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Nick Filippone

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by Nick Filippone

  1. A couple of years ago, I built a Roden 1/72 scale Sopwith Camel. While the decals did not disintegrate, they were stiff and would not settle down over any of the surface detail, despite repeated applications of every setting solution on the market. It ruined an otherwise pretty good model! On the other hand, I have read reviews of Roden kits which raved about the decals. I suspect that they shop different decal printers with regard only to the lowest cost. I personally would not build a Roden kit again without an alternative decal sheet in hand. Nick Filippone
  2. My friend is building the Revell "Spirit of St. Louis." He has noted in photos of the actual aircraft two tubes protruding from under the fuselage approximately where the cockpit is (or a little behind it). These are apparently not on the standard Ryan Brougham. Does anyone know the function of these two tubes? Thanks. Nick Filippone
  3. Ed, I confess I jumped immediately to the photo of the F-86 and was jealous that you had lived so close to an Air Force base growing up. Remarkable work. The B-52/X-15 shots are amazing! Nice work in the technological stone age. Nick Filippone
  4. Pedro and Chris, Thanks for the replies. I will visit the web sites mentioned. (I think I may already be registered on papermodels.com) I will get in touch with you periodically to see what we could do to make Noreastcon 40 attractive to card modelers as well. Regards, Nick
  5. I think as a result of Pedro's posting, we should seize an opportunity we missed three years ago in Anaheim. There was, at that National, a remarkable display of the extraordinary things that can be accomplished with paper or card models. We should have actively courted these craftsmen by adding card model categories to every National Contest and invite and encourage the enthusiasts of this genre to enter AND JUDGE these categories. Simultaneously we should have encouraged Regional and Local shows to likewise provde such categories. We might, by offering these modelers venues to display and compete with their work, thereby encourage them to consider becoming members of IPMS. Paper modeling is hugely popular. These men and women represent a large potential pool of members. They might enjoy the exchange of ideas about modeling and the sharing of techniques with our members. BUT, we would have to think more creatively and demonstrate and promote a policy- at the National level as well as the Regional and Local Chapter - that is more inclusive of other modelers and their clubs. I cannot help but think this kind of diversity of modelers would grow the Society- if we truely made them welcome. Pedro, Hi. I am the Convention Chairman for the Region 1 IPMS Regional Convention ( Noreastcon 40) to be held in May 2011 in Schoharie, New York-near Albany. Without betraying any confidentialities, would you know how I might contact paper modelers in the northeast United States to see if they would be interested in attending, displaying and competing in our show? Is there a local, regional or national paper modelers' organization that I might contact, that could then, in turn, promote our show to its members. If there is interest, we could easily create paper model categories for our contest. You can "private message" me or we could keep up the conversation here. It might get just the "buzz" we need going to start this process. "IPMS- It's not just for plastic anymore." Regards, Nick Filippone
  6. My experiences have taught me a few different lessons: (1) Do not put models in overhead storage! While you may pay more to get it on early, the jamoke trying to fit his too large piece of luggage in the last too small space in the overhead- right next to your model- will pound his bag like Rocky working a side of beef! All that shock will be transmitted to your model. (2) Use clear plastic boxes with clear plastic wrap padding, if padding is called for. Anything that makes it easier for the TSA to see the contents of your box-Xray notwithstanding- will make it less likely they will want you to open it and take out the contents. (3) Plan to store your models on the floor of the seat in front of you. You have complete control of this space! This will limit the size of the box and therefore the size of your entries. So think and build small for the "fly to" Nationals. Remember, the space under the seats varies in size from airliner to airliner ( 757's are great, 737's o.k., Canadair RJ's tiny). The space under the seat next to the window is usually smallest. Do not forget that if you choose to sit in the front row, there is no seat in front of you under which to store models. (4) You will likely have to tip the box to get it between the edge of your seat and the space in the seat ahead of you. You will therefore HAVE to fix the model to the bottom of your box. I glue all traveling models to bases. I use clear velcro to hold the bases securely, but removeably, to the bottom of the clear box or boxes. Good luck! Nick Filippone
