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Thursday, March 02, 2023

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: 02/28/2023

Fourteen people attended the meeting.  We met Tom K (not to be confused with BPMS Pres Tom K), a modeler in South Carolina. The lunch meeting is this Saturday, 3/4/23 at Junior's, 386 Flatbush Ave Extension in Brooklyn at noon. The DeKalb Ave subway station is across the street. Check your favorite map for other nearby stations/connections. Hope to see you there. 
Looking for a new book? Try The Sikorsky Aircraft Centennial: A Tribute by the Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives Paperback by John Bulakowski, Frank Colucci and Igor I Sikorsky Historical Archives. 
Lou reports two new releases, Tamiya's 1/48 M8 and I Love Kit's 1/16 M4A3E8 (standard and premium editions). He also reports AKI will be increasing their prices. Will other manufacturers follow? 
In progress and completed work included: Jagdpanther, Type 212 Class sub, A-6A, Convair Kingfish, Pz 3 (Michael had to replace the smart kit's defective tracks with a nice set of workable 3D printed tracks from T-Rex), Pz 1, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Sepcat Jaguar and Su-7.  Acquisitions included: F-4E and F-4EJ (to quote Jimmy, "It's not hoarding if it's models"). 
Ever wonder if Wiki Stix, the waxy yarn product, is good for masking? Well, Frank has, and he'll tell us how well they work. An airbrush cleaning pot was Gil's tool for this week. They're inexpensive and essential if you do a lot of airbrushing. The featured topic was balancing (primarily aircraft) models. Easy way, glue/pin it to a base. No base? Fabricate an external support, like the tail stands used on some full-sized aircraft. Before adding weight, determine where and how to position it. A partial build or a YouTube video can help. Liquid Gravity's small pellets fill voids well, but it can get messy and they're expensive. Cheaper alternatives are model RR car weights, BBs, birdshot and lead tape for sports equipment. If space allows, mashed up fishing sinkers or car tire balancing weights will work. Packing ship model bases with Propoxy 20, a steel reinforced epoxy putty, adds stability. Avoid modeling clay for securing weights. The oils react with the plastic over time.
The next zoom meeting will be Tuesday, 3/7/23 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow.  The lunch meeting is 3/4/23 at noon. We'll save you a seat. Stay safe.
~Russ

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