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It's a 'Art wiv an 'Ook: 28 Sqn Audax


hendie

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Apologies to anyone who entered this thread expecting to be greeted by the Librarian. There's just me I'm afraid, no Librarian, though my CD collection is (at least it was) alphabetized.  Except for bands that began with "The" that is. - unless it was The The whom I never liked anyway.  Otherwise you end up with 95% of the collection under "T" and I like a balanced collection though I had somewhat weighty shelves under S for Siouxsie, and V for the Velvets. Anyhoo, thus, my copy of David Cassidy's greatest hits sits nicely along side my Cure collection, and all is right with the world. Not directly alongside mind you - just in the general vicinity of all things C, like the Comsat Angels, or The Cramps for instance. I did mention it was alphabetized didn't I?  Still no Librarian though.

 

Enough of the babbling. To the Batmobile, Robin!  A Hawker Audax - how did I end up here then?  Well, short story really.  I stalled on my F2B build due to crap paint

 

so in the small hours of waiting for paint to arrive, I started looking at my meager stash and tried to figure out what to do next.  I had an Airfix Spitfire XIVe but the panel, sorry trench lines put me off. There was a Hasegawa Hurricane but they seem to be very fashionable on the forum right now and I didn't want to show my ignorance of all things Hurrilike, and eventually settled on this, the recent Hawker Audax from AMG.  

 

P9120008.jpg

 

I'm not (and wasn't) sure if AMG are considered short run or not but I built a Classic Airframes Venom and survived (barely) so thought what's the worst that can happen here then?

 

I had casually examined the kit when it first arrived but mainly to check there was nothing major missing and that it sort of looked Audaxish, alright Hart'ish.  I'd been waiting for a 1/48 Audax for a few years and when the Hart came along I jumped at the chance as I doubt I'll ever see a straight from the box Audax.  I thought I should be able to scratch the difference as all the (very little) research I had done previously pointed to the fact that the Audax was essentially a Hart with a hook. Shouldn't be that hard then eh?

 

Now it was time to open the box for real and find out what was inside.

 

6e4bbc8d8a07960bcc5aa61835e1890c.jpg

 

 

I was in for a bit of a shock. Taken aback I was. Truly surprised. The detail was nice and crisp - and lots of it. Detail that is. Some very nice molding indeed. There were a few sinks in some parts, but in areas that sinks were expected, and easily remedied. However, the more I looked at it, the more I was impressed with the quality of the molding.  I thought Roden had done a good job on the F2B but AMG have steamed into the lead with this kit (and it just gets better and better - see later). I found only one damaged part - a fuselage step which I would probably have remade  in brass anyway.

Time to jump in I guess - though I should forewarn you that my photography skills are not great and the kit is molded in a dark grey plastic which doesn't bode well for nice clear shots.

 

One of the first things that caught my eye was the fabric skinned fuselage. Most kits have a scalloped effect which isn't how fabric lies on a wooden frame. AMG have nailed the effect - nice faceted segments and no sunken scallops!

 

P9120011.jpg

 

Not only have they captured the effect of the taught fabric over the frame, but for once a company has followed rule No 1 of injection molding - constant wall thickness. The faceted curve is replicated on the inside which means that they have kept a uniform wall thickness all through the part. Most companies focus on getting the detail on one side then just hog out the back end thinking it doesn't really matter. My recent'ish Fly Wessex was probably the worst example I've seen. They don't realize how important that uniform wall thickness with regards to the flow of the molten plastic. Full marks to AMG.

 

Battle commenced with the assembly of the fuel tank, the camera, and an oil tank(?) and yet again I was surprised. The fit of the parts is incredible - real precision stuff.

 

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there are locating features on every part.   I'm not sure if you can see it here with my terrible photos but the part on the right has two small slots about halfway along the foot boards, and the part on the left has two corresponding lugs which slide nicely into those slots. A nice snug fit with no movement or slop in the fit.

