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Post by phil on May 8, 2009 17:50:28 GMT 12
On the 100pm news on Radio NZ National they said the top cop on the scene said it might play on for another couple of days. Why don't they send in their fancy anti-terrorist unit or one of the elite Army groups and simply take the scum out? It's simple house clearing, blast him with gas and stun grenades and go in all guns blazing, if only to try to save the poor dog locked in the van. Gees if he was robbing a dairy or smashing windows they'd have shot him dead by now. Tha'ts a bit disappointing there Dave. Option a: Send in a group of armed police to enter a possibly boooby trapped house to attempt to arrest a nutter with a gun. Likely outcome: Dead criminal, possibly more dead or wounded police. Option b: Take all the time available (which is from now until about the end of the world) and talk to him until he starves to death, goes nuts, or simply gives up. Possibly he may kill himself, which won't much bother anyone since he wont hurt anyone else. Likely outcome: Dave gets bored because there's not enough Hollywood inspired action, and no one gets hurt. No one in their right mind would go up against a lone nutter with a gun, if that nutter wasn't posing any threat to anyone. No one died from being talked to. A dynamic entry, gas, stun grenades and fast roping out of the Iroquois and blowing their way through the roof, front and back doors simultaneously would only ever be an option in a hostage situation if there was no alternative. Appart from the public's desire for action, there really is no compelling reason to risk life and limb to end this to any perceived deadline. It is very sad that the body has yet to be retrieved, but he is dead, and he wouldn't want anyone else to die for the sake of some concept of decency. The dog isn't a person. It's harsh, and I really hope they save the dog, but not at the risk to another person.
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Post by phil on Apr 30, 2009 20:29:03 GMT 12
Well apparently part of the defence review process will involve public submissions. I hope you all make the effort to put your views forward when the chance arises. This news about WB is pretty worrying.
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Post by phil on Apr 26, 2009 13:54:29 GMT 12
One parked up on the grass right outside my office at Ohakea - I couldn't believe it.
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Post by phil on Apr 25, 2009 8:08:43 GMT 12
Firefox is your friend. I'd never go back to IE.
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Post by phil on Apr 14, 2009 13:35:24 GMT 12
Have you tried clearing your cookies? That often seems to fix forum log in issues.
I agree about hyperscale, to be honest I hardly ever go there any more and can't recall my login details. My current pic of aviation modelling forums would be Britmodeller or ARC.
Britmodeller has a thread going on the wingnut wings, and I've put a link to the post on here that has the pics in it for them to drool over.
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Post by phil on Apr 5, 2009 12:23:43 GMT 12
The instructions are amazing.
I see Richard Alexander (used to be at Modelcrafts and Hobbies before heading off to work for Mr Jackson) has had an input into these.
I too have been put off WW1 aircraft due to rigging. I do like the Brisfit though.
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Post by phil on Apr 5, 2009 11:24:11 GMT 12
The book about his later career in Washington looks very interesting too, but I can't remember it's name! I saw it in Whitcoulls in Auckland airport a few weeks ago.
He had something to do with the campaign to influence the American policy on the war.
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Post by phil on Apr 3, 2009 15:21:19 GMT 12
I wondered where they were off to.
I'm fortunate that my office is right by the end of the flight line at Ohakea, near the end of 09, so it's actually past the 'crowd line' when they are doing their practices and we get some fantastic displays.
Lately it's been from the Spitfire as well as the checkers.
And they pay me to be there!
(if you look in Gavin Conroys pics of various aircraft at Ohakea from the other week, you can see my office in the background - the red brick single story building with the old weather radar out the front).
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Post by phil on Apr 3, 2009 6:04:04 GMT 12
No paddy, the catering company is covering the strike with other staff.
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Post by phil on Apr 2, 2009 16:45:02 GMT 12
Yes the Navy still have chefs
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Post by phil on Apr 2, 2009 16:25:40 GMT 12
We can support ourselves in the field. We are very 'joint' these days, it's no longer the airforce going off and doing things, and the army doing some other thing, and the navy doing a third. All operations are run out of HQJFNZ, and if a deployment needs catering, it gets it. Just like the army don't have their own helicopters, if helicopters are needed Air supplies helicopters. If chefs are needed, Army supplies them.
It'a all about what each service brings to the force as a whole. There's no need to duplicate or triplicate services, that's just a waste.
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Post by phil on Apr 2, 2009 11:22:58 GMT 12
I think keeping chefs just in case we come under missile threat is probably not sufficient justification.
Nothing wrong with civilian contractors for catering on bases. We take army chefs away with us on the rare occaision that we need them, which again is hardly often enough to warrant keeping two entire trades.
