BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting: 11/29/22, Tuesday

Part 1 starts promptly at 7:30 PM EST.
Part 2 starts at 8:10 if we need more time.

Members and guests are cordially invited to join our group for our weekly online meeting!

If you would like to join, DM us your email address and name so we can include you in the email list with Zoom Meeting details (meeting numbers and passwords)!

On the agenda:

BPMS Club News.
IPMS News.
Other clubs news.
Hobby News.
What's on your workbench? 

 

 

11/22/22 (TUESDAY) BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report

By now, Thanksgiving 2022 is a memory. Hope your memories of the day were pleasant, even if your teams lost.
Nine people attended the 11/22/22 meeting. IPMS members are reminded to see Frank C's 11/22/22 email concerning proposed revisions to the IPMS Constitution and vote on them on IPMS website before 12/7/22.
Lou reported several new releases: 1972 Ford pickup truck with snowplow (Mobius, 1/25), F-35A (Tamiya 1/35), Type 7 C U-Boat conning tower and deck section (Border 1/35). Figures available separately. The Modeling News has a write up on this kit.
Julio told us about the figure show in Freeport last weekend.
In progress and completed work included: F-7U3 Cutlass (Vaughn is glad it's done, but it sounds like he'd build another if the opportunity arose), Lysander, DC-3 (an unusual subject for Julio), three Wildcats (Michael is comparing the Tamiya, Hobby Boss and Edward kits. BTW, he recommends Pigma Micron pens for marking instrument faces), Marilyn Monroe figure (father and son effort), F-111 C, Hattori Kiriko figure and Me-163. Acquisitions included: 1/144 B-29 (which Mr. K will convert to a B-50 and use the leftover parts to build a XC-97), MiG-31and FA-18A. Inspired by a recent casual reference, this week's tool was The Chopper by NorthWest Shortine. It was surprising to see how many people had this item in their toolbox. Equally surprising, everyone was happy with theirs. Talk of the Constitution gave way to thoughts on behavior, judging, constructive criticism, and the importance of remembering the whole point of the hobby is fun. The next meeting is 11/29/22 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Maybe we'll see photos from the 2022 Turkey Challenge. Mark? 

 ~Russ

 

BPMS Bulletin: November 2022

BPMS Bulletin

by Bobby B2 Blue Pokorny

October meeting was another busy meeting. We had 25 members and 1 guest who brought in 13 models, several of which were pledges.

October Meeting

NOMINATIONS: With the unscheduled break in BPMS Meeting continuity, everyone agreed that President Tom Knoll and Vice-Prez Tom Govia are entitled to a smooth final year for their terms. They aren’t getting away that easily! They won an unopposed election for a second year up front. Congrats guys!  

BPMS 50^th Anniversary: It’s in the books! The BPMS 50^th Anniversary Luncheon took place on Sunday, October 16, 2022 at Buckley’s in Brooklyn. We had a nice display, a couple thoughtful speeches, and an all-around good time with friends and family. Many model clubs don’t get to see this sort of milestone, so we made the best of it. We look forward to the future! Thank you to all the members, past and present for your contribution to the ongoing life of the BPMS!

 MODEL PLEDGES: A hand full of members had their pledges ready for display and discussion at the meeting. Others had them ready in advance. Everyone who completed a pledge will have an additional FIVE tickets for the November Super Raffle! 

 DECEMBER THEME CONTEST: With the year speeding by we can look forward to the December theme contest: The Golden Age of AURORA Models. Find contest details on the final page of this Bulletin. Sponsored by Joe B and Kevin K. .

 raffle: We had another fun raffle this month. We’ll likely have another for October. The club is always looking for donations for these activities. The only raffle in November will be the SUPER one!

 Photo-phone list: Gordon started taking photos of the group for the photo-phone list. If he didn’t take your photo at the last meeting, please see him at the next meeting. 

 WEEKLY ZOOM: Even though we are back to having regular meetings, the weekly ZOOM will continue! New day and time: Tuesdays at 7:30 PM. Every week EXCEPT for weeks with an in-person meeting. 

