Nick Filippone

With the predictability of Haley’s Comet- only, mercilessly, annually, instead of a more sufferable once every 76 years- we endure, yet again, the OOB rules debate. The why’s and wherefore’s have always been and always will be grist for mill that endlessly grinds on our Forum, as we strive mightily to plumb the arcane and inscrutable raison d’etre of OOB. But, as Pete and Rusty have said, the rules are plain and they create a level playing field. Just apply them as you build your entry and you’ll be fine. If you think they should be changed, the National Contest Committee is always willing to listen to suggestions. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

Actually, OOB is no more difficult to judge than any other category. Because our competitions are based on craftsmanship, accuracy is not the primary consideration. Any kit, well assembled by paying heed to the judging standards explained in IPMS Competition guidelines (alignment, seams, painting, decal application, etc.) will be competitive. And, as has been pointed out many times on this Forum, the more detailed and advanced the kit, the more opportunities there are to make mistakes. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

Based on the photos you provided, it does not appear that this part supports or bears much weight. Can’t you just glue it back together? If it is big enough in diameter, you could drill out each end and insert a small reinforcing rod of brass rod to reinforce it, but if it doesn’t bear weight, you probably don’t need to. Good luck. Nick Filippone

That’s exactly how I built my vacuform machine, aluminum frames, office clamps and all. Only mine is nowhere near as big- about 4” by 12.” Hence I can only do one piece at a time- and that in 1/72 scale. I am very impressed with the quality of your moldings. Nick

This looks great, Gil! And a natural metal finish no less. What was the actual Vacuform device you used? Thanks. Nick

I did google it. Every Cougar between ‘71 and ‘76 look the same to me! Regards, Nick Filippone

Looks like you have created the proverbial silk purse from a sow’s ear! The only metal car kits I recall from my youth were by Hubley. Is there any relationship between those and these Ertl kits? Beautiful work as always, Ron. Regards, Nick

Wayne taught me and many of the other Judges of my vintage how to judge. He always displayed tact and charm and a civilized, cultured demeanor. However, like the good soldier and leader that he was, he demanded excellence in modeling and judging. He inspired us to be discerning and scrupulous in examining every aspect of the model when judging. I recall some of his noteworthy and characteristically pithy aphorisms: “A hole ( cockpit, landing gear bay, bomb bay) is to look in.” “ The modeler finished before he was done.” Even more importantly, he demanded absolute integrity from his Judges. We all sought to be as wise and Solomon-like as Wayne. He was a courageous patriot and pilot. His courtly manner exemplified “an officer and a gentleman. “ His was a life well led. I consider myself fortunate to have been his student. I will always recall him with respect and fondness. Respectfully, Nick Filippone

Is this an armour colour or an aircraft colour? I cannot find that Model Master did an FS 34558 or anything named ”Italian Interior Green” at all in enamel. However, a company called Life Color does an “ Italian Interior Green.” It is their product number UA 116. Regards, Nick Filippone

I use the Passche H1 single action airbrush with siphon tube from “ bottom load” paint bottles. I use Model Master enamels and, now, Trucolor. I have used this airbrush exclusively since my Bink’s Wren died many years ago. I think of the H1 as the AK 47 of airbrushes- simply, sturdy, forgiving and reliable. Spare and replacement parts are easy to find. I follow Ralph’s regimen for cleaning between colours and for periodic field stripping. I clean the MM with Mineral Spirit- it is relatively low in toxicity. Trucolor must be cleaned with acetone. I vent my spray area when cleaning with both. With respect to spray pressure, I do not even know how accurate those gauges are. The best pressure to spray with is that which takes into consideration paint brand, paint thickness, compressor characteristics, humidity, temperature, airbrush tip size and, most importantly, what effect you are trying to achieve. In other words, the best approach is to practice on scrap plastic until you get the result you are seeking. Experience and mistakes are the best teachers. Regards, Nick

I went back to reread your first post. I think I goofed. You are building in the smaller scale. In that case, you must reduce your 1/350 scale plan to .875 to get to a 1/400 scale plan. Again, a good copier should be able to do this as well. My most common math error- failure to accurately read the question! Nick

If I have done these calculations correctly: (1) Obviously, a 1/350 scale model will be larger than a 1/400 scale model. (2) 1/350 is .00285 - rounded off to five places. (3) 1/400 is .00250 . (4) .00285 divided by .00250 is 1.1428. So, again, if I have done this right, you would need a copier that will “ blow up” a plan in one percent increments, selecting a setting of 1.14 percent. ( I do not think copiers go to thousandths.) I have a commercial grade copier in my office that will do this but a retail copy service I am sure would have such copiers also. Nick Ignore this. See below. Sorry

How long have I been asleep? When did Michigan become an East Coast state? I did not think tectonic plates moved that fast! Nick