  7. Dick, I believe it is meant to be a Nakajima J1N1 Gekko "Irving." Nick Filippone
  8. "Airpower" Vol. 34 #5; May, 2004 has a lot of good photos of the Snark in both the familiar overall red and in overall grey. Nick Filippone
  9. A few years ago, maybe as much as 10, "Airpower" or "Wings" (they were sister publications) ran an excellent article on the Snark, including colour photos of the operational grey scheme. One even had shark mouth(s) on the fuselage or the fuel tanks. I will try to find mine and send you the exact citation. Nick Filippone
  10. Last night, the Military Channel ran a show about the development of American military helicopters. Featured were film clips of the Piasecki H-16 Transporter. While most were in the familiar natural metal finish, (which would be a real challenge in the Revell kit), one brief clip showed it in what appeared to be overall orange (dayglo)? Does anyone have any further info on this scheme including other markings and serial numbers? I have always wanted to build this model, but the thought of removing all the rivets, re-introducing the lost raised detail.....and then painting it natural metal is just too overwhelming. Thanks. Nick Filippone
  11. I have one. PM me with an offer! Regards, Nick Filippone
  12. I encourage everyone in the "over 50" age group to take this charming walk down memory lane. I especially enjoyed it because his taste in aircraft was so similar to mine. I did not know whether to laugh seeing the many models built in very much the style I built in then, or cry over my lost youth! I know model building was much less stressful then. This display should be part of some kind of modeling time capsule. My thanks to the person who assembled it. He has honored his Dad's love of modeling and enhanced ours by sharing it. It must have been a considerable effort to take all the pictures with the clever and thoughtful addition of the ruler for scale. My thanks also to Dick for posting it! Nick Filippone IPMS # 969. P.S. I had almost forgotten now far that turret stuck up on the back of the Airfix Hudson!
  13. At the risk of sounding like a real cynic, some of those models look suspiciously similar to some of the Franklin and Danbury Mint models in my collection- especially the Borden Divco and the Plymouth Fury Convertible. If he is claiming to have built these-and I am not sure that he is- he is the best auto modeler in the world. What makes me wonder is the level of consistency in the finish of each, not to mention that the paint schemes are familiar to anyone who collects or window-shops these die-casts. If I am wrong, I apologize! Nick Filippone
  14. Don, The stage make-up analogy is perfect! Regards and Happy Holidays. Nick
  15. Ah! The eternal problem of art not immitating life! Your points about what the surface of an aircraft (or, for that matter, any other modeling subject) look like in reality are well taken. But our contests - to dredge up what is now a well-worn cliche-are craftsmanship competitions, not history bees. And as with any competition where judging is involved, the competitior is at an advantage if he or she understands what the judges like to see and and incorporates it into his or her entry. The panel line emphasis so popular and eye-catching now was unknown 25 years ago when I started to regularly attend our Regional and the National. But about 15-20 years ago, someone showed up at a contest with a 1/72 scale Spitfire with the panel lines detailed in pencil. I and everyone else was stunned and impressed by the result. Now, it is pretty much de rigeur if one expects to be competitive. When well done, it reflects a high order of effort and skill-i.e. craftmanship- by the builder and this is what judges want to see reflected in the result. Is it, to some extent, a matter of taste and fashion? Without question, yes. But it can also be seen as a question of aesthetics. I believe that the eye craves to see detail in the miniature. After all, when one is viewing a 1/72 scale aircraft even up close ( two feet away), that is theoretically like standing as much as a 1/2 football field away to look at the same object. (Indeed, the 1/72 scale model was evolved to construct I.D. models during WWII for teaching aircraft identification. The concept was that a 1/72 model, held a convenient distance away from the observer, would simulate the appearance of the full-sized aircraft at a much greater distance.) If we carry the concept of a scale model having an overall appearance consistent with its scale "distance" from the observer, then all these entries are going to get deadly dull. Would we really see all the remakable detail in the uniforms of the 54 mm figures at the scale distance? 1/700 scale ships? Might as well eliminate the category because at that scale distance, every ship becomes a grey shadow. Detail is pleasing to the eye and difficult to do effectively and neatly. These are the goals of our contests as exhibitions and competitions- to amaze the casual viewer and impress the judges with what is possible with skill and assiduity. Reality is monotonous and boring. Nick Filippone Senior National Judge
