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ghodges

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by ghodges

  1. Stunning replication of the reference pics..... I vote one side up and the other down for the seating.... though the pic with both sides up does have a very nice symmetry to it. Gil
  2. I got an "early private edition" for free as I was involved in the creation of the kit (indirectly). It seems my kit was missing a few parts as well as maybe also missing a page or two in the instructions (no painting/markings guide for the OD/gray War Games markings though the decals were included). That's the main reason I scratchbuilt the gunner's seat and gun ring, the roll over structure behind the pilot, and a new main IP. The down side is I had to rely on more of my own references and build some parts. The up side is I got the kit ahead of most others. It does take a steady hand to do the tick marks in a really neat manner (and mine is not that neat), BUT when you make the marks you can start inside and mark towards the outside and not have to worry about the marks outside the circle since they can't be seen; making the process a little less difficult. Or, you can use instrument decals (as in my example pic), though in my experience the tedium of punching them out is as much work as drawing the instruments. In the end, go with WHATEVER system works for you. If I'd had a good looking spare IP that fit, I'd have used it! Cheers! Gil
  3. That’s a beautiful model Gil. I have only worked with resin once and that was figures. Did this require removing large blocks of resin and the accompanying sanding/smoothing? The details you added are incredible. Any chance you might explain the “sandwich” method for us newbies? Most of the parts came as you see in the pic. The only one with a casting block needing removal was the gear doors, and they could be sliced away from the block with only a little cleanup of their edges needed after that. The engine can be put in the cowling without sanding down the thick rear (which I did), but that was a mistake since it was then too close to the rear edge to allow the cowling to fit properly on the fuselage; so I had to grind it down with a motor tool, which was more work than if I had sanded it down earlier. In general, most casting blocks are easily removed with a razor saw or by cutting with a knife blade. Big ones may require a motor tool with a grinding bit or a rotary saw blade, but most don't. However, whenever you do sand/saw resin, wear a mask as the dust gets everywhere and it's not healthy stuff to breathe in! The "sandwich" method for making instrument panels requires two thin sheets of plastic, with the rear one preferably being white. You cut the top one to the shape of your panel. Mark the positions of the instruments in pencil on it and then open up their holes using either a drill bit, the point of a #11 blade (twirled), or using a punch and die set. Add any buttons, instrument bezels, or other detailing to its front that you desire. Paint it AND the second piece of plastic black. Place the top IP piece over the painted second piece and using a pin (or other fine pointed tool) run it around the inside edge of each instrument hole, effectively scratching off the black paint and leaving a white circle for each one. Remove the top piece and use the tool to now scratch the paint off inside each instrument to mark each one, making tick marks and instrument needles for them. Once all of them are made/marked, cut the rear piece to fit behind the top piece. Next, get a piece of clear cellophane (from a cigarette pack or some such source). Cut it big enough to cover the rear instruments. Very carefully glue it to the rear IP part. You can trim it now, or wait and trim it after you add the top IP part, being sure as you glue it that the holes line up perfectly with the instruments on the back part. Trim any excess cellophane (if needed) and you should now have an IP with "glass" over the instruments. Here's a pic from my A-18 Shrike II build that shows what I mean... although in THIS case I glued instrument decals (yet another option this allows) instead of "scratching" the instruments on. Those other things are ammo boxes.... Hope that helps! Let me know if I wasn't clear enough. Gil
  4. This is the 1/48 Lone Star resin O-47, a late 1930s/early WWII recon plane; and the only kit of this type ever in quarter scale. It's one of their best castings as far as detailing inside and out, and the solid cast wings fit like a glove to the fuselage (a good thing, as you'll see). It includes white metal detail parts for the landing gear, prop, antennas, and other assorted details. This is what you get in the box.... Here's the interior Here's the interior after painting. I did add a few assorted details from the spares box (ammo boxes, O2 cylinders, etc.) and scratchbuilt the rear gunner's seat/gun ring. I also scratchbuilt a new main instrument panel using the old "sandwich" method. The toughest part of the build was having to add and blend in the bottom side observation windows. Since they needed to be added to BOTH the fuselage and wings, each wing had to be glued in place BEFORE gluing the fuselage halves together; a first for me in almost 60yrs of building! Luckily, the wings slide onto the fuselage with excellent fit (improved with some test fitting and adjusting) and at the proper