Ukraine and the plastic modeling community
The following companies are all in Kyiv:
My friend Eugen Evtushenko at Dora Wings has let me know everyone he knows in the scale modeling community are sheltering.
Armory Models Group
Big Planes Kits
A&A Models
Dora Wings
ICM Models
Miniart
Masteebox
Roden Models
Armoury Models
Aim Fan Mode
Arsenal Model Group
Art Model
Avis
Modelsvit
Riich Models
Unimodel
Printscale Decals
BS Decals
Metallic Details
Dan Models
Reskit
Foxbot Decals
MikroMir
Clear Prop
Wingsy Kits
Models.UA, Hobby.dn.ua,
PMS.
Some have posted on their Facebook pages that martial law has been declared and all deliveries suspended for the duration.
From Plastic Models Store this morning:
" War came to my house!
SUPPORT UKRAINE
Hello
That's Artem from PM-Store.
Dark times came to my country. Russian Invaders bombing our cities. Killing our civil citizens.
Dictator Putin hates Ukrainians and wants us to not exist.
Russian Helicopters and fighters are over my house right now!
Stop War, Stop killing people. Now all world sees how crazy he is.
We want to live in peace. Begging all your countries to help us, save our lives.
I can't believe how this is possible in our times in the middle of Europe.
This crazy midget Putin wants to start Third World War. We all need to cooperate and stop this.
Pray for Ukraine, Support Ukraine, Help Us !"
A friend of mine posted elsewhere:
These companies have produced things that have given pleasure to people all over the world, increased bonds of fellowship, and garnered newfound respect for the talented people in their nation.
Now being blown to bits.
Update this morning (2/25/22): This from Anne Appelbaum in The Atlantic morning e-mail newsletter:
"The clash that is coming will matter to all of us, in ways that we can't yet fathom. In the centuries-long struggle between autocracy and democracy, between dictatorship and freedom, Ukraine is now the front line—and our front line too." (Applebaum, Feb 23, The Atlantic, " Calamity Again")
Seems like good ol CCCP is back, Stalin would be proud.
Political and geopolitics aside, hope everyone who works in those companies are safe and wishing no more bloodshed to occur, at least on civilians. Unless the Russian people forces Putin to twist, Ukraine as an independent country is no more.
Modelling speaking who knows if and when we will see their stuff on the shelves when current stocks are gone. Personally I was really looking forward for that Sally…
Free Ucrania, Rusia Go Home
"Ενός κακού μύρια έπονται” (misfortunes never come singly), as my ancient ancestors used to say...
@fiveten, Well said Spiros!
Funny thing Spiros, we Portuguese have the exact same saying “ um azar nunca vem só”
So does us Swedes: en olycka kommer sällan ensam.
Well spoken, Spiros @fiveten
In Dutch - een ongeluk komt nooit alleen
Ein Unglück kommt selten allein, as we say here in Switzerland.
In 39 before invasion of Poland, and in 40 before invasion of Finnlad, Molotow had similar speech as Putin today. Soviet methods are the same for ages. "Soviet Army brings peace on bayonets".
Thanks for writing this.
No more Champagne and Caviar for the wealthy.
Great post Tom. I guess modeling brings this conflict closer to home for a lot of us. I look at some of the kits that come out of that region and think that they could only have been designed and put into production by someone that is passionate about our hobby. Someone I can identify with and would love to sit down with and have an enjoyable conversation about our hobby. Just a couple of weeks ago they were probably working on their next project with one eye on the news. Now they are invaded, forbidden to leave the country, and most will soon pick up a rifle to defend their homes against a world super power. Some may not survive. That is a sobering thought and I am praying for all involved.
@scott4526 - exactly right.
One of the things that has made me optimistic about things is places like ours - with people from all around the world, who are all pretty much alike: modeling geeks.
I also hope our Russian members here are safe in their homes. I have news that the demonstrations against the war there are much larger than is being reported, that they "downsized" the actual arrests yesterday because they don't want the rest of the world to know there is large-scale opposition.
Seeing names of companies and modelers known to us makes it all the more real. Sad days for freedom.
Ukraine should remain free and proud, I hope the world does all it can to help this outcome. The last thuggish dictator that invaded a sovereign country was eventually pulled, filthy and disheveled, from a hidey-hole in the dirt. One can only hope that is the eventual fate of Vlad the Impaler.
Ukraine is already a free country...Ukrainians do not need any outsiders to free them from "nazification"...those talks of "denazification" are simply BS!
I have been glued to the TV and social media since the invasion, and I feel more and more depressed as more updates from Ukraine poured in. Although I am not Ukrainian, I can really feel the pain they have been experienced over there after seeing the political chaos in my hometown (that little ex-British colony where Spitfire PS852 and VN317 were stationed in the 1950s) during the past couple of years.
Sanctions against Russia are essentially useless here - sanctions take time to become effective (and a big if), but time is what Ukraine currently does not have!
A "What-if" scenario: how will Putin react if NATO grants membership to Ukraine now on emergency basis, and pour their collective military to Ukraine and fight the Russians?
Let's pray that common sense prevails, and a solution emerges from the ashes before more people are killed.