It is unquestionable that masks reduce the spread of microorganisms that exist on the secretions of the upper respiratory system. This has been known since the early 20th century in studying the epidemiology of tuberculosis and streptococcus- related disease, amongst others. At the same time, surgeons such as myself, as well as any other person in the operating theater, were mandated to wear a mask to prevent the projection of microorganism- laden secretions into the patient’s wound. Why wouldn’t it be effective in reducing the spread of this virus? Of course masks will not stop the disease. That claim has never been made by responsible health care professionals.But in vivo experimental demonstrations have shown that the ejection of upper respiratory secretion droplets can be reduced with masks. The only way to stop it is with a vaccine or by letting everyone be exposed and either die or survive, thereby establishing “herd immunity.” As a physician, the latter is abhorrent to me. So until there is a vaccine, the best we can do is slow the pace of the spread so that hospital ICU’s will not be overwhelmed with many sick patients simultaneously. This the masks and social distancing can do. But what is really disappointing is that some of the same people who contribute to this Forum, enthusiastically welcoming new members and encouraging their modeling apparently have no compunction about refusing to do the least little thing to protect them if they were to encounter them at a Nationals by wearing a mask! Goodness people, these are, supposedly, our friends. Some of us have known each other for close to half a century. And most of us are high risk. Do you really mean you would not put on a mask, required or not, for another member’s protection on a personal point of honour? Let’s all just try to be good soldiers, arm ourselves and look out for the other guy in the foxhole with us until the war is won! Regards, Nick Filippone, M.D.

This issue was discussed briefly on the Forum recently. Bear in mind that these techniques are applicable also to poor quality new decals. Microscale makes a decal saving solution that one “paints” over the image on the decal sheet. After it dries, the decal can be applied as usual. I find that while this is a good product, it can make the decal a little stiff. Mark Deliduka reported in the aforementioned discussion that he did not notice any significant stiffness in the decal after using it so I may have applied too heavy a coating. Faced recently with a similar problem of a new but frangible decal, I usd my preferred technique- a thin coat of Testor’s Model Master Gloss Coat brushed on the image. After it is dry ( I usually wait overnight), I cut it out, immerse in water, and apply the decal as usual. I find the decal does not get so stiff that it won’t go down over surface detail, although you may need some setting solution. I suppose it is likely that other clear gloss or flat coats will work just as well, but I would try it out first on a disposal decal. Good luck! Nick Filippone

P.This comment is wholly unfair, argumentative and needlessly insulting. The “hard time with this” which you seem not to have considered is the financial disaster this will be for Len’s team and the National Organization. That this National is going to be -barring a miracle- a monetary disaster is evident. How much of a disaster depends on whether - if I understand the situation correctly- we are shut down by the government in the wake of a surge of Covid as the end of a July approaches or we cancel of our own volition. Again, if I have interpreted the consequences of each of the two outcomes correctly, if IPMS is shut down by outside forces, we lose a lot of money. But if we cancel preemptively, we lose a lot more money. It would be irresponsible of the leadership to undertake the latter decision so soon before the possibility that the former may take place and hopefully ameliorate the financial impact. Whether I understand this virtually no-win situation correctly or not, I am sure of this: Len and his team and the National leadership are on an agony of disappointment and uncertainty. Your language is inappropriately rude, insensitive and betrays an unacceptable disrespect for our fellow members who have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time to prepare for what they assumed would be the crowning achievement of their membership in IPMS. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge P.S. If the Forum Moderator wants to take me to the woodshed for this, I go gladly. Some things just have to be said. Nick

Jim, I was a little embarrassed when I read your post and realized that I had suggested that there were still ships in the Hypothetical category. Thank you for setting me straight. More importantly, you bring out that there is already precedent for moving hypotheticals into their appropriate regular category. Thank you for pointing this out. Regards, Nick

But be gentle and patient. Regards, Nick

I use a wooden toothpick. Nick Filippone

I am transitioning from Model Master also. I have started using Tru-color. I recently used one of their metallic colours ( applied over their gloss black). Far and away the best natural metal finish I have ever achieved. And their service is excellent . Nick

Nice summary, Gil. And I absolutely agree with you on hypotheticals. An additional argument to do away with it is that it violates one of our basic principles of judging: comparing like to like entries! As you know, the hypothetical categories are not just for aircraft but for all genres of models- auto, tank ship,etc. How can these be competently compared to one another? Regards, Nick

I’m going to let someone else take this one!🙄🤔😬 Nick

According to the IPMS Las Vegas website, the dates are 18-21 August, 2021. Regards, Nick

My library is not deep in “ Luftwaffe ‘46” sources. However, one book I do have is “German Jet Genesis” by David Masters (Jane’s Publishing Company, Limited, 1982). Page 97 covers the Ju EF 126 and 127. This reference states that a full-scale mock-up of the 126 was built by the Germans during the war, but the aircraft did not fly during the war. It goes on to say that the Russians built an unpowered prototype which crash landed. The 127, according to this reference was discontinued due to inadequate endurance of the rocket motor that was to have powered it. So, where to place this model? Theoretically, if you knew how the unpowered Russian example of the 126 was marked, you could indeed put it in the regular category in those markings- without engines! Any other depiction of the aircraft in any other markings would be hypothetical and place the model in the hypothetical category. I suppose you could build it as the German mock-up, but who knows what that looked like? ( Frequently, mock-ups do not even represent the entire proposed airframe.) Furthermore, a model of a mock-up, not being a representation of an actual functional aircraft, might have to go in the miscellaneous category. The 127 obviously was never built in any form at all, and, regardless of markings, it would go in the hypothetical category. The general rule to keep in mind is: actual aircraft + actual markings= regular category. If one of the two (or both) are missing, the entry would go to the hypothetical category. I hope this helps. ( I look forward to the inevitable hair- splitting and the Jesuitical debate that I always enjoy!) Regards, Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge.

I am no virologist. (Remember that surgeons such as myself are widely considered to be, in fact, stupid.) Having made this disclaimer, based on my understanding of all that has been said and what I have been taught in college and med school, I would say you have summed it up neatly and correctly, Pat. Best Regards, Nick