BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: September 26, 2023

Sixteen people attended the meeting. No new releases were announced.

Julio has arranged another Modelers Meet-up for 10/7/23 at Pier 57, Daffodil classroom, from noon until 5pm. Details are on the BPMS Facebook page. Armorcon is 10/13-14/23 in Southbury CT, and the Hudson Valley Show is 10/28/23 in Poughkeepsie NY. 

Kevin and Julio shared impressive photos of the entries and the vendors at Jerseyfest. Thanks, guys. We heard about a judging controversy at the IPMS Nationals, which led to a wide-ranging discussion on judges, Gundam v. Mecha, attracting new people to the hobby and so on. 

In progress and completed work included: 3D printed Val Kilmer bust (Doc Holliday, from Tombstone), Spitfire (Swedish recon version), Mr. Kim's Noodle Boat (from The Fifth Element), B-52 with X-15 and 3D printed Laura Croft figure. Acquisitions included: Patriot 105 airbrush, '23 Model T Depot Hack, and Wyatt Earp figure. The tool/product of the week was the Pulsarpro FX dry transfer system. You will, however, need a laser printer and a laminator. 

Decal application was the featured topic. We heard variations on the basic "gloss coat, setting solutions, flat coat" procedure. Mark N uses a coffee filter to prepare the surface for decals. He also sprays a very thinned mist of the model's main color over the decal to blend it in. Micro Set, Micro Sol, Mr. Mark Setter, Mr. Mark Softener and Tamiya Mark Fit Strong are commonly used decal solutions. Walthers Solvaset is reserved for only the most stubborn decals. Vallejo's gloss coat is a good substitute for Future (or whatever they call it now, if they even make it). If you use Dullcote, Mr. K recommends replacing 1/3 of it with thinner for a dead flat coat. 

The next meeting is Tuesday, 10/3/23 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. 

~Russ

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: Sept 19, 2023

Twelve people attended the meeting. Lou reported the 1/32 Tie Fighter and 1972 Toyota Pick-up kits are available. He also reports MiniArt kits are hard to come by at the moment. Kosta shared his recent photo of the USCGC Eagle and the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry docked in New London. 

Jerseyfest is this weekend. Details are on the club's Facebook page. Several people are going, so we expect to see a lot of interesting acquisitions next Tuesday. Julio has arranged another Modelers' Meet Up at Pier 57 on 10/7/23 from noon to 5pm. Details are on the club's Facebook page. Thank you, Julio. Armorcon is 10/13-14/23 in Southbury, CT and the Hudson Valley show is 10/28/23 in Poughkeepsie, NY.
In progress and completed work included: Eurocopter Tiger, Ilyushin Il-2, Pz-4 J, Bearcat, Gundam F 90, 3D printed large scale Laura Croft figure, VW Type 87 and Necronomicon (an HP Lovecraft/Evil Dead thing). Acquisitions included: Tiger 1, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (75 mm figures) and B-17. 

Gil's latest tool was a magnetic tool holder. The magnetic strip keeps tools accessible and organized. Safety note: don't position sharp tools so that you accidentally stab yourself. 

The topic was washing kit parts prior to assembly. For current plastic kits, some do (it's a good way to check that all the parts are there, better safe than sorry), some wash them after assembly (dust, shavings and fingerprints will spoil any paint job) and some don't (why bother, it's an urban myth). But for older plastic kits, resin kits and 3D printed kits, everyone agrees that cleaning is essential. Gil went from soaking resin kits in whitewall cleaner to abrasive blasting his 3D figures, followed by an alcohol wash/scrub, followed by a dish soap wash. The blasting medium he uses is aluminum oxide 120, as used with the Paasche Air Eraser. Kevin uses Purple Power to clean resin. Bobby uses Scotch-Brite pads on resin. And, if the resin isn't completely cured, he puts it under UV light in a lightproof box. Gordon uses microfiber cloths when drying small parts. Gil uses a food dehydrator to dry large pieces and complete assemblies. 

The next meeting is Tuesday 9/26/23 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. 

~Russ

BPMS Model Clinic: Painting 1/35 Scale Figures

BPMS Meeting 9/15/2023

Plastic Model Building Community Meet Up October

Julio will be hosting another Plastic Model Building Community Meet Up. Please see the flyer for more info. Will be on Saturday, October 7, 2023 - same place and time as August Meet Up.

September 5th, 2023 - BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting

Twelve people attended the meeting. No Tuesday Zoom meeting next week as the in-person meeting is Friday, 9/15/23 at the Community Center. Kevin K will present a clinic on painting 1/35 scale figures. Details are in the flyer, which is in the mail. ]

Lou told us about a new kit from Tamiya, The Walking, Swimming Duck (not to be confused with the DUKW). Italeri's 1/72 AMX Ghibli is also available. 