 

P9120010.jpg

 

I should point out that AMG have really put some thought into this kit and overall design. The quality of the molding is such that they have managed to mold some very fine detail and also some very fine structure. The down side to that is that care has to be taken when removing parts from the parts tree. I am using a brand new blade in my razor saw to separate the plastic. Snips just aren't going to cut it (ha!) with this kit - the flexing and deformation caused by snipping would damage some of the finer parts. In some cases I am cutting though the gate, then cutting further back in the parts tree to remove segments of the runner so that parts are not damaged as they are set free.

I mention detail - it's hard to see in this shot but the tubular framework even has the attachment brackets molded, and they are all clearly visible. With parts so fine it's inevitable that there will be flash - however so far there has been no flash and what there has been was easily removed by a quick scrape with the back edge of a blade.

 

 

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Interior painting started with a bleached linen color on the fabric section and some wood color on the floor - then realized a lot more of the floor would have been wooden.

The linen color was deliberately applied streaky and patchy.

 

P9130014.jpg

 

Once that had dried I used a thinned red oxide and brushed that back and forth over the linen to get that doped and soaked through look.  I should point out that I am basing some of the coloring on the Hart walk though on BM. I have been unable to find any color photos of an Audax interior - even B&W ones are rare.  Overall, colors inside the cockpit are open to interpretation and there appears to be no definitive answers that I can find. 

 

P9140016.jpg

 

The wooden floor got a bit more wooden. Again, a thinned wash of red oxide was put on top, then I remember I had some wood decals left over from Pegasus, so those were applied on top of all that then sealed. I also added a sliding door at the rear as there is a hatch on the underside in that area and I figured that a sliding floor section may have been used to access it (or not). Just nod and agree.

 

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Side frames got painted a semi gloss grey with black brackets

 

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followed by the obligatory dry fit to see how things are progressing. The fit of the parts continues to impress me.

 

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The interior on the BM walkround appears to be a light green so I used RAF interior green with some added white to lighten it up a tad, and quite pleased with how this is looking.

 

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Oxygen bottles. I found some spare tire pressure decals which looked good enough to pass a casual glance.

 

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Rudder pedal assembly done and painted.  I broke the PE straps for the pedals so just used some thin styrene strip instead.

 

P9150026.jpg

 

If I have one criticism of this kit (apart from the dark grey plastic - which isn't really a criticism, more of a taste thing) it's the fact that the instructions can be a bit vague at times.

In Section 9 here, it's impossible to tell where PE parts ( & 10 get fitted once assembled with PE parts 30 & 13.

There's also a few oopsies where a couple of numbers have been switched on a runner tree, and other instances where the numbers were right but on a different runner tree.  i.e. H17, H18, & H19 were actually G17, G18, & G19

 

P9150023.jpg

 

So far though, the instructions are the weakest part of this kit. 

Tonight's session was finished off by attaching one of the fuselage sides which apparently I should have done at Step 7, but I have commitment issues and wasn't quite ready then.

 

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Things are going so well, if the paints arrive for the Roden kit, I'm not sure I'm ready to jump ship on this build yet,  I have to say that this kit is a real mojo builder and it is a real delight to put together (so far!)

 

 

 

 

 

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Looks lovely - and it made me go and look more about the type, of which my knowledge was (is!) superficial at best.  I’d never even heard of the Hardy, for instance - and since that too was for Army Co-Op, I’m still not sure how it differed from the Audax.

 

Do AMG do an Osprey?

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Ooh a Hendie build! Wasn’t aware of this kit (or manufacturer tbh) but it looks very nice indeed and with your magic touch what’s no to like?

 

Trevor

 

 

 

 

btw how do you index Prince during his ‘symbol’ period?

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Ook! (Those long arms are going to come in handy! :D )*

 

Great start on what looks like a great kit hendie - looking forward to this one (as well).

Steaming along you are!