The american military even uses civilian contractors to run their DIFACs in war zones, proving you don't even need uniformed personnel in theatre if you don't want to.
I think this is the first time the workers have gone on strike in the 13 years since they disbanded the chef trade in the RNZAF.
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Post by phil on Apr 1, 2009 20:58:42 GMT 12
That wont win them any friends on base.
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Post by phil on Mar 19, 2009 19:17:01 GMT 12
No, I didn't forget them. I don't think they have any useful input into the RNZAF at all.
They ponce around avoiding doing anything that might be remotely useful (ie they refuse to respond to alarm activations on base or to guard aircraft on base), and yet they get all hyped up and think they are some kind of special forces to 'secure' aircraft in the middle of such 'insecure' places as Bagram or Kandahar. Never mind the thousands of US troops defending the place, that Herc's just not safe without a couple of air security standing at the wingtip.
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Post by phil on Mar 19, 2009 11:37:45 GMT 12
Fantastic photos.
I was there on the Saturday, hiding from the rain.
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Post by phil on Mar 11, 2009 17:10:46 GMT 12
Flynavy - the seat in the Don Sims photo is a semi-gloss black IG3. The only parts that are green grey are the NES12M, the seat cushion and the straps.
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Post by phil on Mar 11, 2009 17:05:21 GMT 12
I've got it partly done (has been like that for 13 years!). The detail is raised, but it's a really nice kit.
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Post by phil on Mar 10, 2009 20:58:17 GMT 12
I can answer part of the seat question...
They would have been IC3 seats as the change to IG3 came some years later.
The main difference in operation was the method of man/seat seperation. In the later IG3 this was achieved by a small rocket motor called a Mk82 Man/Seat separator rocket that was installed in the left hand 'shoulder' of the seat. This fired to rotate the seat rearwards away from the pilot, with mixed success.
The earlier IC3 used a 'air bag' behind the parachute that inflated and pushed the pilot clear. Although not as fast (hence why it was replaced) this may have been a safer system as the Mk82 also tended to impart a twist to the right as well as rearward, and this tended to rip away the RSSK-8A survival pack as it tried to seperate from the seat.
Visually, this absence of the Mk82 is one of the key differences between the seats.
As for colour, I'm afraid I'm not too sure. All the seats were black by the time I came into the ejection seat business for the first time in '96.
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Post by phil on Mar 7, 2009 17:56:53 GMT 12
This is the Dragon 1/12 'Hong Kong Police Special Duties Unit' Figure. The equipment is decidedly British - SA80 Bayonet, S10 respirator, but a PASGT helmet. Although there's a bit of artistic licence, I've modelled this after a New Zealand Counter Terrorist Tactical Assault Group operator. The CTTAG is a new unit in the New Zealand military set up specifically for CT or 'Black Role' operations domestically. It's members are drawn from all three services in the NZDF and they undertake a modified SAS selection course. If successful they then specialise in CT operations, and although attached to 1NZSAS GP they are not badged members of the SAS. After two years they will either return to their original service, or may be offered a further tour. If they wish to become fully badged members of the SAS they have to pass the full SAS selection course. The intent is that CTTAG is a full time unit for domestic coverage of the CT role, freeing up the more broadly trained SAS for overseas 'Green' roles, such as Afghanistan. This is my first attempt at using an airbrush for the majority of the painting. I used an Iwata HP-CP and mostly Tamiya acrylics. I then used Vallejo model colours for the details and outlining and some additional shadows. Oil paints were used for the leather portion of the boots and to give the metal work of the MP5 a sheen. This hasn't shown up too well in the photos though as it's pretty subtle anyway. Graphite from a pencil was used to highlight some of the raised detail in the MP5. I decided to paint the nomex flying gloves sage green and grey instead of black for a bit of contrast. The figure was built largely out of the box, except for the following: I added lenses to the S10 respirator. The sights, muzzle and Surefire weapon light on the MP5 were drilled out, a lens was added to the weapon light. The moulded on karabiner and figure 8 descender were carved off and new ones scratch built. The kit base was used with the footpath made from a 10mm thick piece of MDF textured with Tamiya putty and painted with enamels and finished with weathering powders and pastels. Photographed with a Nikon D70s and a 18-70mm lens (not the best lens!). Used natural light and a bit of bounced flash, filled with a reflector just out of the frame. Hope you like him!
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Post by phil on Mar 5, 2009 20:51:27 GMT 12
Spitfire was out engine running today while we were practising for next weeks pilot grad parade.
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