HubertB

Hey guys, It finally dawned on me that we have the solution at hand : we are men, and we are real modellers. There are two things real men AND modellers don’t need: maps and building instructions. If I start using the instruction sheets of the kits in my stash, I am good for a few years of whatever plague we have to face.Eureka ! Hubert

Anyone know or have pics of a PZL P11c in more colourful markings than the plain boring khaki/light blue-gray ? I was considering HN-NBN, a civilianised PZL P11 flown in Hungary between 1940 and 1944, but this is an «a » version, which would require butchering the IBG fuselage to be accurate (engine higher by 4 mm, cockpit moved forward by 9.5 mm, new fin and rudder, and overall length decreased by 6.3 mm, including by moving the engine slightly back. All doable, but a lot of work and possibilities to ruin the nice surface detail of the IBG kit, so a non-starter in the end ... But this khaki is oh so boring Hubert

This is becoming a multimillion views meme

Ernie, I thought you were a friend ... I’ll have to reconsider my feelings now Hubert

Well, so good for the benefits of technology ... That iPad is no good either for the purpose Hubert

I went to the garden for a check of alternatives ... banana tree : sounds promising... but I have none ; pine tree : not sure, but still a lot surer that cactus ... I confirm I’m in deep s#%t ! Hubert

I think it’s fair to say that if I cannot get my normal re-supply of TP next time I go shopping, then I’m gonna be in the s#%t ! Hubert

So flights from Continental Europe to the US are suspended because « Europe is the new China » when it comes to Covid-19, but not flights from the UK, whose Prime Minister reckoned today that the number of infected people is likely between 5000 and 10000 ... So I guess a Brexit-Covid-19 is less infectious or lethal than an EU-Covid-19. I love it when true science is driving Public Health decisions Hubert

Just going back to the facts, and a bit of history first. The « Spanish flu » (H1N1 coronavirus) of 1918-1919 killed between 50 and 100 million people, i.e. between 2.5 and 5.0 % of the world population. Btw, it is called « Spanish flu » because Spain was the first country where its impact was realised and measured statistically. Its origin is alleged - without certainty - from the Boston area, but some suppose that it was brought back there by an American contingent coming back from the Guandong area ... Anyway, the virus had a mutation in the fall of 1918, where its lethality and transmissibility was multiplied by 10 to 30. This to say that, even though the Public Health management conditions and coordination of the era were less than nowadays : 1) coronavirus pandemics (Covid-19 is now called a pandemic by the WHO) are to be taken seriously 2) it just takes an incompetent government, who does not want to measure really the infection or get the number of tests to detect those, or pretend its an overblown hoax, to have an epidemic get out of hand in a flash (yes, I am thinking of some governments in particular, ) But yes, the media are overplaying it somewhat - when others are downplaying it - and creating some psychosis in the populations of the world. It is however, from the real scientists and people whose job is to follow these epidemics, totally wrong to compare Covid-19 to the seasonal flu epidemics, because it is 3 times more infectious than the flu, and 10 times more lethal - and a mortality rate of > 15% among a class age is a really serious threat. The flu kills more people each year because millions are infected, rather than thousands, and we seem to care less and not get the media all hyped-up on it because we have gotten used to these seasonal outbreaks, and health organisations have developed preemptive actions like vaccines, which do not exist yet, nor are likely to exist for another 18 months, for Covid-19. And consider also that a developed country like Italy ( in the world’s top-ten economies ) has reached a point where the health system is already overloaded to the point that they lack the resources to take care of all the ill people, and MAKING A DELIBERATE CHOICE of « letting go » some of the Covid-19-affected people - basically the above-85 ... We should be happy that some responsible people have learned the lessons of the Spanish flu and put in place the early-warning measures to avoid any such recurrence. The recommended measures ARE disrupting the world somewhat, and the media hype is multiplying the disruptive factors even more. Airlines cancel flight by the thousands, companies are affected by supply-lines disruptions, markets are in a panic mode ... But imagine what it would like with an outbreak of Spanish flu magnitude, in a world where travel has been multiplied by probably 1000 in the last Century ... I take the media-flow with a pinch of salt, but still take the recommended precautions and will reconsider if my travels are necessary. I will not live in an apocalyptic shelter for that, but will not take it lightly either. And, finally, I feel that in the coming years, we will have more Covid-19 outbreaks, and will in the end get used to it, just like with the seasonal flu ... Just my Hubert

Received yesterday #2 of my 2020 « To-buy » list ... The resin pilot inside, and the Master MG barrels are nice additions. Plus the box has an extra version depicted on the box art, slightly less boring than the ones in the standard box : it has white « gull-wing » stripes on the wing top. And the inside is drop-dead gorgeous Hubert

Totally agree, but beauty is a derivative of function here ... in short, it’s cool Hubert

So good to see something that is not laden with guns and bombs (although this one was lethal for bugs, and, indirectly, birds ... ) Looks like a nice kit and a nice complement to my resin 1/32 Wilga ... Hubert

No, home in Portugal. Patricia and I envision going down under for our 10th wedding anniversary, but that’s not before 2023 Hubert

Well, the hull inside is also almost kayak-sized (1.35 meter or 53 inches to be precise) Hubert

In another thread, I mentioned how weak I was, piling up a number of « must buys » on my 2020 shopping list. Well, I got the first of those, a rather smallish box, that fits nicely on my bench Me very happy Hubert

Congrats on the #1 ... ... and enjoy your modelling time until then ... by experience, it then shrinks like snow in the sun for the following 20 or more years ! Hubert

Great ! I love the Seahawk ! Looking forward to see more Hubert

... And the Daco Fouga Magister .... It’s gonna be yet another expensive year ... and to think I could also build all of those Hubert

It’s definitely a nice kit that could even make me want to build a target model one day And what a neatly ordered bench in the background ! Hubert

Well, ok. I am even weaker than that ! After seeing some pics and reviews, that showed some, of which a major one, mistakes had been corrected, I finally could not resist and ordered a newly released kit. Good news is I can get the - unbuilt- paper version I had vertically filed. Bad news is it is going to take a lot more space in the stash than the paper kit... Let the guessing game begin until the (very) big box arrives and is posted in the « What did you just get » thread Hubert PS: another piece of good news is that the many books I have on the subject can at last be put to good use !

In spite of your injunction, yes, you're slow ! AS-12 is also very good for "Speed Silver" IMHO. Hubert PS: and, as usual with Tamiya rattle cans, I prefer to use them through the AB, after decanting. You get a better control of the flow than straight out of the rattle can.

Two at a time ? Now that’s ambitious ... Hubert

This, and the Silver Wings DH-82 Tiger Moth, and the Lukgraph DH-89 Dragon Rapide and, hopefully, the Fly Saab J-29, and ... Ok, I am weak Hubert

Just pre-ordered the Special Edition (with eXtra PE, Master gun barrels, and a resin pilot) from Plastmodel.pl When I checked out - on monday evening - they still had 3 Special Edition and 12 standard kits available ( which means they expect a number of boxes to arrive soon) Hubert

Sorry to read this mate You’re a fighter, and a model of strength and wit for so many. I know you’ll keep up and fight back. I, as so many, am standing on your side. Hubert