South Australian Modelling Expo

rickshaw · October 09, 2019, 03:53:37 PM

Downunder, the Government gave us, what 12 months to get educated in SI units and then declared, "from this day forth, everything will be metricated!" And the country had to cope. There were grumbles along the way but it went remarkably smoothly. Within about five years we were a metricated nation. I was educated both ways and still occasionally, as do many Australians, imperial units for measurement and estimation. Despite being in the Army for ten years I never really learnt to think in Mils though.

PR19_Kit · October 09, 2019, 04:17:38 PM

What's a Mil? $:-\$

Old Wombat · October 09, 2019, 07:25:12 PM

Milliradian (mil): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milliradian

rickshaw · October 09, 2019, 10:41:18 PM

6400 Mils per circle - a division of a circle into 1 metre circumference angles at 1,000 metres. Mils are used instead of degrees in the military. You'll usually see diggers furiously converting degrees to mils and back again when talking about angles (1 degee = ~17.7^. Mils)

PR19_Kit · October 10, 2019, 12:28:34 AM

Oh yes, thanks for reminding me.

I used them back in the 60s when I was target shooting.

zenrat · October 10, 2019, 02:23:36 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on October 09, 2019, 06:13:30 AM
There was a period in Ireland when the distances were in miles and the speed limits in kph.

I got stopped by a Garda in the south of the country one morning, and he said 'I don't know the actual speed you were doing sor, I don't understand these metric things just yet, but I'm sure you were going too fast. So just slow down a bit alright?'

I visited Ireland in the 90's and you had to judge whether the distances on the signs were in km or miles based on their age.

Old Wombat · October 12, 2019, 06:15:31 AM

Hi All!

Link to my photo's from the Expo: https://guyplachy.smugmug.com/SAPMA-Expo-2019/i-X4Pzg7d

A few of my favourites;

PR19_Kit · October 12, 2019, 07:40:30 AM

Some great stuff there Womby.

LOVE the Brab and the RAF Sea Harrier, but the early Mark spitfire with BOTH ailerons down looks rather silly.

I presume that's your Sea Baufighter, is it? It looks magnificent!

TheChronicOne · October 12, 2019, 12:10:34 PM

Neat stuff in there.

Old Wombat · October 13, 2019, 02:04:15 AM

Yep, that's the one, Kit.

One last image from me from the show (there is another set of photo's up in the SmugMug album);

zenrat · October 13, 2019, 03:28:17 AM

Did you try to get your whiffs into the RW classes?

The racing Batmobile is excellent as are the Brough Superior & the Vincent.
The yellow Sycamore was at the Melbourne Expo and finished the weekend with it's nose wheel snapped off. I'm pleased to see it has been repaired.

Good pics. Thanks for sharing.

rickshaw · October 13, 2019, 05:11:17 AM

I was there, for about an hour. My eldest was taken sick overnight and SWMBO rang and told me while I was there, so I had to leave earlier than what I wanted. I met Wombat and we had a chat as we looked 'round. Some of the models were very good indeed.

What stuck me was how big the 1/72 Brabazon was, even when compared to the other monster there, the B-36. It seemed to be a little bigger than the B-36!

The bust of the Kangaroo was quite well painted and done. Guy's Sea Grebe and his Sea Beau were both excellent in real life. Well worth seeing. Some of the dioramas and models left me a little, well, "blech" would describe how I felt. Obviously things that modellers felt should have looked like that but in reality, never would have IMHO.

Guy told me that next year there will be a competition for "What-if". I have some thoughts on that.

PR19_Kit · October 13, 2019, 05:54:56 AM

Quote from: rickshaw on October 13, 2019, 05:11:17 AM

What stuck me was how big the 1/72 Brabazon was, even when compared to the other monster there, the B-36. It seemed to be a little bigger than the B-36!

The wing span of them both was pretty much the same, 230 ft, but the Brab's chord is so much greater, and the fuselage is a lot fatter.

Old Wombat · October 13, 2019, 06:01:13 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on October 13, 2019, 05:54:56 AM
Quote from: rickshaw on October 13, 2019, 05:11:17 AM

What stuck me was how big the 1/72 Brabazon was, even when compared to the other monster there, the B-36. It seemed to be a little bigger than the B-36!

The wing span of them both was pretty much the same, 230 ft, but the Brab's chord is so much greater, and the fuselage is a lot fatter.

Yeah, well the thing looked visually larger in all dimensions & they were both 1/72. I actually saw them side-by-side as they came in on Saturday morning & the Brab, I'm sure, was the bigger (wider & longer) of the two.

NARSES2 · October 13, 2019, 06:14:45 AM

Many thanks for the photos mate

Some really nice stuff there.

Your Beau' does look good