8/22/23 BPMS Zoom Mini meeting report

Eleven people attended the meeting. The 8/18/23 in person meeting, being pizza night and the 3rd quarterly contest, was well attended. Photos are on the BPMS Facebook page. No new releases were reported but we heard about the forthcoming 1/32 Tie Fighter from Round 2.

Mark is working on a list of upcoming shows. Details to follow. Mark received a non-modeler's request for someone to repair their Tu-95 Bear, an inherited model with much sentimental value. Chuck can pick it up if someone agrees to make the repairs. Contact Mark and Chuck directly for details. 

If you missed out getting a BPMS shirt last time around, Gordon may order more in future, provided there's sufficient interest. 

In progress and completed work included: 63 Corvette (Paul started the Agora kit with the engine), Hawker Typhoon, FA-18 (Chuck used Mother's Magnesium and Aluminum polish to restore the canopy), Lego Ferrari, F-14, B-58 (Frank really likes the way Vallejo premium grade black label metallic paints look over a gloss black base coat), Tradewind and VW Type 87. Acquisitions included: Douglas 046 A (Kevin plans to recreate a moment in Staten Island history), Martin B-10 B, Mirage 2000 N and 53 Ford Coca-Cola pickup.

The featured topic was cleaning your models. There were stories of well-intentioned family members washing models in sinks or removing dust with a vacuum cleaner(ouch!). Most of us use soft brushes we've picked at craft stores, hardware stores, cosmetic counters or hobby stores/websites. Q-tips and Kleenex are also used. Gordon supplements his brushes with an electric Air Duster (kinda like a hairdryer). Air brushes aren't recommended for dust removal. Individual dust covers, either DIY or professionally built, are effective at keeping models clean. Or maybe you just want to put your model in a jar. Furniture type cabinets and barrister bookcases minimize dust accumulation but dust still gets in. Bobby recalled Mr. K covered his models with dry cleaners' plastic, replacing it when it got too dusty. Unusual, yes, but, Mr. K does have an awful lot of models to keep clean. 

The next meeting is Tuesday, 8/29/23 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. 

Russ

August Meeting Photos

Photos from August 2023 Meeting now up on BPMS Facebook Page

Photos Part 1

Photos Part 2

Transformers Arcee Model Kit

For the Robo/Mecha fans out there. Last week I received the Transformers Arcee kit that I had pre-order from last year. 

For those who are not familiar with this model kit, the kit is by Flame Toys - a China, Hong Kong based company. The kit was released in Asia around July 2023 and was released in the USA August 2023 by Bluefin/Bandai Namco Group who are the US distributor. 

For Transformer fans, they would know her from different reincarnation within the brand. The design for his kit is loosely based on Generation One where she's similar in looks but more feminine in body design. The design was created by Japanese artist going by the alias bansan.

The overall kit was beautifully molded with lots of detail. Of course, we have to remember it's a new kit with a fresh mold. The entire kit is snap-on and color molded. 

The first thing I notice compare to another kit from Flame Toys is that there are no poly cap (PC) parts. It seems with the advancement in mold and designs, many new mecha kits no longer needs the traditional poly caps for joints. The kit came standard with foil stickers as with other kits previously however, I notice there was no Autobot symbol. So closer look around the parts I notice the tiny Autobot symbol was prepainted on the part itself. Further examinations I see 2 more pair of parts were prepainted too. I can't say I'm surprised considering that the kit was designed to be put together straight out of the box and the most you need to paint are probably some panel lines and detailing.

With the above said. The kit is great for people who don't want or do not have the means to fully paint a model kit. The kit itself wasn't really design to be painted because on previous Flame Toys kit, I notice how tight joints/moveable areas are and just have no tolerance for paint. Paint would just scraped off around area of the elbows and knees. However, for modelers like myself, we tend to fully paint our kits and some planning is require to work around minor limitations.

Overall, the kit cost $65 and the engineering looks good. I'll have to put this one together to get an idea how well it comes together. Yet, I had build previous kits from Flame Toys and they do come together nicely. From what I found out, Arcee is hard to get at this time due to her popularity and was sold out from many retailers during the first pre-orders. However, Flame Toys announced it will be doing a second round so expect places that had it on pre-order the first time might be doing round two of pre-ordering.

~Gordon

Plastic Model Building Community Meet-up Interview

Interview with Julio, organizer of 8/12/2023 event: Plastic Model Building Community Meet-up.

Community Group Build at Pier 57, NYC: 08/12/2023

The Group Model Build organized by Julio occurred yesterday and was a huge success! The Daffodil Classroom at Pier 57 big, clean, well-lit and AIR CONDITIONED! It was relatively easy to get to, once you got through cross-town traffic. 

A huge THANK YOU to JULIO for organizing and getting this done!

We estimate that there must have been some 40 - 50 people in attendance during the course of the day. There appeared to be around a couple dozen models on the table covering many facets of the hobby. There were even a couple youngsters walking by the room and came in to inquire about the event. It's rewarding, potentially, to spark the interest of the next generation of model builders!  

Thanks to all the BPMS members who showed up to support this community event, Russ, Steven (& son), Tony, Kevin B, Jeff, Gordon, and Michael "Mido" from our BPMS Zooms. If I missed anyone, I am sorry, I didn't write any names down. 

