BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting 07/28/2026

Featured Discussion: What's the oldest kit you started but have yet to finish?

Twelve people attended. The next in-person meeting is Friday, 8/21/26. It's the 3rd quarterly contest and it's Pizza night.

To promote the club, Bobby and Gordon have designed a cutting mat with a BPMS QR code, for group build give aways or raffle donations. Thanks, guys.

Lou reports Italeri's 1/35 VTLM Lince and Tiger 1 E are available.

To the club members attending the IPMS Nationals next week - the Bulletin will appreciate your comments and pictures. Thanks in advance.

Asked about glazing mediums, Kevin explained they were somewhere between a paint (stays put) and a wash (runs to low spots). They're good for building up color. Several companies make them. And Kevin was pleased to learn Starbond superglue accelerator comes in a pump bottle. The elongated nozzle produces a mist, rather than a spray, allowing more control.

Vaughn's Eurocopter Tiger is finished, but his S-64 Skycrane has a long way to go, thanks in part to the need to paint the engines and the other externally mounted components separately, then attach them to the painted fuselage. But it's a labor of love, so...

We saw Lee's X-29 cockpit (3rd time's the charm), Kevin's Frederick Frankenstein bust (from Young Frankenstein) and Chinese food take out container (a paper card model for Star, from The Lost Boys), Gil's Munster Koach semi-trailer conversion and Frank C's vintage 1/144 Otaki F-111, which built up surprisingly well.

Jimmy was disappointed when his latest acquisition, Zimi's 1/35 ACV-P, arrived in a wet, beat-up box, but he was impressed to see metal gun barrels directly attached to the plastic on the sprue.

The featured tool was a reamer. Designed for aligning holes in metal parts, they also work on resin. They come in various sizes, in Metric or English units. Gil finds the 5mm, 1/4" and 5/16" sizes particularly useful. If you don't have a reamer, Bobby remembered his father's trick of chucking a needle file into a drill. 

 
Simon thanked Gil for introducing him to the Ultrasonic Cutter (not to be confused with the Ultrasonic Chef's Knife). Bobby had another useful item, albeit at the other end of the budget spectrum, a silicone parts tray. Available at Hobby Lobby or Harbor Freight or online.

Why do some models take so long to finish? We get bored. We get frustrated. We get distracted. We sell the model to someone else, try to buy it back, find out they sold it, and we track it down (no guarantee we'll build it, though). We relocate temporarily and when we get back, it's not there. 

 
Getting more specific, Lou recalled the 1/48 Matchbox Skyraider AD 5 he started and hasn't finished yet. Simon hasn't finished the XFY-1 Pogo he started 20 years ago, and he showed it to us at the meeting. Gil has a similar story for a Battlestar Galactica/Star Wars kit bash project begun in 1982. Russ doesn't remember when he put his reissued Lindberg Space Base on the shelf of doom. Frank C remembered the Italeri SR-71 and the Eduard Mig-21 that never made it off the bench. Michael C never started his VEB Plasticart Tu-144 from 1976 but now that he has ICM's Tu-144, he may build it for comparison purposes.

The next meeting is Tuesday, 8/4/26, at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.

~Russ

   

BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting: July 21, 2026

Featured Discussion: Hot Weather Work-arounds. Share your tips for building when the weather is hot or humid.

Twelve people attended. Vacations, family duties, and medical issues reduced attendance recently. It was good to see everyone again.


Bobby went over the highlights of July's in-person meeting: the Red, White, and Blue themed display, and the surprise Hot Dog Feast (thank you, Vinny). The August in person meeting will feature the third quarterly contest and Pizza Night.

A good news/bad news report from Lou. The good news, many kits from Hong Kong Models, four Do-335s (two fighters, a trainer, and a night fighter), two Mosquitos (Mk 4 and Mk 16), two B-25s (J and H) and one A-20 Havoc, all 1/32, plus a 1/48 A-20 Havoc, are available. The bad news, they ain't cheap.

