Show and Tell - March 13, 2008
Meeting Location: HobbyTown USA, Petaluma
Meeting Time: 7:00pm
Theme: A Century of Progress, 1901 to 1925
Pictures by Doug Dropeskey
Commentary by Doug Dropeskey
Club Announcements (by John Admire, President):
• Regular club meetings take place on the second Thursday of every month, starting at 7pm, at HobbyTown in Petaluma.
• Board meetings take place on the fourth Thursday of every month, starting at 6:30pm. Please come to the board meetings if you would like to contribute.
• Hobby Expo 2008 was extremely successful with 111 participants entering 383 models in the model contest. Feedback from other clubs and vendors was almost universally positive. We estimate that between 1500 and 2000 people attended the event. The club would like to extend a very special thankyou to Steve Elliot of HobbyTown USA in Petaluma for bringing all of the other clubs to the event. Though Hobby Expo 2008 was probably the most expensive event to date, it was also the most successful and paid for itself.
• Hobby Expo 2009 will take place on February 21, 2009. If you want to contribute ideas for the event regarding theme or other areas, please attend a board meeting.
• We do not have good email accounts for some members. If you would like to update your contact information, email address or otherwise, please contact John Admire.
• We are now collecting dues for 2008. Please contact Greg Reynolds to make payment.
• Please consider joining IPMS USA. As a direct benefit, you will receive 6 issues of the vastly improved, color IPMS Journal. As an indirect benefit, you help the club gain access to cheap event insurance, which makes Hobby Expo and the Airshow Make and Take possible. IPMS Journal samples are available at every meeting, so take a look.
• We still have club shirts available in both Original and New styles. Please see Greg Reynolds if you would like to purchase one.
• Please consider participating in the free club kit build program. The club will buy you a kit worth approximately $40. In return, you must complete an in box, in progress, and completed model review over three club meetings. You get a free kit and incentive to build it. What a deal!
Upcoming Events (Please see the Event Calendar for more information.):
• On March 19 at 7pm, the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) will hold its monthly meeting. The speaker will be Pat Grill, a pilot with the 509th Fighter Group.
• At the next IPMS Santa Rosa club meeting, on April 1O at 7pm, Bob Nidds will give a presentation on the Marin County Fair annual Creatures and Models contest. Bob runs the event and can answer all you questions about entering the contest and displaying your models. Note that unlike traditional IPMS model contests, the Creatures and Models event runs for 4 days and features some fairly large cash prizes.
• On Saturday, April 19, Silicon Valley Scale Modelers (SVSM) will cold their annual Kickoff Classic model contest and show. Many SVSM club members attended Hobby Expo, so let's give their show a big boost.
• On Saturday, April 19, HobbyTown USA in Petaluma will hold their installment of the spring HobbyTown Model Contest. If you cannot make it to the Kickoff Classic, please consider supporting Steve Elliot and HobbyTown. Note that all winners receive discount coupons or gift cards good at HobbyTown.
• On Saturday, May 17 at 1pm, IPMS Santa Rosa is heading to the Littlefield Tank Museum in Portola Valley. The museum features a huge array of tanks and armored vehicles. Space is limited so if you want to attend, please contact John Admire. Carpooling is available and encouraged. Please note that all attendees must pay a $5 fee.
• On Sunday, July 27, IPMS Dragon Lady/Yuba City will hold their annual model contest and show. A huge contingent of Dragon Lady members attended Hobby Expo, so let's give their show a big boost.
• On August 6-9, IPMS USA will hold the National IPMS Model Contest in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Website Announcements (by Doug Dropeskey, Website Administrator):
• Please see the Update History page for a complete listing of all changes to this website.
• Please visit the online Task List to view all planned improvements to the club website. If you would like to add to, remove from, or comment on the task list, please contact us or attend a board meeting.
• If you would like to contribute photos of events, meetings, walkarounds, and so forth, please contact us. We are happy to handle all image processing and include any information or captions you like.
Build Review: 1/48 Eduard Pfalz D.IIIa "Weekend" issue, Part 2 (by Mike Vice):
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This month, Mike presented his second installment on the 1/48 scale Eduard Pfalz D.IIIa "Weekend" issue. Mike used photo etch parts for the interior and seat belts. It will ultimately feature men positioned on the plane, painting insignias. The prototype was captured by the British and used for comparison tests against native aircraft. Though fairly easy to build, the kit does suffer from a few problems, but nothing an average modeler cannot correct.
Build Review: 1/35 Zvezda Zis-5B Truck (by Jack Riggar):
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The Zvezda Zis-5 features a mixed bag of parts, some well detailed, others simplified or poorly rendered. Jack decided to rebuild many of the worse parts, using basic modeling skills without the aid of aftermarket products. For reference, Jack used a detailed walkaround of the prototype found on the Silicon Valley Scale Modeler's (SVSM) website. Since no two Zis-5 trucks look exactly the same, the modeler can really go to town, picking and choosing features to create a truely unique replica.
