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ipmsusa2

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by ipmsusa2

  1. Blush away, Chris. I've been told the same thing...and also called weird, crazy, smart aleck, smarta**, egotistical, snob, ignorant, strange, peculiar, warped and on and on. Since I combine freelance writing and modelbuilding into a business, there's always the ultimate question/insult: When are you gonna get a real job? What really cuts to the quick is when a preacher who's known you for ten years asks the same question! All you can do is consider the source and build another model (or write another article). Gee, I guess I'm blushing too!
  2. It's those who aren't modelbuilders who stereotype us.
  3. Chris, when you do it as a business, you're always hearing two comments. The first...as you know...is "I don't have the patience for that". The second is "How much did they pay you for that?", followed by a confused expression on their face when I say "Not enough!" Then if you tell them how much you charged, their third comment is "That's too much." Peter, as one artist to another, you are a breath of fresh air. And you're right...not only do those who lack an appreciation for art not understand us, worse are those who can't separate scale models from toys! There are even master modelers who don't understand themselves. For example, Toy Farmer...one of the magazines I write for...is always running articles of 1/16 scale scratchbuilt farm equipment. Built from 100% brass, complete with machined, functional nuts and bolts and fully operational parts, these models are masterpieces of the highest order. Any one of them would take best of show at an IPMS/USA convention and then some. But how do these guys refer to the finished models? Believe this one or not, they constantly describe them as toys! They honestly don't realize how good they are.
  4. Besides being an aircraft and science fiction nut, building since I was seven years old, I do this as a business. I've probably seen or known the entire gamut, with some of the best having passed. Jay Dial for one, Jene Procknow for another. I learned a lot from both of them. Both were professional modelbuilders...Jay was self-employed as the result of being restricted to a wheelchair, Jene built wind tunnel models for General Dynamics and Lockheed. There are plenty of others still alive. One is an armor nut that's also a teacher and definitely doesn't match the stereotype. Another loves aircraft, works at Lockheed, has plenty of facial hair but not the stereotype. Various readers of my columns and articles that I've gotten to know, IPMS members who've helped me a lot. Do any of them match the stereotype image? I've never met them or seen photos of them, so I can't say, but I doubt it. I'd say the stereotype that so many visualize is a fairly rare bird. Most of us would consider anyone who builds models pretty normal. It's those who don't build or have a creative streak that think we're weird. If we really want to confuse people...and maybe get a little more respect in the process...try telling people that we're artists. In truth, that's what we are. Tony Weddel...a superb aviation artist...spent years pounding that fact into my head. He tells me that the only difference between he and I is that he uses paint and canvas and I use kits...but I'm just a much an artist as he is. Richard
  5. FAN-TASTIC! I have photos from my bulldozer article just waiting to go on the armor forum. I think Ed Wahl will be glad to see it. Richard
  6. Chris, Your latest post appeared while I was typing mine. Just so you know, Pinterest pins won't hotlink to the photo. It'll link to the page the email post containing the image is on.
  7. Sounds good. If that occurs, there is a way that direct uploads can be used to increase membership. That way is Pinterest. For those who are unfamiliar with them, it is a website comprised of nothing but images. The twist is that anyone in the world...if they find a photo they find interesting...can 'pin' that image onto any 'board' on Pinterest. There are hundreds if not thousands of exceptionally high quality scale models and dioramas on there...and not a single one is pinned from the IPMS. Any image found on the internet...including forums...can be pinned, along with a short comment. A link identifying where it was pinned from is automatically included. Thus, if someone pins an image from one of the forum posts, that location will be identified with a link. Photos hosted on Photobucket, etc, will be identified as coming from Photobucket with no IPMS mention...unless the person pinning it specifically mentions the IPMS in the comment box. However, that won't result in a link to the IPMS website. If we do go to direct uploads and some of the model photos start appearing on Pinterest, there is considerable potential for new members. Oh, in case you're wondering, Pinterest is a family friendly site so there should be little concern about offensive images. Richard
  8. Of course the question then becomes "what is considered inappropriate". Each one of us would likely come up with a slightly different definition. Talk about a rock and a hard place!
