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The meeting minutes:
The May meeting was pretty interesting.
Seventeen people showed up, and we were missing a number of the
regulars due to scheduling conflicts, so not a bad turnout for the
start of summer. One of the first things we discussed was merging
our show with Cedar rapids. We will do this and will recommend to
Cedar Rapids that the 2008 show be held in Cedar rapids as we do
not have a show chairman available in our club at this time. We
will write up a proposal and send it to the Lippisch chapter to
get the ball rolling. The June meeting will be the Regional in
Ottawa, but there may be a local get together, see Bob Horton’s
note below. If you are interested in meeting that day, please
contact him and let him know at (309) 762-4235. It now looks as
if I will make at least Saturday at the Regional. My boys are
both home on pre-deployment leave as I write this the last week of
May. Christopher will leave for Camp Dodge on Sunday and we will
see him off at the deployment ceremony on 5 June. His unit will be
training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi and then deploy to Iraq
from there. Alex goes back to Fort Hood on 8 June around noon and
will deploy to the National Training center at Fort Irwin for a
train up prior to leaving for Iraq. Both boys should be in Iraq
by late Fall. Christopher’s unit will be on the same post as one
of the Baghdad model clubs, so hopefully we can keep him supplied
with distractions. The July meeting will be the barbecue at Keith
Johnson’s house in Dubuque. The address is 828 Kaufman Ave,
Dubuque, IA 52001-3151. Keith recommends that you use Google or
Mapquest for directions. Please bring a covered dish or dessert.
Keith will supply the meat (courtesy of the club). We will have a
club raffle and a club contest – bring the kits that you got at
the Christmas gift exchange or raffle to enter. Bob Horton has
been taking care of us at the museum and we know have two display
cases to use at the museum. The theme will be “Got History?” we
can bring in anything that is historical and in good taste. This
is a museum, after all. So classic muscle cars, planes, ships;
both military and civilian, plus spacecraft. A little something
for everyone. I have arranged a tour of the Rock Island Arsenal
museum for the August meeting, so we will meet at the museum.
Directions will be in the next issue. We will get a tour, plus
fill up the display cases. The research area is not open to the
public without prior arrangement, but we will get a tour to see
what is available. This is a great museum and I hope you can make
it. Bob is still working on getting SGM Bowman to speak at a Fall
meeting. On to0 the Regional, we did confirm that we will sponsor
two categories. Mike V, we need to get a check to Ronbo. I urge
all of you to support the regional by entering lots of models,
these guys have always been behind our show and I hope we can step
up. I am building and painting again and trying to get some new
stuff done. By the way, the new issue of the IPMS Journal should
be in your mail boxes now with the ballot. You can vote on line
or using the Journal ballot, but I urge you to vote. This is our
society and we do have a say in how it is run. I’ve been thinking
it’s about time for a new membership drive. I’ve meet a bunch of
folks who frequent the hobby shops but have no idea we exist. I
would like to ask you all to get involved. If you have an idea
for a poster or flyer, send me a copy via email or snail mail and
the club can have them printed up to post in the local hobby shops
and pass out to folks who buy models. The meeting demonstration
was on Figure painting, provided via Ralph Nardone’s DVD
demonstration from the Atlanta National. There were a number of
good tips, such as using wax paper for a paint mixing palette.
Some other tips were going with quality Winsor and Newton
brushes. I believe that you can some times get these on half off
sales at Hobby Lobby, he recommends getting a 3-0 brush that is of
the highest quality, you can go cheap on the other sizes if you
want to. Take care of your brushes and clean them after every
use. Ralph’s primer o choice is Floquil’s Reefer white which can
be both brush painted and airbrushed. It’s especially useful when
you want a little bite to your primer to bond with the figure
material. He also recommends using Turpenoid rather than
turpentine as it has a little less funk. 5 minute epoxy is
recommended over super glue as it is flexible and lasts longer.