angles. This allowed the side windows to be glued from the inside and outside (for extra security) and also to fill inside and outside along the edges as needed. One thing missing from my kit was the rollover structure behind the pilot's seat that also serves as the antenna mounts. It was built up with tubing and sheet plastic. It can be seen under the vac canopy part, which is in place to drill the holes to test fit the antennas. The kit white metal prop blades were fine sanded and polished to be able to use them without painting, except for their tips and some maroon antiglare paint on their rears. The model was primed overall with Alclad Gloss Black enamel in prep for the NMF. The clear parts were actually painted silver before spraying the black so their interior frames would look silver. It took several rounds of primer to be sure everything was smooth enough for the NMF. I used Floquil Platinum Mist for this, since silver shows scratches very well and it was also the base paint for the "interior" canopy frames and the fabric covered flying surfaces. AK Extreme Metallics Aluminum was used for the base NMF with Alclad Aluminum panels added over it. The fabric covered ailerons and were painted Floquil Platinum Mist and flat coated. The antiglare panel (and interior) were painted with AK Bronze Green. The rudder striping was painted instead of using the provided decals. The kit comes with markings for 6 or more O-47s, including war game crosses. I did an Ohio National Guard bird. Here's the rest of the finished pics.... Critiques, questions, and comments welcome, as always! Gil
  5. Phenomenal looking work, even without the lighting! Gil
  6. WOW! Where do I begin? Even if this was one of the Robert's Models releases with a few white metal detail parts included that is an ASTOUNDING build! And it's not enough to just build it, but you drooped the flaps and the stabilizers too. I'm assuming the beaching gear is all scratchbuilt and it looks quite the part. But I think the thing that impresses me the most is all of the glass work is superb. Did you have to vack new clear parts yourself? I know the Combat stuff is seldom as nice looking as what's on your model. As a fellow vacuform masochist, I'm standing and applauding! BRAVO! Gil
  7. Those look useful and convenient for anyone who's tired of using old coffee cups, cigar boxes and such. Thanks for the tip! Gil
  8. The way you have them posed looks good as they seem to be interacting, especially if you have it titled as you suggested. The figures look good and you nailed those green aviators! Since you say they're not quite done my guess is you'll be adding a few highlights/shadows to their uniforms, hands, and faces; though they actually look good for display as is. The only other idea, since you're setting it in a situation to be looked at; you don't have to go with grass if you don't like its look. If you put a couple of stanchions with a rope between them and add a small info sign you can make a museum floor. Or, you can make a short back wall to suggest it's in a hangar and put it on a concrete floor. In any case, unless you plan to compete with it, I wouldn't get too hung up on how "scale" the grass is or what surface you set it on. Gil
  9. Looks great! I'd proudly sit it on my shelf! Gil
  10. FLABBERGASTED is the only term that comes to mind seeing the extent of all of your work, including all of the extra scratchbuilt details and accessories! It seems that the Duke now has a rival in the Marquis of Modeling! 🙂 Gil
  11. That looks exquisite! I'm looking forward to your getting some repairs done and then some pics of it in the upright position. I'm also interested in what method you used to make the airship body.... was it thin sheet plastic over framing, or what? Sure looks authentic! Gil
  12. Looks good! The wood framing nicely sets off the interior. Gil
  13. Wow! When you said you had some knock-out pin holes to fill you weren't kidding! Excellent work, and much neater looking than whenever I attempt to add stringers like that. Question: You drilled holes in those side stringers..... I've found it very hard to get my drill low/perpendicular enough to drill through a part like that without bending and breaking the bit. What tool and method are you using to frill them? Gil
  14. Jaxcon is a GSB judged show, but there's absolutely NO "scoring" used to determine that. The judging teams just judge the basics and decide according to our written standards what the model earns, or doesn't. Here's a link to the "handheld" standards we issue to all judges and used for Jaxcon: https://www.ipmsfirstcoast.com/gsbjudging/jaxconjudgeguidelines2023.pdf Here's the link to the more fully detailed standards as posted on our website: https://www.ipmsfirstcoast.com/gsbjudging/jaxcon2023gsbjudgestds.pdf There IS one caveat to the above..... this was the first year we had dedicated Zones for the Gundams and Lego models (there were less than 10 in each) and I did design judging criteria that did involve a bit of "math" since we had no true experience in judging those and felt we couldn't approach them exactly as we do regular plastic kits. If these Zones grow in the future we'll have a "handheld" guideline with their different basics of construction and finish and eliminate the points/math for them as well. Below are the two forms we used for those 2 Zones... they worked very well for so few entries, but