Welcome!
Friday, November 08, 2024
11/5/24 Zoom Meeting Report
Monday, November 04, 2024
Bulletin Archive in PDF Format
Bulletin 2019 06
Bulletin 2019 05
Bulletin 2019 04
Bulletin 2019 03
Bulletin 2019 02
Bulletin 2019 01
Bulletin 2018 12
Bulletin 2018 11
Bulletin 2018 10
Bulletin 2018 09
Bulletin 2018 08
Bulletin 2018 07.pdf
Bulletin 2018 06.pdf
Bulletin 2018 04.pdf
Bulletin 2018 03.pdf
Bulletin 2018 02.pdf
Bulletin 2018 01.pdf
Bulletin 2017 12.pdf
Bulletin 2017 11.pdf
Bulletin 2017 10.pdf
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Bulletin 2017 07.pdf
Bulletin 2017 06.pdf
Bulletin 2017 05.pdf
Bulletin 2017 04.pdf
Bulletin 2017 03.pdf
Bulletin 2017 02.pdf
Bulletin 2017 01.pdf
Bulletin 2016 12.pdf
Bulletin 2016 11.pdf
Bulletin 2016 10.pdf
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Bulletin 2016 08.pdf
Bulletin 2016 07.pdf
Bulletin 2016 06.pdf
Bulletin 2016 05.pdf
Bulletin 2016 04.pdf
Bulletin 2016 03.pdf
Bulletin 2016 02.pdf
Bulletin 2016 01.pdf
Bulletin 2015 12.pdf
Bulletin 2015 11.pdf
Bulletin 2015 10.pdf
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Bulletin 2015 08.pdf
Bulletin 2015 07.pdf
Bulletin 2015 06.pdf
Bulletin 2015 05.pdf
Bulletin 2015 04.pdf
Bulletin 2015 03.pdf
Bulletin 2015 02.pdf
Bulletin 2015 01.pdf
Bulletin 2014 12.pdf
Bulletin 2014 11.pdf
Bulletin 2014 09.pdf
Bulletin 2014 08.pdf
Bulletin 2014 07.pdf
Bulletin 2014 06.pdf
Bulletin 2014 05.pdf
Bulletin 2014 04.pdf
Bulletin 2014 03.pdf
Bulletin 2014 02.pdf
Bulletin 2014 01.pdf
Bulletin 2013 12.pdf
Bulletin 2013 11.pdf
Bulletin 2013 10.pdf
Bulletin 2013 09.pdf
Bulletin 2013 06.pdf
Bulletin 2013 01.pdf
Bulletin 2004 06.pdf
Bulletin 2001 06.pdf
Bulletin 2000 05.pdf
Bulletin 1996 07.pdf
Joe B - Fleshtones and Eyeballs.pdf Bulletin 2014 10.pdf
Spotlights [old] - Holcomb Alvarado Kasza[x2] Ferrara Gertner Reinert Keegan Rosati Maroney Batterman Pokorny Eng.pdf
Weathering Models by Eric Reinert.pdf
Spotlight - Rob Garitta.pdf
Spraying Gloss Finishes by Bobby Kasza.pdf
That 50s Display.pdf SPOTLIGHT - Rosati - Maroney - Batterman - Pokorny - Eng.pdf
BPMS By Laws V2.pdf BPMS By Laws.pdf
Sunday, November 03, 2024
BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting - 11/05/2024
Part 2 starts at 8:10 PM if we need more time.
Members and guests are cordially invited to join our group for our weekly online meeting!
All are welcome! If you would like to join, DM us your email address and name so we can include you in the email list with Zoom Meeting details (meeting numbers and passwords)!
On the agenda:
BPMS Club News.
IPMS News.
Other clubs news.
Hobby News.
What's on your workbench?
Featured Discussion
October 29, 2024 - BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting
Friday, October 18, 2024
10/15/2024 BPMS ZOOM MINI MEETING!
Lou is looking forward to the release of Academy's 1/48 F4-F Wildcat, with folding wings and open canopy.
The BrookLAN group build was last Saturday. More than two dozen people participated, less than before but still a good turnout. Several BPMS members were there. Julio told us about the class he gave for new builders and Bobby shared photos of the event.
Kosta shared photos from the Mystic Seaport Museum, where the Jamestown and the Aimistad are in drydock.
The Hudson Valley show is Saturday, the 26th, at the Elks Club Hall, at 29. Overrocker Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY and the "Chiller" show is the 25th to the 27th in Parsippany, NJ.