  9. Robert, I believe you're correct in saying we are basically talking about attaching photos to a specific forum post. You also mentioned a limit on size...say 800 x 600 pixels. Given the fact that large monitors...22" or so...are fairly common today, I'd suggest a maximum width of 1000 pixels with height being proportionate. Despite the pixel size, as long as the resolution is no more than 72 dpi...which is all you need on a computer...file size would remain very small. It's the resolution that kills your space, not the visual size. For example...for those who are still a little confused...I send high resolution images (300 dpi) to magazine editors that are as much as 3 and 4 megabytes in size and the actual width is over 3000 pixels. At the same time, I can reduce the same image to 1000 pixels and 72dpi to wind up with an image of no more than 70 or 80 kilobytes. On a computer screen they are essentially identical when viewed as "fit to screeh", yet it makes a huge difference as a printed image. Of course this entire thread is moot if changes allowing attachment of images to posts cannot be made or permitted. Richard
  10. More traffic is everyone's goal, no matter if it's this forum or business sites. Whether creating genre specific WIP forums would do it for us is questionable at the very least. If you recall, there was a thread somewhere that addressed the question of creating a digital version of the Journal, along with putting all the old Quarterlys online. What came out of that was the fact that there are a significant number of members who don't have computers or are simply not interested in the digital format. Is this a factor of the age of many members or simply preferring to spend their time building as opposed to being on line? Probably a combination of both, though the only way to sort that one out would be to know the age demographics of the membership. Even then, it would take a survey to find out if each member preferred to spend their available time building or were willing to devote some it to being online and participating in forums. In my case, age isn't a factor...but then again, I've been using computers and Photoshop for many years as an integral part of my freelance writing & modelbuilding business. As a result of that, maybe I'm not the best one to offer an opinion on this. One thing that could well increase forum participation is direct uploading of photos instead of having to use a cloud-based service such as photobucket. Robert brought this subject up and Chris, you stated that most forums you're a member of do have that ability. Like Robert, I don't use cloud-based photo services. Pity, too, that these forums don't allow for direct uploading since I could post photos of various models I produce for clients and magazine articles. Where the direct uploading would really help would be the WIP forum(s). If nothing else, I can always come up with an opinion. Take it for what it's worth. Or not. Richard
  11. Chris, thanks for your offers. If I can find a list, I'm also planning on emailing a flyer to all of the affiliated clubs...or at least as many as I can find. The other possibility is...since decal creation is a universal need/interest...to at least send such a flyer to the main office of each country that has an IPMS operation. Still another angle would be to pay for a small ad on the home page of Tony Mateliano's Scale Model Page. Richard p.s. Unless something really dramatic and/or disastrous, the ebook will be out before the end of December and maybe before Christmas.
  12. Chris, thanks for your input. I'll see what I can do about addressing your problem as well. Also like your idea about pricing. Richard
  13. Ed, you're right. No matter what I put in my decal ebook, there will be no 'make your own' method for using inkjet printers. In fact, you've broached a rather interesting question: Do I continue to limit the ebook to making your own decals with an inkjet printer or expand it to other types of make your own techniques? While I'm waiting for some of y'all to chime in on that one, let me offer you a couple of ideas. Obviously the old tried and true method of masking the individual stripes might solve the problem. Maybe. There's also automotive striping tape at the various parts houses...Autozone, etc. Problem here is that you might not be able to get tape flexible enough to follow the contours or produce stripes small enough. Then there are striping tapes...remember ChartPak?...that you can find at full service artist's supply stores and architectural supplies. Finally, I know there used to be decal companies that produced sheets of narrow striping for H-O and N-Gauge railroad cars and locomotives. You might try checking out model railroad shops. Don't forget to stripe in reverse. Spray the stripe area metallic gold, let it dry a few days, mask using the appropriate width tape...such as ChartPak...and follow with the truck's finish coat. Can't find tape the width you need? Excel makes a dandy little double blade knife. It has an adjusting screw to control the space between the two blades, allowing you to cut masking tape strips to some extremely narrow widths. Hope some of this helps. Richard
  14. I have a Silentaire silent compressor and it is exactly that. The noise level is so low that it doesn't interfere with conversations, probably because the compressor is basically a refrigerator compressor. Mounted on a two gallon pancake tank and a wheeled frame, it's easy to move as well and will handle several airbrushes. Comes with a moisture trap and pressure regulator. It's also oil lubricated, but I installed the oil when I got it about ten years or so ago and haven't added any since. There is a downside, however. Price is a little better than $1200.
