Playing With the Lightbox Again

 For some reason the time shift didn't set well with me.  I didn't sleep well last night, so I didn't really feel like going out and about.  Sadly, it looked like it was a nice day.  But I figured I needed some pictures, so I decided to play around with my light box.

So I like to collect action figures.  Sometime ago, I discovered the 6" version of the G.I. Joes I grew up with.  These are alot more detailed that the original ones and they look nice displayed on my shelf.

This particular one is Flint.  I liked the looks of him because he reminded me of a character named Mack Bolan.  Mack Bolan was a series of books written by a man named Don Pendleton.  The character was a Vietnam vet whose family was murdered by the Mafia.  After he got his revenge, he was asked to work for the CIA.  The books were okay but I imagine they haven't aged well.

This is another one of my favorite characters.

This is shipwreck.  As I was growing up, my dad was in the Navy.  Both of my grandpas were in the Navy.  Most of my heroes were in the Navy.  So it would come as no surprise that one of my favorite G.I. Joes would be in the Navy.  This particular one is Shipwreck.  Normally he'd have a parrot too but I couldn't get it on.    Besides, the spot they have designated is in his arm and it feels like he should be on his shoulder.

And another one of my favorites.

But I actually like the original one a little better.  One of the times I was home sick, there was a movie on TBS called "Rumor of War".  It was about a man who joins the Marines during the Vietnam War and served as an officer.  It was pretty good.  This character reminded me of that movie.

As you know, my favorite plane is the 757.  It has been for a long time and probably will be well after it is retired (which apparently is coming soon).

The first time I saw it was at Detroit Metro Airport.  I was waiting for a friend and it was coming into the gate.  For some reason it reminded me of a swan.

One of my favorite liveries doesn't exist anymore.  It is the Shamu livery from Sea World.  I think the Sea World lease ran out and Southwest didn't renew because Sea World was having some issues.

This is a pretty cool livery.  Southwest has some of the coolest looking special liveries.  One of these day, I will see this in person.

Since I haven't caught Fed Ex Flight 505 in a while, here is a picture of my model.

The Concorde is a plane that I wish I would have seen in person.  I imagine it was impressive.

Spotting from Schiller Park - Part II

 So in the efforts of not having too large of a post, I broke this up into two parts.  This is continuing my spotting at Schiller Park Metra Station.

A 777 coming in from Shanghai via Anchorage.

A United 737 coming in from Punta Cana.

A Delta A321 coming in from Atlanta.

I didn't write this one down.

A Fed Ex 767.

This one was coming in from Memphis.

A United 737 coming in from Houston.

An American 737 MAX coming in from JFK.

An A330 coming in from Copenhagen.

An American 737 coming in from Charlotte.

This 757-200 belonged to United.

It was coming in from Denver.

Another angle.

And one more angle.

A Spirit A319 coming in from Atlanta.

A United 787 coming in from Paris.

An American 787 coming in from Paris as well.  I have a diecast model of t his one.

A China Airlines 747 coming in from Shanghai via Anchorage.

A Turkish Airlines 777 coming in from Istanbul (not Constantinople).

An American A321 from Dallas.

A United 737 from Miami.

A United 757.

This one was coming in from Orlando.

An American 737 from somewhere.

A British Airways 787 coming in from Heathrow.

A United 737 MAX from Tampa.

One of the planes I was hoping to catch.

This is another 757.

It was being flown by Icelandair.

But I would have loved it if it were the Hekla plane.

Oh well.

It was coming in from Keflavik.

A Lufthansa A350 from Munich.

A United A319 from Raleigh-Durham.

And a United 767 from Heathrow.

I ended up watching planes here for 3.5 hours and caught 53 of them.  Not a bad day.

Shooting from a Parking Garage

 So the planes in front of my hotel room dried up when they had to take off from other runways because of the Air and Water Show.  So I looked at what runways they were using and I looked at a map to see where I could get a decent place to watch them.

 I found a Metra Station where I could watch them but then I looked at a parking structure behind me and saw a camera lens.  So I headed over there.   While I was not happy with getting belly shots, the planes were flying right above me and I could almost touch them.  So that was a nice tradeoff.

A Spirit Airlines A320 coming in.

An American 787.

A United CRJ-200.

The Lufthansa 747.

I kind of liked this picture.

It started to rain, so I got a little creative.

Another CRJ-200.

The 747 taxiing.

Another CRJ-200.

I think this was a 777.

An American A320.

A United A320.

Another CRJ.

I think this was a China Eastern 777.  It was likely carrying cargo.

A Southwest 737.

A Spirit A320.

Another CRJ.

An ERJ.

Another 747.

Another view.

A United 737.

An American 787.

An Iberia Airlines A330.

Another ERJ.

I think this was a United 777.

The British Airways A380.

I think the 747 is a nicer looking plane.

The Iberia Airlines A330 taxiing to the gate.

The United 787 taxiing.

Another ERJ.

The ERJ coming in for a landing as the A380 heads to the gate.

An ERJ with a mismatched nose.

The A380 heading to its gate.

An Austrian 777.

Anotehr angle.

Taxiing.

I kind of like this view.

An A320.

An ERJ-135, I think.

A Delta A220.

An ERJ.

And another.

An A320. 

An ERJ.

I think this is an A321.

An American 737.

Anotehr ERJ.

A Qatar 777.

Taxiing.

The ERJ-135.

The Qatar 777 heading to the gate.

And we end with an American 787 coming in.