Date:Feb. 5th, 2016
Time: 2.5 hrs
Yearly total: 14.92
Worked on the wing/fuselage fit of the Hurricane. For some reason this was a difficult area. No one else has reported this problem on this kit, so I can only assume the fault is mine. It took a lot of work, but I finally got it to fit. I also did a little work on the figures that will ultimately in the diorama with the Hurricane.
Cover
David, why are you reviewing a magazine that issue that is 7 years old? Great question. Well, if you are really a fan of Japanese aviation, you already may know about Arawasi (which means eagle in Japanese). If you are a fan of Japanese aviation related history, and you aren’t familiar with it, you should be.
Arawasi is a magazine that comes out on an irregular basis. It covers all things related to Japanese aviation for its inception to the present day, though the focus tends to be on the time from WWI to the end of WWII. Its coverage is very detailed, with in depth articles on different aircraft types, units, engines and pilots. For the WWII enthusiast, it covers colors and markings and different units and their histories. While some of this information might be found in other English language publications, much of it are things that probably haven’t ever been covered before, even in Japanese aviation books and magazines.
This issue covers everything from the Ki-45s of the 53rd Sentai to an unusual unit marking on a Ki-21 Sally. Additionally there is a great article on the DB-7B Boston that the Japanese captured in the Dutch East Indies and tested with excerpts from a meeting of Japanese aviation professionals during the war which discussed the aircraft and its pluses and minuses. Finally there is an article on one of the first Japanese female pilots, who wasn’t actually Japanese, but Korean. Each article is illustrated with lots of great period photos, again, many of which probably haven’t been seen in the west before.
The downside of these issues is that they are infrequent (Issue 12 just came out in the Spring of 2015) and they are costly if you pick them up after they are out of print, which all are except issue #12. You can pick up the “current” issue for $12 plus $3 postage. Get it if you have any interest in Japanese aviation.
I meant to post this a couple of months ago. It is a rap battle on the origins of WW I. Way funny.
A neat article about the air nurse program during WWII. It was run out of Bowman field in Louisville.
While it may not be as big a deal as some might make it, this still isn’t good news.
Date: Jan. 22nd and 24th, 2016
Time: 1.5 hrs and 2.0 hrs
Yearly total: 12.42
A good modeling weekend. I managed to wedge in a few hours work on the Airfix Hurricane. Got everything buttoned up and worked on the major seams. This kit hasn’t gone together quite as well as the previous new Airfix kits. I had real trouble with the wing fuselage joint as it was much too tight. I had to do a lot of sanding and fitting to make it work. No one else has reported this problem, so I am pretty sure it was my fault. Not sure what went wrong.
Russia is working on a manned lunar lander.
A small asteroid may pass very, very close to earth.
(Post in memory of Mike Nofsinger)
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