1/72 Scale AMT/ Ertl X/YB-35 Build, Part II

If you are not following this build, you should be.

Inch High Guy

These are the propeller shaft fairings, all four are slightly different. The cooling air scoop for the reduction gear fits poorly. Shape, fill, sand. The discharge air exits at the end of the fairing under the shaft. These outlets are not represented, but are easy to fabricate. I am hoping to shim the bases out a bit for a tight fit and add the fairings at the end of construction.Here is the finished cockpit, showing the added weight and the nose wheel bay. I have added about 1.5 ounces, hopefully that will suffice. There’s still a few options if it’s not enough, but overloading the gear struts is always a concern. The three crew seats have tape seatbelts, but they will be difficult to see when the model is closed up. The other four seats will be directly under transparencies, they will be equipped with photoetch belts and added…

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Blog update

Due to work requirements I wasn’t able to post yesterday, which is the first day I’ve missed in a while.  I will attempt to do a bit better with scheduling when I know I have busy days in the future.

Heinlein

A nice appreciation of the work of Heinlein, with special emphasis on one of my favorite books, Starship Troopers.

Venezuela update

Its been a while since we reviewed the situation in Venezuela.  Frankly, its like passing a car accident on the road.  You slow down and look. You don’t want to, but you do.  If you are like me every time you do you say a quick silent prayer for the safety of those involved.  The same goes for Venezuela. On one level, it is fascinating to watch a country fall apart in real time.  Also, while watching it happen, you have to remember that the Venezuelan people got themselves into this mess by voting for “free stuff”.  That doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking.

UPDATE:  It is even tough on the criminals

Fly Fiat G.50

Fly is going to release a Fiat G.50.  I myself am saving up for an SBS one, but that does require some saving.

Medal of Honor

A good article on the medal. I had not realized that there were only 70 living recipients.

More UFO coverage

A more in depth look at the navy UFO stories.

The breakdown of civilization

Big cities governed by politicians who are unwilling to enforce laws lead to societal breakdown.  This is another indication of such a breakdown.  A similar thing happened in 1970s New York.  People living in close proximity to each other require a more strict adherence to agreed societal norms backed by law enforcement.  See also.

And this is how you go about these things.

A more sensible approach to UFOs

The military seems to be taking a more sensible approach to UFO reports in an attempt to understand what are in most cases likely to be natural phenomenon.  I don’t think this program will be revealing flying saucers any time soon, but it may bring a better understanding to what pilots are seeing but not understanding.

Skyborg

Interesting article on the integration of UAVs as wingmen/force multipliers for our manned fighter aircraft.  I have little doubt that this is the wave of the future in air warfare.  My question is how quickly it can be accomplished, and can any other countries develop such technology fairly quickly.