Here's some information for those who would like to provide some assistance (this comes from a knowledgeable friend):
Some of you asked for places where you could use your credit cards instead of bank transfers. The below list are international charities working in Ukraine who can take donations from credit cards:
Libereco Partnership for Human Rights, evacuation and medical assistance
https://www.lphr.org/en/humanitaere-soforthilfe-fuer-die-ukraine/
Caritas, humanitarian assistance
https://www.caritas.org/ukraine-appeal-22/
Malteser International, evacuation assistance. (Make sure you have selected "Ukraine")
https://www.malteser-international.org/en/donation.html?amount=100&interval=0&fb_item_id=24633
And then others of you were intrigued by the mention of the crowdsourcing of the Ukrainian army. If you want to do that, go to
Army SOS
https://armysos.com.ua/en/help-the-army
To fund protective and other defensive gear for the Ukrainian army, go to
Save Life
https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/
This site has the best group of modelers on the internet. I hope everyone continues to keep this conversation civil. (This topic has already degenerated into name calling in other forums.) I understand that we can all get highly emotional, but perhaps it will be better served to look into ways that you can make a difference by donating to legitimate charities. Thanks for the links Tom. I will check them out.
@scott4526 - Yes indeed, the membership quality is high here. Over at The Other Place, Brett Green had to lock the comments section of a post similar to mine here. Unfortunately, a couple of i****s from the Upside-down-and backwards Party showed up in the comments, cheering on Putin, and things quickly went from being like this page to... not being like this page (we'll leave it at that).
Yes @tcinla - thanks for these links. Putin has finally shown his true colors. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this will be resolved soon and not at the expense of the Ukraine people and the rest of Europe. But it already has. I hope it's not too late and Putin's shirtless ego-idiocy doesn't drag all of us down a senseless rabbit hole. Let us all lend support to our friends in the Ukraine.
Prayers for our friends in Ukraine. Any Ukrainian readers of this site, pls stay safe and know that the world is with you and against tyrants.
Hello!
It’s hearth shattering what is happening in central Europe. Coupled with the threats made yesterday to Finland and Sweden concerning their alignment to NATO only reveals that, as in any conflict around the world, reason as been substituted by chaos in the decision making process driving this invasion. In fact, for those who consider and love freedom, these are absurd and hearth sinking times.
I hope that those who, without action or decision, see themselves immerse in this conflict, stay safe. I also hope the political leaders in this generation get the wisdom necessary in these grim times.
It has been very sad to watch Ukrainian citizens and Russian alike to be chased and threatened.
Let`s hope for the best.
José Pires
Its been reported that Anonymous has hacked into the Russian defense ministry and is releasing the names of its employees. Those individuals responsible for the aggression of the Ukraine will be brought to the light for all to see.
I hope it will be true information.
According to my friend Roy Cash Jr., former CO of Top Gun, there were some Ukrainian pilots who got training at Top Gun in the past 8 years, so "the Ghost of Kyiv" being more than an urban legend is possible. The video has been identified as having come from a video game, not an actual source, but the reports of the numbers of Russian aircraft shot down are accurate, so the "Ghost" might be real.
I cant beleive I'm witnessing this in real time. A historical event of massive proportion... and all I can do is sit back and watch. And that makes me angry. I've seen video after video of Russians killing innocent Ukranians, including one tank swerving into a moving car on purpose, crushing it and the driver. This shouldnt be happening.
Prayers for all of those in Ukraine. The thoughts of the world are with you all.
My sympathies go out to the citizens of Ukraine. They didn't deserve this. Can't begin to fathom what it's like to try and go to work in the middle of that.
Recent news: Germany has announced they are providing Ukraine with 500 advanced Stinger AAMs. This ends any "air superiority" opportunities for the Russians (and the Pentagon reported today that the Red Air Force had yet to accomplish that goal). Stingers are what drove the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan in the late 1980s - no helicopter can operate safely in a Stinger environment, and any aircraft below 10,000 feet is in range of one. And the new ones can defeat the IR-blocking techology on the exhausts.
Also, the biggest Russian banks have been dropped from SWIFT, now that Germany, Hungary and Italy agreed to do so, and VISA and Mastercard have cut the Russian banks off from credit cards. No Russian credit card works anywhere now.
The Ukrainians killed the Russians that attempted a coup de main in Kyiv last night.
I'm starting to think that "regime change" is going to be more likely in Moscow than Kyiv. Putin should go read some Roman history: Caligula wasn't killed by any of his many enemies; he was cut down by his Praetorian Guards.
It's an historic pattern that eventually the most powerful dictators become deluded as no one in their inner circle will confront them for fear of swift retribution. It seems as if Putin was unable to compute the potential response of those who can still tell right from wrong. Even his staunchest supporters must see missiles hitting apartment blocks and hospitals and know it is wrong. China, while questioning NATO's expansion east, came out in clear support of Ukraine's sovereign rights.
The international response is now evolving to the level, economically and in terms of military hardware, that ending the Ukrainian resistance may not be the rapid process Putin wished for, and his own people will be hit hard (oligarchs and citizens alike) and know that Russia will become a pariah unless something changes fast.
