Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

I couldn't tell their age.  Not sure how you do that to be honest.  It's probably rude to ask.
I'm used to only ever seeing dead wombats at the side of the road but at Tidal River come late afternoon they wander the campsite ignoring visitors.

[zenrat]

I was watching a Superb Wren during the week and pondering how it's markings could be applied to an aircraft.

Not my picture - borrowed from the Australian Geographic.

[DogfighterZen]

I can easily see that scheme on an F-16...

[Old Wombat]

They're a beautiful little bird, aren't they, Fred.

[PR19_Kit]

We have a nest of wrens who come to re-visit their nest in the wall of the house that overlooks our back yard.

The little critters seem to have only one flying speed, around Mach 4  , and they approach the entrance to the nest without any visible deceleration! Quite how they avoid braining themselves against the stone wall inside I've no idea, but they soon re-appear at the same speed. Presumably they have a steam catapult installed inside the nest.

I've tried to photograph them numerous times, but they go so damn fast I've failed utterly every time. 

[TheChronicOne]

Love the lil birdie.   

[ericr]

I was watching a Superb Wren during the week and pondering how it's markings could be applied to an aircraft.

excellent idea!

marking of large mammals (like e.g., zebra) have been applied to aircraft, but not too often those of small birds
(I remember eagle feathers and beaks, maybe parrot colors? but this is different)

[zenrat]

The little chap in question would turn up a couple of times a day at the floor to ceiling sliding doors of the cabin we were staying in and then proceed to bounce from the deck to a height of up to 3' (so VTOL rather than catapult launch).  I'm not sure if it wanted to come in, wanted us to go out and feed it or was trying to get it's reflection to fight with it.

I have plans for a Magpie scheme on a Wyvern. Not sure yet what i'd paint like a wren.  Something with a short wide body - Intruder maybe?

While the parents are here i've been plugging away at the Fitter's camo when I get a moment.

That's the People's Democratic Republic of Victoria Republican Guard Northern Border scheme.  The remaining grey areas will be the red brown colour.

[zenrat]

No feathers.  A stylised design of black and white blocks with a grey nose.
I can't find a decent picture but our Magpies have a very "hunchbacked" posture in flight and the shape of the Wyvern has always put me in mind of it.
I should stop talking about it and get on with it.  Maybe i'll postpone the next RAN whiff and build a Wyvern instead.

[NARSES2]

There's a couple of Helicopters (Hungarian, Czech ?) that have been done up as birds and looked fantastic.

That Aussie Wren is definitely more colourfull then ours. "Jenny" Wren is the UK's smallest resident bird. Is it's Aussie cousin tiny as well ?

[Old Wombat]

Small but not the smallest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superb_fairywren


I've never heard anyone call them a Superb Fairy Wren, however female wrens are called jenny wrens.


This is our smallest bird: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weebill

[zenrat]

Their body is about the size of a ping pong ball.  They always put me in mind of a Snitch...

I started on a Trumpeter 1/72 Wyvern today.  Nicely detailed cockpit.

[NARSES2]

I started on a Trumpeter 1/72 Wyvern today.  Nicely detailed cockpit.

It's a nice kit all round

[zenrat]

I was fiddling with the cockpit & fuselage halves today.  It's nicely engineered.
I also, to demonstrate the sheer size of the things to my father, dug out a Trumpeter Sea Fury and compared the fuselage halves.
Massive.
I'm tempted to stick a pilot into it to emphasise the size - obviously i'll use the smallest one in the pilot stash.

[NARSES2]

I think it was the size of the thing that struck me. I knew it was big but hadn't realised how big until I put it up against a Seafire