JohnRatzenberger

Oh, I didn't see the Dreadnought distinction in your initial post ... sorry.

Have you looked at offerings from Combrig or Niko in 1/700 ? FWIW, I shop online at Free Time Hobbies. I'm not real big on USN, but picked up USS Kansas (no cages, as on GWF tour) and USS Vermont (sister to Kansas, with post-GWF cage masts). Haven't built either yet.

Hi Nick, This is from the Help files, if you look at the very bottom of any page, you'll see "Help".to click on. I modified what it said because the button text doesn't really match. You should only have to do this once for each topic or fourm, not each time you post. Let us know if you believe it is not working. This board can notify you when a new reply is added to a topic. Many users find this useful to keep up to date on topics without the need to view the board to check for new messages. There are two ways to subscribe to a topic: Click the 'Follow this topi' button at the top of the topic. From the 'Email Settings' section of your User CP (My Controls) check the 'Enable Email Notification by default?' option, this will automatically subscribe you to any topic that you make a reply to. Please note that there are four different types of subscriptions: Immediate Email Notification This option will send out a notification immediately after a new topic or reply has been made regardless of your activity. Delayed Emailed Notification This option will send out a notification if a new topic or reply has been made and you're not active on the board. Daily Email Digest This option will send out a daily digest showing all new replies or topics for that day. Weekly Email Digest This option will send out a weekly digest showing all new replies or topics for that week. You are also able to subscribe to each individual forum on the board, to be notified when a new topic is created in that particular forum. To enable this, click 'Follow this Forum' button at the top forum you wish to subscribe to, and click the 'Subscribe to this forum' link. To unsubscribe from any forums or topics that you are subscribed to - just go to the 'Subscriptions' section of 'My Controls' and you can do this from there.

Excellent Gil, good work and some good info passed on in your thread.

For those that missed it, we are not going back to the Virginia Beach Convention Center but to the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA. Newport News is closest to the convention. The next closest would be Norfolk. As pointed out, other "nearby" airports are Richmond and Washington DC, in that order or closeness. Here is the website of the convention center: http://visithampton.com/hrcc/ From there one could cast about for distances and make preliminary plans considering available mode of transport and pricing as it exists now. I'm sure the host chapter will have plenty of that info available once the 2013 convention is over.

Ooops, I think Noel asked about 2014 which would be, by closeness: Newport News/Wiliamsburg (PHF) then Norfolk (ORF)

Gil makes a good point, but many of us, even small shows, have adopted an AMPS-like category breakdown to make our contests attractive to those modelers and thus include a 1/48 armor category -- it usually includes 1/36 to 1/71, that is everything smaller than 1/35 and larger than 1/72. There is usually not enough 1/48 wheeled vehicle or arty to justify a separate class - in smaller shows, they might be all scales. Gil's "check the contest rules and categories" is, of course, the first thing everyone should always do -- can't say that enough.

I use a Xuron 7123 Auto-shear, which I don't see on the page Mark linked. I think it's close to their 2175ET Sprue Cutter. This is my "heavy duty" cutter. For light-medium work, I use the UMM cutter in the review Mark linked. I wouldn't go so far as to say that my use constitutes the "best", but I 'm happy.

If you are looking primarily at drilling, then look at a battery-powered screwdriver (from anywhere) and a collet from Micro-Mark. The screwdrivers turn slow enough to run without a speed control. I have cut my broken drill bits in half since I switched to this.

Here are two reviews from the archives: http://www.ipmsusa3.org/reviews/Products/dremel_stylus/dremel_stylus.htm http://www.ipmsusa3.org/reviews/Products/dremel_75anniv_rotary_tool/dremel_75anniv_rotary_tool.htm Rusty has it right; figure out a budget -- then buy the most Dremel you can. There are lots of sizes and shapes and packages, but I'd bet most of us use the metal cutting bits, the sanders, and maybe the circular saws. Mine is 30-some years old, I run it through a speed controller to max it out about 40%, then use a foot pedal to adjust within that range. But that's an real old-timey set-up, probably twice as big and half as capable as anything today ....

