Kranman

Mike - I completely get it that there'll always be a cost associated with all these things; I work at a university and see CCTV setups on campus from time to time there. Even our IT department gets reimbursed for their efforts... I'm in no way looking for heads to roll on this - I've been to many regionals where those who were not partaking in the banquet were present at the awards portion of the evening. I'm just trying to bring light to the fact that convention participants, like me, were essentially shut out of the ceremony. I completely agree and understand that venues are all different, requirements change and options are sometimes limited (fiscally, technologically, and otherwise). What I'd like is for an option to be provided because, as you stated above, just because that's the way it's been needn't mean that's the way it should remain. When I can Skype my brother in Tennessee from Pennsylvania, it's not a huge leap to think we can provide something akin to that to the next room over. Then, more *members* can participate in the whole event.

While I can see the points being made, the question begs answering is, then, how many banquet tickets went unsold? If the banquet was sold out, there are still attendees - IPMS-USA members - who were shut out with no alternative than to sit in the corridor or go elsewhere. This is not an inclusive event and I respectfully disagree with Michael's assessment that any member who participated in every other aspect of the convention, be compelled to buy a banquet ticket to witness the awards ceremony. Even the schedule had three distinct events listed and please feel free to correct me if needed: Cash Bar @ 5:00PM Banquet @ 6:00PM Awards Ceremony @ 7:00PM. Ron, can you offer what estimates you received for setting up a closed-circuit link to quantify "prohibitively expensive"? And, why couldn't the Fayette Room (IIRC) have been used as it was already set up and used for seminars? As I may have stated, this is only my second Nats I've attended. I can only presume this situation has presented itself before and if it has, I again state we can do better.

So, what extra cost would it have been to set up a CC camera and broadcast the awards to, say, the Fayette Room that was used for the seminars? I stayed four nights at the Hyatt, so I helped with the room nights for the local chapter. I registered and entered the competition. I (and many others) were left to drift in the corridor? No, I left and went to my room. There were then perhaps 125-150 others waiting outside the ballroom for the banquet attendees so the doors could be opened. Since this apparently happened before at this venue, I submit we can do better.

Watching and straining to hear the awards presentation from the corridor outside the banquet room is unacceptable. No consideration to several dozen attendees in this situation is unacceptable. No thought to closed-circuiting the proceedings to another room? Suffice it to say, this is disappointing.

James, there's been a bit of discussion on various other sites on just how you'd display "Fury" from the movie. In actuality, "Fury" is an M4A2E8 diesel being presented as an M4A3E8. You can certainly kitbash to make the movie version or use the Tasca (now Tamiya) M4A3E8 to depict what actually would have been used in NWE in early 1945. My leaning is to use the Tasca kit. Otherwise, you can use the older Academy M4A2 (Russian) kit as a base, steal the bogies from, say, the older Dragon M4A3 "Easy Eight" release. I don't know where you'd source the T-84 tracks (IIRC, they were T-84s) but I'd imagine they were available in some Sherman kit. And the aftermarket could supply the later turret with the oval loader's hatch. It shouldn't be too difficult to source the kits I mentioned - they may even have said turret in the box as a spare. Then, pile on the storage - pails, C-Ration boxes, ammo boxes, etc. That should get you close! Frank

Thank you, gentlemen! I'm happy with the outcome so far - I hope I don't drop super glue all ofer it getting those pesky periscope cages on. I should've added them well before this but, well, you know. I cannot say enough about the kit, it's that good to build. I'm not much of a competitor but the guys in the club are goading me on so I may enter it in some upcoming show. We'll see. Thanks again!

Here are the tracks installed. My darkest Alclad was Stainless Steel and it proved to be too bright. I tried some MM Anthracite Grey Metallic but it hardly showed up over the Tamiya black. I washed the tracks with oils and turpenoid again and then dullcoated them with Floquil Dull Lacquer finish. I still have to massage the tracks to where I want them, paint the tail lights and add the two visor cages for the driver/co-driver positions, as well as a few more tweaks but, it's largely done. What a great kit! I'm really impressed. I only imagine what fun surprises will greet me when I roll around to their M32 kit. Oh, and thanks for the kind comments! It's been a little hiatus for me and getting back in the swing of things wan't too bad. Now, to refill my CO2 cylinders and move on to the next project.