The incorrectly shaped vinal tyres suffer from aweful bubbles. Jack reshaped the tyres and rims, adding detail and correct tread pattern, then used the part as a master to cast replacements in resin. When finished, the valve stems were added to the resin wheels, as this was easier then including the stems with the castings.
Jack reshaped the engine, universal joints, break hydraulics, and drive shaft to more accurately reflect the prototype. A new exhaust system was fabricated from Evergreen stock. The very tiny and intricate taillight was also built from scratch. Jack notes that he likes this feature the most on the completed model. The entire dashboard was also built from scratch since the kit part does not resemble the real thing.
The Zis-5 features many wooden parts. The Zvezda model captures this woodgrain texture well in some areas, but rather overdone in others.
Jack scratch built all the glazing using polycarbonate from TAP plastics. The polycarbonate looks much more realistic than acetate and does not scratch as easily. TAP Plastics sells extremely flat, optical quality polycarbonate, 5-30 1000s mils thick. He also notes that you cannot vacuform with this material. At this stage, Jack also added additional detail to the doors.
Despite the numerous corrections made to this point, the kit does feature a very nice grill and headlights.
The completed model was painted Tamiya Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Green.
Jack filled the bed of the truck with a wide variety of parts cast from resin or scrath built for the job. The resin Tiger tank engine came from Verlinden. The crates were fabricated from balsawood and basswood. Propane tanks were sourced from an Italeri workshop set, featuring chipping done with a sponge and panzer chocolate brown. The chain was artfully draped into the bed and then secured with thin white glue.
You can find many more pictures of Jack Riggar's Zis-5 in our Model Showcase article dedicated to the project.
Show and Tell (select a picture to view at full size):
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• Mike Vice brought in this 1/48 scale Jasta-5 Albatross by Eduard (Profipack). Mike left out the interior out because he intends to give it to a friend and it will sit on a high shelf. • Brett Halby presented his work in progress--a 1/35 scale BMP-1 by Dragon. The BMP-1 first saw use during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The model features individual link tracks, Sagger missiles, good detail, and builds up fairly easily. Brett is building the model out of the box. • Greg Reynolds brought in the "Aole" or Flying Bat, a steam powered French proto-aircraft from 1890. The very unusual kit, circa 1960, comes with blue silk for the wings and a bird feather for the propellor. The original kit features 2 models because it is so difficult. |
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• Tom Young displayed the next three models. The first depicts a 1/72 scale Neuport 17 in flight, posed to best show off the red and green wing undersides. Tom built the Revell kit out of the box. The next model features a Fokker D.VII by Roden in 1/72 scale, posed on a grassy field. This particular plane was captured by the Belgians and flown by their top ace. Finally, Tom continues his string of 1/72 scale, World War I, Russian dioramas. This trench scene includes a scratch built trench mortar and elements of the HaT heavy weapons kit. WINNER: THEME AWARD |
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• Jack Riggar actually began his Zis-5B project with this Zis-3, 76mm gun by Miniart in 1/35 scale. He received it as a free demo from the Miniart booth at the 2007 IPMS Nationals. The kit features full color instructions, and good details overall. Jack did redo the wheels, adding tread detail, and scratch build a new gun shield as the kit part was cracked. The model was finished with Tamiya acrylics. • Mike Winters presented a 1/35 scale Cromwell tank by Tamiya featuring photo etch details by Aber. The model depicts Cromwell in British service after the Normandy invasion in northern France. The kit includes the hedgegrow cutter, but the tracks come from Fruil and the bicycle from Aber. Mike finished the tank with Model Master Russian Green and some kahki color, using kit decals with painted Allied recognition stars. Fabric made with bent dental lead, a Bren gun, and a simple base complete the project. |
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• Mike also brought in a 1/48 scale F6F-3 Hellcat by Eduard for review by club members. The kit features very nice detail and photo etch parts. • John Admire displayed his impressive USS Oregon by Glenco in 1/225 scale. The Oregon carried 13 inch guns and served during the first quarter of the 20th century. John used monofilament for all the railings, some brass, and glazed the bridge windows. The mast moved out of alignment as the model aged. • John Boes presented this 1/20 scale Jeep by Nitto, built out of the box. |
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• John also brought in this 1909 Heinrick flyer, the first American monoplane, in 1/32 scale. John built the plane in 1964 from scratch. John also diplayed three figures in 1/20 scale. The first figure is produced by Dragon. The other two are made by Verlinden. |
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• Doug Dropeskey displayed this Polish Fokker D.VII in 1/33 scale by GPM. The card model features very nice detail including a complete interior with simulated wood stringers. All wiring and control lines were added using piano wire. |