 On the agenda: NOVEMBER

 Contest Night – 4th Qtr 2022: This is the final installment of the quarterly BPMS Annual Contest so it is your last chance to try to rack up some votes for 2022. Pledge models are welcome as well as anything you haven’t already entered into a contest previously. 

 Super Raffle: This is the reason why you must fill out your paperwork at each meeting. For every new model you brought in over the course of the year you get ONE SUPER RAFFLE TICKET. If you completed your pledge model you get an additional FIVE super raffle tickets. You cannot buy tickets for this raffle. You must earn them! The more you built the more tixx you get. We’ve been buying items for the Super Raffle all year, but if you would like to donate anything, feel free to do so! [Thanks in advance!] Who built the most in 2019-22? I’ll announce the name at the meeting.

SPOTLIGHT MODELER

CHI WANG

Chia-Chi Wang might be the most recent member voted into the BPMS, but to members, we have known him a long time. The 47 year old graphic artist is back in Queens, New York, so he finally got to join our club.

 Chi’s life would change while he was in Junior High School. His start down the model hobby path started in 1988 when he purchased and assembled his first model, a 1/144 Nu Gundam by Bandai. His life continued along an artistic path. He attended the New York High School for Art & Design and afterwards pursued a career as graphic artist and even worked at Marvel Comics.

 While his career progressed, so did his taste for the hobby. He would add figures and scratch-building to his achievements. His preferred spot to build a model would be, comfortably, at home in front of a desk. He has his reliable tools and airbrush which he has been using for years. He gained the bulk of his hobby knowledge, like most of us, through the various model magazines. Chi says that aircraft by Hasegawa are among his favorite to build because of the challenge.

 After the turn of the century, when internet messaging groups were at their peak, Chi met your humble narrator on a couple hobby boards. We became friends and I invited him to come to a meeting in 2003, and he had a great time. Unfortunately for us, the next stage for Chi took him to Orlando, Florida. There he joined up with the local IPMS chapter and continued with his independent comic book company, and was the proprietor of an Anime Shop. When he felt he ran his professional course for Florida, Chi returned to New York.

 In conclusion, Chi says: The current state of modeling hobby is without a doubt in a new golden age thanks to the internet. It is now easier than ever to find, select, and buy new & old model kits from companies around the world. Videos of open box reviews, building advice, tips and tricks are also plenty on YouTube. The only drawback I see are the constant rising prices, and this could be an obstacle for beginners and children to get into the hobby. With so many other cheaper alternatives such as games, toys, and social media as competing for entertainment options, this hobby needs to offer more entry level kits with better prices and selection in order to be carried on by the next generation of model building enthusiasts.

~BP

  

Our next meeting will be on November 18^th

^{at the BBSC}

^{Business starts at 7:30 PM}

^{People show up before 6:00 PM}

 

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: 11/08/2022

Thirteen people attended the meeting. No Zoom meeting next week as we meet in person on Friday, 11/18/22.  Be there for the Super Raffle and Quarterly Contest, coffee and, maybe, snacks. Kits to watch for: MiniArt's 1/48 P-47, Tamiya's 1/48 F-35 A, Roden's 1/72 AJ1 Savage, ICM's 1/48 JD1D Invader (w/drone), Trumpeter's 1/48 Mi-4 and reissues of '53 Ford pick-up, '64 Mercury Caliente and '68 Road Runner.

 

Frank asked about paint color equivalence charts. Mark suggested "Urban's Color Reference Charts" at IPMS Stockholm's site, www.ipmsstockholm.se, and Russ offered to share his hard copy of Humbrol's chart. He also likes the paint conversion chart at www.modelshade.com. 

 

In progress and completed work included:  F-7U3 Cutlass (leading to interesting discussions on the aerodynamics of tailless aircraft and metal fatigue in aircraft), Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate USS Simpson (with rigging and paper flags, in 1/700), Freedom Class LCS, USS Zumwalt, T-34 (Michael explained how he gets rubber band type tracks to look like individual link tracks), EC-121 R, RF-4, Harrier, F-104, Me-163 and Tanker Truck (from the TV Movie, Duel). Gil told us about the "Circular-hole Digging Tool" set he found on aliexpress (GodHand has a similar product but it's more expensive). It can make recessed holes, like a Forstner bit. Gil uses them in a handle from OLFA but other handles may work too. 

