Greetings and salutations to one and all! First and foremost, Happy New Year and I hope that this year is another great year at the bench for everyone. On to the main event - it's the start of a new year which means Buffcon will soon be here. The show seems far away, but April 2nd will be here before you even know it! Again, we'll need all hands on deck for the show (set up, admission table, judging, security and tear down, etc.). I can't stress this enough.

IPMS Niagara Frontier Meeting Agenda - January 17, 2023

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, January 17th at the Knights Hall, 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227, starting at the usual 7:00pm at the usual meeting room in the rear building. There will also be a 50/50 raffle held at the meeting to help raise funds for the club. This month's theme is safety in modeling - members are encouraged to bring in any items that they use to make their model building safer. Members are also encouraged to bring in unbuilt kits in new condition to be donated to the Buffcon raffle.

Tim Carson passed along some information on an upcoming event - the 17th Annual 24 Hour Model Build, coinciding with the Daytona 24 Hour race. It starts at noon (local time of the builder) on January 28, Rules (there are not too many) are on the FB page. This is a fun event with no judging, and there will be at least one Zoom meeting set up if folks want to join that. The Facebook page can be found at: 17th Annual 24 Hour Model Build.

Long time club member and Chief Judge Tom Brown, Sr. is looking for kits of cars from 1960. If you run across anything at a show, estate sale, or online, give Tom a call at 716-604-8482. Tom says thanks!

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 December 2022 general meeting are included below. Thanks to our Secretary, Al Germann, for the meeting minutes.

December 20th - President Mike Butry led the meeting.

• Old Business:
  • Tom F. stated he has new nametags for members that did not receive them.
• New Business:
  • None.
• BuffCon #38, April 2, 2023:
  • Mike B. announced that we are collecting model kits for the raffle at BuffCon. Several were brought in and Al G. is area coordinator for the raffle.
  • Short discussion on judging.
  • Dick S. answered question on sponsorship.
• NorEastCon 51, Saturday, April 29th, 2023:
  • This will take place in Albany area at the Polish Community Center, 225 Washington Ave. Ext. in Albany, NY.
• Miscellaneous/Open Floor:
  • Toys for Tots donations were collected by the US Marines.
  • Christmas party with pizza and drinks along with members' desserts.
  • Section 8 building a new place, is ready to break ground at their new location on Transit Road near Bullis and should be open in first quarter of 2023.
  • 50/50 raffle was run at this meeting with the tickets sold resulting in a $76/$76 split.
  • Bob C. led presentation of members' models on the tables.
  • John D. provided a demo on photography equipment for models.

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.

January 9 - President Mike Butry led the meeting.

