BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: 03/24/26

Discussion Topic: Scribing, and dealing with mistakes

 

The sixteen people in attendance heard Mark confirm that BPMS was the IPMS Region 1 Chapter of the Year for the third year in a row, something no other chapter has done, to the best of his knowledge. More good news, our own Julio L was named Region 1 Member of the Year. Congratulations all around.

Several BPMS members were among the 60 or so modelers at last Saturday's Japan Village group build. Photos are on the BPMS Facebook page. 

Replicon is Saturday, March 28 at the Freeport Recreation Center in Long Island and ValleyCon is Sunday, March 29 in Chicopee, MA. Whichever one you attend, take photos for the people stuck at home. 

Lou reports Border Models' 1/35 He-111 and Dragon's 1/48 Bf-109 E4 are available. Not surprisingly, Jimmy has already acquired the 109 and he gave us an impromptu in box review - 3D printed engine (with piping and wiring), single piece rear fuselage, different colored sprue. It comes in a plastic box with a cardboard sleeve, in case you're interested. 

We saw Vaughn's F-105, Kevin's Gamora and Medusa busts (Medusa is mounted on a wedding cake pillar), Mark's Goliath (he tried AK quick gen paint for the figures) and Porsche 935 (he stripped the wrinkled paint from the body by soaking it in isopropyl alcohol), Angelo's World War Toons Panther and Egg Plane Osprey, Russ' Huey Cobra and Vigilante and Gil's 3D printed RDA Helicopter (from Avatar). An Ornithopter (from Dune) and VMFA 232 decals were also acquired. 

This week's tool was from Amazon, not the Dollar Store. It's a set of flexible metal scribing templates from Hasegawa. Very useful for scribing geometric shapes.

We use various tools for scribing: the back of a hobby blade (#11or #12 or #22), a model company's scriber (like Tamiya's), a model tool company's scriber (too many to name), an awl, a wood chisel (for larger scale models), carbide scriber, old dental tools, and micro saws.  "Official" scribing guide tape is available but label maker tape, flexible rulers, and masking tape work too. Kevin has used a coat of UV curing resin to fix scribing mistakes, and Michael C used a thin layer of Nara air hardening clay (available at Hobby Lobby), to fix mistakes. Just remember to sand it before painting. Simon has used Mr. Surfacer 1000 and Tamiya's Surface Primer. Even though we use different tools and different techniques everyone agrees the key to successful scribing is to work slowly and carefully.

The next meeting is Tuesday, 3/31/26 at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. Or in Freeport. Or in Chicopee. 

 

~Russ 

 

 

Japan Village Group Build: Another Successful Outing

 Japan Village in Brooklyn on Saturday (3/21/26), was the site of the latest successful outing for the Brooklyn Plastic Modelers Society. Early numbers indicate that 50-60 peoples showed up to build their Gundam and other models or to talk about the hobby.

More info as it comes in. Make sure to visit us on our Facebook Page!

 

BPMS Zoom mini Meeting: 03/10/2026

Featured Discussion: Airbrushes Part 2

 

Fourteen people attended. No Tuesday Zoom next week; the in-person meeting is Friday the 20th at the Community Center. It's decal swap night and Green Model night. If that's not enough, you can declare your pledge model and pay your 2026 dues, too. The next day, Saturday, the 21st, there's a group build at Japan Village (934 3 Ave, in Brooklyn) from 1-5pm. Stop by if you can. Thanks, Julio, for setting it up. 

Replicon is Saturday, the 28th at the Freeport Recreation Center in Long Island and Mosquitocon is Saturday April 4 in Wayne NJ.

Lou reports Tamiya's 1/35 Schwimmwagen Type 166 is available. 

We saw Vaughn's F-105, F-106 and F-101C (cockpit), Lee's P-47 (cockpit floor), Kevin's Medusa bust (expect it on Green Model night), Frank G's Mummy's Chariot, Simon's Westland Whirlwind and Frank C's Harrier (ask him about the decals from Spain). 

A F-18D was acquired, and Jimmy plans to acquire an Israeli F-15C with conformal tanks, as soon as someone makes a kit of it.

The tool was a 3D printed workstation Gil designed for holding an airbrush for cleaning/disassembling.  He'll be offering them for sale (at discount for group members). Contact him directly for details. 

We continued last week's airbrush discussion. Erasmo thanked Michael C for his airbrush advice. Gordon's workbench camera was very effective at showing us the features of different airbrushes and their components. Gil showed an easy way to clean a Paasche H nozzle with a wash bottle. The dos and don'ts of using products like Purple Power, Simple Green, OxiClean, Bleche-Wite and Windex for cleaning airbrushes were discussed. Just because they're good at cleaning mold release agents doesn't mean they can't corrode metal. There was a lot of talk about cleaning double action airbrush needles. We wondered about airbrush lubricants, like NeedleJuice. Are they for the needle or the gaskets, or both? Special thanks go to Michael C, for his informative after-meeting email on corrosion and to Steve N for his email about Badger's airbrush refurbishing service. 

Our next meeting is Friday, the 20th at the Community Center in Brooklyn. Doors open around 5pm; meeting starts around 7:30. No invites needed. Don't let the Leprechauns keep you away. 

