ghodges

Pat mentioned: "How the paper work trail to Eileen Persichetti works, to name a few " Eileen was supposed to be retired from the contest record keeping, but she worked in San Marcos to cover for her "trainees" who failed to show up. In short, she graciously volunteered to help out her husband Mark and to keep the contest AND the awards presentation from FAILING. Now that the Eboard has treated Mark so badly (let alone the rest of the NCC), how gracious do you think she'll be inclined to be if there's no one to take over the record keeping in Madison? Who could blame her if she told the Eboard to pound sand and solve the problem they created themselves? Even IF the contest gets judged.... will it be judged on time? If the judges have to work til 2-3 am to get it done, how willing will they be to come back in 2025 facing the same circumstances? And, If the judging runs late, then the record keeping runs late too, especially if they're new to the job and not as efficient. And THAT could impact the ability for the awards presentation to be put together in time for the banquet. How loud do you think the complaining will be for those who paid for a banquet ticket/seat for the awards only to find out there IS NO awards program because it all ran late and couldn't be prepared in time? All of this is just another one of the possible unintended consequences of going into Madison with an untried Nats committee implementing new rules and failing to use the decades of experience they had at their fingertips for running such a large show. Anyone want to discuss possible vendor table sales fallout going forward under the present iffy circumstances? Gil

Ian (and all): As a well known and bonified enemy of the NCC for the last decade (despite my position as a senior Nats judge), I can unequivocally state that your view of the NCC is dead wrong. As someone who has publicly railed against their past lack of transparency and resistance to change (here, on this forum) I can state that they STILL put IPMSUSA and the Nats Contest first, above their own personal interests. Their decades of contest experience, even if it does lead to their complacency, should NOT be discounted and ignored; which is exactly what this Eboard has decided to do. And it was a CHOICE to do so by the Eboard. They could have tried to change the "touching" rules, or taken further action against the Sci-fi judges THROUGH the NCC, instead of handing down edicts. They have purposely decided to bypass the NCC making them impotent, at first unconstitutionally, and now with the voting in; constitutionally from here on. Most all of the criticism of them has come from people who have little to no experience or knowledge of how judging is done or even how to organize a show and contest. It's easy to say and support a "changing of the guard" and to throw the NCC into a waste basket of disgruntled judges when you haven't had the experience nor the opportunity to work with them, know them, and even personally butt heads with them. The ignorance in some of the statements above is staggering. But.... it's water under the bridge. Whether they resigned or not the Eboard is forming a "new NCC". They're calling it a different name, but it's a committee to review, reform, and run the Nats contest. However, they don't specify what will be reviewed, nor what reforms will be made, nor who these people are who will do this. Will they have the same experience at running a contest with 2000-3000+ models that need judging? Will they be able to call on the same number of experienced judges going forward in order to get the job done? Will they be able to get all of the judges in Madison, the old ones who continue out of a sense of duty and any new ones who volunteer to support the changes made, all on the same page and trained to implement whatever they come up with, providing they can come up with the changes they want by then? The Eboard has thrown the baby out with the bath water, and we can only hope that the consequences are less dire than they seem at this time. Most of the NCC may have quit, but it wasn't because they're "not getting their way" anymore. It's because they've been spit on by the current Eboard. It's because despite offering some compromises to the Eboard they've had that hand slapped away and been handed edicts instead. It's because they've essentially been told their experience and knowledge is no longer needed or wanted AND that their years of past service to IPMS (in some case DECADES of service) doesn't count for anything with this current Eboard. They're not getting mad and quitting because they're in a snit. They're washing their hands of a situation where they no longer have any say. I've always said the NCC needed to be changed, if only to be more open to change itself. I've never been stupid enough to think they should be disbanded or overruled by a group who themselves will be out of power in 2 years. If you're glad to see them go, you're just displaying your ignorance. Gil

Yeah... there's several more "milestones" in the history of model building I could have added, but decided 30 was a good number to stop at! Gil

