Welcome!
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Bpms Zoom Mini Meeting: June 10, 2025
BPMS MEETING: JUNE 20, 2025
ACTIVITIES DIRECTING
By Bobby Pokorny
Welcome to JUNE! AS we approach the start of summer, our JUNE meeting has some fun things going on!
LONG LIVE THE KING THEME CONTEST: It’s finally here! The LONG LOVE THE KING Theme Contest is finally upon us. The sponsors have challenged the group to build something that can be connected to the theme in some way. We are eager to see how the theme is interpreted by the members!
SUMMER PICNIC NIGHT: We’re trying something a little different this year. The BBQ is fun, except for the crew doing the cooking and set up. It’s been pretty hot and the mosquitoes are unrelenting, so this year we are trying heroes instead. $15 per person. Feel free to bring sides, snacks, desserts, etc.
Thursday, June 05, 2025
June 3, 2025 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report
Mark shared photos of last month's Lego Show in Warwick, RI and WonderFest in Louisville, KY.
We saw Vaughn's Ju-88 and F-104 pilot, Simon's P-40 C and BV-138, Erasmo's Mirage F-1, Kevin's Aztec Princess and Razor Crest (the Bandai kit impressed Kevin), Mr. K's Gollum figure, mounted Ringwraith, female hunter with saber tooth tiger and Vampirella, Gil's 3 D printed Landmaster (from Damnation Alley), Frank C's A4-E (his long-awaited pledge model) and Bobby's Witch King. BTW, have you decided which king you'll enter in the June theme contest?
Acquisitions included : Blackburn Skua, PWS-26, PBY-5A Catalina (buying the Atlantis kit lets Mr. K keep the Monogram kit in his stash) and Hiller X 18 Convertiplane (Aurora kit).
The tool was a 3 D printed V block, good for holding / assembling / painting cylindrical and other shaped items. No 3D printer? No problem, you can find them in stores and online.
The topic was things we avoid and why. Photoetch can be more trouble than it's worth. Aircraft kits with raised panel lines were mentioned. Kits by A Model, Kitty Hawk, Unicraft and Monogram were said to have poor instructions, be too crude, too complex, required major clean up or modification, or just not interesting. But, as Kevin pointed out, if it's the only game in town, you complain as you build. For paints, the high cost of AKI paint, a bad experience with Mig's British Armor paint set, a general dislike of acrylic paint and problems brushing Tamiya (which, we learned, can be eliminated by using their retarder), were noted. Quick tip, Micro Sol can attack Vallejo paints. Use a good clear coat. Some of us avoid resin because of concerns about dust. Then Gil showed us (for the second time, actually) the dust collector box he built for his shop vac.
The next meeting is Tuesday, 6/10/25 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
~Russ
Thursday, May 29, 2025
BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: 05/27/2025
Bobby reports Hobby Lobby is having a 40% off sale, so this might be a good time to pay them a visit. Their newest store is in lower Manhattan on Murray Street, between West and Greenwich. We saw lots of cars and Gundam, some aircraft and ships, very little armor and a good selection of paints, tools and supplies. The discounted prices are reasonable. For online consumers, Jimmy recommends visiting BNA modelworld.com and Mr. K recommends the Draw Decal website.
Russ shared photos of the USS New York, in town for Fleet Week. A photo of the ship's Sea King is attached to remind everyone of June's Long Live the King theme contest.
We saw Vaughn's Mosquito, Comet Racer and Hornet, Chuck's Panzer 2, Mr. K's Vampirella figure, Tiger Meet F-104 and F-14, Kevin's Aztec Princess figure, Gil' s Veronica bust and Mark's Porsche 959. Acquisitions included Canadian Universal Carrier decals, German tank crew figures, 1/72 aircraft details/ordnance (from Jet Passion), KC-130, Yak - 200, Leo Mobile Suit and two Angel Interceptors (from two manufacturers).
This week's tool was a collapsible silicone paint brush washer from the dollar store.
The featured topic was ways to mix paint. Many use coffee stirrers but Gil prefers a glass stirring rod. It's easy to clean and convenient for transferring paint drop by drop. Bobby likes using old paint brush handles. Some put stainless steel ball bearings in the bottles before shaking them up. Magnetic mixers and vortex mixers can work well but we were reminded that if you need a power tool to reliquefy the paint, it may never dry properly.
The next meeting is Tuesday, 6/3/25 at 7:70 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Andy Yanchus
1944-2021
A name that will be familiar to many 1960’s-70s modelers is Andy Yanchus (1944-2021). Andy was a long-time member of the BPMS, and worked with Aurora Plastics in West Hempstead, NY, beginning in the mid-1960swhere he one of the two Project Managers there. Andy came up with the Monster Scenes idea, a smaller version of Aurora’s classic monster kits, but presented in ‘scenes.
Andy moved on from Aurora to Marvel and during his 17-year career there, he contributed to several ongoing titles such as UNCANNY X-MEN, ALPHA FLIGHT, and NEW WARRIORS.
Although Andrew had left his kit modeling career to pursue coloring comics, his passion for the community and his hobby never waned. He later co-wrote a definitive book about Aurora called Aurora Monster Scenes — The Most Controversial Toys of a Generation (2014). He also wrote for Starlog, Fantasy Modeling, and Collecting Scale Models magazines.
Since 1972
In 1972 a group of guys from a local hobby shop decided to start meeting together for their shared interest in models. By May 1973 they were more formally known as THE BROOKLYN PLASTIC MODELERS SOCIETY.
The Brooklyn Plastic Modeler Society is one of the oldest local chapters of the International Plastic Modelers Society and resides in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York. Since our inception we've been bringing a diverse group of modelers with varied tastes together for monthly gathering to discuss the hobby and display our latest works.
Some notable moments in BPMS history include our involvement in bringing the Aircraft Carrier INTREPID to NYC as well as many displays on-board over the years; in October of 1975 we hosted the Big Apple Con and Noreastcon 6 in May, 1977; as well as displays for many events and make-and-takes over the years.
We've also been supporters of Speicher Model Group overseas as well as Wounded Warriors closer to home.
We were named IPMS/USA Region 1’s Club of the Year for two years running – 2023 and 2024.
We currently reside in the Bergen Beach Sports Complex and meet on the third Friday of each month.