Monday, December 15, 2008

Hawk One Goes Gold

And doesn't it look great! Now that the Cold Lake painters have worked their magic, Hawk One should return back to Quebec in early January 2009. (Photo courtesy of the Canadian Department of National Defence.)

Friday, December 12, 2008

Squadron Codes on RCAF Homefront Hurricanes

In many sources you often see squadron codes listed for both RCAF Homefront Hurricanes and their Squadrons. However, in all of my research I have yet to find a single picture of a RCAF Hurricane with both squadron codes and the individual aircraft code. (Please keep in mind that the photos of BV coded aircraft from 126 Squadron RCAF are Sea Hurricanes and not standard Hurricanes.) It seemed to me that unlike the RCAF Kittyhawks the Hurricanes didn't carry the squadron codes, only the single aircraft code. Well I was wrong. While searching through the Canada's Aviation Museum's Image Bank I found two photos. I'm not sure if they are new, or if I had somehow overlooked them in the past. Here we have two 128 Squadron RCAF Hurricane Xs with squadron codes. 1351 RA-A and 1380 RA-S. Both these accidents happened in the summer of 1942.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Avis 1/72 Hawker Audax Inbox Review

Here is an interesting kit I got on E-bay last week. The kit consists of five small sprues of injected plastic, an acetate for the windscreen and a sheet of decals with two options. The plastic parts are pretty nicely modeled for a short run kit. There is a little flash, but the detail is quite well done. The moldings kind of remind me of a cross between an ICM and a Roden kit. Decals are provided for a yellow and camouflage Audax trainer from 18 Elementary and Reserve Training School in 1938 and a 28 Squadron Audax in India in 1939. Price was right...under $20 including postage.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

New A Scale Canadian Terms of Service

As some of you may know, I have long been waging a personal war on 1/48 scale kits. They are a pox against humanity and need to be cleansed from the face of the earth. "Quarter inch" kits are the Devil Scale and should be banished. Don't ask why...it doesn't matter...just accept it. I've tried many ways to criminalize the Devil Scale, but I think I've finally found a way that will work. My friend Jeff Miller mentioned the Lori Drew case on his blog yesterday and linked to a few days old post on the Volokh Conspiracy. I had not heard about the Drew case, but it appears to have made new law. Rather then study the case and debate if it made new law, I'm just going to apply the precedent. (Heck I read it on the internet, it has to be true, right.) So here are the new A Scale Canadian Terms of Service.

1. 1/48 scale kits are the Devil Scale. By reading this blog you agree to only buy and build kits from the one true scale aka the Divine Scale, 1/72. Purchasing, building, ownership, transference, thinking about, or even reading an online review of a 1/48 scale kit violates A Scale Canadian's Terms of Service. As violations of website's Terms of Service are now felonies, Federal Marshals will be at your door any minute 1/48 builder. You will spend the rest of your years building snaptite 1/72 scale kits in Federal Prison using Testors non-toxic tube glue and breaking the parts off the sprues. You have been warned!
2. Multiple violations of Terms of Service Term 1 by the same modeler require the mandatory application of the death penalty. Ownership of one 1/48 scale kit is a crime against humanity, but ownership of multiple 1/48 scale kits violates the civil rights of all humans. We hold this truth to be self evident. No exceptions, no take-backs.
3. No images, words, knowledge, or intellectual property garnered from reading this blog may be used without the express written consent of J. Clifford Bates, Esq., Neil Young, and the Commissioners of Baseball Bart Giamatti and Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
4. Every reader of this blog must buy me lunch once per annum.
5. Oh and stop making fun of Canadians.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Sabre Photos 40 Years Apart

One of the photos of Hawk One taken last week reminds me of a photo of one of the last Sabres in CAF service taken 40 years earlier. I wonder if the photographer had this in mind, or if it was a happy accident? (Photos courtesy of the Canadian Department of National Defence.)

Sabre over the wilds of Canada 2008
Sabre over the wilds of Canada 1968