Posts
Dear Sir,
We are WESPE MODELS,manufacturer of WWII vehicles,kits or all fitted
resin scale 1/35,1/72, 1/76,1/87,1/48,1/10,1/24.
You can see our models at: www.wespemodels.ro
If you are interested(or you know someone interested) please contact us.
Respectfully,
Adrian Laptuca - Wespe Models
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Wespe Models
This just in:
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Region 1 Update: Ides of March
Howdy folks,
Time for a short update.
The best news for today is that we have a host on deck for the 2006 version of Noreastcon. While I won't officially announce who they are until the business meeting in Rochester, I will tell you they've done this before, and have a new venue. Plus, they wrote up one of the nicest proposals I've seen as RC. Come to the business meeting to find out first!! My thanks go out to these guys, and you know how you are!!!
The folks in Rochester are working hard on this years event. By now I know the registration packages have been mailed to all our chapters. If your's didn't get any yet, let me know, and I see you get some. I need to pass along some info I received after the last update. Armand informed me the T-Birds won't be in the area that weekend after all. I guess we'll just have to look at great models all weekend!!! Anyway, I know they're still looking for sponsorships, so please consider helping them out.
Also, I'll be after the names and addresses of all that participate in judging, as a way to establish the start of our Regional Judges List. I know that everyone that has judged at the regional level won't be at Noreastcon. So I'll be asking for each chapter to submit a list of their members who have judged at either the regional, or national level for inclusion. Inclusion is strictly voluntary, and there won't be the judging police showing up checking ID's. But having a roster of regional level judges available for future Noreastcon's and local events couldn't have a negative impact. When we discussed it at last years business meeting, all that attended were in favor of it. I know I should have done more on this during the past year, but y'all know how real life invades our hobby time!!!!
Also, nominations for Region 1 Chapter of the Year, and Person of the Year are coming to a close March 30th. Time is running out on nominating that deserving person and your quality chapter. E mail me your nominations before the cut off date so you can be considered.
I hear from Associate Webmaster Dick Montgomery that he's looking for walk-around's and event pictures for the IPMS web site. One thing I always hear from you guys is what a cool museum you have near your home, or what great event your chapter hosted recently. Take some pictures of these things, and send them to Dick. Check out the web site for more detailed information on what format and stuff. But send him some stuff. Unfortunately, I don't have any cool museums down the street from my house. But if I did.........
I'm happy to report all Region 1 Chapters have renewed, and are current. Our numbers stay the same, with none dropping, but no new ones forming. I guess that's good, given our geographic location, and the current density of chapters.
Which brings us to the end of today's update. Please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.
Semper Fi
Doug Hamilton
Time for a short update.
The best news for today is that we have a host on deck for the 2006 version of Noreastcon. While I won't officially announce who they are until the business meeting in Rochester, I will tell you they've done this before, and have a new venue. Plus, they wrote up one of the nicest proposals I've seen as RC. Come to the business meeting to find out first!! My thanks go out to these guys, and you know how you are!!!
The folks in Rochester are working hard on this years event. By now I know the registration packages have been mailed to all our chapters. If your's didn't get any yet, let me know, and I see you get some. I need to pass along some info I received after the last update. Armand informed me the T-Birds won't be in the area that weekend after all. I guess we'll just have to look at great models all weekend!!! Anyway, I know they're still looking for sponsorships, so please consider helping them out.
Also, I'll be after the names and addresses of all that participate in judging, as a way to establish the start of our Regional Judges List. I know that everyone that has judged at the regional level won't be at Noreastcon. So I'll be asking for each chapter to submit a list of their members who have judged at either the regional, or national level for inclusion. Inclusion is strictly voluntary, and there won't be the judging police showing up checking ID's. But having a roster of regional level judges available for future Noreastcon's and local events couldn't have a negative impact. When we discussed it at last years business meeting, all that attended were in favor of it. I know I should have done more on this during the past year, but y'all know how real life invades our hobby time!!!!
Also, nominations for Region 1 Chapter of the Year, and Person of the Year are coming to a close March 30th. Time is running out on nominating that deserving person and your quality chapter. E mail me your nominations before the cut off date so you can be considered.
I hear from Associate Webmaster Dick Montgomery that he's looking for walk-around's and event pictures for the IPMS web site. One thing I always hear from you guys is what a cool museum you have near your home, or what great event your chapter hosted recently. Take some pictures of these things, and send them to Dick. Check out the web site for more detailed information on what format and stuff. But send him some stuff. Unfortunately, I don't have any cool museums down the street from my house. But if I did.........
I'm happy to report all Region 1 Chapters have renewed, and are current. Our numbers stay the same, with none dropping, but no new ones forming. I guess that's good, given our geographic location, and the current density of chapters.
Which brings us to the end of today's update. Please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.
Semper Fi
Doug Hamilton
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
This just in from Champlain Valley
CAN/AM Con 6 will be on April 9th, 2005. However, our location has changed. This year the contest will be held in Plattsburgh's Holiday Inn, conveniently located across the street from our former location at the Comfort Inn.
The directions on our flyer remain the same, but instead of turning right into the Wal-Mart/Comfort Inn plaza, you'll be making a left turn into the Holiday Inn. We'll have signs on the street, and at the Comfort Inn to guide those who aren't aware of this change.
