283 articles · 39.5K karma · 203 friends · active 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Professional psychologist, father of four, musician, modeler, lecturer. Tired.

My modeling defaults are building dioramas and WWII aircraft. Enjoy WW2 history, reading, single malt scotch whisky (without the 'e'), music, good food, bit of philosophy, and general history.

On This Day…January 10th

On 10th January, 1941 the HMS Illustrious (Lusty) was subject to a frenzied attack by Luftwaffe Ju87 and 88 dive bombers while supporting convoys in the Eastern Mediterranean. The letter below was found tucked in an old desk during a [...]

On This Day…January 9th.

January 9th, 1941, saw the first flight of the Avro Lancaster. Although the Lanc did not go into production until a year later, the feedback from the very first flight was excellent. Notable in this photo, as well as the drawing below, is [...]

On This Day…January 8th

On January 7, 1945, Thomas Buchanan McGuire took off from Leyte and led a group of four P-38 Lightnings – Tommy himself, Major Jack Rittmayer, Captain Edwin Weaver, and Lieutenant Douglas Thropp – on a fighter sweep over northern [...]

On This Day…January 7th

Almost a year before the infamous attack on Pearl, this is an aerial view of Ford Island, Hawaii, 7 Jan 1941. Pearl Harbor Naval Operating Base is seen in the foreground and the carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) on the farthest side of Ford [...]

On This Day…January 6th

On the 6th January, 1945 the USS Columbia (CL-56) was assisting in pre-invasion bombardments in Lingayen Gulf. Having narrowly missed being kit by a Japanese Zero just moments before (photo below; did that photographer have some guts...) [...]

Hollywood comes to iModeler

As a New Year begins, I thought it’d be a good marker to remind iModelers of the ‘iModeler at the Movies’ Group Build. The response to this has been staggering; 87 members, 66 started projects, at least 52 Movies, and a massive [...]

On This Day…January 5th

On January 5th, 1941 while flying an Airspeed Oxford for the Air Transport Axilliary from Prestwick (Scotland) to RAF Kidlington near Oxford, Amy Johnson found herself off course in poor weather conditions. Reportedly out of fuel, she [...]

On This Day…January 4th

I’ve posted several photos of soldiers and airmen with their pets and mascots, but this one seems somehow special. This photo of a GI (535th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, 99th Infantry Division) waking up to be greeted by his pal [...]

On This Day…January 3rd

On the 3rd January, 1943, Staff Sgt Alan Magee (Ball Turret Gunner) pictured below, was blown out of his B-17 (named, 'Snap! Crackle! Pop!') at 22,000 feet after it was hit by flack. Without a parachute, Magee thought his time was up and [...]

The New Year kiss of death on my 2019 modeling plans…

Other than completing the following builds (gosh, I’m sorry, Paul and Jaime - I will bring these Group Builds home, I promise)... (link) (link) (link) ...I’m hoping to complete on this lot. I have a grand plan to try and take a more [...]