I don't know about the paint line, but their Metallics are da bomb, and I highly recommend them. If my hobby shop starts carrying the rest of their lacquers I'll definitely be trying them! Gil

I'm a 29 out of 30! I’VE BEEN MODELING LONG ENOUGH TOO…. 1) Remember when 3D part printing was invented 2) Remember when Eduard Models was a limited run kit company 3) Remember when Korea and China weren’t the major model manufacturing countries 4) Remember when Tamiya wasn’t the best fitting model manufacturer 5) Remember when there were more brick and mortar hobby shops than mail order outlets 6) Remember when “4-6 weeks for delivery” was completely acceptable 7) Remember when there were no modeling web sites 8- Remember when it took 5 hours to download a reference pic from the internet on dial up 9) Remember when someone called Verlinden introduced cast resin parts for models 10) Remember when models were actually manufactured in the USA 11) Remember when Monogram Models was their own company 12) Remember when Hasagawa 1/48 Phantoms were first released at the ungodly price of $20 13) Remember when photo-etched parts were first available 14) Remember Scale Modeler magazine 15) Remember when you first found out Krazy Glue (superglue) was good for modeling 16) Remember when model instructions were only in the language of the kit’s country of origin 17) Remember when Squadron shop had 5 actual hobby shops you could visit 18) Remember when Liquiplate was introduced as the first scale model NMF paint 19) Remember ordering from Archer and/or Brookhurst hobbies 20) Remember when Microscale decals were just about the only aftermarket decals 21) Remember when there was no “reference book industry” (no Profiles, no “In Action” books) 22) Remember when Testors and Pactra paints were 10 or 15 cents a bottle 23) Remember when you could afford to buy a model with your allowance money 24) Remember when Monogram instructions included photos showing basic kit construction techniques 25) Remember “Aeroskin” kits 26) Remember model kits released with battle damaged parts 27) Remember when tube glue was the only generally available modeling glue 28) Remember when if there was a cockpit instead of just a pilot to glue to a bulkhead it was a “detailed” model 29) Remember when the markings were molded on the model surfaces so you could paint them instead of using the decals 30) Remember when plastic parts were offered as alternatives to make a kit a “speedy-built” How about you? Gil

Very crisp looking work, especially the IP dials and the belts on those seats, especially for 1/72! Gil

