BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: 07/26/2022

Gil's cookout is Saturday, 7/30/22. Let him know if you're going.  

Despite the heat, seven people met for lunch at Wheeler's last Saturday. Suggestions for future lunch locations are always welcome. 

Sixteen people attended the Tuesday meeting. Several new releases were reported: Tamiya's 1/48 Desert Storm Challenger 2, Kinetic's 1/48 South African Cheetah, Squadron's book on the B-25 and Scale 75's Mount Suribachi vignette in 1/35. Watch for Eowyn vs the Nazgul Lord and Oz, both from Mindwork Games. Mark discussed how paint affected the performance of WW2 bombers and shared photos from his shipbuilding group. Speaking of ships, Kosta shared photos he took at the Tall Ship Festival held in Clevland earlier this month. Participants included: Trinidad, Pride of Baltimore, Niagra, Empire Sandy and others. He also sent videos of the ships under sail the group email list. Joe told us about his 1980-era Tamiya John Player Special that's resistant to glue. Any recommendations? It was said (but confirm for yourself) that Japanese items ordered through Amazon.com.jp arrive quicker than ordering through Amazon.com. Shipping costs are said to be similar (also confirm). Another tip, with the Euro at an all-time low, depending on the item, it may be cheaper to order from an overseas distributer than one in the US.

Probably because of the heat, there wasn't much in progress work, just a Phantom F4-B and an M-48 A5.  Same thing for acquisitions, M-41 Walker Bulldog and Ma. K Altair.  The featured tool was a Locking Rotary Bit Holder from treelineusa.com. Very useful if you tend to knock stuff over. Very timely, too because, as we found out, most of us use some kind of rotary tool for grinding. Seems like everyone has a Dremel or a knock-off,  even if they're rarely used. When space is tight, a flex shaft attachment is handy to have. We saw Tamiya's build it yourself "Electric Handy Router" (unbuilt at the moment). We were warned that ball headed burrs can skip across the work surface, damaging the workpiece and, more importantly, you. Ceramic burrs are less likely to melt plastic as they don't get as hot as their metal counterparts. Milwaukee's rotary tool can be used on modeling projects but it's really intended work in the real world. The battery powered engraving pen from American Science and Surplus is at the other end of the spectrum. Gordon closed the meeting with a demonstration of how to turn a battery powered toothbrush into a small disc sander.  He added an AC adapter because, hey, who wants to buy batteries? 

The next meeting is Tuesday 8/2/22 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow.  Hope to see you there.

~Russ   

 

7/19/22 BPMS Zoom mini-meeting report

The July lunch meeting is this Saturday, 7/23/22, at 12 o'clock, at Wheeler's 1705 Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn.  Hope to see you there. 

Gill's cookout is Saturday, 7/30/22. If you plan to go, email Gill

Twelve people attended the meeting. Two new items, AMT's 1/24 Hauler trailer and Pocher's 1/8 Lotus 72 D. Joe reports Eaglemoss, producer of subscription payment-based models of iconic vehicles went out of business, leaving subscribers with expensive kits that will probably never be completed. Jose won't have that problem because he is big into 3D printing. Using a Anycubic Mono X printer, he's made busts (Pirate, Viking, Warrior), a Warhammer style figure, individual link tank tracks for Tiger 1 and Wespe in 1/35 and tool clamps for tanks. There were so many questions (printer size, printing time, cost of materials, health and safety measures, etc.) it's clear that a more formal discussion/demonstration is needed. 

 

In progress and completed work included: Comanche (Vaughn's not sure what's rattling around inside) , F-15 E Strike Eagle ( Frank recommends this 1/72 Academy kit), Buccaneer, Wespe, and 1963 Ford Thunderbird. Acquisitions included: P-38 J, DH 100 Vampire and Tiger 1. This week's tool was the Paasche ER-15 "Air Eraser", a mini sandblaster good for removing paint, scuffing up vinyl tires and etching glass.  The aluminum oxide grit can be reused after screening out the debris. We also saw how a sandblasting cabinet could be made from a plastic storge bin for about $40.00. Thanks, Gill. 

More online resources were named: Scalemates, Fantastic Plastic, Hyperscale, Cybermodeler, RLM.AT,  Buc Wheat's Scale Models Website, 

the shermantank.com, Sherman Minutia,  Surviving Panzers, williammaloney.com (click the link for aviation and military museums), and boxartden.com 

Next meeting is Tuesday, 7/26/22 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Stay cool. 

