SkyKing
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Posts posted by SkyKing
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Thank you for making these available!
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From his Facebook page:
With deepest regret I would like to inform all of Jerry’s friends that he passed away sitting at his computer at 8:50am London time on Friday 3 July, 2 days after his 77th Birthday. Future plans have not been made as yet. From his wife of 48 years, Judy -
To see what can be done (and the amount of work required) with the Combat Models C-17 vacform, see here:
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Here's a very useful website I discovered, one that lets you print your own scale rulers, up to (down to?) 1/200, plus other templates with modeling applications, in both metric and Imperial measurements. Check it out:
http://www.blocklayer.com/Scale-RuleEng.aspx
Be sure to follow the instructions for printing, or your ruler will not be accurate.-
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We're expecting a large turnout of IPMS members from Region VI, so don't disappoint us!
We have two theme awards this year and some new special awards, so be sure to download a copy of the contest categories and rules at our web site: http://ipmsnct.net/
Also, for those of you who put models on bases, be sure to read the rule regarding bases lest your entry unintentionally become a vignette or diorama.
See y'all on May 30!
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This year's ScaleFest is also the IPMS Region VI convention, and all modelers in Texas and surrounding states are cordially invited (IPMS members showing a current membership card will receive a $2.25 discount off the basic admission). This year's event features two theme awards, and as of today we still have 22 vendor tables available.
Due to remodeling, MMD/Squadron are not able to host their usual open house, but they have promised a "large presence," and have already rented an entire roomful of tables.
For further details or to download the brochure and/or entry forms,go to:
http://ipmsnct.net/
To request a vendor application, contact us at scalefest(at)gmail(dot)com.
See y'all there!Edit: Corrected to reflect discount of $2.25, not $2.50.
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When I click the "Checkout" button, I get a blank screen.
Bowser is Foxfire on a Mac running OS X 10.5.8.
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I keep seeing modelers who use this red-ish thin tire for cables, railing, and other surface detail. The material appears to hold its shape really well and looks easy to work with, given its prevalence among super detailers.
What is it? I'd kill to use the stuff on my builds.
Me, too.
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The best way to avoid large gaps is to carefully test fit parts before assembly. But if you have a very large gap in spite of your best efforts, it's best to try to fill it with styrene plastic rod/strip and liquid cement, allowing it to dry thoroughly before applying any putty. This technique is handy for wing-to-fuselage gaps.
For filling large gaps, I'd suggest Milliput, which is an epoxy filler that comes in two parts that have to be mixed thoroughly before applying, and can be smoothed with a wet finger/cotton swab/sculpting tool, or Aves Apoxie, a similar product which comes in a variety of colors. Some of the auto body glazing putties, such as 3M Acryl Spot Putty, make good model putties; these are lacquer based and can be applied (sparingly) with a brush dampened in lacquer thinner. I'd recommend Spies Hecker Permacron Fine Putty.
Another useful filler from the auto body repair sector is Evercoat/Eurosoft, also a two-part putty which requires the addition of a catalyst to harden it. A nice thing about it is that before it sets, it gets rubbery, which makes it easy to carve away any excess with your modeling knife, but once cured, it sands and takes paint like styrene plastic. It's available at auto body repair supply outlets.
Tamiya makes some body putties which are said to be quite good as well, although I've not tried them. A relatively new product is Perfect Plastic Putty, a one-part putty which can be smoothed with water, but it is water soluble after it dries so cannot be wet sanded. However, it can be smoothed after application with a damp cotton swab. Many modelers like to use CA glue as a gap-filler and have had success. But it must be sanded immediately after it initially sets up. I've never had much success with it myself.
You can also make your own putty by dissolving sprue in liquid cement or MEK. What's nice about this is that you can control how thin or thick you want your "plastic plastic" to be, you have a variety of colors of sprue to choose from, and once it's set and sanded it takes paint just like styrene plastic, because it is styrene plastic!
Mr. Surfacer comes in three "flavors": 500, 1000, and 1200, in order from coarse to fine. They are intended more as primers/surfacers for filling small imperfections prior to painting, not as a general gap filler. See here for a good primer (pun intended) on Mr. Surfacer:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/Surfacer.html
There's also Mr. Dissolved Putty, which is an even thicker liquid putty, but again, it's not intended for filling large gaps. It can be brushed on, however, which makes it really useful.
Typewriter correction fluid ("white-out") can also be used to fill fine cracks. Brush it on, liet it dry, sand, and paint.
Putty, regardless of type or brand, should be used sparingly. The lacquer-based putties can melt through plastic components if applied too generously. You can place masking tape on either side of the gap before applying putty. Once the putty is cured, sand it until you can remove the tape, then sand it flush with the surface. Lacquer-based putties should also be given plenty of time to allow the solvents to evaporate. My rule of thumb is: If I can no longer smell the putty, then it's safe to begin sanding.
I'd suggest getting an old kit and a supply of different model putties and body fillers and experiment. Keep notes. You'll soon find a combination of putty and technique that works well for you. Good luck!
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Those wishing to express condolences to John's family can do so here:
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Courtesy IPMS Germany, we have these photos of what looks to be an excellent and long-overdue kit of this significant aircraft:
http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Flugzeuge/Wiegmann/Rev_C-54_72/Rev_C-54_Skymaster.html -
Love the new look of the site! Thanks, Eric, for all your work.
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I recently obtained the January 2015 issue of Airfix Model World at a local Barnes & Noble. But I haven't yet seen the December 2014 issue. Did I miss it? Did it make it to the US? Did it include the calendar as in past December issues? Whine! :( I want my very own paper copy, not some "digital" copy made of "electrons"!
