Two models I mastered for Fantastic Plastic are getting close to being released. First, the 1/48 Soviet LK lunar lander:
Next will probably be the 1/72 “Avengers” Quinjet:
Sep 172013
Sep 172013
The major structures are all in place; now it’s the details.
Sep 172013
A bunch of good, clear photos of the Costa Concordia after being tipped back upright. Man, that ship is *trashed.*
First aerial photos reveal how doomed Costa Concordia has been rolled upright as divers begin grim task of hunting for the missing two bodies
Sep 162013
As seen from LRO.
[youtube sNUNB6CMnE8]
Sep 162013
Wow. Way to make an epic typo.
Sep 162013
A new ground attack plane is actually being built in the US:
Seems like a reasonable design for a subsonic bushfighter, though the decision to have the engines in nacelles *that* close to the wings, but not faired into them, seems odd. That area looks draggy. At first glance it would seem that fairing that spot over wouldn’t increase drag but would decrease weight.
It has six underwing hardpoints and an internal payload bay. first flight is by the end of the year, pretty quick by normal aerospace standards (development began in early 2012). With the DoD buy a combat aircraft that was not developed to their specifications?
| Aircraft Length | 43 ft 6 in |
| Wingspan | 47 ft 4 in |
| Height | 14 ft 0 in |
| Standard Empty Weight | 11,800 lbs |
| Max Takeoff Weight | 21,250 lbs |
| Max Internal Fuel Load | 6,000 lbs |
| Max Internal Payload Bay | 3,000 lbs |
| Thrust | ~8,000 lbs |
| Max Speed | 450 KTAS |
| Service Ceiling | 45,000 ft |
| Ferry Range | 2,400 NM |
Sep 162013
Regarding today’s Navy Yard massacre, we currently know this about the killer:
1) He’s black (thus probably negating Tea Party affiliation)
2) He’s a Buddhist (thus probably negating a religious motivation)
3) He’s a New Yorker (thus negating the likelihood of emotional stability)
4) He had a history of legal dubiousness
5) The Navy Yard was yet another “Gun Free Zone”
As for motive: so far… who the hell knows?
What’s reported: he had a shotgun, an AR-15, and variously a Glock handgun and/or a “rifle.”
I’ve seen reports that he actually showed up only with the shotgun. Reportedly he took out two guards and then up-gunned with their Glock and AR-15. If true, this means that the AR-15 in question was actually a government issued weapon, and not something controlled by local, state or federal gun control laws. And if true, expect that little detail to be ignored in favor of talking heads on TV yammering about “yet another evil AR-15.”
And the only people armed at the facility were the guards, who he took out first via shotgun. Again, speculation based on muddled reports. This would have left, once again, a large number of defenseless citizens at the mercy of an armed maniac… in this case, armed by the government.
Sep 162013
By having your government budget cut, some operations need to be cut back. End result: three and a half times as many people serves, at five percent the cost.
Attendance Triples at Archives Event That Was Forced Online by Sequestration
Sep 162013
Muslim family’s fury after Morrisons sold them cheese and onion pasty with non-halal meat in it… then offered them ALCOHOL as an apology
The short form translation: a “pasty,” which I gather is something of a third-world version of a proper Hot Pocket, was sold by a branch of the “Morrisons” food retailer and was mislabeled. It was supposed to have cheese and onions, but instead had beef and potatoes. This apparently caused a problem for the family that bought it, because they’re not supposed to eat meat that was not produced by having some sort of witch doctor yammer spells over the still-living food critter as he stabbed it to death. As a result of this magical outrage, the patriarch of the family called the manager of the store in question, and was further outraged that the manager, who apparently is not well-versed in every form of superstition that lurks in every corner of the planet, tried to make amends by offering a free bottle of champagne. And it turns out *that* was a problem, because the family is prohibited from consuming ethyl alcohol because fark you, that’s why.
Here’s a hint, kids: we’re out of the Dark Ages. It’s time to grow up and realize that some half-baked thaumaturge muttering spells and incantations over your food isn’t going to help you any. Chanting “ala kazam” as you slaughter a cow isn’t going to change the nature of the eventual hamburger. Nor will it turn carbohydrates into protein or sugar and ethyl alcohol into albumin and hemoglobin.
Sep 162013
Iran may put persian cat in space
Not much more to the story than the headline.
I suspect this will not end well for the cat. But at some point, someone is going to take a *pet* cat into space… presumably first on a suborbital hop, then into some orbital vacation spot. That will be interesting.