“Milliput is your friend”, use superfine white to fill gaps. Dip
your finger in a bowl of water use it to smooth the Milliput the
use a wet brush or toothpick to clean and shape. A stainless
steel burnishing tool also woks well to sculpt with, as does a
pint brush handle. A tip for painting brass, don’t mix or shake
the bottle, use the residue from the bottom of the jar and put
that on the palette, it will give you much better control than the
runny paint you get if you mix it. That’s it for this week. I
hope to see you at the Regional.
Some news from Bob Horton, Chapter Contact:
Hi guys: Got a couple of issues to bring to
the bunch. First: In an effort to help out a local hobby dealer,
Mel at MVR Hobbies. I was talking to him yesterday and he was
troubled by the fact that somehow a story had been circulating
around lately that he was either closed and out of business or
closing and going out of business, don't know how or why that
story started. One thing that adds to the problem is the fact
that the store west and down front of him has closed and up for
sale or empty and trying to attract a new tenant. So anyone
looking for Mel’s might see that sign and think it was Mel. He
definitely is not closing or going out of business and he would
appreciate anyone hearing that statement please correct it.
Second. It looks like I may very well not be able to attend the
Regional in Ottawa next month. Wife having surgery in a couple of
weeks and I probably will not be able to be away that long. So,
are there enough people not going that we may want to have a
little bull session meeting at the regular place, regular time.
Or do we want to see if we can move the meeting to the week
Saturday after the Regionals. I can be at the regular meeting at
regular time and date if anyone wants to come over....or forget
the thing altogether....whatever is the will of the people.
An update from Travis Russ:
Hello Friends and Family, Just a note letting
you know that most everything is going well. I see my Cardiologist
next week and hope to have most of my restrictions lifted then. I
still cant drive and am not allowed to lift anything over 10
pounds..(shut up Jack). But I feel pretty good and I feel ready to
get back to work and the rest of my life.
Travis
Show and Tell:
Shawn brought in some Warhammer and Crimson
Skies figures and aircraft. The planes are very small scale and
are very “what if?” looking. They are all painted in the Polish
Mercenary Air Force colors. The 1/3 scale raptor was back after
getting and updated paint job, it was looking very good, as was
the “Panzer pal” figure that Shawn brought. Lots of flesh tones
on that one….
Keith brought a Aoshima Lexus kit in 1/24
scale. It was out of the box with a very nice paint job. He also
brought his $20 challenge Nissan pathfinder in all built up and in
a primer coat. I think this one is gonna get done.
Earl brought in some of his latest projects
such as the old Hawk Beta-I atomic bomber wit parasite fighters.
This is an actual kit. He also brought in a dinosaur skirmish
diorama that was a work in progress. He also brought an old
Revell F-94 that he’s been working on. Earl is looking for some
of the old Revell or other manufacturers, airplane stands. If you
have any please bring them to the next meeting.
Ronbo had an in progress Stryker that he’s
been working on for the Regional.
There were also some nice kits still in the
box that folks brought by, the new DML M51 Sherman, a 1/32
Hasegawa P-47D that had some serious plastic in the box. A 1/35
scale Hobby Boss Ontos; Ronbo is obviously punishing himself for
something. There was a ’43 Wily’s gasser and a Fujimi 330 P4
Lemans 2nd place winner.
Brian Clemmons brought in a MRC Stargate RA
model in 1/9th scale.
The Dates:
June 9: No chapter meeting! We will be at
the Regional!
June 8-9: Region V Regional, Knights of
Columbus Hall 401 West Main Street, Ottawa, IL 61350 Contact:
Steve Stohr: 815-434-7279, 2615 Cherie Lane, Ottawa, IL 61350
thestohrs@aol.com
July 14: Chapter Meeting. Club barbecue
August 11: Chapter Meeting at the Rock Island
Arsenal Museum
August 22-25: IPMS/USA 2007 National
Convention hosted by IPMS/Orange County; Anaheim Marriott,
Anaheim, CA; details at
www.ipmsusa2007.org
September 8: Chapter Meeting
October 13: Chapter Meeting
November 10: Chapter Meeting
December 8: Chapter Meeting. Christmas party
and annual “What If? Contest. The $20 challenge will also be
held. Bring in the completed kit you bought for $20 from Ed and
get your money back.
