Dakimbrell

I thought these were cast Iron? Dak

All that works if you have the right kind of dirt. Oklahoma has a heavy clay content that doesn’t take water well. That’s why I went to tile grout. Lots of colors, mixes well, and doesn’t shrink. Dak

Do you need good mud? Try mixing tile grout (pick the color you want) with clear gloss polyurethane paint. The more grout you add tends to make it flatter. However, you can coat it with the gloss polyurethane. Dak

Well, we are a niche market. Bigger venues cost more money, which will be passed on to those attending. Personally, I thought the Marriott at Columbus really sucked as a hotel. The Rio has plenty of space, but that was a heck of a long walk down the hall. Chattanooga was ok, but still a long walk every day. I prefer Embassy Suites over all of them. Even with more rooms it doesn’t mean people will get what you want. Some of the rooms are only going to have one king bed. For those coming from a long way by car, trying doing what we did in 2019 instead of booking an extra, expensive, room there, we stopped about fifty miles out and got a cheap room. The drive the next morning was beautiful and we were well rested. Perfection is not an option. Dak

It’s a dead horse, Gil. Time to move on. At first, I had sympathy for you and felt you were correct in pointing out s glitch in the system. But now you are just coming a cross as bitter, petty, and rude. At least a couple hundred people had no problems and are happy. Others, got rooms with no problems with the overflow hotels with no problems. You are making it sound like the whole system was a miserable failure, which it was not. Dak

They system worked as it was designed and fairly. It kept people from skirting it like I did in 2019 when booking for 2020. First come first served. Dak

Where is the beef? For many years it has been a simple fact that to get a room at the convention hotel, you must be johnny on the spot. With the numbers Nick posted, it is obvious even with two to a room, our expected numbers we would sell out the available rooms. And when you consider there will be members bringing their significant other, it should be no surprise things sold out quickly. Yes, If I had not gotten a room, I would be grinching and calling for heads to roll, but only in a comical hyperbole. In fact, I was a bit surprised I actually got a room. The discussion at our club meeting that night was about the chances of getting through and we were putting good money on it. I like to gamble in casinos, so I have learned to accept disappointment, from time to time. Time to bury this dead horse. Dak

When the clock ticked 12pm I was sitting with my hand on the mouse ready to click. I expected things to go quick based on the numbers expressed by Nick. Hopefully, there may be a few cancellations as some people team up. Dak

I looked at the hotel site on Thursday and it was locked for the convention. It opened fine last night at midnight. No problems what so ever. Dak

I had no problems. I was sitting there when the clock hit midnight and had a room by 12:01. Dak

I just finished reading the book The Panzer Killers. It is well written and puts some interesting (if uncomplimentary) light on the Allied commanders from D-Day on. There are loads of personal anecdotes for those interested in modeling ideas. Although, I still get annoyed when the author refers to the Panzerfaust as a rocket launcher. Now, my story. While in the navy in the seventies, one guy on my ship told me how his father----who was actually Hungarian---described being in a King Tiger unit which was napalmed but not knocked out. They just lay dogo until the Shermans started moving and then shot the hell out of the American column. At the time, I just filed it as one of the BS war stories Dads tell young sons. Yet, here I was, reading the same story in the last chapter of the book! The description was almost word for word what the guy told me 50 years ago. I have to assume it is the same event. This was the unit that killed General Rose. How I love history. Dak

I had a blast at the show. Generally, well done and hope everyone had a good time too. Now, all I have to do is get that second mortgage to cover the stuff from the vendor room. Thanks for all the hard work to those doing it. Did anyone else stop to look at the old locomotive on route 81? Dak

This is a 1/350th resin kit of the HMS M1 which was lost with all hands in 1925 after being struck by a Swedish ship while the sub was running submerged. She carried a 12-inch battleship gun which was to be used against other ships. Something I did to keep busy while waiting to leave for Omaha. She was a derivative of the K-class steam powered subs built before WWI. Dak

This is the 1/35th Nuts Planet Heavy Gunner (@$18.00). Since there is no back story or information in the kit, I felt I was free to develop the figure in my own way. The logo came from a set by Matho Models as are the sign and caution tape. The 12.7mm machine gun is quite nicely done and the perfect tool for combating NYC rats, don't you think? The small green blocks are Claymore mines for fending off large groups and possibly the cockroaches. Dak

Yes, I judge AND I contribute regularly to the Journal. I have also manned the morning after table and told everyone what they are doing wrong,wrong, wrong. 😉 Still, I saw something last year that made me wonder what some of the judges were thinking. I’m not as interested in why I didn’t win—-I am more than aware of my short comings—-but why some things did. Things I had looked at earlier and dismissed. But that’s the way it goes. Dak