#stringbag

[admiralnelsoniii]

POV from an AA position on Bismarck, WWII

[casposters]

(via Last one home | Gareth Hector Milita)

[wekipt]

Cotton String Bag for Everyday Convenience | Wekipt

Discover the versatility of our cotton string bag. Perfect for everyday use. Shop now for a stylish and eco-friendly choice at Wekipt.com.

[dynamobooks]

Garth Ennis & P.J. Holden: The Stringbags (2020)

[redclaysoil]

stringbags or 'bilum' in arara village, collingwood bay in oro province, papua new guinea. the bilum is one of the most culturally significant objects in papua new guinea. photos taken by a. hermkens between 2001-2004

[topkinggear]

#gymbag #totebag #drawstringbag #travelbag #goodiebag #usa #stringbags #dufflebag #tasgym #sportsbag #bags #canada #shoulderbag #gymwear #uk #slingbags #bagpack #dufflebags #bestgymbag NEW TOPKINGGEAR DESIGN CROSSBODY GYM BAG:- TKG-SB-5573 KEY FEATURES:- Made of Ripstop material. Water bottle storage mesh pocket. Headphone jack at the front. 3 outside pockets with high quality zippers. inside pockets for extra storage including iPad, books and other essentials. Thickened adjustable shoulder strap for extra grip and extra comfort. Adjustable shoulder strap. Adaptable to both shoulders. Ideal for cycling, motor biking, hiking, camping, climbing, walking, day trips, vacations, travel, university/ school, shopping and gym. https://www.topkinggears.com/promotional-items/sports-bag/new-topkinggear-design-crossbody-gym-bag.html] https://www.instagram.com/p/CoB8NKOjhbS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fantastictyphoonpeanut]

1934-45. The 'Flying Stringbag'. An amazing British aircraft, slow and outdated - but it sank more Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft of WWII! How about that!! Mainly operated by the Royal Navy but, a few RAF Sqns did fly it on limited operations. (FTP)

[xxamacha-tsukixx]

I actually trip in the weirdest ways possible here were some silly tripping scenarios

-one time i was rushing cuz i slept in and i had school and i ended up tripping over a gate and knocked it down and my mom had to refix it

-i literally was running to class and there was a couple holding hands and i end up crashing in between the hand god that was so embarrassing

-i literally tripped over nothing i was just running and just fell

-i was carrying a stringbag and one of the strings got on a pope and i fell down

there are many more but its hard to go into detail im clumsy asf irl:,)

[veryplanethinking]

Fairey Swordfish artwork. Taranto Raid. "Stringbag".

[judgeanon]

Plastic Skies - Models 9 and 10: Sk 16 and Fairey Swordfish

It’s a prop plane double feature WWII spectacular!

Due to a number of personal circumstances, 2023 hasn’t started off quite like I would’ve wanted, and since most of those circumstances involved money, I wasn’t able to jump right away from the F-16 Falcon I bought in February to the next project I had in mind. But thanks to a kind act of generosity, I was able to not only keep my meager hobbyist skills sharp, but also breathe new life into some old models.

Now, here’s the thing: I’m not really into old school propeller planes right now. I kinda used to, I remember building a very neat P-51 Mustang when I was a kid, but thanks to Ace Combat I’m far more interested in jet planes at the moment. So no Spitfires or Hurricanes or Messers for me, no thanks. I’m good for now. However, about a week after finishing the F-16, I received in the mail a care package from an overseas friend who for the last couple of years has made it a tradition to send me a box of old toys, comics and other random stuff. Of course, our postal service usually delivers them around March, so it’s a bit of a late present, but a very welcome one nonetheless. Especially this year.

Very thoughtfully, my friend had packed in not one, but two whole model kits in the box: a Swedish Sk 16 from Heller and a British Fairey Swordfish from Airfix, both in 1/72 scale. A quick search on Scalemates confirmed that both models were from the 80s, and the Swordfish’s mold was from 1958, which I naturally found thrilling. There’s something very fun about working on something older than you are. Plus, it turned out that these models had a backstory to them: my friend had bought them with his family at a second hand market, so second hand that the Sk 16 had already been started. He never got around to actually putting them together though, and despite his family’s repeated requests over the years to just throw them out, they remained there, safely boxed up.

