ipmsusa2

Hey Jim, You're preaching to the choir. Ft. Worth no longer has any hobby shops as we used to know them. Technically there's one, but he doesn't carry any of the new kits and most of what he has no one will buy any more. The only reason he's still in business is that he owns the building, rents out part of it and sells worms to fishermen. Other than that there's Hobby Lobby and a railroad shop that is totally useless unless you're a model railroader. It's 25 miles round trip to HobbyTown that stands a fair chance of not having the specific item you're looking for and about the same to a railroad shop in Hurst that MIGHT have some small item I need. Other than that, it's Irving or Dallas. Preplanning? That works if you're working on a single kit. When you do it as a business, that doesn't work all the time. Beyond that, there's Murphey's Law. All the preplanning in the world isn't gonna keep you from needing something you don't have...at least part of the time.

Jim, I'm aware that Amazon...as well as other places that have been mentioned...carry MM. However, my point was that if you need to pick up one or two bottles without waiting for mail order, the stuff is becoming more than a little difficult to find. Art, You're correct that the EPA has nothing to do with the restrictions on shipping paint by air. What's interesting, though, is that acrylics may or may not be shippable by air, depending on the specific paint brand, its chemical composition and the shipping person making the final decision. But for our purposes, ALL paint can't be shipped by air.

Rob, Squadron was out of stock on Insignia Yellow, plus I would've had to pay tax. Total would've been more than Sprue Brothers. Testors would've been the most expensive of all. As it stands right now, Squadron may or may not have it in stock and they charge tax if you live inside Texas. Hobby Linc appears to be the cheapest regardless of where you live. However, shipping generally takes a week, even longer to the east coast. Sprue Brothers is about the same as Squadron in price, no tax for Texas residents and the fastest delivery. My order was shipped Monday by FedEx Ground and arrived at noon today...Wednesday. 2 1/2 days!

I know what you're saying, Ed. There are models that are simply not shippable, forcing you to find other methods. I built a 1/16 scale JN-4D Jenny (a photo of it is at the bottom of the first page of my photography article in the current Journal) that was hand carried in a custom designed case to the new Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. It was gently loaded in the back of a minivan by myself and a friend and gently driven to the museum. From the parking lot, it was carried to the Museum by my friend and I holding handles on each side. At all times, the model was kept in a normal horizontal position. We handed it over to the Museum staff and started worrying that they wouldn't be able to unpack and display it without damaging it. Well, they successfully managed that part of it. A year later, it was removed from display and placed back in the same case in order to return it to the aviation museum group I originally built the model for. Unfortunately, the staff wasn't that careful this time. When the aviation group opened the case, the tail had been knocked off. Someone in the group "repaired" it and, allegedly, it doesn't look too bad. I haven't seen it since it left the Museum and I really don't want to. I'm just glad that where it is now displayed, my name isn't on it! Richard

Nick, Here's an update for you. Placed an order with Sprue Brothers on Sunday. Order was shipped Monday. Delivery is scheduled for Wednesday. Four days from time of order, three days shipping time. Hobby Linc takes a week (more to the west coast). Sprue Brothers has faster delivery. Hobby Linc has cheaper prices.

Commission work is part of my business. I'll be checking on your site shortly. Incidentally, back in the late 60s and early 70, I built several hundred Revell 1/32 UH-1 and AH-1 models for Bell on an assembly line basis. At one point, I was turning out 12 a week! Also build models of all kinds for magazine articles. And I've done occasional architectural model, invention proof models, etc. Been building models as a hobby for 64 years and a business for 47. Believe it or not, I still enjoy building, still get a kick out of it and look forward to starting another model.

I agree with all your responses, including the statement that if a customer wants something badly enough, he'll pay the increased shipping costs. Unfortunately, there's a point where squeezing ends. Some customers simply can't afford the added cost. In other cases, as in custom walnut bases, they can't pass the shipping cost on to their customers. In my case, I sell very few walnut bases any more for exactly that reason. I've also lost custom model business for precisely the same reason. Bottom line is this: Regardless of how much of the shipping increases are legitimate versus outright gouging, there's a breaking point for every potential customer. As for the customer traveling to pick up the completed model, I currently have one customer that will be doing that since he's only 30 miles away. But when a customer is 500 - 1000 miles or more away, that isn't a viable option. Of course, that does bring up an interesting thought. What about creating a network of modelbuilders where each member of the network would be able to hand off a packed, custom model from one modeler to the next until the model reached the customer? Each member would be able to specify how far he could take the model before handing it off. Sort of a modelbuilding Pony Express.