In progress and completed work included: Mirage F-1C, F-8 Crusader, Mig -23, '65 Ford Mustang (Metal Earth kit), 3D printed large scale Warhammer Space Marine and Dragon figures, Mark 1 Tank with modifications for Gaza, LEM, Snow Speeder and Grimoire robot. Many of these pieces were mounted on bases, which was good since the topic was attaching models to bases. Vaughan likes to display his aircraft in flight so he can show off any special features not clearly visible on the ground. He once bent a single piece of wire in such a way as to serve as both the post and the base, but many of his pieces are attached to bases with coat hanger wire or acrylic rods inserted into exhausts. Lou recalled Canal Plastics, on Canal St in Manhattan was (and still is) good source for bases in many shapes and sizes. Armor or large figures can be bolted, screwed or wired onto their bases. Be aware of bolt orientation so you can remove the model if you want to. Whatever connectors you use, don't overtighten them. Lighter, smaller models can be glued directly to the base. Bobby recommends Gorilla Glue, but not the one that expands. Kevin attaches his works to wood blocks with brass or acrylic rods.
Next meeting is Friday, the 25th, at the Community Center. No invites needed. Door open around 6pm. Hope to see you there.
Hey, almost forgot. Don says wood handrail fittings, designed to attach a handrail to a wall, can be used for bases. Inexpensive and widely available.
See you next week.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
October Meeting Rescheduled!
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Sunday, October 06, 2024
October 8, 2024 BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting!
The Gundam (and other) build is Saturday, the 12th, at BrookLAN, 339 Troutman St, in Brooklyn, 2 - 6pm, $10.00 venue fee.
Mark hopes to arrange a private tour at the Dutchess County Airport, probably in early to mid-November.
Jimmy and Russ shared photos of last week's Armorcon. Several other BPMS members were there, too.
In progress and completed work included: Mirage F-1C (Vaughn appreciates the kit's low parts count), Subaru Impreza (Mark was pleased by how well the decal setting solution worked), B- 17, Batpod (from The Dark Knight), Cadillac Escalade, Type 7C U-boat, Crusader P-36, F-8 Crusader, and a robot. Bobby acquired a 3D printed Jack O' Lantern figure. Will it be ready for spooky model night?
The featured tool was a leather punch, an alternate to modelers' punch and die sets. Not as many sizes, but not as much money.
The topic was primers. Lou's big sellers are Tamiya White, Light Grey and Metal, Mr. Surfacer and Badger's Stynylrez. Then there's Krylon spray cans and Dupli-Color automotive primer. Everyone agreed that Tamiya's primer had a strong, unpleasant odor. Model paint manufacturers have introduced colored primers that could be used as finish colors, but they're not cheap and some say their quality isn't always consistent. Most feel priming plastic is an unnecessary step but several feel it's a project milestone, the first time your aircraft really looks like an aircraft. Everyone agreed materials like resin, metal and vinyl had to be primed to avoid problems at a later date.
Wednesday, October 02, 2024
10/01/2024 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report
The holiday lunch will be Saturday, 12/14/24 at Dinosaur BBQ, 640 Union St in Brooklyn. Price, $40.00 per person. Cash bar available. Menu will be posted shortly. If you plan to attend, let Jeff or Chuck know in advance. You can pay in advance, too.
Kevin reminded us articles for the Bulletin are always welcome.
Russ asked for advice on attaching a new regulator to an old airbrush compressor.
IPMS Canada member Mark told us Tamiya spray paint will be banned in Canada. What have you heard? Mark also told us he's trying to arrange a visit to the Dutchess County Airport to see the D-Day C47 residing there.
In-progress and completed work included: Wildcat (Mark is weathering it with a marbelizing technique), Subaru Impreza, Stinson Reliant (Vaughn was impressed by the old AMT kit), F-22, Warhammer Ork truck, Toon Ship Titanic, RF-4 Phantom, P-47 (Erasmo's first airbrushed natural metal finish), B-17, Willy Ley Orbital Rocket (Kevin is finding it hard to "build like an 11-year-old"), F-8 Crusader, SR-71 Blackbird (Frank is building the old kit, even though he has the new one, too) and Ho-Ri2. Acquisitions included: British Interplanetary Society Lunar Lander and SMB2 Super Mystere Sa'ar.