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White Ensign Models Bronze Green is a good choice for the dark green.
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You are cordially invited to the next meeting of IPMS-North Central Texas, this coming Sunday, October 12, at the Irving Garden and Arts Building, 906 S. Senter, Irving, TX. We start gathering at 1:00 p.m., and the meeting officially begins at 1:30 p.m.
This month's meeting is the fall installment of our bi-annual kit auction. So inventory your stash, cull the excess and mark it for sale with your initials and the minimum asking price, and bring it along. The chapter gets 10 per cent of the final sales price as a "commission," and the money raised helps support our annual ScaleFest in May. Bring money, too, because there are usually lots of bargains to be had.
I hope to see many of you at the meeting! -
No excuses now for an inaccurate model:
http://postimg.org/gallery/3b2m0zmji/
http://postimg.org/gallery/1kjtd53w/ -
That's right, they're almost gone. So if you have interest at all in being a ScaleFest vendor, we need to hear from you no later than 12:01 a.m., Sunday, May 25 (that's one minute after midnight Saturday, May 24).
Contact me - skyking918(at)verizon(dot)net - or scalefest(at)gmail(dot)com if interested. -
To paraphrase Will Rogers, Jim never met a modeler he didn't like. We should create a national contest award in his memory.
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In response to an inquiry from Mary Jane Kinney, I did some research and very quickly found this on-line obituary (at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?pid=163258579)
"Sage, James H. James H. Sage, 84, of Dallas, passed away on February 16, 2013 in a nursing home in Knox City, Texas. James was born September 4, 1928 in Kalamazoo, Michigan; the son of Howard & Bonnie Sage. He moved to Dallas in 1951 where he was employed by Southwestern Life Insurance Company. He married Peggye Bright in the early 1950s. James enjoyed traveling & spending time with his church friends & others. He also wrote a small paper called Durango Drive News, with his friend Old Bear. James is preceded in death by his wife and brother Richard Sage. He is survived by his sisters Mary Popejoy, Penny Lamb, Pam Doherty & Hester Dulla; and a brother Howard Sage. Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013, at the Hughes Crown Hill Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Calvary Hill Cemetery."
I'm pretty certain this is our Jim; I know he worked for Southwestern Life Insurance Company, his wife's name was Peggy, and they lived on Durango Drive in Dallas. I first met Jim in 1967 after joining IPMS, and I spent a night on their sofa once after Braniff cancelled my return flight back to home in Wichita Falls, and woke up the following morning to find one of their cats sleeping on my chest!It was Jim who was responsible for the "International" in IPMS, when he began promoting the British Plastic Modelers Society by placing announcements in kits that he imported in the early 1960s. As interest grew, Jim became the first Executive Director of IPMS-USA, running the US branch from his house in Dallas. He actually was the first member of IPMS-USA, but forgot to give himself a membership number! Accordingly, he was named Member #0 by IPMS-USA a few years ago.
I have no idea how long he was in the nursing home, but what's really sad is that I moved back to Texas and the Dallas area in 2005, and Knox City is not so far away that I and others could not have gone to visit him had we known where he was. But he and Peggye had no children, so there was no immediate family to keep us informed as to his health or whereabouts. -
Gil, I've never said that accuracy should be the sole criteria of a kit review. A kit that's 100% accurate but impossible to build because of poor design and instructions is, to me, as worthless as a kit that's well-designed for ease of assembly, has easy-to understand instructions, and has beautifully printed decals but is completely wrong in shape and size.
I simply maintain that an assessment of a kit's accuracy should be included in any review as part of that "fair commentary on the kit's pluses and minuses."
In looking at the Reviews section of our web site, I see no easy way to add critiques, comments, or addenda to reviews. That needs to be fixed, so they can be added.
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I don't think I'm at cross purposes at all. If a review is, as you say, "a fair commentary on the kit's pluses and minuses," then why omit such minuses as gross inaccuracies in a review? Why have we become so complacent about the products offered to us that we are willing to overlook flaws in those products? If a review can call out the "shortcomings of the supplied decal scheme," then why can't it call out the shortcomings of its representation of the subject? Those of us who "demand accuracy" are as entitled to know what's wrong with a kit as those who have only a passing interest in the subject; our hobby dollars are just as good.
My comment was not meant as a criticism of Jim's review so much as it was a comment on how, in general, our "reviews" have become so un-critical to the point that they really don't tell us anything. When IPMS was founded, its objectives were to help modelers build not just better models, but more accurate models, including advice on correct paint colors, correct markings, and correct shapes and sizes of the plastic parts. Knowing how well a kit's parts fit together is important, but a review should be more than just that.
I'm not an expert on the Boeing 720. My remarks on the accuracy of the Roden kit were based on comments by others, whose opinions and knowledge I respect, on other forums:
http://tinyurl.com/l8uaj66 (BritModeller)
http://tinyurl.com/ktyffg4 (Airliner Cafe)
Best Boeing 720 available: Authentic Airliners or Welsh Models
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… fails to mention that the engines are too large, cabin windows are too small, fuselage panel lines are in the wrong place, and wheels/tires are the wrong size.
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IPMS members everywhere are welcome and encouraged to attend IPMS-North Central Texas's ScaleFest, which returns to the Grapevine Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas, Saturday, May 31, 2014. New categories! New awards! Vendor tables available!
Check our web site periodically for updates.
Two Questions
in Aircraft
Posted
Scalpel blades work just fine, in fact, better than X-Acto blades. i gave up using X-Acto years ago. But if you must use an X-Acto-type blade, try Testors. I'm told they hold an edge better than the competition.