  15. Hey all, Just a quick update to let you know what's going on. All material is on hand to use in the ebook. This includes four different types of inkjet decal paper. Also a selection of clear coats/fixatives...including one that virtually no one would ever think of. Have also pretty well figured out the layout. Now, here's what I need from y'all...especially since my intention is to produce an ebook that will be of use for virtually all types of models by anyone from beginner to expert. All you'll do is focus on the area of specific interest to you and ignore the rest. Yeah, I know it's ambitious, but when you consider how cheap an ebook can be sold for.... I've already gotten some excellent ideas. Now I'd like more details...specifics for your particular area of interest. Think outside the box, be imaginative. What kind of marking or image have you needed that caused you to give up because it wasn't available and you had no way to make it? One more thing: What would you be willing to pay for this E-publication? It'll be available in at least the three most popular formats: mobi (Kindle), epub (Nook and most others) and pdf (desktop and laptop computers). $2.99? $3.99? $4.99? $5.99? Another price entirely? The moment it is published, I will post its availability on this forum. You won't have to wait to find out that it's available. Any and all comments beyond what has already been posted...the more detailed the comments are, the better... will be gratefully received and used to make the ebook even better than it is already going to be. Also, since I'm not the only expert when it comes to making my own decals...and maybe not even one...any techniques and/or tips you've developed on your own may well be incorporated into the ebook and appropriate credit given. Richard
  16. Mark and Tim, thanks for the info. Richard
  17. Ron and Z, followed your suggestions and also went to the Hobbylinc site. Things have gotten very interesting. The FS # for Panzer Gray is 36076. Input that number on Hobbylinc and what you get is that FS number...but the color is identified as Engine Gray. Since there are no color chips online, how the two compare is anyone's guess. However, there is a Model Master Comparison Chart online. That one shows 36076 as simply Gray and 36118 as Medium Gunship Gray. Looks like I'll go with 36118 and maybe lighten it a tad. Thanks for the help. Richard
  18. Hi all, The snipe hunt is on again. Building the Trumpeter Sdkfz 7 and need a bottle or two of Model Master enamel FS36076. Testors doesn't list it anymore, though some shops list a spray can. Whether or not they actually have it is another question since it is apparently no longer being made. Anyone know of an enamel replacement for it? Maybe something in the MM line that I happen to have? I do have Schwarzgrau, but I suspect that's too dark. Appreciate any help you can offer. Richard
  19. Robin, I've run into the same differences in copyright notices myself where old Monogram aircraft kits are concerned. Still, what has me curious about the truck kit is that that design of it is simplified in areas that are exactly what you would see in a snap kit. Another possibility is that Revell may have produced their own original snap kits at one point and this is one of those. Richard
  20. Jim, I was simply mentioning alternatives when it came to the CD-ROM suggestion. Since the IRS imposes restrictions as a non-profit, then David's latest comment would solve that problem. My primary point is that we have no control over what is done with any of the material once it is published and released to the membership. As a result, DRM really isn't that much of a concern. Since much of the content of the old documents are text that can easily be copied and/or rewritten and presented as new material, does that then get us into the area of plagiarism? Sure does, but then you have to sue them to do anything about it. It's also a tricky area to prove...unless they copied and pasted large blocks of text verbatim. Then a cease and desist letter will stop'em in their tracks. For those who don't know, consider a couple of recent articles I did for the Journal. The content...including photos...are my copyright. I can do whatever I want to, wherever I want to. What I can't do is duplicate the editing and layout because that copyright belongs to the IPMS/USA. The latest revision of copyright law by Congress has turned us all into guardhouse lawyers. Heck, they even allowed the recopyrighting of certain classical music that has been in the public domain for decades. Now symphony orchestras can't use that music without paying a large royalty. If anyone reading this has the feeling that we're sinking into a large quicksand bog...they're right. Sincerely, Richard
  21. Jim, I also would like to thank you for creating the Quarterly and Update indices. BTW, while it is true that if you sent out files of the Q and Updates, you would have no control over who passes on our copyrighted material, that also applies to our current publications. I wonder how many members have given copies of the Q or our current Journal to someone who wasn't a member? Or sold old copies at a local meeting kit auction and the buyer wasn't an IPMS member? DRM or not, print publication, CD-ROM, etc., once that product has been sold...or even given away... and transferred to a recipient...our ability to control it ceases. From that point on, the only option is to sue anyone who obtained a copy in a manner you consider inappropriate or illegal. Given the legal costs involved...as well as the time...that option doesn't approach being practical about 98% of the time. At the same time, David, you make excellent points. The only ones interested in the old Quarterly and Update material are either modelers or potential modelers, whether IPMS members or not. Besides, the bottom line is that the IPMS motto is "By Modelers, For Modelers". Since one of our goals is to grow the IPMS/USA as well as to encourage more people to become modelers, the more widely our material from the Q, Updates and Journal can be disseminated...within reason, the better off we're going to be as an organization. One possibility might be to emulate FineScale Modeler. They're fairly recently put 25 years of FineScale on a DVD and sold it for $100...recently temporarily discounted to $69.95. We're talking each magazine in its entirety, cover to cover. Articles, ads, editorials, everything. If we did the same thing, you'd be controlling the material and making money at the same time. Price might be lower...say $49.95...but there should certainly be a market for it. One final note. Copyright laws today state that copyright occurs at the moment of creation...and no copyright notice is required. Even this email I'm typing is being copyrighted as I type. The same thing happens when you build a model, take a photograph, paint a figure, etc, ad nauseum. Taken to the extreme, we all violate copyright law by copying or repeating anything anyone says or does without their explicit permission. Silly? Absolutely. But that's how crazy things have gotten. Respectfully, Richard
