Aircraft Moddeling

From the time I was born my father was already an avid RC aero modeller. He gave me the limit of not being able to get an RC plane until I was 5. in that time I developed a love for die cast cars, but also a Plastic modelling fettish.

My father owning a hobby shop fed this passion and hours of looking at model catalogs and deciding which were the best to make was painful. On trips to the Hobby Importer Warehouse, I'd usually return with something. Lucky~!

My fathers workshop was also a great place to build, paint, detail etc. As I got older I got better with the airbrush and cared more about detail and authenticity. but initially they were just for fun.

I covered all the armed forces. But mainly focussed on the US F-Series fighters.

I'd hang some of them in my room in flight position on many hooks so they were always flying around. You can just see the fishing line used to hang them.

I had F-4, F-6, F-14,15,18, 111 and many others in many sizes but mostly 1/72.

Larger models allowed for good results however. This 1/48 Monogram F15 is a favourite.

As is the 1/32 F-16 from Hasegawa. Probably my best effort, although nowadays it needs a refresh.

In the end I had too many, so they are now in a box, ready to one day return to display. some are a little worse for wear with small broken parts but most are still in good condition.

Usually displayed on full detail dioramas with trucks and weapons, pilots and workers, these pics don't do them justice. I need a large area for display, ... maybe one day I'll get all my collections together from childhood.

Believe me, these are just a few.

Russ.

Eco vs Echo

"WOW!!!!! I love this car. I am going to sell my V12 Supra and make one of these."

I can imagine the words of smokey nagata, owner of top secret that is now promoting this rubbish. It's up to me to redeem myself for using 12000000 litres of high octane and be punished drive a prius for the remainder of his natural life and never touch a R35 again.

Go and buy one. Right now! And then spend more making it more efficient than the manufacturer because even the purists believe it's not good.

The concept of eco tuning is wierd. He save 1.6kg of an exhaust and then added probably more than that in non- wind tunnel tested aero at $1600. Rays save 3.6 kg. WOW! Im sarchastically impressed. The guy up the street from me runs his prius with 20" chromies. Weight? He is saving the world.

Its just a waste of time. Knight Sports actually race their Demio. Tuning a smaller car for racing. Not just crappy lip spoiler. Come on TOP secret don't pass aero parts off as ECOlogically friendly. The chemicals you used to make the resin and the electricity used to make the carbon fibre destroyed more than the aero benefit.

Strip the interior and battery pack saving mega weight. Then stuff a t78 on the thing and rig up some and be true to top secret's philosophy. Run it on renewable fuel and you might get more points.

If the TOP SECRET company dies then so be it. But don't go for crap yet. Remember they used to put turbo's on the Vitz, where has that philosophy gone. I made my Toyota "Echo" (Australian Vitz) look cool but it was never an ecologically friendly car. Just a car to save money. I used to have my FOOT to the FLOOR every gear change to drive at the same speed as other cars.

Countries like China and india are just getting interested in cars. They'll be burning more oil in 10 seconds than you can save in 20 years with your prius.

The world is fucked anyway.

BTW I haven't driven my car for 6 months. Take that world. I've done my part.

Can I have a Aston Martin now?

Ranting ranting

My kind of Classical Music

Steve Vai, among others, composes some of the most amazing musical experiences.

This video shows ultimate control of his instrument of choice. The electic guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZuNM3HmU4

And yes, "For the Love of God." It's live!

Where did he come from...
Remember David Lee Roth among others. Interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjARr7UlvMs

He does his own thing and developed his own distinct command of the guitar's voice.

ps.
Remember the Ralph Machio movie Crossroads. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0QKbnCDW94
HAHA!

Sounds of Then

GANGgajang created this legendary song that defines Australia sometimes. Almost every Australian knows it and gets that patriotic feeling when its on. When I get homesick, on it goes.

GANGgajang - Sounds Of Then (This Is Australia)

When the title of the song says "This is Australia" it had better mean it. The guys may not be the coolest but close your eyes and get the feeling.



Click and listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML9h3I5Uktw

Coke ripped it off for TV commercials too. Funny how their commercial creates a better link to the lyrics of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqbJAIc9jSg


There are a few others that evoke emotions.

Goanna's "Solid Rock" is awesome too. Standing on Common Sacred Ground refers to the Indiginous Aboriginal Australians.
IceHouse sang "Great Southern Land"

Men At Work's  "Man Down Under" is also a well known song but doesn't have a cool riff with it. It uses Flute!!

Car History

First. I can show my cool ass TA23 celica.. This was paid for with lottery winings.! yay! 

Larry the Laser. This car was a replacement for my Celica and it was my first near new car. I got a loan and everything! I couldn't afford the TX3 4wd version so I settled for the front wheel drive version. It had quite good torque and was faster than other more powerful cars.

I was really getting interested in Rally around 1994 so I sold it and bought a Datsun 1600 510.

It was a DOG parts car for a second rally car. However, the DOG car needed fixing so I never bought my rally car.

Next was this lemon NA 13b RX7. to me in 1995 it was no Series 6 fd3s but it would start my long appreciation of the rotary.

a few days after I took it off the road to install a turbo. It was stolen. Grrrrr. I had a front cut sitting in the driveway.

Anyway, I took the insurance money, and a loan and bought a WRX. Fast and superb.

But too much grip... no fun.

I just got 17" wheels and exhaust tune and it too was stolen.

I bought this MR2 turbo import. But I couldn't get insurance after the last two were stolen in entirely different cities and circumstances. I drove it for a while actually but I worried too much and had to let it go.

It was a nice car.

I bought this cheap and nasty FC turbo. It was quickish but never really went fast. The car was a rebirth as I found out later. I kept the car for a short time. It was loud and intoxicating but I wanted something I could run everyday and not upset my neighbours/girlfriend.

Fun and simple was the answer. NA mx5.... just make sure it's straight. I am the worlds worst car buyer. I must be an easy target cause I always buy lemons. This car had been in an accident and cowl shake was bad. In retrospect I could have tried harder to keep this one, but I didn't want any car hassles.

By the way the chromies were ditched in favour of the stock rims.

The Laser was the most reliable car to date.

So a return to practicality in the form of this EK4 1.6 civic. Very reliable and awesome car. I had a small accident while I was watching a girl get out of a pool! haha. Anyway it was serving me well in canberra but I decided to come to Japan. That meant I could sell it and get an FD3s RX7 !!!!! yeah!

Realise the dream!

Her it is. 1996 FD3s RX7. I got screwed by the buyer in Japan in the end. He bought a cheap car that turned out to need a new engine. I should have walked away from that guy there and then. But this one was good. It just had high Klms.

Eventually I transformed it into....

This...

But somehow I couldn't chose the colour I liked. I don;t know why. If I had painted it white. I probably still would have it. Anyway, with power increases came reliability problems.

So off it went to a new buyer.

And back to reality and reliability. Toyota Vitz is awesome! You can thrash them and they simply wont break.

I came back to Japan and had brain lapse and bought an accident repaired car because I wanted the body changed completely. I never learn.

Anyway. I spent a lot of money... The car became too good to thrash as was my initial intention. Gas rose to insane prices and many other things.

Sell it.

Practically reality is where I am now. But somehow. a New car with few mods. has cost me in reliability. The NC Roadster MX5 I have at the moment is an unreliable car for me. While all my friends are trouble free.

Anyway. It's time to sell it again and return to NO car.

For a while at least...

see what happens from here.

I think I need a new hobby.