THE GOLDEN AGE OF AURORA THEME CONTEST: DECEMBER 2022

December 16, 2022!!!

THE GOLDEN AGE
 
OF AURORA
 

THEME CONTEST
 

Celebrating 70 Years

of Models!

Who among us in this hobby doesn’t have some sort of memory of a fond AURORA memory? To celebrate the 70^th Anniversary of AURORA MODELS we bring to you THE GOLDEN AGE OF AURORA theme contest for June. The criteria are simple: build any model produced by Aurora, Polar Lights (re-pop), Monogram (who acquired the remaining Aurora molds from the train wreck), Moebius (did a minor re-pop), Atlantis (re-pop), Doll and Hobby (newest re-pop company). Revell USA acquired a few molds, and a short-lived spin off company called Addar would all be acceptable. Since AURORA produced models in every niche, there’s something for everyone, and with all the re-issues over the years, they aren’t cost restrictive any longer. 

Here is a video on YouTube on the history of Aurora:

https://youtu.be/KBgCRQ2wIvw

Feel free to contact the sponsors with and questions or comments!

Sponsors:

·       Joe Bergman

·       Kevin Kilkenny

TUESDAY, 04/26/22 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

Zoom Meetings are now on TUESDAYS!

Fourteen people attended our first Tuesday zoom meeting, which is pretty good considering we had a zoom meeting last Thursday and an in-person meeting the following day. Attendance at the in-person meeting was at pe-pandemic level and a large number of models were on display. Expect to see them again in May at the first Quarterly Contest. BTW, there are only three Quarterly Contests in 2022 (huh?). We tried to see if zoom would work at the Community Center without any additional equipment. It didn't, so we posted photos and videos of the meeting on the BPMS Facebook page.
Even though he was on the road, Lou reported IBG's 1/35 Polish 7TP light tank was now available. We also heard that Micro Mir released the USS Monitor in 1/144. In progress and completed work included: SAAB J-32, Fw-500, A-10 (Don was pleasantly surprised by this 1/48 Italeri kit), Type XXIII U-Boat, An-74 (on skis), M1-A1 Abrams, Wild Bill Hickock figure, F-84 G and Sdkfz 250 (an old build Mike is re-working). The tool was Museum Wax. Gil will compare it to similar products and share his findings. We had time to revisit old topics. Vaughn shared several photos of the boxes he built to transport his models. Mark told the story of the modeler who beat the system by getting Home Depot to mix a gallon of Dunkelgreb only to find that house paint ain't model paint. Mike had questions about glaze medium and Frank had questions about undercoats for natural metal finishes. Mr. K gave his son's Twitch channel, Warduck Miniatures, a plug. Next meeting is 5/3/22 at 7:30pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.

~Russ

https://www.twitch.tv/warduckminiatures

04/21/2022 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report!

Final Thursday night BPMS Zoom before we switch over to TUESDAYS! 

Ten people attended the final Thursday Zoom meeting. I expect more people will attend tonight's in person meeting at the Community Center (2303 Bergen Ave). Bring a mask, just in case. In progress and completed work included: SAAB J-21 jet conversion, T-72 B3, T-90, M-113 MRV (Australian) and F-104 G (with camera pod). Acquisitions included: Curtis Jenny (or Wright Flyer, maybe - I got distracted), Viking Ship and Mummy's Chariot. We saw two tools this week, the Badger Hobby Pal suction pick up tool which is good for picking up, holding and positioning smooth parts like windows. The other tool, which Gil is building, is a waterfall spray booth (my name, not his). Sprayed paint is captured by water cascading down a vertical sheet of glass. A pump collects the filtered water and recirculates it. The booth also has an exhaust fan and lights behind the glass panel. Very impressive. The discussion topic was protecting models for moving or storage, a timely topic because shows are coming back and several people are relocating in the near future. Vaughn uses dense cardboard to make 4" tall boxes with custom cutouts to position the piece so the landing gear, antennae and tail are protected. A large number of the small boxes can be stacked in a 3'X3' cardboard box. Mark likes lidded plastic containers sold for under-bed storage. Place bubble wrap on the bottom to keep the model from shifting. Don likes banker's boxes; they have built in handles. Put foam blocks in the corners and place models (separated by airbags or bags of styrofoam peanuts(avoids direct contact with plastic). Then, put a cardboard sheet over the corner blocks and repeat. Voila! Two level storage! Gil has built custom sized boxes from foam. He also uses thick cardboard tubes with commercially available end caps. Magnets on the bases of 28 mm figures keep them in place in a metal box. Will it work on larger scales? Old-timer Andy used a hat box to transport figures and robots. When Frank moved, each model went in a plastic bag and then into a shopping bag. Me, I use thin, crumpled up plastic bags in a shoe box. Of course, I don't get out much. But I'm getting out tonight. Hope you can, too. If not, see you at he Tuesday zoom 7:30 pm. Invites to follow.
~Russ

13 April, 2022: BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report

Eighteen people attended the meeting. 

 

The wait is over! The first in-person BPMS meeting since 2/28/2020 will be held on Friday 4/22/2022 at the John Malone Community Center, 2303 Bergen Ave, Brooklyn NY. Doors open around 6:30 pm. Meeting starts around 8 pm. For those who donated prizes for the "Randon Number Raffle", now's the time to bring them in. A review of old posts shows that we admitted two new members at the 2/28/20 meeting, Felix O. and Louis S. Unfortunately, we have no email address for either of them. If anybody can contact these guys, please tell them about the 4/22/22 meeting. Thanks.