 

The topic was correcting overdone weathering. This can be difficult, if not impossible, depending on paint type (acrylic, enamel, oil, lacquer), color scheme ( single or multicolor) and other materials (pigments, pastels). You might be able to lightly overspray or buff out offending colors or you might live with it and display the model with the bad side out of sight. There's no simple fix, but Tom's simple rule will save you a lot of time and aggravation, "If you're tired, stop working!"

 

Next in-person BPMS meeting, Friday, 11/18/22, at the Community Center. Doors open around 6pm. No invite needed. 

 

Thank a Vet this Veterans Day.

 

~Russ

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: 11/1/22

Fifteen people attended the meeting. The 11/18/22 in person meeting will be busy with the Super Raffle and the quarterly contest. Doors open around 6pm. Hope to see you there. It's chapter renewal time. IPMS numbers should email their membership numbers and expiration dates directly to Frank C so he can begin the paperwork. Thanks in advance. 

Fifty thousand people will compete in the NYC Marathon next Sunday. A smaller, but equally dedicated, number will compete in the Turkey Challenge later this month. Registration is closed for the NYC Marathon but the Turkey Challenge is still accepting entries. Contact Mark N directly for details. 

Lou reported AMT's 1/48 Star Wars: A New Hope TIE Fighter and Hobby Boss' 1/72 Scud B and 1/35 BT-2 tank were available now. Xtrakit's 1/72 Saunders-Roe SRA-1 was also noted. In progress and completed work included: F-7 U3 Cutlass, Lysander, F-8 Crusader, C-47, FW-187, F-13, Delphin-1 midget sub and Millenium Falcon. Acquisitions included: 66 Chevy Nova , Crying Freeman bust and a 1/16 4x4 (between the bust and the 4x4 Julo will be plenty busy). In the tool segment, Gil told us about Kimwipes, the low-lint, non-abrasive, absorbent wipes he uses to clean parts before painting and Bobby told us about the Knipex nipper/sprue cutter he recently got. 

In the trick or treat discussion , we asked which kits were disappointments and which were delights. Some complaints were specific, a Minicraft 1/48 F-111 from 20 years ago, an Armored train from a long-gone French manufacturer, Academy's 1/72 F-117 A, Takom's M-3 Lee and AML-60, Atlantic's 57 Cadillac, the early Trumpeter T-55, Sfik T-55, Bandi's Mandalorian figure, Meng's King Tiger and ICM's MiG-25. Other complaints were more general in nature, any kit from Amodel, most kits from Lindberg, any Italeri kit re-boxed by Tamiya, and resin kits from unfamiliar producers. We also remembered problems dealing with Model Airplane Depot. Bandai's Stormtrooper and Kamen rider Zero One figures were singled out as good kits as were Revell Germany's F-16s and Phantoms. Tamiya's Char B1 bis is a personal favorite. 

The next meeting is Tuesday, 11/8/22 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. If you or a family member is running the Sunday, have fun and stay safe. 

~Russ  

 

 

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: 10/25/22 / featured topic: reviews

Reviews, they're everywhere these days. Do you read them? Do they influence your purchases? Which reviewer do you trust?

Thirteen people attended the meeting. Lou reported two new releases from Trumpeter: 1/48 M-14 Hound and 1/700 Gneisnau. Mark shared photos of the 10/22/22 Poughkeepsie show, where Joe won Gold for his Milicent Patrick figure. Hopefully we'll see Milicent at the November meeting. Kevin shared photos of the NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum in Rio Grande, NJ (at the Cape May Airport). Aircraft of different eras are on display. Some are under restoration. It's not parked in the Gift Shop but Kevin heard their restored Corsair is for sale, only $3 Million. Iin progress and completed work included: F-7 U3 Cutlass, Lysander, downsized Minister of Silly Walks figure, GT-40, SU-76, Su-27 Flanker, An-74, '66 Buick Wildcat, Soviet Aerosan (Kosta translated the markings for Mr. K), Lacrosse Mobile launcher and female magician figure. Acquisitions included: FW 1000, Razorcrest spacecraft (in a larger scale) and Marilyn Monroe in Korea figure. The tool the week was a Cylindrical Surface Sander from Dspiae. It's like a Flex-I-file, but with a handle and able to hold any abrasive strip you choose. The featured topic was reviews. The general feeling was that they come in handy, pointing out problems and errors so you know what you're getting into. In box reviews are nice nut full build reviews are more valuable. Mark will be doing a full-built review of Takom's floating drydock. We're not certain where or when it will appear. However, we are certain that our next meeting is Tuesday 11/1/22 at 7:30. Invites to follow. Happy Halloween. 