Mikey’s collected wisdom:
A lot of folks can't understand how we came
to have an oil shortage here in our country. well, there's a very
simple answer. Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't
know we were getting low. The reason for that is purely
geographical. Our OIL is located in Alaska, California, Coastal
Florida, Coastal Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and
Texas. Our DIPSTICKS are located in Washington, DC !!! Any
Questions ???
NO?
I didn't Think So.
Substandard Modeling
By Glen Broman, IPMS Quad Cities
Sorry folks, I couldn’t resist. It may also
be a case of truth in advertising as well as I built a model, not
just any model, but a submarine model. Hence the title of the
article. I was wandering around the consignment shelves in the
basement at Major’s and found a Revell 1/144 scale Type XXI U Boat
that one of our former members was getting rid of. I brought it
home last Thursday and had it built by Sunday. I plan to paint it
this week and bring it to the Regional as an out of the box entry.
This kit is one of the Revell of Germany kits and overall was a
tremendously moderate kit. There are only two sprues, and one of
them has the two hull sections, which are single piece moldings.
The detail is not bad and this is a fairly large model. There is
no visible flash, but one problem that I have found with Revell of
Germany kits is that there is always a small seam of flash around
the outside of all the parts. This makes clean up a bit tedious.
I made a decision early on when I was looking at the kit, there is
opportunity to detail this by removing the solid molded on ladder
rungs and make some railings from sprue and your choice of rigging
material and it would really improve the looks of the kit, but I
decided to go out of the box and just have a fun build. You may
notice that there is interior detail on some pieces and inserts on
the sail (that’s sub talk the thing that sticks up from the sub
deck where the Caption rides when the boat is on the surface and
the periscope and other nautical thingies stick out of.) I found
out that Revell marketed two versions of the sub, the WWII Type
XXI U-2518 and the post war Wilhelm Bauer of the Federal German
Navy. It turns out there is a surviving ship, now a floating
museum in Germany. This was a German war time boat scuttled off
Hamburg at the end of dubya-dubya two and raised at least a decade
or so later when the German’s were hurting for submarines during
the Cold War. It was rebuilt and served the German Navy for many
years until it was decommissioned and opened to the public. The
other version of the kit is the Wilhelm Bauer and apparently has
some interior detail. A quick note on research. I didn’t find
anything really useful on the Type XX! In my reference library, so
I went online. I did find some line drawings but very few pictures
that were useful for determining details and colors. There is a
nice color walk around of the Wilhelm Bauer in Hamburg on the IPMS
Stockholm site, but that is not useful for modeling the WWII
version. There are some interesting U-boat sites on the web, but
details on the Type XXI are just hard to come buy unless you get
one of the books covering the Type XXI. Anyway, back top the
build. The build itself is not that bad but there are some fit
issues and gluing and cleaning up the joins lines can be a bit
tedious. I did try some new techniques using Tenax – 7R liquid
glue, which is my favorite glue in the whole world. The
instructions are fair at best, with pages of multi-lingual
warnings of the dangers of building models with dangerous toxic
glue and sharp objects. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Real men don’t
follow the instructions anyway. Assembly starts off wit the
forward diving plane assembly. This assembly can be built to move
back and forth. Since I don’t plan to play with this boat in the
bath tub, I glued it in place with the diving planes rigged out.
