Stan Bray provides all the information a ship modeler needs to power a model boat using a live steam power plant. A model engineer and author of wide experience; including editorship of the magazine Model Engineers' Workshop; Bray offers detailed drawings for the construction of simple and advanced steam engines; boilers; and ancillary equipment. Many types of engines―from simple oscillating cylinder to piston and poppet valve―along with the application of radio control to the management of the boiler and engine are covered. Given the huge growth in interest in live steam powered model boats in recent years and the lack of practical details available; the plans and information included in this book will be welcomed by modelers everywhere.
#1353645 in Books 2007-04-17 2007-04-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .63 x 5.25l; .85 #File Name: 1590511395303 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I'd like to know more...By esther ratnerI am Hungarian myself and have become more interested in my origins as I grow older. My parents left Hungary in 1944 and immigrated to various countries so Konrad's memoir was a draw. The passages describing his early life until the end of the war are riveting. The post-war years left me wondering about who is this man until I came across a passage towards the end. "I do not like being engulfed by the situation...I would rather look at it from the side or from above: I enjoy backing off and moving on." This pretty much sums up the memoir for me: great descriptions of events but where is he? I would have liked to get a better feel for the man himself: details of his first and second marriages; why these women and not others; his relationship to his sister with whom he underwent unimaginable experiences; his relationship to his children and his thoughts on their contemporary lives as compared to his youth. Konrad; where are you in all this turmoil; chaos; madness and lucky destiny? He answers some of these questions but I finished the book wanting more...If you are interested; however; in post-war Eastern Europe this is a must read.13 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Philo-storyBy hungarianjediWhile the book overall is an interesting read and quite insightful in some places; it is not always easy to follow and some readers may find it harder to read than others for several reasons.First; the book is a translation from the Hungarian and there are some grammatical errors and typos in the book; as well as some odd recurrences; in that people are almost always "shot dead" rather than simply "shot" or simply "dead"; nothing overly bothersome; but still noticeable and potentially annoying depending on the reader.Second; the book is divided into two parts; with each "part" divided into sectional bursts as short as one paragraph or as long as three or four-pages. These parts do not necessarily follow each other in terms of historical timeline or story. So if you are looking for a clear; linear; easy-to-follow; yet personal and descriptive; historical account of life from pre-WW2 to post-communist Hungary; you may find this book a bit hard to get through; and in some places down-right annoying!The book also gets more philosophical towards the end (more Ernest Hemingway-esque if you wish); with short reflective sentences in quick succession; like: "I dash out of the house into the meadow. You cannot see this spot from the village. I stop and turn around. The vast emptiness is refreshing - the surrounding hills; the ruins of a castle sacked three hundred years ago; the solitude. There is no one here in the bright noon light. It is no effort at all for me simply to be". Again; not a problem per se if you like that kind of writing or these kinds of books.The book is insightful in some parts; although I'm not sure what recounting some of his sexual adventures and thoughts brings to the story; other than a basic idea of `live and love life and the women in it; sleep with the pretty ones that are willing to sleep with you; and do not be tied down by marriage' (though he was married 3 times); a physical and intellectual coming-of-age and his related reflections on this transformation perhaps?Overall; I was expecting a more linear or sequential story of his life and adventures (maybe some chapters?!). His stories come through by the end; or as you piece them together yourself; but I found it to be a harder book to follow than necessary and not very well organized. Other than the parts where he describes his ordeals/adventures in Budapest as the remnants of the German Army are pushed back; I would not really label it a captivating page-turner; but still interesting enough to read from a later-in-life philosophical perspective.If you are not Hungarian; are planning to travel to Hungary; and/or wanted to get a bird's eye view of what Hungary or Hungarians are like as a people or culture; this may not be the book for you.On the product itself (the paperback edition); it has excellent quality binding and paper; with a crisp clear print in average-sized letters causing no eye strain. lists it as 352 pages; but the totality of the story is +/-300 pages.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy EB1Excellently written account of a varied life in Hungary before; during and after WWII.
