Ron Bell

All those do work, but if the decal is just plain "stuck" to the backing, it won't matter. Unless the decal is of a one off/unique type marking, I'd recommend just ditching the old decals and using newer replacements. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble and frustration. Note, however, that sometimes the tint of the old and new decals will differ, especially with white.

FWIW, the official convention web site says they are 24", unless the fellow you spoke to has been officially told otherwise.

I can't say who is, but I know one that is not, and that's Columbus. As to east/west, due to the special nature of the year, bidding was opened to the entire country.

Easy to build two frames the size of the openings and put plexiglas in them. A couple hinges and a latch and you've got a display case. Don't use glass. Too heavy, and expensive as well.

Richard, I don't know where you are, geographically, but if you're within driving distance of Columbus, O, I've got a refinished solid oak 6' display case you can have for $100. I re-finished it myself and installed all new glass shelves. Come and get it if you want it, or anyone else for that matter.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that Campbeltown in Scotland is spelled with one "L", while Campbelltown in Pennsylvania is spelled with two. If this is a purely American release, it's possible they went with the Yankee town's spelling instead of the Scottish one.

Here's the box. Which of us do you figure has the collector's item? If you'd like to give it a try, I can get a small container of the acrylic gel and send it off to you. A little goes a long way and it last forever.

Sorry, John. Just checked the kit box and there are two "L's". Maybe in later editions there were financial cuts and they couldn't afford the extra "L". The water is a base of Acrylic Modeling Paste from the paint department in the Arts and Crafts aisle. It's meant to give "substance" to acrylic paints. I put that in first, push the ship into it and then shape the basic waves with a wet paint brush. When dry, I paint it the color desired, then a coat of Acrylic Gloss Medium from the same aisle seals it all up and allows me to make some more wave patterns. Then dry brush in the white and cover with two coats of future. If you've got a waterline kit, a simpler way is to paint the base area under the ship the desired color then cover it with a coat of Acrylic Gloss Medium. Push the kit into that and then do your wave pattern. Finish as above. I'll miss the CBK display. Hope we can get organized again, at least for the 50th anniversary show in '14.

I've become enamored of British destroyers of late, so I decided to try this old chestnut. It's a sixty year old kit and shows its age. I drilled out the portholes, added some detail to the guns, did my own funnels as the kit ones were "mushy", and made a searchlight tower out of generic brass grid. The railings and stairs were also generic. However, now I wish I hadn't used the kit prop guard as it looks like it should be 3 scale feet thick.

Hey Gil, I've got an idea to save on food costs. I'm gonna bring a small cooler with some chip chopped ham and a loaf of bread. Sound familiar?

I, too, am a frugal modeler and use the sixteen (or whatever) in a bubble pack bought by the check out register variety super glue. Another factor in this stuff not "freezing up" might be that it's containers are metal, not plastic. Might seal all the wooly-boogers out better.

By all means, if you're within driving distance, we meet the second Sunday of the month at the ODOT aviation facility off St. Rt. 161. PM me if you want more details.

I have read on some modeling sites that if you expose yellowed plastic to ultra violet light, that you can get it pretty clear again. Never done it, so I don't know if it's effective or not. They mention using tanning lights, plant lights and even some custom made stuff. If it does work, it would come in real handy on projects like this. I know sunlight has ultra violet in it, but it can also melt parts and would take a really long time.

1/600 and/or 1/700 British warships from WWII or WWI. They have been tragically overlooked.

I wouldn't comment on the contrast until all the gloss/flat coats are the same. It's surprising how those can change the intensity of the colors.

I had some success with minimum expansion insulation foam. I sprayed it into the fuselage and let it sit a couple of days then cut off the excess. I then epoxied the halves together and had a huge surface to work with. Don't use the yellow foam stuff as it expands too much and exerts too much pressure.

Do you have any finger prints left after all that sanding?

I'm sure there are many out there that are really good at this that can give you the definitive answer. As for me, on occasion I do ships that need rigging and have gotten down a 'good enough for me' system. If a line is to be anchored to something with an open end, such as a spar, etc, I tie a slip knot in one end with lots of extra to hang on to. I then put the loop over the open end and pull it tight. A touch of superglue holds the knot and stiffens the extra, making it easier to cut off when the glue dries. I place the other end at the appropriate place and wind it 'round a time or two and hit it with the superglue. Hold it for a tick as it dries. Move on to the next line. After you've done about 20-30 minutes worth, go back and using either scissors or a new exacto blade, cut off the extra bits. Another technique I use is to continue a line on as far as I can. For example, the main spar lift. I start on the mizzen mast and run it up to one side of the spar, then up to the main mast to form the lift, then loop it around the other end of the spar, then run it back to the mizzen mast and loop it around that to form the stay. Do a little planning and you can run many lines this way. Now if that kit you have is the larger scale one, forget all this. It would look crappy in that scale. But in the smaller scales, it makes a tolerable "three foot model". You know, looks great from three feet away. I know the real ship guys are squirming in their seats by now, so I'll be quiet while they tell you the right way to do all this.

Geeez, Greg, your "failures" look better than my "successes".

Longmont, Co, a little north of Denver. Was announced at the 2011 awards banquet. One of my last official duties.

I built this a bunch of years ago in a release by Pavla.

Such liquid masks are sometimes water based. The first thing to try is the one that will harm the least, water. Try soaking it in some warm water with a little dishwashing soap. Let it sit an hour or so and then try gently scrubbing it with either a stiff paintbrush or soft toothbrush. Just a guess, but water won't hurt anything and its worth a try.

It's been a while, but I've gotten back to working my way through the old Monogram tank kits. This is their version of the Lee done OOTB. The tank's structure itself causes problems with many angles and joints that cause seams that need to be addressed. It must be a very early kit as the figures are almost laughable. The commander looks like Christ driving a tank with that hand raised. But, all the tools are separate and the detail is all there, if a bit clumsy at times. It was the most challenging kit so far in all I"ve done. The decals were a problem and you will see some silvering and other problems. But, it's done and will take it's place on the shelf. Oh, and I'm still looking for that right fender headlight if anyone has one from a Lee and'or Grant kit.

It's off topic, but my favorite was the M-56 Scorpion.

Mace was developed from Matador, which when first introduced, had the designation, B-61, so I would guess the aircraft area is just fine. This scale of this model just calls out for extra details. The prime mover cab is very spacious and has large windows. There's got to be lots of plumbing and cabling that can be added as well. However, be prepared for lots of filing, filing, and sanding. There are mold seams all over it as well as injector pin marks. It builds up nicely, however, and is very impressive.