Welcome!
Location: John Malone Community Center In Joseph Thomas McGuire Park (A.K.A. Bergen Beach Sports Complex) 2303 Bergen Aveune, Brooklyn, NY 11234 Click here for directions to BPMS We welcome anyone and everyone who has an interest in scale modeling to come join us! We meet each month on the third Friday. |
TO PAUSE BULLETIN - PLACE MOUSE POINTER OVER THE SCROLLING MESSAGE BOX
Saturday, June 28, 2025
June 24, 2025 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report
What better way to deal with the heat than by sharing your knowledge of
modeling snow and ice and applying winter camouflage? Want more? OK,
Gil will explain how to make your own paint!
Thirteen people attended. Turnout was good for last week's Long Live the
King theme contest. Could it be because it was also Picnic Night? Check
the photos on the BPMS Facebook page and judge for yourself.
Online registration for the IPMS Nationals closes on June 30.
The next Pier 57 group build is Saturday, 8/2/25. Details to follow.
We saw Mr. K's Chinese Cruser, Dodge Ram V 12 and Fairey Battle Mk 1,
Angelo's WW Toons Panther G, Frank C's A-4 Skyhawk, Frank G's Mummy's
Chariot and Russ' M-109.
Acquisitions included: F-4E (Turkish markings), F-4 B, Pz-4 H, Tornado,
Kubelwagon, Jeep, several ResKit aftermarket sets, '56 Chevy Del Ray,
Mr. Gasser and Porsche 962 C.
We talked about the pros and cons of using a marker to highlight mold seams prior to sanding.
Mark found several useful tools in the jewelry section at Hobby Lobby, a
sticky pad to keep small pieces from getting lost and a sticky pencil
to pick up and place those small pieces. He also reviewed the Keshi
rotary tool and Dspiae reciprocating sander.
Gil explained how to make paint. For acrylics, add a small amount of pigment powder (earthpigments.com is a good source) to Golden Varnish or Minwax Polycrylic. Mix well. For lacquers, add pigment to Testors Dullcote.
We discussed modeling snow and ice and applying winter camouflage. Lou
remembered a time when modelers used powered chalk for snow. Model
railroad accessory companies, like Woodland Scenics, have a variety of
winter effects. Simon used Spackle (not speckle)
as a snow layer on dioramas. Mark sprinkled Micro ballons for his snow
cover. Frank G put white paint on a toothbrush and flicked it with his
thumb to speckle (not Spackle) his model. We saw how Bobby (brush
painted) and Jimmy (airbrushed) applied multiple
layers of heavily thinned white paint over the base paint to create
realistic finishes on their 1/72 and 1/35 scale armor kits. Erasmo
asked for paint recommendations for a winter camouflaged Sepecat Jaguar
he plans to build. Suggestions included an Ammo
by Mig winter color and weathering set and Mr. Surfacer white primer.
Can you offer any other suggestions?
The next meeting is Tuesday, 7/1/25 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
~Russ
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Bpms Zoom Mini Meeting: June 10, 2025
Six people attended. One left early, one came late so we had five people
in each session. Vaughn was the moderator; Frank C took care of posting
on line searches to the chat. Thanks a lot, guys.
No Tuesday Zoom next week, the in-person meeting is Friday, the 20th at
the Community Center. It's Picnic night and the Long Live the King
theme contest. Picnic night may have replaced BBQ night, but it still
costs money, $15.00. Jeff will be collecting.
The contest sponsors are encouraging those who won't be in Brooklyn on
the 20th to send a photo of their King related build by the 15th for
display at the contest.
Lou is anticipating the availability of Tamiya's 1/72 F-35C, 1/35 M-36 and Valentine.
Vaughn shared photos from last week's Warbird Weekend at the Connecticut Air and Space Center.
We saw Kevin's scratch-built Miner (not minor) from Galaxy Quest, Russ's
King Tiger, Frank's A-4 Skyhawk and Vaughn's Ju-88 and F-104 pilot
modification.
Acquisitions included: Space 1999 Hawk, Thunderbird 2 and Witch Lair.