Thanks,
Frank Baehre, President
IPMS/Champlain Valley
The directions on our flyer remain the same, but instead of turning right into the Wal-Mart/Comfort Inn plaza, you'll be making a left turn into the Holiday Inn. We'll have signs on the street, and at the Comfort Inn to guide those who aren't aware of this change.
Thanks,
Frank Baehre, President
IPMS/Champlain Valley
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Pics from the February 2005 Meeting
There were many great models on the tables. It was a contest night.
The officers preside over the meeting.
John shows the group some goodies during the "Show Us Your Tool" segment.
You can find more pics here:
Bobby's BPMS Gallery at Hobbyfanatics for 02/2005
The officers preside over the meeting.
John shows the group some goodies during the "Show Us Your Tool" segment.
You can find more pics here:
Bobby's BPMS Gallery at Hobbyfanatics for 02/2005
Monday, March 14, 2005
March 2005 Bulletin
Our February meeting was another in a long string of successful meetings. We had 25 members and 3 guests bringing in 36 models.
A MOMENT OF SILENCE was observed for recently deceased member Lanny Reinish. Our sympathies go out to his family.
A PUSH TO BUILD MORE: Veep, Jimmy T. unveiled his new concept to help encourage the group to bring in more new models: The Resupply Raffle. In a nutshell, all new models of the evening with kit slips are qualified. Three winners are drawn, and in order allowed their choice of supplies up for grabs. We only ran it for the first time last month. We’ll see often we run it. Another plan is the “2 for 1” Night. At random, the officers will declare a meeting night to be 2 for 1, where you’d essentially get double credit that night for the super raffle. It won’t be announced in advance, so build and bring stuff in each month to keep your chances greater for this benefit.
MODEL OF THE YEAR COMPETITION: The numbers were crunched and the results were as follows:
CONTEST NIGHT – 1ST QTR: This was the first installment of the annual contest for 2005. A lot of nice kits on those tables. This will be an interesting year.
SHOW US YOUR TOOL: Everyone’s favorite activity, and not nearly as vulgar as the name may let on. Some members gave us a glimpse into their toolbox and showed us a couple useful items. Thanks to those who participated.
MUCH ADO ABOUT DECALS: The march meeting will essentially an all about decals night. Bring in decals to trade, sell, or just unload and give away. We will be having a decal panel hosted by Kevin, Frank C, and Jimmy, butt hat doesn’t meant hat if you have any tips or tricks that you shouldn’t be prepared to offer the group a few words on the subject. Every pearl of wisdom is golden! Hmm. Golden pearls? What’s that about? At any rate the discussion will likely be animated and educational.
IN THE MOVIES: Ted and Phil are sponsoring “In The Movies” in for June 2005. Basically build something, ANYTHING from a movie. This in from the sponsors: The parameters of this contest have been nailed. There will be no category judging just first, second and third places with honorable mentions. This contest is wide open, so build a scene, a prop, or anything else that is recognizable from a movie. It can be Godzilla leveling Tokyo, a space battle from Star Wars, a scene from Apocalypse Now, a monster from a classic horror movie, a plane from Top Gun, a naval battle from Ben Hur, etc, etc. This should be fun, its up to your imagination. Get ready because June will be here soon!
REMINDER: We don’t have a theme for December yet. Do you want to sponsor something? A great concept brought up at teh last meeting was Cats. Contact the officers if you want to sponsor it or anything else for December.
FEBRUARY MEETING!!!
A MOMENT OF SILENCE was observed for recently deceased member Lanny Reinish. Our sympathies go out to his family.
A PUSH TO BUILD MORE: Veep, Jimmy T. unveiled his new concept to help encourage the group to bring in more new models: The Resupply Raffle. In a nutshell, all new models of the evening with kit slips are qualified. Three winners are drawn, and in order allowed their choice of supplies up for grabs. We only ran it for the first time last month. We’ll see often we run it. Another plan is the “2 for 1” Night. At random, the officers will declare a meeting night to be 2 for 1, where you’d essentially get double credit that night for the super raffle. It won’t be announced in advance, so build and bring stuff in each month to keep your chances greater for this benefit.
MODEL OF THE YEAR COMPETITION: The numbers were crunched and the results were as follows:
Air: Kevin Batterman for his Corsair.
Armor: Kevin, again, for an M25 Tractor.
Figure: Bobby Pokorny for Yoda.
Sci-Fi: Jeff Eng for the Klingon Heavy Cruiser.
Sea: Adrian Davies for the HMS Warspite.
Misc: Ray Keegan for his Mad Max V8 Interceptor.
Armor: Kevin, again, for an M25 Tractor.
Figure: Bobby Pokorny for Yoda.
Sci-Fi: Jeff Eng for the Klingon Heavy Cruiser.
Sea: Adrian Davies for the HMS Warspite.
Misc: Ray Keegan for his Mad Max V8 Interceptor.
CONTEST NIGHT – 1ST QTR: This was the first installment of the annual contest for 2005. A lot of nice kits on those tables. This will be an interesting year.
