Greetings and salutations to one and all! I cannot believe it's already December and where has the time gone?

That's all for now, and I'll see you next Tuesday (12/19/2023) for the general meeting at 7pm at the Williamsville Youth & Recreation center at 5005 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville, NY 14221. Parking and entry to the facility will be in the back.
Happy modeling,

IPMS Niagara Frontier Meeting Agenda - December 19, 2023

NOTE: CANNOT ACCESS FACILITY BEFORE 6:50PM

7:00 PM to 7:10 PM - Place models on tables with description forms.

We would like to encourage all club members to join the national IPMS. Help support your hobby on a national level. IPMS provides the insurance that allows us to have our events, and membership includes a nice monthly magazine. The website can be found at: IPMS, and an application form can be found HERE.

The monthly general club meeting will be on Tuesday, December 19th at the Williamsville Youth & Recreation Center, 5005 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville, NY 14221, starting at the usual 7:00pm. Parking and entry to the building is in the back. There will also be a 50/50 raffle held at the meeting to help raise funds for the club. Directions:

Thanks to some donations from some generous club members, the pizza party at the December meeting will include chicken wings! The food is free to current members of the club. Don't forget to bring your Toys for Tots donations, and if you are so inclined, you can bring a side dish or dessert.

Member Tim Carson passed along the following info: The 18th Annual 24 Hour Model Build is coming up. The build period coincides with the running of the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona - January 27/28, 2024 - noon to noon in your time zone. The build is open to anyone, so tell your friends. The Facebook group for this year's build is HERE.

To keep our club mailing list up-to-date, if you are a member of IPMS Niagara Frontier and have recently changed your email address or are not receiving the club newsletter and meeting emails, please contact our website coordinator, Larry Osolkowski, and pass along your email information. Thanks!

A link to the current Sprue and Glue News has been added in recent months to the Newsletter Blast emails provided by National IPMS. For those readers from other chapters, and anyone else who might be interested, our website has a Newsletter page with buttons to select any of our newsletters from the current year. There is also a button on that page to access the Archive page, which has links to all of the newsletters published since September 2007.

A NOTE TO NON-MEMBERS

The minutes from the November 2023 general meeting are included below. Thanks to our Secretary, Al Germann, for the meeting minutes.

November 21st - President Mike Butry led the meeting.

• Old Business:
  • Toys for Tots collection will take place at the Dec. meeting.
• New Business:
  • Mike B. described an offer for promotion with the WNY Model Railroaders for their recent show, but with short notice, we could not take advantage of this. E-board has interest in the future if we have more time to schedule coverage by our members.
• BuffCon #39, April 2, 2024:
  • Mike B. made the announcement that we are looking for volunteers for all the usual of positions. More to follow.
  • Frank B. is looking for the tri-fold promotional pamphlet computer file.
• NorEastCon 52, 2024:
  • None.
• Miscellaneous/Open Floor:
  • Mike B. informed us that Jim Elam, a member from the Rochester club, passed away.
  • Mike B. welcomed a visitor, Jim R., that came back after some time.
  • Any new members should see Larry O. to supply their email to receive the newsletter. Also, if any members need a name tag they should see Tom F.
  • Mike B. stated that after discussion from E-board, we are planning a build night at Section 8 Hobbles. This will start in late April 2024, after BuffCon. Mike also discussed the option to build during the general meeting. This may evolve in the future with further discussion.
  • Al G. pointed out that some of the pages on our club's website have not been updated in a long time. The suggestion was for members to write a short article to keep this fresh.
  • Recent shows/events:
    • SyrCon, Oct. 22nd had 252 models on the tables for the show.
    • Cleveland, Nov. 5th was a rather large event with plenty of models on the tables along with a lot of vendors.
  • Frank B. ran a raffle for a good quality coffee and denoted the proceeds of $35 back to the club.
  • 50/50 raffle was run at this meeting with the tickets sold resulting in a $70/$67 split.
  • There were the usual free magazines from various members.
  • With the members' models in "round table" format, discussions were within their groups.

To promote greater transparency regarding the operation of the club and the EBoard, action items from the previous month's EBoard meeting will be published in the newsletter. These will not be detailed minutes of the meetings, but highlights that the general membership should be aware of.