You're preaching to the choir, Mark. I'm very aware of everything you said. It makes me wonder how long I'll be able to stay in business and how much I'll have to change to do so. I'm beginning to think I'll have to shift the majority of my output to e-books and whatever articles a paying magazine will take. Custom models and kit buildups could wind up being few and far between. I hope it doesn't happen, but the economic squeeze is beginning to make me feel like the meat in the sandwich!

Nick, Checked out Hobby Linc. I like their prices, but I think Sprue Brothers has faster delivery. We'll see. On the other hand, Hobby Linc carries something from MM that Sprue Brothers doesn't. Where the problem lies for me...since I build as a hobby but also build and write as a business...is when your last bottle of paint goes bad in the bottle and you're on a time critical project. Then you really need a brick-and-mortar source. Under those conditions, a week is a l-o-o-o-o-ng time!

As long as reality is causing a bout of depression, here's the latest bit of price gouging. FedEx has announced that starting next January, they will be calculating the shipping costs of ground packages the same way they do air...by package dimensions. And you can be sure that UPS will follow suit. Why? Because when a lightweight product ships in a big box, they can't charge enough too pay for the cost of delivery. At least that's what they claim. To give you an idea of what the effect may be, I needed to ship a model from Texas to California. Fairly small model, but due to it's configuration and the way I had to support it in the box, the box wound up being something like 22" x 15" x 10". Weight? About 7 pounds. I originally wanted to ship it FedEx Second Day Air to minimize time in transit. Instead of weight, they priced it by dimensions/volume the package would require on the plane (it used to be weight only). Price? $128, which assumed that the package weighed 51 pounds. Instead, I shipped by UPS Ground...holding my breath until the package arrived and I learned that it made it intact. Price? About $18. When January arrives, that same size package will cost $128, regardless of whether it goes by air or ground. What effect is this going to have on mail order companies? The large ones will get huge volume discounts. But what about the small...especially one man....garage manufacturers of aftermarket details and short run subjects that major companies will never touch? Then there's custom kit buildups. Will anyone be willing to commission a model when the shipping cost is more...sometimes substantially more...than the model itself, which is already into three figures, if not four. Will we...or can we...pay those exorbitant shipping rates or will the guys...and gals... involved go out of business? Incidentally, care to guess what caused this FedEx decision? Cases of toilet paper and adult diapers. Your opinion?

It's been an interesting afternoon. Here's what happened: Needed 1 or 2 bottles each of MM Flat Gull Gray, Flat Insignia Yellow and Steel for airbrush use on a client's model. Someone in the Ft. Worth - Arlington area should have it, right? Wrong. Hobby Lobby carries a fair amount of Acryl, very limited selection of MM enamel. Yellow and Steel they have...but Gull Gray is only carried in a spray can. However, Dark Gull Gray is available in a bottle. Roy's Hobby Shop doesn't carry MM line. Two railroad shops don't carry MM line. Hobbytown in south Arlington doesn't carry Yellow at all and only stocks Gull Gray in spray cans. Asked why and the guy on the phone said the store doesn't make that decision. Didn't ask about Steel because I was so disgusted by that time that I hung up. Internet time. Sprue Brothers had all three. $3.39 each. Total for 5 bottles? $16.45. Shipping was $10.01. Grand total? $26.46 for 2 1/2 ounces of paint...and at least 80% of that weight is the glass bottles. Incidentally, I can't be in a hurry for the paint, either. Solvent based paint can't be shipped by air, which lets out USPS Priority. It can't be shipped out of the U.S.either...or to Hawaii or Alaska. It's reaching the point that politics and EPA regulations are controlling what you can use to build a model! O.K., I'm stepping down from my soapbox. Your turn.

If you haven't been to the Testors website lately, there have been a few more changes. What kits they have left are almost all pre-painted, snap together or activity models. The "activity" models are nothing more than a selection of four models...two 1/72 aircraft and two 1/32 cars. Each are 'press fit' and come in a box that is complete with 3 bottles of acrylic paint and a brush so you won't need anything else. The fifth member of this group is a 'Heroes of the Sky Gift Set'. For $26 you get both aircraft, six bottles of acrylic paint, three paint brushes, decals and a mixing tray. Literally the only kit left that is a true model kit is the 1/32nd Kamen Huskie. How long it'll be there is anyone's guess. I'm just glad I have one that hasn't been built yet. I built a lot of Italeri and Testors models for my magazine articles and books during their glory days. Still remember the hobby show where that spectacular 1/48th SR-71 was announced. Considering they had one of the kits professionally built and displayed in a plexiglas case, it really made an impact. I have two of them that have never been built for lack of space.

