Something on my desk that might not be on yours

A Chinese fighter plane! At least, a 1:48 scale model of one, the domestically-produced æ­¼-10, or J-10, courtesy of a friend at AVIC, China's giant aerospace company. Click for larger, including a glimpse of the teeny blue-suited model pilot inside:



And just down the street, at the main AVIC building, the full-sized J-10 itself, in a static display that I watched workers prepare shortly before the Olympics:



No larger theme for the moment; I just like having the model, which is made of metal rather than plastic and feels surprisingly sturdy.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2008/11/something-on-my-desk-that-might-not-be-on-yours/9093/