Friday 11/26/21 BPMS Zoom Mini meeting

Twelve people attended the meeting. Not bad for the Friday night after Thanksgiving. In industry news, Revell released a 1/72 US Navy Swift Boat Mk1, Rye Field is coming out with another 1/35 Tiger 1 and Hobby Boss will have another pricey 1/48 Hornet out soon. We saw lots of photos: Mark's on the career of Gen Theodore Roosevelt Jr, Frank's from the 11/20/21 Freeport show and, from several time zones away, Igor's aircraft models. See if you can pick them out below.  In progress and completed work included: WW2 US Marines w dogs, AML 60 armored car, MN Surcouf cruiser submarine , Rosie the Riveter figure, 1/35 US Tank commander (the BDU camouflage is a decal from CrossDelta), VEF I-16, MiG-31, Fishing Trawler, F4F-4 Wildcat, River Tam figure, An-26 RT, Su-25,  An-14, Li-2, and Tu-154 M. This week's tool is a disposable oral swab (aka "Den Tips"). The wood handle makes for a clean way to apply paint by sponge.  Once again, we ran short on time but we managed to hear a little bit about different ways to mix color. Bob uses the Bob Ross, mix on your palette method and Gil combines primary colors on a wet palette. Mark recommended two inexpensive reference books, "Color Mixing Recipes for Oil & Acrylic" by William F. Powell and "Color Theory" by Patti Mollica. He also demonstrated how to use a color wheel. I'm pretty sure we will return to this topic a few more times. Maybe as soon as the next meeting. The one on 12/9/21 at 8 pm. Watch for the invites.  

~Russ

11/18/21 BPMS Zoom mini meeting report

Thirteen people attended the meeting. There is no meeting this Thursday because of Thanksgiving. The meeting will be the next day, the 26th. We may be able to resume in person meetings in January. We'll keep you advised. One new release, ICM's 1/35 WW2 Chevy 1 1/4-ton truck. MiniArt will release their version in the near future. Also watch for Mobius' 1/48 Aries 1-B Lunar Lander from 2001 Space Odessey. In progress and completed work included: A-6 M2 Zero, USS Oliver Hazard Perry frigate, Hound's Tooth starship, AMG Mercedes, Ar-234, Fi-103 A1 piloted V-1, Fw 190 variant with vertically mounted, downward firing rockets, Piasecki air jeep, Sevesky P-35 (Swedish markings), Fokker F-27 (Air West livery), Tiger 2, MiG 31 and Sea King Mk 42B. Bob K is looking for instructions for Dumas' vac form (not wood) kit of the Creole Queen. Someone, please tell him where to go (to find the instructions, I mean). We talked about airbrush tolerances, needle interchangeability, vortex type paint mixers, thinning ratios and spray pressure for Vallejo paint (Kevin recommends 2 drops Vallejo thinner to 6 drops Model Color Paint, sprayed at around 16 psi), pros and cons of Gunze, Tamiya Spray Flat, thinned matt medium, Dullcote and other flat finishes. Mark suggested polishing the surface with coffee filter material instead of using clear gloss, before applying decals. It was pointed out that for some products, it's critical to thin the paint with the manufacturer's thinner. The conversation was moving so well we decided to go with the flow and postpone color mixing for another day. That day would be Friday 11/26/21 at 8 pm. Invites to follow. Happy Thanksgiving.

~Russ

11/11/21 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report

Fourteen people attended the meeting. Mark shared photos from the Air Force Museum in Dayton and, for no particular reason, we spent several minutes on the difference between Staten Island natives and Staten Island residents. The LI Miniature Collector Society will hold its 2021 show at the Freeport Rec Center on 11/19/21 (6-9pm) an 11/20/21 (9-4pm). Three new releases from Lion Roar: 1/144 B-52G and Su-27B, 1/72 F-14 B Bombcat. Watch for Academy's 1/32 F-4 E Phantom. In progress and completed work included: 1/5 Witch figure, "Tiger Meet" A 7-H Corsair 2, Zero 2 seat target tug conversion, FW Triebflügel, I-16 (Finnish markings, skis), P1 Y Frances, AML-60 armored car, Galaxy Quest diorama, Marlene Dietrich figure, and River Tam figure. This week's first tool was a jar and bottle opener suitable for hobby paint (and larger) jars. It's from Micro Mark but similar openers are available elsewhere. If you need something bigger, look for a Gilhoolie Jar Opener. The second tool was a blunt tip syringe. We'll save the details for another time. 

