Dakimbrell

Hobby Boss kit with MiniArt commander (with Alpine head), Alpine driver, and MK35 MP. Stowage gear is from Squadron. The pigeons are from MiniArt. Kit has all the armor and stowage baskets. Fit is very good. Tracks are from the kit and are single link, snap together. They work very well. Sorry the images aren't bigger, but I only was allowed .61MB. Dak

Pictures aren’t bigger because they won’t give me more memory. Dak

I have the kit. Got a good deal at my local shop for about $60. I plan on starting it tonight, so we will know soon how well it goes together. Good or bad, I will have another article for the Journal. Dak

Is anyone working on this kit? I got one a couple weeks back and it looks like a superb kit. I was wondering if anyone has any comments. Dak

This is the Tamiya 1/12th Ducati 900SS with the Tamiya Street Rider figure. The pictures make it look a bit better than it really is. I managed to screw up things attaching the windscreen so it has a bad spot. The helmet comes with the figure. I used Alclad on the engine and exhausts. The tires were soaked in Armorall before I put them on the model. The University of Oklahoma markings were made with Woodland Scenic dry transfers. The rider also sports a Oklahoma Historical Modelers Society club logo and nose art on his jacket. Dak

This is a 3D printed1/35th Cape Buffalo figure from Shapeways. I'd post bigger images , but the forums is only giving me .71MB to work with. The figure comes as one piece molded in white. The hunting rifle mon the ground is an old H&R white metal casting with a lead foil strap. The animals weigh in at about 2000lb and often kill more people than Lions or crocodiles. Dak

What is has to do with general modeling is how it effects what we show on the website and at the contests. If we do not discuss these things, then people begin to feel disenfranchised when they are not allowed to enter a favorite model at a show. Also, the people righting the rules need feed back from the membership. Many years ago, the contest committee made a bunch of very arbitrary rules without good feed back and that cost IPMS members and still effects the shows to this day. I have had heat discussions with several of those posting here and yet nothing said here seems political. Only by ignoring the subjects do we create problems down the line. I don't see the Baron as a serial killer....at least in a criminal sense. I just felt that was a good place to start the discussion. I like pretty girls, so nude or sexy figures don't bother me in the least. However, there are some subjects I do find inappropriate for public display at a convention....that sadomasochistic stuff. It generally doesn't "offend' me, but I can see why it might surprise and offend those not expecting at a model show. Of course, the only people I know who have purchased things like the Mascot figures have never built them. LOL I don't see any difference between McVeigh's car and Galland's Me-262. The only difference to me is time: the OKC attack is too close for some people. Some things are just going to offend some people. One guy I know thinks models which display any human remains or children's toys (dolls, tricycles, or teddy bears) should not be allowed. My friend Foster did a superb Mercedes 170 delivery van vignette with the title Arbeit Macht Hungrig and someone was offended by it. One reason he used that title was his Jewish ancestry. This year at Chattanooga, Mike Fleckenstein did a very nice vignette Will Someone Say Kadish For Them. I really liked it, yet I know there were some that felt it should not have been there. Personally, I have been doing "Germany in defeat" for about a quarter century. (The only exception being the Battle of France.) Yet, I would never ban a swastika as an historical marking. I also see myself as an artist and the models...particularly the dioramas...tell a story and show something I want the public to see. I recently did a ADGZ armored car placed in the town of Lidice, Czechoslovakia because I want people to remember. Dak

The Baron, stalked his prey and attacked from behind and kept trophies of his kills. Just like a serial killer. Is it appropriate to do a model of a serial killer's stuff? I was looking at the contest rules and those that have won over the years and wonder what most serious members think is an inappropriate model or contest entry. Personally, I'm an artist at heart and find very few things offensive enough to be band or remove it from a contest. However, I am aware others may not feel that way. So, what offends you and why? Would a model of one of the 9/11 planes be ok? If so, how is it different from the plane that sank the Arizona? Is a model of Timothy McVeigh's Car ok form the National? If not, why would a model of Hitler's big six wheeled car be ok? We do swastikas and naked girls all over airplanes, but showing a dead body seems to upset many. Seems strange to me. Thoughts? Dak

Have you posed the model beside the real thing? At least, Panzer Grey and Olive Drab look way to dark if you don't lighten them. Now, what about seams that SHOULD be there, but have been removed or filled by the builder? I see this a lot on aircraft undercarriage and the rubber tires on tank roadwheels, in particular. Thoughts? Dak

This is why we don't judge the shade or color of paint at most contests. However, the shade of paint does effect the opinions the viewer. Those final moments of the judges trying to decide which will be the last three models and which will be first or second, etc, everything comes into play. I use to use Model Master paint straight out of the bottle, but now I do a 50-50 mix of flat white and RAF Middlestone to get the Panzer Yellow I like. I prefer a bluish tint to my Panzer Grey, even though evidence shows it has a brown tint. As far as I know, there is no exact scaling of paint chart. When it comes down to it, people see colors differently...at least they seem to....so the best you can do is try to find a shade you like and hope it works for others. However, on very dark colors like black, Panzer Grey, etc, I would recommend lighting the color a bit regardless of scale. Tires should always be done in dark grey, not black. Dak

The effect is not based on the light source. It is a well noted effect cited in numerous books such as he Kookaburra Luftwaffe Painting Guide on page 5..."the camouflage colors should not be strictly as laid down in any RLM color charts, but should be a few shades lighter if one is to achieve any sort of realism." The method we use to apply decals....a clear gloss, the decal, a clear gloss and then a clear flat also sharpens and brightens the colors. This is a method similar to that of the 17th century Dutch Masters like Rembrandt and van Dyke. Everything old is new again. I also saw an F-4 Phantom with the rescue arrow painted off register...just like a few decal sheets I have seen. Dak

That's one of mine, also. But I have pictures of tanks in North Africa where the tracks are clearly not sinking into the soil. However, they are making some tracks on the surface. Dak

Yes, I have noticed this on several models over the years. Dak

I would disagree. Far too often colors look too dark to be correct. At Chattanooga, I judged a Panzer IV that was almost black looking. Of course, we don't judge the color, but shade has a definite visual effect, and when it comes down to the final points, not looking "right" can cost you a first place, or bump you to fourth place. Noting that the paint used on a model is the real color is wasted on me as a judge leaving me unimpressed. But an exact shade of paint is absurd. There are simply too many variables. Dak

I was not criticizing the use of real automotive paint. I was criticizing the idea that the real color is the correct shade for a smaller model. If you are trying to make the model look realistic, the color should be lighter the smaller the model. If you put the real thing and the finished model together under the same light, most will say the model is a darker shade of paint. So yes, I find it silly to use the real automotive paint straight out of the can to achieve a visually authentic look. Dak