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E
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DAY 2024
E-day is taking place again this year and for
the third time at the Milovice Tankodrom museum.
The main exhibition day is on September 28th,
2024. As usual, the hall will be open on Friday,
September 27th for competing modelers and
for everyone who wants to chat and watch the
presentation of Eduard’s new releases for the next
year in peace. But you won't miss them even if you
don't arrive until Saturday, since on that day, this
part of the program will be repeated. Otherwise,
the program schedule is standard; there are
discussions with interesting guests planned, two
‘the Pot’ Q & A sessions, one with me about Eduard
and the other with Fredy Riedel about Special
Hobby. The space allocated for these discussions
and announcements will again be different this
year than last, and will be on the ground floor.
We have been looking for a suitable location and
hope that it will finally work out this year. A better
sound system has been ordered; I think that is also
important information. Catering will be largely in
the gallery, where the Pot Q & As were last year.
The cafe, which was under construction last year,
is finished and functional, and the elevator from
the ground floor to the gallery is also working.
There will also be a flight demonstration, with the
L-410 Turbolet in the works, but I will admit frankly
that at the moment we do not have any of the
expected aircraft 100% confirmed, with everyone
having something to sort out one way or another.
There is a significant change in the structure
of the competition categories. We implemented a
reform, the essence of which is the reduction of
the number of the competition categories. This
means that we have incorporated some categories
into other, related ones. Incorporated categories
are those in which there were few entries last year,
in the order of single digit or very low double digit
competitors. This typically happened with ships
where there were, for example, six sailboats that
had their own separate category. Similar is the
case with helicopters, where last year there was
only one competitor in 32nd scale. But you don't
have to worry about contestants in these canceled
categories losing their awards. We have introduced
several award levels. One level will be the classic
first, second and third. The next level will number
around forty this year, intended for models that
deserve an award for their quality, even if they do
not reach the podium by gaining the necessary
points due to one handicap or another. Another
important part of the award structure will be the
special theme awards, for twelve models with
precisely defined characteristics, such as the Best
Bust or the Best Submarine. The next level of award
will be those of companies, clubs and individuals.
For example, the Aero Vodochody award for the
best aircraft model of a Czechoslovak produced
aircraft or the Iron Bunny award. In addition to
the championship cup, the overall winner will
also receive an interesting and valuable award.
It will be an ultrasonic knife, donated by Annetra.
The awards presentation system will also change.
Only first place category awards, theme awards,
some corporate and club awards, and the overall
winner award will be presented on stage during
the medal ceremony. The rest of the hardware
will be handed over at the counter where the
models will be accepted at the beginning of the
exhibition. You don't have to worry that this method
of delivery being somehow impersonal, informal or
undignified. Trust me, it will have its own quality
and level! We will describe the awards presentation
system in more detail on our Facebook page, our
E-day page and other places as well. I will be
explaining all the changes and new elements in
both the judging system and presentation at the
National Championship in Prague this Saturday,
September 7th. And lest I forget, each contestant
will receive a model for the exhibiting modelers
this year. Not a standard ticket item, but a model
specially prepared for exhibiting modelers only.
You can also find a list of the competition
categories and special prizes in today's newsletter
issue. The author is Luboš Kuna. This is the man
without whom and his ingenious management
and evaluation system there would be no model
competition in the Czech Republic today.
A small flame has already broken out on
Model Forum around the upcoming changes.
I understand that the modeling community is quite
conservative and doesn't like change. We, on the
other hand, like changes and often implement
them. While it is important to recognize how and
when to evolve for the better, this also creates
friction, tension and unrest. I would therefore like
to ask you for patience and foresight, and above
all for the decency to not jump the gun and start
criticizing what has yet to be, until it becomes
a past event that can be discussed rationally
backed up by actual real information.
ARTICLES AND OTHER PUBLISHED ITEMS
As usual, and it must be stated again that,
unfortunately, we have the next installment of
the Air War over Ukraine series by Mira Baric.
Something tells me that a twist is coming, but we
won't see it in Mira's articles until at least a month
after the fact.
From me, we have ‘Unordnung’ an article on the
development of the late versions of the Bf 109 G
with DB 605AS and DB 605D engines...the Bf 109
G-6/AS, G-14/AS and G-10, as well as a feature on
the qualities of the Bf 109 G-10 Royal Class kit. Next,
we have the second part of the article about Bernie
Lay by Jan Zdiarsky. I also recommend the report
from this year's aviation day in Oshkosh by Jakub
Nademlejnsky. You won't be bored here, I've been
there and I know what it’s about!
We have two Boxart stories, both by Jan Bobek.
The first, dedicated to the Bf 109 G-2, is about the
opening battles of I./JG77 in Africa in the autumn
of 1942. The second deals with the escort aircraft
carrier USS Petrof Bay and the combat deployment
of its onboard fighters against the Japanese
Kamikaze pilots on April 6, 1945.
While I was writing this editorial, Most and its
surroundings, specifically the chemical factory
located between Most and Litvínov, once again
made it to the front pages of the news. That doesn't
happen often here, and in our circumstances, such
media interest signals some kind of trouble. We
are a bit of a strange, somewhat wild region here.
Although in July, during the Paris Olympics, we were
also on TV every day, and it was entirely positive
thanks to the Olympic Park at the Most lake. This is
a lake that was formed by the flooding of a former
mine that displaced the beautiful historic town at
its original spot. That was a big mess and a crime,
really. That's common here. And now, compared to
the destruction of the old Most, we currently have
a rather small but interesting problem. A bomb
has been discovered unexploded, a 100 kilogram
British aerial bomb from the Second World War. It's
not just any bomb. It's unique because it's timed.
This type has not been found in Bohemia since the
war, and only explosives experts in Germany have
experience with this type. The timer should have
detonated the bomb after 144 hours at the latest,
but it didn’t, and it is eighty years late. The bomb
had been in the ground a short distance from
the wall of the old power station since February,
1944, when the largest raid took place on the
synthetic gasoline plant in Záluží near Most, then
known as STW Brüx. The raid was carried out by
the RAF, about 600 Lancasters destroyed not only
the factory, but also several villages in the vicinity
of the factory and seriously damaged the towns
of Most and Litvínov. It was the air raid with the
greatest loss of civilian life out of all eighteen air
raids against Most, the chemical facility in Záluží.
Of these, sixteen were American and two were
British. The first British attempt failed due to
bad weather, the second succeeded by stopping
the production of fuel at STW Brüx until the end
of the war. It was only restored in 1947, when the
factory was already named after Stalin, popularly
known as Stalinák. That was another chapter in
the dramatic history of our region. We will write
more about that sometime in the future.
Happy Modelling
Vladimir Sulc.
PS. The bomb was successfully detonated without
loss of life on August 30th 2024, at 1213h.
God save the King!
EDITORIAL
INFO Eduard
5
September 2024