We discussed and voted on changes to the Zoom meeting schedule. The final Thursday Zoom meeting will be 8pm on 4/21/22, the day before the in-person meeting. Invites to follow. Then, starting with 4/26/22, Zoom meetings will be every Tuesday at 7:30 pm, except for the week we have in person meetings. Simple, right? 

In industry news, Lou reports the long-awaited Tamiya 1/35 Hellcat is available. For in progress and completed work, we saw: Alfred E Neuman, Grandpa & Herman Munster, The Beatles (upgraded by Mark R) , T-90 A, T-72 , P-51 D (w aftermarket Chuck Yeager markings) , Winged Dragons (one metal, one plastic), USS Pittsburgh, RF-104 (will be Italian), F-84G (will be Taiwanese), and Panzer crewman (will be repainted). Tom felt good that everything he brought to sell at Mosquito Con was sold. Jimmy felt good, too, because he acquired some of it. Other people's acquisitions included: Brewster Buffalo and F-4 F. In the tool segment, we saw a homemade "light duty" ball vice/part holder that's way, way cheaper than anything on the market. It's a split wooden ball (2" works well) sitting in a pipe reducer. The workpiece can be mounted to the ball's flat surface by tape or pin/dowel or whatever works. Friction between the ball and the reducer is sufficient to hold it in place as you work. Thanks for sharing, Gil. Again, the final Thursday Zoom will be 4/21/33 at 8pm. Invites to follow. The in-person meeting is Friday, 4/22/22. No invites necessary. Happy Holidays to all.

~Russ

 

April 7, 2022 BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting Report

Fourteen people attended the meeting. Big news, in person meetings will resume at the Community Center (2303 Bergen Avenue, Brooklyn 11234) on Friday April 22 at 6pm. Bobby will mail a flyer detailing our catch-up plans. If you donated items for the Random Number Raffle, remember to bring them to the meeting. If you won items in the Raffle, remember to claim them. In-person meetings won't end our Zoom meetings. Zoom let us reconnect with old friends and make new ones, so we'll keep having them in some fashion. Maybe on a different day, maybe once a month. Tell us what works for you. In other club business, we took an informal poll on shows which were primarily displays, where the only award is "Best of Show", as determined by the attendees. Some clubs do this routinely and they get a good turnout (vendors and seminars always attract a crowd). Many people liked the idea. Frank recalled we participated in a display in Pennsylvania (1997 - I checked). Will we do it again in 2023? 

 
Lou reports the following kits are available:1/48 OV-10A, B-26 K and Ju-88 Mistel from ICM, 1/72 Bearcat, 1/18 UH-1B Huey. 1/35 Commando Armored Car (w grenade launchers) from Hobby Boss and 1/35 Stug 3 G from MiniArt. 

 
We revisited the Autolock airbrush+compressor discussion Gil started last week. It's a double action brush. The needle is 0.3mm so the paint must be thinned. Gil had good results with inks and thinned acrylics. It has two pressure ranges, 12-15 psi and 20-27 psi. A fully charged battery lasts about an hour. It's quiet. It's reasonably priced. It's not the ultimate airbrush, but it's sure to come in handy. Others, like I Beautte and Spraygunner offer similar units. Look online.
We didn't see much work in progress but there were many acquisitions: T 90A & Tiger, Mig 29 T, P-51 Mustang, F-18 Hornet, Spitfire, He-111, 66 Chevy Nova, Ch47, Mig-15, Convair Nuclear Exploratory Vehicle, HH 3E Jolly Green Giant, AH-56 Cheyanne and lots of silver paint.
The featured topic was: re-issued kits, do you buy them and why? For some, re-issues are fond memories or opportunities to correct old mistakes. For others, it's the only kit available. And some just don't buy them. The next and, possibly, final Thursday meeting, is 7/14/22 at 8 pm. Invites to follow Hope to see you there. 

 
~Russ

 

BPMS MEETING IN PERSON! April 22, 2022

BROOKLYN PLASTIC MODELERS SOCIETY

IS BACK IN BUSINESS!

Meeting Date:

APRIL 22, 2022 

At the Bergen Beach Sports Complex

Members start showing up around 6:00 PM

We will get back into the swing of things with the following activities:

·         Decal Swap Night: Bring Decals to sell or trade or even give away. You might want to bring some money in case that sheet you’ve looking for shows up!

·         Favorite Model: Bring in your favorite model right now, built or unbuilt and be prepared to tell the group a couple words why you chose it. 

If you have models from the raffles, please bring them in for the exchange!  

Crossing Fingers!

I hope everyone is having a happy and HEALTHY 2022! Saying that things didn’t go as expected in 2021 would be a huge understatement, with multiple fasle starts, so here’s looking forward to getting back to normal! We have much to thank Vinny Rosati for, he got the BBSC to commit to having us back on our usual nght, except for April, since it’s Easter weekend. So we hope to see everyone on APRIL 22^nd at the BBSC, Same time, same place! Contact other members! Tell your friends!

 

 

 

  

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.