SHOW US YOUR TOOL: Everyone’s favorite activity, and not nearly as vulgar as the name may let on. Some members gave us a glimpse into their toolbox and showed us a couple useful items. Thanks to those who participated.
On the agenda: March
MUCH ADO ABOUT DECALS: The march meeting will essentially an all about decals night. Bring in decals to trade, sell, or just unload and give away. We will be having a decal panel hosted by Kevin, Frank C, and Jimmy, butt hat doesn’t meant hat if you have any tips or tricks that you shouldn’t be prepared to offer the group a few words on the subject. Every pearl of wisdom is golden! Hmm. Golden pearls? What’s that about? At any rate the discussion will likely be animated and educational.
THEMES FOR 2005
IN THE MOVIES: Ted and Phil are sponsoring “In The Movies” in for June 2005. Basically build something, ANYTHING from a movie. This in from the sponsors: The parameters of this contest have been nailed. There will be no category judging just first, second and third places with honorable mentions. This contest is wide open, so build a scene, a prop, or anything else that is recognizable from a movie. It can be Godzilla leveling Tokyo, a space battle from Star Wars, a scene from Apocalypse Now, a monster from a classic horror movie, a plane from Top Gun, a naval battle from Ben Hur, etc, etc. This should be fun, its up to your imagination. Get ready because June will be here soon!
REMINDER: We don’t have a theme for December yet. Do you want to sponsor something? A great concept brought up at teh last meeting was Cats. Contact the officers if you want to sponsor it or anything else for December.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Region 1 Update: 03/01/2005
Hi all you Region 1-ites,
This just in from IPMS President Dave Morrissette. The news from the top is a good gauge as to the direction IPMS is taking.
For me, the most troubling item is the cheating that went on at last years Nationals. The good part is that the E Board is, and has taken action to prevent it's reoccurrence. My question is why cheat at a model contest? As I've said before, what we do in this hobby only effects us. Our little corner of the world (Pun intended) has no bearing on events outside our group.
As always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.
Semper Fi
Doug
This just in from IPMS President Dave Morrissette. The news from the top is a good gauge as to the direction IPMS is taking.
For me, the most troubling item is the cheating that went on at last years Nationals. The good part is that the E Board is, and has taken action to prevent it's reoccurrence. My question is why cheat at a model contest? As I've said before, what we do in this hobby only effects us. Our little corner of the world (Pun intended) has no bearing on events outside our group.
As always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.
Semper Fi
Doug
Hi everyone:
Welcome to the latest update from your IPMS E-board. Things are relatively quiet but we are less than five months away from the fun of Atlanta and what promises to be a wonderful 2005 IPMS National.
One serious issue I need to address is the results of the issues that occurred with multiple entries at the Phoenix Nationals. The person involved was Fabrizio Dandramateo from R11 and, unfortunately, all of our efforts to contact him via mail have failed to elicit a response or explanation. We have taken all the steps we could and revoked his membership and he is not allowed to participate as a contestant in any Nationals. This is a very sad situation but let me restate several things. First, we (the E-board and the contest committee) take the integrity of the National contest seriously and try to make it as fair AND fun. Second, the IPMS National contest has rules and we will do everything we can to enforce those rules. That’s why they are published in the Journal, web sites and we have all sorts of communications about it. There are not too many rules but we are adamant about those rules we do have. Basically, you have to be a current IPMS member and do your own work to enter the contest. The rest of the rules are listed in the Journal. If you have any questions, comments, please let us know.
We have one constitutional amendment being passed through the CRB and a ballot will appear later this year to be voted on during the summer. The amendment deals with the chapter recharter fee that has been at $10 for about the last 20 years.
Also, it’s election time. If you are interested in running for an E-board office (President, 1st VP, 2nd VP, Secretary, Director of Local Chapters and Historian/Publications Director), e-mail MJ at the office for the form. We also have a good description of the job duties for each position and can forward those also.
On to the updates-
1st VP- John Noack
· Monitoring the recent flurry of traffic regarding licensing, intellectual property and copyright issues as they apply to the modeling industry. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Rod Lees, a member from OKC, who took it on himself to dig into this area and provide the OEM industry perspective. See Rod's excellent article on the website if you're interested.
* Review products continue to flow into the office, and several new suppliers came on board this month including Jiver Miniatures, Euromodels Plus, Panavise, and ICM. Watch the Reviews section of the website which is updated weekly.
* We're in the opening stages of a dialog with IMMA, the International Model Manufacturers' Association, on how we might work together in future Make and Take events.
2nd VP- Ron Bell
· Atlanta is on course to be a really large show. The initial hotel block was filled and they have added rooms.
· There is only one bidder for 2007.
· Phoenix report is in and is being reviewed. Show was profitable and many good suggestions are coming in from the group holding the show.
Director of Foreign Liaison- Glen Broman
· We have reached an agreement with IPMS UK for a swap of magazine articles. I've been asked to write a specific article on the M1A1 tank for the IPMS UK magazine, which is almost done. We will be getting an article from them in return.
· We received a new batch of foreign IPMS magazines that I am reviewing and I will add them to an upcoming column for the Journal.
Director of Local Chapters- Jack Kennedy
· I have 190 chapters renewed with a few more on the way.