~Russ

BPMS Bulletin: July 2022

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BPMS

Bulletin

 

by Bobby the Blue

JUNE was a big meeting. The Green Theme seemed to compel people to bring work to display. We had 26 members and 1 guest who brought in 37 models, mostly for the theme.

June Meeting

NEW MEMBER: We voted in our first new member, post-pandemic. Jose Vazquez, an armor builder and 3D printer, was voted during the June meeting! Congrats and welcome to the fold!

GREEN MODELS: We had a huge turn-out for this theme. You would expect green aircraft and armor, but we have cars, figures, EVERYTHING! Great display!     

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.  

BPMS SHIRT: Gordon did some leg-work and found that we can order polo-style shirts in a variety of colors for around $30. We will be accepting money for orders at the next meeting.  

SWAP NIGHT: Bring in models to swap or sell. Please also bring cash, you never know what you might find and there is no tab at this bar!  

raffle: We had another raffle with a remarkable assortment of prizes. The club is always looking for donations for these activities.

On the agenda: JULY

 BEST ONLINE RESOURCES: Over the last couple years, it seems like many of our members have been mentioning various online resources for methods and inspiration to build models. Please bring in a list of your favorite sites and specific channels you like to visit to share with the group.  

BPMS 50^th Anniversary: It seems perfect timing that the club could get back to meetings in time for our 50^th Anniversary. We opened discussions and due to the occasion the group is interested in something more reflective of the celebration. We were kicking around ideas about steak or Italian food possibly during the months of September or October, before the holidays set in. Please continue to explore places that might have a room so we could make this a more intimate party. Discussions will continue!

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.

ZOOM RAFFLES: In the early days of the ZOOM meetings we held raffles with donated items. Unfortunately, your humble narrator had photos of the items and who won them. Well, I did. Last week the computer I kept that data on was officially declared DOA at my local repair shop. If you know who won what, please let us know! 

 

Meeting Date: 

July 15, 2022

Same time,

Same place!

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July 5, 2022 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

Thirteen people attended the meeting. There's no Zoom meeting next week (7/12/22) because the July in-person meeting is Friday, 7/15/22.  Doors open 6pm, meeting starts 8pm. We'd like to see everyone there, new people especially. But getting to and from Bergen Beach on Friday night by public transit can be a problem, so we're having a lunch meeting at 12 o'clock Saturday, 7/23/22 at Wheeler's, 1705 Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn. It's convenient for bus and subway riders, slightly less convenient for parking. Let me know if you'll be attending so I can give them a headcount.  Speaking of headcounts, let Gil know if you're going to the cookout he's hosting, at his place, on Saturday, 7/30/22.  

Lou reported two new releases, Tamiya's 1/48 P-38 J and Trumpeter's 1/700 Intrepid. Kosta shared photos of Revolutionary War re-enactors at Old Bethpage Village. Kevin shared photos, he found online, of the World Model Expo in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Impressive work and lots of it.

In progress and completed work included:  Comanche, Buccaneer, P-26 (with music wire rigging), Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate, Pegasus Class Hydrofoil and 1934 Packard (Tony bent the pre-painted Metal Earth kit parts with a bubble tea straw). Acquisitions included: Razor Crest, Lunar Landing scene and an assortment of True North enamel paints (Mr. K thinks they're equivalent to Model Master and tougher than Tamiya). The tool of the week was an airbrush cleaning pot. Several companies make them or you could make your own from found materials, which brings us to our discussion topic, creative reuse.  Wine bottle foil is good for belts/straps and so is newspaper, according to someone who didn't exactly recall how to do it. Produce bags from Trader Joes have a cloth-like look, coffee cup lids and seedling flats (or whatever gardeners call them) are common sources of thin plastic, old headphones can supply braded cables,  florist wire combined with heat shrink insulation makes conduit runs that hold their shape, spare kit parts with distinctive shapes, like bombs or drop tanks can be used in unexpected ways (Ask Vaughn about the rotor head), same goes for jewelry supplies (ask Don about Col. Klink), put a metal bottlecap on a magnet and you have a secure palette for small amounts of paint/glue, the aforementioned bubble tea straw used as a mandrel and roadside soil from North Carolina (Mr. K swears it takes glue better than soil from states where they salt their roads). There were more, but you'll have to come to the 7/15/22 meeting or the 7/23/22 lunch or the 7/30/22 cookout to find out what they are.  Stay safe.

~Russ