December 11 - President Mike Butry led the meeting, held at Section 8 Hobbies.

• Old Business:
  • Tom F. provided overall status of the club's financial state which is favorable.
  • Tom stated that he is still working to resolve the club's status of 2023 filing. Our tax debt was paid and check cashed but there are difficulties with getting through the state tax database and human support. Tom is not asking for outside assistance at this time.
  • December meeting will include Toys for Tots donations but U.S. Marines coordinating the collection stated they need more time for processing. Toy collection for Christmas 2024 will be at the November meeting.
  • Food for the December meeting and party will have pizza and wings along with soft drinks. There was more than one club member that provided a donation to include chicken wings. Members will be requested to feel free to bring in any types of desserts or treats as part of the celebration. Tom F. has action item to arrange food and Al G. has action item for drinks and supplies.
  • E-board continued to discuss holding a club build night at Section 8 Hobbies location. Plan is for 4th Tuesday of the month but after the winter season, starting in April. Justen H. stated he needs 1 week lead time.
  • Also discussed with Justen H. the topic of re-starting kids build class. Discussion was favoring summer classes at least the first round. This will be discussed further in the future.
  • Mike shared feedback he received on the Round Table format from the November meeting. End result is we will move back to original layout. There was suggestion and discussion on condensing the overall length of the model tables so verbal descriptions could be heard clearly. Mike has action item to discuss this layout with Bob C. as he hosts the tables more often than other members.
  • Discussed the search for the document for the club's tri-fold pamphlet for promotional purpose. Dan P. is point of contact for this if anyone has a copy. Dan has action item to update or draft new version of flyer and let him know if you want to contribute. Target date for draft for January 2024.
  • Mike has action item to ask Youth Center for use of microphone.
  • Mike recapped shared promotion with the local railroad model club (National Model Railroad Association). Mike has action item to stay in contact with Andy M. to share a table at the Hamburg train show in February 2024.
• New Business:
  • 2024 is an election year for E-board positions.
  • Discussion led by Mike and Justen H. and there is interest and option for club to fill a display case at Section 8 Hobbies. Follow up is needed.
  • Al G. has action item to summarize 50/50 raffle data and forward to Tom F. for tax filing.
• BuffCon #39, April 7th, 2024:
  • Mike and Tom F. have action item to contact Knights Hall for kitchen food service.
  • Mike has action item to follow up with contact from Squadron.
  • Mike has action item to contact Tamiya magazine and Squadron products.
  • Justin S. has action item to resolve judging sheet issue.
  • Still need clear list of volunteers. Mike has action item to follow up at general meeting.
  • Current flyer (with categories) is available for use.
  • Dick stated advertising with IPMS Journal and Fine Scale Modeler magazine.
  • Inventory and locations need to be identified and planned for January E-board meeting.
  • Dick stated he needs help with efforts arranging sponsorships.
• BuffCon #40, April 6th, 2025:
  • Tom F. has action item to confirm date with Knights Hall.
  • Dick provided description with a potential date conflict with another club's event in for eastern area of our region. Appears to have settled down.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Good amount of information shared on museums and airshows. Highlights were with Glen Curtis Museum in Finger Lakes region (Hammondsport NY) and Eldred WWII Museum in Eldred PA which is not that far from WNY. Along with the Air & Space Museum in Niagara Falls.
  • Brief discussion continued on high tech kits affecting judging criteria.
  • Group discussion on members that have not been seen for a while. Some attempts to contact were made with no results.

Mike Butry sent in a photo of his winning entries at Syrcon.

Moving to the model tables, Ted Szczesny brought in his latest large scale project, a Pocher (Hornby Hobbies) 1/4 scale Ducati 1299 Panigale R (Final Edition) Superbike. He used Tamiya acrylics and a Molotow Liquid Chrome pen for touch-ups. Ted said he needed extra shrink tubing to replace a shortage of 1mm tubing, and used Tamiya Cera Grease to lubricate the self-tapping screws into the diecast parts. He mentioned that, as with most Pocher kits, the instruction manual could use some clarification in some areas, and a couple of missing springs and a shortage of 1mm tubing was annoying but not insurmountable. Ted said he picked the kit because it's "one of two Pocher kits still available at retail (gulp) pricing. Minimal gluing, lots of screwing, and no painting. Could have bought a real 350 crate engine at one time for the cost of the kit! Welcome to the new reality." Ted also mentioned that it's a heavy kit with lots of diecast parts, 545 micro screws in 26 different types and sizes - Optivisors come in very handy.

