Hobo Jungle

[sarge]

Back before the Great Cataclysm when we lost several days of ruminations here about a car show that Healey attended followed by discussions of various hooligan cars owned in our lives, I was lamenting twenty odd years of very sane, reliable, and practical sit-up-and-begs after many many miles wrung out of an old Mk1 Golf GTI



and the joys of this old BMW 2002 whilst stationed in Germany



along with the various Triumphs and Minis from various places of residence.

Well, last week finally saw a happy new owner found for my 1940 Chev sedan (after a year's trying to sell) and the monies plowed into this!



It has serious play value!

[healey36]

These guys always clear the house by at least 75-100 feet. Ten feet...ida soiled me bloomers...

Nice Sarge...Mini has been on the short-list for a long time. The couple next door have two...a Cooper S and a Countryman (an abomination compared to the original Countryman). The S is a 10th Anniversary Edition in John Player colors...I'm begging for it at time of trade.

In the meantime, enjoy the hell out of your new addition to the fleet...

Healey

(BTW, the 2002 remains a staggeringly beautiful car...something about all the glass is just gorgeous. Doesn't hurt that it will strip the paint off nearly anything in its class).

[healey36]

Realized yesterday that I won't be able to stay on this weekend and drive up to Rockland...I have to be back in Maryland Friday evening for a nephew's wedding on Saturday.

Tramp - hope the show was a raging success.

Healey

[webenda]

This seems like a good place to drift Peter's "Make a headlight" thread to.

I wonder if Wayne became a special effects guy from Hollywood after he retired from one of his old jobs
and now does this stuff just for fun.??

No Hollywood, yes fun.

Hollywood uses blue screens and green screens to place actors into any scene they wish, without the actors ever leaving the studio. Blue screen did not work very well with Superman--he almost became invisible.

Weather news uses the same technique to place the weather man in front of a weather map. Works fine as long as the weatherman does not decide to come to work wearing the same color as his screen.

Here you can see what happens when someone wears green in front of a green screen: http://youtu.be/PKRSyjMOORU

[rogruth]

What green screen problem?I don't see no problem.Oh,that problem.That's OK.The essentials are there.

That is funny.Good way to start this morning.

[healey36]

Neat video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u-uNzxzlCI

But rarely a Hurricane is featured, which arguably featured a better war-record...I guess too few, if any, are still flying...

Healey

[sarge]

Healey:

This one is my second Mini (my first a 1980 original Austin Mini in the UK) and I can say at this point it is a worthy successor to the original. The only thing I don't very much care for is the run-flat tyres. The sidewalls are far too stiff, so you don't feel when they are about to let go until you are already on the way into the trees. Otherwise, the cornering is epic. It isn't identical in behaviour to my old original; not better or worse but different. You'll like one.

The modern Clubman is too large for a Mini. It rather reminds me more of a Minor Traveller if it was to be a modern recall of some classic car. I understand there is a rallye car based on Clubman that is a real competitor.

Anyway, no tickets yet (not for lack of trying!)

It's good to be bad...

[sarge]

I think Battle of Britain Flight has a Hurc they fly, along with a Spit and a Lancaster. They usually are one of the overflight elements on HM's birthday after the Trooping of the Colour and the parade back up the Mall. When last I was at the Troop, they flew a Vulcan over in one of the flights. That is one impressive airplane, too.

[sarge]

Looks like six flyable Hurcs in the UK and three in the US, after a little light digging in the net. Battle of Britain Memorial Flight has two.

[rogruth]

To me there is only one thing more beautiful than older planes in flight and that is older trains.

Well OK,women can also be beautiful.

I remember when I was around six years old, WW II had not yet started, seeing an air race that
mostly seemed to take place over the Ohio River.I remember the planes flying around pylons and
some aerobatics.

[sarge]

You might not guess it, but model airplanes (we called them Airfix's) were my first love, then my uncle got me into model trains (and O Scale) at age 8 although I had both Lionel and Hornby when I was five or six.

Cars were never a model interest, but they sure came into my sights when I could drive.

I always loved old airplanes, grew up in a family with aviation ties, and was able to get my hands on the controls of a few classic birds from time to time (along with a sailplane or two). I could never play with anything normal, be it normal cars, airplanes, or whatever, not and be happy with the experience. A machine needs to be more than just an airplane, a motorcycle, or a car; it needs to be able to reach down the front of my trousers for a good rummage occasionally.

I still want to fly in a Spitfire as one of my goals in life.

It's a wonder I didn't kill myself long ago.

[healey36]

At the IPMS Nationals back in August, Airfix had a booth...they are under relatively new ownership and are bringing out some killer new kits, as well as re-releasing many of the older kits. I bought a stack of them...probably will never build them, most likely won't even take them out of the cellophane, just admire them and their box-art. I think I single-handedly kept Woolworths afloat when I was ten years old...room was filled with Airfix kits...best use of seventy-nine cents ever. 1/72nd ruled the world...it's a bitch having to grow up...

Unless you get a Mini... If they put some of that real wood trim (like the Morris Traveller, I think) on the Countryman I might consider it...

I bought my Z3 just before they started loading up with run-flats, tire pressure monitors, and all the rest of stuff that's mandated these days. It has traction-control, which I have to say has saved my @ss on a number of occasions (the rear-end has a tendency to wander, even on dry pavement), but that's about it...the Z4 is all crazy with gadgets.

Now you just need to drop a factory supercharger in there and you're good to go...but stay out of the trees.

Healey

[sarge]

I think I've told the story before about when I was very young and my father had a 1954 Plymouth station-wagon, sort of a non-descript green colour. I remember we had all sorts of room to play in the back, play that often degenerated into pugilistic pursuits. There was a big bench seat and jump seats behind that. It was huge. A change in scenery (and job location for my dad) suddenly found us riding about in a Morris Minor Traveller. How we rued that change in our lives, for then my father could easily get us all with one sweep of his arm and not take his eyes off the road doing it.

I saw one this summer, first one I had seen in decades. It was all restored and the wood nicely redone. His metal was green while ours was a gray but, ah, the memories...

[healey36]

Flashbacks Sarge:



I posted this here earlier...this Traveller showed up at our local Triumph Club event on a hazy Saturday morning last June...just a lovely, understated automobile. One could do a lot worse.

Healey

[sarge]

Oh, yeah.

Make it gray and...