Do not glue this on to the hill side until you are ready to glue
the two hull pieces together. If you don’t get it absolutely
perfect, you will never get the hull together. The middle torpedo
tube door is glued I next. I don’t know why the center one is a
separate part and the rest are molded closed, but you need to be
careful to get a good fit so you aren’t filling and rescribing
later. The aft horizontal stabilizers are glued together next,
they require some care and some filling. The outer end pieces
have huge sinkholes that will require a fair amount of putty to
fill. I tried using typewriter correction fluid that I took from
a blonde at work that was covering her computer screen with it.
It only worked so-so, so I am dropping this little trick from my
repertoire. After sanding the seams I glued them on, but I left
the propellers off until after painting. Step 10 is where
everything starts looking like a U-boat. I glued the diving
planes in at the same time I glued the hull together, put the
rudder in and started gluing the hull together using Tenax. By
using capillary action wit the liquid glues, you can get a good
bond and in some places get a little filling action with a bead of
plastic that comes from the “welding” properties of the glue.
Getting the hull glued together takes some time and patience, but
it will save a little filling and sanding down the road. The two
deck pieces went on next, there is a sizable gap. There is nothing
you can do about the aft hull section as it has some inserts in
the deck it fits into and the fit is a challenge getting the sides
to line up with the upper hull anyway. The forward decking gives
you two options, try to line up the hull scribing with the deck
plates. This will leave gaps both forward and in the middle where
the join wit the rear deck is, or just glue the forward deck flush
with the bow and just fill the center section. This is what I
did. I used some 10 thou plastic card to fill the gap and then
sanded it lightly and it looks just like the rest of the deck.
Once this puppy dried overnight, I used my new Tenax trick. I
saved all of the plastic shavings from cleaning the flash and
trimming and applied these small plastic pieces to the gaps, and
then I dipped the brush in the Tenax and applied it to the
plastic. It melted and filled the gaps beautifully. I am such a
freakin’ genius. I then spent an evening enjoying The Deadliest
Catch on the Discovery Channel while sanding the living crap out
of the hull until it looked half decent. Eventually, I decreed
victory and started building the conning tower. This has an
insert that is a little tricky, but is no major problem. I left
the 30mm gun turrets off until the conning tower was filled and
sanded (gun turrets on a sub? How cool is that?). I glued the
coning tower on, which will take some care to avoid gaps and
headed for the home stretch. You have the option of making 39
identical 7mm stanchions out of stretched sprue if you choose to
add hull railings, but photos suggest not all subs mounted them.
I decided to pass on the fun. The last step is gluing on all of
the periscopes, schnorkels, antennae and what not. These are a
bitch to glue on straight. A suggestion, you can cut them down to
the stowed position or partly raised, instead of fully raised and
they will be much easier to align. Guess who didn’t think of that
until he was twenty minutes into the periscope alignment dance?
The decals and painting instructions are pretty much useless.
The two or three small pictures on the box side show a scheme not
even mentioned in the instructions. I decided to go with a
gunship grey upper full and dunkelgrau lower hull using Model
Master paints. I have decided that the only decals I will use are
the small U-boat sail numbers. According to the decal guide, the
sail had significant amounts of yellow paint, which are depicted
by thick decals. If you do decide to do this, I would suggest
painting the sail with German sand yellow, masking over the areas
where the stripes are and then paining the sail Gunship grey.
That might not look too bad and would certainly add some color.
Anyway, it’s time to stop writing and get the old airbrush out and
finish this off in time for the Regional. It might win, if no one
else enters any subs……
THE ART OF RESEARCHING PRIOR TO THE BUILDING
OF A MODEL
By Tony Avalos, Courtesy IPMS OC Newsletter
So how should I build this model? What colors
will I use? How much detail should be included? Then again, are
there any detail kits even available for my model? To many of my
fellow modelers I will most likely be providing information that
is largely already known. But for those who are only just getting
into the art of model building or for those who are returning
after a long absence, like me for instance, then the information
in the next few paragraphs may come as a nice surprise. So much
has changed since I made my first model some thirty years ago.
