Guess same with the L-100 (the passenger version of the C-130). They were designed to transport cargo. Why convert an IL 76 into a passenger aircraft when you have an IL 86 or IL 96 doing the job better (I am talking of russian aircraft only).
I guess there was no market for a 747 sized plane in the USSR so there was no need for a plane that big so there was no need of convertions of the AN-124s into passenger planes.
I think since it was more about politics back in the days of the cold war and every side wanted to have either the biggest or the fastest plane. The Soviet decided to go for speed instead of size. For them it would have been more of a prestige to be the nation with the fastest passenger airliner in service and the nation who flies the first supersonic airliner. They couldn´t go for both the Concorde or 747.
They had to decide and see what is the best way to go. Back then now one could predict which of these two planes would have the bigger future Concorde or 747. History proves Boeing right. Tupolev and the Soviet government thought the future is supersonic airtravel and that it would have been more of a prestige to have the fastest passenger aircraft (TU 144) instead of the biggest.
So it is not 100 % an answer to your question but I hope it helps.

How is the status of the Dutch Orions. I´ve just seen a picture saying that the last flight in Valkenburg is within the next days. Actually I can´t believe it, since German Navy will take delivery of the Orions in Fall 2005 (AFAIK). The first crews are already in Valkenburg for training.
Does anyone happens to know a bit more about this topic.

It’s the same list over and over again! I still think Sweet Home Alabama is better than Freebird though.

Agreed

@Trident
I´ve seen a picture of an AWACS TU-204 Mock-Up a while ago, maybe that type is more suitable for that role as the IL-96. Maybe we will see that someday : IL 96 tankers and TU 204 AWACS

Looks better than the Watburgs and Lada’s I saw when I was in East Berlin in 1984.

The “Trabbi” is used by “Euro-Police” a cooperation of the German and Polish Police at Cottbus, it is a “Fun-Car”.
The Trabbi or Trabant was the most common car in Eastern Germany -although you had to wait 12 years to get one.
The 2CV below is also no real police-car, it is named Polente (bad word for police, and Ente (means Duck) is also the name of the Citroen 2CV in Germany.

How did it acquire that name? A local thing, or a variation on a designation or something?

Flood

I don´t know where it came from, I guess from the States. Afaik most people refer to the VW Bus, just as Bully.

This is the actual Berlin Police-Car, it replaced the Bully which was the most used police car in Berlin (In Berlin the Bullies were called “Bath Tub” or Six-Pack”).
Since 2 years BMW 5series are replacing the Bullies. The Bullies were used in all variants over more then 30 years.

P.S. If you want to see more about german police cars (as well as military police of the allied troops used in Berlin, customs, border patrol….check out http://www.polizeiautos.de)