 

4 hours ago, hendie said:

Now it was time to open the box…

Take the money!! **

 

 

* For those not of this peculiar tribe, see 'Disc World' novels

** For those not of this age 'Take Your Pick' was a popular UK TV game show. In black and white (can I say that nowadays?) Great memories of sitting down with the family and shouting at the TV.

No, I couldn't find a video on YouTube. Most episode were lost, apparently :( 

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Another treat. I'm in for this. I have an AMG kit, a 1/72 Bf 109 D1. It looks very well moulded and even has a fairly well detailed engine. Certainly not immediately obvious that it's short run.

 

I've promised myself that I must overcome my fear of rigging, so this and your Bristol Fighter thread are on the must pay attention list!

 

Terry

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Taking a seat for this one! 
 

I believe John Adams of Aeroclub fame provided Arsenal with lots of information so the kit is very well researched as well as beautifully moulded. Too expensive for my modelling budget though - I managed to bag an Aeroclub 1/48 Demon a few years ago and that will do me!

 

Regards,

Adrian

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A brilliant 1st post on this Hendie, such loquacity, such erudition. You should have been a librarian mate, glad you weren't though, you might not come here otherwise. I'll keep a watch on this, it might come in handy for my Avis Audax come the day. You do of course know that an Audax is a desert antelope, once found in the middle east & north africa. Nowadays in zoos. The locals apparently found them tasty. :(

Steve.

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Ooook?

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Open the box? Never, give me the money!"

 

 

........ OUR QUIZ INQUISITOR  :)

 

 

 

Blimey what a wonderful model H, this is pinned to my eyeballs.

 

I do not want to miss anything.

 

 

 

(Prince's symbology?  Surely has to be in the appendix... ) 

 

Aha I spy my hat...

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If it's not too late, you may care to represent the stringers under the linen covering with some lines drawn on the inside? You probably can't see them from the finished openings (I could hardly see them on m 1/72 attempt) but just a thought...

 

There's a good shot of the gunner's cockpit showing the stringers here.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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If Ced hadn't already have posted above I'd have sworn it was him building at this high tempo. If this goes any faster there'll be a stewards' inquiry and bloods taken...

 

That mould/detail quality does indeed look quite exceptional - don't forget to put some film in the camera!

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OOoyah!  This build appears to have sparked a bit of interest.  Still no Librarian though.

The kit continues to impress, indeed it continues to revelate, a real mojo builder.  That brings a small issue along though - A few of you commented how I appear to be at Ced-speed with this, but that's because I get so wrapped up in the build that I tend to forget to take in progress photos.

 

Pigeon post time. (I don't think I've ever had to use so many pigeons)

 

20 hours ago, Old Man said:

That does seem quite a kit, Sir. This should prove a treat.

 

It's hitting the spot for me.

 

16 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Looks lovely - and it made me go and look more about the type, of which my knowledge was (is!) superficial at best.  I’d never even heard of the Hardy, for instance - and since that too was for Army Co-Op, I’m still not sure how it differed from the Audax.

Do AMG do an Osprey?

 

Osprey? Not that I saw, but they do a few different Sea Fury's

Not sure about the difference between the Audax and the Hardy - maybe Hawker were resting on their Laurels?

 

16 hours ago, Hamden said:

You don't see to many of Hawker's finest being built, looking forward to watching this come together.

            Roger

 

I find it kind of strange that for years you see people saying "oh if only we had a [insert aircraft of choice here]" and when the unicorn gets released, everything goes quiet and you never see a build thread anywhere. It was the same for the Hart - I saw lots of commentary leading up to it's release, but I haven't come across another build thread yet.

 

16 hours ago, giemme said:

Nice, quick and easy :clap: I love the way you achieved the wooden and doped effects :worthy: 

Ciao

 

Thanks Giorgio.

 

15 hours ago, Max Headroom said:

Ooh a Hendie build! Wasn’t aware of this kit (or manufacturer tbh) but it looks very nice indeed and with your magic touch what’s no to like?

