Show and Tell - April 10, 2008
Meeting Location: HobbyTown USA, Petaluma
Meeting Time: 7:00pm
Theme: The Wild Side
Pictures by Charlie Dailey and 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.
• We are now collecting dues for 2008 ($20 for adults; $15 for juniors 17 and under). Please contact Greg Reynolds to make payment.
• Please consider joining IPMS USA ($25 for adults). 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 April 16 at 7pm, the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) will hold its monthly meeting. James Goodwin of the Tuscagee Airman will speak. • 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 February 21, 2009, IPMS Santa Rosa will hold Hobby Expo 2009. The theme for 2009 is "Crafting Your Dreams".
Website Announcements (by Doug Dropeskey, Website Administrator):
• Please see the Update History page for a complete listing of all changes to this website.
• 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.
Guest Speaker Bob Nidds of the Marin County Fair Creatures and Models exhibit:
This month featured guest speaker Bob Nidds, director of the Marin County Fair Creatures and Models exhibit and contest, who came to talk about the event. Creatures and Models began in 1989, when members of Industrial Light and Magic agreed to display some of their models and props as part of a special exhibit at the Marin County Fair. Over the years, the event evolved from a ILM exhibit into a contest geared toward science fiction and fantasy subjects--models, pictures, and costumes. The event continued to evolve, eventaully embracing all sorts of models, but still showcasing science fiction and fantasy subjects.
Anyone can participate in the contest. Just about any model qualifies, as long as it can fit into the exhibit hall. The categories, display schedules, and prizes do not match traditional IPMS contests.
The categories include:
1) Creatures - Original Design, under 3 feet
2) Creatures - Original Design, 3 feet and over
3) Creatures - Inspired by other Media (e.g., movies, books)
4) Creatures - Professional
5) Creatures - Going Green
6) Models - Original Design (i.e., scratch built)
7) Models - Inspired by other Media (e.g., movies, books)
8) Models - Going Green
9) Models - Professional
10) Costume - Original Design
11) Costume - Professional
12) Costume - Going Green
13) Two-dimensional images of a Creature(s), Model(s), or Costume(s); must be a fantasy interaction of a Creature(s), Model(s), or Custume(s)
14) Group Project - Creature, Model, or Costume
15) Group Project - Professional
Note there are no specific categories for aircraft, armor, ships, cars, and so forth. Most models at an IPMS contest would fall into category 7.
To compete in the contest, you must submit entry forms and fees by May 15, either in person or online. You must drop off your models at the fair on June 13 or June 14. If you cannot make this deadline, please contact Bob Nidds so he can make special arrangements with you. The fair runs from July 2 to 6. You must pick up your models on June 7.
Prizes range from simple ribbons all the way up to $300 for overall best of show. For more information, please visit the Marin Count Fair website, especially the Creatures and Models area. You can also find the Creatures and Models event guide in our Flyer Archive.
Bobb Nidds and other volunteers oversee the exhibit hall during normal hours of operation, and make sure viewers do not touch the entries and exhibits. Contestants are encouraged to place models on bases or in display cases, as they will be moved by Bob during the course of the contest. Make sure you include any special handling instructions with your model! If you have more questions or concerns, contact Bob Nidds.
Jack Riggar UFO Challenge:
In the early days of IPMS Santa Rosa, the club secured 40 Testors Roswell UFOs for $40 as fodder for a Make and Take event. The model looked somewhat problematic, so Jack decided to try it out and built one as a standard UFO (shown below). This revealed the troublesome and difficult nature of the kit, totally suitable for children, so the remaining 39 went in storage for some years.
Jack eventually hit upon the idea of converting one of the UFOs into a hypothetical German aircraft circa 1946. He wondered what other builders could do with the model. When club management decided to give away the remaining UFO models as door prizes during the 2007 Christmas party, he decided to issue a challenge.
The Jack Riggar UFO Challenge was simple: build the Testors Roswell UFO as anything other than a UFO. Jack encouraged kit bashing, unusual paint schemes, and any other method of converting the alien craft into something other than a UFO. The whole contest revolved around an ironic twist--building a hypothetical craft from a model of a hypothetical craft. Jack set a construction deadline for the April 10, 2008 club meeting and offered a $25 cash prize for the best model.