I hope you are right, Tom, that there are too many people with too much to lose for Putin to last long if the people of Ukraine hold on and extend the impact of international sanctions. I read that Germany has now committed 1000 anti-tank weapons, but also that the current mismatch in tech and training is leading the Ukrainian forces to lose a lot of ground across the country. Watching the news I can see queues of normal people enlisting and large groups in public squares following the Govt-approved recipe on how to make Molotov cocktails. It's astonishing.
You can add Alexey from Proper Plane, based in Kyiv and Lviv, to your list. His family and pets are holing up in their bathroom. He's also posting lots of pictures online, showing the current situation. I'll be supporting him by buying his stuff online and not caring a bit whether it ever shows up.
@tcinla I think Putin is not good at everything he wanted. He hoped it would be done in 48 hours. May the transport of anti-aircraft launchers arrive as soon as possible. Here is my question. The video shows how the Su25 received a rocket hit and it was clearly not destroyed. Is he that armored?
PS. It hurts that Putin was raised by the Germans with their incomprehensible and harmful policy. Gerhard Schröder should stand before a tribunal of state for supporting a country that is hostile to the EU and NATO.
Praying for peace for Ukraine and for the people of Russia opposing this.
Putin's Vietnam. Instead of communism Democracy, is the villainy in his mind. For the Chinese, its bad for business.
There’s just been a news flash that Putin has put his nuclear weapons force onto “high alert”...
It's proof of how weak he is. He desperately wants to make this a US-Russia confrontation, not all about his invasion of Ukraine. The US has announced that our nukes remain at their previous level of alert.
The Ukraine government this morning announced willingness to meet with Russian representatives for "talks without preconditions," which the Russian government has accepted. 24 hours earlier, Putin was saying he would only negotiate Ukraine's surrender, with the precondition that the current government had been overthrown.
It seems that Putin has exposed to the world the fact that he is president of a "Potemkin country."
It is indeed a shocking development - but personally, I am not surprised. I always had a very skeptical view of Russian "promises", mostly based on my home country´s history. I am old enough to remember the Soviet occupation, later in my life I met people fighting the Soviets in 1956.
I am lucky enough to see my children growing and developing in safe and healthy environment. Tens of thousands of families are fleeing Ukraine right now, and the numbers are increasing.
Today I turned 42. I asked my friends on Facebook to join me on my birthday, and support Unicef, helping children in need all over the world, including refugees of the ongoing war in Ukraine. I set a modest 1000 DKK (150USD) fundraising goal, and we are very close to the target. If you can spare a price of a model kit, please come and help.
https://www.facebook.com/donate/461077249064012/
It was really great to see the Hungarian prime minister denounce the invasion yesterday. It was also very unexpected, due to the policies he has pursued in the past. It would appear everyone is getting their eyes opened.
Yes, I believe that he underestimated the risks of keeping too tight Russian connections, especially as an EU and NATO member.
He is still very carefully choosing his words, but getting closer to the united EU and NATO standpoint. An election is coming in a few weeks, and he suddenly found himself in a very difficult situation. Personally, I would not be sad if he took a break from politics.
The war is costing Russia 20 billion rubles a day (at last week's exchange rates - the ruble is expected to enter "free fall" tomorrow when the exchanges open). Russia has been cut off from its foreign currency reserves and its central bank has been cut off from its money. Putin will run out of money to pay for the war within a week. T-72s use 30 gallons of diesel/hour. A tank without fuel is no longer a "tank." It's a "target."
https://mobile.twitter.com/KordowskiMarius/status/1498057770297221120?refsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1498057770297221120%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwpolityce.pl%2Fswiat%2F587522-polska-przekaze-mysliwce-mig-29-ukrainie
If it is True Polish Air Forces send to Ukraine Air Forces MiG29 fighters.
Hello to all Modeller friends.
Below I am posting a link to polish help provided to Ukraine:
https://notesfrompoland.com/2022/02/26/over-100000-have-fled-into-poland-from-ukraine-since-russian-invasion/
From my personal point of view, I am proud of the attitude of my fellow compatriots. In Poland, from time to time, one can hear the arguments about Wołyń crime and UPA action directed against poles decades ago. I hope that this would be a lesson for the older generation, that the argument is passed. For sure, this is a new chapter in our bilateral relationship. I am incredibly proud of the action and support coming from all Warsaw (capital city) citizens.
I talked with my students from both political and economic faculty and assured them about my support in these challenging times. Also, I made some private donations for refugees.
I heard the same about post-soviet aircraft. This is an excellent idea. One of the best advantages is that Ukrainians do know how to pilot this old machines:)
Best regards
Łukasz
https://www.airlive.net/breaking-new-satellite-image-of-gostomel-airport-shows-the-tail-of-the-antonov-an-225-mryia-is-intact/
@tcinla, hi Tom, it’s just been announced in Beijing that Russian and Belorussian competitors will not be allowed to take part in the paralympics that start today. Originally they were going to be allowed to enter under an “independent” flag, but that decision has been reversed. Quite an announcement from China.
SU25 after hit by MANPAD missle. Unfortunetly explisives don't damaged engine enaught.