• Old Business:
  • Tom F. presented financial status. Although overall balance is slightly up from last year, long term outlook is not good. Tom explained one major club expense is with the hall rental for monthly meetings which is increasing for 2023. The hall for BuffCon will also be increasing. Tom made some suggestions to think about along with general membership to realize meeting location will change at some point. Some brainstorming took place for new general meeting place.
  • Larry O. has action item to map out location of members to identify best compromised location for meeting. When this was done in the past, it ended up as Cheektowaga.
  • Tom F. suggested and discussion followed on a new location for onsite E-board meetings.
  • Membership dues are due and the club has 64 members at last count.
  • List of E-board members with IPMS membership covered was submitted to IPMS National.
• New Business:
  • None.
• BuffCon #38, April 2nd, 2023:
  • Jeff K. provided some status on vendor tables, and there are currently none reserved. While this is a concern it might not be that far off from slow starts of other years. Jeff made proposal on early entry for vendors at 7:30 am. This was discussed and approved as long as the vendor room is ready and final go ahead is up to Jeff. Dick has action item to contact Cleveland club for potential vendor list contact information. Mike has action item to discuss with Jeff out of region hobby stores for vendor tables. Jeff also had some details of draft vendor table form.
  • Maryann G. brought up possibility with contacts in local model railroad club. Discussion included many aspects to our club overlap such as techniques, skills, products. Mike has action item to pursue contacts.
  • Justin S. led discussion on new Lego store in Galleria Mall and Justin has action item to make contact with store manager for potential donation, vendor table or sponsorship. Vendor table can also be for promotional use.
  • Some brainstorming continued for better participation with regards to judging. This will be brought up at the general meeting. Tom B. stated he will purchase and donate a new airbrush for special raffle for judges. Al G. and Frank B. have action item to look for judging sheet created by Tom Jr.
  • Tom B. called for judging coordinators for specific categories and several E-board members volunteered. Tom asked coordinators to bring in a model of their choice to review judging criteria together at general meeting.
  • Al G. has action item to visit Highland Hobbies for sponsorship. Larry O. has action item to contact Detail Masters on donation, vendor table or sponsorship.
  • Dick S.reported on status of sponsorship which are about 1/3 spoken for. Discussed and approved a sponsorship swap of 5 categories with Hamilton club with their show in March. Dick has action item to complete this task. Mike has action item to contact the Indiana club for sponsorship.
  • Al G. stated kit collection for the raffle is growing with most recent kits coming from members during December meeting. Al has action item to provide inventory list.
  • Discussed the open position of "Show Boss" for event. Dan P. stated he is interested in this position and was approved by E-board members present. This position will resolve the variety of issues that arise throughout the day including discussing with other area coordinators or informing the President or the Vice Presidents.
  • Mike B. has action item to contact hall on food service with morning service starting at 8:30, lunch and afternoon drink service to 3:30 or 4:00 pm.
  • Tom F. stated tables are ordered.
  • Trophy samples will be reviewed soon. Budget for trophies has been reduced slightly from recent average.
  • Tom F. has action item to procure meeting room for next E-board meeting at same business center in West Seneca.
  • Show flyers are ready to print and Tom F. estimated 1 week turnaround.
  • BuffCon advertisements will be in IPMS Journal and Fine Scale Modeler.
  • Mike B. has action item to talk to Dave Schwab for promotions with other clubs.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Al G. stated the inventory of drinks for the general meeting is running low and the E-board needs to decide if further purchases will be authorized. The current supply is from the BuffCon inventory that was never used.
  • Discussed current state of Section 8 Hobbies store as their Seneca Street location is in process of closing down, and the new location on Transit Road is starting construction soon with opening planned in first quarter of 2023.
  • Steve W. summarized an article he read in Fine Scale Modeler on how the hobby is evolving. While product selection has never been better, model show events in the US are having difficulty drawing large crowds compared to history.
  • Al suggested a "safety" theme for the next general meeting. Larry O. has action item to add this to the newsletter for members to bring in items related to safety in scale modeling.

John Doerr sent in some photos of his current projects.

Moving to the model tables, Maryann Germann displayed her latest work-in-progress, a 1/6 scale vinyl figure of Cat Woman. She used super glue to assemble the parts, filled seams with Tamiya White Putty, and airbrushed it with Tamiya gloss black paint. Maryann said she plans to make a base to look like cobblestone with a manhole cover that says "Gotham City". To add realism to the figure, she added highlights using gray and white paint, with white stitching. Maryann will be adding weight to the base for stability. She said she just likes the subject.

Al Germann displayed further progress on his 4x4 Ford Van Alternative Future subject. He used Tamiya, Vallejo and craft paints. The diorama background was scratch-built mostly from insulation foam, with roots from a shrub, and mud made from white glue, Woodland Scenics snow or saw dust, and paint. He added a seat from the orange level of the old Aud (Memorial Auditorium) made from sheet styrene, and included leaves made from shades of paint on computer paper. Weathering was done using mostly washes. Al picked the subject as a fun, crazy idea. He said he wanted a diorama with vines, which reminds him of the end of the Planet of the Apes movie.

Al also showed us a recent kit acquisition, a Heller 1/24 Delahaye 135. He said he really likes the lines of the car, and looks forward to building it.

John Doerr showed us his model photography table top studio, and gave a demo later in the meeting. John said the studio cost around $40, and the camera was $800.