(In this case, the cockpit and fuselage had been glued and the black stripes already painted, albeit a bit haphazardly)

To be honest, I didn’t know much about both planes, which only added to the excitement. The Sk 16 turned out to be a Swedish version of the very popular American T-6 Texan, a plane that also flew in my own country’s air force. And the Swordfish is better known as the English naval biplane that helped sink the Bismarck (and the star of Garth Ennis and PJ Holden’s graphic novel THE STRINGBAGS). So these were, by all accounts, very fun planes already. And I was ready to have some fun with them.

Above all else, I think my favorite part of doing old planes is all the exposed engines and exhaust tubes. I’ve mentioned before how much I adore metallic paints, and I immediately realized that this would be a great chance to break them out. And of course, having both planes have movable propellers, which I also love. I know a lot of hobbyst like to build models as a snapshot of a singular moment in time, but I prefer them to be toys, things to play with a little, so any “play-features” like this immediately makes my heart soar. Look at that little prop spin. Weeeeeee!

The Sk 16 was a very fun build. The hardest part had already been made, after all, and the rest came together very quickly and very snugly. Not having any weapons also helped a lot, and I appreciated having an excuse to use the box of yellow paint I’d bought months ago. The canopy was a pain, and I fear I’ll never be able to have the pulse or right tools to get them looking just right, but I still see at least some improvement over previous attempts.

The other thing that was shockingly comfortable and even fun were the decals. Given the model’s age and remembering my bad experience with the Berkut, I was terrified that the decals would dissolve into water the moment I even thought about dunking them. To my surprise and joy, not only did they not break, they were also extremely easy to place. I’m rarely fully satisfied with my decal placing skills, but this one is probably the best I’ve done so far.

The whole thing was done over a weekend, and once I was done, all that was left was deciding whether I wanted to age it up or not. I consulted with the friend who’d sent me the model, who decided for me: this old plane had to look old.

Fortunately, my washes worked like a charm on this little wasp, which gained a couple of decades overnight. I showed it to my friend, who gave it his seal of approval and also mentioned the thing about his parents asking him to throw the models out if he was never gonna build them. So of course, I did what any person would do in that situation: asked him if he wanted an online album of all the finished model pics I had so he could show his parents. And of course, he said yes.

That’s kind of the thing: as much as I enjoy building models for myself, every time I finish one I find myself burning with the desire to show it off to everyone. I know that’s nothing unusual, but the thing is, I’ve rarely had the chance to show off something I made to other people. Everything I do is either prose, which is not exactly a thing people can just take a quick look at, or comic book scripts, which have the same problem. Even when they’re beautifully turned into actual comics by some incredibly talented folks, it’s still hard to whip ‘em out and go “This. I made this.”

Now, I have a folder in my cellphone full of finished model pictures to pull out like a proud dad just in case anyone asks. And even if they don’t ask, odds are they’ll see at least one.

(friend’s parents did indeed see the pictures and were reportedly surprised to see those old things looking so good. Which is another thing I’ve found very pleasant about model kit making: with the right tools and the right application, even an inexperienced newbie can make a 40 year old kit look impressive)

Pretty much the day after I finished the Sk, I started work on the Swordfish. This one didn’t have any work done other than some pieces having been awkwarldy separated from their sprues, but the plastic felt nice and everything seemed solid enough. Plus, for the first time since I started, I had to paint not just one, but two tiny little plastic men:

It... didn’t go terribly well, mostly because I refused to actually go out and buy new paints for them, but with apologies to my friend, it’s easier to cheap out on things when you weren’t the one who bought the model. Apart from that, I also decided to replace the goose egg blue that the kit’s instructions suggested for the undercarriage with the weird light grey I’d bought and used for the bottom of the F-16, since I still wanted to try it out. That turned out to be... not a mistake, per se, but it didn’t do me any favors.

As it turns out, it’s *REALLY* hard to get something to stick to this kind of paint, and there was a lot of sticking to be done with these two wings. Even worse, some of it was done practically blind, since fitting the struts and bars into their holes turned out to be harder than it looked. Looking back, I probably should’ve just glued the whole thing together first and painted it later, but I figured getting the paints in first would be better than having to sneak tiny brushes into hidden crevices.