If you're looking for someplace to go? Mark recommends visiting the USS Norh Carolina, in Wilmington NC.

We saw Vaughn's Eurocopter Tiger, S-64 Skycrane and S-48 (a very challenging resin kit), Chuck's Do-17, Kenin' s Childs (from 1982's The Thing ), Mark's vintage Porsche 911- 78, Gil's 3 D printed Lock 'n Load figure and Frank C's Red White and Blue Phantom, vintage 1/144 F-111 and 1/144 Russian tracked SAM launcher, a $3 purchase he made to meet shipping.
Lee acquired an X-15 A 2 " White Ablative Coating"; Kevin got a Virgil Earp /Sam Elliot figure (from Tombstone).

Not surprisingly, air conditioned and dehumidified workspaces were the most common hot weather workarounds. Those without access to ac limited their modeling to subassemblies and, maybe, brush panting details. Know your work area. Is it cooler in the morning or evening? How long does it stay comfortable? The only foolproof workaround is don't work. Read, watch TV, enjoy a cold beverage (or two) as you tidy up the workbench. Just don't use your airbrush. No one thought it was a good idea to airbrush in humid weather. And problems can occur even if you don't think it's humid. Ask Kevin, he had to repaint Childs three times. Ouch!

The next meeting is Tuesday, 7/28/26, at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there.
 

~Russ 

  

 

 

Please be aware that there is a spam attack underway reporting to offer readers a participants list for the upcoming IPMS / USA - International Plastic Modelers' Society / USA nationals...

DO NOT OPEN this email!

It is not genuine and could possibly damage your device that you read it on!

I have it from the IPMS USA President John Noack that this obviously is nothing to do with them, and they appologise for the inconvenience caused by this unknown party - so please be warned!

Brownie

Beyond The Box Art Podcast

Models. Modellers. Meaning.

 

BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting: 7/7/26

The Live meeting of the Brooklyn Plastic Modelers Society will be next Friday, July 1, at the Bergen Beach Sports Complex. It will showcase a Red, White, and Blue theme, so bring in your patriotic models for display in honor of America’s 250th Birthday.

NO BPMS ZOOM next week – 7/14/26

The 7/7/26 BPMS ZOOM drew nine participants.

Lou reported the Tamiya 1/35 scale M24 Chaffee and Tamiya 1/48 scale Me109G6 Late kits are now available.

The virtual meeting addressed Smelly Stuff -- workspace ventilation and safe materials -- and Contest Judging.

Hugh summarized, “To my mind, the best way to get rid of stinky stuff is never let it in -- be selective who you let in.” His purpose-built modeling room has a bathroom-style exhaust fan to expel airbrush overspray and other pollutants. A quick check with local building inspectors confirmed spark-less, explosion-proof fan motors are unnecessary for hobby spaces. Toxicity aside, Hugh finds lacquer-based Mr. Color gloss white airbrushes especially well using the company’s leveling thinner. He is currently applying lacquer-based Alclad to his 1/32 scale Japanese fighter.

Recalling his own house-hunting considerations, Frank long ago positioned his basement airbrushing station beneath an existing window exhaust fan. A respirator mask from Harbor Freight also helps protect from spray particles. A small desk fan provides workbench ventilation at the other end of the basement. Frank generally paints with odor-free acrylics – Vallejo, Tamiya, and Gunze. He uses rattle cans of lethal Tamiya white primer only outdoors.

Michael has a spray booth and uses a rechargeable desk fan on his workbench to disperse the heady vapors of plastic cement. “I just put this fan next to the glue to blow the fumes away. Don’t aim it at the model; it dries the glue too fast.” Michael finds professional respirator masks are heavy and hot, so he buys Pandemic-style fabric masks with built-in filters on Temu and Ali-Express.

