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
4
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