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• Doug also brought in the next three models. The first, a Porshe Tiger in 1/35 scale by Dragon, features zimmerit formed with Squadron white putty and a dowl cut to the correct width for this pattern. The model was mostly built out of the box using the premium edition kit, and represents a command vehicle used by heavy tank destroyer battalion 653 in Russia during 1944. Of the 11 Porsche Tigers built, only this vehicle saw combat. When building the kit, take care to use the correct mantlet and features, as the model includes numerous optional parts that do not apply to this singular vehicle. The second model, an E-25 tank destroyer in 1/35 scale by Trumpeter, features numerous scratch built details. The kit only includes rudimentary weld lines and exterior details. The running gear arms are too long when compared to plans, and not correctly spaced from the hull. Doug started by scribing correct weld lines everywhere on the vehicle, including under the sponsons. Bolt detail was added where appropriate and fuel filler caps added to the back deck. A thick plate deflection shield was added in front of the driver's hatch, and the machine gun turret barrel rebuilt. The gun barrel was replaced with a much longer one from a Dragon Panther smart kit. This necessitated a complete redesign of the gun mantlet, which was made by adding a brass collar around the base of the gun, and then resculpting the whole thing using Milliput. Texture was then added using Mr. Surfacer 1000, and casting numbers added from the kit sprues. The storage boxes and revised skirt hangers were built using Evergreen stock. The third model, an M4A2 Sherman in 1/35 scale by Dragon, represents a medium tank of C Company, 2nd Marines, "China Gal", tasked with taking Betio, Tarawa Atoll from the Japanese on November 20 to 23, 1943. This was the first Marine usage of the Sherman tank in combat. Of the 14 tanks in C company, approximately 7 made it to the beach and only two, "Colorado" and "China Gal" made it through the entire fight. The model features a number of improvements over the base kit including a full photo etch detail set from Voyager. The armored hoods over the drivers and bow gunners positions are too short, so the welds were scraped off, the hoods built out with plastic card, and the welds replaced. The retaining strip for the hull machine gun cover was scraped off and replaced with bent wire. All C Company tanks included a rack for 8 gas cans on the tail plate, so this was scratch built with plastic card and the cans sourced from spares. Weld seams were added to all the underside surfaces, including sponsons. Correct drain plugs were added under the sponsons. The final drives on the kit are significantly too small, so the bolts were carefully cut off, the outer edge built up with strip stock, the surface smoothed out, and the bolts added back. The transmission cover does not fit very well, so the shape was adjusted using Milliput. Texture was added to all cast surfaces using Mr. Surfacer 1000. The model was painted using Model Master enamel paint, custom mixed to match period photos. Washes were done with Model Master acrylics thinned with Liquitex Slo-dry and Flow Improver. Doug used the kit decals, but they do not include markings or serial numbers for "China Gal", so he made them by using letters and digits from the other decals. Note that some sources claim that the elephants on these tanks were yellow, but color period photos clearly show they are not the same color as the names, which definitely were yellow. |
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• Doug finished his Grand Slam with this Sherman VC Firefly in 1/35 scale by Dragon (6162). He is building this tank to represent a vehicle of 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guard, 8th Armoured Brigade, operating in the Normandy area. Though mostly accurate, the model features quite a number of problems that Doug sought to correct. First off, up until the Tarawa Sherman above, Dragon represented weld beads on their M4s with trenches, which is wrong. M4 hulls all featured flush or slightly raised welds, so Doug redid about 5 real feet (not scale) of welds all over the model, including welds around all the splash guards and fittings. The base of the turret is oval instead of round as it should be, so Doug carved at the bustle area to get the correct shape, and corrected the curves in front of the commander's hatch as well. With all the necessary reshaping done, casting texture was added to the entire turret and 3 piece final drive cover. The gun barrel is too long by almost 2 actual inches, so Doug built it up, chopped it, and put the muzzle break back in the right place. Doug is adding a full Voyager photo etch set, which necessitating using the "wrong" rear plate and scratch building Firefly related details. The rain guards over the drain plugs at the rear of the turret splash shield were also sculpted and then weld beads added. The extra armor plates over the ammunition stowage bins were made using kit parts, but the welds were redone to a different style. The connecting strips for the sand shields are all wrong, so Doug shaved them off and made replacements using plastic card. • Cameron Colyer brought in the next group of figures, an army of Tyranids from Games Workshop, intended for battle in their Warhammer universe. Many of the larger figures were made by kit bashing parts to create unique combatants for his army. Most of the figures are styrene, but a few are white metal. Cameron estimates that he spends about 4 hours building and painting each large figure, and about one hour on each small one. |
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More shots of Cameron's impressive army. |
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Still more shots of Cameron's impressive army. |
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• Cameron also brought in this car of unknown make, model, and scale, which he found very easy to build but absolutely no fun. • Taylor presented this fearson Necron Monolith for Warhammer by Games Workshop. The Necrons are a Warhammer faction like terminators, but without the skin. The Monolith serves as a Necron transport vehicle and gate, allowing their armies to reach the battlefield quickly and in large numbers. These vehicles use gauss weaponry and a particle whip. He estimates this project required about 9 hours to build and paint. |
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