Wednesday 20 September 2017

50th Anniversary of Launch of Cunarder "QUEEN ELIZABETH 2"

Today is the 50th anniversary of the launch of the ocean liner QE2 in Scotland.

This lovely night shot shows the QE2 in Sydney Harbour during her final round-the-world voyage on early 2007. I was aboard. It was a magnificent voyage!

photo by Merbabu

Tuesday 19 September 2017

CUNARD "QUEEN ELIZABETH 2" (QE2) 50th ANNIVERSARY of LAUNCHING

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of the greatest ocean liner ever built, here are some photos of my recently-completed QE2. The ship was launched 20 September 1967 in Scotland.
The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 immediately became the Cunard flagship, and sailed hundreds of crossings and 26 round-the-world voyages. The QE2 was Cunard's longest-serving ocean liner.

This is the Revell 1:1200 scale model of the best ocean liner ever built - the QE2. The small box kit gives a finished hull only 25 cm in length.

I sailed around the world on this ship - it is a fantastic way to spend 4 months.
Sadly the ship is now retired and decaying in the UAE.

The model shows the QE2 as she appeared after 1982 when the ship was used by the British as a military troop transport for the Falklands/Malvinas war. The funnel is still the original white. The Cunard orange/red was a later addition to the paint scheme.

The year 1967 saw the first look at Concorde, and the first flight of the Saturn V rocket.
 
QE2

QE2


Photo of actual launch of the QE2 on 20 September 1967 at Clydebank, Scotland.  The Queen managed to name it after herself with these words: "I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second. May God bless her and all who sail in her." Cunard cleverly reworked the name and used the digit "2" in the name instead of the roman numeral "II" or the word "second". Thus was born the QE2.

QE2 (1967) with the new (2004) Queen Mary 2.


QE2 (1967) with the new (2004) Queen Mary 2.

QE2 (1967) with the new (2004) Queen Mary 2.

QE2 (1967) with the new (2004) Queen Mary 2.

QE2 (1967) with the new (2004) Queen Mary 2.

QE2 (1967) with the new (2004) Queen Mary 2.

CUNARD'S OCEAN LINER "RMS QUEEN MARY 2" (Revell)

This is the Revell 1:1200 scale kit of Cunard's flagship, the "RMS Queen Mary 2" launched in 2003 and entering service in early 2004. I was on the maiden trans-Atlantic crossing in grill class, and was also on a shakedown cruise in steerage.

RMS Queen Mary 2

Second place winner in the ships OOB category at CAPCON 2017 on 30 September 2017.

RMS Queen Mary 2

RMS Queen Mary 2

RMS Queen Mary 2

beside the older and smaller ocean liner "QE2", now retired.
The real QM2...

Monday 18 September 2017

NASA "SATURN V" HUMAN-RATED ROCKET (c.1967) (MPC)

This is the old and rather crude MPC kit in 1:200 scale of the USA's SATURN V human-rated rocket project. Fifteen were built and thirteen were used up through 1976.
I used Krylon spray cans of white and black, and covered the command module at the top with silver foil.
These things were huge, and the model is difficult to photograph.

SATURN V human-rated rocket

WINNER first place in the real space category at CAPCON 2017 on 30 September 2017.


A real one...


SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket


SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket

SATURN V human-rated rocket