Trevor

btw how do you index Prince during his ‘symbol’ period?

 

Prince? easy... file under B1N (never really liked his stuff)

 

15 hours ago, CedB said:

Ook! (Those long arms are going to come in handy! :D )*

 

Great start on what looks like a great kit hendie - looking forward to this one (as well).

Steaming along you are!

 

Take the money!! **

 

 

* For those not of this peculiar tribe, see 'Disc World' novels

** For those not of this age 'Take Your Pick' was a popular UK TV game show. In black and white (can I say that nowadays?) Great memories of sitting down with the family and shouting at the TV.

No, I couldn't find a video on YouTube. Most episode were lost, apparently :( 

 

Take your pick was a real crowd puller back in the day, though for pure edge of the seat excitement there was nothing to beat uncle Bob's "The Golden Shot" - Bernie, the bolt please...... Left a bit, left, left, left, down a bit, right a bit, down, up, right a bit, steady... Fire!

So high-tech!

 

the-golden-shot-812dcbf3-4330-443a-b7f1-

 

15 hours ago, CedB said:

Steaming along you are!

 

only seems that way because I keep forgetting to take photos

 

15 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Another treat. I'm in for this. I have an AMG kit, a 1/72 Bf 109 D1. It looks very well moulded and even has a fairly well detailed engine. Certainly not immediately obvious that it's short run.

I've promised myself that I must overcome my fear of rigging, so this and your Bristol Fighter thread are on the must pay attention list!

Terry

 

Despite my own misgivings, I am actually looking forward to rigging something, and dare I say it - the challenges that come with the F2B are rather enticing

 

15 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Taking a seat for this one! 

I believe John Adams of Aeroclub fame provided Arsenal with lots of information so the kit is very well researched as well as beautifully moulded. Too expensive for my modelling budget though - I managed to bag an Aeroclub 1/48 Demon a few years ago and that will do me!

Regards,

Adrian

 

Yep, Mr Adams is credited on the instruction sheet so I am assuming shape wise, there are no problems. I was on the lookout for the Aeroclub Audax, but gave up and just bit the bullet for this - and glad I did

 

14 hours ago, stevehnz said:

A brilliant 1st post on this Hendie, such loquacity, such erudition. You should have been a librarian mate, glad you weren't though, you might not come here otherwise. I'll keep a watch on this, it might come in handy for my Avis Audax come the day. You do of course know that an Audax is a desert antelope, once found in the middle east & north africa. Nowadays in zoos. The locals apparently found them tasty. :(

Steve.

 

And so I thought also Steve, but on delving further, are you (and me) perhaps thinking of the Addax?  

Could it have been named after the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) - the largest bird of prey in Australia?  or my personal favorite, the Phidippus audax, a.k.a. the Bold Jumper?

This one appears to be focused on marshalling in an aircraft

 

DUyqZoc4453Uh-Be7pRRcDeQlqLKSrHpUfZygZXs

 

Quite a woolly jumper by the looks of things

 

14 hours ago, perdu said:

Ooook?

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Open the box? Never, give me the money!"

 

 

........ OUR QUIZ INQUISITOR  :)

 

 

 

Blimey what a wonderful model H, this is pinned to my eyeballs.

 

I do not want to miss anything.

 

 

 

(Prince's symbology?  Surely has to be in the appendix... ) 

 

Aha I spy my hat...

 

Thanks Bill.  I think Prince was too busy with Sheena Easton to worry about his appendix. The Patrician will have plenty to say on that I'm sure.

'ook!

 

10 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

This looks to be a nice kit, great start. 

 

at the risk of repeating myself - it's a revelation, it really is.  The term precision can be bandied about as often as you like and it's not out of place where this kit is concerned

 

8 hours ago, mahavelona said:

This kit looks really nice and you are doing a good job of it. Tempted tog get one myself.