Tim Grieve displayed a Testors 1/72 JU-188. He used Model Masters Dark Gray 74 and Light Green 83, Humbrol 65, and Testors White, Red and Green paints, with a Dullcoat overcoat. Tim said the decals were shot, so he used Eaglecals, which were great and more extensive. He mentioned that snapping the guns into their holders was impossible without breaking the barrels, and the kit had great fit but requires patience.

Paul Hines had three new paintings on display with a hot rod theme. The first was a Hot Rod in blue and white flames, an example of "old school" hot rods, including open wheels and old-style flames with a chopped top. Paul said the painting came out good with a background that gives it a 3D effect.

Paul's second painting was a purple hot rod in the more "classic" style, with full fenders, mag wheels and traditional yellow and red flames. Paul said he thinks the purple color sets it off nicely.

Paul's last painting, the Red Rod, is an example of a more modern "street rod" with billet wheels and more modern flames. He said he set this in a vignette open style painting.

Jim Greenfield brought in a Revell 1/48 Droid Fighter from Star Wars. He used Rustoleum Aluminum with Tamiya Panel Liner and pastels, along with washes and dry brushing for weathering. Jim modified the weapons and landing gear, and scratch-built the interior. He picked the subject because "it's crazy".

Jim also showed us an Esci 1/35 T-55 Iraq Enigma tank. Tamiya, Citadel and Mission Models paints were used, with weathering applied using pastels, pencils, powders and washes. He also added the resin Enigma armor and a scratch-built interior. Jim picked it because "it's cool".

Jim finally had a Revell 1/48 ARC-170 Modified Clone Recon Fighter (Heavy), also from Star Wars. He used Citadel and Mission Models paints with Tamiya Panel Liner, and washes and dry brushing for weathering. Jim added weapons and engines along with a scratch-built interior and landing gear from an F-16. He picked this one because "it's different".

Larry Osolkowski brought in a bunch of stuff to make up for missing last month's meeting. The first item was a new 1/24 3D-printed kit from Wicked Models of the BMW LMDH MV8 race car that runs in the IMSA GTP class. Wicked has upped their game with opening doors, reinforcements in the body shell, and a much more detailed and accurate interior. They also offered an optional lighting kit that uses tiny LEDs to light the grill surrounds, headlights and taillights. The grill surrounds can also be switched to light up in white, blue or magenta.

Larry also displayed a set of patterns made from Tamiya tape that will be used to make carbon fiber decals for the front splitter and rear diffuser of the Wicked Porsche 963 kit he's been working on.

Larry's third item was the progress on the old 1/24 Heller kit of the 1938 BMW 328 race car he's been working on for a few months. He's made some progress on the frame, gas tank, engine, suspension and bodywork. He also found some photo-etch from Scale Motorsports that will be used to add chrome rings around the instruments on the dashboard.

Finally, Larry just returned recently from a trip to Australia and New Zealand, and he brought back a souvenir boomerang, a laser-cut wood kit of the Sydney bridge, and a Bandai Star Wars AT-M6 Walker kit that he found really cheap in a huge hobby shop in Sydney.

Justin Schroeder displayed another nice Sci-Fi diorama, this one called "Jawa Keeping Warm On a Cold Night on Tatooine". Justin said he modified the 6 inch Black series Jawa figure by removing the head and hood to drill holes in his eyes for LEDs from Evandesigns. The half-broken robot is from a gun turret from Final Fraction. He weathered the Jawa with Tamiya Weather Master sets, repainted the robot legs and all the accessories from the Jawa figure, made the stone wall from insulation foam board and added sand using Sculptamold and real sand. Justin said the only really difficult part was removing the Jawa head and hood. He was inspired to make the diorama by a Youtube video with a Jawa, but his model is completely different.