Four club members took on the challenge. In addition, Jack brought his two takes on the UFO, one built as a conventional alien craft, the other completed as a German experimental aircraft circa World War II. Bob Nidds, manager of the Creatures and Models exhibit at the Marin County Fair, agreed to judge the event. Jack also brought some very alien prizes for the winners.
We now present the winners and entrants in the Jack Riggar UFO Challenge:
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John Admire won first place for his UFO completed as a futuristic police car. He used police unit decals from a free sheet given out at the 2007 IPMS National Convention. The car number, 51, was inspired by a military installation in Nevada.
Mike Orme won second place for his Steve Irwin memorial, featuring a UFO converted into a giant stingray. The model includes tourists visiting the memorial and a very prominent stinger barb.
Greg Reynolds won third place for his incomplete UFO configured as an advanced aircraft. He reasoned that the Testors UFO was mistakenly modeled from a crashed vehicle, and that the real craft would look far more aerodynamic. The model includes parts from an SR-71 grafted onto the lower hull of a UFO.
Doug Dropeskey brought in his incomplete UFO, built as a tandem two seat German experimental aircraft. The final design was to feature pusher propellers, twin jet engines, and a zero point energy drive.
You can find more pictures of the contest entrys and trophys on our Jack Riggar UFO Challenge event page.
Show and Tell (select a picture to view at full size):
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• Grant Moulton presented this huge, 1/72 scale, resin model of the Disneyland Mars Liner from Captain Cardboard. The Mars Liner, designed by Willy Ley and Werner Von Braun, resembles a giant V-2 rocket. • Chris, a new club member, brought in the next three models, two German kletternkrad tracked bikes and a military ambulance, all in 1/35 scale. |
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• Chris built the first kletternkrad using the 1/35 scale Dragon kit, a good model which features individual track links. The second kletternkrad was built in 1976 using the 1/35 scale Tamiya kit. |
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• Chris also displayed this 1/35 scale military ambulance, a kit offered at differant times by Peerless Max, Italeri, and Testors. He warned that something will not fit somewhere when assembling the shell. Chris painted the model using Tamiya olive drab, white, and buff, overcoated with Testors dullcoat. • Doug Dropeskey brought in the next model, a Panzer II Ausf. L by ICM in 1/35 scale. Though Doug started the model in 2004 and tried many techniques on it for the first time--photo-etch parts, airbrushing, pigments, scratch building, repainting--it never seemed to get done. The finish was seriously marred by earlier experiments, so he decided to give it one last go, depicting a heavily weathered vehicle of 9th Panzer Division using MiG Pigments. |
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• Doug also presented the next three models, a M5A1 Stuart by Tamiya in 1/35 scale, a Panzer I Ausf. B by Dragon in 1/35 scale, and a scratch built Earth Elemental in 25mm scale. The M5A1, built almost from the box as a painting experiment, will feature markings for 3rd Armored Division during the Opertaion Cobra breakout campaign. Doug did not attempt to correct any of the major dimensional issues with the kit, but did fill in the hull sponsons and add weld beads. The weld beads were done the "quick and dirty" way, using round platic rod scraped into a half circle cross section. It does not produce the most realistic result, but it looks better than nothing. The Panzer 1B wears markings of the 4th Panzer Division during the invasion of France. It features individual link tracks and a photo-tech set by Eduard. The weld beads were improved using Squadron white putty. The Earth Elemental was created by gluing Woodland Scenics medium white rock onto a metal armature. The ramming arms were crafted from toothpicks, and the whole model "shrink wrapped" with Mr. Surfacer 1000. |
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• Doug also brought this late model Panther Ausf. G by Dragon in 1/35 scale. The model features a photo-etch set by Cyber-Hobby. The individual link tracks were corrected on the right side by shaving off the track pins and reversing them on each link. The right front engine vent sits too high, so Doug lowered it allowing the turret to turn properly. The gun mantlet, crew heater fan, and engine fan covers were all textured with Mr. Surfacer. The tank was completed as a vehicle issued to 9th Panzer Division about one month before VE day. |
