Hello Club Members!
Welcome to near Summer, finally!
I am pleased to announce that Noreastcon 46, the joint venture between us and Roc City Modelers was a huge success. Lots of quality models on display, cool vendors and demonstrations were the pinnacle of the two-day event in Batavia last month. I am pleased and honored to announce that IPMS Niagara Frontier won the annual "Noreastcon Cup" at the end of the festivities. This award goes to the club that won the most trophies during the competition. Unfortunately, this is the closest Buffalo will get to winning a cup in the near future. Thanks go out to our vendors, sponsors and volunteers to help make this regional IPMS event a success. Next year, Noreastcon will be held at an armor museum in Bethpage, New York (on Long Island) and I will be sure to provide details as they become available.
A special mention goes to Joe Szczygielski who took "Best of Show" for his Trumpeter 1/16th scale US Army MATV with a plethora of scratchbuilt details. Congratulations, Joe and what a way to represent us at Noreastcon!
A huge round of applause goes to Vice-President Justen Hanna for showing us how to properly rig (flying wires) a biplane model. He took a very confusing application and made it easy to understand and do. Now, I hope to get two of my 1/32nd WWI planes finished very soon because this is what was holding me up. Justen is going to write up a "how-to" sheet and I'll have it posted on our website shortly.
For the June meeting, I will demonstrate how to apply a panel line wash using artist's oils and Bob Collignon will be doing a demo on how to create some really cool and realistic ground work for your next display base or diorama. For those who don't know, Bob has been featured on the cover of "Fine Scale Modeling" magazine and even has an entire "fanzine" from Japan dedicated to just his work. Bob is a modeler to whom you must pay attention.
Next, I'd like to announce that the annual Tony Bartozek Memorial "I'm Not A Modeling Loser" contest will be held again this year. After some discussion at the E-Board meeting, Dick Schulenberg wrote a synopsis of what the contest is all about. I am including it here:
Origins of the Tony Bartoszek Challenge (aka "The Timmy Ho's Challenge", aka the "I'm Not a Modeling Loser Challenge")
The Tony Bartoszek Challenge has its origin in the long ride home from NOREASTCON 2004 in Schoharie, NY. Bob Collignon, Dave Schwab, Tony Bartoszek and Dick Schulenberg were tucked in Tony Glisczcynski's car with Tony G as our designated driver.
We had all overspent on new acquisitions and the back of the Durango was packed with travel bags and kits. Halfway home, the moaning about spending too much started. We all agreed it would all be OK if we built what we bought, but everyone just knew that wasn't going to happen (except for maybe Tony G).
Tony B thought about this for a bit and came up with a motivator. His idea was that we should challenge each other to build and complete one of the kits we bought in time to show at the August meeting. We were to show the unstarted kit to each other at the May meeting. This gave us just over three months to complete the kit, which seemed quite reasonable at the time. Tony called this his "I'm Not a Modeling Loser" challenge.
To keep us motivated, we were required to state our intentions to the whole club at that meeting. The penalty for not completing the kit for the August meeting was to stand up before the whole club and declare yourself a "modeling loser". The impetus to complete your model was your own ego and being able to look your fellow challengers in the eye.
That first year I think Tony G was the only one who was not a "modeling loser".
For the next couple of years, the parameters stayed about the same. More people brought in their NOREASTCON purchase and joined the challenge. Some of us got better at meeting the challenge.
We eventually dropped the NOREASTCON purchase requirement to allow any unstarted kit to boost participation.
By 2010, the now summer event had evolved to add a monetary incentive. Tom Faith wrote a hilarious "contract" to explain the rules and consequences for the renamed "Timmy Ho's I Am Not a Modeling Loser" challenge. The monetary incentive was in the form of $5 Tim Horton gift cards. If you failed to finish your model, you had to give each person who did finish their model a gift card. This turned out to be a bad idea that cost one of our members a ton of cash. Because it seemed so unfair, we offered to cancel the outcome, but he wouldn't have it. Classy guy. By agreement with the other entrants, the money went towards supplies for our then current Kids Class.
For the next year, the challenge was modified into a team event and the monetary penalty was limited to one gift card per member of the losing team.
When Tony Bartoszek passed away in 2014, the event was renamed "The Tony Bartoszek Challenge" in honor of its creator.
By this time, we were averaging 24 to 26 challengers split into two teams, with a 75 to 90% completion rate. Tony would be pretty happy.
This year, we're going back to the original intent of the Challenge. No more teams and no more gift cards. You are challenging yourself to finish the kit you picked by the deadline so that you can look the others who made the same commitment in the eye and say "I Am Not a Modeling Loser!"
How about 100% participation this year?
Thanks, Dick for writing this up for us. So, in the spirit of Tony Bartozek's original vision, we'll have the contest without any monetary, or gift card incentives. If you elect to participate, and you don't finish what you committed to doing, you shall be branded a "Modeling Loser for 2017". Basically, the rule is taking a kit that has not been started, bring it to the June meeting to have you and it recorded as your entry. It must be completely finished by the September meeting: assembled, painted, decaled (weathering and a base is entirely optional) at least per the kit instructions, or you'll be immortalized in the "Hall of Shame" forever. Last year, I believe we had about 30 entries and most were completed. I'd love to see a great turnout this year as well.