 

Go for it - you won't regret it

 

6 hours ago, Marklo said:

Yay. I love the fury/hart/audax/nimrod/demon/whatever family. Are you starting to get a taste for things with two or more wings ?

 

More wings Marklo? - indeedy - aren't helicopters just the best?

 

3 hours ago, TheBaron said:

If Ced hadn't already have posted above I'd have sworn it was him building at this high tempo. If this goes any faster there'll be a stewards' inquiry and bloods taken...

 

That mould/detail quality does indeed look quite exceptional - don't forget to put some film in the camera!

 

No film in this camera Tony. Just a small imp who can draw very fast and is fed on wedge tailed eagles. (apologies since I know you're not a Pratchett fan, but I couldn't resist it)

 

14 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

If it's not too late, you may care to represent the stringers under the linen covering with some lines drawn on the inside? You probably can't see them from the finished openings (I could hardly see them on m 1/72 attempt) but just a thought...

 

There's a good shot of the gunner's cockpit showing the stringers here.

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

Dammit Adrian my good man!   It's too late.

 

P9160001.jpg

 

To be honest my first consideration was to draw in the stringers, ribs, and longerons with a colored pencil, but cast that idea aside as soon as I realized I did not own any of aforementioned colored pencils. That is, apart from the usual black pencils, but black isn't a color or so I'm told - so I still don't own any colored pencils, just a few absence of color pencils. Come to think of it, it's more charcoal grey innit?  Are they then nearly absence of color pencils? Things are never black and white these days are they?

I had already started adding framework from very, very thin strips of .25mm sheet painted a brownish shade of brown. If I'd actually had a colored pencil, it would have been an awful lot easier. As is usually the case though, I got there in the end, though it's a lot harder than it looks.  Trying to cut thin slices of thin sheet styrene is not enjoyable - the strips tend to curl as you cut them, and it's a struggle to get anything near straight again.

Job done - don't look too hard though.

 

P9160002.jpg

 

It may bear no relation whatsoever to reality but this is as much as you'll ever see of all that handiwork... even less when the wings go on. Oh look... the fabric structure shows up nicely in this shot.

 

P9160004.jpg

 

It is starting to look nice and busy in there, and the tubular framework hides my bodged stringers. Success!

For anyone contemplating a similar misadventure - such is the precise fitting nature of this kit, I found that the bottom of my .25 mm thick stringers interfered with the fit of tubular framework at floor level - so I sliced the stringers back a tad where they can't be seen which then allows the framework to fit.

 

P9160003.jpg

 

The oxygen bottles (remember them?) got some pipework just for gits and shiggles.  These things are like mountains to us modelers aren't they? You just gotta climb them

 

P9170006.jpg

 

I did come across the first part of the kit that didn't quite fit together though. Shock Horror. Hold the front page!

 

Marty_Feldman_3.jpg

 

It was, (and still is,) the radiator that fits under the fuselage at the pointy end.  (That's in front of the abaft bit in Naval speak). The radiator is made up from two plastic pins over which fits a number of PE parts. 

I couldn't get the pins through the holes in the PE.  Impossible to tell if the pins were just a bit too large, or the holes in the PE just a bit too small, or a bit of both. - Rather then wrestle with it, I went to my old fall back - brass rivets. I found a couple of rivets in my rivet nest that fitted nicely.

Note those minuscule discs on the PE fret: The very first, yes, first one I cut pinged it's way to the great Gods of Disappearing PE screaming Sanctuary, sanctuary....

 

P9170010.jpg

 

Luckily there were two spare donuts, otherwise I would have been in trouble.

 

P9170012.jpg

 

Vague instructions time. 

Did I mention the instructions could be a bit vague at times? Nothing worse than vague instructions is there - cos we always read those darned instructions don't we?   Well, I sort of have to as I am so unfamiliar with this aircraft, and it seems nobody else was brave enough to attempt building one before me. Searches have proved fruitless so I had to resort to RTFM

Now, see section 13 below:  Fitting the rudder pedal assembly - with me so far?  Good.  So am I.

