January 27, 2022 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report

Sixteen people attended the meeting. No new releases were announced. Deliveries to distributors are 6 weeks behind. The next lunch meeting is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, 2/12/22 at Nurnberger Berghaus, 817 Castleton Ave, Staten Island. Details to follow. We agreed to sponsor a trophy package at MosquitoCon, 1/72 armor in memory of Tim G. We had a good example of why virtual meeting are worthwhile. Frank asked if Wildcats carried on-board life rafts. Within a minute, he had the answer and the name of the book it came from. This led to a discussion of aircrew safety measures and aircraft flotation device designs. Very interesting. We saw examples slide molded gun tubes (Tamiya's M-551 Sheridan) and fuselages (AMK's MiG /-31 and F-14) and wondered if modelers are getting spoiled (no one complained). Don reports a very large barge mounted crane (it's actually "The Left Coast Lifter", last used on the Mario Cuomo/Tappen Zee Bridge job) is tied up at Richmond Terrace & Clove Road on Staten Island. Not open to the public but worth a look if you're in the area. In progress and completed work included: (Young) Frankenstein's Monster, SAAB J-32, Millenium Falcon (1/43 DeAgostini kit with interior and lighting), P-40 Flying Tiger, B-25 B (Doolittle Raid markings), M-551Sheridan, IDF M-113, scratch built Russian Artic Explorer, M-3 Grant (Lulubelle markings), Stearman crop duster conversion, BTR-80 (these last 5 built by friends of Mark), F 4F Wildcat, Mirage 2000, L-39 Albatros, Yak-42 D, 76 Chevy Sport Pickup, Convair Manned Observation Satellite, Panzer-4 G, Battlestar Galactica and Roman Warship. Distributers may not be getting kits, but our guys are. Acquisitions included: two Polish submarines, two German torpedo weapons, Autogyro, and F-50. The tool was something Bobby has been curious about for some time and Gil answered his questions when he told us about the "EWK Patented Aluminum Refillable Aerosol Spray Can, Pneumatic Compressed Air Sprayer for Lubrication and Anti-Rust". It's an inexpensive, refillable alternative to Dust Off. The transparent paint discussion was brief but informative. Maybe we'll revisit it in future. Groundhog Day is 2/2/22. The next meeting is 2/3/22 at 8pm. Unless, well, you've seen the movie, you know what can happen. Invites have been sent. Hope you can make it.

~Russ

January 20, 2022 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report

Sixteen people attended the meeting. Replicon is scheduled for 3/26/22 at the Freeport Recreation Center. We got a trophy sponsorship request from Mosquito Con, $35.00. Joe suggested sponsoring 1/78 armor in memory of Tim G. No one objected but the officers will have the final say. We talked about another lunch meeting and tentatively scheduled one for 2/12/22 at Nurnberger Berghaus, 817 Castleton Ave, Staten Island. No new releases but we heard about DML's new 1/48 Bf 109-E4 with a slide molded one piece fuselage (followed up by sending everyone a link with photos). Thanks, Lou. In progress and completed work included: Ar-196, SAAB J-32, Alfa Romeo 2300 Coupé "Dinner Jacket" (1/8 Pocher and state of the art, back in the day), F4U-1A Corsair, P-51 K, Ford Bronco, Airspeed Oxford, USS Pittsburg, USS Monitor turret (1/35 Verlinden - another back in the day kit), Panzer 4 G, Mirage 2000 (Republic of China markings) and Battlestar Galactica. New year = new acquisitions: Type XXIII U boat, HMS Ursula, Chevy Nova, Su-57 and SAM SA-2. This week's tool was a purpose-built modeling tool, the Gianotes Precision Cotten Swab G -04n. It's similar to the "Gundam Model Seepage Line Oldening Wiper Remedy Pen Wiping Stick" (that's what they call it) at the TIZA Modeling Store on AliExpress. Next meeting is 1/27/22 at 8 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.

~Russ

January 13, 2022 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

Fourteen people attended the meeting. We talked about another lunch meeting, possibly in February, possibly on Staten Island. We have a few weeks to work out the details. Two releases from Atlantis, F-89 D Scorpion (1/89) and Boeing 707 -120. Watch for MiniArt's 1/48 P-47 Thunderbolt and Airfix's 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IXc. In progress and completed work included: Panther D, BMP 1, Me P.1107, SAAB J-21, Gargoyle figure (from the TV movie), MiG-25, Panzer 4 G, L-39 Albatros, Tu-16 Badger, An-2, Raketa hydrofoil river boat, A-50, A-90, Su34, Jagdpanther and Battlestar Galactica. Acquisitions included: Mörser Karl, Il-28, C-97, C-121, X-15, USS Pittsburg and Soviet WW2 armored car. While discussing his J-21, Vaughn pointed out modern wheel wells are painted white to make fluid leaks more visible (something the non-aircraft guys might not have known). We heard a lot of tips. Mark reported mixed results with his vortex paint mixer. It seems to work better with glass bottles, as opposed to plastic bottles. For weathering aircraft, Don uses a small nib calligraphy pen to apply Tamiya washes. Frank used a pencil to good effect on his MiG-25 - apply gloss coat, run pencil along panel lines, smear pencil marks in airflow direction, gloss coat, then flat coat. Costa recommends Vallejo acrylic matt spray varnish. The tool was a Gamecraft Miniature Figure Holder. Intended for Warhammer type figures, it can accommodate larger scale seated figures, like pilots. A useful tool for about $5.00. The next meeting is 1/20/22 at 8 pm. Masks optional. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.

~Russ

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: January 6, 2022 Report

Fifteen people attended our first meeting of 2022 which, I believe, was our 90th virtual meeting. Amazing! Equally amazing, Gordon joined us for the first time. Hopefully we'll see more of him and his work in future. Frank is working (a polite way to put it) with the new IPMS software to renew the BPMS charter. Vaughn is having a similar experience with his renewal. In industry news, Scalemates' 1/6/22 list of new releases is worth reading and ICM is coming out with two versions (cargo and daisy cutter) of the CH 54 Skycrane in 1/35. The holidays and other obligations seem to have cut into most people's model building time. Even so, we saw some more in progress and completed work: Arma's 1/72 P-51 B/C Mustang (highly recommended), Eurocopter Tiger, SAAB J-21, M-60, Soviet soldier figures, MiG-25 and Garden Tractor. Acquisitions included: 1/72 Hawker Hurricane 2C, 1/144 JASDF F-35 A and 1/144 aircraft ordnance set (including daisy cutter). Rather than showing his models this week, Igor shared photos of aircraft on static display - MiG-29, Mi-24 Hind, Su-34, Tu-144 cockpit, and his homebuilt ultralight. Thanks, Igor. The tool was a set of silicone radial bristle discs for polishing metal. Not suitable for plastics. There was a last-minute change in the featured topic. We shared tips on taking better pictures of our models and discussed digital camera v. smartphone camera, cropping, natural light, Light box, infinity backgrounds, Photoshop and Lightroom. The next meeting is 6/13/22 at 8pm. Invites to follow. Hope you can make it.

~Russ