 

~Russ 

  

 

  

BPMS Inhouse Meeting: March 20, 2026

Welcome to MARCH! To finish up the first quarter of BPMS activities we have:

Decal Swap Night: Bring decals you no longer need to swap or sell with other members. You might find those markings that you have been looking for!

Green Model Night: The big holiday for March is St Patrick ’s Day and what better way to observe it than with GREEN MODELS. It’s not a contest, simply a theme for models to bring. You are welcome to bring back something old to show the group, or if it ties into the theme in some way, it would be great. Be prepared to tell the group a few words on your models.

Of course, everyone is welcome to bring any other new work that has been completed.

You also still have time to declare your model pledge. Speak with me about it. April is the cut off for declarations and October is the due date for finished models.

June’s Theme Contest: The Vertical Take Off Theme Contest is off and running! Build something that can have a CONTROLLED vertical take-off AND landing. Think helicopters and harriers, but not V2 rockets.

Meeting Date: MARCH 20, 2026
Members start showing up by 5PM to set up.
Feel free to come early and hang-out!

BPMS Bulletin is attached in PDF format 

BPMS - Ware

  

 

 

  

We should be discussing this during a meeting very soon. A local business that I am familiar with pitched an assortment of shirts with BPMS logos on them. Prices will be as follows: 

• $35 t-shirt
• $45 polo
• $45 crew-neck sweatshirt 
• $65 hoodies

Schedule Of Events: 2025

January

Kit Sale Night

Declare Model Pledge

February

Show Us Your Tool

Contest Night 1Q26

March

Decal Swap Night

Green Model Night

April

Work In Progress Night

May

Parts Box Night

Contest Night 2Q26

June

Vertical Take Off Theme Contest

Summer Picnic Night

July

Theme night

August

Pizza Night

Contest Night 3Q26

September

Swap Night

Theme Night / Clinic

TBA

October

Model Pledge Night

Nominations

November

Contest Night: 4Q26

Super Raffle

December

TBA Theme Contest

Holiday Dinner / Desserts

Reminder of the March 21st 2026 Group Build!

The first Group Build of the year will happen the day after our in-house meeting- March 21st, at Japan Village on 3rd ave. in Brooklyn.

The theme is mostly Gundam, but in typical BPMS fashion, you can bring and build anything you want. 

Mark your calendars!

 

BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting Report - 03/03/2026

A big crowd, sixteen people attended.

March will be busy. The Japan Village group build is the 21st at 934 3 Ave in Brooklyn (1-5pm) and Replicon is the 28th at the Freeport Recreation Center on Long Island (9 - 4pm).

We saw Frank C's Harrier and large-scale Sparrow missile (an impulse buy on Temu), Mark's Pikachu (test build for an upcoming Hudson Valley Make & Take) and vintage, pre-owned, partially built Moby Dick Porsche 935, and Kevin's Ekranoplan (he covered the Micro Crystal Clear cabin windows with UV curing resin to improve their appearance), Medusa bust and Star figure (if you don't remember this actress from "The Lost Boys", she was also the woman who "couldn't spare a square" on Seinfeld).

Acquisitions included: 3D printed Navy/Marine Phantom drop tanks, Gigantor and Inga (from Young Frankenstein).

This week's tool was a product, Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Gil puts it on the threads of his airbrush nozzle to ensure good paint flow. Rather than wax the threads, Michael C used Loctite's Fun Tak to make a gasket. Just be sure the Fun Tak hasn't dried out. Gil showed us the DIY airbrush stand he built to hold the airbrush in place while cleaning / changing parts.

Airbrushes turned out to be a great topic. So great that we'll continue the discussion at next Tuesday's meeting. Here's some of what was heard last night. Many attendees like the Paasche H 1 for its simplicity and reliability. Gaahleri airbrushes are popular because of their cost, performance, and hand feel. Angelo appreciates that Gaahleri makes one with a trigger. We also use airbrushes from Iwata, Autolock, Sparmax, Harder & Steenbeck. We remembered Aztec and Badger airbrushes. Simon coined the phrase "paint personally" to describe how paints from the same manufacturer can differ from each other. So, experiment with thinner ratios, spray pressures, and paint volumes, then use an old model or scrap household plastic as a paint mule. Once you're satisfied, spray your model. We heard that operating pressures differ on gravity feed and siphon feed airbrushes. Gil mentioned ink is the right consistency for double action airbrushes with smaller diameter needles. Michael C and Gil have each modified at least one of their airbrushes to suit their specific needs. We were warned that using lacquers and lacquer thinner in cheap airbrushes will corrode the metal components. Airbrush tips come in different shapes. Some attract more paint than others, and they all should be cleaned frequently as we paint. And even though it's possible to paint over different types of paint provided they're fully cured and appropriately top coated, it's risky. Ask Mark. 

As you can see, a lot of useful things were said, and not everyone had a chance to speak! They'll have their chance next Tuesday at 7:30 pm. So will you. Invites to follow.
PS - Links to items discussed can be found on the Zoom Chat page.

~Russ