Yes, always, here is an extract from the 2012 rules as an example: I. ELIGIBILITY 1. The IPMS/USA National Contest is open only to members of IPMS/USA or other national IPMS branches. Any current member of IPMS/USA or any other national branch of IPMS is eligible to enter any number of models in the National Contest. If you were at 2012, you would have seen any number of IPMS-(pick a Central/South America country) folks take home major iron ....

That's neat, thank you -- it would be great enhancement to our Chapter/Region page. Is there a limit to colors?; I'm having trouble with the regional breakdowns, and the notation/menu line along the bottom. Needs a data scrub; I think at least one (Coastal Carolina in Charleston area) missing in R12. There's an outlier in Amarillo TX for the DLC, but he lives in WA ? Can we get this without the ads ?

Reports are that it was a good one, too far for me. The "Naked Models" theme was really something - I've often wanted to try that. FYI, "Naked Models" meant no paint - nothing to hide the seams, gaps, glue smutz - takes some real careful cutting, sanding, gluing ...

P-47, 362nd Fighter Group, 8AF then 9AF.

Thanks, Graham, maybe I'll look for Repulse also ....

Hmmmm, I guess they improved the boats compared to Ajax & Iron Duke .... Thanks, looks like I'll have to add KGV to my shopping list ... I did the dark blue hull on the ID motor launches, hull red bottoms also -- look good. I'm at point of painting the Ajax boats and looking for some examples to avoid the overall grey ....

Very nice ! It looks like you did a lot of work to "hollow out" the boat interiors. Could you list, by boat type, the colors used ? The big motor boats appear to have a black hull ?

Their contest website was just updated .... http://lafayettescalemodelers.wordpress.com/2012-show-contest/ See you there !

David, did you get the impression that numbers were down in both, but more so in 72nd ? I had a tally from Friday morning but cannot find it -- I hate to hazard a guess, but we split 48th comfortably in 5 and 72nd comfortably in 3 ....

There's one just popped up on E-bay this morning http://www.ebay.com/...ME:B:SS:US:1123 It's not my listing, I don't know whose it is, yada, yada .... and I won't be bidding against you ....

Track & wheel alignment from the front, back, side, and above -- each side fully consistent and then both sides matching. Look along the length of the track/wheels to see wheels peeking in/out, height issues, etc. Track shoes should be square to the hull both ways, not canted or slanted. Caster & camber of front wheels. Both tracks on the same way, preferably correctly ! Track not joined well, big seam hiding under road wheels. Use a sheet of paper to check wheels solidly on ground or on the tracks -- if the paper slides under, they aren't ... Barrel seams sanded into flat spots. Barrels not drilled out. Then just basic seam, gap, glue smutz, finger prints, etc on the hull/body. Not exactly a basic, but a big killer is "magic bags" -- those bits of kit seemingly hung off the side of a vehicle with no visible means of support, no straps showing, etc .... You can pretty much lump this into the apparent need to "overdecorate" with bags, boxes, food, etc, that block intakes, would fall off in a few feet, etc, etc .... tie down ropes that would cost, not earn, a scout a merit badge .... weapons laying casually everywhere, usually on the 'bolt' side ....

Hey James, You are right ... it says 'check back later for categories' ? I'll send 'em a note, you might also.

From our IPMS/USA Events page, you can scroll down into November and find a link taking you to: http://lafayettescalemodelers.wordpress.com/2012-show-contest/ See you there ! Good chatting with you in Orlando !

Yeah, and if you're lucky (and need it) you can also hone in on some of the strut/rigging detail. I'm surprised how empty the BFC-2 cockpit is. Thanks for posting that link.

If you look at the convention schedule, you will see the Bid Presentations are made on Saturday from 10-12. The E-Board meets afterward and, as in the past, the results will be announced at the Banquet.