Back then I was literally ecstatic whenever I bought my favorite
brand – Monogram. My dream of course was being able to afford the
Tamiya’s, for they were at the top of the pecking order. So, I’ve
returned to my first best hobby and to my surprise there is so
much more available today than in the early 1970’s. Over the last
year, I’ve been researching my building options and visiting hobby
shops, book stores, and libraries throughout California. I’ve
visited shops down in San Diego and as far north as San Francisco.
Don’t think that I am rich, because I’m not. I simply have a job
that requires me to travel and along the way I find a little
solace in looking for these gems from long ago and find myself
daydreaming as I once did as a ten year old kid.
So let’s get on with it and here’s what I
found as good resources if not in themselves, then perhaps a lead
to the next lead. First and foremost, the best all in one resource
if used correctly has been the IPMS Orange County model club. I’ve
learned many good starting points (leads) from which I was able to
acquire additional information. It seems like many of my fellow
modelers are pretty serious about the craft and are very good
resources in themselves. The next best resource has been the
Internet. This includes our local chapter’s website as well as the
national chapter’s website. Another resource is simply typing into
Google key words such as Luftwaffe, plastic models, model plastic
stores, to name a few, has provided many leads for online stories,
histories, pictures, availability of books, models, additional
resources, and of course hyperlinks. Don’t get stuck on just using
Google, be brave and use other search engines and resources such
as Alta Vista and Yahoo. Here are some websites that can get you
started: www.google.com www.ipmsoc.org
www.altavista.com www.ipmsusa.org
www.yahoo.com
www.squadron.com Used book stores have been a very good
resource as many good detailed books are no longer in publication
and unfortunately many of the new books in the market today are
prohibitively expensive. It’s not unusual for a new aircraft or
armor book to start at $50.00 and many as high as $90.00. Used
books are often available for under $30.00. Several publishers are
putting out detailed books and pamphlets on specific subjects such
as a particular aircraft, vehicle, armor, etc. Many of these books
can be found new for under $30.00. Some of the books that I have
found to be very helpful in color selection, history, and
detailing of aircraft have been the Monogram series of books.
Squadron books especially the “walk-around” series have also been
very helpful (You can check the clubs website for a listing of all
the Squadron publications and those marked with an * are available
for review from the webmaster - ed.). Others include the Kagero
series, Profile series, Luftwaffe In Focus, and general modeling
detail books. Some of the bookstores that have had helpful
information include Once Read Books in Long Beach, Altair 4 Books
in Orange, The Bookman in Orange, and Book Baron in Anaheim.
Additionally, many of the local hobby shops also have a variety of
books on modeling and related subjects such as for trains, planes,
and automobiles, oh and armor. I’ve also visited many of the
libraries in Orange and Los Angeles counties and although many
have WWII sections or similar categories, few have detailed books
we modelers often require. A few have had books on the more
popular aircraft such as the P-51s or B-29s as well as books on
the common tanks such as a Sherman or Panzer. Sadly, most have
little detail and fewer still have those precious color
photographs, which could help to provide the final decision on
what color should be used to paint a whip antenna or what color a
pitot tube should be. I’ve yet to visit the main library in
downtown Los Angeles so I can’t opine on the quality of the books
that may be available for additional reference. I can’t finish
this article without mentioning the most unique places to visit.
These include our local museums. That’s right; Southern California
is the home to many fine museums many of which are less than an
hour’s drive. Visit a museum and you can see and photograph the
fine detailing of that Cobra sports car or that eye catching
Ferrari. We are blessed here locally with the Planes of Fame
Museum and Yank’s Air Museum in Chino and a little drive down to
the Palm Springs Airport and you can visit the aircraft museum
where several older planes are on display. Visit any of these
locations and you can photograph that fine detail not available in
many books. You can also focus in on areas of special interest;
perhaps engine wiring, flap detail, color schemes. You may also
find additional resources such as books and videos, which may also
be helpful in the completion of your model. I’ve gone full circle.