Bob Conshafter displayed a new work-in-progress, an LTD Dewoitine D.520 from around 1994. Bob used a mix of Tamiya XF-82 Gray and XF-27 Dark Blue for the interior. He said the interior was simplified, so he added fabric to the canvas seat back, plus spare box parts and 1/350 scale warship parts to detail the cockpit. He also fashioned the unique stick-lever style trigger on the control stick with brass wire, and added plastic card bulkheads. Bob plans on using True Details resin wheels. He said the kit is a short run production with soft plastic and a vacu-form canopy. He also lengthened the landing gear leg to improve the look, and glued in plastic card pieces inside the fuselage to help alignment, since there are no locating pins. Bob mentioned that he's never done a short run kit before, but the Bulgarian Air Force color scheme looked interesting.

David Safe brought in a new work-in-progress, a Revell 1/24 Land Rover. He used Rustoleum spray paint and Tamiya lacquer paint for the matt light blue. David adding some weathering on the chassis. He loves the style of the vehicle.

Jim Greenfield displayed a Monogram 1/48 Vietnam Command Junk, finished with Mission Model and Citadel paints and stains. Jim scratch-built the interior and kit-bashed the weapons. He added some weathering using washes and dry brushing. Jim said the subject is cool.

Paul Hines had three new aircraft art subjects for us to see. Paul described them as follows: "1) 1916-1917 German Albatros - the first to use a sleek plywood shell and a 6-cylinder Mercedes engine and twin machine guns. 2) Nieuport 17 (Gray cowling) - the French ace Charles Nengesser adorned each of his Nieuports with an insignia of two candles, a coffin, and skull and crossbones enclosed in a black heart. 3) Nieuport 28 (Red cowling) - in a dive, the 28 had a grim tendency to shed its wings, and was therefore rejected by the French government." Paul said he finds WW I aircraft very colorful and fun to paint.

Jeff Keenan showed us his progress on his 1/700 Academy USS Missouri BB-63 Modeler's Edition. He used Tamiya, Vallejo, Mission Models and Model Master paints, with details from the included photoetch. Jeff said he plans on doing some drybrushing and oil stains/washes after he's done touching up all his painting mishaps. He mentioned that every single mounting hole was too small and had to be drilled out, and that photoetch is still not his friend. He's hoping to gift it soon to his friend whose dad was on the "Mo" for the Japanese surrender. Jeff said this was his second ship model, and it's an interesting subject but he probably won't do another without a good reason.

Jeff also displayed a model built by his wife Susan - a Bandai Hello Kitty Gundam. No paint was used, and Jeff said Susan didn't like the stickers. He mentioned that he bought the kit for his wife when they were in Paris, since she seemed interested. He said this will probably be her last model; she feels she doesn't have the patience for it, but enjoyed trying his hobby.

Dick Schulenberg had three models on display. The first was a Revell Vought Regulus II Test Missile, 1957 kit boxing in approximately 1/72 scale, now completed. He used Vallejo Model Air Glossy Sea Blue airbrushed over Tamiya Fine White spray can primer. He also used Vallejo Model Color for detail painting, and Vallejo Model Color Satin Clear airbrushed for the final finish. Dick said he blanked off the intake, and replaced the shallow depth exhaust with a deeper one made from Evergreen tubing. He sanded off all the raised surface detail and rescribed it. He mentioned that the 65 year old plastic was brittle and easy to crack, but otherwise, everything fit well and the detailing was very nice. Dick said he purchased the kit in 1957 or '58 for 79 cents and started it probably the same day. He screwed up the white paint, so it sat in the box for 65 years. The paint cleaned off with Easy Lift Off and it just went from there. He said it's a nice addition to his '50's USN collection and it's just a cool-looking airframe and paint scheme.