Particularly troubling were the bars right in front of the pilot, seen here hovering like a full inch above where they should be. Not ideal at all. In the end, I had to resort to far more glue than I wanted and holding everything in place as best I could until it dried. The results look decent enough from an angle...

... annnd then you look at it from the front.

Ouch. Of course, I also skimped on using wires and stuff, but I was already getting a bit peeved at this old stringbag. On the other hand, painting the grey camo was an unexpected delight. All the paints worked well with each other, and the end result was pretty lovely, if not exactly historically accurate.

Soon enough, all that was left were the decals, and here I ran into a different problem: yellowing. Although there was also a bit of that in the Sk 16, the plane being bright yellow helped hide a lot of it. No such luck here. I tried leaving them out in the sun inside a plastic bag, which the internet said was the cure for yellowing, but they also warned me it would take a few weeks or even a month depending on how much direct sunlight they were getting. Which in my apartment is precious few. After two days, I caved in and said fuck it. Yellowed decals it is.

I’m not proud of what I did, but the odds are pretty good that I’d still be waiting if I hadn’t. Once everything was ready and varnished, I broke out the washes again, only this time I didn’t go for the full Sludge Treatment. Instead, I focused only on the details, the flaps and some other areas. I could lie and say it was to give it a cleaner look, but in all honesty, I was just kinda tired of it by now and didn’t want to deal with having to clean the sludge.

The results are a bit hard to tell, since the flaps were already pretty visible, but it was still a nice relief to have it all done and looking decent enough for another online album. The response I got from friend’s parents was similar, and similarly, it made me feel quite happy with myself.

Overall, I enjoyed this little detour into prop planes. But above all, I think what I enjoyed the most was the idea that doing model kits is turning into My Thing. That people are starting to pay attention, and that in some near future, the answer to “What should we give Judge for his birthday/christmas/wedding gift?” will always inevitably be a little plastic plane to build. Not just because it’s fun and because it opens the door to all kinds of surprises, but also because I think there’s something very unique about being able to tell someone “Hey, thanks for the gift, wanna see what I did with it?”. It’s a rare kind of connection, a back and forth of thoughtfulness and creation, and I’d like to do more of it.

But first... it was time. Time to finally knuckle up, shake that bottle of light gray paint and face my personal final boss of model kits. I just didn’t expect it would happen during one of the worst weeks of the year so far.

[admiralnelsoniii]

An awesome wartime photo of the "Stringbag!" The Fairey Swordfish, as from my previous post.

[usafphantom2]

Fun Fact Friday!

The Swordfish is nicknamed the “Stringbag”, because like a housewife’s string shopping bag, it could carry virtually anything! Rockets, flares and even 1,610lb torpedos

@NavyWingsUK via Twitter

[tastebuds1]

The Lion And The Eagle: The Complete Series

by Garth Ennis (Author), Keith Burns (Cover Art), PJ Holden (Artist), Matt Milla (Colorist), Rob Steen (Letterer)  

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars    45 ratings

3.6 on Goodreads 66 ratings

1944: Imperial Japan still commands most of Asia. Determined to regain their hold on Burma, the British send a special forces unit – the Chindits – deep behind Japanese lines. Their mission is to attack the enemy wherever they find him. What awaits them is a nightmare equal to anything the Second World War can deliver. Colonel Keith Crosby and Doctor Alistair Whitamore have old scores to settle, being veterans of the long retreat through Burma two years before. But neither the jungle nor the foe have gotten any less savage, and when the shooting starts and the Japanese descend on the smaller British force in their midst, every man will be tested to his limit. Writer Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher, DREAMING EAGLES) and artist PJ Holden (The Stringbags, World of Tanks, Judge Dredd) present a tale of hellish jungle warfare, as apparently civilized human beings descend into an apocalyptic heart of darkness.

[thuganomxcs]

He couldn’t help but laugh when she finally realized why they’d need just a little room service after their little ventures in the hot-tub. It shouldn’t be too surprising that he’d want a little something ‘sweet’ once he’s had the main course. But her little request was valid one, it’s something he can definitely see happen for her comfort.