 

~Bobby P 

 

Submitted by Julio: 

 

Hey everyone!

Sorry I’m getting to this late, I always forget to check my email for days on end.

Thank you everyone that came to hang out, it was a blast. I’d definitely say the attendance was around 55 people or so, there was a little bit of musical chairs going on. There was also 27 models on display at the front of the room, all ranging from miniatures, to tanks, robots, giant robots and stuff in between.

I will probably host another one of these in a month and a half’s time. I’m currently reaching out to Bandai Spirits (formerly known as Bluefin Brands) to see if they can send me a case or two of some simple, beginner friendly models they use at events like Comic Con to get people interested. If it works out and I am able to get the supplies, I’d love to make the next event focused towards new modelers or potential new modelers, since down the line, they’ll be the life blood of our hobby. And if not, well, we’ll have a good time anyway.

August 8, 2023 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

Thirteen people attended the meeting. There's no Tuesday Zoom next week, as the in-person meeting is Friday 8/18. It's pizza night and the 3rd quarterly contest. 

 

Julio's Modelers Meet-up is this Saturday, the 12th, at Pier 57, near 11th Ave and W 15 St in Manhattan, 12pm to 5 pm, Daffodil classroom. See the flyer on the BPMS Facebook page for more information. The 2023 Jerseyfest will be Sept 22-23,  at the Newark Airport Marriott. 

 

Lou reported Revell Germany's 1/32 Hurricane Mk 2 and Trumpeter's 1/72 A-6A (Vietnam version) are available. 

 

Mark shared photos from the IPMS Nationals. He may not have taken pictures of every model there (3,100, according to the organizers) but we saw enough to get a good idea of the quality of the models. Thanks, Mark. If anyone else has photos or stories from San Marcos and wants to share them, please let us know.

 

In progress and completed work included: 3D printed Nurgle figure (Warhammer), 3 D printed Dr. Doom (on throne), Norris-spider thing and RJ MacReady figures (from The Thing), Soviet Sub Project 628, Phantom of the Opera figure, annular monoplane, Stout Skycar, 3D printed Eva figure and Tradewind. Acquisitions included: B-36 (old Monogram kit), eyeball decals and waffen ss camouflage book. 

 

We saw two tools, both designed for other uses but valuable for modelers. A keyboard wrist rest also helps at the modeling bench. Plastic pry bars made to remove trim, etc. on full size cars can be used to pry apart kit parts without damaging them. Both tools are inexpensive and widely available. 

 

Almost everyone remembers the model that beat them: ICM's 1/72 Mig-25 Foxbat (recon), Entex's 1/350 Titanic, Revell's E-A6, large scale vinyl Machine Kreuger kit, characters from Dante's Inferno, P-1000 Land Battleship, Master Box's US Civil War Cavalry kit and EA-7 Optica aircraft. One guy was beaten by filling seams with Zap a Gap instead of putty and waiting too long to sand it smooth. A few guys didn't recall being beaten by any model, but they admitted to having partially built kits laying around the workshop. On a shelf, not in the trash, at least not yet.

 

Hope to see you either at Pier 57 in Manhattan on Saturday, 8/12/23 or at the Community Center on Friday, 8/18/23. 

 

~Russ

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: August 1, 2023

Thirteen people attended the meeting. Several said they didn't get invites to recent meetings. It's not clear why it happened. If you don't get your invite by Tuesday morning, let Bobby, Frank C or me know and it will be re-sent.
Lou reports three Tamiya kits, 1/72 USAF F-35 A, 1/35 JGSDF 8 wheeled armored car and 1/24 GMA T-50 sports car are now available. Jimmy saw 3D printed masks for bomb tips in various sizes, which will be useful
Joe wanted us to know the Hudson Valley show will be Oct 28. Julio's "Modelers Meet-up" is Aug 12 at Pier 57, by the Hudson River, in Manhattan (see flyer on our Facebook page). Kosta is looking for a 1/43 3D printed Browning 50 cal mg. If you can help, contact him directly.
In progress and completed work included: Alien figure (Joe says the completed kit will be 4 feet tall), Kurt Russell and Norris figures (from The Thing), Gary Oldman figure (from Dracula), 3D printed APC (from Alien), F-14, B-58 (Frank will paint a natural metal finish) and Tradewind. Acquisitions included: Hawker Type 2, Il-2, Quick Boost tire stencils, Halcyon Drop Ship (from Alien), a pair of Super Mysetre (one kit, two planes) and a book on same.
This week's tool was a fountain pen ink syringe filler, a clean and efficient way to transfer and, maybe apply, inks. There were brief discussions on aircraft deicing boots, UFOs/UAPs and flying saucer kits, base coats for natural metal finishes, bulged tires for aircraft and what's the best time of day for building. The featured topic was tips for using yellow paint. Some use white as a base coat. Joe recommends a 1 to 2 mix of white and yellow as a base coat. Tan and certain flesh tones also work. Then there's the paint itself. Vallejo's yellow was said to be too transparent, while Citadel's was rich in pigment. Gil likes G-Paint (lacquer based) and Golden Paint (acrylic).
Next meeting is Tuesday, 8/8/23 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
Russ