[Valleycon 23 Chicopee MA]

Wings & Wheels Modelers' annual contest, Valleycon 23, is now only three away. We will again this year offer 5 free raffle tickets to entrants who fill in their registration and ID forms from our website

Our raffle will feature over $1000 in prizes.

This year, we will feature a Gathering of Mustangs, where all scales and liveries of any version of the North American Mustang (NA-73 through F-82) may be displayed and judged using out open system.

Our vendor areas are sold out with 64, including our club tables. A few of the professional vendors are Rare Plane Detective, Birch Tree Enterprises, Red Frog Hobbies, Sentinel Miniatures, Craftec Hobbies, The Hobby Bunker, Tom's Trains, and Time Machine Hobbies.

Registration is $5.00 for the first three models and $2.00 for each additional model. Collections and dioramas are considered one entry. Those under 16 continue be offered free registration for their first three models. General admission is $5.00 and parking is free. There is food available on site.

We continue to do traditional IPMS style (1-2-3) judging for the aircraft and automotive classes with open (gold-silver-bronze) for the other categories. Our Judging Philosophy can be seen here.

For more information, feel free to contact Al at ajlafleche@comcast.net.

Hope to see many of you on the 24th.

 

[Mountain Man]

I can't take credit for the base. That was bought from John Jeffries of Long Island, dba Birch Tree Enterprises. All I did was blend the kit base to the wooden base with Celluclay.

[What's In Your Wallet?]

Chris, this will be at your show on Sunday.

[Mountain Man]

Here is Art Girona’s 70mm metal casting of a Mountain Man from the 1830’s. The kit consists of three parts, musket case and right hand, body and base. He is posed with custom groundwork on a base by John Jeffries (Birch Tree Enterprises). Painting is almost entirely Vallejo acrylics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Worf in wargame scale]

It's hard to see any details so it's hard to provide painting suggestions.

As to the base/ground work, use Celluclay or other type of material to bring the figre base to the edge of the main base. Add some railroad ballast to give the Celluclay some texture and imnbed some pea stones and paint them. Use some static grass or Silfor grass tufts and if you can find some bayardi small dead tree stumps, you'll have a better presentation. I know by IPMS rules, presentation doesn't count (It should in figures IMHO) but you'll have a better looking item to display.

Try for more highlights and shadows by using a base that's lighter than you want to show then using a darker version for the shadows and lighter for the highlights. Try not to use black or white for a darkening and lightening colors. Instead, find complimentary colors. Highlights for black can be tan (warm) or blue (cool).

[The Raider]

Thanks, Dave and Dick.

[Sun Bear-Cheyenne Bust]

Thanks, Chris.

[The Raider]

Here is Nocturna Miniatures’ 54mm resin figure they call “The Raider.” The inspiration for the pose came from a picture in Military Modeling’s 2011 Euro Militaire edition of a Chaos Warrior by A. Brun and M. Cavallioni. The fence is from EMI and the skull is from Warriors by way of my friend Ron. The water with depth is Envirotex resin and the splashes and waves are Woodland Scenics water Effects. The base is from John Jeffires. I added Nimix photo etched bits and lead foil reins and straps to the stirrups. The kit is painted in Vallejo acrylics.

[Sun Bear-Cheyenne Bust]

Here is SK Miniatures 1/9 bust of Sun Bear as sculpted by Carl Reid. Sun Bear was a Cheyenne who fought against Reno and Custer at the Little Big Horn. The bust depicts him as he was described that day with an ermine headdress with an eagle feather trailer. The headdress has a single buffalo horn. The simple war paint is based on a pictograph of him from the battle. The bust is painted in Vallejo acrylics and presented on a base from John Jeffries. Due to some damage to some of the feather decorations, I replaced them all with painted thread.

[Lipan Apache Bust]

Here is La Meridiana’s 200mm bust of a Lipan Apache as sculpted by Carles Vaquero. It’ painted in Vallejo acrylics and presented on a base from John Jeffries.

[What's In Your Wallet?]

Here’s my tribute to one of the most enjoyable ad campaigns ever, the “What’s In Your Wallet? Ads featuring the Celtic/Germanic warriors for a famous credit card company. The figure is Andrea’s 54 mm Welsh Chieftain, 1270 (Box art)

with minor modifications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pied Piper]

Here is Nocturna Models’ petite 54mm resin kit The Piper. Some have suggested the sculpt looks like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame. To me, he had to be the Pied Piper. To that end,. I chose a bright and colorful outfit and a dramatic look to the face. I used a spare figure base for the main ground work. The rats are from Plus Models and Scenic Express. The water is Envirotex resin with the splashes for the rat who has already jumped in created from Woodland Scenics Water Effects and cotton.