Now those instructions definitely appear to show the assembly fitting down onto that square hole in the floor. Agree?  I even highlighted the arrows for you

Well, don't ask me how long I spent trying various ways to get that assembly into place on the floor - all to no avail because there's a whopping great silver colored box sitting in the way.  I almost cursed I did. One look at the photo below should tell anyone with a grain of sense that the pedal assembly is never, never, never going to fit into that hole. Of course, I being me, kept trying...

 

P9170008-1.jpg

 

Then I stumbled across a later diagram in the instructions which clearly shows it NOT ON THE STUPID FLIPPIN' FLOPPIN' FLOOR !!!!! Nowhere near the floor in fact.

Apparently this particular assembly sits above the silver box, and attaches to the tubular framework on both sides. 

Sorry for the sideways shot but the glue is still drying.  If I had just looked at the framework closer I would have clearly seen the location features easily enough, but oh no, I had to go reading the darned instructions.  Fool!

 

P9170009.jpg

 

While that was setting up I turned my attention to the instrument panel - one of the last things that needs done before I can close this Antelope/Eagle/Spider up.

My detail painting is nothing short of atrocious. If only I could synchronize the shaky hand that's holding the part with the shaky hand that's holding the brush. Would they cancel? Or just increasingly resonate?

This is the usual affair - PE instrument panel with a film sandwiched between it and the backing panel - or will be when it's stuck to the backing panel.

 

P9170007.jpg

 

and lo and behold, another little fit issue!   The PE panel is slightly larger than the space it fits into. Easily remedied with a few swipes of the file though as to be expected, that caused some damage to the paintwork at the edge of the panel.

 

P9170013.jpg

 

Again, that can easily be touched up.  

Honestly though - I call those fit issues - but in reality, it's hardly worth mentioning. Those are things that you would expect to come across in every other build as par for the course.

There's still a few greeblies to fit inside that tubular framework before shutting time, but those are all sitting, waiting patiently.  The instrument panel had to go in before the port framework which has to go in before the unknown bracketry which has to go in before the shelf which is connected to the thighbone and then it's closing time.

 

It is going together amazingly fast, but it has to be said that is down to the engineering that AMG put into the design and the quality of the molding. Other kit makers should aspire to be this good.

 

A question remains though - what scheme am I going to choose for this?  28 Sqn operated the Audax in both camo and in shiny shiny silver.  At present, I do not have a silver aircraft in my paltry collection so that is quite tempting though to be honest I'm not that keen on silver finishes on models as I think it tends to make them look a bit toy like. On the other hand, I'm not sure a camo pattern suits the sleek lines of the Audax.  It's so pointy it looks like it should be silver and shiny to make it go faster

 

the weekend now looms upon us. Shall we reach closure? Shall paint turn up and divert me from this wondrous grey plastic?

 

 

 

 

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I should have had more faith! Wonderful stuff.

 

I think the observer/gunner was meant to crawl under the rudder bar assembly and do bomb aiming through the opened hatch in the floor. The space in front of him would be where the radiator retracted into.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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2 hours ago, hendie said:

And so I thought also Steve, but on delving further, are you (and me) perhaps thinking of the Addax?  

Bloody hell, they've been mispelling it for all that time. ;) :D Having said that, I'm sure the Addax is tastier that either of your Audaxs, I wonder now where the heck they got the name? :unsure:

Thanks for putting me right.

Steve.

Audax, latin for bold & daring. I'll let them off with that, not very tasty though. :D 

P9170012.jpg

Oil cooler, not radiator, though it could be called an oil radiator I guess.  <_< 

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1 hour ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

So, that Golden Shot phot.  According to the attribution at the bottom left, it came from a site called “bapwatch.com”.  Subscriber, are we, young Hendie?

You'll go cross-eyed..

2020-09-18_08-08-50

 

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