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ghodges

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by ghodges

  1. There are some great ones there! Thanks for sharing! GIL
  2. One of my favorite planes in one of my favorite markings (and I have my own on the shelf to prove it!). That looks great Ying. What did you use for the contrasting panel lines? GIL
  3. Hope you guys have a record setting day and the weather cooperates for ya. Safe journies and a wish for a fun filled time for all! I'd be there if I was closer! GIL
  4. Ahhh......a man after my own heart! However, I not only have a bin with those same drawers of parts (those are only for the ones I use most); I also have about 20 cigar boxes of spare parts, all divided into sub-categories (wheels and tires, props, piston engine parts, jet engine parts, clear parts, etc, etc.) Note that the parts bin is front and center containing cockpit stuff, ejection seats, guns, and actuators (the stuff I need "handy"). To the far right is my larger stash of spare parts in the cigar boxes, and even in a couple of old kit boxes and clear zip-lock baggies. As for the last time I used any of them? Almost every model I have requires something! It may be a better seat, new gear door actuators, a machine gun barrel...but they do get used more often than not! As the old saying goes....Waste not! Want not! Cheers! GIL
  5. Yea, goes together like that with YOUR skills! That's a great looking -5 Zero-Zen! Kit markings, or aftermarket? GIL
  6. I don't count the beers, I just stop when I know I can't make it back to the room, even if I crawl , or run out of money. Still, Omaha is shaping up to be a whale of a wingding! As for the "P" in IPMS going by the wayside................yea, and I don't think it's done anything for IPMS. I don't see it as having attracted any new members, or groups of members (paper model builders or wood ship builders, for example). There have always been gray areas in competition (metal figures in dioramas); but this has been due more to availability of what's needed than by choice. IF we want to continue to allow other "mediums" into plastic model contests, then I do like the way that they've been split out from the rest into their own groupings. At least that avoids the complaints from other entrants competing against them. Craftsmanship and artistry are to be admired wherever found, as you so rightly point out. There are model builders in other mediums that have abilities far above anything displayed by even the best IPMS members (like the guy who builds the large scale all-metal a/c models). I don't question acknowledging their astounding abilities as model builders. I do, however, question whether they belong in an IPMS plastic model contest. We're are (essentially) a group of folks who bought plastic model kits, assembled them, finished them, and played with them. Along the way, as we grew older, we realized we could take those same kits and turn them into scale representations of real life things. As the hobby progressed and dioramas became prevalent, metal figures were added into the mix. Metal detail parts were also introduced, BUT this was to add detail to our plastic kits! Metal pe parts and resin (another plastic medium) joined our hobby for the same reasons; to add to our plastic kits (or provide a kit where none existed). Conversely, how would a plastic USS Constitution be accepted at a wooden ship model competition? How about a 1/24th scale Airfix P-51 at a "scale" RC contest? They have their own grouping, just as we have ours. We can always acknowledge artistry by allowing others to display their works of art at our shows. Where I want to draw the line is within the contest, where we have to keep our entries on the most level playing field we can provide. GIL
  7. Oooooo.....pretty airplane pics....... GIL
  8. While I will disagree with the esteemed posters above about allowing anything and everything to compete in an i"P"ms contest; I think Bob's tank demonstrates what a builder needs to do in order to make their "toy" equate to building models. Do they need to break it down as far as Bob did?- Probably not Do they need to resort to scratchbuilding like Bob?- No, but they do need to rework the toy Do they need to prove that they DID break the toy down and rebuild/refinish it?- IMO- YES! A simple pic like the pic of the tank above is enough. Let's not forget that there are TWO sides to the people in the contests. While we want to be as inclusive as we can in our shows (some more than others, obviously), we also have a responsibility to maintain the appearances of fairness and a level playing field. The people who have to compete AGAINST those "toy" entries have to believe that there's something that brings it down to the same level as the kit that they themselves started with for their own build. They need to know that the "toy" builder does not enjoy any kind of "edge" over them, that the toy builder did as much work as themselves. I'll partially agree with Bob and Dick in that a model is a model is a model. It doesn't matter that Bob started with a GI JOE toy. He broke it down into its base elements, improved, replaced, rebuilt, and corrected it; changing it from a toy to a scale model. THAT, to me, is the acid test of whether or not it should be able to compete. As to where it should compete? In the large scale armor category. Although it has scratchbuilt stuff, it's not scratchbuilt in the true sense. Although it's been converted from a toy, it hasn't really been converted in its "type" of vehicle. It's simply a(nother) stunning achievement in modeling by Bob! By the way Bob, have I thanked you for switching to armor..... GIL
  9. Glad to have ya here with us Jason! No need for the hockey mask here on the forum..... GIL
  10. ghodges