This is the fabulous Tasca kit - why I shelved it months ago is beyond me. I had a hissy-fit with an Italeri M24 Chaffee last week and ultimately ended up putting it in the trash. I then saw my Jumbo, forlornly sitting in a Sterilite shoe box and got back at it. This is a wonderful kit! The .50 cal. is a kit unto itself, the jerry cans are great and the attention given to the detail on the tank are first-rate. The photos aren't the best and show up my dry brushing application harshly - it doesn't seem as stark in my hands. Anyway, some dusting effects should lessen that harshness and I've turned my attention to the tracks now. I previously shot them in MM enamel Flat Black but that rubbed off. So, I scrubbed them clean (not a difficult task) and re-shot them Tamiya Gloss Black - that stuff sticks like crazy! I'll probably use a dark shade of Alclad for the metal track connectors and EECs while the rubber portions will be worn and lightened with some dark grey I have in the paint shack. My applications of color to this point are: 1. MM flat black shade coat (shadow areas, recesses and wheel rubber) 2. MM Olive Drab overall coat 3. MM Faded Olive Drab on horizontal surfaces and under streaked areas (lightly and randomly splotched) 4. Floquil Crystal Coat gloss (for decals - all two of them!) 5. Grumbacher oil + turpenoid wash overall (burnt umber? I can't recall) 6. Mix of Titanium White and Forest Green oils and turpenoid to make a mint green for drybrushing. This was an experiment on my part but I'm happy with the outcome. I thought straight white would be too much and the green tone isn't so stark and complements the OD underneath. 7. Oil pinwashes of varying colors for spills, wear, etc. (tonight) 8. Floquil Flat Finish I've not done too much with pastels, though I do own some. I'll probably toy around with them as well - sparingly, as my intention isn't to make this model appear worn too much. ANY and ALL comments are welcome! I'm my own harshest critic so you won't offend me

It's gonna be awfully loud with such small mufflers... ;-) Great work!

More accurately, it's a 'finish', not a wax. I liken it to an unpigmented clear topcoat, not unlike an acrylic gloss topcoat. I still maintain a full enamel and lacquer paint collection, using acrylics rarely. But, I have airbrushed Future and it's on the AMT Tigercat hanging over my head. I shot it around 15 years ago and it's shown no yellowing, checking or cracking to date. I would prefer it a bit thicker in viscosity but it does flow through my Badgers very nicely. Just be sure to not apply it too heavily as it will run on you. Try a light mist coat at first then hit it with a heavier coat to get the coverage you wish. But, it doesn't set up as quickly as paint, so be warned it will run if applied haphazardly. I like it as it's another tool in the toolbox.

Living just outside of Scranton, I remember visiting AutoWorld when it was in existence. Firstly, AW supplied aftermarket performance parts for the motorist. They had all sorts of stuff for all sorts of cars, mostly smaller, European imports. The model portion came a few years later. There was a warehouse area in the back but the front of the store was all hobby. There was a six- or eight-lane 1/32 slot car track, another for HO, models all over the place. I have several of the catalogs and still use the AW hot knife (or whatever it is called) to open hatches, cut tiny parts from sprues, etc. It still works great. The hobby portion continued on after the 1/1 scale closed down. The fellow who ran it took the remaining inventory and moved to another section of Scranton, finally closing it about 10 years ago. By the end, it was a shadow of its former glory, with a lot of NOS slot car items and not too many models. I was sad to see it go away. The guy who ran it at the end works at Lowes now - I see him every now and again. The catalogs are great time capsules - I remember wanting just about one of everything in them. Frank

In "40 Days and 40 Nights", Josh Hartnett plays a guy who swears off sex for Lent, meets the girl of his dreams early in his vow, friends are involved, bets ensue... It's a pretty funny movie. Anyway, all along, he builds models. He built them before his vow but builds them afterwards to take his mind off sex... Yeah, like THAT could happen! Lol! Frank

At our recent chapter meeting, I was expressing my concern about the 'funk' I've been in regarding modeling in general. I was challenged (in a friendly way) by a fellow member to build a subject I like, that I'm familiar with - for a future competition. Spring is far enough away, allowing enough time to get said project finished so I decided to take up the challenge and jump into the fray. Now, it"ll be either USMC armor (perhaps an M32B2 conversion or an M3 halftrack) or a modern USN jet (probably an F-4 or and F-14). I may live to regret my choices as I'm prone to get bogged down, mid-build; I must fight the urge to do that so this will be a bigger challenge than my fellow club member realizes... Whether the model places or remains a jumbled mass of mistakes, it won't matter; it will have served its purpose to get me off my duff and get something built. Now, since this will be for competition, I'll have to get my game face on; references and aftermarket will be the order of the day and perhaps some mild scratchbuilding if the M32 is chosen. This isn't a problem as I have plentiful references and enjoy doing a little research in an effort to render a more realistic model. (Before anyone pipes-up that OOB is viable, let's just say that for competing, I disagree and let's leave it at that; that's another discussion.) I hope to make my choice this weekend and start forthwith. I'll post photos as things progress (in the 'On the Bench' forum) to keep you apprised. Mental health comments will be posted here to let you know how the funk is being handled. Words of encouragement would be welcome but brutal honesty towards my efforts would be prized. That said, I am very thick skinned and can take negative comments but please spin it in a positive way: guide me to your references so I may correct my error and we all gain some knowledge in the process. Simply telling me something is wrong won't cut it. Okay! Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving! I'll post next when I choose a subject and clear the bench so I can get started... Frank

