Enzo the Magnificent

Tracks fitted. Upper hull and side armour permanenty attached.

My neighbours are playing music quite loudly. Normally I don't mind it as they listen to a lot of Vampire Weekend. But today they are playing music to entertain their toddler. They are playing Baby Shark. Loud. On repeat. 😮 Honestly, it's like I'm living season 4 of the Umbrella Academy. Somebody shoot me. Shoot me now!!!

Let's have some Elvis impressions. Inspired by @JOCKNEY Andy's Elvis impression is spot on! Viv Stanshall doing a very creditable Elvis. Kirsty has Elvis providing backing vocals.

Trent!

Okay, you can't just say that and nothing else. Tell me more!

How superbly meta is this?!?!?!

I Did Not Know That! And now I'm interested in what English words came from Welsh. Bard... Coracle... Corgi... See how easy it is to distrac... Oh look! Is that a bird?

nodnodnod PIN number - Personal Identification Number number ATM machine - Automatic Teller Machine machine It's very common and there is a lot of it about. That's a pleonasm not a tautology.

Maybe there are different words for it. Sort of like how Inuit is reputed to have fifty words for snow.

In an extended start-up and takeoff scene, starting at around the 16 minute point, there is a hilarious scene between a pilot and a groundcrewman. The pilot is chewing on a fat stogie as he straps himself in. Just before start up he hands the stogie to the crewman and says "Here, hold this till I get back." The look on the crewman's face is priceless!

I showed the statement to ChatGPT and asked for comments. This is what it said. That statement about the P-47 Thunderbolt is highly misleading and historically inaccurate in several important ways. Let’s break it down: 🔴 Claim: “The single-seat fighter aircraft was insufficiently armed for the European theater of war...” Incorrect. The P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the most heavily armed single-engine fighters of WWII. It carried eight .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns, more than enough to take on both air and ground targets. It was also capable of carrying bombs and rockets, making it highly effective as a fighter-bomber. 🔴 Claim: “...too slow and too cumbersome.” Partially misleading. The P-47 was large and heavy, yes—but it was also fast in a dive and very rugged. At high altitudes, especially in level flight and dives, it performed very well. Its massive Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine gave it significant power. It wasn’t as nimble as a Spitfire or Bf 109 in a tight turn, but it could out-dive almost anything, and was extremely difficult to shoot down. 🔴 Claim: “The THUNDERBOLT had no chance against German fighters.” False. The P-47 was very effective against German fighters, especially once tactics improved and drop tanks extended its range. It was used to escort bombers deep into Germany and scored thousands of air-to-air victories. Top American aces like Francis "Gabby" Gabreski and Robert S. Johnson flew P-47s and racked up large numbers of kills against Luftwaffe aircraft. 🔴 Claim: “They therefore limited themselves to strafing ground targets and civilians.” Offensive and inaccurate. While the P-47 did excel at ground attack missions later in the war—thanks to its durability and firepower—it absolutely did not "limit" itself to that role. Also, there's no legitimate historical basis for the claim that they targeted civilians intentionally. Like many combat aircraft, they sometimes caused civilian casualties in populated areas during attacks on military targets, but the idea that P-47 pilots primarily strafed civilians is both unsupported and slanderous. 🔴 Claim: “As soon as enemy fighters appeared, they usually fled.” Again, false. P-47 pilots were trained to engage enemy fighters, and many chose to fight, with great success. The aircraft’s toughness meant that pilots often survived even when their planes were heavily damaged. Far from fleeing, they often turned into the fight or used their diving speed to gain advantage. ✅ Summary: The P-47 Thunderbolt was not only effective but essential in the Allied air war over Europe. It played a key role in both air superiority missions and close air support, and its record is backed by extensive historical documentation. The statement you found reads more like propaganda or misinformation than objective history. If it's from a website with ideological bias or poor historical scholarship, it's best to verify against more reputable sources like the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, U.S. Air Force archives, or works by reputable aviation historians.

It's possible, maybe even likely. I do find the implication that the USAAF habitually strafed civilians to be somewhat problematic.

The terms "Sahara desert" and "Gobi desert" are tautologies. "Sahra" and "gobi" both mean desert in Arabic and Mongolian respectively.

Jockney, where's ya troosers?

Anyone with an Amazon Prime membership? (other South American rivers are available) I just found a very interesting documentary on the P-47 Thunderbolt in service with the 12th Air Force. It is all wartime footage with dubbed voiceovers to dramatise the footage. Very interesting indeed. It is introduced by James Stewart who at the time was a Colonel in the USAAF so he obviously knows what he's talking about. Definitely worth watching. However, I don't think that the Amazon employee who wrote the blurb for the documentary did actually watch it. The single-seat fighter aircraft was insufficiently armed for the European theater of war, too slow and too cumbersome. The THUNDERBOLT had no chance against German fighters. They therefore limited themselves to strafing ground targets and civilians. As soon as enemy fighters appeared, they usually fled. That's not my understanding of the P-47 and it's certainly not supported by the documentary...

That doesn't surprise me. There is no mention of any session musicians on the relevant album but that means nothing. After all, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were credited as the singers with Milli Vanilli... The Monkees only provided vocals on their first two albums but after a power struggle they managed to gain more control and became a real band.

nodnodnod You wouldn't like me when I say it.

Well, I'm surprised! In the first post of this thread I mentioned north and south. I was always convinced that Fleetwood faces the sea to the west. Having looked at Google maps, I can now see that's not so. It actually faces north. Even stranger, Queen's Terrace faces east! The pier is gone as well. It caught fire in 2008 and was so badly damaged that it had to be demolished.

Can I just squeeze in another classic?

I'd still like to see it when it's finished.

Just say "Shazam!"

Two lifeboats in this GB? How cool is that?!?!?

So, would French troops fighting in Spain during the Peninsular War (1808-1814) be eligible? They were nominally home based but individual units rarely returned to French Territory. Not that I'm going to build a figure in this GB. I already have my choice locked down. But there is a huge scope of subjects.

Sucks to be a WSO...

I'll see your Viscount... ...and raise a Trident.