Gordon showed us some of the sprue cutters he's been evaluating. Watch for his detailed write up in a future newsletter. Mark visited the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Horseheads, NY. He'll share photos at a future meeting. 

In progress and completed work included: Eurocopter Tiger (Vaughn fabricated the complex gun sight from laminated plastic on an improvised lathe), Jersey Devil, Pz 4G, Catwoman figure (Gil is getting into 3D printing), B-58 and VW Type 87. Acquisitions included: 5 gal. portable air tank (we remembered some old alternatives to compressors and why they went away) and plexiglass sheets etc. for creating extra display space. The tool of the week was a pop-it fidget toy. Acrylic paint doesn't stick to it making it an easy to clean paint pallet. 

Revisiting last week's topic, maximizing display space, Bobby, Vaughn and Gil gave Frank several options for building supplemental shelves and Don gave important advice on tools and procedures to cut Plexiglas safely. Moving to this week's topic, we talked about what influences our decisions on what to build/buy. For me, if a vehicle was ever on display at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, I'd buy the kit. For Gil, it's anything Volkswagen. Also, space ships, particularly from the old Irwin Allen shows. Kevin built Aurora's monsters when he was a kid and moved up to limited run monster kits and real space kits. A work assignment got Vaughn interested Soviet aircraft, so he built quite a few. Frank likes building F-4 Phantoms because with all the variants and all the national and operational markings/paint schemes used and payloads carried, he can make every model unique. 

The next meeting is Friday, 9/15/23. Doors open around 6PM, meeting starts around 7:30 pm. No invites needed. Hope to see you here. 

~Russ

 

BPMS Bulletin: September - By Kevin K

Minutes from the August Meeting

 

Attendance: Members – 26, Guests – 2, Models – 23
Meeting was gaveled to order at 7:40PM.

 
• Pizza Night and the 3Q Contest.
• A favorable report was giving by the members who attended the IPMS Nationals.
• Reported 2024’s Nats will be in Madison WI, and 2025 will be at Hampton Roads, VA.
• Julio Guadalupe and Bob Pokorny reported on Julio’s Scale Model get together. Another will be planned for the future. See below…
• The monthly raffle was held with 14 winners!
• There was an extended break for pizza and the contest voting.
• Meeting was adjourned at 9:35PM

Meeting date: 

September 15, 2023

Location: BBSC

Time: We usually have members setting up by 6 PM. Feel free to come by early!

Activity: Painting 1/35 Figures, hosted by Kevin K. 

 

 

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: 08/29/2023

Fifteen people attended. Lou reports Trumpeter's 1/16 Sd Kfz 251 D is available. Gordon has been busy collecting and comparing sprue cutters. He'll document his findings in a future newsletter. Anticipating the discussion on display space, Kevin told us about the virtual museum on the Fantastic Plastic Models website. 

 

If you're looking for outdoor events, Kosta has two, Ukrainian Day,  on 9/10/23, at 195 Glenbrook Rd, Stamford, CT and, on 9/17/23, a Ukrainian festival at 90 Fleet St, Jersey City, NJ. Contact Kosta directly for details.

 

In progress and completed work included: Eurocopter Tiger (an Italeri kit with problems, although not as many as the real helicopter, according to Vaughan), Jersey Devil,  USS Greeneville, Pz 3, Pz 38t, Stout Skycar, Annular Monoplane 3, Nike Hercules, Ferrari 512 M (Mark was impressed by this Lego offering), B-58 and Tornado.

 

Acquisitions included: Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, B-10B decals, Eurocopter (a different manufacturer, with aftermarket parts and Air- Graphics decals), '40 Ford, '59 Surf Shark Cadillac, F-22 Raptor and F-2B (by way of Plaza Japan, one of Frank's favorite sources).

 

The topic was improving/maximizing display space. Lou suggested mounting in-flight aircraft on pedestals of different heights. Several guys keep their models in bins and only take them out for shows. Stackable, purpose-built display cases from Trumpeter and others are handy, but expensive. Basketball display cases are good for large figures/Gundams. Not attaching bases to models allows each to be stored separately, saving space. Vaughn built his 7' high, 4' wide, 18" deep cabinets from scratch and Ikea sells bookcases with glass doors. Wall mounted shelves can hold a lot. Mr. K says the shelves in his workroom hold about 1000 models (next zoom meeting, look for yourself). It was noted that glass shelves, as opposed to wood or metal, make it easier to see what's inside a display case. The most obvious approach is to build only smaller scale kits. But who wants to do that? 

 

Next meeting is Tuesday, 9/5/23 at 7:30pm. Invites to follow.  In the meantime, have a Safe and Happy Labor Day.

 

~Russ