EDITORIAL

Good Day, Friends

You will note that I am not writing this intro on the day it is being posted. Typically,

I write these things about a week in advance. I even tried to get them ready two

weeks in advance, but because the situation on the front changes so much over the

course of the two weeks between writing

and posting that it simply became enough

of a nerve wracking experience to more

than offset any gains made in time freed up

for other tasks. So I am writing this a few

days in advance, and even like this, there

can be changes that come about between

now and the time of issue. As an example,

a key player this week will be the weather.

Despite its ups and downs, which this year

have been into extremes, the weather has

not been a big factor over the vast majority

of our efforts. But that changes this week.

For Saturday, we are organizing an intimate walkaround at the field in Line, and for

this event, the weather is absolutely key.

Those that were present a year ago will

remember. This was the last weekend of

September, Spitfire Day in Line, and it was

gorgeous. Practically ideal weather conditions. A week later in Jicin, it was the

complete opposite for the Z-37 Cmelak

display. It was cold with dark clouds close

to ground level. Whoever moved about was

soaked to the bone in no time at all. It was

only thanks to the efforts of Jirka Slemr

and his abilities that there was something

to see that day. So right now, we again look

to the sky in hopeful anticipation. Today and

tomorrow are supposed to see the arrival

of the Hurricane Mk.I, a dozen Trener aircraft, and tomorrow should see the timely

landing of the Hind. For everything to come

together in accordance with the plan, the

weather will need to fully co-operate. The

morning fog that likes to creep in over the

field this time of year could be the least of

our worries.

The new kits for October were described

in some detail in last month’s introduction. I won’t get into repeating myself, and

in any case, a thorough graphic description

of each will be found in the pages of this

month’s newsletter below. There is one kit,

the Trener, that is officially a new November release, but should have its premiere

tomorrow in Line. I must admit that as of

writing, on September 27th, I am not sure if

we will have this item ready and on sale on

Saturday. The reason for the possible delay

is that all of the production molds are not

yet functional, and it’s not certain that they

will be put to work in time. Such forms need

their time investment, and time is pushing

us well beyond comfort levels. And Saturday is bearing down upon us fast. We don’t

want any unpleasant surprises. Either the

Trener will be finished and ready, or, with

apologies, I will be announcing its arrival at

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eduard

the end of October. But in either case, the

real McCoy will be available for viewing in

person, up close and personal. And this will

be useful in the building of every Trener kit

we release. And, in time, as we release one

Trener after another, filling the internet

with cries of ‘Jesus Christ, another Trener!

Can’t you release something else besides

the Trener?’, memories of the Trener in Line

will be pleasant ones.

Back in the day, a concept that varies with

the individual, a Trener or a MiG-21 was

for me a completely plain aircraft, one not

worthy of a second glance. MiG-21s overflew Most daily, and became more of a nuisance than a point of interest. Treners were

present at every Aeroclub airfield, and the

Z-37 Cmelak could be found flying over

pretty much any given field housing a crop.

Only a rare few would crane their neck at

the sound of an engine. But, when the Zatec

based MIGs started their take-off run just

across the street from Most, that was a different league altogether. But times change,

and you don’t see many MiG-21s flying

these days. The Trener has become more

of a point of interest, and is worth watching

when you spot one until it disappears from

view. It is no longer a plain aircraft, easy

to find for those who want to look for it. It

has become a historical item, approaching

the level that the Spitfire and the Hurricane

have occupied in the minds of our generation since birth. I admit that my realization of

the charms of the MiG-21 came about as a

result of our work on it, and it’s similar with

the Trener. At some point, these ‘plain planes’ became items of historical significance, with stories to pass on, and with a fate.

The same can likely be said for those that

flew, or fly, these aircraft, and for those that

care for them through hard work, keeping

them airworthy. We have witnessed the

passion many times, for over the past thirty years, we have visited and gone through

many museums, restoration shops, historical pieces, air bases and manufacturing

facilities. But everything that this passion

brings to the table didn’t really occur to me

until the work on the Trener was underway.

It was with this airplane that I grew up and

got old with, and I feel like we are becoming

historical items together. If I ever have built

a model to which I have a connection, it is

this little treasure. But, don’t think that we

went into this project because of my personal connection to it. That came to light after

the project was begun.

I must add that the L-200 Morava is a type

that I fell in love with on first sight. I had never flown in one until recently, when I was

given a ride by Michal Vlacilik, former co-owner of Gavia and today, an active pilot.

Now, my infatuation with the type is complete. It took me to the Gathering of Czechoslovak Aircraft in Vyskov on September

5th, and I enjoyed every minute of the event,

not just the flight. There were, if I counted

properly, 28 Trener aircraft there, all in

a wide variety of markings, and I recommend as close a look at the aircraft as

possible to anyone that has doubts as to

the type’s attention grabbing potential. The

term ‘eye candy’ comes to mind. And as

long as we are reminiscing, remember Gavia? They made some nice kits, such as the

Po-2 and the L-410. Compared to modern

standards, they are simple kits, but you are

unlikely to see a new kit of an L-410 come

out anytime soon. We issued their Lysander not long ago as a Limited Edition kit,

and not for the first time, either. The boys

at Gavia even made some masters directly

for Eduard, such as the Fokker E.III in 1:48th

and the 1:72nd scale L-39 Albatros. It’s interesting to note that there are no questions come to me about the E.III, but quite

a few for the L-39. It tells me that perhaps

the time is right to revisit and correct the

molds, and get moving on it…

There are a lot of new items for October.

I figure the number is somewhere around

seventy. They can all be found referenced

in this newsletter, so I will only point a few

of them out to you here. Last month, I mentioned the Limited Edition Hind D in 1:48th

and the 1:72nd scale Hurristory. I will just

repeat that the Hind D has its base in the

Zvezda kit with Mi-24D conversion parts

and decals strictly for Czechoslovak, Czech

and Slovak Hinds. A part of the contents

is made up by a publication by Jaroslav

INFO Eduard - October 2021