ipmsusa2

Just got my November/December issue of the Journal. BTW, don't forget to check out my latest installment of early IPMS/USA history.

Nice work. As for the engines you need, straight 6 engine blocks can be found in some of the older vintage Chevy car kits. Now whether or not a Chevy Staight 6....also known as a Stovebolt 6...could form the basis of the 6 cylinder engine you need is another question. Maybe, maybe not.

To download photos on the internet...at least if you are working with a PC...find the photos on the net, the place the cursor on the photo, right click to get a popup menu and click 'save image as'. This will get you another window where you can select the folder you want to save the photo with the photo's name in the file name bar. Click save and you're done. Sounds complex, but it's really quite simple. Hope I've helped.

Like most who have posted here, the Sept/Oct issue came in pretty much normal time. All I can suggest is patience. Between Covid-19, all the political furor and the postal service being overloaded with stimulus checks, we're about to the point of just being glad when anything shows up, no matter how long it takes! Case in point, there's a fascinating camera mount that I would love to have...and it's cheap, too. Only $35.00...but you order from the manufacturer in England and because they can't ship from England because of the lockdowns. Instead, they ship from their fulfillment center in China with a projected transit time of 25 days...which could end up being almost anything.

Noel, you are absolutely correct. Being in England, you phrase it differently but the bottom line to Stuart is just do it. If you don't try, you'll never know how good you really are! Incidentally, I had a professional artist friend...now deceased...who would occasionally find prints of aviation art in stores, opined as to how good the work was and wondered who painted the original. Looked for the artist's name and was shocked to learn it was him!!

You can also scratchbuild a duplicate from brass rod or wire and tubing in order to replicate the different steps in the diameter. Then plastic to duplicate the crossbar of the A. Can't find brass rod or wire that small? Try music wire. Since it isn't loadbearing, BSI IC-Gel would work to hold things together. In order to have a uniform appearance, build two copies and replace both plastic versions. Hope some of this helps.

Hey Chris, Appreciate the compliment about my photography article. Coming from you, that means a lot. Richard

An alternative to having someone else read the article is to find someone you can read the article aloud to. This can be your wife, grandparent, teenager or someone you buttonholed off the street...and they don't need to know one single thing about models or modelbuilding. You'll discover that you will spot and correct mistakes, errors of words/whole sentences that need to be deleted or added in order to make your prose clearer. You'll also be able to make spelling corrections on the fly as you read...which brings up another point. DO NOT rely on spell check. Believe me, it has absolutely no knowledge of the specialized terms, descriptions and product brands that we utilize on a regular basis. If you're a poor speller, use a dictionary...remember those?...but avoid spell check like the plague. And while I'm at it, that goes double for grammar checkers. If you're writing in a conversational style...which I'm assuming you would be...a grammar checker won't help you. Just a few more suggestions for your consideration.

Send an email to John Heck <johnaheck@gmail.com> when you have an idea of what to submit. Then just spend some time reading various articles and figure out what you want to write about. Photos are obviously desirable and necessary for most articles. As far as how to write, it isn't that esoteric. Write like you're talking to another modeler, telling him...or her...how you built the model. Go into detail. You can always edit an article for length...that's what editors are for...but you want to make sure you don't leave anything out. Since you're new to the forum, you're probably wondering where all of the above is coming from. I write for a living, so I know whereof I speak. Don't hesitate to ask along the way, but mainly just get in there and do it. You have to start somewhere and I'll guarantee your second article will be better than the first and so on and so on. Looking forward to reading your first article. Go for it!

Hi all, Last night I got an email from Kenny "Gator" Loup and permission to post his letter to me going into detail what he's been going thru. Without further ado, here 'tis: Hello Richard, "I am still making and selling my glue. I have given the mask business to Jeff Herne at Scale Colors. We are displaced because our 50 year old mobile home was damaged beyond repair. Of course, a home of that age is impossible to insure so we only had insurance on the contents. We were fortunate to have my brother-in-law offer up his dad’s home for us to stay in until we get a new modular home to put on our property. Things were pretty hectic around here as we had to move everything out of the house, find a place to kennel four of our five German Shepherds, I am able to keep my service dog with me, demo the house and shop for a new home all the while going back to work with our Parish government. It seemed every time I got ready to fill orders, I had something to do at the house to prepare for demo. I also find out that while people feel bad for our situation, they still expected their order shipped ASAP. Needless to say many of those people have never had to put their world back together after not one, but two hurricanes within a three week period. So, I contemplated shutting Gator’s down. It was expendable. I don’t make that much money, it pays for itself. I felt that I was letting everyone down. Going back and forth to work and running errands, you see the damage to our community everyday. It’s hard. I was at the end of my rope. But I have good friends who talked me down. So, I am making Gator’s more manageable for me by focusing on selling glue. I’m open for business. I’m ordering materials this weekend for my stock and some orders for my retailers. Just tell people to please be patient. Kenny Loup" So go ahead and order Gator's Glue. It's not going anywhere but do exercise patience.

