HubertB

One of my regrets is to never have bought a second ST-M kit while Paul was still in operation ... I have an extensive stash of Fisher kits but would not have minded a second PT-20 ... Hubert

Now the IBG PZL P-11c is back on the bench... I found out that it was another casualty of the move: given the flimsy contact point between the cockpit floor and the rudder pedals part, I had to glue it many times. When the move came, I forgot that the assembly was attached to a « third hand » crocodile clip that was packed with other stuff. Of course, the rudder pedals went MIA ... But I have a cunning plan : this is where my 40-years old « Plany Modelarskie » drawings prove their usefulness. They feature detailed 1/5 drawings of the cockpit components, including the rudder pedals. Just a matter of scratchbuilding a new part, which, btw, will be stronger and less flimsy than the IBG rendition, judging from the drawing’s dimensions. TBC in the WiP section Hubert

Well, after a 5-months hiatus during which surveying the final works of the new house, moving and settling into it took priority, I am back at the bench, to do some repairs to the finished kits which had suffered some (minor) damage in the move. I had to redo a full fork for the ST-M tailwheel, in brass, as the original resin one did not survive in a good enough shape. I really suck at welding, but I prevailed nevertheless ! Me happy Hubert

I got the trick from jewellers. As they are working with short-focal magnifying glasses, they have to be really close to their work, which implies a sore back and shoulders with standard chairs and tables. To overcome this, they have very high benches, with their elbows literally at the level of their shoulders. A high bench is one way to achieve the goal, the other is to use a telescopic chair set at its lowest, with a standard-height table. I lower my chair when I have to work close to the bench, especially with the Optivisor. HTH Hubert

Happy B+1 day, Harv ! Hubert

No problem at all . Glad to be an inspiration for something, if not for completed models Hubert

Resuming my IBG PZL P-11 in 1934 Paris Airshow livery is #1 on the list. Then there is Fisher’s Gutless, or maybe Micro-mir Miles Magister ... So nice I got a second one before starting the first Hubert

Rien, zero, zilch, nada ... But then it means I have completed the move to the new house and I have finished resetting the workbench ! Time to reintroduce sme clutter, methink Hubert

Yes, it was definitely a one-man operation. I am surprised to see a stick rather than a yoke, but then it is somewhat reminiscent of the D-VII arrangement ... Hubert

Cool to see this one on your bench ! As per my habit, I have searched, and found, a civvie livery for mine. And there are even decals/masks for it ! https://www.aviationmegastore.com/hawker-hart-ii-demonstrator-91--g-abmr-arc72-072-arctic-decals-arc72-072-aircraft-scale-modelling-decals/product/?action=prodinfo&art=142436 Hubert