~Russ

October 11, 2022 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

Eleven people attended the meeting. Some are still having difficulty logging in. Keep trying. 

 

The BPMS 50th Anniversary luncheon is this Sunday, 10/16/22, 1pm at Buckley's 2629 Avenue S, Brooklyn. Use the Avenue S entrance. Bring cash and avoid the credit card surcharge. Bring a model,  photos or BPMS memorabilia for the display table. 

 

We meet in person on Friday, 10/21/22 so there's no Tuesday Zoom next week. The Hudson Valley show is Saturday, 10/22/22 in Poughkeepsie. 

 

Lou reports two releases from Academy, 1/72 F 104C (Vietnam) and 1/35 Pz 4 H (late). Mark shared photos of the Warhawk Museum in Nampa, Idaho, which led to a conversation on aircraft bungee cord suspension systems. 

 

In progress and completed work included: Hobbycraft F-7 U3 Cutlass (Vaughn says it's a challenging kit. Russ agrees),  Su-76 M, H6K5/23 Flying Boat (Mark had glue damage, Frank suggested a repair with Mr. Surfacer), Davy Jones bust, Minister of Silly Walks figure (Kevin created the clay sculpture from scratch), An-74, MiG 15 UTI and Soviet Aerosan. Acquisitions included: Dakota Mk 3, IL-2 Sturmovik, SAAB Lx ( rough kit from Unicraft ) and WW Toons Tiger 1. The featured topic was model shows. Some attend as many as possible, some go when time permits, some just sort of stopped going. Competitions can produce both really good models and really bad behavior from modelers who don't win an award. Everyone appreciated the vendors, even if they didn't really need another kit, book or tool (tip - have a shopping list when you visit the vendors' room). Old shows and venues were recalled and current ones were critiqued (Hudson Valley got a good review).

 

See you at Buckley's on the 16th or the Community Center on the 21st or the Hudson Valley show on the 22nd. Just show up, no invites needed.

 

~Russ

BPMS Bulletin: October 2022

BPMS Bulletin

by Bobby B2 Blue Pokorny

September meeting was action packed! We had 28 members and one guest who brought in 21 models for the final meeting of the summer of 2022.

September Meeting

MEETING CHANGES: We had a couple of changes during the meeting. We started earlier, around 7:30 PM to make sure we were able to get all our activities done in time. Gordon also got a feed to work on Facebook. We will be refining both of these in the coming months.

NEW MEMBER: Chi Wang has been visiting the club for years, but now that he’s a NY resident again, it was time to vote him in! Welcome to the fold!

SPEED PAINTING: Kevin K. and your humble narrator demonstrated how to use Speed Paints by ARMY PAINTER. The verdict, it can really save time when building smaller figures. It must be a good idea because rival companies have announced competing products!

SWAP NIGHT: Members brought in all sorts of goodies to swap and sell.

BPMS SHIRTS: The shirts arrived and Gordon handed them out! Thanks!

DECEMBER THEME CONTEST: With the year speeding by we can look forward to the December theme contest: The Golden Age of AURORA Models. Find contest details on the final page of this Bulletin. Sponsored by Joe B and Kevin K. . 

Raffle: We had another fun raffle this month. We’ll likely have another for October. The club is always looking for donations for these activities.

Photo-phone list: Gordon started taking photos of the group for the photo-phone list. If he didn’t take your photo at the last meeting, please see him at the next meeting.

WEEKLY ZOOM: Even though we are back to having regular meetings, the weekly ZOOM will continue! New day and time: Tuesdays at 7:30 PM. Every week EXCEPT for weeks with an in-person meeting.