Chuck conceded, “I’ve been banned from using turpentine to clean my brushes in the house.” He showed how he had repaired, re-sanded, and re-decaled his Do17 in progress and observed, “If you’re using something more lacquer-based, it’s a bigger issue. Acrylics not so much.”

BPMS President Kevin noted fancy waterfall fume hoods can cost more than $450. The retired New York firefighter observed, “I’ve inhaled more crap, so a couple of sprits or airbrush acrylics aren’t going to do anything more to me.” He added, “You’d have to spray all day, every day for months to do harm to yourself.” Kevin generally works with Vallejo water-based acrylics. His preferred Krylon matt varnish provides a good finish with a bad smell, so Badger Stynylres primer is an excellent alternative for styrene, vinyl, and resin kits. New Gaahleri Kaleido water-based primers are also very good. Benign Vallejo primers work but requires lengthy curing. “You need to leave it sit for a whole day. I’m not that kind of builder. I keep moving along.”


Simon agreed acrylic fumes are a non-issue but his modeling putty remains a mystery. “I can’t read Japanese -- I wonder what the level of toxicity is in those.” Simon advised modeling in a well-ventilated space. “I open a window over my desk and another across the hall.” After a career in healthcare, he concluded, “The need to make everything safe has made all of us a little bit crazy. Just use common sense.”

Back from Noreastcon in Rochester, New York, IPMS Region 1 Coordinator Mark admitted he does not have an exhaust fan in his windowless basement. “I do try to wear a respirator if I have a long paint session. Obviously, lacquers are the most toxic.” Even Tamiya acrylics go on better with their own lacquer thinner. A cheap hobbyist spray booth can keep air moving, but the filter soon builds up the lacquer smell unless cleaned frequently. Mark advised to spray water mist before painting to protect the finish from airborne particulates.

Mark noted that, for Region 1 modelers, the IPMS National Convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana promises to be “the last drivable Nationals for the foreseeable future.” Future conventions look to be in Huntsville, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Shreveport, Louisiana. Efforts to find a northeast National Convention chapter continue.

Mark also said a column by IPMS Journal editor Bob Lomassaro has sparked outrage with the writer’s comments on “expert” judges who sometimes impose arbitrary criteria on contest models. Frank agreed with the writer and said, “No-one likes a nasty know-it-all.” Kevin observed that competitive judging simply makes modelers model better. Hugh suggested, “I think the best things local clubs can do is popular vote.”

The next BPMS Zoom meeting will be on Tuesday, July 21. Invitations to follow.

~Frank

BPMS Inhouse Meeting: 07/17/2026

Welcome to JULY! I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July!

RED, WHITE, & BLUE NIGHT! Happy Birthday USA! Let’s celebrate 250 years of the United States with a display of anything that has some red, white, and blue on it! 

 

Meeting Date: JULY 17, 2026
Members start showing up by 5PM to set up.
Feel free to come early and hang-out!

BPMS BULLETIN IN PDF FORMAT

It's All in The Face...

You have that nice piece of armor sitting on it's vignette, but something wrong. Are those figures along side it a little lacking? It's all in the face. Check this out -

 https://youtu.be/2dsWcMN5NR4?si=dRbdXfGy1XSkM82I

 

NYC Fleet Week Update!

Guys....

The active-duty Navy littoral combat ship USS Marinette (LCS-25) is traveling up the Hudson River on Friday, July 3, 2026, en route to the Port of Albany for the nation's 250th birthday celebrations. [1, 2]
Hudson River Transit Schedule (Friday, July 3, 2026) 

You can track or view the ship from shore as it moves north. The estimated schedule provided by local authorities and the Navy includes the following approximate times: [1, 2, 3] 

5:30 a.m. – Ambrose Channel
7:00 a.m. – Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
7:30 a.m. – Battery Park
8:24 a.m. – George Washington Bridge
11:00 a.m. – Mario Cuomo Bridge
1:30 p.m. – West Point
2:45 p.m. – Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Ulster County area
4:45 p.m. – Kingston Area
6:00 p.m. – Catskill / Dutchman's Landing / Rip Van Winkle Bridge
6:30 p.m. – City of Hudson (passing Columbia County between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
7:59 p.m. – Port of Albany arrival [1, 2, 3, 4] 

Note: All times are approximate  

~Mark Norman

June 30, 2026 BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting Report

Featured Discussion: STENCILS

Fourteen people attended.  July's red, white, and blue theme display is just around the corner. 

