F-35Bs for South Korea?

Maybe.  It only makes sense, and with the South China Sea becoming such a flashpoint, it is unsurprising that Japan and South Korea would feel the need to strengthen their capabilities at sea.

Ki-51

This looks good.

JAXA

The Japanese space agency (JAXA), the equivalent of NASA has been doing some amazing science in regard to asteroids.  While they do participate in unmanned cargo resupply missions to the ISS, they do not maintain any manned spaceflight capabilities of their own (well, neither does NASA really).  Frankly, I’d love to see a collaboration between NASA and JAXA on manned spaceflight matters. (post in memory of Mike Nofsinger)

Happy Viktor Belenko day

Story here.

A little bit of good news

It seems like nothing but bad news comes out of Asia these days with tensions ratcheting ever higher.  Well, this seems to be a positive development.  The JMSDF has asked the US Marines to deploy the F-35B on two large Japanese Helicopter carriers.  The Japanese are buying their own F-35Bs and this appears to be some advance work to make sure that the JMSDF ships are ready for the new equipment.

Clearprop Ki-51

We now have images of the box top for the Clearprop Ki-51.  This is welcome, as the old Mania/Hasegawa kit is about 50 years old.

Done

Hey, you’re at the right blog.  Don’t go away.  I know you aren’t used to seeing actual models on this site, despite it being a blog about modeling.  Yes, I know.  Those posts have been thin on the ground lately.  However, I want that to change.  I finally finished my first kit for the year.  While I am not exactly happy with it, having one in the done column feels good.

This is the IBG kit of the Japanese built Chevy truck used in some version by most of the armies of WWII.  The kit is good.  Not perfect, but good.  All the flaws in the build are my fault.  Alan Hall many years ago speculated in an editorial in SAM that modeling skills atrophy if not regularly used.  I think that is true.  Also, my personal goals when building a model are to try a new technique with each one and that each model should be at least a bit better than my last.  By those measurements, this build was a failure.  While I did do some new things regarding weathering, the build was not better than my last one, or even the one before that.  Those failures were in some very basic building and painting steps.  They were my fault, not the kit’s fault.  My modeling skills have atrophied from disuse.  I hope to correct that.

(P.S. Don’t ask why a Japanese truck has a Gladiator engine in the bed and a British 5 gallon fuel can.  I have some fuel barrels, but I can’t find them because of the move.  Just roll with it.)

Its getting warm all over

No, I am not talking about the weather.  South Korea firing warning shots at the Russians.  Yeah, what the hell, that is going to end well.

 

 

Unsustainable

Japan is in demographic free-fall.  At this rate China won’t have to take any action, they’ll just wait until Japan is to weak to respond.  Given that Japan is the strongest US ally in the region, this has a long-term impact on US policy as well.

 

Way to go JAXA

JAXA, the Japanese space agency (their version of NASA) has just landed a satellite on an asteroid in order to sample it and better understand its composition.  This is a tremendous achievement and is good news for all of us hoping to see a more vigorous exploration of space.  ( post in memory of Mike Nofsinger, who passed away 5 years ago this week)