 

Airbrushes were the featured topic. We saw the Sparmax Flyer, a single action brush where the nozzle is on the bottle (it doesn't use cups). When you want to change colors, change the bottle. Each bottle can be adjusted for proper flow and there's no chance of color contamination. We'll have a performance review shortly. The G233 Set from Master Airbrush was also recommended. It comes with 3 tips, 0.1 mm, 0.2 and 0.5mm. and is reasonably priced. The inexpensive airbrushes designed for use on fingernails are handy (couldn't help it) to have around. Of course, the Paasche H still has a lot of fans. 

 

Next meeting is 11/18/21 at 8 pm. Invites to follow. Since there's no meeting on Thanksgiving Day, we'll have one on the following day. Details to follow. 

~Russ

11/04/2021 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

On the agenda:

BPMS Club News.
IPMS News.
Other clubs news.
Hobby News.
What's on your workbench?
Featured Discussion: Cut me Mick!

Mick knew how and where to cut Rocky so he could go the distance. Do you know how and where to cut a fuselage to change its length, to make a figure taller/ shorter/thinner/wider, to make a waterline hull from a full hull? You get the idea. 

On Nov 6, twelve people met at Nora's for lunch. It was good to catch up with people we haven't seen in a while and to meet people we've only known through Zoom. 

Fourteen people attended the Nov 4 meeting. Last year, we skipped the Thanksgiving Day meeting. For this year, someone suggested we move it to another day. Friday, Nov 26th, seems like the logical choice. We can discuss it at the next meeting. Two new 1/35 releases from AFV Club: Australian M-113 (Vietnam) and IDF M-38A-1/CJ-5 w/TOW missile. Kevin reports Naval Institute Press is having a book sale - 50% off and free shipping until the end of the year. Check their website (usni.org) for details. In progress and completed work included: X4-FU Corsair, reworked Galaxy Quest diorama (apparently downsizing isn't just for empty nesters), Marlene Dietrich figure, Zlin Z-42M, Fokker G-1, Bell X B-1, A6M-2 Zero(with several aotake color trials), Pz 38(t), AMX 10-RC, Mercedes AMG GT3, Sea King Mk 42-B and MiG-25 RBT. Acquisitions included: FDNY Fire Truck Tower Ladder 9 (1/24) and F4F-4 Wildcat. The featured tool was a set of profile sander grips, hard rubber shapes useful as backing when sanding inside corners, recesses, convex and concave surfaces. Widely available. The topic was cutting and splicing parts. It's better to cut the pieces (e.g., fuselage halves) before they're assembled. You can scribe with the back of a blade until the plastic is cut through. You can layout the cut line with tape then, use a razor saw or micro razor saw. If you have access to a woodworker's planer, you can turn a full hull into a waterline hull. Just ask Don. Next meeting is 11/11/21 at 8 pm. Invites to follow. Hope you can make it.
~Russ

10/28/2021 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report

Fourteen people attended the meeting. New releases from Atlantis: Blue Angels F11F (1/54) and Swivel Stand (ex-Revell - you supply the model). Watch for Tamiya's Stuka w/ bomb trolley, ICM's B-26K and OV-10A and Dream Model's UH-1Y. In progress and completed work included: XF-4U Corsair, A6M2 Zero (the aotake question came up again), Dwayne Johnson figure (white ink Gelly Roll pen used for t-shirt logo), P-38 Lightning, C 130 Hercules (Belgian markings), FW-200 and Ju-52 (Luft Hansa markings), A 7-H Corsair 2 (with impressive Tiger Meet decals), Indian Navy SH-3 Sea King (Frank thanked Bobby for his coffee cup lid suggestion) and WW2 Beetle w/4wd. Acquisitions included: Marleina Dietrich figure, FW-190, 50 BC Roman Warship, Jaguar XKE and Weserflug P-1003. People who attended the Hudson Valley show shared their comments and photos. On a personal note, after more than a year of zoom meetings, it was nice to finally meet the guys from the "North of Brooklyn" sub-chapter of BPMS. Tip of the week #1 , Frank suggested coating Vallejo putty with Mr. Surfacer for better results when sanding. The featured topic was clear parts. Seams can be removed with sanding sticks. 2000 grade Micron Paper (available at auto body shops or on line) also works well. After sanding, polish with Novus #2 (not #1) plastic polish or kid's toothpaste and dip in Future (aka Pledge Floor Gloss). Tip of the week #2, when dipping in Future, lift piece out slowly and dab off excess before setting it down to dry. Future can used as glue, provided you give it several days to set up. But other glues are better for canopies. Gorilla glue, Micro Crystal Clear, MiG ultra-glue, Evergreen Scale Models canopy glue and Pacer Formula 560 canopy glue were recommended. People reported mixed results with Revell Contacta Clear. The next meeting is 11/4/21 at 8 pm. Invites to follow. You don't need invites for lunch at Nora's, but a head count would be nice. We have 7 at last count. See you Thursday.

~Russ