding that a few places overseas no longer ship Down Under.

Gaz, Quickboost do a tailwheel set, although out of stock at BNA and CMA locally. QB32185 if searching elsewhere... https://www.bnamodelworld.com/parts-decals-for-aircraft-1:32-reskit-rs32-0151 There is a Resikit late wheel set in stock at BNA, with the separate fork and tailwheel included... https://www.bnamodelworld.com/parts-decals-for-aircraft-1:32-reskit-rs32-0151 Synthetic Ordnance Works offer an A-5 / A-8 main gear set for the Hasegawa kits, MLGS 1005 if you're searching. Eduard of course do a dedicated full set for the Revell kits, however this has a square peg at the top of the main leg in order to fit Revell's gear bay, which may complicate things unnecessarily. Edit: The FW-190 main gear were effectively the same throughout production. Frequently, rubberised accordion-type gaiters were seen covering the movable section of the lower oleos on earlier variants. HTH, S

Glad it wasn't one of the toddlers. Although...