Stuart (and all)..... below is the build review I wrote for the identical Czech Model 1/32 F-80C that explains in better detail the fixes needed to the intake trunks and the wings. Since I had experience with this kit, I got the wing to fit to the SH fuselage much better than in the original build; though it still took a lot of grinding, cutting, and adjusting. Sorry about the long read.... but I hope it makes the above pics more sensible. The biggest problems to be conquered with this kit are the fit of the intakes to the fuselage, the fit of the intake trunks to the inside of the intakes, the lack of dihedral in the wing, and the fit of the wing to the fuselage. I heartily recommend NOT following the kit instruction sequences and deviating in the following ways to correct these problems and get the best fit. Before gluing the fuselage halves together…… The intake bleed air ramps and the intakes themselves need to be glued into and onto their fuselage halves. This allows you to work from the inside and the outside to get them to fit. I also recommend leaving out the resin fuselage bleed air vents on the tops of the intakes until after you’ve sanded the intakes on the fuselage, lest they be obliterated (like mine!). Try to “drop fit” them into place after the sanding is done to better preserve them (I did this on the SH kit and it worked very well!). Czech Models molded the interior intake ducting as a large “Y” assembly which is intended to be glued to the wing bottom and then fit neatly up into the rear of the intakes when the wing is added. It does not work! The intake trunk mouths do not align well with the intakes AND they will interfere with the fit of the wing to the fuselage. Also, though the instructions don't say so, the intake ducts are meant to be SHOVED INTO the rear of each intake (a very tight fit!); something that would be impossible to do while trying to simultaneously glue the wing assembly to the fuselage. The solution is to cut the Y apart, making two separate intake ducts. Then, each one can be individually fit into its intake, pressing and twisting to get the smoothest transition and fit. Note that the rear lower edges of the intake ducts inside the fuselage may still need some grinding and trimming to keep them from hitting against the tops of the main wheel wells and inhibiting the fit of the wing. Thinning down the top front edges of the main wheel wells in the wing bottom may also be needed to get clearance between the two of them. One of the more trying problems is that the wing, as molded, is too flat; lacking proper dihedral. The limited run nature of the molding in between the main wheel wells, with the extra plastic there, makes it difficult to try to “bend” the wing in the center to give the wing dihedral. What’s needed is to GRIND out all of that plastic between the main gear wells (a motor tool really helps here!) and also to remove the plastic that spans the front and rear of the bottom wing center sections. That will give the bottom wing the flex needed to make the next step work. (The SH issue needed less of this as its wing is more flexible, but that flexibility is why I added the brass wing spar. The spar had to be long enough to do the job, but not too long as that would keep the top wing from being able to be glued down at the outer ends without causing gaps at the edges). The outer main wheel well tops are separate parts. They can aid in setting some dihedral on the bottom wing by doing the following (using super glue): First, glue the inner edge of the separate outer main wheel well top to the main wheel well top edge and allow it to set securely. Next, while bending the outer wing upward, glue the outer end of the part to the bottom wing. Doing this on both sides will give the bottom wing a modicum of dihedral. The wing tops can now be added, but don’t forget to first drill out the locating holes in the bottom wing for the bomb pylons and wingtip tanks! At this point, the instructions can be followed to install the cockpit tub, nose wheel well, exhaust can, and glue the fuselage halves together. I also recommend gluing the stabilizers in place, as these will serve as a check on fitting and aligning the wing. Also, don’t forget to add some nose weight! Even with all of the above adjustments, the fit of the wing assembly to the fuselage is problematic. The width of the fuselage tended to flatten out the wing and remove what dihedral had been set. I found that sanding each of the wing roots down allowed the wing to fit in place with the dihedral sustained and a pretty good fit along the wing roots. By making sure that the intakes ducts do not hit against the main gear wells, the wing can be place with a much better fit on the bottom. HOWEVER, it's recommended that you pay attention to the fit of the top wings along the wing roots (keeping them as good as possible) WHILE ALSO getting the wing alignment correct (using the tail planes as a guide); and NOT worry about how bad the fit on the bottom is by comparison. AND CONCERNING THE MAIN LANDING GEAR: Another anomaly to be mentioned is the lack of a traditional “axle” on the main landing gear. The small nub meant to serve as an axle will only hold the tire if it’s glued to the brake drum on the wheel (perhaps the maker’s intention). I recommend drilling and pinning each gear leg to create an axle for each tire, or get some aftermarket metal gear. Also, the fact that the brake drums are molded on the kit wheels instead of the gear legs means that IF you want to flatten the tires by sanding them, there is only one spot to do it properly! Hopefully this provides more of the details you were wondering about. Cheers! Gil

Got this in the mail 11 days ago as a "quickie" commission build...... so I set aside what was on the bench and got her done today! This kit is a rerelease of the Czech Model 1/32 F-80C, which I built a while back, so that gave me a real leg up on knowing where the problems were and all that needed to be done to speed the build along. The plastic and resin parts in each kit are identical. The SH instruction booklet is almost exactly the same, but in a smaller format. The advantage to the SH kit over the original CM kit is you get more decal options with the SH release. The decals. by the way, are some of the best kit decals I've used in decades! The build itself is not very straightforward.... the intake trunks are molded as a "Y" meant to be attached to the wing interior, which doesn't work at all. They need to be cut apart which allows each assembled intake trunk to be shoved into place for the best fit. The wings need help to get the proper dihedral. I used a brass strip for that. Also, the top forward edges of the main gear wells have to be trimmed down or they'll knock into the bottoms of the rear of the intake trunks and make fitting the wing to the fuselage tougher. Outside of those 3 things, the kit goes together well with the typical test fitting before gluing since it's a short run injection kit without locating pins for the fuselage. The model was primed with Alclad gloss black and then Alclad and AK Metallics Aluminums were used for the NMF. All of the trim colors and the anti-glare panel were masked and painted over the NMF with no problems. I chose the Ramblin' Wreck scheme because it had blue trim to set it apart from my earlier CM build which has a lot of red on it. The kit cockpit is nice with a colored PE main IP and a nice resin seat This shows how the kit intakes have been separated and shoved up into the rear of the fuselage intakes This shows the brass wing spar and if you look closely you can see the leading edges of the tops of the main gear wells have been ground down The kit main gear has only a "nub" for an axle, so I drilled them out and added brass tubing axles. The white nub seen is to replace the pin for the bottom main gear door. And on to the finished pics... The Special Hobby 1/32 Shooting Star is a decent kit, but definitely not a shake and bake. However, it really looks the part with a little TLC. Critiques, questions, and comments welcome as always! Gil