Dick's second model was his Vargas Scale Models 3D-printed 1/35 Ford 1918 2-man Tank, which is now finished. He used Tamiya acrylic Khaki airbrushed over Citadel Black spray can primer. Regarding modifications and scratch-building, Dick said it didn't start out that way, but he dropped the assembled hull on a concrete floor. Now the entire trenching tail and part of the engine cover are scratch-built replacements. He used Tombow water color "brush & fine tip in one pen" (from Michaels) in brown and blue for pin washes and overall streaking, then blended with a dampened paint brush to get streaks and a modulated finish. There is no final overcoat. Dick said the model was harder to build than he thought it would be. He said the resin was very brittle which was a problem when scraping off the printing laminations. Dropping it didn't help. He picked the subject because it looked interesting and pretty funky. It was a neat period in armor development, and he also wanted to try an all 3D-printed model. Dick mentioned that he just bought the Vargas 3D-printed British Matilda I early WW II light tank kit, and it seems better printed and sturdier resin than the Ford; it looks very good in the box.

Dick's last model was a Revell 1/32 P-40E modified to P-40N in the early 1980's and resurrected from a basket case this month. Paints used were all Polly S, airbrushed, and all markings except the stars are hand painted in place. It also received a Dull Coat final finish. No aftermarket parts were used, but he sanded off all raised details, extended the nose and moved the fin and rudder back, and modified the turtledeck to fit the new canopy. He also added scratch-built cockpit details and a seat, detailed the wheel wells, scratch-built new main wheel hubs and dropped flaps, and replaced all panel lines with a 2H pencil after painting. Dick said the kit was (and still is) a pretty good kit today, considering it dates to the early '70s. He mentioned that he always liked P-40s and the markings in the Squadron reference were very eyecatching. His reference for conversion was the 1977 vintage Squadron "P-40 In Action". He said the color scheme for the upper surfaces is suspect and probably should be OD; similarly, the stars probably should be stars and bars. Dick said the book was the best reference available at the time, and he likes it nonetheless so it will stay as is.

Larry Osolkowski showed us his continuing progress on the Meng 1/9 BMW HP4 Race motorcycle. The exhaust system was finished with new, homemade carbon fiber decals, and added to the frame and engine. The radiator, unfortunately, turned into a disaster when he attached some brass radiator mesh bought from eBay. He used gel super glue, which soaked through the mesh leaving obvious glue marks. Larry got some photoetch radiator material which will probably be used to replace the mesh if it can be removed without damaging the plastic. He also made a clamping tool for his moto-tool from sheet plastic disks, and clamped the front brake discs so they could be spun while polishing with a sanding stick. The resulting wear pattern looks pretty good. He finished the front forks using Tamiya clear orange and clear yellow over Alclad Aluminum for an anodized effect. Larry mentioned that he didn't like the look of the Phillips head screws used to assemble the frame, so he 3D-printed some Torx head fasteners which were snipped off the support block and glued over the Phillips head screws. He also displayed some progress on the front brake calipers and lower fork assemblies.

Larry also showed us some useful tools and building materials. The green knife is a disposable scalpel given to Larry by fellow member Ron Mikol. It's seriously sharp, and really useful for trimming decals among other things. The black knife is an Xacto blade compatible knife bought from Amazon. It has several advantages over the old Xacto aluminum tube knife handle: it has a nice, ergonomic handle with a rubberized coating that is very comfortable; the handle has flats on it so it won't roll off the workbench; and, finally, the clamping mechanism for the blade is at the opposite end of the handle, which is much easier to use and doesn't have a collar that digs into the blade and gets stuck. The last item is Tamiya 2-part epoxy putty. It comes in two different colored strips. An equal amount is cut off from the end of each strip and kneaded together. It takes several hours to harden, so there's plenty of time to shape it. When it hardens, it can be filed or sanded like plastic. Nice stuff.

Tom Brown, Sr. showed us his latest work-in-progress, a model of the famous Iwo Jima flag raising. He used bronze paint, and made helmets out of tissue and white glue, and knives from popsicle sticks. Tom loves the US Marine Corps.

Ilya Grinberg brought in several current projects, but we didn't get info forms so no details are available.

There were a couple of unidentified items on the tables.

The toys donated by club members for Toys For Tots were collected by Lance Corporal Solis and Sargeant Perez. We had around 100 toys donated - well done!

The pizza party was appreciated by all.

Finally, some around-the-room shots.

Thanks to Bob Conshafter for handling the model tables. Photos provided by Larry Osolkowski.