Although the featured topic was modeling disasters, attendance as so low that we had time to discuss multiple topics.
Disasters: Some are the manufacture's fault - when the assembly
sequence is critical but the instructions don't show you the sequence
and some are self-inflicted -we didn't pay enough attention to the
instructions to recognize differences in similar
parts, airbrushing when it's humid, cutting out vacuform canopies,
paint smears, glue marks, mishandled broken parts. Lessons learned, a
fogged clear flat coat can be corrected by over spraying with a clear
gloss coat and, when dry, re apply the clear flat.
December theme contest: What not so obvious sources qualify, HG
Wells stories like The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, First Men in the
Moon or something from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or from the
1939 or 1976 movie The Shape of Things to
Come? And don't forget the 1985 movie, Lifeforce.
Trends in the hobby: larger scale kits, fewer military models, more Gundam, fewer re issues
Aircraft histories: F-107, A-4
Saving old decals: Testor's decal Bonder Spray, Micro Scale Liquid Decal Film
On line resources: Scotts Model Workshop
The next meeting is Friday, 6/20/25 at the Community Center. Doors open
at 5 PM. Picnic night, Long Live the King contest and visitors from out
of state, what more could anyone want? Hope to see you there.
~Russ
BPMS MEETING: JUNE 20, 2025
ACTIVITIES DIRECTING
By Bobby Pokorny
Welcome to JUNE! AS we approach the start of summer, our JUNE meeting has some fun things going on!
LONG LIVE THE KING THEME CONTEST: It’s finally here! The LONG LOVE THE KING Theme Contest is finally upon us. The sponsors have challenged the group to build something that can be connected to the theme in some way. We are eager to see how the theme is interpreted by the members!
SUMMER PICNIC NIGHT: We’re trying something a little different this year. The BBQ is fun, except for the crew doing the cooking and set up. It’s been pretty hot and the mosquitoes are unrelenting, so this year we are trying heroes instead. $15 per person. Feel free to bring sides, snacks, desserts, etc.
Meeting Date:
JUNE 20, 2025
Members start showing up by 5PM to set up.
Feel free to come early and hang-out!
Thursday, June 05, 2025
June 3, 2025 BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report
Twelve people attended.
Mark shared photos of last month's Lego Show in Warwick, RI and WonderFest in Louisville, KY.
We saw Vaughn's Ju-88 and F-104 pilot, Simon's P-40 C and BV-138, Erasmo's Mirage F-1, Kevin's Aztec Princess and Razor Crest (the Bandai kit impressed Kevin), Mr. K's Gollum figure, mounted Ringwraith, female hunter with saber tooth tiger and Vampirella, Gil's 3 D printed Landmaster (from Damnation Alley), Frank C's A4-E (his long-awaited pledge model) and Bobby's Witch King. BTW, have you decided which king you'll enter in the June theme contest?
Acquisitions included : Blackburn Skua, PWS-26, PBY-5A Catalina (buying the Atlantis kit lets Mr. K keep the Monogram kit in his stash) and Hiller X 18 Convertiplane (Aurora kit).
The tool was a 3 D printed V block, good for holding / assembling / painting cylindrical and other shaped items. No 3D printer? No problem, you can find them in stores and online.
The topic was things we avoid and why. Photoetch can be more trouble than it's worth. Aircraft kits with raised panel lines were mentioned. Kits by A Model, Kitty Hawk, Unicraft and Monogram were said to have poor instructions, be too crude, too complex, required major clean up or modification, or just not interesting. But, as Kevin pointed out, if it's the only game in town, you complain as you build. For paints, the high cost of AKI paint, a bad experience with Mig's British Armor paint set, a general dislike of acrylic paint and problems brushing Tamiya (which, we learned, can be eliminated by using their retarder), were noted. Quick tip, Micro Sol can attack Vallejo paints. Use a good clear coat. Some of us avoid resin because of concerns about dust. Then Gil showed us (for the second time, actually) the dust collector box he built for his shop vac.
The next meeting is Tuesday, 6/10/25 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
~Russ
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)