BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: 01/27/2026

Thirteen people attended. There's another group build at Japan Village, in Brooklyn, on March 21. Thanks, Julio, for setting it up. See the club's Facebook page for details. And while you're there, click the link the 2026 Nuremberg Toy Fair.

We saw Vaughn's F-105 and T-34, Erasmo's Corsairs, Gil's Hover tank, Simon's Mosquito, Chuck's F-106, P-38 and P-47, and Frank C's A64-A Apache and Angolan Mig-23. Kevin will be acquiring a 3D printed Saab LX from Gil. 

This week's tool was mentioned in passing last week, a spring tube bender for bending (Duh!) soft metal hollow tubes. In the real world they're used for industrial machinery, but sets come in sizes that modelers may find useful.

The topic was kit bashing which can mean anything from swapping weapons or equipment from different kits to replacing/rebuilding major components of kits to literally bashing a troublesome kit into the wall. Simon is reluctant to cut up newer, expensive, kits but old kits, if you can find them, aren't always cheap. Erasmo accepted the idea that you need three poor kits of the same aircraft from different manufacturers to build one good model. Michael C has swiped parts to repair original parts, but he prefers incorporating household objects into his models when he can. Same for Gil. The hull of his Hover Tank was a vintage desk telephone base, the engines, asthma inhalers. Frank C thinks it wouldn't be too hard to kitbash a Mirage 5COA, but...

 

The next meeting is on Tuesday, 2/3/26, at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. It's the day after Groundhog Day, so you won't have that Bill Murray movie marathon to distract you. 

 

~Russ 

 

  

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting - 01/20/2026

Featured Discussion: There are lots of reasons to bend plastic: fabricating parts, fixing warped pieces, vacuum forming, etc. Tell us how you do it and be specific. 

Twelve people attended. We met Steve G, the new Prez of the Hampton Roads Scale Modelers IPMS chapter in Virginia Beach. He wants to see how other clubs operate, especially clubs that have been around for a long time. Welcome aboard, Steve. Hope you can join us again. 

 

Lou reports Revell Germany's 1/32 Gloster Meteor F8/Fr 9 and 1/72 Me P 1099 are available. 

 

We saw Vaughn's F-105 and T-34, Chuck's P-47, Kevin's Yak-36, Simon's Fw-190 and Gil's 3D printed female figure. 

 

Acquisitions included: F-16 I, M-50 Mk2 Super Sherman, and VMFA 242 bat decals.

 

Because the topic was bending plastic, Gil's dental vacuum forming machine was the featured tool.  Angelo has one as well, no surprise there. But it was a surprise to see several people still had their Matell Vac-u-forms, even though they don't use them so much. 

 

The low-tech way to bend or de-warp (is that a word?) plastic or resin is, clamp it to a board, heat it, shape it, and let it cool before removing the clamp. The heat source will depend on the size of the piece and the complexity of the bend. We heard about hot water, steam, a heat gun, an incandescent light bulb, a coffee mug warmer, and a candle. We probably missed a few, but you get the idea. When the discussion got to stretched sprue, Kevin offered a tip for making pitot tubes. The plastic shafts on those cheap Q-tips can be heated and stretched to make very small diameter tubes.  

 

The next meeting is Tuesday, 1/27/26, at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. And if you're getting ready for the big snow, stay safe.

 

~Russ

 

 

Message from Frank D.

I have found a home for Bert's Skyraider. It will be on display in a case within Hanger B at Floyd Bennett. I have long-range plans to conduct a guided tour there on the last Saturday in March. Please let the gang know. I will keep you updated.

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: January 6, 2026

Eleven people attended. 

 
No Tuesday Zoom this week. The January in-person meeting is Friday, the 16th at the Community Center, in Brooklyn. Doors open around 5pm; meeting starts around 7:30. Come early to help set up and participate in our first group build, then stick around to declare your pledge model, buy or sell some kits, and pay your 2026 dues. 

 
Vaughn finished his F-102 and was pleased with the result. Kevin is reworking his Angel and Demon vignette as an OSL painting exercise. Gil is busy cranking out figures on his 3-D printer. Acquisitions included: Santa bust, Gaahleri gloss metal paint pens, TARPS pod for an F-14 and other items posted on the club's Facebook page. 