Justin also showed us a Khyber Crystal Chamber made from a lantern. A Khyber Crystal is the power source for a Jedi's lightsaber. Justin used Rustoleum spray paints in gray primer, black, rustic orange and metallic aluminum, with a Vallejo matt varnish top coat. He said he heavily modified the lantern, gutting the inside LEDs and battery compartment, and used a real quartz crystal held with metal bits from his junk box. He weathered it using light sanding along with a Dremel tool to make scratch marks and gouges. Justin said this was his third attempt before finally getting the look he wanted. He recently upgraded the LEDs using a 12V battery, and said the mounting of the crystal was tricky. He's much happier with his model compared to what's available online.

Mike Butry brought in three models this month. The first was a Revell 1/24 Porsche Diesel Junior 108 tractor. He painted it in Model Master Acrylic Caboose Red, and used Tamiya's weathering sets along with some enamel washes from Mig. Mike said there were no mods as this was built out-of-box; however, the kit is labeled as a Snapfast, but glue was required, and some of the attachment points needed cleanup. Mike said he wanted to do something different, and he always wanted to do a tractor.

Mike's second model was a Takom 1/35 MQ-8 Fire Scout Helicopter. It was finished with Aero Master light and dark ghost gray, airbrushed, and weathered with Tamiya weathering sets and an enamel wash. He said it was built mainly out-of-box, but with an exhaust cover made out of tissue paper. Mike commented that "for a good company, the instructions stank, as everything was vague regarding placement of parts." He replaced lost rivets with 3D decals by Microscale. Mike said this model was intended to be his Tony Bartozek "I'm Not a Modeling Loser" challenge, but better late than never. The model took a first place at the Syrcon show.

Mike's final model was a 1/48 Jeep with trailer. It's been on the tables during the build process, and the finished model took a first place in Armor and a Best Armor award. Not too shabby.

Bob Butry displayed a 1/48 Trumpeter Seahawk. It was finished in Tamiya grays, with light weathering, and was built out-of-box. Bob said this model was a bit unusual since most of his builds are of US subjects. It took a first place at Syrcon in Jet category.

Frank Blonski showed us some new resin parts along with the molds he created to make them. He told us about experimenting with accelerator to quicken the setup time for the RTV rubber used to make the molds. It took a few failed attempts to get the ratio right.

Frank also raffled off a bag of excellent coffee from New Day Coffee in North Tonawanda, and donated the proceeds to the club.

Al Germann displayed a few projects. The first was his completed taxi: "The Crazy Parisian Taxi that Al Germann was crafting is now complete. And that includes a wine rack above the rear bumper. This wild custom is based on a purchase of a previously built Citroen model in 1/24 scale that now sports a blown Ferrari V8 and most of the interior from a PT Cruiser. Although it does retain the key elements of the Citroen like the single spoke steering wheel and the shifter coming straight out of the dashboard. The Taxi decals were purchased off eBay. Al stated he is very satisfied with the build and said he enjoys building models where anything goes."

"The Citroen Splendid Hotel is apparently Al's second in a series of French taxis. This one is a Heller kit in 1/24 that Al had his eye on a few years ago but passed. Prices on eBay became very high so when the kit was reissued, Al quickly placed an order on Model Roundup. As the seats were very smooth, plain plastic, Al used some diluted white glue and tissue paper to simulate some texture and wrinkles in the fabric. Body color is Krylon and interior uses Vallejo paints. The kit is going together well and will end up as a very unique model."

"Al brought back his 'in-process' build of the Grumman Goose as a Jimmy Buffett plane. Masking and layered painting is based on some internet photos. Al is transferring the graphics to a piece of glass to trace the shape on a wide piece of masking tape and then on the opposite side of the glass, makes the mirror image. Al is now starting the third color of red accents. Some cleanup needs to be done but overall, it is coming out well for an old vintage kit that he picked up at the Rochester show."

"Maryann Germann brought in a purchase from the model show in Cleveland (Kirtland OH) a couple weeks ago. The model kit of Dr. Zachary Smith and the Robot B-9 from Polar Lights was irresistible. Looks like a very well detailed kit and Maryann will look for a lighting kit for the Robot."

There were a few unidentified objects on the tables.

Finally, some around-the-room shots.

Thanks to Bob Conshafter for handling the model tables, and Larry Osolkowski for the photos.