EDITORIAL

Dear Friends,

We need to begin today with some bad news.

Due to the unfavorable course the pandemic

is taking, and the associated restrictions that

have been implemented that make an event

such as a model convention impractical, we

have decided to cancel this year’s E-day show.

Personally, I think this is a great shame. Already

now, we have prepared so much to be ready

for the show that is now in danger of being

a waste. For example, much of the new items

for October were being timed to be relevant

specifically for E-day. We have several associated events planned to go along with these kit

releases, and we hope to turn these into reality, at least in part, as separate entities. We will

intensely work on their completion through

August, and we will introduce these in the September newsletter. We are assuming that we

will be able to conduct the National Championships, at least as a judging affair under the direction of the SMCzR. It will likely take the form

of an event only for the participants and the

judges, and, of course, members of the SMCzR.

I would also be personally pleased, if we could

introduce our 1:72nd scale Cmelak, including a

flying display, and a discussion with the pilot.

I would think that we could even hold an In The

Pot style Q and A along the same lines as the

recent Eduard at Artur’s event, which took place on July 24th. I took this event as being a success, and my impression is that the attendees

left satisfied, leading me to conclude that this

may be one option on how to put on a pleasant and useful modelling event, even at a time

when large, traditional model conventions are

off the table. We have already put on two such

events this year, where new items were introduced, and conducted a discussion on new and

future releases. We would like to continue in,

perhaps, approximately three month intervals.

That would be a frequency that should tire out

no one, and should always bring up something

interesting. The next one should be around the

time of E-day, actually.

One of the things that were to have been featured at E-day, which we would like to bring to

fruition, is the proposed retro-release of the P-40F Warhawk in 1:72nd scale, a theme directly

connected to Vaclav Sorel articles published in

old issues of ABC magazine. We are still fine-tuning these, but the kits are virtually done. It is

heavily influenced by said articles, which included descriptions of the pilot, Lubomir Ulehla.

It is true that research, since those articles

were first published, have shown things to be

somewhat different, historical accuracy and corrections are not the point here. This has more

to do with nostalgia, although the historical

accuracy of the theme does also play a role, of

course. The basis of this release is more about

the 1986 article than the 1945 aircraft. The kit

was to have been sold at E-day, with the proceeds going to Mr. Sorel, and the kit will be sold

via other methods, but the proceeds will still go

to Vaclav. In two months, the details will have

been ironed out. So far, we have put together

a pretty decent sum from which the family has

been withdrawing funds to aid in his recovery.

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eduard

In a recent newsletter, I described what Vaclav

Sorel has meant to Czech and Slovak modelers,

what he has been going through, as well as his

family, and the need to set up a fund to help

them out. I would like to take this opportunity

to thank all those that have already contributed

to this fund on behalf of myself, Eduard, and

also of Zdenek Sebesta. The latter is responsible for the entire concept of the fund, and the

Warhawk, and its related themes, project.

At the event with Artur, we introduced a list

of new items, the descriptions of which can be

found in this newsletter. They were geared to

two new Limited Edition releases, ‘VLR: Tales

of Iwo Jima’ and ‘Spitfire Story: The Few’. The

Delfin in 1:72nd scale was not discussed a whole lot, despite deserving some attention on its

own merits, not the least of which were that

they were delivered on time, no small miracle

under current conditions, and that the decal

options are not just downsized copies of the

48th scale version of the aircraft. That’s how

it goes in life. Attention invariably gravitates

towards the big projects and they become big

events, while the smaller ones are undeservedly left in the shadows. I believe that the plastic

for the MiG-19s in 1:48th will arrive in a timely

manner as well. Those set sail on Saturday.

I believe that I have mentioned before that

the idea for the new duo of Limited Edition

kits came about last year in Chattanooga while

observing the reactions to the then-new P-51

Limited Edition kit, ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’.

Our plan to come to Texas with another significant Mustang and the new Spitfire Mk.I got

the same kick in the teeth from Covid-19 as did

our plans for E-day. That, however, is no reason

whatsoever to give up on the ideas. As recently

as in June, I figured that beyond the shadow of

a doubt, the Spitfire Mk.I will be nothing more

than a sparring partner for the Mustang. Just

one look at the marking options in VLR tell the

tale. Each option is more stunning than the

last, with a riveting tale of long-range missions

over Japan to tell. And then, there is the simple

fact that the Mustang is the Mustang, after all.

A beautiful animal, a thoroughbred fighter, an

aircraft capable of winning a war, and a resulting kit that is well on its way to holding the

distinction of being the most successful product we have ever produced. Could this item

possibly be topped by the Spitfire Mk.I? That

plain Spitfire Mk.I, the boring patron saint of

the Battle of Britain with the same camouflage scheme from plane to plane, no personal

markings to speak of to garner some attention,

about which all has been known for a long time

with nothing new promised for the future? The

workhorse of Churchill’s ‘so few’? The one that

everyone talks about, but only a few hardcore fanatics really know a lot about? A kit, that

was made by probably anyone and everyone

with a milling machine in the basement and

an injection molding machine in the yard? An

aircraft that has appeared in new model form,

and done nicely, I might add, twice in the last

two years? Would that be able to shake things

up? Unlikely. The Spitfire’s glory days are behind her! As it turns out…..NOT! Some things

are pretty timeless, apparently, and this is what

our kit is pointing at very vigorously. This is

a tribute to the few that eighty years ago stood

alone against the forces of evil in defense of a

fragile democracy that, ultimately, was the only

one able to get Europe back into a period of peace and prosperity. It is also a recognition of the

know-how and ingenuity, as well as technical

beauty that was the result of a long and difficult

road of development, filled with problems that

had to be overcome to achieve the legend status that it ultimately did. Perhaps, our kit says

nothing new, but it does say things that are well

worth repeating.

Even our road to this Spitfire wasn’t an easy

one, and getting to this point required all of

our resources, abilities and faith in ourselves.

In some ways, our story of the development of

this kit mirrors the story of the development

of the actual airplane. Even a kit goes through

a sometimes difficult development, evolves,

and much like the designers of the original

item, we too have had to try to find the best

road to the best end, and we have to live with

the notion that we have not yet achieved perfection in what we are doing. Perhaps, you will

be disappointed in the sink marks in the exhausts that we were not able to eliminate by

the time production began. Even so, we are

now able to offer a beautiful kit, that offers

many interesting features and a lot of finesse,

that I venture to say has never been offered

before at this level and at this concentration in

one product. As with the real thing, our Spitfire

is just barely within our abilities and capacity

in terms of production, and whatever the kit’s

shortcomings are, those will also be eliminated

in time. The choice in the matter comes down

to either producing a kit with the inevitable

question marks, or keep developing and fixing

in an effort to create something utterly perfect.

Once we have won the war, we will continue to

improve, but that will come at a time when we

are able to fill the orders we have.

So, back to earth. Both of today’s Limited Edi-

INFO Eduard - August 2020