 
The tool of the week was a set of two (chisel and pointed) silicone tipped nail art tools from the dollar store. Gil likes them for bending colors and applying paint. Bobby found small, sponge tipped nail art tools at Hobby Lobby. He plans to use them with thinned out paint to get that weathered and worn look. Actually, we spoke at length on painting - tints, shades, color saturation, color modulation, post shading vs. pre shading, paint manufacturers (Angelo likes that Kaleido primer doesn't lift when masks are removed), and so on. 

 
We discussed the different techniques needed to weather large scale and small-scale models, which fit nicely with the evening's topic, what's your favorite scale. Turns out, the scale we build depends on what we build (1/48 for fighter ac and 1/144 for bombers, 1/35 for a Tiger 2 and 1/16 for a Pzkw 1), how large the finished model has to be to be seen and appreciated, how much display space you have and it's the only scale available for that kit you've been hunting for years (is that why Frank C has those Tamiya 1/100 jets?). Bobby has a different approach, one he picked up from Andy Yanchus, the finished piece has to be 8" or smaller. Maybe that's where Box Scale comes from? 

 
The next meeting is Friday the 16th at the Community Center. Invites aren't needed, but your dues are. Just kidding. Hope to see you there. Hope you pay your dues. Kidding , kidding. 

 
~Russ

BPMS In-house Meeting: January 16, 2026

ACTIVITIES DIRECTING

By Bobby Pokorny

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026! I hope you had a delightful Holiday Season!

Kit Sale Night: After the Holidays it seems like a perfect time to re-evaluate our stacks and maybe part with some kits we might have updated, and pay some bills. Feel free to bring in models to sell. Bring some extra cash, too! You never know what might show up and there are no tabs at this bar!

Declare Model Pledge: Pledges for the year are OPEN! What does this mean? Select an unbuilt model from your stack, tell BOB about it so he can add it to the list, and you have to build it for PLEDGE NIGHT in OCTOBER. Pledge Models can be declared up through APRIL.

Planning for the Year: We have some commitments for June 2026. STRAIGHT UP! It's a VERTICAL TAKE OFF theme with plenty of options to build for. Sponsored by Frank, Joe and Angelo. For the end of the year we are looking at celebrating the anniversaries of STAR TREK / STAR WARS. More on that as we get closer.

Meeting Date: JANUARY 16, 2026
Members start showing up by 5PM to set up.
Feel free to come early and hang-out!

 

Full Bulletin In PDF Format 

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: 12/30/2025

Twelve people attended. Bobby noted the January in-person meeting is coming up fast. Don't forget to select your pledge model and bring it in for registration. 

Lou had nothing to report, but Jimmy told us about the new ACV-P from Zimi Model and the FW-190 D from Hobby Boss.

Chuck, who is fabricating a clear disk to simulate an aircraft's spinning propeller, asked how to determine its appropriate thickness. Contact him directly. 

Frank C, courtesy of his wife, introduced us to the concept of wabi-sabi, the appreciation of imperfection and incompleteness, which is something all modelers can relate to. 

Frank G pointed out 2025 was the 100th anniversary of the film, Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney.

We saw Vaughn's F-102, Kevin's Romulan Bird of Prey, Chuck's P-38, Frank C's Mirage 3C-J, and Simon's I-15.

Acquisitions included: F-18A & aftermarket HARM and Sidewinder missiles, RMS Queen Mary, 3D printed 1/144 A-6, and Boomdakka Snazzwagon (a Warhammer thing).

A Grecell 300 portable power station was the featured tool. It's great for those of us who don't have electrical outlets where we need them and are forced to use extension cords. It's also good for real world problems, like when the power goes out in the neighborhood. Many companies make similar products.

The featured topic was "next year I'm going to build..." When his F-102 is finished, Vaughn will start his F-105, followed by his F-10, but Kevin will just reach into the pile and pull something out. and Russ will try out more MERDC camouflage variations. 

Other discussions centered on aerodynamics and using food dehydrators to dry paint. 

The next meeting is Tuesday, 1/6/26 at 7:30. Invites will follow in a few days. All the best to you and your families in the New Year.

Russ