I've been tempted by several of these 'trial balloons', most recently the Revell 1/48th scale Ventura from GreatModels. I almost bit but then it went back-burner. It's back again but I think I can wait for any/all of these "must have" kits to actually hit the market. Frank

Can anyone enlighten me as to why the M109 is in such short supply? On eBay, you'd think one guy bought the warehouse stock of these kits. SprueBrothers had it listed with a retail of $39 but $100 plus seems the going rate. No one lists it as available. I also heard of Tamiya's plan to release a Paladin but that may take time. Just wondering about the Italeri kit and why it's gotten to be so expensive. All comments are welcome and thanks! Frank

If you can swing it, Daco's book on "Uncovering the F-4 Phantom" is a tremendous help, as their F-14 book is as well. Not inexpensive but full of everything you'd need on all USN versions of the Phantom. I also found the Detail & Scale books to be of use here though not to such a great extent.

Guys - I've come into possession of an unopened tin of DuPont Chrome Yellow paint. It's very old but the label doesn't have any date though there are stampings on the bottom and top of the tin. There is no 'usual' pry-off lid. Instead, the top is stamped 'thin tin' and is apparently to be pierced with a can opener of some type. The contents still slosh around! Anyone care to guess as to age? I have a question submitted to DuPont's website but have not heard back since last week. I know there's a ton of hubbub on colors but if this is an authentic Chrome Yellow from, say, the '30's or '40's, well, we'd have a bonafide survivor on our hands... Frank

My brother lives in Nashville and I was planning to stop in Ft. Knox on the way to TN. I guess I won't be doing that anytime soon. Still, I made the effort to attend the Nats in 2005, so nothing's impossible. If the new facility is as good as it sounds, it will be an improvement over Ft. Knox (though I've never been) and a tourist draw itself.

I'm not a big acrylic user but the comments in this thread are spot-on with regards to Floquil's Military Line. Once Testors got that, it was gone quickly. Why couldn't they have pulled a Borg precept and used Floquil to enhance their existance instead of killing a superior product? I'll take enamels and lacquers over acrylics and while I do use MM enamels, their business model stinks and, by now, they should be able to recognize how to improve their products based on the superior lines they've killed-off... Grrrr...

More importantly, are there lines I should look for or use over another? I understand I shouldn't use 100 lb. test line but the tippet line I've been directed to buy come in a wide range of colors and sizes. Oh, I'm building 1/350th WWII through today USN ships. Many thanks! Frank

Okay, I'm doing some prepping for decals on my Tamiya Skyraider and have Testors' Glosscoated everything - the lacquer variety. I shot the anti-glare panel ahead of the windscreen Tamiya black and got very minor overspray on the wing. I tried to remove it with Tamiya thinner on a cotton ball and it took the Glosscoat off the wing. I thought Tamiya's line was acrylic so what's eating through a three-day-old lacquer clearcoat? Call me stumped...

It's not a deal-breaker (not being the same connection) and a "hydra" sounds like a good solution, if it's what I see in my mind's eye. I'm coming to the conclusion that a gravity feed is the next step as I cannot get the control I need from my Crescendo. Since it's a simple question of fittings, there are couple good outlets locally where I can get them and make my own "hydra". Frank

I grabbed a tube of this to try and have mixed results. It sands well but is definately not my Nitro Stan glazing putty. It's got a different consistency and seems to take a long time to cure and I was wondering what you guys might use it for, if you use it at all... Frank

Just one question: Are Badger and Paasche air hoses interchangeable? Being a longtime user of Badgers, I'm curious if I'd need a fittings swap-out as the new Talon from Paasche intrigues me. The gravity-feed looks like a feature I'm in need of at this point in my hobby... Many thanks for any input! Frank

Me too but... My first sprue cutter's rivet joint loosened to the point it wouldn't give clean cuts. I bought another at a model contest and tried to contact Xuron on how to return the first cutter as they're guaranteed for life. No one has responeded to my requests to date. The newer cutter has a built-in offset as designed and doesn't work nearly as well as the original cutter. So, I'm looking for something different... Frank