These are many of the resources I have used to help me decide what
models I want to build, the history, how they should be painted,
and most importantly… have helped me to appreciate and enjoy the
art of model building.
New Revell Chopper Kit
Subject: Aces Wild Custom Chopper
Manufacturer: Revell
Kit Number: 85-7315 Scale: 1/12
By Chuck Herrmann, courtesy IPMS GTR
Newsletter
Revell has issued a series of kits depicting
custom chopper style motorcycles in 1/12. There are 6-8 different
kits planned, the first ones came out in July. These are “phantom”
kits in that they do not represent a specific real subject, rather
they are an example of what a customer could order from one of the
specialty custom motorcycle shops. Each kit has several options,
and all the parts are interchangeable between kits so ultimately
there would be a lot of possibilities if you were to kit bash
parts from the different kits. The kit I built was the Aces Wild
version. The kit is molded in white and chrome, with clear glass
and rubber tires. There are 54 pieces, which includes the optional
parts. In this kit you have a choice of wheels, gas tank, exhaust
pipes, air cleaner and belt drive cover. The design is relatively
simple, especially when compared to the Tamiya 1/12 bike kits. But
then it is about a third the cost. The tube frame is two main
pieces. It fits together well, but in order to secure the front
fork, the fork mount on the front of the frame clamps around the
fork, which means there is a seam that needs filling once the
pieces are assembled. Also, the frame cannot really be painted
until this is filled and sanded, by which time the chrome fork is
attached making it difficult to mask and paint. The frame does fit
together nicely, the mold lines are not excessive, and the other
join seam is on top, which can be sanded smooth and is eventually
hidden by the fuel tank. For wheel options there are the standard
spoke wire wheels or custom billet wheels, which mount treaded
rubber tires. The wheels need to be glued to the fork and rear
frame, so they cannot turn. The fork style is not the same as
shown on the box art. There are chrome disc brakes. Speaking of
chrome, there is a lot of it in the box, probably half the parts.
This is the way real custom bikes are finished, but all the usual
problems with plated plastic crop up here. The engine is all
chrome, but the two block halves leave a big gap that cannot be
filled without ruining the chrome, same for the oil tank. The mold
lines are very noticeable on the fork and handlebars. This is
common on models with lots of chrome but since everything here is
so visible it is an issue. I bought my kit on a Monday and wanted
to finish for the Saturday meeting. Since this meant I didn’t have
time for a nice paint job, I went for a rat rod theme. I removed
the chrome from the fork, assembled the frame per the instructions
and filled the front seam afterward. I brush painted the fork and
frame with Humbrol metallics, the fork chrome and the frame dark
gray. When dry I burnished the frame to give it a metallic patina,
this worked better than the fork. The fenders and gas tank I
sprayed Testors Flat Black from a rattle can, then polished and
waxed with “The Treatment” to give a satin sheen. I sanded the
seat smooth (it has an Ace logo molded in), then painted it Model
Master British crimson, a flat paint which I rubbed out to look
like leather/vinyl. On the engine, I just glued it together then
ran thinned flat black in the fins for highlighting. I picked the
straighter exhausts, stripped the chrome and painted them Model
Master Jet exhaust, another metallic paint you can rub out to get
some sheen. The rest I glued as is, since I had a tight deadline.
(Note the bottom of the oil tank is in the kit but not called out
in the instructions). The assembly goes smoothly; I did not
experience any major fit issues. The fork will turn, the finished
bike stands up using the kickstand. It builds up into a decent
shelf model. The negatives are the mold lines and joints for the
chrome parts, again a common modeling problem, and the design for
mounting the front fork. For the next one I do, for the GTR club
theme, I will probably remove more chrome and refinish or paint
it. Also fill more joints, and do a better paint job. I am looking
at an alternative way to mount the fork, maybe a bolt or rivet
from the bottom? And I may look at some of the aftermarket pieces
made for the Tamiya kits.