  22. David, Jim and John, keep in mind that all I'm doing is throwing out ideas for preserving all the old material. BTW, since I'm producing my own ebooks that are available on Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other places, I' m well familiar with DRM. There are two schools of thought in that regard, which is: 1. Put the material out there without DRM and don't worry about piracy. The philosophy behind that is that anyone who steals...or copies or passes on...any given material would have never paid for it in the first place. They look on piracy as a form of advertising, exposing the document to people who would otherwise never see it. Since IPMS material would only be of interest to other modelbuilders or potential modelbuilders, this approach might wind up gaining new members. 2. There is a way to put ebooks on the Q, Updates and even the current Journal out there that incorporates DRM and it won't cost anything. Amazon.com. You can publish anything thru Amazon as an ebook with DRM enabled. Granted, the mobi format can only be read on Kindle readers...or a free mobi app for your desktop or laptop...but that shouldn't be a handicap considering the market penetration that Kindle has. If the Amazon/DRM approach was used, each issue could be browsed in a manner similar to the original publication instead of having to look up a particular topic or subject in a text index. By the way, this approach also has the potential to make a little money for the IPMS/USA. Put a nominal price on each one...such as $.99 or $1.99...and make 60% to 80% royalty. Since the IPMS would be the publisher, they would get the money, which could go into the general fund. Just a few random thoughts. Take'em for what they're worth. Richard
  23. David, one reason might be the variation in scanners, scanner programs and scanner skills. Then there's simply the sheer amount of time that'd be required. Plus you'd have to have someone to put all the resulting files on a new section of the IPMS website...more work for the webmaster...and on and on. Another possibility would be, for those of us with at least some of the publications and the ability, to turn the publications we have into pdf ebooks and made available to the membership for a nominal sum...some small amount to recompense us for the time involved. Remember, most of the scans are going to have to be tweaked or otherwise adjusted for optimum viewing...and the majority of our older pubs are black and white. Depending on how they've been stored, you also have to deal with fading or other deterioration. Then there's the question of copyright. Would we even be able to do anything I've suggested without getting permission or approval from the board? I'm game for the stuff I have...and remember, what I have goes back to the very beginnings of IPMS/USA...and I know you are for what you have. What say anyone else reading this? Richard
  24. Robert and David, you both make some excellent points. Since we still have a fairly substantial number of members...as far as we know...who are computer Luddites, the only way to make the digital approach work is what FineScale Modeler is doing: Print and digital editions running in parallel. In addition, the digital edition provides additional material that isn't in the print edition. The problem with this approach where we are concerned is that, instead of reducing the cost of Journal production, we would be increasing it. David, as far as your other point, a digital archive of all IPMS/USA publications that have been produced over the last fifty years, that is an excellent idea. If that is done, it needs to be freely available to any paid member. I have quite a lot of the early publications...as soon as I can figure out where they are. In particular, the early years of the IPMS Quarterly and Updates. Richard
  25. I'd suggest that it has as much to do with your specific needs as anything else. I'm 71...yeah, I know, I'm older than dirt...and could not function without a computer and related digital equipment. Of course I'm probably the exception that proves the rule due to my business. As most of you know, I'm a freelance writer/professonal modelbuilder. I've been working with computers for at least 20 years. Currently I'm producing ebooks and converted to digital photography back in 2008. All of my writing...even for the two print publications I write for on a regular basis and a couple of times in the Journal...are written and submitted in digital form. Why did this happen? Because the publishers demanded it, refusing to buy your work unless it was in digital form. No matter how we try to avoid it, we are all reliant on computers to some degree. Is this a good thing? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but the truth is that those who do not have and do not want them are a vanishing breed. There will be plenty of us around that don't necessarily want computers, but it is becoming essential for everyone to have one in some way shape or form. Heck, I have my own love/hate relationship with computers and the digital world. I prefer print books and love film photography for example. Print books are fighting a rear guard action...20% of all new books are digital...and film photography is almost as rare as the Coelacanth. Worse, there are some people out there who are trying to get rid of your home inkjet printer. Yep, they claim that it won't be long before anyone will want to print anything and paper will disappear! Technology rolls on and we get run over in the process! Richard
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