[Winnipegger]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Soviet single seat reusable shuttle called "Spiral" IIRC.

Correct

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Here's a fun one:

Bartini Beriev VVA-14

[Thanos]

Should be an easy one for this group. Don't care what anyone else thinks, this ugly old prizefighter to me is one of the most beautiful aircraft of all time.

[Hyack]

Thanos Thanos:

Should be an easy one for this group. Don't care what anyone else thinks, this ugly old prizefighter to me is one of the most beautiful aircraft of all time.

Short S.25 Sunderland Mk V, one of only 777 built

[Thanos]

The thing was basically a flying tank. One of them got jumped by a half-dozen JU88's that had been fitted out as heavy fighters. The Sunderland, armed with sixteen .303 and two .50 cal machine guns, damaged all of the Junkers enough to scare them off and still managed to make it back to Cornwall where the pilot was able to beach it. It was so good in the anti-sub role, especially in coming in low to strafe U-boats when they were on the surface, that the Germans were forced to begin mounting 37mm AA guns on the submarines.

God knows the Brits did enough goofy things with their weapon and equipment designs. With the Sunderland though fortune smiled on them because they sure built those babies right.

[DrCaleb]

Here's something I found interesting. Plus, necro goodness.

It's a write up on the feasibility of Putin's 'Nuclear Cruise Missile' claims. And this beastie popped up.

Enjoy!



Best bad idea ever? Why Putin’s nuclear-powered missile is possible… and awful

"Hot rock make boat go".

[Winnipegger]

Here's one that's relevant to current events.

[xerxes]

FHC is Everett, WA is unveiling one of their newest toys next weekend with the following teaser posted on FB:



It looks like a Panzer IV to me, probably one of the earlier variants. But I would like you guys' more expert opinions.

[Thanos]

Yeah, Panzer IV, Mark F2 or Mark H going by the muzzle break on the main gun. Hard to tell by the paint job as by the time F2 or H was on the field the Germans had gone to a dark yellow main coating; a lot of the time when you see a grey coat on a later piece of German armour that was manufactured from 1942 to 45 it means that whoever captured the vehicle had painted it over in grey for some reason. The red primer on the drive wheel teeth though looks original so this could be an early F2 from a small batch that got painted grey while most of the others of that mark got painted with the dark yellow.

[Thanos]

Also this jewel here. Can't imagine how pants-poopingly terrified the pilot would be ejecting from an aircraft with the intake scoop on top of the fuselage. So long, pigeon!

[DrCaleb]

Who built that? Dr. Frankenstein?

It looks like a Starfighter in places, but I have no idea what it is.

[xerxes]

Definitely should be called the Frankenjet. Instead it was known as the F-107A, built by North American.

[Thanos]

Yup. Called the Ultra-Sabre, built around the F-100 Super Sabre fuselage. Those century-series jets were something else, with that terrific looking 1950's design esthetic the engineering nerds put into them.

[xerxes]

Thanos Thanos:

Yeah, Panzer IV, Mark F2 or Mark H going by the muzzle break on the main gun. Hard to tell by the paint job as by the time F2 or H was on the field the Germans had gone to a dark yellow main coating; a lot of the time when you see a grey coat on a later piece of German armour that was manufactured from 1942 to 45 it means that whoever captured the vehicle had painted it over in grey for some reason. The red primer on the drive wheel teeth though looks original so this could be an early F2 from a small batch that got painted grey while most of the others of that mark got painted with the dark yellow.

You were spot on as usual Thanos. FHC showed the full picture today and confirmed that it is Panzer IV Ausf. H.

[Thanos]

The museum should get into business with the model-building nerds. I envy those guys at the museum if they have the intention to fix 'er up to stock condition that would be seen on a battlefield in 1943 and '44. That baby would be the perfect blank canvas to go for a full exterior restoration by adding a proper turret storage bin on the back and the protective side-skirt armour plates that hung from brackets from the turret and upper hull. Probably wouldn't cost too much either as all of that could be done by a metal shop quite easily. Then source out as many of the original tools the Germans would attach to the fenders as well. They removed them before scrapping so conceivably in a military junkyard in Germany or France there still could be piles of them rusting away that would just need a good cleaning and re-painting. Military museums tend to help each other out when they can too so some of the others in the US or Europe could also have a bunch of tools in storage that they'd be more than willing to donate to the cause.

[Jabberwalker]

Thanos Thanos:

Should be an easy one for this group. Don't care what anyone else thinks, this ugly old prizefighter to me is one of the most beautiful aircraft of all time.

My dad flew those during WWII out of Kogala, Ceylon ... RAF 205 squadron and RCAF 413 squadron.