Nick Filippone

Gil, Ok! You got me. I have stared at the photo of the E-2 and I will be darned if I can see the error. It does appear you did a beautiful job on the model. I have looked at multiple photos of the real aircraft and I still can’t find your mistake. If you were intentionally trying to make your point about experienced judges perhaps not seeing an error, you have at least made me look silly 😜. Can you please tell me what the problem is so I can sleep tonight? Lol🤔 Thanks. Nick

This is a question that has always bothered me. When is an accuracy mistake so egregious that it becomes a craftsmanship error? Or worse, some errors could be one or the other, depending on who is evaluating it. If the builder who installed the exhausts up side down because he honestly thought it was the right way, it’s an accuracy mistake. But if he had the instructions in front of him, and did it wrong anyway, it is a craftsmanship error. How is the judge to know? Some mistakes, even honest ones, are too obvious and to outrageous for a judge to allow- like a model photo posted on this Forum a few years ago, during this very discussion, of a P-40 with the wheels inside of the main landing gear struts instead of outside. That is just too hard a “mistake “ to make and reflects work too carelessly done on a very well known and easily referenced aircraft- even if he or she did not have the instructions in front of him or her, which is not likely. In the end, on Judgement er, judging day, the builder is throwing him or herself on the mercy of that judging team. This is such a grey area with no clear policy or answer-how could there be? I guess the builder better hope those judges are in a forgiving mood. At the very least, depending on the seriousness of the error, if spotted, it is likely to be “points off.” Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

It wasn’t I who asked “ why do we feel the need to compete in the first place?” So that is where the thread went off topic. But so what! This discussion takes place annually. For me, participation is merely a rhetorical exercise and an opportunity to brush up on one’s grammar and spelling skills- usually ( but not always) with tongue firmly implanted in cheek. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with either judging system, other than the fact that both are implemented by flawed human beings. This thread has been dissecting a distinction without a difference. Nick

I assumed someone would point out, correctly, that Van Gogh cut off his ear over a failed romance. But this only emphasizes again how competition and winning and losing is innate in the human condition- in this case, Van Gogh played the game of love and lost. But then, as the poet said, ‘it is better to have entered the model contest and lost, than never to have entered at all’ - Not!!! Nick

Oh, but you do see competition at the Louvre. The “winners” have their “entries” hanging on it's walls. The losers are waiting tables at some sidewalk bistro across the street. And if you think our judges or AMPs judges are capricious, inconsistent, arbitrary and inconsiderate, how much better are that vaunted body of good judgement - Art Critics? Good grief, some of the “winners” in the Louvre, Toulouse- Latrec ( spelling?) for example, didn’t pick up their “trophies” until they were almost dead or even later. At least our winners get their recognition before the show ends. And when was the last time an embittered modeler cut off part of his ear or worse? No, there is no competition in art. But, if so, why isn’t my Senior Year final creation for my studio painting course right up there with Apres Midi sur le Grand Jatte instead of being jammed behind the book case in my den. Because some twisted minds decided that Manet was a better painter than I am- and they were and are right. Some people are just better at some things than are others. That’s what makes a horse race- and a model competition. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

And glorifying hate and oppression with statues of the perpetrators of that hate and oppression really angers me! There is another opinion for Dak’s survey. I hope it helps. Nick

Dak, On the one hand, in this thread, you have been asking us to tell you what offend us as individuals. Then, when someone told you what they thought of the implications of your Trump sticker, they were “ projecting their own feelings onto “( you). Your use of this expression suggests that you were somewhat put out by what they had to say. So, do you really want to know what people think or not? When does simply voicing one’s opinion become “projecting their own feelings?” -especially when, as you say, “nothing is really right or wrong.” Maybe you are “thinking” about it all too much. There is, however, one thing that is wrong: to suggest “nothing is either right or wrong.” Nick

Well said, Noel! Nick

As stated in the National Contest Rules, II., 14. bases are allowed in all categories but will not be judged except in vignettes and dioramas. So, yes, you may place an OOB entry on a base. Just be sure, by consulting II., 15., that you have not made the base so elaborate with so many figures and ground details, that it becomes a vignette or diorama and would be moved to one of those categories. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge.