Note: No rats were injured in the creation of this scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[La Longue Carabine]

Here is one of we figure painters’ holy grail figures, Infinity Shape’s “Mohican” based on a still of Daniel Day Lewis as Nathaniel of the Inglese, adopted son of Chingachcook of the Mohican people. La Longue Carabine. I scored the two part 54mm white metal from a poster on one of the figure websites a couple years ago. The base is from John Jeffries (Birch Tree Enterprises). I found it at his booth at a show and loved the split in the wood. I saw it right away as the course for a stream. The tree is a root from the back yard. The water is Envirotex resin with the foam created from Woodland Scenics Water Effects and cotton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sioux Strong Heart Society]

Here is A & A Miniatures 75mm resin kit listed as Buffalo Soldier. Those who know US History remember this term was used for the African American troops assigned to the plains conflicts. I found no reference to any Plains tribes using this nomenclature, either in my reference books or on line. Some of the personal decorations in this figure, however, did suggest he might be a member of the Sioux Strong Heart (Cante Tinza) society. These men were particularly charged with protection of the rest of the encampment. The horse is sculpted with a simple buffalo mask. Images I found on line showed more decorations in the form of feathers and ribbons. I added these from spare resin or white metal feathers and wine bottle foil for the ribbons. I also added a breachclout patterned after on in the Osprey book “Warriors at the Little Big Horn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blackfoot Blood Warrior]

Here is the Elite Miniatures (Now defunct) Blackfoot Blood Warrior in 75mm white metal. The biggest challenge was in attaching the feathers to the train. They came in three separate pieces with tiny attachment points and the ends did not meet the curvatures of the train very well. He is painted ini Vallejo acrylics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[M706 THE UNEXPECTED]

Home town is West Springfield MA. Al LaFleche is good for the name.

[M706 THE UNEXPECTED]

Patrick, feel free to use the pics as you see fit. (and thanks for the comments as well as the website.)

Mark, Thanks for the nice comments.

[M706 THE UNEXPECTED]

Here is Hobbyboss’ 1/35 M706 Commando armored car in Vietnam.

I used the Squadron image in Armor in Vietnam

 

 

as a basis for exterior modifications detailing this and interior images from Osprey’s V100/M706 book and Warwheels to further detail interior. I added Eduard’s PE set and Legend’s weighted wheels which have the correct sidewall embossing. The .50 is from Academy and its mount is a spare from an Academy M113. The ammo is plastic from the spares box. The M60’s are from Dragon and are mounted on modified M151 pintles with brass rod supports. The M60 ammo is PE from an unknown source and their boxes are modified resin castings, again, from an unknown source. I used Superscale’s registration and unit numbers. The name on the front is from the Verlinden V100 resin kit. Several of the doors have added padding made from sheet stock and anti skid sections on inner surfaces are home made decals. The distinctive white stripe down the mid-line is a strip of decal cut to size. The figure is Verlinden.

 

I know there is some controversy as to whether this vehicle ever had the armament depicted in the Squadron book. My goal was to replicate that image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thunderbird Min. Sioux]

Here is Thunderbird Miniatures’ Sioux Warrior resin kit in 75mm. I replaced the barrel on the carbine sine the casting was a bit rough. Also, the locating pin on the quiver was too long so it was removed and the hole in the back filled.

 

 

 

 

 

[Elite Min. Dakota 70mm]

Here is Elite Miniatures’ Dakota Warrior metal kit in 70 mm. The kit is built out of box. I burnished the saber’s blade rather than painting it. The shield is decorated with a captured US flag and the imagery represents a buffalo and two dragonflies.