For me it's not just that it's so great for p/e installation and other small/delicate parts, it's almost an essential tool for my commission clients, magazine articles and ebooks. In fact, I just finished a magazine article describing a Porsche Junior 108 tractor vignette that...I think...used GG in it. If it did...and I hope not...readers will be looking for something I recommended that doesn't exist any more!

Here are the questions I asked Vince Pierri, Senior Manager, Rustoleum Public Relations & Corporate Communications, and his response. His answers are in red: 1. The acrylic line also carries the Model Master brand. Are those discontinued as well? All Model Master Paints, Aerosols, tools, adhesives are discontinued. 2. Are there any plans to continue the Dullcote and Glosscote...both spray can and bottle...clear coats? The spray cans in particular are fairly popular and virtually essential in certain instances. We are looking to see if these items are compatible with the active aerosols/paints we are continuing production with. 3. Is there any way to encourage Rustoleum to continue Model Master Metalizer Sealer? Granted, it's a very slow seller, but it is a perfect neutral, is fast drying and is the best thing I've ever found to brush over a decal without altering the underlying paint color or tone, be it gloss, flat, satin or matte. If the volume isn't there, it is likely we will not move forward. 4. Whoever answers the General Product Questions option three needs to either be better informed or else provide the information in a less formal or more friendly way. Unfortunately, the person I spoke with came across like a robot, though I'm sure it wasn't meant that way. I will pass your comments on to that team. 5. It would be useful if a statement or notice of some kind could be posted on the Model Master pages of the Testors website that the brand has been discontinued but various colors will be available until current supply is exhausted. Even better would be to remove the appropriate color chip as that color is exhausted, though I realize that may be cost prohibitive. Thank you for your thoughts on this. I have also asked Mr. Pierri to let me know what label/brand name Dullcote and Glosscote will be sold under if they decide to retain the product. Hope some of this helps.

Here's the first part of the response from Rustoleum. I'm sure most of y'all have seen it, but I'm posting it for those who might have missed it. Note that it was dated March 4, 2020, just about the time that Covid-19 hit with all four feet. I also had several questions that Rustoleum is addressing, but it will take about a week for their response. Stay tuned. Testors to discontinue select hobby products Demand declining for PACTRA, AZTEK, Model Master lines Vernon Hills, Ill., March 4, 2020 – With a long history of producing quality hobby kits and supplies, we are evolving our strategy to focus more keenly on Testors, our flagship brand. To that end, we are discontinuing our PACTRA, AZTEK, and Model Master brands as demand for these products continues to decline. We will continue to support the hobby market with a robust line of aerosols, brush paints, tools and accessories – always looking for opportunities to innovate in these categories. Learn more about Testors products by going to http://www.testors.com. ### About Rust-Oleum For nearly a century, Rust-Oleum has been the global leader in manufacturing innovative coatings that empower do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike across categories including small project paints, cleaners, primers, automotive, industrial, high performance coatings and wood care. Its wide breadth of brands and products include such trusted names as Rust-Oleum, Stops Rust®, Painter’s Touch®, Universal®, EpoxyShield®, Varathane®, Zinsser®, Watco®, MultiSpec®, X-I-M®, Krud Kutter®, RockSolid®, Wipe New®, Testors®, Seal-Krete®, Modern Masters®, Moldex®, Whink®, Miracle Sealants®, Roto-Rooter®, and Mean Green® .Visit rustoleum.com for more information. Follow RustOleum on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Update: I just spoke with Rustoleum again, this time their Public Relations gentleman. He is emailing me specific information re: Testors & Model Master with questions he might have. I'll reply with my questions and when I get his response, I will provide a followup post in this thread.

I just got off a phone call to Rustoleum. Believe it or not, they are now claiming...at least the lady I spoke with...that Rustoleum has not dropped Testors or Model Master! When you find the Testors link on their website, which is at the very bottom of their home page in fine print, the link takes you to the familiar testors.com website, showing all of the usual line of paint...including the entire range of enamels, acrylics and metalizers. According to the lady, she states that all of the colors are available, except for a few colors that were discontinued due to lack of demand. If that isn't enough, the reason all of the colors...including the ones that were discontinued...is because a quantity of them are still in the warehouse since all of the paint is manufactured to have a five year shelf life. When I told her that I have personally had unopened bottles that were less than a year old go bad, she repeated her mantra...sounding like a robot voice...that the paint has a shelf life of five years but that they paint I referred to may have been kept in storage for an extended time before it was put out for sale. More interesting is that the direct link to the Rustoleum version of the Testors website...corrected to show the available products after announcement Rustoleums (actually RPM) purchase of Testors is no longer accessible. That link gets a 404 page. Considering that Model Master is no longer available in the local shops and the online shops show most or all of the Model Master line as out of stock or simply not listed, you have to wonder why the canned statement from Rustoleum?

Dave, if anything involving the Covid-19 mess...and that's all you can call it...can be be rated 100%, it's that I agree with you 100%.