That's it for this month - see you at the meeting!
John R. Zaranek
President
IPMS Niagara Frontier
IPMS USA No. 47993
Model Tables from the May club meeting:
Justen Hanna kicks off this month's offerings with his Wingnut Wings D.H. 2 Royal Flying Corps aeroplane from
WWI. Justen used some photoetch brass from HGW but a lot of brass tubing and invisible mending thread went into
the complex flying wires of the kit. He used paints by Tamiya, Vallejo and artist's oils and weathering with
washes and pigments.
His second piece is a Warhammer "Mortis Engine" which was finished using paints by Vallejo and Citadel. Justen
says, "It looks awesome and it's a great centerpiece model for my (Warhammer) army".
Bill Borkowski had his Revell 1/25th scale Mini Cooper ready for inspection. Bill took the kit and added the
following scratchbuilt components: foot pedals, turn signal levers, floor seatbelt attachment points and a firewall.
The body was primed with MM Metalizer Lacquer "Stainless Steel" and then finished with Tamiya "Mica Blue" from a
spray can. He used paints by Alclad and Tamiya for the interior and added ScaleMotorSport Faux Fabrix Textured Spray
Paint "Velvet Gray" to simulate carpeting. Bill explains that this kit was abandoned a few years ago (he forgets
why - I feel his pain) and was resurrected while trying to finish another project. Bill's inspiration for the Mini
Cooper model is the fact that he owns a real one.
Jim Wolfe brought in some projects. The first is his CyberHobby 1/35th scale Gruppe Fehrmann Tiger I kit. He's
planning on adding some zimmerit anti-mine coating to it before he starts the painting sequence.
He also has a 54mm Phoenix Model "King Grossenwulf of Thorea" figure kit in the primed stage. He's added a resin
base from a Mortal Kombat figure.
John Zaranek finished his Tamiya 1/35th scale US Army M247 "Sgt. York" self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. He
painted the model in the US Army's MERDC camouflage scheme of the early 1980's following the paint mixing instructions
in the kit directions. The mottle pattern was done freehand with the Grex airbrush. The gun barrels were painted matt
black and rubbed with AK Interactive "Gun Metal" weathering powder for a metallic sheen. He finished it off with a pin
wash of raw umber artist's oils and a matt coat of MM flat clear lacquer.
Nick Carluccio's 1966 Mustang was brought in as a current "work in progress". Nick cut off the roof and added a
convertible boot, shaved the V-8 emblems and added a six-cylinder engine. Right now, it's primed, but he also has to
modify the tranny to fit the chassis.
Frank Blonski finished his Master Box 1/72nd scale Austin Mk. III British Armored Car in time for Noreastcon.
Frank used Tamiya paints and used the "color modulation" technique to good effect. He also used a black oil paint
as a pin wash and dry brushing to accentuate details and fading.
Ilya Grinberg was absolutely delighted with the quality of his Tamiya 1/72nd Il-2M3 airplane model. Some of
the modifications he made were cutting the canopy, making a sliding part from custom made photoetch and other PE
from Eduard. He used Russian aircraft colors from the AKAN paint line to finish his bird.
Dan Marafino brought in the Monogram 1986 release of the B-52D USAF bomber. Dan used Desert Yellow, Light
Green, Dark Green and Black from the Tamiya line of paint. Unfortunately, the 30 year old decals dissolved in
water, so he had to use some from the aftermarket to finish the model.
Paul Hines artwork was on display this month featuring an F/A-18 "Ready For Take Off", an F-14 "On Deck",
and a Harrier "Coming In For A Landing".
Rich Bernecki's work in progress this month is the Tamiya 1/32nd scale F4U-1A Corsair. He's using Eduard
colored steel seatbelts and a Yahu instrument panel. Rich says that it's a beautiful kit and no problems with
it so far.
Tony G's love of big trucks was demonstrated this month with his Moebius Models "Pro Star Tractor". He used
seven airbrushed Burnt Orange Pearl color coats followed by five coats of clear gloss with no polishing.
Dick Schulenberg brought in a resin kit of the 1/72nd scale LF Models "Consolidated PB-2A" of the US Army Air
Corps, which was built in Buffalo in the mid-1930's. Dick explained that there was a lot of test fitting required
before committing to using glue and that the instructions and diagrams left "much to the imagination" for the
modeler. Dick used his customary brushed coats of PollyScale and Vallejo acrylics for the final paint work.
He also showed his 1/144th scale F-Toys "S2F Tracker" US Navy 1950's anti-submarine patrol aircraft. Dick
said that this was a prepainted model kit that he stripped and repainted and built it "wheels up". He used
Alps-printed decals from the Czech Republic.
There were a couple of additional unidentified items on the tables - please make sure your description sheets
are turned in to John before the end of the meeting!
Justen Hanna presented a demo on biplane rigging that was well received.
Finally, some around-the-room photos.
Thanks to Bill Borkowski for the photography.