 

 

 

 

 

[Buffalo Soldier Bust]

Here is Minuteman Models’ 1/10 Buffalo Soldier Bust. The kit came in three parts, hat, head and torso. The face is exceptionally well sculpted as is the hat. In painting the figure, the shirt seemed to have too many folds and the braces which take on a Y shape on the back seem to have been too covered by the carbine belt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[One Month to Valleycon 22 (Chicopee MA)]

We are now four weeks out from Valleycon 22, Wings & Wheels Modelers annual contest. We feature Open Judging in figure, diorama, ship, Space/sci-fi/scratchbuilt/conversion, miscellaneous armor and junior categories. For those not familiar with this method, each item is judged on its own merits and the builder will be awarded a gold, silver or bronze award commensurate with his/her skill, regardless of what is in the class. Cars and planes will be judged in the standard IPMS style: first, second and third, in one on one competition. We also have 13 special awards sponsored by individual club members.

Due to increased demand, we have reconfigured the vendor room and adding several spaces and adding another 6 tables in the contest room for a total of 69 vendor tables. There are 27 vendors plus our club table. For a list of vendors and their websites, please click here.

This year, we will provide entrant who download and prefill their registration forms 5 free raffle tickets. The forms can be downloaded at this link..

The Knights of Columbus will again be providing an on-site lunch menu.

For those who need to travel, there are numerous hotels and motels in Chicopee and West Springfield, minutes from the venue. The site is convenient to I-90 (the Mass Pike), I-91 and I-391 in the shadow of Westover Air Reserve base.

[8 Weeks to Valleycon 22]

We, Wings & Wheels Modelers’ are now only 8 weeks out from Valleycon 22, New England’s largest one day scale model show/contest.

 

This year, we have downloadable and addressable PDF model id and registration forms. To encourage our guests to fill them out in advance, every entrant who presents pre-filled forms at registration will receive 5 free raffle tickets with his/her paid entries. The forms can be found here.

 

Our vendor room is sold out at 60 tables with 23 vendors (more than ever before), including out club tables. To see a list of who’s coming, please click here/.

 

We will continue to use standard IPMS style (1-2-3) judging for our automotive and aircraft classes. All other classes will continue with open judging, similar to AMPS and figure shows, with no limits on the number of Gold, Silver or Bronze awards per category. We will, however, maintain a policy of no more than one award per entrant per category, as we always have.

 

As always, there is ample free parking and food on site. For those of you who plan on attending and must travel, there are multiple accommodations in both Chicopee and West Springfield, within minutes of the show site. The site is located at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Granby Road in Chicopee MA, less than two miles from I-90 and I-391, both of which have connections to I-91.

 

Please feel to contact Al at ajlafleche@comcast.net /net for additional information.

[Figure Kit Reviews Have Been Posted]

I have posted reviews of the following kits at the Wings & Wheels Modelers’ Website. To see detail images of the subjects, please click on the GALLERY link below the first picture.

Mantis Miniatures Animals 8 (Bears)

Government Issue Thermonuclear Rodeo (The bomb riding scene from Dr. Strangelove)

Minuteman Miniatures Buffalo Soldier bust

Nocturna Models The Flutist

Stormtroopers Cherokee bust

SK Miniatures Sun Bear bust

La Meridiana Lipan Apache bust

Michael Roberts 75mm Confederate Cavalryman

[Broken Promise Land]

Here is my interpretation of Andrea’s 54mm “King of the Road,” which I’ve titled “Broken Promise Land.” This is from the song “Borderline” by Ry Cooder. The kit is part of Andrea’s collection of figures based on Norman Rockwell artwork. As presented, the figure is somewhat light hearted, almost clownish with a broken straw hat and a splayed out cigar in his mouth. I switched the hat for a Shenandoah ACW era slouch hat and left out the cigar. He also has a newspaper for his right coat pocket which was not used. Instead, I used a cut down bottle tinted green.

 

I expanded the base significantly trying to evoke a feeling of a dust bowl refugee. The fence is custom made from balsa wood and stained in grays. The tree is from Armand Bayardi. The rats and the can are Plus Models resin castings. The rusted plate and the crates are from Tamiya kits. The signs on the fence are wine bottle foil to which I attached 1930’s graphics. This was the same source for the labels on the crates and the wanted poster from the Lindbergh case. The large KEEP OUT! sign nas been turned back to allow unauthorized access to the land beyond the fence. It was also “shot” with both bullets and buckshot. I used a couple different ground cover products from Military Miniatures Warehouse and Scenic Express over Celluclay. The tire is from an Italeri trailer. I cut the rim out and sanded down the tread. The flame is Woodland Scenics water effects painted in yellow and orange.

 

Rust effects were done by mixing ModelMaster Burnt Iron metalizer paint with shavings from reddish brown pastel chalk applied by brush.