· I will be sending out the "Dropped" letters next week.
Historian and Publications Director- Mark Gustavson
· The only outstanding issue on which I'm working right now is the update of the membership rates in the advert carried in Model Cars magazine. I should have that updated by week's end -- in plenty of time for the next issue.
Office Manager- MJ Kinney
* Total number of journals mailed out in January - 4,481. This is 4 more than the previous issue.
* We had a total of 804 new members in 2004 and 108 to date in 2005.
* The liability insurance policy has been renewed at a cost of $ 6,900.00. Chapters have listened and have been requesting coverage in a more timely fashion this year making the process much less stressful!!
* The D & O insurance policy has also been renewed at a cost of $ 980.00
* The annual registration of the corporation has been done with the State of Georgia
* Lapel pins have been ordered with an expected delivery date to the vendor of 2/22/05. They have been added to the special product sheet sent out with each new member/renewal membership and to the Products page on the web site. The journal order form should be updated in the next issue.
* I am gearing up for processing memberships for the convention - all members need to remember that waiting until the last minute to renew or join could result in them not receiving their membership cards in a timely fashion. I will be taking memberships at the convention located near the convention registration desk. I will also again have a supply of our special products for sale.
That’s all for. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions and comments are always welcome.
Dave Morrissette
President, IPMS/USA
God Bless America
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Some words from the V.P.
Well, I would just like to say that so far I think the first two meetings of the year have gone pretty well. We have had a lot of kits displayed by our members and by several guests and I hope this trend continues throughout the year. We have also implemented what I will name the “Resupply Raffle.” For those of you who weren’t in attendance for the February meeting I’ll explain it. For every model you bring in you will receive a chance to win some simple staples of model building. For example, in February, Kay won some Tamiya putty, Dan took home a can of Tamiya spray paint (Dan, if they catch you tagging up the train with the BPMS logo, don’t tell them where you got the paint) and Nestor got a bottle of Tenex 7R. So, from now on if you’re running low on something, bring a model and maybe you can take home what you need. I’m going to try to put a survey in the bulletin so you can let us know what items you go through the most, be it paint, sanding supplies or knife blades. I would also like to spice up certain months for this raffle, mainly contest nights, but that needs further review.
Vinny also suggested that certain months we have a two for one night, meaning that say in April (just using April as an example) any models brought in will count double towards the super raffle.
Speaking of the super raffle, I mentioned trying to stream line it just a bit, maybe not quite as many rolls of masking tape and maybe a slightly higher quality of prizes. I don’t necessarily believe in the old Soviet proverb of “quantity has a quality all its own” but I do understand that the BPMS super raffle has a history that includes a fair amount of silliness. Anyway, since I started the idea of upgrading I will volunteer to donate what I consider a quality item, more on that come raffle time. Get some!! Get some!!
I would also like to thank Frank Colucci for his article on the Hasegawa 1/48th Harrier; he made a great looking model and followed that up with a great write up. Everyone keep your eyes open in the next few months as we should have some more great articles from our ranks. God Save the Queen! (Hint, hint)
So, these are just a few things that I wanted get out there and for you to think about. I hope that we can talk about it at the meeting and feel free to discuss these with myself or any other member of the Royal Council, just remember to bring us a cup of coffee and a donut before you do.
Jimmy T.
Vinny also suggested that certain months we have a two for one night, meaning that say in April (just using April as an example) any models brought in will count double towards the super raffle.
Speaking of the super raffle, I mentioned trying to stream line it just a bit, maybe not quite as many rolls of masking tape and maybe a slightly higher quality of prizes. I don’t necessarily believe in the old Soviet proverb of “quantity has a quality all its own” but I do understand that the BPMS super raffle has a history that includes a fair amount of silliness. Anyway, since I started the idea of upgrading I will volunteer to donate what I consider a quality item, more on that come raffle time. Get some!! Get some!!
I would also like to thank Frank Colucci for his article on the Hasegawa 1/48th Harrier; he made a great looking model and followed that up with a great write up. Everyone keep your eyes open in the next few months as we should have some more great articles from our ranks. God Save the Queen! (Hint, hint)
So, these are just a few things that I wanted get out there and for you to think about. I hope that we can talk about it at the meeting and feel free to discuss these with myself or any other member of the Royal Council, just remember to bring us a cup of coffee and a donut before you do.
Jimmy T.
"In The Movies" Theme Contest Info
IN THE MOVIES: Ted and Phil are sponsoring “In The Movies” in for June 2005. Basically build something, ANYTHING from a movie.
This in from the sponsors:
This in from the sponsors:
The parameters of this contest have been nailed. There will be no category judging just first, second and third places with honorable mentions. This contest is wide open, so build a scene, a prop, or anything else that is recognizable from a movie. It can be Godzilla leveling Tokyo, a space battle from Star Wars, a scene from Apocalypse Now, a monster from a classic horror movie, a plane from Top Gun, a naval battle from Ben Hur, etc, etc. This should be fun, its up to your imagination. Get ready because June will be here soon!
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Offer from Sam Publications
Dear IPMS Chapter Member,
I am writing to you personally from Sam Publications in the UK with an offer exclusively for IPMS Members in the USA.