The topic was opening sealed paint jars. We heard about tools like nutcrackers, pliers, commercially available adjustable openers like the Gilhoolie and we heard about techniques, like wrapping the cap and jar with rubber bands to improve grip, running bottles under hot tap water, inverting bottles and putting thinner in the space between the bottle and the cap. We heard about best practices, like keeping your hands low, rather than high, while trying to unscrew a cap, opening and closing bottles from time to time, cleaning the necks and wrapping them with Teflon tape before storing them upside down. We also heard about bad practices, like gripping the cap AND the bottle with pliers and not being careful when using acetone. Several people said that the caps on plastic dripper bottles don't seem to get stuck, unlike caps on glass jars. Did we miss your favorite tip? Just write it down and hit reply all.
The next meeting is Tuesday, 10/8/24 at 7:30pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there, or at Armorcon, or both.
~Russ
Friday, September 27, 2024
September 24, 2024 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting
Monday, September 23, 2024
Next event happening at BrookLAN 10/12/2024
Date and Time:
From 2pm until 6pm.
Location:
339 Troutman Street
Brooklyn, NY 11237
Admission:
Public Transportation:
Details:
At this event, if you have someone that’s never built a Gundam mode before and is interested in learning how to, we’ll be holding a beginners class on this. The class should be about an hour long using a simple model that you can take home with you. If you're not participating in the class and just want to chill out in the back and build some models with every one, you can do that as well. Please let me know if you're interested in participating in the class. Also, if you have a model you'd like to show off and display for the event, feel free to bring something to share with everyone!
For those that don’t know, BrookLAN could be classified as an eSports Bar on first glance but it’s a bit more than that. They have plenty of PCs and video game set ups available for rent by the hour, a full bar with some really good food and drinks available. The location itself is highly focused on gaming of different varietys, whether it tabletop, trading card games, video games and anything else you could think of, so that’s majority of what you will be seeing on the screens there are from different live streams to even tournaments if they’re taking place. They're also recognized for hosting major gaming tournament, either for popular video games, card games and even tabletops when they do happen.
If there’s any questions about things, feel free to ask, more than happy to answer any and all questions!
Thursday, September 12, 2024
September 10, 2024 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting
With some usual suspects on travel and otherwise engaged, ten people attended the September 10 BPMS Zoom meeting. There is no Zoom meeting this Tuesday, but the real, live BPMS meeting will be Friday, Sept. 20 at the Bergen Beach Sports Complex. The Friday meeting will include a workshop on weathering aircraft and, as a special draw, hot dogs aged from barbecue night!
Lou reported few new kit arrivals – the 1/48 scale US Marine Corps F/A-18D and Australian Air Force F/A-18A Hornets from Kinetic and a 1/ Renault S Turbo motorcycle from Tamiya. He also shared an observation on the apparent value of resin, photoetch, and 3D-printed aftermarket accessories to his customers: “One out of 10 buys resin. Photoetch, forget about it.” Aftermarket bombs and missiles for aircraft find more buyers.
Vaughan updated his progress on his 1/48 Stinson painted in an attractive white-and-gold scheme. Still to be mastered is the neat green piping running from nose to tail. “This thing is turning into experiment.” Suggested approaches include fine-bristle nail-finishing brushes and fine-point paint markers.
Jimmy showed two packs of new AK Real Color paint markers. The line includes specialty colors for wheels, tracks, and other tactical vehicle details. Jimmy remains a regular user of aftermarket accessories including metal gun barrels for armor kits. He revealed a 3D-printed F-35B gun pod from Galaxy Models and a 3D-printed set of 1/12 scale motorcycle wheels. “I can’t build anything out of the box. I have to add something to it.”
President Tom noted the value of aftermarket parts to replace missing kit details. Erasmo showed off his handsome de Havilland DH.88 Comet built without aftermarket from the ancient Airfix kit and a Polish RWD-6 monoplane racer. He acknowledged, “I love aftermarket. The only problem is I don’t know how to use it very well.” Don suggested using a belt sander to trim resin parts for plastic kits.
Kevin finds little call for aftermarket parts when building fantasy figures and other specialty resin kits. His work-in-progress was Fred Flintstone’s neat roadster with a troublesome droopy resin sunshade. Moderator Frank showed his Monogram F-8E with a replacement seat more representative of early Crusaders but noted resin cockpits seem like more trouble than they’re worth when compared to typical Monogram and Hasegawa cockpits.
