Gentlemen,

C51

It is indeed a pleasure to receive your post. Welcome back!
Yes, here we are ensconced in WOV. I visited the old forum last night and through the eerie silence could here the echoes of thousands of posts harking back to the year 2000. 'Where are they now', I thought as I rummaged through JRT's almost empty locker - then I found it behind a pair of Olga's drawers and chrome studded brassiere - a third bottle of prime Kentucky bourbon. You can bet I toasted all those absent friends right there and then...Colski, Jock and the others.

Have you been doing something to a peacock? Surely not preparing one for a banquet?
Ah!...I know! I recall your excellent artwork. You are preparing some painting or other. I don't envy you trying to reproduce that irridest...irridles...irdeness...er, shiny rainbow sheen of those feathers.

Folks,

Your speech seems garbled. Tongue somewhat pliant and twisted? That Bourbon and branch water will do it to you every time unless you've built up an immunity.

Sorry to tell you this but C51 and I left that bottle behind knowing you'd find it. Now don't get your boxers in a twist but C51 talked me into dosing it with a liberal amount of saltpeter. If you have drunk very much I suspect it won't be just your tongue that will be less than rigid. And with Olga nosing around looking for fun you'd best not disappoint her if she catches you. The last fellow who couldn't stand muster spent several agonizing days while they so valiantly tried to untangle him, more or less alive, from the larger bits of a London bus.

It is indeed quiet on the old forum. The words "ghost town" spring readily to mind. I swear the last time I was over there I saw a tumbleweed roll past.

Looks like we moved at the right time eh lads?

Folks,

No answer from Dux....I do hope Olga hasn't... I must purge that thought from my mind, it is far to gruesome even to contemplate.

Dux:

If you're able to read this, and I hope that you are, I was watching an episode of the 2003 Brit TV series "Rosemary & Thyme" last night and suddenly I realized it was the German born Pam Ferris playing one of the leading roles. Until Pam played a Dursley aunt in Harry Potter 3 I hadn't seen her in anything since the movie "Matilda" in which she played that marvelously despicable character Trunchbull.

Ever since I saw her play Trunchbull in that Danny Divito directed film she has lingered in my feverish mind as the perfect actress to play Olga. That is to say when you complete the screen play (you are working on one right?).

What do you think? Is that how you picture her? Of course I have attempted to illustrate her several times for posting here on HWH however I'm not sure that I ever did her justice.

You have done such a grand job of painting her with words that I feel she really exists. She is such a deliciously wicked and amoral character I'm certain an Olga film would be a sensation world-wide.

Food for thought, eh?

Gentlemen,

JRT,

I regret to say that I am not familiar with programmes or characters you mention. My viewing requirements range from fifties westerns for my own entertainment, and scientific documentaries to impress the grandchildren.
Today I watched 'The Man With The Gun', Robert Mitchum and a sprightly Angie Dickinson - long before her appearance with JW in Rio Bravo or was it El Dorado - they were very similar weren't they?.
Later I watched a programme about the 'string theory' which impressed the kiddies no end but I hadn't got a bloody clue what they were on about.

A character actress for Olga may be the basis for an interesting competition on the forum but your imagery is perfect. I could think of one or two politicians who would fill the bill - Claire Short for one.

Here are a couple of pics showing the Fokker which has now reached the covering stage. There is a warp in the left wing which I hope to even out when doping. Tyres still required.

Folks,

Dux:

Strings vibrating....physisist OSRAM and I had a limited discussion on that subject some time ago. Limited to his explaining in basic terms and I to wondering what it was he was saying. ;)I'll see if I can send you a photo of Pam Ferris.

You HAVE been hard at work haven't you? It looks a sturdy craft indeed. Well done. It brings back memories. I can almost smell the glue and dope. Hard to get a grasp of the actual scale though. That cowl must have been a bit tricky to get just right.

I didn't have a scale radial engine for my Sopwith. I fashioned a round bit of wood and placed some small round bands of rubber on it so that it looked something vaguely like a engine cylinder. I prepared some modeling clay and forced the cylinder into it several times in a circle creating a negative imprint. I formed the rest of the engine as best I could then poured hot lead into the negative mold. What came out was half-hidden by the engine cowl anyway but after painting looked quite like a radial engine. It added the needed weight to the nose as well.

Dangerous thing to do though melt big fishing weights. They can explode you know spattering you with molten lead. I don't recommend it.

All,

That ****er looks great Old Dux.

Great to see you C51. And I thought I was the only bird brains around here.
Very very good to see you old man. Hope you and the family are all well. I hope you know your unique humor is missed in the ranks. The squadron got chased out of the old field and moved here after an "event" in town between a few of us, a few young ladies and unfortunately for us, their rather steamed fathers. Glad you made it to us sir. Please refrain from being a stranger. JR2 does a great job giving us briefs on whats up with you but it is best to see you in person..so to speak.


