Region 2 convention:

I'll be there

Me, too!

I'll have a table in the small vendors room, in the corner I'm told. I have a few boxes of kits to unload. Not a shop, just personal stuff that's got to go.

Ron

I'm looking for the Rareplanes 1/72 scale Consolidated PB2Y "Coronado" flying boat kit. Any chance??

Bill Shuey (Yes, it's a vac-u-form)

isn't that kind of rare?

I'll be there too, and have a seminar on the history and modeling of the Soviet T-34 on Saturday.

Cookie Sewell

I showed up ("90% of life is showing up") about noon and started out in the model display room. Amazing, really beautiful things in there. Keep in mind I haven't built a model in about 30 years and this was my first-ever model show, so my if effusion seems overdone please remember my inexperience. After looking things over generally I concentrated on my favorite subject, WW2 USN and Japanese aircraft, of which there were some really impressive examples. I have a lot of basic questions after looking at these things, such as how do you make the canopy frame blend into the fuselage? How do you get away with "orange peel" paint jobs that would get a Chevy Cavalier sent back to the factory? Okay, maybe that was a cheap shot, but it seems to me that at these scales, smoothness of finish is paramount.

I've made some basic decisions about how my new old hobby of building plastic model aircraft and some vehicles will go:

1. Almost everything will be more-or-less "factory new", with very little weathering - I saw a few examples of too much weathering, and one or two that were hideously overdone.
2. Whenever possible I will motorize the model. I need a source of micro-motors that start with a tiny push and stop when a finger is put into the prop arc - can anyone point me in that direction?
3. I want to do dioramas, especially aircraft undergoing maintenance. There was one of those there in 1/350 scale (!) that was simply incredible, a Marine maintenance facility with two Corsairs (one being refueled), two twin-engine planes (CRS strikes again!), and a scratch-built PBY Catalina "Black Cat". Tiny little mechanics working on tiny little engines, tiny little trucks, barrels, buildings, etc. It was enchanting, a jewel of a diorama.

Hung around the judges while they looked over and discussed some of the AFVs, trying to get an idea of how they were doing it. When they seemed to reach an interlude I introduced myself to a big, friendly bear named "Cookie" Sewell, told him I had judged show cars in a previous life, and that I was interested in the qualifications for judging. He talked of what they were looking at and for, and as he spoke I realized the first thing I had to do was become a member of IPMS (duh), so that's on the To Do list now. It looks like I may have found a reason to restart an old hobby. For now, there's that "workroom" area that needs clearing-out...

Then I wandered around and picked up some Repla-Tech drawings and old kits I liked the looks of - and liked the prices, like $2.00 each. I got a Testor's SNJ-5 Navy Trainer, a Jo-Han A6M2 Zero/Rufe that will be built as the Rufe floatplane, a Monogram F7F Tigercat, and to add to my collection of L&S Hiryu versions, a Ki-109 B-29 killer with the big, honking 75mm artillery piece sticking out the nose.

I think everybody builds the Rufe from the JoHan kit. I know mine got started that way. The Testors SNJ is one of the oldies from the hobby. It was originally a Hawk kit first put out in the '50s, I believe.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

That was Jeff Herne's and he took a first with it. The two tine engined beasties were PBJ's (B-25's in Navy/Marine colors).

Referred to as "she" during the awards.....much to Cookie's chagrin.....;)

You should have come to the small vendor room in the back after 3 today. I made some incredible deals for folks, even so my prices were about the lowest all weekend. Cookie managed to score a pair of F-84G's cheap!

Don't ask me how they did it but they got Hooters to sponsor the "Figures, busts" category and the winner got a certificate for a dinner.....for a party of 10! I'll stick with the passes to Constellation and the chunk of deck I won.

The instructions say to paint the upper surfaces violet - I take it this is a mistake? I'll research the proper colors.

Yes, I remember seeing the same kit by Hawk at flea markets. I really like the molding and the parts fit together well, but I wish they hadn't molded in the insignia lines.

A well-deserved prize, too! Yes, of course those were Navy PBJs.

:-) Well, in certain circles my nickname is "French", which brings its own share of ribbing.

I wish I had, but the budget (whatever cash I had in my wallet) got blown before 2:00, and besides, there's this annoying voice in my head that keeps saying, "Build some kits you already have before you buy new ones, dummy!" I'd wander back over again today, but I started a new attempt to quit cigarettes yesterday and I'm just trying to stay busy here to take my mind off it. Going somewhere things are up for sale may prove dangerous to my checking account...

Sounds like a natural category for Hooters :-)

I believe it was a case of something resembling violet because it was outside in the salt air and sun. I know of nothing that would indicate the Japanese actually intended to paint a warplane violet.

I guess they thought we children would put the markings in the wrong place without guidance. We still put them where we wanted to and I've seen many survivors with US stars upside down. :) I don't think the mouldings on Hawk's kits were as 'outstanding' as Aurora's or Revell's early kits.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Regular glue before painting usually does the trick. You want a "panel line" but not a big seperation; you can also fill with white glue.

That may have been a junior category; it's important to encourage the youngsters.

Mabuchi mini-motors are still made. You can get them from hlj.com or rainbowten.com. Roll models may carry some as well.

Actually violet may be a correct color under Aleutian weathering but the orchid shown on the boxtop is incorrect. That was probably started by Profile Pubs. Someone put forth the theory that if the cold weather obliterated the color coat the underlying iron oxide primer would show through. Japanese gray or green are better choices. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Glad you are thinking of joining -- it can't hurt!

The sex change was "revenge" by Arris after he gave a woman named Karen a sex change first...

Cookie Sewell

But Cookie, you looked so cute in that pick tutu......;)