Chuck talked about the challenges building the new Airfix B-17 with all its out-of-the-box interior details and said he was not confident using photoetch parts to punch-up aircraft details. With an accountant’s eye, IPMS Region 1 Member of the Year Bobby concluded “I have no interest buying parts that triple or quadruple the cost of the kit. . . If I buy something, it’s because I want to build what’s in the box.”
The next Zoom meeting will be Sept. 24. See ya for real on Friday!
~Frank
Thursday, September 05, 2024
MInutes from the 9/3/24 ZOOM Meeting
Sunday, September 01, 2024
09/03/2024 BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting
Part 2 starts at 8:10 PM if we need more time.
Members and guests are cordially invited to join our group for our weekly online meeting!
All are welcome! If you would like to join, DM us your email address and name so we can include you in the email list with Zoom Meeting details (meeting numbers and passwords)!
On the agenda:
BPMS Club News.
IPMS News.
Other clubs news.
Hobby News.
What's on your workbench?
Featured Discussion
August 27, 2024 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting
Monday, August 26, 2024
Thursday, August 22, 2024
August 20, 2024, BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report
Lou reports Hobby Boss's 1/48 Mig-35 and 1/35 Soviet Gaz AAA Katyusha are available and Italeri's 1/72 F-35 C is on the horizon.
Erasmo shared photos of the large hobby shop at the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum in Halifax, Canada and Mark shared photos of the recent New York Air Show at the Orange County Airport in New York.
In progress and completed work included: DH Comet, DH Hornet, Stinson (never rely on a second kit for spare parts, eh Vaughn?), F-22, Medusa bust, Lucy bust (Kevin's build, so it's from a Dracula film, not a Peanuts comic strip), A-6, F-18A, Chariot (from Lost in Space),
Ho Ri-II and alien figure. Acquisitions included: F-35 B, Spitfire, German tank crew, decals and Tamiya lacquer paints.
The tool was the Spot Sanding Pen by 3M. Gil reminded us to careful working with the pen because of its fiberglass fibers.
How do we feel about updated kits? While some guys have enough and aren't interested in adding to their stash (Erasmo and others want to build as many kits as they can before, well, you know), most feel updates are expensive and can be unnecessarily complex. Lou recommends looking for reviews on YouTube before buying. Some guys get updated kits when they don't have time or inclination to struggle with an old kit and some guys prefer their older kits. Turning philosophical, Mark wondered, which is better, an old flawed kit or a new flawed kit? Frank noted overly complicated updates can take the fun out of the build. He feels it's not age of the kit that's important, it's what you get out of it. We can learn from old kits. They can be built as practice for the new kit. Some people purge old kits from their stash and some would feel bad about getting rid of them. Maybe that explains Quin Shi Huang's terracotta army?
The next meeting is Tuesday, 8/27/24 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
~Russ
BPMS & Fantasy Modeling Magazine
A blast from the past. This shows you how long age the BPMS was involved in Sci-Fi and Anime models. The magazine was put out by Starlog magazine during the mid 1980's. BPMS member Andy Yahacus was the editor of the magazine. Plus BPMS member Murray Richter built the Bandai 1/60 Zaku II on the cover of issue number one. Magazine only ran 6 issues. (From Jeff E)
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Spotlight Modeler: Joe Hartigan
During the July BPMS Meeting we voted in our newest member: Joe Hartigan. While most of us think of Joe as the friendly gentleman who is very knowledgeable about model trains, he turned heads at the meeting with his stunning 1/24 scale Ford and Volvo trucks.
For Joe, getting this this point has been a journey, like most of us. At ten years old he took a shot at his first plastic model. It was the Monogram Little T which he promptly ruined. (Hint, that’s how you build like a 10 or an 11-year-old. It’s about getting it done while having fun!) From there, growing up in College Point, Queens, life happened with its twists and turns. Model building took a pause. He went to St Peters College. He put in his years as a Fire Fighter. Now in retirement Joe was able to return to the hobby.
Now that Joe has been able to get back to the hobby he’s been reacquainted with the best part of it: the FUN of building in his basement and getting projects done. While he does enjoy his train set -ups he also likes getting his plastic models done, too. Of course, that requires inspiration. Where better than the hobby shows? Back to the journey. Going to a local show can easily include side trips to other places of note, especially hobby shops. And, despite being a big train enthusiast, all shows can provide inspiration, and you never know what might show up in the vendor rooms.