Sam Publications is the publisher of Scale Aviation Modeller, one of the leading scale model magazines recognised Internationally along with its sister magazines Model Aircraft Monthly and Scale Models International. Our magazines are currently distributed through Kalmbach and Squadron MMD in the USA.
You may also be familiar with our Modellers Datafile range of books, known as The Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller, which can be seen on our secure website www.sampublications.com. Our books and magazines are also purchased directly from us by hobby stores across the USA who all deal with us on a regular day-to-day basis.
As an exclusive offer to all US IPMS Chapters we would like to offer you the chance to purchase any of our Modellers Datafile book series currently in publication at a much reduced price of 20 USD per book. We would also like to offer you the opportunity of purchasing these books on a post free deal providing all the books can be sent to one IPMS members nominated address in one shipment.
The titles currently available are:
The Supermarine Spitfire Merlin Powered by Robert Humphreys
The Avro Lancaster, Manchester and Lincoln by Richard A Franks
The Supermarine Spitfire Griffon Powered by Robert Humphreys
The Bristol Beaufighter by Richard A Franks
The English Electric Lightning by Richard J Caruana
The Gloster Meteor by Richard J Caruana and Richard A Franks
Unfortunately, The De Havilland Mosquito and The Hawker Hurricane are no longer available due to their demand.
If your members are interested in taking advantage of this offer please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be more than happy to send you any further information required.
Finally, if any of your IPMS members are interested in a separate deal on any of our magazines either for subscriptions or back issues, please also let us know.
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Sincere regards
Amanda Elliott
I am writing to you personally from Sam Publications in the UK with an offer exclusively for IPMS Members in the USA.
Sam Publications is the publisher of Scale Aviation Modeller, one of the leading scale model magazines recognised Internationally along with its sister magazines Model Aircraft Monthly and Scale Models International. Our magazines are currently distributed through Kalmbach and Squadron MMD in the USA.
You may also be familiar with our Modellers Datafile range of books, known as The Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller, which can be seen on our secure website www.sampublications.com. Our books and magazines are also purchased directly from us by hobby stores across the USA who all deal with us on a regular day-to-day basis.
As an exclusive offer to all US IPMS Chapters we would like to offer you the chance to purchase any of our Modellers Datafile book series currently in publication at a much reduced price of 20 USD per book. We would also like to offer you the opportunity of purchasing these books on a post free deal providing all the books can be sent to one IPMS members nominated address in one shipment.
The titles currently available are:
The Supermarine Spitfire Merlin Powered by Robert Humphreys
The Avro Lancaster, Manchester and Lincoln by Richard A Franks
The Supermarine Spitfire Griffon Powered by Robert Humphreys
The Bristol Beaufighter by Richard A Franks
The English Electric Lightning by Richard J Caruana
The Gloster Meteor by Richard J Caruana and Richard A Franks
Unfortunately, The De Havilland Mosquito and The Hawker Hurricane are no longer available due to their demand.
If your members are interested in taking advantage of this offer please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be more than happy to send you any further information required.
Finally, if any of your IPMS members are interested in a separate deal on any of our magazines either for subscriptions or back issues, please also let us know.
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Sincere regards
Amanda Elliott
Friday, February 11, 2005
IPMS/USA, Region 1 2005 Approved Event Dates
This just in from Doug, RC1:
IPMS/USA, Region 1 2005 Approved Event Dates
12 March: IPMS Southern Maine
2 April: IPMS Long Island - RepLIcon
3 April: IPMS Niagara Frontier – Buffcon
3 April: IPMS Wings and Wheels – Valleycon
9 April: IPMS Champlain Valley – Can-Am-con
23/24 April: IPMS MASSCAR
6-8 May:Noreastcon – IPMS Rochester
20-23 July: IPMS Nationals – Atlanta GA
10 September:IPMS Patriot – Patcon
18 September:Rocon – IPMS Rochester
25 September: IPMS Cape Cod
16 October: Granitecon – IPMS Granite State
22 October: IPMS Mid Hudson Valley
6 November: Baycon – IPMS Bay Colony
12 November: IPMS LIARS
IPMS/USA, Region 1 2005 Approved Event Dates
12 March: IPMS Southern Maine
2 April: IPMS Long Island - RepLIcon
3 April: IPMS Niagara Frontier – Buffcon
3 April: IPMS Wings and Wheels – Valleycon
9 April: IPMS Champlain Valley – Can-Am-con
23/24 April: IPMS MASSCAR
6-8 May:Noreastcon – IPMS Rochester
20-23 July: IPMS Nationals – Atlanta GA
10 September:IPMS Patriot – Patcon
18 September:Rocon – IPMS Rochester
25 September: IPMS Cape Cod
16 October: Granitecon – IPMS Granite State
22 October: IPMS Mid Hudson Valley
6 November: Baycon – IPMS Bay Colony
12 November: IPMS LIARS
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Useful Links
Here's some related links:
The IPMS Home Page:
IPMS USA
The BPMS Pages:
BPMS Club
Frank C's Modern Military Aircraft
Scott's BPMS Gallery
The IPMS Home Page:
IPMS USA
The BPMS Pages:
BPMS Club
Frank C's Modern Military Aircraft
Scott's BPMS Gallery
Hatching Hasegawa’s Harrier By Frank C.