Product Report:
Courtesy of the 72ndscaleUSmilair@yahoogroups.com
By John Huggins
Good day,
A few days ago there was some discussion about Mattel Vac-U-Form
machines and the repair parts that were available. My machine had
some problems. The heater worked fine, but the chamber just didn't
have enough suck to get a good part. My platform had been lost,
and it was a pain to get the plastic sheets to stay in place with
out drilling a bunch or holes first. I spent the $20.00 for the
kit and here are the results. It comes from a place called
Lo-Tek Inc. Their main focus is gauge holders and the like,
but he has a side line for the Vac-U-Form repair. They are at http://www.gaugepods.com/vacuform/index.htm.
The kit includes a new valve for the pressure chamber. It is
larger than the original and is a one way device. You have to
drill a 3/16 inch hole in the floor of the vacuum chamber. Put a
bead of the silicone sealant (included with the kit) around the
new valve and install. The rest of the silicone is supposed to go
around the chamber where it attaches to the frame. With the help
of a dental tool it can be done. Let the silicone cure for about
12 hours. While that is curing, wipe out the inside of the vacuum
chamber tube, then apply the silicone lubricant as instructed.
While you are working on the bottom side, go ahead and install the
new feet that are provided. If yours is like mine, one or two of
the original feet will be missing any way. After the silicone has
cured, replace the vacuum platform with the new one provided. Make
sure it is pushed down below the edge of the frame. It will be a
tight press fit. The other part of the kit is a piece of diamond
plate that is designed to go over the heat chamber to help keep
the heat around the plastic and enable you to get a better part.
Use it, it works. As per the instructions, heat the frame up for
8 to 10 minutes prior to putting in the first piece of plastic.
Raise the frame, put in a piece of plastic and push the two parts
together. It does work; no need to drill a bunch of holes first.
Put the part you want to make a copy of on the platform and put
the diamond plate over the heating plastic. Give it a couple of
minutes to heat the plastic. It should be soft all the way to the
edges of the sheet. When ready, flop the heated plastic over the
part to be duplicated and start pumping. Bottom line, this system
does what it is advertised to do. My machine works better that it
ever has. The seal is very good. The vacuum chamber doesn't leak,
and I got a good usable reproduction the first time. In the past,
it would always take three or four times to get a usable part.
This was a well spent $20.00
Revell-Monogram Sold!
HOBBICO ACQUIRES REVELL-MONOGRAM
Champaign, Illinois, May 2, 2007 - Hobbico,
Inc. announced today that it has acquired Revell-Monogram. Revell
will continue to operate from its Northbrook, Illinois
headquarters and will be led by Jim Foster, the company's
President since 2002 and a hobby industry veteran for over 40
years. Revell is a world wide leader in detailed, scale model kits
including cars, trucks, ships, and planes. Founded over 60 years
ago, the company markets under the brands of Revell and Monogram
which were combined in 1986. In September 2006, Revell's European
business was sold to a group led by Revell GmbH management.
Hobbico is the world's leading manufacturer, distributor and
retailer of model hobby products, including radio controlled
models, plastic model kits, trains and other hobby products. The
employee-owned company sells products through hobby shops, toy
stores, chain stores as well as its retail subsidiary, Tower
Hobbies. "Revell has had seven different owners over the last 37
years," said Jim Foster, "but this new combination with Hobbico
represents a unique partnership that provides stability for the
company's dedicated staff and the resources they need to create
exciting new models. Hobbico understands what's important to
serious modelers. Joining the strengths of the two companies will
lead to products that modelers will really appreciate." Revell's
research and development staff includes many talented
professionals who have been with the company for as long as five
decades. They will continue to manage the creation and
manufacturing of all new and existing products from their facility
in the Chicago area.