Just got my first bottle of it since I'm installing a huge amount of photoetch in a 1/350 Polar Lights Refit Enterprise with all the bells and whistles (including lighting) for a client. The stuff is just as good as everyone says it is. You need to be aware of a couple of things. First...as Kenny states on his website...the correct name is Gator's Grip. This is probably the result of the stuff sold at Lowe's. Secondly, he now has a thinner version...called Thin Blend...that is even better for photoetch. Considering that Thin Blend is just about as thick as original Elmer's, it should still fill small gaps such as the two piece B-29 canopy. Finally...and of some importance to your wallet...a single bottle of the stuff in $5. However, you have to send him your zip code by email so he can tell you how much the shipping is. I'm in Fort Worth, Texas and the shipping...by priority...was $5.80, making the total price $10.80. Notice that I'm not complaining. It's a fantastic product and I'll pay the price gladly. I mention it so you can avoid the sticker shock reaction. Richard

Since this month's theme is essentially something we did for ourselves, I seem to have a problem. There are plenty of models I've built that I enjoyed and got pleasure from... but they were all built for magazine articles or on commission. Hmm-m-m-m, maybe something I did 20 or 30 years ago will suffice. I'll see what I can come up with.

Woodland Scenics sand would work, but real sand/silt would be better. If you have a PetSmart near you, take a look at the sand in their aquarium section. Another option would be Pumice, Rottenstone or Rubbing Powder. That stuff is extremely fine and would be great for silt. You can find it at paint stores, Home Depot, Lowe's or similar places.

I, too, often wondered about Jim and where he was. Jim and I met when we were both members of the Texas Aviation Historical Society that met in Dallas. While the focus was aviation history, there were always models showing up (We can't get away from them, can we?), with the end result being the occasional contest. I was 21 and Jim was in his early 30s. Jim used to tell a story...and actually printed it in one of the Journals... that I would never forgive him because I was IPMS/USA #2 instead of #1. Of course he was kidding. In truth, the reason all of the early members ended up with the numbers we did was because Jim opened letters, pulled out the checks and assigned IPMS/USA numbers on a strictly random basis. To give you a little background of the very early days, consider this: When the IPMS/USA became a going concern...meaning after the first few membership numbers were handed out...our first publication was the British IPMS newsletter. The Brits would send their newsletter to Jim, he in turn would mail it over to me (30 miles from Dallas to Fort Worth) and I would do something that most people have forgotten existed and younger ones have never heard of. I sat down at a manual, portable typewriter in the dining room and retyped the newsletter onto an 8 1/2" x 17" mimeograph stencil (How many of you even know what I'm talking about?), then I would mail it back to him. He would then take the stencil to work with him and use their mimeograph machine to run off the appropriate number of copies to be mailed out. Interestingly, the company he worked for knew he was doing all this on company time and did not object to his activity. Whether or not Jim bought the stencils from the company or they let him take what he needed, I can't say. I lost track of Jim a long time ago. Sadly, I was at the 2000 Convention in Dallas and didn't know Jim was there. Either he never came by the table in the vendor's room where I was or did and I didn't recognize him (and he didn't identify himself) or I never got near him because I was only there in the daytime as the result of driving back and forth between Dallas and Fort Worth. That was the only IPMS/USA convention I've ever attended and most likely I'll never get near another one. The IPMS/USA is a great organization and one that I'm very proud to be a part of. In fact, the IPMS/USA had a lot to do with my ending up as a freelance writer/professional modelbuilder. I doubt seriously things would have turned out this way for me if it had not been for Jim Sage and the IPMS/USA. Yep, Jim was a special person and one that we all owe an immense debt of gratitude. Since he's no longer on this earth, some kind of special award/trophy needs to be created, with the first presentation to be made at the 2014 convention. The James H. Sage Best Of Show Trophy would be the obvious choice, but that position is already taken. Anyone else have other ideas? Keep in mind that Jim's preference was aircraft. Richard Marmo

True enough. You've done that for me several times and it has been very much appreciated.

Rub it in, Mark. Rub it in!!!!

