I have just learned of a movie planned for a 2010 release. For an early visit to Venus, go here: http://www.piratesofvenusmovie.com/index.html

Mssr V goes a-hunting

Not to be outdone by random crytomundians, Mssr Vanavlak has made an initial foray into uberlarge game hunting:

A long-started model completed. A dino (Compsognathus? Can't remember) and a tough (the latter is an old model; the former just finished). The dino comes from an attractive set of 5 dinosaurs and a very bic croc from Tamiya - quite cheap but nicely detailed. The tough is obviously ex-Necromunda.

Krazniy Oktyabr

...things just got a bit complicated on the Russian side!

A new Ironstars project by Vanvlak Industries

Krazniy Oktyabr, modified with Tsiolkovsky type 2 drives and taken over by the Communist insurgents.

Cryptomundo

This is an adventurous tale of a man in a fedora in pursuit of living dinosaurs (Mokele-mbembe), three-toed primates (Dodu), and his next mission.

http://cryptomundo.com/

He has even written a book on the subject:

The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep(NY: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003)http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585422525/ref=ase_cryptozoologi-20

As a late, well known countryman of mine would have said: "Crikey!"

WOTW - Radio broadcast

The original WOTW radio broadcast is now on YouTube with a CGI backdrop!



http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=aonl

On Shooting the Moon...

Although it does not pertain to painting in any scale or wargaming (apart from the most indirect of comparisons), I'd like to share with the community here something our host Tas and I have discussed at length in private chats.

The following is my first video post to YouTube. I believe viewing and sharing improves all our chances of seeing a rational centrist in the White House. Please reserve comments for the YouTube channel, instead of here — but share it as widely as you can, please.

http://youtube.com/profile?user=ThomTruelove

A Visit to the Moon

another piece of classic Astronef style fiction, from 1899!

A Visit to the Moon
by George Griffith

An Account of the Adventures of the Earl of Redgrave and his Bride on their Honeymoon in Space:

Well, we shall see a good many marvels. and, perhaps, miracles, before we come back, but I hardly think we shall see anything that is forbidden. Still, there's one thing we shall do, I hope. We shall solve once and for all the great problem of the worlds--whether they are inhabited or not. By the way, he went on, "I may remind your ladyship that you are just now drawing the last breaths of earthly air which you will taste for some time, in fact until we get back!

http://www.gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0602321h.html

Visitors from around the world

This week marks 2 months since I started the hit counter here at WWS (purely out of interest) and I must say that with 7500 hits so far I have been astounded.

What you may have also missed is that at the bottom of the left hand frame there is a Mapper which shows where traffic originates. Out of interest, I have been taking a snapshot of this traffic map every two weeks and it showed some very interesting results.

After 2 Weeks

After 4 Weeks

After 6 Weeks

And after 8 Weeks

So thanks to everyone who has visited WWS and and especially those who have left us comments - we appreciate it!

Robur the Conqueror

Robur the Conqueror

by Jules Verne

Alternate English titles include "The Clipper of the Clouds", and "A Trip Around the World in a Flying Machine"

This book, published in 1896, is one of THE top Aeronef classics.

If you havent read it yet, stop whatever else you are doing and click here:

http://www.classicauthors.net/Verne/Conqueror/

The Airship is Coming!

A really interesting site by the Danish Post and Tele Museum in Denmark, who has published a wonderful online exhibit about zeppelins

http://www.postogtelemuseet.dk/zeppex/en/enFront.html

Martians, cylinders and green flashes in the sky

Scientists are only now getting the evidence to prove what we already know...Mars is inhabited!!!

http://www.marsanomalyresearch.com/evidence-directories/3-civilization/civilization-directory.htm

And are these the holes that remain after theose terrible projectiles were fired with a green flash?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070928.html

UUULLLLAAAAA!

Vulcania Submarines...

Vulcania Submarines...

for all your "Extraordinary Submersibles and Diving Equipment" needs, including vintage scuba gear, Nemo's helmet, a working underwater Nemo Rifle and the Journal of Professor P. Arronax!

http://www.vulcaniasubmarine.com/

Don't try this at home...

The above image shows the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to nearly-modern Turkey. The animation runs from 1870 to 1923 and displays British, French, and — eventually — Italian territories as the Turks decline. The original images were taken from the WHKMLA Historical Atlas - http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/asia/haxwasia.html - which may be the most useful collection of summary maps I have ever discovered.

Moving and Naval Logistics

You may recall that I moved house deeper into the Hindukush earlier this year. Well that campaign is drawing to a close so its time once again to pack up the baggage train and move encampments.

I'll be offline for about a week, but thought I would leave this with you to ponder. I realise that USS Constitution was an American ship, but would guess that things wouldn't have been much different under a different ensign!

On 23 August 1779, the USS Constitution set sail from Boston, loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, 115,000 pounds of black powder and 79,000 gallons of rum.

Her Mission: to destroy and harass English Shipping

On 6 October, she made Jamaica, took on 826 pounds of flour and 688,300 gallons of rum. Three weeks later, Constitution reached the Azores, where she provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 300 gallons of Portuguese wine.

On 18 November, she set sail for England where her crew captured and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels and took aboard rum.

By this time, Constitution had run out of shot. Nevertheless, she made her way unarmed up the Firth of Clyde for a night raid. Here, her landing party captured a whiskey distillery, transferred 13,000 gallons aboard and headed for home.

On 20 February 1780, the Constitution arrived in Boston with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, and no whiskey. She did, however, still carry her crew of 475 officers and men and 18,600 gallons of water.

The arithmetic is quite enlightening:

• Length of cruise: 181 days


• Booze consumption: 1.26 gallons per man per day (this DOES NOT include the unknown quantity of rum captured from the 12 English merchant vessels in November).

Naval historians note that the reenlistment rate from this cruise was 92%.

LOGISTICS LESSON LEARNED: Don’t load up with too much water

Painting at 1:1 Scale

I spent all weekend painting my new house before I move this week (yes, its another gangantuan effort to move my drinks cabinet 6" closer to Berlin"!).

After about 8 hrs on the second day, I started making a mental list on why painting this 1:1 scale models appeared harder than the 2mm and 6mm scales I'm usually happy to do.

In no particular order:

• It has to look good at 1 inch AND 6 feet - at the SAME time
• My wife (and every visitor) is as critical as a Golden Demon judge
• Washing techniques make a mess on the floor
• Drybrushing makes the wall look worse
• Its hard to blend the exact colour you want and have enough for 18 square metres
• Basing is a little more than kitty litter and some static grass.
• Cleaning up is more than 2 small brushes and some newspaper
  

Got others of your own? Please leave a comment!