It is worth remembering that while we, as craftsmen, historians and even artists may have a very high bar for what is “not acceptable,” our shows and displays are often viewed by the, as it were, uninitiated. This includes women and, especially, children. A beautifully, skillfully, even sensitively rendered depiction of a concentration camp or a firing squad or the Crucifixion, even when it meets the acceptability requirements of I. 5. A. and B., might still leave the average viewer with a most unfavourable impression of IPMS and modeling. Better to err on the side of discretion and the ordinary rules of good taste. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

The colours are orange and black. The black is easy to touch up. Try mixing a few shades of orange and touch up ( as with the black) with a dry brush so the paint does’t run or pool. The orange on the decal is not uniform. Even if it is not a perfect match, it will still look better than it is now. Touching up messed up decals is also part of the learning process. Nick

Yeah, but let the first one dry completely-as in overnight! Nick

You’re welcome. It’s fun. On the bottom line, I think the first group of letters is the name of the company and some kind of trademark. The long group of letters at the end of the first group is a little difficult because the letters are not all clear. But the first few letters spell something like “melted” and the last few spell something like “hand.” In the second group of words on the bottom line, the first two words are “Moscow-based factory.” The rest of that group’s letters are too blurry for me to make out. The third group is a little easier. The first word is “Moscow” and I am guessing the rest is some kind of an address. Thanks for the challenge. Russian doesn’t seem to so hard to learn at all!🙄 Nick

Ok. Using a Cyrillic to Latin translation app I found with Google, the line at the top of the cover above the aircraft image reads: “ Scale Model Aircraft Yak 25.” The print at the bottom is smaller, but I will keep working on it. Nick

Or both! 😼Nick

That backwards R on the box in front of the K, when converted from Cyrillic to Latin alphabet translates to Ya. So this kit is some Russian’s idea of a Yak 25. He was probably shot either for revealing state secrets or for being a lousy mold maker. Nick

It looks like it’s supposed to be a Yak 25 Flashlight. But based on the box art (and I use that term advisedly) it is either hopelessly inaccurate or some obscure Russian prototype. This kit makes the legendary Aurora MiG 19 look like a Tamiya product. If this is supposed to be a Yak 25, you would be better served by the old Revell kit. Good luck! Nick

If you Google : “ U.S. yellow ID letters and numbers decals 1/72 scale” you will find, as I did, several options. Nick

No, but I play one on T.V.! 😼 Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Yes, I am a practicing physician and surgeon.

Yes. Modify the peg and/or locating hole and turn it around. Kit designers and mold makers are only human. Part of what makes us modelers and not just assemblers is identifying their mistakes and fixing them! Nick Filippone

Boy, Gil, have you got a good memory! The drop tank on the 1/48 Monogram Spitfire IX never occurred to me until you mentioned it. I also now recall-if memory serves- that that kit had retractable landing gear, as I believe the 109 in that series also had. Still, it seems odd that Monogram chose a Spitfire with a drop tank as it is not a feature often associated with any Spitfire, as Ron has suggested. Perhaps by chance, they were working from a particular photo of a not so usual variant of the IX. My other thought was this: could they have started designing the kit with the idea of an operable “ gimmick” such as the bomb dropping mechanisms in some of the other kits in this series such as the Dauntless and the Helldiver, but than gave up on incorporating it in the final design? Nick

If you Google “Spitfire drops tanks” a lot of info and photos come up. In particular, Spitfires were equipped with drop tanks for ferrying flights to Malta. Perhaps that is what the author was referring to. Nick Filippone

According to the prospectus distributed by the Omaha representatives at the 2019 National Bids Presentations, if Omaha was awarded the 2022 National Convention, ( which, obviously, we now know they were), the dates would be 20-23 July. Nick Filippone

Clearly, they all do not look the same. To accomplish the appearance in this photo, I would mask on each side of each rib, and paint in between, by hand, with Mr. Surfacer 500 or 1000. When dry, peel away the masking tape. Then you can gently, lightly sand to remove any raised edge caused by the meniscus effect of the paint next to the masking tape. You can also lightly sand to make it less prominent if desired. If you make a mistake, you can easily remove the entire new “rib” and redo it. I use this technique to restore raised panel lines. It is actually easy and very effective. Good luck. Nick

Viktor, I consulted one of my references on the Tiger Moth. This is Ray Rimell’s Aeroguide Classics Number 6 on the Tiger Moth. There are excellent closeups of the wing and horizontal stabilizer upper surfaces. On the tail especially, the rib effect is quite subtle and, respectfully, as molded by Airfix, it is much closer to reality than what your rib tape efforts are achieving. In 1/72 and smaller scales, these techniques are inevitably over scale. I have used these tape techniques in scratch-building in these small scales, because there aren’t a lot of alternatives. It’s better than nothing, but not by much. If you want to emphasize these ribs, you might try simply pre- shading them with a dark colour, but I do not think it necessary. Good luck. Regards, Nick Filippone