BPMS: Zoom Meeting Report 7/23/24

Twelve people attended. Andrew L, who we met at the in-person meeting, wasn't one of them but he sent this photo of his 1/48 Hobby Boss Crusader. It came with straight wings. He folded them. 

 

The next group build is August 3rd from 2 - 6 pm at BrookLAN, 136 Troutman St, in Brooklyn. See the BPMS Facebook page for details. 

 

Lou reported Revell Germany's 1/48 F-89C is available. Erasmo shared photos of Benoist Plaza in St. Petersburg, FL, site of the world's first commercial air service. Kevin shared photos of his visit to the USS Midway, which led to a spontaneous game of name that aircraft.  

 

In progress and completed work included: Fletter 282 helicopter (Vaughn found the spring-loaded scissors on his pen knife were perfect for cutting small pieces from the sprue), A-22 Raptor, Circle of Life tableau, Tiger 1 E (Jimmy surprised himself by avoiding aftermarket parts), VW bus/tank conversion, Mirage 2000, A-6E, Type 5 Experimental Gun Tank (just because it's from Amusing Hobby doesn't guarantee a fun build) and Alien figure.

 

Following up on Vaughn's comment that stretched sprue is good for cleaning airbrushes, Gil showed us a set of reamers designed to clean tips on welding torches. They can be used to clean many small openings. Widely available and conveniently packaged. 

 

What we look for or avoid in vendors rooms was the featured topic. We avoid manufacturers that we feel go out of their way to get a large parts count or manufacturers that, in our opinion, have a reputation for making , let's just say, less than good kits. If the box is open, it has to be from a reputable company and the parts have to be in sealed bags. We look for shrink wrapped kits. We look for bargains. We look for experimental aircraft. One last piece of advice, if the box isn't sealed, look inside, or you might buy the box the vendor uses to hold his paperwork. Long story, don't ask.

The next meeting is Tuesday, 7/30/24 at 7:30 pm .Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. 

 

~Russ