Well, I could not take it any longer and so I purchased WOV. While I preferred to sit out the aches and pains phase I decided to take a chance that the new game would run well for me. For the most part it does.

I am not going to write any detailed review of the game but I can say it is at it's core still our BoB, in every sense of the definition. The new DX9 graphics are mostly terrific. On my rig I can run the game with all graphics set to the highest level for everything, at 1024x768x32 with FSAA and AF enabled. After installing the recent patch, the game runs above 30 fps most of the time even shooting up to over 50 fps in some cases though it can crawl into the teens in a huge battle in bad weather. All in all it runs much like BoB1 v099 and considering the improved graphics that is a good deal. I am getting occasional CTD and the English text message but otherwise the game is pretty darned stable. I updated drivers for my Nvidia 6800gt graphics card which helped too. The sound is in many ways new and always amazing. The cockpits are first rate IMO while the new aircraft models are very good too. The water is one of the nicest improvements while it is also the most disappointing change in the graphics due to a shimmering issue. Flight models seem to be better. My time has mostly been in the Spitfire and I find the aircraft bleeds speed more accurately and is therefore much easier to put on the ground in one piece.

Everyone who worked on this effort should be commended for doing such a nice facelift on BoB. It is not changed at all in many ways but yet is different. Pleasantly, I find flying my Spitfire a totally different feel than in BoB1.

I have been enjoying the game a lot. In fact it seems to have spurred an idea.

All,

Over the course of um, er, aaaa...well, until I run out of ideas my pilots thoughts will be public knowledge.

10 July:

My first day is coming to a close. I am writing this so I am apparently still alive. Not all days can be like this. If they are, I stand no chance of surviving the war. I wonder what they're doing at home. Mum is probably giving father another history lesson while he clutches his pipe tightly in his teeth trying to stay attentive enough. This morning I threw up twice. The first time on my trousers as we ran for our aircraft. The second as I sat in the cockpit waiting to go. I dont recall a more colorful morning. The sun was already rising into a cloudy sky casting an orange glow on the landscape. I killed a German pilot today, a confirmed victory on my first time up. It was luck really. I just fired a long burst ahead of the German and hit the buggar right in the engine. I could see the pilot being engulfed by the flames. He didnt have a chance. I think we got a total of 5 Germans today. An hour ago we learned that Higgins,Red 2 was dead, collided with a 109 over Dover. Serious fellow he was. Never smiled. Never will.

JRT,

The span is 44". That cowling forming process sounds rather time consuming but if in the end it produces the required result...it's worth it.
Some plans give a moulded cowl option and others offer pre-cut wing ribs which would save a massive amount of time.

SNAFU,

The bleed-off performance was one of the things that irked me about BoB1. Pleased to learn that this seems more realistic.
Does the Bf110 still have a superlative war-winning ability or is it now comparable with its historic reputation? Does the Ju87 zoom like hell when you frighten it?
Suppose I'll find out for myself very soon....

Folks,

SNAFU,Dux:

I knew it. You are just like me...you can resist anything BUT temptation.

It was only a matter of time before SNAFU installed WOV and I figure Dux will follow now that SNAFU has had a good result. C51 says he's having problems with the BDG version so I don't know about him. I'd guess he will want to try it fairly soon and when he does that will bring him back to this thread more often.

He is playing more gigs now in the greater Toronto area and with the required practicing and other matters Lady "M" says he has less free time now to indulge his passion for BoB. I hope he'll be with us soon.

Dux:

What I was trying to simulate was the bottom portion of the radial engine where it is seen beneath the cowl. This was for static display or for gliding only. Otherwise there would be a gas engine sticking out the nose and that ruined the look for me. I never flew it with the gas engine.

It was a fairly decent glider the few times I flew it. Finally I just hung it up in the shop. Forty-four inches is a respectable span. Fairly close to my Sopwith. I love the look of the wood but can't wait to see it with its skin and paint on. You deserve a hearty "well done".

Have you done any more architectural drawings lately. As I recall you had done some very nice renderings on vellum of several English piles. Scan in something if you have it.

July 11:

We spent most of the day sitting in the sun. A few fellows played football between hangers 2 and 3. More of a free for all than anything else. The boys spent as much time fighting each other as they did playing the game. Late in the afternoon the war called. We were vectored toward the coast to help a convoy Jerry chose to bother. We reached the channel at dusk. The sun was blinding. We fought with several waves of Stuka dive bombers and some 110's who were in an especially bad mood. The Germans flew like madmen. Three Hurricanes were lost in the first few minutes. I saw just two chutes but I might have missed one. The JU87's were mostly free to pay their respects to the ships below. One freighter was set alight while another blew up and dissappeared. I gained position behind one of the 110's. I dont think I hit him. He rolled away and I lost him in the sun. Split from the rest, I flew back to base alone. Thankfully none of my squadron were lost today. A few crates were damaged and will be out of action for a time. All for now.