On the agenda: OCTOBER

NOMINATIONS: Prez Tom and Veep Tom have had an unusual term. Maybe we should ask them to sit in for a NORMAL year?

2019-22 Model Pledge: 2019-22 declaration period is now CLOSED! You already showed me something unbuilt. Please have it finished for OCTOBER 2022, for a display. Also, be ready to tell the group a couple words on your build. After October you may bring back your pledge for the November meeting for the last contest of the year. For your efforts you get an additional FIVE Super Raffle tickets for completing your pledge! Sweet! Easy enough!

SUPER RAFFLE: The Super Raffle is in November, but you might want to start looking through your stacks for items you may want to donate. Thanks in advance!

BPMS 50th Anniversary: By the time of the next in-house meeting the 50th Anniversary celebration will have been in the book. However, we should be getting this Bulletin out ahead, so here’s a reminder:

Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 1:00 PM

Buckley’s Restaurant & Caterers
2926 Avenue S, Brooklyn, NY 11229

We have the room for four hours. Guests are welcome. Enter from the Ave S side, Tentative Price: $75 per person.

October Meeting Date:

October 21, 2022

Business will be starting at 7:30 PM

At the BBSC

See you there!

 

October 4, 2022 BPMS Zoom Meeting

Eleven people attended the meeting. The 50th Anniversary luncheon is Sunday, Oct 16 at 1 pm at Buckley's. Hope to see you there.

Lou reports a new book from Squadron on the F-4 (BTW, Squadron is mailing hard copies of their catalog again) and Tamiya's F-35 A is available. Jimmy also mentioned several new releases, which he's posted on the club's Facebook page. 

IPMS judging rules were briefly discussed. Costa shared photos of the training ship Danmark and Russ shared photos of from the Minnesota Marine Art, Dahl Automobile, National WW2 and Confederate Memorial Hall Museums and he Vicksburg National Park. 

In progress and completed work included: Davy Jones bust, GR7A/GR9A Harrier, TIE Interceptor, large and small robots (ask Julio for details) and Galaxy Quest's Protector (Gil is adding lights). Acquisitions included: Marlon Brando bust (from On the Waterfront), Pathfinder (from For All Mankind) and F 86 F-40. The tool of the week was a "diagonal stylus", similar to the Leroy Lettering Set pen shown at an earlier meeting. The advantage of this pen is price, under $10 on AliExpress. On the old kit/new kit question, everyone agrees newer kits (usually) are better engineered and fit better but higher prices make builders and wholesalers pause. Some people buy new kits to support new makers. Some like older kits because they were designed as fun builds (who can resist folding wings and droppable bombs?) Frank said that new tools and products enabled him to save several kits from the shelf of doom. Then someone asked "How many can you build?" Fortunately, the meeting ended and the question went unanswered. 

Next meeting is Tuesday 10/11/22 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Have a happy Columbus Day weekend. 

~Russ

A list of the BPMS Theme Contests over the years

1997 – Science Fiction
1998 – The 50s
1998 – To the Rescue
1999 – Israel
1999 – Conceptual
2000 – On Patrol
2000 – The Marines
2001 – Humor
2001 – Diorama
2002 – Space
2002 – “Old Model”
2003 – Things With Teeth
2003 - A Moment in Time
2004 – Adversaries
2004 – US Military
2005 - In the Movies
2005 - Cats
2006 – Worn, Weathered, and Working
2006 – Star Wars / Star Trek Anniversaries
2007 – Vintage 1965
2007 – We Mean Business
2008 – Warsaw Pact
2008 – NASA
2009 – A Mad, Mad, Mad Theme Contest
2009 – Size Matters
2010 – Naval Aviation
2010 – Things That Sting
2011 – Classic Monogram
2011 – The Twilight Zone
2012 – That 70s Theme
2012 – End of the World
2013 - Television
2013 - Sloppy Seconds 
2014 - Asian Invasion 
2014 - Western European Tour 1944 - 1945 
2015 - Modeling With the Stars 
2015 - New Kids on the Block 
2016 - Basic Black
2016 - Island Hopping 
2017 - Star Wars 40th Anniversary 
2017 - Peaceful Plastic 
2018 - WWII - 1946 
2018 - Rivets!
2019 - NASA: 50th Anniversary of the Moon-landing 
2019 - D-Day to The Battle of the Bulge - 75th Anniversary
2020  (no themes due to COVID-19)