would not work if we started getting 20+ entries. GUNDAM DISPLAY ZONE JUDGING CRITERIA SHEET ENTRY#_______________ SUBJECT/TITLE_______________________________________________ ENTRIES WILL BE AWARDED 1 POINT PER CRITERIA (Good=1pt, bad=0pts) EXCEPT FOR B1a, C1, C2, C3. Gold = 14+ point Silver = 11-13 points Bronze = 8-10 points A) Construction 1-Basics a) seams ______ b) glue marks ______ c) sprue nubs ______ d) clear parts ______ e) complexity (movable parts are movable) ______ f) sanding scratches ______ B) Finish 1-Painting a) whole or 75%+ model painted (award 2 points) ______ b) model 50% or less painted ______ c) smoothness (airbrushed or no paint brush strokes) ______ d) decal silvering ____ e) small detail painting ______ f) consistent clear coat overall ______ C) Bonus points 1- Weapons/Hand held Accessories (1point for each) ______ 2- Lighting added not included in kit (2 points) ______ 3- Motion added not included in kit, not including rotating bases (3 points) ______ TOTAL POINTS ______ And..... LEGO DISPLAY ZONE JUDGING CRITERIA SHEET ENTRY # ___________ ENTRY SUBJECT/TITLE ________________________________________ ENTRIES WILL BE AWARDED 1 POINT PER CRITERIA (Good=1pt, bad=0pts), EXCEPT 3B. 8+ = GOLD 6-7pts = SILVER 4-5pts = Bronze 1) Construction a) Neatness (dirt smears, finger prints?): ____ b) Complexity (simple shape or not?): ____ c) Consistency (any gappy seams or missing blocks?): ____ 2) Finish a) Color flow (are colors grouped aesthetically or randomly?): ____ b) Consistent color (do any bricks look faded or old?): ____ c) Over all finish (is the shine or flatness even over all?): ____ 3) Bonus points a) Original design, not built from a kit (point awarded for originality): ____ b) Lighting and/or motion added (that was NOT included in a kit, 1pt for each): ____ 4) Overall Presentation (you can tell what the builder intended): ____ TOTAL POINTS ____ Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks! Gil
  15. Thanks for the kind words Ron! We lucked into this facility (or were blessed by God) at the end of covid. Being a church, they could open sooner and with fewer restrictions while our old venue couldn't. It's actually cheaper to rent... BUT, here we have to rent the tables for the show, so overall the venue expenses only equaled out. However, this place is MUCH better lit, slightly larger, we can start on Friday evening without any added costs, and they allow food trucks. It is a very large church on that side of town, and ironically where I graduated Kindergarten in 1963! 🙂 Gil
  16. And one last bunch.... This was an amazing Box diorama This was the Best Armor winner This 1/32 Ki-84 was the Best Camouflage winner This 54mm Sergeant of the Revolutionary War was the Best Figure winner This was the Best Ship winner This Walker was the Best Sci-Fi/Space winner This was voted the Most Popular model Gil
  17. JAXCON 2024 was a record breaker! We had 124 people put 601 seriously fine entries on the tables. We had so many very nice models that we ran low/out of medals and may need to mail out some to some winners after we resupply. That's a problem that's really a blessing! Anyway, below are some overall pics from the show. Hope you enjoy. Questions welcome! The 1/72 Panzer diorama in the center of the display won Best Diorama, built by Dave Russow. This was the Best Detailed award winner, with a lit hangar deck and opened phot-etched speed brakes on all of the Dauntlesses! This 54 Panel Van was Best Automotive and Best Gloss Finish winner. This amazing collection of 1/72 F-15 Eagles was built by Ken Belisle. This was the Best Aircraft and Judges Grand Award winner, built by Ken Friend. Gil
  18. Looks good! Interesting that they attached wheel to the skid designed body! Gil
  19. Great looking center console! Gil
  20. That's some righteous rotor work! Off to another great start! Gil
  21. Not sure if I followed you question correctly or not... but if you're asking if the back seat pad should look like it has two parts, an upper and lower, then it should, There's no need to fill that line across it. If you're asking about the gap seen from the sides between the back padding and the metal seat; yes, that's a problem. It appears that the molded seat padding doesn't mirror the contours of the seat. Instead of filling that gap, I'd try removing the back pad, heating it in very hot water to soften it (if you cannot simply bend it by hand), and then try pushing/forming it against the seat back to hopefully get it to conform exactly or more closely. If that doesn't work, I'd try supergluing it a bit at a time from the bottom to the top, making sure each bond was secure before moving up to the next in order to force glue it in place. I wouldn't fill behind it because then your padding may look too thick, and as you mentioned you also have to get the filler that shows textured to match the rest of the padding. I'd make that the absolute last resort. Hope this helps! Gil