Lou reports Tamiya's 1/35 M-24 Chaffee and 1/48 Bf-109 G6 (late) are available.

Frank C asked if anyone could identify the unfamiliar jet he saw in flight and assumed it was part of the July 4th Jones Beach airshow. Turns out it's a L-15 Falcon of the UAE and, yes, they'll be at Jones Beach. 

Hugh is passing the time applying, removing, and reapplying Alclad coatings. 

 

Chuck told us about a good experience he had getting decals for his vintage Do 17 from WingsAndRails,  a vendor he found on Etsy. 

 

Veering a little from the upcoming US sci-fi theme contest discussion, Kevin recalled meeting Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov,  the first man to walk in space, at an autograph event, where he signed the base of a Voskhod 2 spacewalk model Kevin was working on. Then we saw the finished model. 

We also Jimmy's F-18 C cockpit and Ornithopter (his first time using AK gen 3 paint), Chuck's P-40 (two, actually) and Do- 17, Erasmo's F-101 Voodoo and Macci C-200, Lee's Grumman X-29, Kevin's busts of Childs (from The Thing) and Frederick Frankenstein (a Jeff Yager sculpt from, well, you know), and Russ' Huey Cobra.

 

A 1/35 Kubelwagon and Schwimmwagen from Hero - Hobby the acquisitions. At $10 each, why not?

 

Bobby presented this week's tool, a 3D printed miniature painting vise with jaws. At $3, why not?

The topic was stencils, all kinds of stencils - decals, masks, and templates. Many agreed with Erasmo, that 1/72 aircraft stencil decals are more trouble than they're worth. Like Simon said, "decals can be stressful." Lou remembered photoetch stencils for numbers and national markings were popular 10 years ago. Bobby showed us an assortment of flexible plastic stencils he got online suitable for sci-fi and military subjects, and he remembered Don used a lot of stencils for his hypothetical Luftwaffe aircraft. Jimmy posted a link to stencils available from Amazon on the group chat. Temu and AliExpress have them, too. Michael C showed us several metal templates (from Hobby Mio and Easycutting) for use with adhesive backed paper to make camouflage pattern shapes. I expect we'll learn more about these items in future.

The next meeting is Tuesday, 7/7/26 at 7:30 pm. Frank C will send the invites.  Thanks, Frank.

Stay cool and have a safe 4^th of July. 

 

~Russ

 

DECEMBER 2026: Golden Age of American Science Fiction Theme Contest

  Coming December 18, 2026...

 

 

  

Golden Age of American Science Fiction Theme Contest

 This September marks the 60^th anniversary of the premier of Star Trek. Next May marks the 50^th anniversary of Star Wars. December 2026 would be a perfect time to celebrate both iconic American science fiction franchises. With those two juggernauts around, we tend to forget about other great American properties, BUT NOT THIS TIME! The sponsors would like to celebrate what we consider to be the Golden Age of American Science Fiction. Other properties that will be included, but not limited to, will be: Battlestar Galactica, ALIEN, Buck Rogers, Blade Runner, X-Files, Babylon 5, Space: Above & Beyond, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Thing, The Terminator, Star Crash, Outland, Logan’s Run, The Omega Man, Planet of the Apes, Shock Waves, Flash Gordon, Weird Science, War of the Worlds, Fantastic Voyage, Seaquest, Lost In Space, Forbidden Planet, etc.

Any questions? Feel free to speak with the sponsors.   

Sponsors:

• Jeff Eng
• Vinny Rosati
• Bobby POkorny