BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: 03/31/2022

BPMS Meeting Report – March 31, 2022  

 

Seventeen people attended the 3/31 on-line meeting, and Capt. Vinny broke important news:

BPMS is coming back LIVE at the Bergen Beach Sports Complex – APRIL 22, 2022!

*Note, that’s the fourth Friday of the month to clear the Easter weekend.

More details to follow, but plans call for Zoom meetings to continue as well.

Lu B. announced arrival of three new releases from Trumpeter – the 1/200 Scharnhorst German battlecruiser, 1/350 USS Sangaman escort carrier, and a 1/72 U.S. Army Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) vehicle.

Gil’s tool tip of the week was an Autolot cordless compressor/air brush that maintains 27 psi pressure and recharges in about an hour. List price is around $60.

Kevin K. broke the news that, despite the conflict in Ukraine, MikroMir has released its 1/72 Japanese Mitsubishi J4M Senden pusher fighter, 1/350 HMS Conqueror nuclear submarine, and 1/72 Blohm & Voss P 193 German dive bomber. Kevin also showed off new 75 mm figures including a Palace of Medusa and Law & Order fantasy figures.

The night’s theme question was: What pushes a model onto your Shelf of Doom? Kevin recollected a cast resin figure with assembly tolerances so tight it proved impossible to build without breaking parts off to make access for other pieces. “I got to the point when I got tired of ripping it apart.”

Jimmy T showed some of his new hobby finds including 3D-printed tracks for his 1/48 scale Tamiya Panther and a 3D-printed 1/48 jet pilot with astounding detail. The Shelf of Doom claimed Jimmy’s 1/72 HobbyBoss Merkava tank easy-build kit when he tried to load it up with aftermarket chain-and-ball protective gear.

Steve N. advanced his 1/48 Lancaster to the decaling stage but admitted the Shelf of Doom claimed his Arado seaplane “I got so frustrated with fit problems, I just put it over there.”

Mike M. noted, “It seems like everything I touch lately winds up on the Shelf of Doom,” but he continues fighting the flash and seam lines on the vintage Revell Corsair and Thunderbolt kits.

Tony M showed a 1956 Chevy kit he bought 45 years ago and told how he uses white wall tire cleaner to remove paint from an old 1957 Ford kit to make a hot-rod conversion. Frank G. showed progress on his Roman bireme slave ship, and Kosta L was camouflaging his 1/48 Academy MiG-29 jet fighter in preparation for Ukrainian markings. Don I showed the1/72 Kugelblitz rotorcraft from Bird Models.

Mark N. showed a Swedish Spitfire oversprayed with light misted coats of the base color to ‘tone down’ contrasting decals, and recommended using Mona Lisa odorless thinner and raw umber oil paint to highlight panel lines.

From the sort-of Deep South, BoB K showed his 1/72 scale Bristol Racer from Avis, Bell X-1B from Glencoe. Work-in-progress for Mr. K is a 1/35 Abrams tank from Academy.

Frank C. finished his 1/72 A-7P in Portuguese markings and noted many projects fall to the Shelf of Doom simply because they take too long and inspiration evaporates. Mike T and others countered that the biggest impediment to finishing models is lack of time and life’s inevitable interruptions.

Next on-line meeting is Thursday, April 7. Invite to follow.

~Frank C.