+ 1 ! Hubert

I do not think that the comparison with other public health crises like alcoholism, illegal drugs consumption, opioid drugs consumption, or, for that matter, tobacco consumption, is a valid one. First, people have the choice to consume or not these substances. Yes, they can decide to put their health at risk, and one can consider they are thus exercising their personal freedom. But they are normally just putting their own health at risk, and not jeopardising others’ health and well-being. And if they do so by combining the consumption of dangerous substances like alcohol, drugs, opioids, with, for instance driving a car, the society considers this a offense to law and public order, and rightfully punishes such behavior, and makes these people liable to others for their dangerous attitude. And, btw, even when they know they are putting their health and lives at risk, they still expect, in our modern societies, to be taken taken care of by our health system if they put themselves in a crisis situation, or develop a heart disease or cancer because of this flirting with dangerous substances. No one would understand if a doctor said « it was your choice, now live - die - with it ! » With Covid-19, you can argue that putting yourself in an situation to be contaminated is also a personal choice, and that you are exercising your freedom. BUT, if, when contaminated, you then pass on the virus to someone else, who just wanted to be safe, you are no better than the guy who goes driving under influence and kills an innocent bystander by doing so. It’s just the proof of YOUR liability that is harder to demonstrate by the society ... But morally, you're in the same a#!$e league by my book ... And, just like the alcohol, drug, tobacco, opioid addict, you probably still expect that the health system takes care of you even if your choice increased your risk of being infected ... However, the point is that a significant percentage of people who get infected with SARS-COV2 end-up in ICU, and that can last a long time, as Dr Dave pointed, and this will put an extraordinary strain on a health system that is designed and dimensioned for a « probable » peace-time ICU beds’ requirement. What happens when all ICU beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, and you need even more every day because more and more people are coming in sick ? This is called « triage », a soft word to qualify that the medical staff will decide who will benefit from ICU support, and who will be left to die ... Should we then decide that people who exercised their « right » not to wear a mask, not to practice social distancing, not to stay at home when asked for it, would automatically fall in the « no-priority » category ? Unfortunately, there are no simple answers and solutions to tough questions. Our governments or authorities - at least in democracies - try to balance between conflicting demands : preserving individual rights, yet preserving public health, yet ensuring a healthy economy, yet managing efficiently the health system, yet considering all citizens equal ... It’s clear the cursor on these different requirements was set differently in different countries. It’s also clear that, to date at least, the ones whose leaders tended to downplay the severity of the issue have fared comparatively worse. It’s also apparent that, where public pressure, or lassitude, tends to relax the safety requirements, the contamination flares up rapidly, and the health systems are quickly under pressure ... As a business owner, I certainly wish the economic consequences of the plague were less severe. As an individual, all the more so as I am in a more risky category (male, over 60, overweight), I am certainly happy that the government in the country I am living in is enforcing key health-preserving constraints, and that the population, at large, is following them rather than moaning about their restrained freedom. As a citizen, I try to bring my modest contribution to the safety of my peers, and to not contribute to overstressing the health system, by wearing a mask, respecting social distancing, and overall avoiding risky situations and environments. I certainly wish my life was more like 10 months ago, than what it is now. Unfortunately, this is largely beyond my control. But all in all, I still prefer to be alive albeit slightly poorer, rather than financially wealthy, but seriously sick, or worse, dead ... As you can guess, I am rather in the camp of being cautious, of taking the threat seriously because, even though I live in an area where the disease is mostly not « visible » , the facts and data show how serious - critical is even a better word - it can quickly become, and accepting constraints for the good of the society. I also understand that some of you can be in a different camp, with other priorities. But will you just keep clear from me, at least in the forthcoming weeks, « just in case » ? Just my Hubert

Methink you are all set for a F-VIIb/3m next, Mike ... Just asking out of interest for a friend ( I have a Wright J-9 designed already for a Mystery Ship, just sayin ... ) Hubert

Wonderful work, Rob Hubert

Excellent ! (Although, given the size of your truck and trailer, I’d have said the D-11 was more appropriate to fill the flat bed ) Hubert

Mine doesn’t .... but who is the boss ? Hubert

Nice, very nice ! Hubert

Where do we sign up, and how many kidneys ? And, gentlemen, please stay in line in the queue BEHIND me ! Hubert

Well Ernie, the second pic definitely saves you the trouble of finding an engine, just saying Hubert

I consider my unfinished design vastly superior to KH’s one ( in case you wonder, « modest » is my third nickname ), although totally unfit for an IM process. It can only show on a high range 3D- printer. In this work, I have certainly developed a detailed knowledge of Scintilla magnetos and Stromberg carburetors Hubert

Well, I have had a R-985 in design for quite some time. I stopped and stumbled on the design of the cylinder head cooling fins ... Maybe I should resume my work on this one, although the availability fo the KH Kingfisher kits made it a less urgent requirement ... It was dimensionally designed in 1/32, but could be scaled up to 1/16 easily in a split second on a 3D-printer setup, especially with the level of detail I incorporated ... This is where I stalled :

Super project , and very generous from Mike ! Now I’m officially jealous ! Hubert

These MFH kits are really impressive. If I was ready to commit to such an amount for a kit (knowing very well that in reality I scatter - at least - this amount across multiple kits in one year ), I confess I’d hesitate between a HpH DC-3 (NOT C-47) and a big scale MFH kit of my all-time favourite racing car, the mighty Porsche 917 ... Hubert

it’s a more logical and prosaic explanation ... but the mental picture was certainly .... hmmm .... dare I say « poetic » ? Hubert

My stepdaughter has built two of those already, and is currently living in one of them (was there not 4 hours ago). Not my idea of comfort, but I have to say it’s a very smart build and you get all basic amenities within 14 sqm and 3500 kgs. Definitely very ingenious designs, well isolated btw, easy to warm in winter, albeit a bit warm in hot summers. Hubert