2021  (no themes due to COVID-19)
2022 - 70 Years of Aurora Models

2023 - Remember The Members  

 

Bulletin Archive in PDF Format

 

 

Bulletin 2022 10

Bulletin 2022 09

Bulletin 2022 08

Bulletin 2022 07

Bulletin 2022 06

Bulletin 2022 05

Bulletin 2019 06
Bulletin 2019 05
Bulletin 2019 04
Bulletin 2019 03
Bulletin 2019 02
Bulletin 2019 01

Bulletin 2018 12
Bulletin 2018 11
Bulletin 2018 10
Bulletin 2018 09
Bulletin 2018 08
Bulletin 2018 07.pdf
Bulletin 2018 06.pdf

Bulletin 2018 05.pdf
Bulletin 2018 04.pdf
Bulletin 2018 03.pdf
Bulletin 2018 02.pdf
Bulletin 2018 01.pdf

Bulletin 2017 12.pdf
Bulletin 2017 11.pdf
Bulletin 2017 10.pdf 
Bulletin 2017 09.pdf
Bulletin 2017 08.pdf
Bulletin 2017 07.pdf
Bulletin 2017 06.pdf
Bulletin 2017 05.pdf  
Bulletin 2017 04.pdf
Bulletin 2017 03.pdf
Bulletin 2017 02.pdf
Bulletin 2017 01.pdf

Bulletin 2016 12.pdf
Bulletin 2016 11.pdf
Bulletin 2016 10.pdf
Bulletin 2016 09.pdf
Bulletin 2016 08.pdf
Bulletin 2016 07.pdf
Bulletin 2016 06.pdf
Bulletin 2016 05.pdf
Bulletin 2016 04.pdf
Bulletin 2016 03.pdf 
Bulletin 2016 02.pdf
Bulletin 2016 01.pdf

Bulletin 2015 12.pdf
Bulletin 2015 11.pdf
Bulletin 2015 10.pdf
Bulletin 2015 09.pdf
Bulletin 2015 08.pdf
Bulletin 2015 07.pdf
Bulletin 2015 06.pdf
Bulletin 2015 05.pdf
Bulletin 2015 04.pdf
Bulletin 2015 03.pdf
Bulletin 2015 02.pdf
Bulletin 2015 01.pdf

Bulletin 2014 12.pdf
Bulletin 2014 11.pdf 
Bulletin 2014 09.pdf 
Bulletin 2014 08.pdf
Bulletin 2014 07.pdf
Bulletin 2014 06.pdf
Bulletin 2014 05.pdf
Bulletin 2014 04.pdf
Bulletin 2014 03.pdf
Bulletin 2014 02.pdf
Bulletin 2014 01.pdf

Bulletin 2013 12.pdf
Bulletin 2013 11.pdf  
Bulletin 2013 10.pdf
Bulletin 2013 09.pdf
Bulletin 2013 06.pdf
Bulletin 2013 01.pdf

Bulletin 2004 06.pdf

Bulletin 2001 06.pdf

Bulletin 2000 05.pdf

Bulletin 1996 07.pdf  

Joe B - Fleshtones and Eyeballs.pdf Bulletin 2014 10.pdf 
Spotlights [old] - Holcomb Alvarado Kasza[x2] Ferrara Gertner Reinert Keegan Rosati Maroney Batterman Pokorny Eng.pdf
Weathering Models by Eric Reinert.pdf
Spotlight - Rob Garitta.pdf
Spraying Gloss Finishes by Bobby Kasza.pdf
That 50s Display.pdf SPOTLIGHT - Rosati - Maroney - Batterman - Pokorny - Eng.pdf
BPMS By Laws V2.pdf BPMS By Laws.pdf

Rudy's Hobby & Art: Astoria's supplier of trains, crafts, and memories - CBS New York

 https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/rudys-hobby-the-dig/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: Sept 27, 2022 - Topic: Take 2!