They don’t carry much or fly very fast, and they crash an awful lot, but Harriers take off and land without long runways, so the Marines still love ‘em. The Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) fighter-bomber is a complicated, interesting shape, and the Hasegawa 48th scale kit seems to have all the subtle curves and bumps of the real thing. Hasegawa’s first 48th scale jump-jet (Kit PT28) was the long-nosed USMC AV-8B Harrier II Plus with radar, night vision pilotage sensor, and a night targeting pod. The model has since been reissued as the plain AV-8B from Desert Storm, the Night Attack version with the nose-top sensor alone, and the British Harrier GR7 with yet another nose. It’s a state-of-the-art kit with engraved lines, fine details, and good decals, but not a project for impatient beginners. That said, the end result is handsome as a Harrier can be.
You'll see Frank’s Harrier in the forefront. Pic is from the 01/2005 BPMS Meeting
Construction starts in the cockpit with a six-piece ejection seat and nicely detailed instrument panel. Resin freaks are free to double the price of their kits with aftermarket cockpits, but I thought the out-of-the-box detail was fine. If you don’t like to drybrush tiny switches, the kit contains an instrument panel decal. Even though Hasegawa did not include seat harness decals on the sheet, I was too lazy to make straps out of paper. The instructions say the headrest should be black, but a color picture showed both headrest and seat cushion as light olive drab. A decal that represents the explosive cord buried in real Harrier canopies should be applied inside the kit canopy between Q-Tipped layers of Future before you attach the clear canopy to its separate rail. Once dry, the effect is really pretty nice.
The main fuselage of the Hasegawa Harrier is made up of two sides and a belly panel that require careful alignment. Set properly, the belly panel sits just right without filler putty. Just be careful before assembly to drill out the correct holes for the big belly strakes, gun pack, and centerline pylon, and the holes on top for the spine flare dispensers. I chose the aerodynamic belly strakes for my night laser bomber. I suspect the 25 mm gun is now out of favor because it takes the expensive, vulnerable Harrier into the lethal envelope of shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles.
Two-piece dumbbells connect left and right jet nozzles and contain black plastic bearings. The nozzles themselves are nicely molded two-piece assemblies that squeeze into the bearings without glue so they can rotate without falling out. The front nozzles are for cold air exhaust, so they can be painted gray like the rest of the airplane. The rear exhausts are hot, so they and their protective fuselage plates are steel-shaded.
A crisply molded turbofan face and inlet shroud sit at the front of the fuselage cage. You should spray the inlet interiors white before assembly, but that calls for delicate masking throughout assembly and finishing. I hand-painted the inlet walls white and the fan face silver after assembly and overall painting.
The Hasegawa Harrier front fuselage and radar are separate left and right pieces. Rather than build a nosecone and just stick it on the fuselage, I glued each half-side in line carefully to eliminate the steps that usually require filling and sanding. The whole assembly with sandwiched cockpit cantilevers on the front of the fan face and intake shroud. For the first time in a Harrier kit, the intake cheeks have individual blow-in doors. You have to be careful to put the doors in just right with tube glue or some other slow-setting adhesive to get the top doors to open all the way and the rest to deflect progressively less until the doors close on the bottom half. The intakes, nose, and cockpit deck all fit the fuselage somehow. With a little sanding, the seams disappear with almost no putty.
The wing fit is another story. Top and bottom halves sandwich fine and snap into the fuselage with a little push and shove. The aggravation comes with the Leading Edge Root Extensions (LERX) behind the cockpit and in front of the wing. To make different versions of the Harrier, the LERX plate is a separate piece that mates at the front with the cockpit deck and at the rear with the wing. To make all edges meet, the plate has to float up and down, left and right, so it never sits right. A nasty seam is inevitable right on top of the airplane in the middle of some subtle fuselage/wing curves. Filling, sanding, refilling, and re-sanding got me swearing, but under a coat of paint, the mess finally disappears. Some lightly engraved panel lines are lost, but you can restore them with a dark pencil after painting.
The tailplanes set themselves at the correct dihedral, and the wing pylons need little filling. However, the Harrier is covered with little intakes, antennas, and lights. The kit apparently has ‘em all, so take your time to locate them properly. Every Harrier kit is tough to set on its landing gear. I suggest you attach the front leg first, then the wing pogos. The main gear should then be attached with white glue or slow-setting tube glue to slide in as the model sits on a flat surface. The idea is to finish with all the wheels on the ground. The small pogo doors are another complication, so make sure you’ve got the correct door facing the correct way under each wing.
With typical generosity, Hasegawa gives the Harrier builder only two fuel tanks, two Sidewinders, and the Lightning night targeting/laser designator pod for underwing ordnance. I found a photo of an AV-8B Plus on deck with the targeting pod and one 500 lb laser-guided bomb (LGB) on the inboard stations, tanks at the intermediate stations and ‘Winders outboard. A GBU-12 LGB came from the most recent Hasegawa weapons set. (“One Shot, One Kill,” like Marine Tom Berrenger in those Sniper movies.) The fuel tank holes had to be enlarged to move the tanks to the middle pylons, but the end result is a nice, cluttered warplane with modest firepower.