Joe sees great value in learning from the mistakes of others. Why re-invent the wheel? Do your research and watch YouTube videos and be prepared for your builds, he suggests. You can also find good detail parts from flea market and FB Marketplace finds. Some of those trashed dis-cast models can be a treasure trove of useful parts.
His outlook for the hobby is positive. With advances in the technology with 3D printing and printing companies that are ready for the future.
When Joe came to us at the BPMS he was impressed with the friendliness with which he was greeted. He had been to other places that things didn’t go so well. Plus, we aren’t very far as currently resides in Belle Harbor, NY.
In closing, Joe can’t emphasize enough that we should just try to finish off more our projects. They won’t finish themselves!
~BP
BPMS Sponsors IPMS/USA Winners!
As is known to most members, the BPMS raised enough member donations to sponsor not one, but two categories. In all fairness to those that donated, we thought you would like to see who won our awards.
Category 2
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
August 6, 2024 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting
We remembered long time BPMS member Jimmy Maroney, who passed on August 4th, on Long Island. RIP, Jimmy.
There's no Tuesday Zoom meeting next week. The in-person meeting is Friday, the 16th. It's Pizza Night and Quarterly Contest Night. Details are in the Bulletin, which is in the mail.
Julio recapped last Saturday's group build at BrookLAN. It was well attended and will be repeated on 10/12/24. There may be another Pier 57 group build in September. Julio is looking at other group build opportunities in Manhattan.
Lou informed us Tamiya's 1/72 F-35 B is available. Other new products are on the club's Facebook page.
Kosta told us about the train show in Edison, NJ this weekend and the Gloucester, MA, Schooner Festival on 8/28/24 - 9/2/24.
In-progress and completed work included: Stinson Reliant, F-22, Tiger 1, Lucy bust (from the 1992 film Dracula), Medusa bust, DH 88 Comet (the vintage kit, not the new one), F-18 A (an almost vintage kit), 3D printed tracks for the Lost in Space Chariot (Gil makes them in 1/35 and 1/24) and Ho Ri 2. Only one acquisition, Flintstones Go Lowbrow.
Vaughan is using very diluted Simple Green (full strength will corrode metal) to clean airbrushes. Kevin noted that soaking a piece in Simple Green for a few days will remove the paint.
Gil told us a tire tread depth gauge can be used on models in addition to car tires. They come in digital and mechanical styles.
The stash. Bobby recalled Frank Tripoli saying the hobby is as much about collecting as it is about building. But how do you explain your stash to others? We heard about stashes that disappeared because of relationships, about ways to convince others your stash isn't so big, about rearranging storage areas to make new arrivals less obvious, about the value of peace offerings and, finally, about why we keep adding to it even though we know better ("When you see it, you gotta buy it!"). Julio called the stash a blessing and a curse and Chuck observed there are two kinds of people, those you don't explain it to and those you can't explain it to.
The next meeting is Friday, 8/16/24 at the Community Center in Brooklyn. Doors open by 6pm, and the meeting starts around 7:30 pm. Hope to see you there.
~Russ
Monday, August 05, 2024
Jimmy ‘Shea’ Maroney: 1950 - 2024
Jimmy ‘Shea’ Maroney: 1950 - 2024
Long-time Brooklyn Plastic Modelers Society member Jimmy Maroney passed away on August 4. Our quiet, knowledgeable, and unassuming friend was 74 years old.
Jimmy joined our club in the 1970s when the group met at the Marcy Photo Studios on New Utrecht Avenue in Bensonhurst. He had a lifelong passion for history and built 1/72 and 1/48 scale aircraft with special emphasis on Irish subjects. Jimmy and his father attended some of the earliest BPMS Christmas dinners. He and his sister, Stacey, returned to Brooklyn for holiday luncheons at Nora’s Deli long after the two relocated from Brooklyn to Suffolk County on Long Island in the early 2000s. Significantly, Jimmy maintained his BPMS membership and contacts years after he moved away from the club.
Jimmy grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and graduated from Bishop Ford High School. He had a long career in New York banking and traveled enthusiastically to his ancestral Ireland. Jimmy was a long-time member of the International Plastic Modelers Society. He attended several regional IPMS conventions with our group. He was also a model railroad enthusiast and helped build the elaborate layout in the basement of BPMS founder Bert Berg.
Though he never held BPMS office, Jimmy was a great representative of our club, friendly, respectful, and inquisitive about modeling. He is missed.