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• Doug also brought in these 1/35 scale ammunition crates to demonstrate how a very simple painting technique can produce very different wood textures. In each case, the crate was initially painted with Testors Wood and then given a wash of burnt umber. Then, from teft to right, the crates were "semi-dry" brushed with raw umber, raw sienna, burnt sienna, leather, and armor sand. Grain was added to the wood by lightly scribing all smooth surfaces using a standard Exacto knife. The three rightmost crates, for German 88mm ammunition, were improved by scrapping off the solid end pieces and replacing them with "planks" of plastic card. The US 76mm ammunition crate, second from the left, was given rope handles using nylon string. Finally, Doug brought in a decal sheet by Echelon Fine Details, featuring late model Panther Gs. This is the only after market decal sheet available with an option for a Panther with a steel wheel on the last station. • Wesley, courtesy of Greg Reynolds, presented the last model, a snap-fit Jedi Starfighter in approximately 1/32 scale. A recent release, this model features very crisp molding and pre-painted parts. |
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• Dave Hansen presented an A-4D Skyhawk in 1/72 scale, which he built back in the 90s as part of a Fremont club group build. Dave backdated the kit, allowing him to use the colorful livery of VA-44, stationed at NAS Jacksonville. |
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Dave also brought in this underway F-14 Tomcat in 1/72 scale by Fujimi. He started the kit in 1989, and it now approaches completion. It is the second most accurate F-14 in this scale, and more buildable than the Hasegawa kit. • Jack Riggar continues work on his Zis-5 truck, this time building a base for the model. Jack crafted the road using a two part epoxy putty with similar properties to Milliput, but costing much less. He rolled out the putty using a rolling pin, talcum powder, and water to thin the material, then added texture with sandpaper. After researching cobblestone patterns, Jack chose one resembling chicken wire. The spike on top of each fence post was crafted from a toothpick. |
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• John Boes presented his underway 1911 Marmon race car, which won the very first Indionapolis 200. He secured plans from a gentleman in Illinois and began scratch building the body shortly thereafter. The car won the race with an average speed of 74mph. By eliminating the second seat and adding a rear view mirror, the car gained a significant advantage over the other racers. |
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John Boes also brought in a 1956 Novak racer, built from a resin kit. The car began the 1956 Indianapolis race in position 23 out of 30, quickly taking the lead with an average speed of 180mph. The Novak achieved such great speed using a V8 engine in a field of cars equipped with V4 engines. Unfortunately, the car blew a tire on lap 10 and crashed into a wall, thus failing to complete the race. John finished the model with auto paint from a spray can. |
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• Tom Young continues to work on his series of Russian World War I dioramas, now starting his fifth project. The 1/72 scale scene utilizes an RPM European Rail Set. The ties in this kit include all required hardware and the rails simply slide through. A group of Russian Dragoons, from a Strallets kit, will soon ride along the rail line. • Bob Nidds brought in a 1976 issue Eagle Transporter from the series Space: 1999, originally issued by Airfix but later produced by MPC/Fundimensions. Bob salvaged the model and now plans on fixing the many dimensional problems and other issues with the kit. Bob also brought in a large compliation of photographs, plans, and information on the Eagle, and offered to share it with group members. • Greg Reynolds presented an unbuilt Me 262 in 1/72 scale by Hobby Boss for review. Hobby Boss recently began releasing a large range of newly tooled, 1/72 scale aircraft aimed at younger builders. Though nearly a snap together kit, the model features nice, recessed surface detail with about 30 total pieces. This cheap model actually rivals the equivalent Revell kit in detail. |
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• Charlie Dailey brought in a modified USA-1 Monster truck my AMT in 1/24 scale. The model includes the top end from a 1969 Camero and a dulie bed from the spares box. Charlie did not like the appearence of the front end, trying various configurations, but ultimately made the kit part fit. Charlie also brought it a set of elaborately marked Revell funny cars, signed by numerous luminaries in the racing world. Almost every year, Charlie builds a special model for this purpose and takes it to NHRA races, seeking signatures from drivers and crew members. Charlie painted the 2007 car green in tribute to Eric Medlin and his team. For this year, Charlie is building a highly modified, 1960s era school bus converted for racing, as it provides lots of room for signatures. WINNER: THEME AWARD |
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