Part 1 starts promptly at 7:30 PM EST.
Part 2 starts at 8:10 PM if we need more time.

Members and guests are cordially invited to join our group for our weekly online meeting!

If you would like to join, DM us your email address and name so we can include you in the email list with Zoom Meeting details (meeting numbers and passwords)!

On the agenda:

BPMS Club News.
IPMS News.
Other clubs news.
Hobby News.
What's on your workbench?
Featured Discussion: Take Two - How do you disassemble and rebuild an old model? Is there something better than an X-Acto knife? What removes paint with least mess?

BPMS ZOOM Meeting Report 9/20/22

Eleven people attended the Tuesday, Sept. 20 BPMS Zoom meeting. The 50th Anniversary Luncheon is on for October 16, 1 PM at Buckley’s in Brooklyn.

Word came from Lu that no new kits of significance have arrived.

The Facebook live-stream experiment at last Friday’s Brooklyn meeting was apparently a partial success. Webmaster Gordon said more work is needed.

The discussion topic for the night was tricks modelers can use to build faster. BPMS vice president Tom G. finds his best move is, “going over the instructions first, before I touch anything.”

To finish aircraft faster and sustain interest in his latest project, Frank C. builds as much of the model as possible without painting tedious sub-assemblies. Once the largely-complete model is primed and airbrushed, details can be hand-painted with Vallejo colors free of brush marks.

Vaughan showed off his completed Fw190 built from the ProModeler kit and gave some insights into German fighter engineering. On the real aircraft, the radio antenna wire aft of the cockpit traveled through multiple pulleys to stay taut when the canopy opened. On his model, Vaughan just closed the canopy. Vaughan’s next project is the big F7U Cutlass from Hobbycraft, a naval jet fighter with great looks and unimpressive performance. Vaughan plans to ‘bang it together’ for the joy of building. He typically finishes 3-4 kits a year.
Kevin showed of his beautifully painted Jabba the Hutt bust and two works in progress – a Western Sherriff and fighter jock Wild Bill Kelso from the movie 1941. He also showed off his amazing sculpted clay Large Marge from a PeeWee Herman movie. Kevin’s only tip for speed building is to super-glue lots of small, photoetched parts in succession to “get a rhythm going.”

Chuck said he favors a slow, methodical approach to building and observed, “Going faster, saving time never works for me.”

Mark showed off some interesting historical photos – including a P-47 stained black with oil streaming from battle damage. His tip for faster building is to start with research on other people’s troubles building the same model. “It reduces the chance you’ll just put it down because you can’t achieve your objective.” Mark recommended a fiberglass eraser pen from AK Interactive to remove minor mold marks fast. Square sanding blocks help repetitive tasks like removing mold marks from road wheels. Mark’s next project is a Tamiya Su-76M tank. The Hudson Valley Historical Miniatures Guild will host its annual show October 22, and Mark reminded BPMS of his group’s Turkey Challenge – finish any kit you want over the four-day Thanksgiving Weekend.

Bob K. finished his 1/400 scale HMS Undine submarine and showed a 1/144 C-130 Hercules in progress. He currently has eight models in work at a time.

Mike has undertaken an F4F Wildcat comparison build with the 1994 Tamiya, 2007 HobbyBoss, and 2022 Eduard kits going simultaneously. He shies away from photoetch accessories and noted, “The more you buy, the less chance you’ll finish the model. Mike’s tips for speedier building included sanding sponges for cleaning up tank wheels and a Lazy Susan work base for airbrushing.

To answer the speed building question, Gordon reviewed several sets of plastic sprue nippers. The best and most expensive of them trims parts so close little sanding is required.

Gil showed off a resin Shogun Babe in progress with magnet hands to hold her sword. His tool tip of the week was Harbor Freight center drills made for power tools also make good hand drills to center holes in round stock. 

Zoom Master Bob P. also advised builders to study instructions first and build several similar small figures at once. He painted 15 Cthulhu goods at the same time and recently discovered Speed Paint from Army Paints. The pigment-rich paints enable the modeler to color and shade “with one stroke of the brush.”

Next Zoom Meeting is Tuesday, September 27. Invitation to follow.

~Frank C.