    Ipanema 1:48

    Interesting. Sort of looks a little like a Grumman Agcat. I'd like to see more pics from other angles. I'd also suggest you post the price, your email address, and/or website URL so anyone interested in getting your kit can contact you. GIL
  11. Well, apparently you succeeded! That Zero is a "ten"! Looks great Ying! GIL
  12. Well, to me it's a matter of degree. I think to qualify for OUR shows, the "toy" should have to be almost completely (if not completely) disassembled, rebuilt, and repainted. The problem is, unless you're completely familiar with the item in question, well done work will mask how much trouble the builder actually had to go to (or not). The automotive divisions seem to run into this more often than other divisions, although with the release of some of the large (1/32 &1/16) aircraft that came assembled and painted, it's been growing in a/c too. As an occasional head judge, in a contest I'd be inclined to require some photo documentation that the builder did return the toy to "kit" form before rebuilding/repainting it, putting it on an even level with the other models. I still don't think we need a separate category for these items, as I've yet to see more than a couple at any one show. In a way, this gets to the philosophy of what i"P"ms is about; PLASTIC modeling. We're folks who buy KITS, assemble, and paint them. Sure, there are some tangents to that, but rebuilding toys is not one of them (IMO). It's like those beautiful wooden sailing ship models. No one can deny their craftsmanship, but they have almost nothing to do with building plastic models. Cheers! GIL
  13. D&S= Detail and Scale. The Navy Phantom book is blue cover as opposed to most of the brownish D&S books. GIL
  14. The D&S F4 "Navy" Phantoms book does have -J cockpit pics, although not the biggest. However, they are in color. GIL
  15. Get a 10/0 (ten-ought) brush at your hobby shop or local art supply store. I also recommend using a good acrylic paint for the fine details, or even some white oil paint (thinned appropriately). Enamel and lacquer whites tend to dry on the brush hairs too quickly to do several buttons at a time, and the paint tends to build up more making it hard to do the finest details. Dry brushing those fine details is often easier than spot painting them! Other than that, it merely takes skill and magnification to see what you're doing! GIL
  16. Try here: http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=F-4J+Phantom+cockpit+pictures&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=vxJPTcHPDc_TgQeC5Iwm&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQsAQwAA&biw=1280&bih=834 I don't know if this will help, but if you scroll down under pg2, there a pic of an F-4J resin cockpit set, mostly assembled and painted. Not only is that a good reference, but you can use it to check against the real pics on the pages to figure out which ones are J cockpit pics (or B/Ns, which are not very different on the side panels). Hope this helps! GIL
  17. Wash with soapy dishwater, with just enough dish soap to give the bowl some suds. GENTLY scrub them with an OLD toothbrush (less stiff bristles) using less vigor than when you brush your teeth. The finer and more delicate the resin part, the gentler the scrubbing. In fact, sometimes a simple dip (no scrubbing at all) in the soapy water followed by a rinse will be enough to do the job! Cheers! GIL
  18. While you don't specify the precise problem you're having with those checker nose decals, the tough compound curves of the nose are usually what cause the problems. Most kit decals are either too thick, or poorly engineered (or both) to lay down easily. Without knowing exactly what problem your having, my best advice is that you'll need to make some slices in the leading edges of the decals where they wrap around the nose. Be sure to use a NEW knife blade so that the cuts are clean and the decal doesn't tear. Make them anywhere you see evidence of a wrinkle or overlap due to the decal not wanting to conform to the curve of the nose. Also, a good decal solvent (Micro Sol, Solvaset) will go a long way to helping you out. When you get the decals close to conforming, apply some solvent and leave it alone for a day. Do not touch them after applying the solvent! They may wrinkle even worse at first, but this is normal. They should flatten out and conform as they dry. If you still have a few wrinkles or bubbles the next day, slice and pop them with the tip of a new blade and apply more solvent. The combination of cutting the decals in places to help them bend and the application of solvent should solve most of your problems. If all else fails, a little touch-up paint should complete and repair the problems you have. Hope this helps! GIL
  19. Sharp work Ying! You're of to another great start. GIL
  20. Hey John: you can save a ton of time if after installing the interior and chassis, you don't paint it and just set it on concrete blocks! GIL
  21. "Your labor of love/pride and joy model will wind up on the contest table next to the most detailed, well painted, People's Choice and Judges' Best of Show choice winner." Heck, modeler extraordinaire Ken Belisle is a member of our local club, this happens to me at out meetings! GIL
  22. Half the vendors have already loaded in (and done a little business to we early eager beavers). The room is set up and the category signs in place. all that's left is to load in the rest of the vendors, set up the raffle, and welcome the folks to the show! God speed and safe journey to all who're making the trip! GIL
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