The title says it all. I have an article scheduled showing the construction of the AMT bulldozer. I proposed the subject for the simple fact that I built one back in the 70s or so. It was heavily weathered...including real dirt/mud...and the subject of another article. Since I'd already done an article on it, I figured I could pick up a kit off of ebay for a reasonable price to do step by step photos, then combine it with new photos of my existing bulldozer. Foolish me! When I checked ebay...after committing myself...I found prices ranging all the way from $65 - $120 and up. Hopefully one of you happens to have a kit in a beat up box that I could buy for a reaonable price. Hint: $65 ain't reasonable in this case, considering what the magazine pays. Of course I would certainly mention your name as the source. If one of y'all can help me, my direct email is tennexican at gmail dot com. Richard Marmo

Thanks Gil. It helps. Appreciate it. Richard

Hi all, I have a 1/35 scale Bell 47G kit sitting on my bench. It won't be there long because it's scheduled for a magazine conversion article. Since I'm on a short deadline, I have a desperate need for information on a crop duster bird. Particularly the configuration of the spray booms and herbicide containers. Any and all help would be much appreciated. My direct email address is tennexican at gmail dot com. Richard Marmo

Hi All, Scale Publications announces the release of their latest CD-ROM photo gallery. The press release is too large to upload to this forum, but below will be found the descriptive text from the flyer along with a link to the website. Enjoy! SCALE PUBLICATIONS ­­­­­­416 Chicago Ft. Worth, Texas 76103 ph. 817.536.0128 or 817.946.9670 Now Available SPG-0006 $15.95 Produced in HTML format; Internet browser (but not connection) required. The disc features a Table of Contents and thumbnail pages for all F-16 sub-types to make navigation to the 899 large photos as painless as possible. Photos are optimized and captioned with the model builder and armchair historian in mind. Available as a physical CD-ROM or burn-your-own .ISO download. Price is $15.95 either way and includes free shipping for the physical disc. Visit http://scalepublications.freeyellow.com/avhisref8.html to view sample images & to order yours.

Ron (and all others), I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that Tru-Color Paint in Arizona now offers a solvent based acrylic polymer line that is a direct replacement for Floquil. Their URL is http://trucolorpaint.com . I lifed the following information on their paint directly from their website. Also had a chance to get a whiff of the stuff at a hobby shop and it's the real thing. When they say solvent based, they mean it! "Tru-Color Paint is a solvent based paint with an acrylic polymer used as the binding agent which adheres very well to plastic or metal models, when those models are properly prepared. The pigments and/or dyes used to produce the correct colors are very finely ground so that they do not clog air-brushes. To insure proper adhesion for plastic models - wash the model in mild soapy water to remove residual processing oils and dirt, rinse thoroughly with clean water and let dry or use a lint free cloth to dry. It is now ready to be painted. For metal models (brass for example), sand blast or treat the metal surface in some fashion to give Tru-Color Paint a prepared surface to adhere to. Then use our Primer, Tru-Color Paint 07, and spray paint the model, allow sufficient drying time and then paint the model with the desired color(s)." More and more hobby shops are beginning to carry the line. Also, hobby shops don't need to throw out their Floquil racks. Tru-Color has sized their bottles to fit the Floquil racks.

I was in my local Hobby Lobby and discovered an unpleasant change. They now have two large racks of Testors paint. However, the only Model Master paint in the 1/2 ounce bottle is Model Master Acryl and they carry the entire line. At the same time, they carry the complete line of the old Testors 1/4 ounch square bottles of enamel paint. But the majority of both racks are taken up with $6.49 spray cans of automotive lacquer colors and a limited ranges of Model Master enamel FS colors. The Model Master 1/2 ounch FS line of enamels is nowhere to be seen. If you, like a substantial number of us, prefer an airbrush and enamel paint, you will now have to track down a less conveniently located brick and mortar hobby shop that carries Model Master enamel or order by mail. Buy online and you will have to be in the continental U.S. because solvent based paints can no longer be shipped by air (anywhere, for obvious reasons) or by ground outside the contiguous USA. Finally, and to make matters worse, enamel paint today has a limited shelf life. I have Model Master paint on the shelf that I've had for 20 and 30 years. It's still perfectly good. The latest MM formula that I've bought in the last couple of years? If I'm lucky, it will last two or three years. If I'm not...and I buy more than a couple of bottles...it'll be bad in the bottle before I ever open it. While I'm in Fort Worth, Texas, it'd be interesting ...and possibly informative...to know what's happening in other parts of the U.S. where MM paint availability is concerned.

Hi all, Just a heads up to let you know that a photo gallery disc on the F-16 will soon be available from Scale Publications, probably within the next two to three months. Assuming I don't melt from the current heat wave here in Texas. The disc will contain well over 900 photos and better than 5,000 navigation hotlinks. All photos are captioned. Coverage starts with the Design Concepts and goes all the way thru to the Thunderbirds. Along the way you'll find coverage on the F-16XL, F-16I, Mitsubishi F-2 and the various experimentals, including the little known tailess version of the F-16XL. The disc will be available as a data DVD (too much data for a CD-ROM)and possibly as a downloadable .ISO so you can burn your own disc. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who would be interested in the disc. I'll keep your email address on file and let you know when the disc is ready. Richard Marmo