I painted my Harrier with Tamiya acrylics. Follow the kit instructions and most pictures, and the low-viz decals in the kit will disappear into the medium blue-gray recommended for the top of the wing. Instead, I used German Gray as a Gunship Gray facsimile for the top, Sky Gray for the middle, and a pale gray-polluted white for the belly. Silly Putty masking lets you feather the pattern edges if you spray at an angle. The effect has enough subtle gradation to look like the current Harrier Tactical Paint Scheme.
With a pair of Laser Maverick missiles in the foreground, an AV-8B Harrier with Marine Attack Squadron 542 taxis for take off at Al Asad, Iraq, 11/11/04
Decals are provided for a fin-flash VMA-231commemorative scheme and my plain, operational VMA-223 bird. Neither aircraft uses the big MARINES included for the upper wing surface. The decals are thin, and their film disappears totally between sprayed-on layers of Future. A final coat of Testors acrylic flat finish blends colors nicely.
Like the real Harrier, the Hasegawa AV-8B Plus is a complicated airplane, but the finished replica has the right look of a Marine machine ready for war. The kit is more complete and more refined than the older, cheaper Monogram AV-8B which also required plenty of filling and sanding. Take your time and check your directions and you’ll have a convincing Jump Jet.
You'll see Frank’s Harrier in the forefront. Pic is from the 01/2005 BPMS Meeting
Construction starts in the cockpit with a six-piece ejection seat and nicely detailed instrument panel. Resin freaks are free to double the price of their kits with aftermarket cockpits, but I thought the out-of-the-box detail was fine. If you don’t like to drybrush tiny switches, the kit contains an instrument panel decal. Even though Hasegawa did not include seat harness decals on the sheet, I was too lazy to make straps out of paper. The instructions say the headrest should be black, but a color picture showed both headrest and seat cushion as light olive drab. A decal that represents the explosive cord buried in real Harrier canopies should be applied inside the kit canopy between Q-Tipped layers of Future before you attach the clear canopy to its separate rail. Once dry, the effect is really pretty nice.
The main fuselage of the Hasegawa Harrier is made up of two sides and a belly panel that require careful alignment. Set properly, the belly panel sits just right without filler putty. Just be careful before assembly to drill out the correct holes for the big belly strakes, gun pack, and centerline pylon, and the holes on top for the spine flare dispensers. I chose the aerodynamic belly strakes for my night laser bomber. I suspect the 25 mm gun is now out of favor because it takes the expensive, vulnerable Harrier into the lethal envelope of shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles.
Two-piece dumbbells connect left and right jet nozzles and contain black plastic bearings. The nozzles themselves are nicely molded two-piece assemblies that squeeze into the bearings without glue so they can rotate without falling out. The front nozzles are for cold air exhaust, so they can be painted gray like the rest of the airplane. The rear exhausts are hot, so they and their protective fuselage plates are steel-shaded.
A crisply molded turbofan face and inlet shroud sit at the front of the fuselage cage. You should spray the inlet interiors white before assembly, but that calls for delicate masking throughout assembly and finishing. I hand-painted the inlet walls white and the fan face silver after assembly and overall painting.
The Hasegawa Harrier front fuselage and radar are separate left and right pieces. Rather than build a nosecone and just stick it on the fuselage, I glued each half-side in line carefully to eliminate the steps that usually require filling and sanding. The whole assembly with sandwiched cockpit cantilevers on the front of the fan face and intake shroud. For the first time in a Harrier kit, the intake cheeks have individual blow-in doors. You have to be careful to put the doors in just right with tube glue or some other slow-setting adhesive to get the top doors to open all the way and the rest to deflect progressively less until the doors close on the bottom half. The intakes, nose, and cockpit deck all fit the fuselage somehow. With a little sanding, the seams disappear with almost no putty.
The wing fit is another story. Top and bottom halves sandwich fine and snap into the fuselage with a little push and shove. The aggravation comes with the Leading Edge Root Extensions (LERX) behind the cockpit and in front of the wing. To make different versions of the Harrier, the LERX plate is a separate piece that mates at the front with the cockpit deck and at the rear with the wing. To make all edges meet, the plate has to float up and down, left and right, so it never sits right. A nasty seam is inevitable right on top of the airplane in the middle of some subtle fuselage/wing curves. Filling, sanding, refilling, and re-sanding got me swearing, but under a coat of paint, the mess finally disappears. Some lightly engraved panel lines are lost, but you can restore them with a dark pencil after painting.
The tailplanes set themselves at the correct dihedral, and the wing pylons need little filling. However, the Harrier is covered with little intakes, antennas, and lights. The kit apparently has ‘em all, so take your time to locate them properly. Every Harrier kit is tough to set on its landing gear. I suggest you attach the front leg first, then the wing pogos. The main gear should then be attached with white glue or slow-setting tube glue to slide in as the model sits on a flat surface. The idea is to finish with all the wheels on the ground. The small pogo doors are another complication, so make sure you’ve got the correct door facing the correct way under each wing.