  22. Glad to hear you posted an update or announcement on Facebook.......... But nothing here, on the OFFICIAL DF for IPMSUSA.... where up until a few weeks ago you guys were making regular and informative announcements... And nothing on YOUR main page, except the cryptic "2/2/24 UPDATE" ...... which says absolutely nothing about any new hotel info.... And even if someone clicks onto your touted Update, UNLESS they scroll down half the page, they won't find the new hotel info or even a hint that it's below... And IPMSUSA (as I said ) ALSO dropped the ball... as there is still nothing on the IPMSUSA main page announcing the addition of new hotels and no link to click on to take anyone to your Update.... Nor have they sent out a Wild Sau announcement to the membership with that info..... ALL OF THE ABOVE could have been avoided by a simple announcement and link here in the days after 2/2/24... in addition to Facebook, but for some reason we members who do our IPMS communicating HERE weren't thought of.... or maybe expecting an IPMS Nats host to communicate here on the official IPMSUSA DF is seen as asking for "special treatment" now. You can try to make this personal and insult myself and others who want to attend your show but haven't been able to get a room yet, if that's what makes you happy. I'm asking why you guys suddenly have made it more difficult for those looking for rooms? If you don't like the questions or seeming criticism, sorry, that comes with the territory of working and organizing a show. Especially when complications or difficulties arise (like being unable to book a room the first time around). None of us, including me, are looking for any special treatment. We're just looking for an opportunity to know what's going on in an open and easy way. Many are still trying to decide whether to take the time and spend their hard earned money on a trip to Madison. Having to hunt information to help make that decision isn't a smart play by your committee, as hard working as they may be. As I said before, I merely hope that FUTUTRE communications are much more open and easier to find, especially as you have yet to let people know when the Embassy Suites will open. If that's asking for special treatment, so be it. Gil
  23. I've done my turn of 2-3yrs in the barrel Jeremy, having been the Contest Chairman for the 1997 Nats in Columbus OH, and learned from one of the best, Ron Bell. I've also been the Jaxcon Chairman for the last 20+years, and though not a Nats, it requires plenty of planning and has become one of the larger shows in the southeast each year. I'm also a past R-11 RC... so I'm no shrinking violet as to volunteering in IPMS, nor am I ignorant of the work and planning to run a Nats. IF I was within working distance of you and the Madison group, I would have readily volunteered to help from the get-go. Sadly, Florida is too far away. IF you go read my responses to your club's initial messages here, you guys were IMPRESSIVE with your communications in the beginning, and I praised that. THAT is why I'm so bewildered now. In spite of that, ever since the initial hotel reservation day went badly, the exact opposite has been true. There's been no further messages here after the replies as to what went wrong with the hotel reservation system. Your "hotel" page on your own website was not updated with the new hotel info even after you went to all of the trouble to get them and publish the "update". And, I even allowed for a whole week to go by after I found out about the new hotels before posting it here above (go look at the date on my reply to "looking for a room mate"). True enough..... you announced an "update" (but on your page, NOT here)...... BUT YOU DIDN'T SAY WHAT IT CONTAINED, NOR EVEN HINTED THAT THERE WAS NEW HOTEL INFO IN THAT UPDATE. And, what's worse, even after you clicked onto the update the hotel info wasn't front and center, you had to SCROLL DOWN to find it. Please do not try to imply that your group did its job when people literally have to HUNT for the new information! And as I stated above if Phil Peterson had not casually mentioned it, I wouldn't even have known to go looking for it. That's how obscure the hotel update was! If you guys are miffed at complaints about the hotel reservations getting messed up through no fault of your own, I can sympathize. I experienced some of the same failures in '97 and know the personal sting of being "mortified" when something YOU planned backfires at the Nats. It hurts, but trust me, there's STILL important work to be done. So.... does this obscure update mean you guys are now saying "screw it"! Fend for yourselves! We'll set up hotels but don't expect us to help you get in them anymore? No problem on my end if that's the way y'all want to go.... but how about at least an announcement that the game has now changed? And yes.... this FAILURE to expressly and very publicly announce the 3 new hotels now calls into question whether we can rely on you, OR IPMSUSA for that matter, to keep us informed and up to date on the opening of rooms for the Embassy Suites whenever that happens. AND YES... IPMSUSA IS EQUALLY AT FAULT! President Phil Peterson KNEW about the hotels. Yet there was NO update on the IPMSUSA main page and no message was sent through Wild Sau (that they so highly tout now) to notify the membership of them. It would be interesting to hear from Phil as to why neither happened. I sincerely hope you guys pull yourselves back together and once more communicate like you did at the start. For all I hear, despite the problems of the changing Eboard, the rules changes, and the unsure Head Judges situation that you've been unfairly saddled with; many, many people are planning on and looking forward to attending the Nats in Madison. I'm still one of them! Gil
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