━━   ❝   𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.   ❞ Then just like that Yusuke had packed his stringbag. Too little things for a weekend trip towards a resort, but he was always one to travel great distances incredibly lightly. Rather than leisure items he’s packed the essentials, toothbrush, clean underwear, a few shirts and pants along-with cologne. Next was a jacket that’s draped over his shoulders before he turns to look at her. “Ready t’ leave?”

It was a promise that she intended to go fully through with this intent of intimacy. They had their chance together by themselves; a room to them with skin-on-skin contact. It was tempting - almost drooling at the thought to picture it in the back of her mind. With the two of them in the same room? Oh ... what a dream.

Though, they had other plans. Packing, of course. This was their goal this entire time. Nodding, she flushed a little at the kiss, taking a couple of things from the drawers to pack away.

... up until his comment.

"Oh? Room service?" She asked, unaware. "Why would we need ... " A pause, followed by a quick darting glare. "Oh ... terrible. Absolutely terrible! The, uhm ... the cream better be cold ... I prefer it cold."

[arg-machine]

Comics at machine HQ

It’s been a little over three months since the last Comics at machine HQ post was published and arg, having read several interesting titles since then, decided that the world was now ready for a new one...

…and so here it is, a new Comics at machine HQ post to start the year on an exciting and colourful note!

As usual, in between reading funky comics and listening to music, arg has also been working on some other projects, glimpses of which can be seen over at Instagram, where machine HQ maintains a presence.

Let’s move on now to the comic themselves, shall we?

Wham! Comics to start 2023 with... Well good reader, here are the comics/graphic novels arg has read and enjoyed in the last few months. All titles are arranged alphabetically, and related titles – or titles from same/similar genres – are listed in the Also recommended sections. Keep in mind that many – not all, though – of these titles are suitable for mature readers only.

“It is the early 1900s and the three Francœur children are struggling to survive in the slums of Paris. But their lives change forever with the arrival of a mysterious stranger from their father’s past. Countess Aristophania Bolt from the Kingdom of Azur claims she has come to help the trio, but between disturbing phenomena – tricks or sorcery? – and invisible threats, it is hard to know whom to trust…”

Also recommended: Resident Alien - The Book of Love, Aztec Ace - The Complete Collection, Evolution, Darwin, God, and the Horse-People, Trapped on Zarkass and Sapiens Imperium.

“Featuring brand new stories written by Garth Ennis – the mind behind The Boys, Preacher and war comics such as The Stringbags and Sara – the 96-page Battle Action special is full of excitement and thrills!

Ennis is joined on this landmark book, which captures the spirit and action of the ground-breaking and highly influential Battle and Action comics from the 1970s, by several veteran – and acclaimed! – artists.”

Also recommended: The EC Archives - Gunfighter, Volume 1 and Super Spy.

“Crime noir masters Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips present yet another original graphic novel starring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless.

In the wake of the 1989 earthquake, Ethan takes a trip to San Francisco to search for a missing woman. But almost immediately, he finds himself going down a path of darkness and murder in a case unlike anything he’s faced before…”

Also recommended: A Taste for Blood and Cover.

“The Forest is a graphic novella told via twenty-five singular illustrations, without words, of which only Swiss artist Thomas Ott is capable. A young boy sneaks away from a family funeral and sinks into the forest depths, where he confronts man's greatest fear and must choose his path.

Drawing with a technique called scratchboard, where a white surface is covered with a black layer and scratched away, Ott creates images out of negative space to harrowing effect. In Ott's hands, the medium becomes the perfect vessel for his eerie, horror-imbued morality tales.”

Also recommended: Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog and Joe Golem Omnibus.

“When world-renowned Italian journalist Roberto Saviano put pen to paper at age 26, he’d change laws, expose widespread corruption, put his own life at risk, and save countless others…

Gomorrah, his ground-breaking international bestseller, exposed the inner workings of the Italian mafia and placed Saviano under direct threat which has necessitated 24-hour police protection to this day.

Joined by award-winning cartoonist Asaf Hanuka, Saviano shares his deepest thoughts and experience of life in Naples, where he witnessed the power and violence of the mafia first hand.”

