Zenrat's Flying Circus

[Flyer]

Like the camo on the dropship, reminds me of something, ring raiders toy's maybe...

[NARSES2]

I wonder if the attraction of high density urban living will fade after the pandemic?

Possibly, there's some evidence of people looking to move out towards the sticks, but that's more to do with the ability to be able to work from home in some circumstances. For the majority of people in the UK though I think high density living is more to do with necessity than choice ?

[zenrat]

I was impressed with Barcelona WRT urban living (particularly the gantries present on apartment blocks for winching furniture up and down) but can see the disadvantages during a pandemic.

I will be ready soon to move on to the next stage of rigging the Sea Witch.  This is the lines that run up from the sides of the hull to the masts.  They attach to "deadeyes" which required detail painting.  That detail painting is approaching completion.

More rib tape transfers on the Fokker today.  Finished the lower wing and moving on to the upper.

Watching TV news footage of the evacuation of Kabul (while thinking about similar footage from Saigon 50 years ago) I am sure Isaw a Taliban fighter with an MP 40 slung over his shoulder.

[NARSES2]

Watching TV news footage of the evacuation of Kabul (while thinking about similar footage from Saigon 50 years ago) I am sure Isaw a Taliban fighter with an MP 40 slung over his shoulder.

There's was a clip on Friday's BBC bulletin where I thought I saw exactly the same thing, but as it was only a split second I shook my head and went "Nah, can't be". Maybe

[zenrat]

Watching TV news footage of the evacuation of Kabul (while thinking about similar footage from Saigon 50 years ago) I am sure Isaw a Taliban fighter with an MP 40 slung over his shoulder.

There's was a clip on Friday's BBC bulletin where I thought I saw exactly the same thing, but as it was only a split second I shook my head and went "Nah, can't be". Maybe

The stock was folded and it was the distinctive curved rear end that caught my eye.

(just on the off chance someone here doesn't know what we are talking about)
According  to Wikipedia the 9x19mm parabellum round they were chambered for "is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as in many non-NATO countries."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum
So obtaining ammo wouldn't be an issue.  Not sure if wear and/or metal fatigue would potentially cause problems?

[scooter]

Watching TV news footage of the evacuation of Kabul (while thinking about similar footage from Saigon 50 years ago) I am sure Isaw a Taliban fighter with an MP 40 slung over his shoulder.

There's was a clip on Friday's BBC bulletin where I thought I saw exactly the same thing, but as it was only a split second I shook my head and went "Nah, can't be". Maybe

Doesn't really surprise me.  EOD, when I was in Iraq, was finding 7.92mm still in the original Nazi boxes.

[zenrat]

There is a certain breed of collector who would pay good money for those boxes.  Even empty.
Sad, sick people who should not be encouraged.

More Fokker transfers today.  Half the upper wing now has rib tapes and the lower wing and fuselage have balkenkreuzes.

Also some progress on the BA20 armoured car.  I'm doing all the small fiddley parts I leave off until the end so as to avoid knocking them off.

[Nick]

Watching TV news footage of the evacuation of Kabul (while thinking about similar footage from Saigon 50 years ago) I am sure Isaw a Taliban fighter with an MP 40 slung over his shoulder.

There's was a clip on Friday's BBC bulletin where I thought I saw exactly the same thing, but as it was only a split second I shook my head and went "Nah, can't be". Maybe

The stock was folded and it was the distinctive curved rear end that caught my eye.

(just on the off chance someone here doesn't know what we are talking about)
According  to Wikipedia the 9x19mm parabellum round they were chambered for "is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as in many non-NATO countries."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum
So obtaining ammo wouldn't be an issue.  Not sure if wear and/or metal fatigue would potentially cause problems?

It may have been a folding stock AK-47 which look very similar. That said, MP40s and all manner of old weapons have been found in Afghanistan and many other war torn nations across Africa and the Middle East. It wouldn't surprise me if some arms dealer had a stock of WW2 weapons from the 1950s and sold them off dirt cheap.

The third photo here shows a Taliban fighter with an M3 'grease gun' from WW2. Another has a Lee-Enfield 303. https://32battaglione.weebly.com/taliban.html
In 2011 Afghan tribesmen were still using Martini-Henry rifles from 1870 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/soldiers-helmand-unearth-british-rifles-lost-1880-massacre-842497.html

[zenrat]

How about this one?  Obviously an old photo but it's a classic.



I lent my AK 47 book to someone who has failed to return it but IIRC Mr Kalashnikov's creation has the highest production figures of any firearm in history.
It has also killed the most people.

[Rheged]

I was told by a gentleman I know in Hereford that, a few years ago, Afghani irregulars carried AK47's, as they looked macho and could produce a great deal of fire (and noise).  The elderly, senior Afghans usually carried .303 Lee Enfields; less fuss, less noise, considerably more accuracy at long range.    This may no longer be the case, but it's an interesting observation.

[PR19_Kit]

The Lee Enfields in the linked pics were No. 4s too, much more accurate than SMLEs if setup properly.

[jcf]

During the Soviet war the UK (MI6)* shipped surplus Enfields to the mujahideen and the
rifles are still manufactured in Darra Adam Khel in Pakistan.

https://silahreport.com/2019/11/20/the-lee-enfield-action-rifle-of-the-pak-afghan-region/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darra_Adam_Khel

*MI6 favoured and gave its support to one of the most dedicated Islamic fundamentalist
leaders in the country at the time. Others in the UK government, and other countries'
intelligence services felt that this was a mistake and would cause problems in the long
run. MI6 wouldn't alter their position as it was the preference of their buddies in the
ISI, Pakistan's intelligence service, which was entwined with the extremists then, the
rise of the Taliban during the post-Soviet chaos and Al Queda. The ISI are also neck-deep
in the current mess.

[TheChronicOne]

Fokker progress.

The starboard lower wing now has all its rib tapes except the one on the top side of the trailing edge.  There will also be a Balkenkreuz added at some point. These wings are going to be more transfer than plastic by the time it's finished.

Last night, while walking the dog I salvaged a large storage tub with a broken lid from the neighbour's nature strip.  Today, after repairing the lid (carpet tape is wonderful stuff) I carried out a stash reorganisation during which I found this;
UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship 01 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship 02 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship 03 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
It's the 1/72 Halcyon Aliens Dropship.  I built it when we lived in South Croydon. So that's about 25 years ago.  The transfers have yellowed as has the white paint but it's still hanging together and has survived remarkably well considering how far its come.

Dropship is glorious! Similar in paint scheme to one I did not too long ago that was an actual "over scale" model of sorts.... something like 35/1. This is because I made a 1/72 scale model of a tiny Micro Machine helo. One of my favorite toys and in large part because of the color scheme. Normally scale models are of things larger, but this time I made one of something smaller.




I've known for some time now that we have similar tastes in color and camos and the just confirms it once again.

[zenrat]

How about that.  We obviously have a connection.

[zenrat]

Hobby Boss 1/35 BA20 Armoured Car.  RW build for a dio.  Nearly complete. Rather plain inside with some odd mechanical inaccuracies but otherwise a nice kit to build.
BA20 WIP 04-09-2021 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr