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New Jersey National Guard saving pets in Qatar!

19 August 2019 (05:28 UTC-07 Tango 06) 28 Mordad 1398/17 Dhu l-Hijja 1440/19 Ren-Shen 4717

A struggling pet shelter in Doha, Qatar, has only three full-time staff members and more than 130 dogs and cats!  It’s looks more like a farm.

Staff Sergeant Lia Carter, New Jersey National Guard.

“We started out just wanting to find the animals in Doha, Qatar’s capital, and see what was going on with rescues.”-Staff Sergeant Lia Cater, New Jersey National Guard, who helps rescue strays in her hometown of Queens, New York

“We took 100 pounds of dog food and 50 pounds of cat food. The shelter’s staff was overwhelmed to see us. They had never had such a large group come out all at once and volunteer.”-Staff Sergeant Lia Cater, New Jersey National Guard, who helps rescue strays in her hometown of Queens, New York

“They primarily need people to come out and walk dogs, help the dogs exercise, and give the animals some personal attention.”-Staff Sergeant Lia Cater, New Jersey National Guard, who helps rescue strays in her hometown of Queens, New York

“This program gives something for everyone to look forward to. It is also good for relations between the U.S. and Qatar.”-Sergeant Jimmy Simmeron, New Jersey National Guard

“We are going to have to stop being the policemen of the world.”-Donald Trump, August 2015 interview with Hugh Hewitt

OPERATION APPALACHIAN CARE; PROOF OBAMACARE FAILED, AND OBAMA KNEW IT DID!

GREAT RENEGER: GUARD DEPLOYMENTS SO COMMON EVEN BEERS ARE NAMED AFTER THEM

1/600 USS Iowa Class Kits: Aurora, Monogram, Otaki, Revell. An appeal to Airfix!

I am disappointed with Ship Craft 17 Iowa Class Battleships, while it is still a good overview for somebody just getting into building the iconic battleships it doesn’t pack the information that the excellent Ship Craft 16 Hipper Class Ships does, and in the same number of pages.

Ship Craft 17

Ship Craft 17 (copyright 2012 Seaforth Publishing) fails in, among other areas, the kit review section, primarily in the 1:500 through 1:600 range. It also fails to mention the 1:350 scale Revell kit so I’ll mention it here; stay away from that kit as it is a revised version of the inaccurate Otaki-Life Like Hobbies kit first issued as a World War-2 Missouri in 1971 (revised in 1983 to look like a modernized ship, before being sold to Revell who’s been revising-reissuing it ever since, it was even issued under the Monogram label in the 1990s).  Recently Revell-Germany re-issued it with a mass of aftermarket parts to make it look better, but the result is that you have to spend a crap-load of money and end up doing even more work on a kit to make it resemble a ‘modern’ Iowa Class ship.

1:665 to 1:535 Iowa Class Kits

I’m a fan of 1:600 scale battleships because they’re small enough you can display a lot of them on a single bookshelf and are still big enough that your guests don’t go blind looking at your handy-work.  Plus, they were basically the only battleship kits I could get my hands on as a kid in the 1970s.  Because the highly praised Ship Craft series failed to discuss these kits, and because I’m amazed at the high prices kit sellers on the internet are demanding for them, I feel compelled to do my own review of these now ancient, and unfortunately crappy kits.

Iowa Class=Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, Wisconsin

The first offender is Revell’s 1:535 offering.  First released in 1953, terrible, inaccurate, does not come with water-screws (propellers) but has one rudder (the real ship has two rudders).  Hull bow incorrectly angled, aft end of hull shaped like a step-pyramid. Wood planks on deck represented by continuous raised lines. Anti-aircraft .50 cal guns represented by molded-on crucifixes. Molded on life boats in the upside down position.  Blocky looking Seahawk float-planes. The decals for the ship’s hull number are the large ‘shadowed’ post World War-2 type, yet the kit is supposed to be the World War-2 version.  Amazingly Revell repeatedly re-issues the crappy kit, and for some odd reason people are willing to pay high prices for it.  To make things more confusing, in the mid-1990s Revell began using the original artwork for Monogram’s 1:665 (16 inch) Missouri for its 1:535 Missouri.

Aurora’s 1:600 offering was first released in 1957 (Ship Craft 17 says “in the early 1960’s”), it looks like a scaled down version of Revell’s 1:535 kit. The hull bow has the same angle and the stern has the same stepped pyramid shape, except Aurora gives you four propellers.  The propellers are incorrect as they have three blades per screw, the real ship has four bladed screws outboard and five bladed screws inboard.  You get one big ugly rudder.  The deck detailing is similar to Revell’s except for recessed wood plank lines (which are also continuous/unbroken) and molded on solid railing.  The life boats are molded separate, the Seahawks look better than Revell’s.  The main gun turrets look like scaled down Revell turrets. Interestingly the Aurora kits are the only ones in this review that provide boarding ladders, but there is no mention of them in the instructions.

Vietnam New Jersey

From the mid-1960s to mid-1970s Aurora used some excellent artwork on their boxes.  For the Iowa Class ships the artist actually did a better job representing the ships than the kit itself.  The Missouri is painted in its post World War-2/Korean War guise, still bristling with anti-aircraft guns but minus its Seahawk float-planes.  The Iowa also looks to be depicted as post World War-2/Korea, and the New Jersey (the best artwork of the bunch in my opinion) is in its Vietnam War livery with the big rectangular ECM box on its forward tower, and a helicopter pad on its aft deck (unfortunately the artist failed to mount the big antenna on the bow).   Regardless of the box artwork each kit is the same World War-2 version, yet the decals for the ship’s hull numbers are the large ‘shadowed’ post World War-2 type (World War-2 hull numbers were small with no ‘shadowing’).

Monogram (not mentioned in Ship Craft 17) entered the Iowa Class race in 1976 with issues of Missouri, New Jersey and Wisconsin (in that order).  THEY ARE NOT RE-ISSUES OF AURORA KITS, OR REVELL KITS!  Also, I’ve seen them listed as 1:600 scale, they are a smaller 1:665 scale.  The odd scale is the result of Monogram deciding to issue battleship kits based on a standard 16-inch (40cm) hull (as stated on the box), rather than a ‘constant scale’.  The hull has the best looking bow of the bunch, even has the three ‘eyes’ for anchors and cables, however, there are mysterious vertical lines along the hull sides (the real ships have noticeable horizontal lines down the length of the hull), and the stern is still incorrectly shaped.  You get four propellers but they’re all four bladed.  The most accurate looking parts of this kit are the two rudders and the excellent looking secondary gun turrets-guns (which are the same size as 1:600 scale Aurora/Otaki).  Amazingly for a late 1970s issued kit the deck looks like it came right outta the 1950s (which might explain why some people think its a revised issue of the Revell or Aurora kits), it even has the raised wood deck lines and crucifix .50 caliber machine guns similar to Revell’s.  There are two Kingfisher float-planes and the hull number decals are the small WW-2 type, yet the main mast looks like the type fitted after WW-2.

In 1984 Japan’s Otaki issued a 1:600 scale motorized version of a modern Iowa Class ship (not mentioned in Ship Craft 17).  In the mid-1980s Otaki became Arii and it was issued under that label.  It has been ripped-off and issued by Korea’s Kangnam and China’s Lee (aka C.C. Lee, aka Shanghai C.C.Lee Model Company).  It is currently issued by Japan’s MicroAce (the new Arii). From here on out I’ll refer to this kit as The Asian Kit.  The kit is totally lacking in detail, and even though the hull and deck size is similar to Aurora’s 1:600 hull/deck the main gun turrets are as big as the bigger Revell kit’s turrets.  The helicopters are crappy, the Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers are a bad joke, the secondary gun turrets are chunks with stubs for guns, the Phalanx gatling gun systems are fat and missing the barrels.  The life boats are huge. The stern of the hull is close to being accurate, but the propellers are all four bladed, you get two rudders.  The kit is not worth the full U.S. MSRP (Manufacture’s Suggested Retail Price) that the majority of internet sellers demand.

Here’s more depressing news;  Main Gun Turrets-Guns: Aurora’s turrets are the smallest yet resemble Revell’s, also the guns are as big as The Asian Kit’s.  The Asian Kit’s turrets are almost as big in diameter as Revell’s, they are devoid of detailing, except for recessed ladders. Revell’s main gun tubes will not fit into Revell’s turrets.  Monogram’s turrets are slightly bigger than Aurora’s, the guns look the most accurate, are the same diameter as the 1:600 scale kits, but shorter in length, the anti-aircraft gun enclosures on the top of the turrets are the wrong shape.

Superstructure: All kits lack detailing. The Asian Kit is the worst offender completely devoid of details, it is molded separately and look like that ancient underwater ‘structure’ known as Yonaguni Submarine Ruins.

Here’s some pictorial evidence to back up accusations against the offenders (click each pic to view more in the full-sized image):

There’s no excuse for Revell’s continuous re-issuing of their crappy kit (in fact they’ve just re-issued it again). You’d think with the merging of Revell and Monogram, in the 1990s, they’d issue the better Monogram kit. It should be noted that Monogram’s 16 inch Iowa kits were rarely issued (for some unknown reason), along with Monogram’s 16 inch Bismarck/Tirpitz (which works out to about 1:615/17 scale, a 1:600 scale Bismarck hull is approximately 16 & 3/8th inches long). I remember reading an article, many years ago, that was talking about a train derailment and fire that destroyed many of the Aurora molds that had just been purchased by Monogram.  I believe it happened in 1979, the Monogram 16 inch battleship kits were originally issued between 1976 and 1978.  It would make sense that they were never issued again if their molds were also destroyed in that train fire, and it would explain why both the Monogram and Aurora kits command high prices on the internet, however, I’ve seen issues of the Monogram 1:665 (16 inch) Iowa kits in 1990s style boxes, and even the original late 1970s boxes but with 1990s style Skill Level 2 stickers on the shrink-wrap (you can’t trust the copyright date on boxes as being indicative of when that particular kit was issued).

Regarding Ship Craft 17, it’s still a great starting point for learning about the ship and has enough information in the text that you’d realize there isn’t, as yet, a model kit in any scale of the Iowa Class that doesn’t have some discrepancy (which is amazing considering the historical importance of the world’s last and best battleships).

It would take a lot of work to correct the old American kits.  The Asian Kit’s near total lack of detail has an advantage; it makes it easier to detail-up with aftermarket parts and scratch building, you could even back date it to Vietnam, Korea or WW-2.  There are plenty of aftermarket photo etched sets for 1:600 Fast U.S. Battleships, and a company called Model Monkey is producing 1:600 scale 3D printed ‘correction’ parts, including an early WW2 rounded bridge for the New Jersey.

I end this review by appealing to Hornby-Airfix to produce a new line of 1:600 scale Iowa Class ships, including options for World War-2, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

ITALERI 1:720 DEUTSCHLAND, LUTZOW, SCHEER & GRAF SPEE

World War 3, Asian Front-Afghanistan, 21-23 September 2013: Karzai continues pointing finger at Obama regime! False Flag Alert: Drugs used to turn people into suicide bombers!

“In past 24 hours, Afghan National Police backed by the national army and the NATO-led coalition forces have conducted a series of operations in Kunar, Kapisa, Zabul, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Paktika and Herat provinces, which left 46 armed Taliban dead.”-Interior Ministry of Afghanistan

Badakhstan Province: In Wardooj District, Mujahideen released seven captured Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel.  It’s not known what happened to the other ANA soldiers that were captured, originally the Mujahideen said the soldiers willingly joined them.

Balkh Province: In Chahar Bolok District, an explosion killed five people and wounded eight.  Witnesses say it was a suicide bomber.  In Zherai District, reports that a cop attacked his fellow cops.  At least one cop killed.

Farah Province: In Farah Rod District, government Israeli style home invasions resulted in 12 people, including a religious leader, being kidnapped.  One villager was shot and wounded.

Kandahar Province: In Shorabak District, Mujahideen attacked border police, leaving 11 dead.  Mujahideen claim they killed 16.

Kabul Province: ISAF reported two Romanian NATO soldiers were killed by explosion and gun shots in eastern Afghanistan. One of the Romanians was on his second tour.

Kapisa Province: In Nijrab District, the Afghan Interior Ministry claims 11 Mujahideen were killed in battle.  24 Mujahideen wounded.

Kunduz Province: In Chahar Dara District, a local National Directorate of Security (Homeland Security) agent was assassinated.  This is the second assassination of a government official, and police say they still don’t know who’s doing it.  However, Mujahideen claim credit for the assassinations.  In the same district an Israeli style home invasion by government forces resulted in one person being kidnapped.

Kunar Province: In Ghaziabad District a U.S.-NATO drone strike killed one man.  Afghan government officials say the man was a Mujahideen commander.  However, independent reports say at least four people were killed.

Paktia Province: In Gardez city, a Colorado National Guard Special Forces Staff Sergeant, and a Rhode Island National Guard Staff Sergeant (but resident of New Jersey), and one Specialist from California were killed by an Afghan government troop.  The Colorado Guardsman was already recovering from a previous combat wound, and was one month away from the end of his enlistment.  Also, reports that a U.S.-NATO recon drone crashed.  Mujahideen did not claim they shot it down, but confirmed a drone crashed and burned.

Zabul Province: People protested yet another U.S. led killing of civilians.  They claim U.S.-NATO forces killed two people in Shahjoi District.  One report said 10-thousand people packed the streets of Shahjoi District bazaar, protesting the U.S. occupation.

President Hamid Karzai continues to insist that terrorism is coming from outside Afghanistan.  He continues to imply it is being supported by countries like the United States, it’s the main reason he is holding off on signing a military pact with the Obama regime: “We have an appropriate analysis of the current situation of Afghanistan, and we know who are involved behind plotting destruction of Afghanistan, and those who are sending suicide bombers to Afghanistan.”

Afghan security officials say in recent interrogations of captured attempted suicide bombers, it’s been revealed that people are being drugged with Selective Serotonin Receptor Inhibitors and/or opium, then abused psychologically and physically.  A captured potential suicide bomber says people are drugged up to the point of passing out.  These drugs are the similar to those prescribed to mass shooters in the United States!

Russian officials say the opium drug industry in Afghanistan is surprisingly well managed, under the U.S. occupation.  Russian investigators have discovered huge stockpiles of illegal drugs in Afghanistan: Around 40,000 tons of opiates are already stored there. So, in fact, they have reached saturation point.”-Viktor Ivanov, Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service

Former Taliban political party finance minister, Mullah Agha Jan Motasim, says what is happening in Afghanistan is the fault of the occupiers, and the invaders have made peace impossible: “The international community bears responsibility for this……After all the bloodletting, we would have to work with people we are fighting.”

ISAF revealed that after the supposed 2014 pullout, the military occupation now known as Operation Enduring Freedom will continue under the title Operation Resolute Support.

Pakistan says a rocket launched from Afghanistan killed one person, and wounded at least one.  Pakistan also says a mortar attack from Afghanistan wounded two people.  They also claim militants from Afghanistan attacked a village in Pakistan.

The Nation reporting that the number of deaths in Afghanistan could be much higher than reported, because Afghan national and provincial governments are actually charging a fee to release such info to the media.