Rusty White

The purpose of the survey was to take the membership's "temperature" regarding the popularity of GSB vs 1,2,3. The survey has no ramifications whatsoever, and there are no plans (known to me anyway) that any changes are forthcoming or being considered by anyone. Hopefully, the E-board will take another survey in 3 or 4 years just to keep an eye on the popularity of the two systems among the membership. In short, I wouldn't lose any sleep worrying about any big changes to the current contest structure.

You answered your own question earlier in this paragraph. We're all "human", and competing is just part of the human condition.

I love reading about builds of these golden oldies. An interesting contest our chapter has from time to time is everyone build the exact, same kit to see who could make the best silk purse out of an old sow's ear. Wouldn't it be great to see who could build the best of this one? Please build more of these oldies-but-goodies Ron.

Now THAT'S Out Of The Box! Nicely done. I enjoy seeing these golden oldies built up.

This is where investing in good quality brushes really pays off. Properly thinning your paint is also imperative for brushing.

At least you got the kit cheap (hopefully).

GREAT diorama. The simple ones are the best!

Because scenario #1 (death by A/A gun) is intended to be horrendously gory, to be remembered by observers. Scenario #2 doesn't involve any death or gore, but tells the same story leaving the gore up to the onlooker's imagination. IMHO, that alone would make for a better dio.

Interesting viewpoint here. I have often contemplated building an "execution diorama" but there two ways to look at it. I wanted to do a dio of Kim's execution of one of his relatives (sorry, I forget who) who was supposedly executed via A/A gun. Not the version showing the bloody aftermath (which I would not want to see for obvious reasons); but my version would be just before the act. That is, having the victim tied to a pole or stood against a wall, with the A/A gun about 30 yards away I guess and a small crowd of officials looking on as a "reminder" of the cost of disobeying Kim. Having said that, I KNOW the aftermath dio is not allowed in IPMS/USA competition BUT, would the "PRE-EXECUTION" dio be allowed? No blood, no gore, cuts or anything else. Just the observers, Kim on a stage with his handlers (complete with notepads), the A/A Gun and the victim .

That old Lindberg kit never looked so good. Well done!

Don't be so hard on yourself Lawrence. It has happened to us all. I have made plenty of mistakes in the past. Years back when I was an AC builder, I built a 1/32 scale F-4 Phantom that I was quite proud of. I took it to the club meeting and proudly displayed and discussed the build with members. After my presentation, I asked if there were any comments. A good friend of mine said the star and bars are upside down! I couldn't believe I missed something so obvious. EMBARRASSING, and everyone had a good laugh!! Most of the meeting was then spent by the group discussing mistakes all have made.

Well done fixing that decal problem!

Bill, Wow. You chose a really esoteric category of model to specialize in. I know what you're dealing with, as my company produces only American Civil War naval subjects. I would suggest that you checkout Shapeways (https://www.shapeways.com/marketplace/miniatures/ships). They are a 3D printing company that has many products that Shapeways shop owners sell to the public. Unfortunately, most of the products are pretty pricey, but I guess it just depends how badly you want them. The link I provided will take you right to the ships section. Good luck.

For such needs, I would suggest buying a mold/resin kit and cast your own. That will prevent this problem from occurring in the future. Don't worry about copyrights. If you don't sell any and make them just for your own use, you're good to go.

Sorry to hear about the masking end of the business. I wish you luck and prosperity with the new Gator's Model Studio. 👍