With typical generosity, Hasegawa gives the Harrier builder only two fuel tanks, two Sidewinders, and the Lightning night targeting/laser designator pod for underwing ordnance. I found a photo of an AV-8B Plus on deck with the targeting pod and one 500 lb laser-guided bomb (LGB) on the inboard stations, tanks at the intermediate stations and ‘Winders outboard. A GBU-12 LGB came from the most recent Hasegawa weapons set. (“One Shot, One Kill,” like Marine Tom Berrenger in those Sniper movies.) The fuel tank holes had to be enlarged to move the tanks to the middle pylons, but the end result is a nice, cluttered warplane with modest firepower.
I painted my Harrier with Tamiya acrylics. Follow the kit instructions and most pictures, and the low-viz decals in the kit will disappear into the medium blue-gray recommended for the top of the wing. Instead, I used German Gray as a Gunship Gray facsimile for the top, Sky Gray for the middle, and a pale gray-polluted white for the belly. Silly Putty masking lets you feather the pattern edges if you spray at an angle. The effect has enough subtle gradation to look like the current Harrier Tactical Paint Scheme.
With a pair of Laser Maverick missiles in the foreground, an AV-8B Harrier with Marine Attack Squadron 542 taxis for take off at Al Asad, Iraq, 11/11/04
Decals are provided for a fin-flash VMA-231commemorative scheme and my plain, operational VMA-223 bird. Neither aircraft uses the big MARINES included for the upper wing surface. The decals are thin, and their film disappears totally between sprayed-on layers of Future. A final coat of Testors acrylic flat finish blends colors nicely.
Like the real Harrier, the Hasegawa AV-8B Plus is a complicated airplane, but the finished replica has the right look of a Marine machine ready for war. The kit is more complete and more refined than the older, cheaper Monogram AV-8B which also required plenty of filling and sanding. Take your time and check your directions and you’ll have a convincing Jump Jet.
BPMS Member Lanny Reinish Passes Away
Hi All,
Some sad news:
Lanny passed away on Monday February 7th and this is the obit from the Staten Island Advance.
http://www.silive.com/obituaries/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1107787730171120.xml
His wife's name is Alicia Reinish and the address is 19A Melissa Street, SI NY, 10314.
Some sad news:
Lanny passed away on Monday February 7th and this is the obit from the Staten Island Advance.
http://www.silive.com/obituaries/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1107787730171120.xml
His wife's name is Alicia Reinish and the address is 19A Melissa Street, SI NY, 10314.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
February 2005 Bulletin
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JANUARY MEETING!!!
New Regime: This was the first meeting with the new regime in place. Our new Prez is Vinny R., and the Veep is Jimmy T. Good work guys!
Model of the Year Competition: This was the final throw down to see who reigns supreme in each category. The three models with the highest vote counts by different modelers got to compete. Winners will be announced during the February meeting.
Kit Sale Night: Goodies were up for grabs and a nice variety at that. Plenty of deals that night.
First New Member of the Year! We voted in our first new member of 2005, Kay! Welcome to the fold!
New member Kay (center) flanked by Andy (left, a visitor) and your humble narrator to the right.
On the agenda: February
Contest Night 1st Qtr: This will be the first installment of the annual contest for 2005. Start racking up votes NOW!
Show Us Your Tool: Everyone’s favorite activity, and not nearly as vulgar as the name may let on. Just bring in some item that you use in modeling that you think the others might be interested in knowing about. It can be a tool, adhesive, putty, an adaptation of a technique, etc. Bring it in and let us know about it!
BTW: Don’t forget to fill out all your forms. There are models being displayed without the kit slips. I can’t keep track of the model count accurately unless all paperwork is filled out.
Our Current Location: Bergen Beach Sports Complex
From Belt Pkwy: Take exit 11N - Flatbush Avenue North. Go North on Flatbush Avenue and make a right onto Avenue U (Kings Plaza). Continue on Avenue U to Bergen Avenue, Make a right onto Bergen Avenue. Go straight on Bergen Avenue 3 blocks. Sports Complex on left.
http://www.bbyosports.com/
THEMES FOR 2005
In The Movies: Ted and Phil are sponsoring "In The Movies" in for June 2005. Basically build something, ANYTHING from a movie. More details will be forthcoming.
OTHER THEMES
We don’t have a theme for December yet. Do you want to sponsor something? Some concepts we’ve kicked around are: Experimental, Take One for the Team, and Things That Suck. Contact the officers if you want to sponsor any of those or anything else for December.
Don't forget our homepage: http://www.bpmsclub.com/
Initial Offering
Hi all!
Welcome to the official Blog for the Brooklyn Plastic Modelers Society.
This will be the place to find all the latest info and activities for the BPMS.
It'll be easier for me to update news and information about the BPMS through blogspot as opposed to working on the html. I can update from work, home, and even on vacation.
There's not much going on here at the moment, but keep your eyes peeled as I will be updating this frequently.
Enjoy!
~Bob
Welcome to the official Blog for the Brooklyn Plastic Modelers Society.
This will be the place to find all the latest info and activities for the BPMS.
It'll be easier for me to update news and information about the BPMS through blogspot as opposed to working on the html. I can update from work, home, and even on vacation.
There's not much going on here at the moment, but keep your eyes peeled as I will be updating this frequently.
Enjoy!
~Bob
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