  16. It would most certainly NOT be considered cheating. However, do not deceive yourself about how the Judges in a contest would be likely to view it. They would likely guess that either the cockpit was excuted poorly or, as in this case, not at all. Now, if you are successful in lining up all the structures of the exterior-wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, landing gear, etc.- you will probably be in the running for an award because so few multi-plane modelers at any level, Nationals included, seem able to do this. But, if enough of your competitors accomplish the basics competently, then the Judges will go looking into details like the cockpit. At the point you will be at a considerable disadvantage. Nick Filippone IPMS # 969 Senior National Judge
  17. Dick, Nice work. One question- what are you using for rib effect? One comment- that jig! I have been thinking about how I could create just exactly the type of adjustable rig you have revealed here. Could you describe it in more detail- maybe even in a Journal article? Regards, Nick Filippone
  18. John, Shame on you for not citing the author of your most appropriate literary quote. It is from "Vitae Lampada" by Henry Newbolt, sometimes referred to as England's most patriotic poet. Nice work on the model, though! Regards, Nick Filippone
  19. John, You are probably right. I was going by the general appearance and hair style, but I admit it is hard to tell in these old photos. Nick
  20. Additionally, the tall fellow in the middle of the group in your second photo and with the young woman in your fourth photo would seem to be designer/test pilot Robert L Hall. He designed Stinson Models O, L and SR-7 and won the speed event at the Cleveland Air Races ( year?) in a GB "Z." Nick Filippone
  21. John, It is a Stinson R. It first flew in the fall of 1931. On Jan. 25, 1932, Eddie Stinson was demonstrating it over Lake Michigan for a prospective buyer when it ran out of fuel. In attempting to land on a golf course, it struck a flag pole and crashed. Eddie Stinson walked away from the wreck with some broken ribs, walked into the hospital, collapsed and died without regaining consciousness. ( My diagnosis would be a ruptured spleen.) The Model R was also built (total of five) with retractable landing gear and designated the R-3. The man on the cover of the book previously posted is Eddie Stinson. Source: "The Stinsons" A pictorial history by John Underwood. Heritage Press. 1976. Pages 47-49. Nick Filippone
  22. One of the things I like best about Polly Scale is the fact that one can touch up errors better than with enamels. But each to his own. Acrylics are definitely healthier. Nick Filippone
  23. Are you speaking of Polly S or Polly Scale? Polly S was the first incarnation of acylic paint originally manufactured by Floquil (near my current home town) in Amsterdam, N.Y. I did not think it had been available for years. It did have many of the undesireable features you describe. It was, however, supplanted years ago by a much improved new formula- Polly Scale. (All these products, by the way,- Testor's, Floquil, Polly Scale- are subsidiaries of one company: RPM). I have used Polly Scale with great success- including masking. If you are still using Polly S, that bottle is at least 15-20 years old! Nick Filippone
  24. Any surface that can be scanned can be copied onto decal paper. Hobby stores and such on-line companies as Micro-mark sell the paper (clear or white) as well as entire kits including the coating to seal them after printing. Different people have differing results with the various products but it is really sort of old hat by now and a skill you should be able to acquire. Nick Filippone
  25. Another appproach is to re-introduce panel lines with a pencil. I have been using a mechanical pencil-.3mm, chiseled to a sharp edge on sand paper, to accent panel lines. It is then easy to draw-in any lost panel lines with the pencil, using tape of some kind to guide the pencil. If you make a mistake-just erase! This technique is particularly useful in the smaller scales and when re-introducing panel lines around compound curves. It is easier to lay the tape and draw-and correct- errors than to try to scribe on a compound curve. Pentel markets this mechanical pencil and lead in two degrees of hardness: HB, which is softer and , I think, easier to use, and 2H which is quite hard and not as easy to draw with, especially on glossier surfaces. They are not expensive, even when one has to pay postage on an order off the Internet- which is easier than running from art store to art store looking for it. I use disposable rubber gloves to handle the model while scribing, and save to the end the places where I hold the model during scribing. This minimizes the risk of getting pencil dust on the model. I then seal with gloss coat immediately after. It also has the advantage of allowing you to draw in the panel lines over the decals once they are in place-enhancing a "painted-on" look to the decals. Nick Filippone
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