Narses2's Blog - or what I'm slowly making progress on

[NARSES2]

Second day of hospital visits yesterday and this was the far more serious one and if I'm honest I was more than a little concerned.

Anyway after 3 years under Morefields Eye Hospital I have been discharged  They are happy that the treatment I had 3 years ago did the job it was meant to and that the the condition hasn't returned during the last two years of monitoring, so it's sorted (touching all the wood going). I've been told what to watch out for just in case and to make sure I attend my annual diabetes retina scan which is how they spotted it in the first place. So thank you N.H.S. 

However this wasn't the condition that was affecting my modelling. That is a small scar on the pupil of my right eye, bang in the middle which causes some blurring and also makes hand/eye co-ordination interesting at times, especially when I'm tired. I was told this will not get better, although it won't get worse, and I just have to live with it, which I can quite happily do, especially given the condition I was under them for could have led to blindness if it hadn't been spotted.

So had a couple of large gins last night to celebrate 

This morning I finished the Hawk 81 and she will be posted in the GB thread tomorrow once I've sorted a form of words to cover a couple of cock ups  !

[TheChronicOne]

Great news, man!!!    Can't have you going around bumping into walls and what not.    

[kitbasher]

good news, Chris, which brand of gin? 

[Rheged]

Delighted to hear you are fully operational!!  The NHS may have its critics, but there's more than one of us here assembled that would be dead, moribund or severely below standard if they hadn't done their stuff properly.

Beware of the gin......it even gets a mention in the Bible  King James Version  Psalms 140:5  and Psalms 141:9

The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me.

       Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

Sorry!! This is what a 1960's education in a Grammar School linked to a cathedral does to you.

[zenrat]

Good to hear that Chris.

[jcf]

 Great news on the eye front.

As to French Hawk 81, on pg. 271 of Dean & Hagedorn's Curtiss Fighter Aircraft:
"The French ordered 230 81A versions as early as October 9, 1939, equipped
with French radios and instruments, throttle movements in reverse of U.S. sense,
and with provisions for French armament to be installed. First flight of a French
aircraft took place only on June 6, 1940 ... ",
" ... the Anglo-French Purchasing Commission had been established... Letters of
Intent for the purchase of a further 500 Hawk 81As ... 285 aircraft to Britain and
215 to France. With the collapse of France ... all French contracts and Letters of
Intent were assumed by the British." ,
" ... first 100 of these aircraft  that came off the production line were effectively
transferred to British Contract F-273 (MSNs 14446 to 14545, which became
Tomahawk Is, RAF serials AH741 to AH840)."
The 81A/A-1 were equivalent to the P-40, and lacking self-sealing gas tanks
and armour were not considered fit for combat.

[NARSES2]

Thanks gents 

good news, Chris, which brand of gin? 

Not to sure mate. The pub I was in was having a "Gin Festival" so I plumped for a couple of different craft ones. Steered off the pink gin though, and they had at least 4 types of that which seemed to be attracting the ladies in particular. All served with ice and a half lime of course 

[NARSES2]

Great news on the eye front.

As to French Hawk 81, on pg. 271 of Dean & Hagedorn's Curtiss Fighter Aircraft:
"The French ordered 230 81A versions as early as October 9, 1939, equipped
with French radios and instruments, throttle movements in reverse of U.S. sense,
and with provisions for French armament to be installed. First flight of a French
aircraft took place only on June 6, 1940 ... ",
" ... the Anglo-French Purchasing Commission had been established... Letters of
Intent for the purchase of a further 500 Hawk 81As ... 285 aircraft to Britain and
215 to France. With the collapse of France ... all French contracts and Letters of
Intent were assumed by the British." ,
" ... first 100 of these aircraft  that came off the production line were effectively
transferred to British Contract F-273 (MSNs 14446 to 14545, which became
Tomahawk Is, RAF serials AH741 to AH840)."
The 81A/A-1 were equivalent to the P-40, and lacking self-sealing gas tanks
and armour were not considered fit for combat.

Cheers Jon. Basically the same information I gleaned from Ray Wagner's "American Combat Planes". I'm still very much a "print" man I suppose. Bit of a Luddite at times  No, seriously my first instinct is to dig a book out.

