Friday, January 26, 2024

BPMS Zoom mini Meeting: January 23, 2024

Fourteen people attended the meeting. Julio must be feeling better. He arranged another Modelers Meet-up on 2/24/24 at Pier 57 in Manhattan. See the club's Facebook page for details. Noreastcon will be 3/23/24 at the Freeport Rec Center.
 
Lou reports the following kits are available: from Trumpeter 1/16 --Tiger 1E (steel wheels), 1/35 --Flak 41, Russian  Pantsir AA vehicle, 1/72 -- A6A Intruder, 1/48 -- Fairy Fulmar, 1/700 -- HMS York, USS Iowa and from Academy 1/144 – E3 Sentry, 1/72-- LeClerc.
 
We heard a quick review of Magic Factory's F-4U 1A/2 Corsair dual combo kit. Mark talked about using Starbond Black to fill seams. It's a rubber infused superglue that takes a long time to fully set but can be sanded easily. Don told how brushes intended for painting nails are good for painting stripes. He compared them to brushes used for pinstriping. 
 
In-progress and completed work included: Hawker Hurricane, B-26, Pz-4, Me-262 A1A, Catwoman, P-47, Mig-29, Crusader, Skyhawk, Ford service truck and '53 Ford pick-up. 
 
Acquisitions included: Sd. Kfz. 251-9 Kanonwagen, crew for same, KJ-500 (and two variants) and MQ8B Fire Scout. 
 
The week's tool is Distressed Ink. Intended for scrapbooking, these ink pads come in many subtle shades which can be used for weathering. Gil has rubbed the pads directly on the model and he's used micro brushes to apply the ink. Maybe they'll work with stencils?
 
What details do we omit? For Vaughn, it's ordnance. For Bryan, it's squishy tires for landing gear. For Frank C and others, it's stencil decals. Many leave off delicate bits that they know are going to break off shortly after they're attached. Sometimes, detail is omitted to meet a contest deadline. Many people said if it can't be seen, why bother? Of course, almost as many said if it comes with the kit, I'll use it. 
 
The next meeting it Tuesday, 1/30/24 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope you can make it.
 
~Russ
 
 
 

 

Saturday, January 13, 2024

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: January 09, 2024

Thirteen people attended the meeting. No Tuesday Zoom next week, the January in-person meeting is Friday, the 19th, at the Community Center. Doors open around 6, and the meeting starts around 7:30. Come and say hello to another President Tom, declare your pledge model, sell or buy a kit and, most importantly, pay your 2024 club dues. 
No industry news this week. 
 
So far, two people have made plans to attend the 2024 IPMS Nationals in Madison WI. Rooms at the venue went very quickly, we heard. Are you thinking of going?
 
In-progress and completed work included: B-26 Marauder, Hawker Hurricane, DH-4, Albatros,  Me-262 A1a, Catwoman, VW tractor trailer Baja Beast conversion and Mig-29. 
 
Acquisitions included: Pt-17 (stick & tissue kit), Aston Martin DB-5, Ferrari 246 and F-84 F.
 
Mark gave a brief report on an IPMS meeting he attended in Boise and shared photos of the meeting in addition to photos from the Warhawk Air Museum in Idaho. 
 
The featured tool was the 15a cutting tweezer. A cross between a nail clipper and a tweezer, it's good for removing those hard-to-reach parts from sprues.
 
Lack of a featured topic didn't stifle discussion. We spoke about ways to display an aircraft in flight, ways to modify aircrew figures, who makes the best gloss paint, detailing with a calligraphy pen, good sources for books and (old news if you saw Vaughan's email earlier today) we tried to identify an aircraft component laying around the Warhawk Air Museum. No, it wasn't a door plug. 
 
Next meeting is Friday 1/19/24 at the Community Center. Details are in the newsletter. No invites needed. Hope to see you there. 
 