"Many modelers who fly or drive R/C got their
start in the hobby by building a plastic model kit," said Wayne
Hemming, President of Hobbico. "Plastic kits are the foundation of
model building. We are committed to giving Revell the support it
needs to continue its 60- year tradition of quality and excellence
in plastic models." The Revell and Monogram brands both originated
in 1945. Revell started out with plastic toys. Their first plastic
model kits sold in 1951 were a series of vintage cars called
Revell Highway Pioneers. The first model was a 1913 Maxwell, a car
made famous by comedian Jack Benny.
Monogram started with wooden ship models and
progressed to flying control-line and free flight airplanes as
well as CO2-powered cars. Their first all-plastic kit, a midget
racing car, came in 1954 and sold for 98¢. Next came a Hot Rod and
a Racing Speedboat which both were sold as "Snap-Fit and Press-Fit
for Jiffy Assembly." "Both Revell and Monogram have produced
literally thousands of different models over their long history,"
said Jim Foster. "Every effort has been made to preserve the
production tooling for possible future re-releases. Over the
coming years, we will work to not only create exciting new
releases, but also bring back many classic favorites from years
gone by."
Press release from
www.revell.com.
This is Mike Valentine’s fault:
Apple Computer announced today that it has
developed a computer chip that can store and play music in women's
breast implants. The iTit will cost $499 or $599 depending on
size. This is considered to be a major breakthrough because women
are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not
listening to them.
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Scale
Armor Pro Kit No. 7208; Soviet SU-100 Tank Destroyer; 152 parts
(134 in grey styrene, 14 etched brass, 2 DS plastic track runs, 2
twisted steel wires); price about US$14.95
By Cookie Sewell
Advantages: first new kit of this subject in
this scale, very nicely rendered components
Disadvantages: like 1/35 scale one will not
build postwar Czech version
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all small-scale Soviet
armor fans
DML continues to make the same "Big Brother -
Little Brother" pairs of kits with its 1/35 scale models and 1/72
scale companion pieces. This one follows hot on the heels of the
Premium Edition 1/35 scale kit, but is a new effort. Like all of
the recent 1/72 scale kits, this one uses the same conventions of
shared sprues, DS plastic flexible tracks that may be glued
together with styrene cement, and etched brass components to
enhance the model. The kit comes with only two sprues - one from
the 1/72 scale T-34-85 kit family and a dedicated SU-100 upper
hull. The lower hull is a late T-34 hull with separate beak" edge
for the bow and with the now-familiar DML "Slide Molded" wheel
sets for their 1/72 scale '34s. About half of the T-34-85 parts
are not used, but the rest are the detail bits to complete the
model. It comes with a choice of plastic or etched brass grilles
for the rear, four new 95 liter spare fuel tanks, and twin tow
cables made from twisted steel wire. Assembly is simpler than the
1/35 scale version as the upper hull and casemate are in one
piece, with only a "pulpit" to be added to the right side of the
hull and the hull rear and front plates. Both are, like all DML
'34 series vehicles, basically appliqués over a frame molded onto
the hull part. All hatches except the engine access hatch are
separate parts and may be posed either open or closed. The gun
barrel is styrene but is "slide molded" with a hollow bore. Etched
brass parts consist of the aforementioned grilles, the internal
air louvers for the radiator exhaust grille, and some smaller
fittings. The kit offers five different finishing options:
Unidentified unit, Bohemia 1945 (white 433 on 4BO green);
Unidentified unit, Vienna 1945 (red stars with white surrounds on
4BO green); 7th Mechanized Corps, Hungary 1945 (whitewash over 4BO
green); 11th Guards Mechanized Corps, Hungary 1945 (faded
whitewash over 4BO green); and Unidentified unit, Czechoslovakia
1954 (white 482 on 4BO green). The decals are from Cartograf and
it is a "targeted" sheet with just those markings on it. Overall
it is a very nice effort, but as with the large kit it's a shame
that the markings and few extra parts needed to convert it into a
Czech-made vehicle serving with Egypt could not be provided.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
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