[JayBee]

Delighted to hear you are fully operational!!  The NHS may have its critics, but there's more than one of us here assembled that would be dead, moribund or severely below standard if they hadn't done their stuff properly.

Beware of the gin......it even gets a mention in the Bible  King James Version  Psalms 140:5  and Psalms 141:9

The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me.

       Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

Sorry!! This is what a 1960's education in a Grammar School linked to a cathedral does to you.

Do not be sorry for an education it can be a wonderfull thing. However in this case I do believe it to have been a bit deficient (too much religious input).
A Gin in Medieval, and later,  times refers to a type of spring loaded trap used by hunters and poachers, a bit like a smaller version of the bear traps that you see in old western films.
Rather nasty things, all of the varieties, as they do not kill the prey but leave it to suffer for a long time before eventually giving up the ghost in agony.
As you can probably guess I do not approve.

Now the liquid spirit, that is a different matter.
I have sampled some of the modern "boutique" gins an they can be very nice, but I find that they are in many cases trying too hard with their mixes of the botanicals.

I still fully believe that the very best Gin in the world is Xorieguers Mahon, produced on the island of Menorca in the Mediterranean.  It is superb. 

[NARSES2]

Now the liquid spirit, that is a different matter.I have sampled some of the modern "boutique" gins an they can be very nice, but I find that they are in many cases trying too hard with their mixes of the botanicals.

Totally agree Jim.

Gin Trap was a word still very much in use when I was a nipper. They were still being used by the local rat catchers

[NARSES2]

Here's the finished Hawk 81-A1



http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,45330.msg812116.html#msg812116

[jcf]

I'm also book first oriented. 

Interestingly in his Putnam Curtiss Aircraft 1907 - 1947, Pete Bowers states
that the first Hawk 81 in French markings was completed in April, 1940.
Then, as now, the completion/roll-out date is only the beginning of the delivery
process, numerous checks and testing will be done before any test flights, which
will be first company then customer, any squawks and pickups have to be dealt
with etc., etc. So it's easy to see why the first test flight wouldn't have happened
until June, 1940. The process was compressed/sped-up once the US was directly in
the war, however it was still there, and many aircraft spent a considerable amount
of time at mod-centers being brought up to snuff before final delivery to service
units.

In regards to Curtiss books, along with the Bower's and Dean/Hagedorn books,
I also have the "classic" The Curtiss Hawks by Shamburger and Christie,
and the Curtiss Hawk 75 by Cuny and Beauchamp.

[TheChronicOne]

I'm also book first oriented. 

Interestingly in his Putnam Curtiss Aircraft 1907 - 1947, Pete Bowers states
that the first Hawk 81 in French markings was completed in April, 1940.
Then, as now, the completion/roll-out date is only the beginning of the delivery
process, numerous checks and testing will be done before any test flights, which
will be first company then customer, any squawks and pickups have to be dealt
with etc., etc. So it's easy to see why the first test flight wouldn't have happened
until June, 1940. The process was compressed/sped-up once the US was directly in
the war, however it was still there, and many aircraft spent a considerable amount
of time at mod-centers being brought up to snuff before final delivery to service
units.

In regards to Curtiss books, along with the Bower's and Dean/Hagedorn books,
I also have the "classic" The Curtiss Hawks by Shamburger and Christie,
and the Curtiss Hawk 75 by Cuny and Beauchamp.

Hey! I have that Shamburger and Christie book. A magnificent pile of material! A most glorious reference.       It's very easy to get lost in that book for awhile.

[NARSES2]

I must admit I normally turn to Putnam's first and have most of the British volumes. The only US manufacturer I have is the 2 volumes on McDonnell Douglas,

My other "turn to" for US types is "The American Fighter" by Enzo Angelucci with Peter Bowers.

[NARSES2]

Not much done what with the World Cup, although I'm being selective with my games this time around, and especially England's 50 over game with Australia yesterday  Now I know Trent Bridge isn't the largest of grounds, but 481  , especially after losing to Scotland 

So a little bit of work on the SR53. She's now ready for painting so hopefully finish her next week. I'm trying to concentrate on one kit at a time, but we shall see how long that lasts