Hello all, At the risk of being told this should have been posted somewhere else, I would like to announce my latest E-book. Available as a PDF, it contains 60 photos of the Lockheed F-4 and F-5 Photo Recon aircraft. Photo quality ranges from very good to very poor...obviously, since most photos were taken under combat conditions in the Pacific...but should provide a lot of ideas for aircraft markings and even vignetts/dioramas. And yes, the photos are printable. I'd appreciate y'all checking it out here, whether you buy it or just look at the web page. I will also be submitting a copy to the reviewer corps before too long.

Michael, I did not specifically state that Testors moves regarding Floquil and Pactra was the result of regulation requirements. What I said...or at least meant to say...was that regulations were one of the factors that could and in some cases did cause a change in a product. I was told by one person at Testors some years ago that they were being required to utilize a multilevel label on their paints in order to print all the required warnings. You know the kind I'm talking about...the back label peels up from one side, expanding the available space for warnings and instructions. My contact was expressing concern about the added unit cost. Whether or not they ever went that route I can't say because I never saw a Model Master bottle with that style label. As far as Floquil not being plastic friendly, maybe it wasn't for most, but I never had a problem with it. I used the brand...as well as automotive lacquers and milspec two part urethanes...for years on a wide range of plastic, resin and vinyl models, scratchbuilt architectural models, plastic bodied locomotives and more.

Noel, In spite of what I've said previously, your comments regarding evolution are correct to a point. However, I'd suggest that regulation is more of a factor than evolution. Case in point is Krylon paint in rattlecans. They've been around for decades and I've been using the stuff off and on for a few decades myself. That changed about eleven or twelve years ago when their formula changed by edict of the EPA. You can read about the entire saga in an ebook I produced...it's available FREE...in your choice of epub, mobi or pdf formats by going here. Also, remember when Testors bought Floquil and then changed the formula and then killed the line entirely? How about buying and killing Pactra? This happens in the publishing world as well. Kalmbach bought two auto modeling magazines, killed one...arguably the best one...and kept the other. And Kalmbach also made a distribution deal with a magazine I was writing for, started making editorial suggestions and not much later the magazine ceased to exist. Business decisions or evolution? Evolution, Business Decisions or Regulation? Given the current obsessions in various countries to regulate or control everything in sight, rewrite history from a perspective of political correctness and allow big business to absorb small businesses, I suggest that evolution comes in dead last. Just my opinion. Your opinion may differ.

Absolutely. I'm using it and I like it a lot.

Noel, Never mind evolution. The simple fact is that certain types of paint work best for specific results. Granted, every modeler has their preferences, but my previous statement still holds true. And consider this: Since enamels and even lacquers are vanishing because "they smell", "they're dangerous", "they cause cancer", "they damage the environment", etc, what happens when they're no longer around and it's discovered that acrylics of all varieties are also dangerous, damaging, etc? What do we use then? Water color? Will we adapt? Yeah, you're right. We will, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll like the journey.

Steve, Thanks for the info. Based on the replies I've received here, the impact or lack of the same is all over the scale. While I haven't seen any evidence on this thread, there are a tremendous number of people who don't believe that the virus is all that bad. Some even claim that it's a hoax and that all the numbers are manipulated. Here in Tarrant County, Texas, we're currently running around 700 new cases per day and 3 or 4 deaths. Are those numbers accurate? I don't know, but since I am high risk and then some, I have to assume the worst since if I get it my wife will probably be planning my funeral. And that's if she doesn't get it since she is also high risk, though not quite as high as I am. From a modelbuilding perspective, I'm wondering if this stuff will be under control enough for the 2021 Nationals to go forward. Glad you and your wife are recovering. Both of you have mine and my wife's sympathies.

Noel, I think a large or massive turnout next year is the hope of all who have suffered thru this mess. Since the 2020 Nationals in San Marcos, Texas was cancelled and rescheduled for 2023, I'm hoping to continue avoiding the virus so I can attend that one. But what we'd better all hope for is that this virus is under control before the shows scheduled for 2021 start being cancelled...and I'm talking January or February 2021. The latest I've heard from the various politicians, scientists, alleged scientists, rumor mills and fake news outlets is that it will be at least April 2021 before a vaccine begins to be widely available to the general public.

Gil, I like your response. I've built the Marauder in the past for a client but have never dealt with the Invader. They would be definite possibilities since I don't have the space right now for a four engine bomber. The techniques and ideas you suggest could be used on an as needed basis. Incidentally, your comments also apply to some of the single engine Monogram/Revell subjects of that period such as the AT-6, F-100, F-105, etc. There are also major conversions of single engine fighters to think about. One thing I've considered is the sheet styrene scratchbuilt of the XB-42/43 that Lloyd Jones did in an IPMS/USA pub a lot of years ago, but I don't know how much appeal it would have. It'd certainly be small enough, even in 1/48th scale. I think he also did an XB-35 the same way but I wouldn't go near that one due to its size. One thing you didn't touch on is your preference/opinion of shelf model versus a small vignette/diorama.

Noel, You make a good point. But rather than doing an ebook on a totally scratchbuilt model, instead integrate scratchbuilding techniques into various superdetailing areas such as Plasmo does on YouTube. Major conversions are another possibility where scratchbuilding methods are an absolute necessity. And, of course, scratchbuilding techniques are frequently required in vignettes and./or dioramas.