Also recommended: Tephlon Funk, Gost111 and Golden Rage.

“Nigerian brothers SHOBO and SHOF, present New Masters, a ground-breaking blend of science fiction, adventure, drama, and vibrant Afrofuturism.

In a striking vision of West Africa under the thumb of alien colonizers, a motley crew of outcasts find themselves caught up in a power struggle for control of an ancient artifact with immense power.”

Also recommended: Dark Blood, Luna, Star Wars - Tales from the Rancor Pit and Judge Dredd - The Complete Case Files, Volume 40.

“After a hold-up gone wrong, Slick finds himself deep in the red with local mafia boss Rex. But that’s not the only thing setting them at odds: they also have their sights set on the same woman, the beguiling Caprice. She’s engaged to Rex and headlines his club, where she thrills the nightly crowds. She’s off-limits, but Slick has never been one for limits. And he has unfinished business with Caprice, who was once his own sweetheart before the war pulled them apart.

After all these years, there’s no love lost between them, but that doesn’t mean the old spark isn’t alive… And now, they’re playing with fire. Taking inspiration from the Hollywood noir films of the 1950s, Enrico Marini delivers a gritty graphic novel combining crime, love, jealousy, and betrayal.”

Also recommended: The Stranger - The Graphic Novel and Scars.

“Follow Professor J.T. Meinhardt and Mr. Knox as they pursue ne'er-do-well creatures of the night! Backed by the dauntless vampire hunter Ms. Mary Van Sloan, the heroes pursue vampires, werewolves, and other horrors that even they are hard-put to name or explain. The only thing that's for certain is that the strange truths these adventurers uncover are seldom what they seem!”

Also recommended: Dark Ride, The Collector and Bone Orchard - Ten Thousand Black Feathers.

“After twenty years working on film and series shoots, Benoît Cohen is drained. His enthusiasm gone, a desire to stop writing and put down the camera takes over. In the city for a year, he still wonders about how best to absorb the rich diversity of the cosmopolitan metropolis, settling on a simple idea: he will become a taxi driver.

Behind the iconic Yellow Cab, behind the fantasy of freedom and independence, behind the faces of his thousands of passengers, Benoît discovers a world to which he is a stranger. He dives into his new life with the idea of turning it into a screenplay for a future film, but the material he collects from this social experiment marks him deeply, leading down unsuspected paths.

First, the administrative maze that leads to the taxi driver's license. Then the world behind the scenes. And finally, the prejudices that surround the profession and lead customers, cops, and the entire city to look at it-quite randomly-either with indifference, kindness, or aggression.

The project transforms into an autobiographical novel interspersed with reflections on the creative process, and with the help of Chabouté, it is now a sensitive, deeply human graphic novel with breathtaking illustrations that pay vibrant tribute to New York City.”

Also recommended: Salamandre, When Everything Turned Blue, It's Lonely at the Centre of the World and Sunburn.

machine HQ’s Retro Pick! And now, here’s a brand-new section: machine HQ’s Retro Pick!

“Sophie Bangs was a just an ordinary college student in a weirdly futuristic New York when a simple assignment changed her life forever. While researching Promethea, a mythical warrior woman, Sophie receives a cryptic warning to cease her investigations.

Ignoring the cautionary notice, she continues her studies and is almost killed by a shadowy creature when she learns the secret of Promethea. Surviving the encounter, Sophie soon finds herself transformed into Promethea, the living embodiment of the imagination.

Her trials have only begun as she must master the secrets of her predecessors before she is destroyed by Promethea's ancient enemy.”

And that, good reader, brings us to the end of this list! Visit The Apocalypse Project [on twitter and on tumblr], and stay tuned to machine HQ blog…

Header image features artwork from Disney’s Uncle Scrooge comics and from Sam Keith’s The Maxx books.

Things to do... Meanwhile, check out how a certain entertainment industry has been plagiarizing music from all over the world and copying foreign films too, for so-called “fame and fortune”. And the plagiarism doesn’t end with just music and films: it extends to – and is rampant in – other fields such as graphic design, too! Just follow the links… and prepare to be shocked!

[nocternalrandomness]

Fairey Swordfish

The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, it was also used by the Royal Air Force (RAF),