It is my pleasure to review the Hummel Aufklarungs Panzer Kampf Flugzeug 50 kit in 1/20th scale, available from Wave. This is interesting to me, as it is basically a Nitto/Wave hybrid offering, and to me should be a 3Q release, but I see no mention of “3Q” on the box. What long time Ma.K. fans will see immediately upon opening the box is the surreal sight of a full Nitto Fledermaus kit in a light blue/gray plastic, and a couple of newly tooled sprue from Wave to make this a “Hummel” (including the newly tooled Wave-made “Hornisse” sprue from last year’s 3Q release – confused yet?). All you need to know is that you are getting a mix of old and new, with excellent new decals, camo card, and the multimedia parts that made the 80′s SF3D kits so exciting.

Also, as most long time Ma.K. fans know, Kow Yokoyama was not exactly happy about the Fledermaus model, as it was a Nitto-made riff on Yokoyama-san’s Hornisse. The Hummel makes up for this, by being the same kind of model conceptually, but is much more “Kow-like” in look. It’s an unmanned “AI” drone, and can be made with the traditional ski landing legs, or fancy new German Horten Brother’s-esque wheeled landing gear. So, I guess you can also sort-of convert the Fledermaus and Hornisse kits to a wheeled version as well? Also, and I cannot express how awesome this is for people like me who feel compelled to light every model they make, the front-facing AI sections are clear styrene!! Enough musings – here’s the meat:

The first Y-Wing model out of the ILM assembly line was not even originally intended to be filmed. ILM constructed, assembled, and partially weathered both an X-wing and a Y-wing that were shipped off to the Art Department at Elstree Studios in London to be used as guides for the construction of the full size sets. As this needed to be done in advance of the commencement of principal photography in the Spring of 1976, ILM had to deliver the models shortly after Christmas of 1975. At some time following their use overseas, both models were shipped back Stateside, where the Blue X-Wing was finished and converted into “Red 2”, and the Red Y-Wing was completed as well. It is unknown whether the Red Y-Wing saw screen time or how it was used after Elstree. The finishing work was most likely done after the other Y-Wings were completed, as the detailing and pieces used on the incomplete side was atypical. No two Y-Wings are the same, but the Red Y-Wing is generally agreed upon as being the most unique in it’s use of plant-ons, paint work, and decals. To myself and many others, the Red Y-Wing and Blue X-Wing are the most “romantic” of the original models made for Star Wars, as they were the absolute first constructed.

Click here for my recreation of Blue 1!

Click here for my build of this amazing Y-Wing, which I used to generate the build instructions for an incredibly limited run of fan-made kits.

Lisa and I don’t have kids, and I don’t believe in the Afterlife or any mystical bridges, rainbow or otherwise, but I do believe that honoring the memory of a loved one makes them timeless, and so that is what I choose to do. Those of you that spent time with Simon remember how he was, and those that haven’t may be able to get a small view into his unique personality. I feel very happy that he was able to spend his last seven years of “retirement” without having to move to a new apartment, townhouse, or home, without having to fight other cats for food, and without any real ailments that caused him pain. Simon was a gentle cat with a dog-like personality, and he was unique the way he purred and growled simultaneously when eating duck, how he stripped the fur covered mice down to plastic football shapes (as if warning the other toys), and how he was always at my side, without fail.

He’s gone but he will never be forgotten. Nothing can ever fill the space next to me that he occupied. I wouldn’t have it any other way.