~Russ

Saturday, January 06, 2024

JUNE: Invasion of Normandy 80th Anniversary Theme Contest

Invasion of Normandy 80th Anniversary Theme Contest

It’s been 80 years since the Allies invaded Normandy and started liberating Europe from Nazi Occupation. What better way to remember that occasion than with a theme contest? Simply build anything used on D-Day, Allies or Axis. We’re looking forward to seeing Invasions Stripes, and all manner of things land, sea, and air. The sponsors are allowing liberal interpretations of the theme, so feel free to use your imagination. Plenty for everyone to build.

Feel free to contact the sponsors or officers with any questions.

Sponsors:
  • Charlie N
  • Steven N

 

BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting: January 2, 2024!

Featured Discussion: What's your resolution for 2024, buy fewer kits, buy more kits, build something out of the box or what? Tell us what you plan to do. And don't worry, no one will be checking up on you.  

First, my apologies to anyone who wasn't able to join the meeting. Something to do with the waiting room? Troubleshooting suggestions are welcome.
 
Even so, eleven people managed to sign in, including newcomer Joe U, recently returning to the hobby. 
 
Incoming President Tom G wished everyone a happy new year and expressed his belief that the club will do well in 2024. 
 
No industry news this week, but Frank G shared information on a vendor with a large selection of Aurora kits. The good news is that he has a lot of kits. The bad news is that he wants a lot of money for them.
 
In progress and completed work included: S Tank (Vaughn was surprised that the vinyl tracks on the otherwise excellent 1/72 Trumpeter kit were 1/8" short), 53 Ford pickup, F-8 Crusader, DC-3 (with aftermarket Frontier Airlines livery), Fw-190, Wyatt Erp figure, Nike Hercules, YH-41A and CH-1C Skyhook helicopters. Acquisitions included: Kraken 2 (from film Inner Space), '68 Olds Californian, Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, Autocar Dump Truck, and F-15 (JASDF Aggressor markings). 
 
The featured tool was an adjustable parallel scriber, U Star UA-900-43, from AliExpress. Sturdy, inexpensive and handy to have around. 
 
Our new year's resolutions fell into two categories, I will (build better/smarter, be more patient, learn dry brushing, build more, take inventory of my stash, build figures, read more) and I will not (visit eBay for six months, buy more stuff to justify the postage). Did we miss your resolution? If so, share it with the group.
 
The next meeting is Tuesday, 1/9/24 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow.  Hope to see you there. 
 
~Russ

 

 

LEGENDS Theme Contest: December 15, 2023

 
BPMS Theme Contest December 15, 2023
 
LEGENDS!

Legend, noun:
1. a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.
2. an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.


Most of us started building models because someone / something inspired our creativity. Usually it's someone or something that's LEGENDARY! It might be a driver, or a car, a pilot or a plane, a tank, a vessel whether it be whatever version of the U.S.S. Enterprise , and the list can go on forever! For this theme we are asking the members to build something that's a LEGEND with the caveat that you must justify this legendary status. A couple words or a paragraph should suffice. Contest forms will be provided in advance (we should talk of.we want to have them available at the meeting, email them out include them in upcoming newsletters or all 3!!) This theme easily crosses over all aspects of the hobby and should be a lot of fun for everyone to build for! There is no limit to the fields you want to build.

Feel free to speak with the sponsors or officers if you have any questions.

Sponsors: Steven N, RussH, Bobby P

Legends Theme Contest Results
There were 21 models on the tables for this theme contest. One was set of models was brought in by a sponsor and was for display only.
Honorable Mention: Dick Tracy Frank Grail
Bronze: Big Daddy Mark Mullen
Silver (tie) P-51D Charlie Nelson F4 Frank Collucci
Godfather Cars Tony Mancuso
Gold - The Wolfman Kevin Kilkenny
Specials
Non Fiction Big Daddy Mark Mullen
Fiction The Wolfman Kevin Kilkenny
Past Legend Glamorous Glennis Charlie Nelson
Living Legend Ukrainian Soldier Kostas Lukyanov
Best In Show: P 51D Charlie Nelson