Rusty White

It also added to the length of the film (about 30 minutes). The extended version is almost 3 hours. The "directors cut" of "Alien" didn't add much to the film (about 10 minutes or so), but at least we got to see what happened to Dallas, which was the only hole in the original.

I thought it was okay, but after seeing Prometheus several times I still can not figure why the guy in the opening sequence drank that crap and took a dive off the falls. I think Aliens (the extended version) is the best of all the Alien films. If you haven't seen the extended version, you must see it. It adds so much more to the enjoyment of the film than the theatrical version. I understand there is a similar "extended" version coming out for Prometheus which hopefully fill in some of the holes in the original.

In all the modeler's polls I have read, the USS Texas dreadnought has ALWAYS been in the top five requests for a new plastic ship kit in 1/350. I was just wondering why none of the major model manufacturers have not jumped on this as a new release? I can't believe there isn't adequate interest to justify a kit release. It is one of the very few dreadnoughts still in existence. There is no shortage of plans and other information to design the kit (not to mention the real thing in Texas), so I am wondering why this historically significant ship has been overlooked? Anybody out there have any information on a possible future lease of this subject in 1/350 plastic? Just curious.

"I like FSM, even tho, as been said - it's pretty basic now." I don't agree. FSM has run some pretty decent stuff as of late. My favorite was the article on detailing the Civil War USS Kearsarge. FSM has also really expanded their content via their excellent web site. You see a LOT of really cool stuff in the forums you wouldn't normally see in the pages of the magazine, so for the money, FSM is in my top five. I have EVERY issue from the test issue to the latest, so it's now become sort of an obsession to keep the mags coming. The Journal is also in the top five for me along with SAMI and MMiR.

I guess that would depend on your budget. When it comes to electric model tools, you truly get what you pay for. If you are "financially challenged", Harbor Freight carries a Chinese brand quite similar to Dremel for a very reasonable price. On the other hand, Dremel is practically the industry standard for quality and performance, but you pay more for that. Sears carries a Dremel type tool, but I'm not sure of the price. I can say that if it is a Craftsman brand, they back it for life (or they used to anyway) and Westlake Hardware carries Dremel and all the attachments at good prices and so does Home Depot. Personally, I have had my Dremel tool for more than 10 years and it still works like new. I ditched my old Dremel I had for 15 years because they switched to a better collet with an available chuck that will accept any size attachment. My advice is to do a little research and decide what will be best for your applications. There are now "mini" tools that are battery powered, small and light which may work well for you. Make sure whatever "mini" you buy has a lithium ion battery because they last much longer than the other type of batteries. I couldn't get along without my Dremel rotary tool. I use it almost daily as a model kit designer, whatever you spend I promise you it will be money well spent. You get it by the head of the house because it has many general household uses as well. FWIW.

And non female related too.

Wow! Well done.

Check this out. It's the best paint rack I have ever seen. Currently it is only made to fit tall figure paint bottles, but I contacted the company and they are now adapting it to work with Model Master sized bottles. It comes in several "sections" you can buy separately to conform the rack to your space. http://www.back2base...d&productId=366

The theme for November will be: The British are coming! Floating, flying, walking, driving; as long as it's British, it belongs here. Be sure to hold off on those posts until the 1st.

What do you plan to do about the yellowed clear parts?

Working on a diorama I went to Hobby Lobby and Michaels and was surprised how many items like that were in the "charms and jewelry" section. Walked out with a nice pair of dolphins.

WOW! Super clean and crisp with a great finish. Well done!

Ed, You're a man of many talents. I remember many of these. Especially the dio of the cop and the "lady". One of the really great dios in IPMS/USA history. You need to re-do the dio with a "flaming" cop and a guy pulled over.

Getting second in 1/48th A/C is saying something! That's gotta be the toughest category at the Nats.

Oh man! I can't believe somebody actually built that one. This is the FIRST one I have ever seen built up this far. You gotta finish this and post the pics.

We seriously considered doing an automotive subject for the 2003 convention, but due to the size of automotive decals, we went with other subjects that didn't take up as much room. I personally championed doing decals for the Oklahoma City Sheriff's Dept. cars. They were super cool looking (and included a VW bug) , but in the end I was voted down.

Gil, I appreciate the offer to share, but for now lets keep everything for the theme as built and won by forum members. Your idea is a good one and I'll keep it in mind for a future theme. We'll call it your favorite Nats winners or something like that.

Good idea photographing the bling.

OOB also qualifies. Sorry I forgot to mention that. Please be sure to mention how your models placed. Everyone wants to know.

Well done!

Past IPMS/USA Nationals Winners Suggested by Dennis Tennant, the theme name says it all. Any model that has placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, OOB or Premier in any past National convention is eligible. Please include the place it took and the year of the convention if you can. As per usual, be sure to wait until Oct. 1st to post for the theme.

A GREAT diorama! Wonderful techniques everywhere from ground cover to rust, to the ripped down poster on the truck. If you have no objection, I do have one SMALL constructive criticism. It seems unusual that I don't see one blade of grass or weeds growing around anything. I have been to a lot of salvage yards, and even the most pristine still have weeds around. Just an observation FWIW. Sorry about the nit pick.

What's the date?

Great Wildcat, and I like your weathering too. Too bad there aren't more pics showing the top and bottom.

I read an article a few years back on weathering decks and the result was striking. The modeler painted a base coat of wood color on the deck followed by an appropriate color of blue. Once the paint was dry, he used an "ink eraser" (the white one) and scrubbed back and forth in the direction of the wood planks. This slowly removed the top coat revealing the base coat. The result was really cool looking. The brown showed through just enough in the heavy traffic areas and less in the other parts of the deck to give some planks a slightly lighter look. He then followed up with a thin wash to pop out all the small details. It looked very realistic. You might give this technique a try on some scrap plastic and see if it is what you're looking for.