Cute little build! Thinking the aerodynamics is gonna suffer a bit on that..... Gil

Great looking drones. I really like the contrast of the washes to your paint finishes. However, that firing platform is really impressive work! Gil

Wow! And lighting it too? This will be fun to watch! Gil

Great build and about as good looking as you can make such an ungainly aircraft look! I'm sure it'll be yet another very satisfied customer! Gil

Nice towel rack antennas! What glue are you using to not screw up your paint? Gil

Welcome Dmytro! Glad to have you here! Please make yourself at home and let us know how we can help you have fun! Gil

Welcome Mark! Glad to have you here and back to sniffin' glue with the rest of us! Please make yourself at home and let us know how we can help you have FUN with the hobby! Gil

Yep..... good call on the missiles. You saved yourself some work and got a better looking detail too! Gil

Very nice! It actually looks like you may have put more work into building the trolly than the drone. I'm not familiar with the subject.... is this a new drone, or from what years? Gil

Nice progress. The colored lenses on the pod rock! Gil

Very nice! Gotta say that's a subject I was not aware of, but looks like a further development of ours of the German V-1. The trolly certainly looks authentic and I really like the panel line accenting! Gil

Short of finding them for sale on Ebay (and I failed on an initial search too) I'd suggest putting out a "looking to buy" post on a couple of very popular Face Book pages: Scale Aircraft Modeling with Detail and Scale (Detail and Scale publications FB page) Barracuda Studios Ready Room (Barracuda resin parts FB page) Both have a lot of aircraft builders on them and perhaps one of them has that 2nd set that comes in the EZ Mask set left over from their own Skyrocket build. Gil

Welcome Steve! Glad to have you here! That's some "resume" you posted to begin with. Please be sure to post pics of your work in the modeling topic areas where they'll be seen and appreciated more than here. Please make yourself at home and let us know how we can help you have more fun with your modeling! Gil

THAT is going to be awesome and turn a lot of heads in that eye-catching scheme! Gil

I can't find any "news" about it one way or the other.... but the web site being gone seems to point to its closing down. I know my dad, who ordered from them some 5yrs ago, spoke to the gentleman who ran EZ Masks and gave him the impression that it was a small "mom/pop" hobby business. It's quite possible that he's retired, or quit making them due to overwhelming competition from Eduard and other higher profile masks. If so, it's a shame as I liked his vinyl masks and the fact you got two sets for your money. The good news is that if you Google whatever exact mask you may need, chances are it's made by someone else. I can say that I've had very good results from the Eduard "kabuki" masks, whether they were pre-cut (as most are), or even the ones that you have to cut out yourself. Best of luck! Gil

Bright, clean Blues machine; just the way they were kept! Very sharp build of an older kit proving it's the skills applied that count. Looks great to me! Gil

Unless someone like Barry Numerick (famed BF-109 builder) steps in here, I suggest you go to the Barracuda Face Book page (link below) and ask this question. Not only does Barry hang out there too, but there's a lot of other 109 buffs who, if they can't answer your question directly, may be able to point you in a better direction. https://www.facebook.com/groups/848474938507986 Gil