Greetings and salutations to one and all! By the time this newsletter goes out, the last big show within driving distance has come and gone. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the Cleveland Model Show 25 that was held this past Sunday, November 6, 2022. So for those of you that went, I am really looking forward to hearing from you at the meeting. I did see a few batches of photos from the show on some of the various modeling sites and man, the quality of workmanship on display was impressive. Anyone that took pictures, please send them to Larry O. so he can have them in the December newsletter. Thank you!

I made a note to correct the "slat step" but just wasn't sure how I wanted to deal with the issue. So, I decided to use some thin Evergreen sheet stock cut to size, shape it and have a go at it.

It wasn't too bad to correct this error in the wing but it was a little time consuming. Since the step was addressed, I now had to make some new panel lines including an access panel plus the deleted rivets. Sadly, the panel lines near the wing slat area are a bit wonky according to scale line drawings. I'm going to leave well enough alone as it looks good to me! Once the primer was applied, I was quite pleased with the outcome.

So now I'll tackle the left step and once it's all set, I'll address the minor issues on the right wing.

That's all for now and I'll see you next Tuesday (11/15/22) for the general meeting at 7pm. As usual, this will be another build-n-bull general meeting so bring in something to work on.

IPMS Niagara Frontier Meeting Agenda - November 15, 2022

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, November 15th 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.

The following information was received from Dave Lockhart, President of IPMS:

Fellow IPMS/USA Members,

Please join our friends at FineScale Modeler as they celebrate the wonderful hobby of model building. Build a Model Month is a month-long celebration during which they are encouraging modelers to get out and share the hobby with others. The FSM Build a Model Month online contest and show is part of what FSM is doing to support the celebration. In addition, they are also going to share stories from modelers and organizations during all of November as they tell us what they're doing to help the hobby grow. I encourage all members of IPMS/USA to join in this celebration. Good luck and happy modeling.

Section 8 Hobbies is now holding a build night every Wednesday from 4 to 9pm. All are welcome to bring their latest projects and work on them in the company of other modelers.

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

October 18th - President Mike Butry led the meeting.

• Old Business:
  • None.
• New Business:
  • None.
• BuffCon #38, April 2, 2023:
  • A good discussion on judging was led by Mike B and included:
    • Judges should have experience (building experience) in categories they are judging.
    • Announcements during judging as part of crowd control.
    • Visible identification for Judges such as name tag, vest, etc. to aid in access with that area of tables. Again as part of crowd control.
    • Possible judging earlier in the day.
    • Option of closing the contest room during judging. This had some rebuttal.
    • Be more creative with a smaller number of Judges.
    • Most important is to start awards ceremony on time. Late finish is likely to hurt attendance the following year.
• NorEastCon, 2023:
  • None.
• Miscellaneous/Open Floor:
  • Short discussion for feedback on recent Syracuse show. Our club had attendees with some taking home awards.
  • Upcoming model show in Cleveland in November.
  • 50/50 raffle was run at this meeting with the tickets sold resulting in a $36/35 split.
  • Tom F. ask for quick polling on preference on color of primer. Next the "quick poll" will be on favorite putty.
  • Bob C. led presentation of members' models on the tables.

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.

November 7 - President Mike Butry led the meeting, held via Zoom.

• Old Business:
  • Short discussion on article on judging format on Fine Scale Modeler website. This and other recent articles are to stay aware of current trends and discussions in the hobby.
• New Business:
  • None.
• BuffCon #38, April 2nd, 2023:
  • Mike B. stated he missed attending the local Lego Club meeting at a North Tonawanda library in October but plans to make it to the November 18th meeting. He will include discussions with BuffCon event and available sponsorship.
  • With regards to judging:
    • We should have backup plan in case there is a small number of available judges. Discussion included promoting judging during general meetings with possible instructions in presentation.
    • Structure to our club's judging format is not planned to change.
    • Also brainstormed other aspects of judging with having incentives for judges. Ideas were lunch tickets, raffle tickets, event T-shirts. Last year there was a special raffle for an air brush.
  • Promotions were talked about with suggestions that included connections with model railroad clubs, having a table at the model train show, RC boat club, pursue contacts to increase visibility of BuffCon.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Recap of recent show for Cleveland club. Highlights: had model entries around 570 with a high number of vendors.
  • Model train show at Fair Grounds in Hamburg coming up November 19-20.
  • Section 8 appears to have some new inventory.
  • Steve W. asked about and prefers E-board meetings to be in person. That is the plan and this Zoom meeting was scheduled on shorter notice to keep offset to general meeting.

Bruce Mathes sent in some photos of his latest projects.

Dave Armitage emailed photos of his latest projects. The first group included a Sheridan Tank in 1/72nd scale from an Airfix kit, a medium tank which saw service in Viet Nam; an HO scale brownstone from an IHC kit; and a 1934 Ford and penny.

Dave also sent in photos of a model of the shortest covered bridge in the US. located in Northern California. It was designed by Thomas Pratt in 1844. The actual bridge measures only 36 ft. long. It was designed for wagons and pedestrians. This was an HO scale kit of bass wood.

Finally, Dave provided something different, a plastic building kit from Vollmer (instructions were in German) of a town hall called the Gross Stadt...'Rat Haus in HO scale.

John Doerr sent in some photos of his latest projects.

Moving to the model tables, Rich Bernecki brought in a 1/16 M4A3E8 Sherman Tank kit done by a collaboration between Andy's Hobby and Takom. Rich loves Sherman tanks, and wanted to show the new kit to the club members.

Al Germann had two models on display. The first was his nearly completed AMT 1/25 Deora kitbash. He used Testors lacquer, Krylon, Tamiya and Vallejo paints, and used parts from six kits. Al said there were actually no major problems with the kitbash, and he just needs to add the radiator and a scratchbuilt exhaust manifold.

Al's second model was a mid-70's Ford 4x4 Alternate Future subject. He added tracks to replace the wheels, and finished it with Tamiya and Krylon paints, with light rust weathering. Al said he stripped and painted the model twice, as his first attempt and a camo paint job failed. He mentioned that this was the first step in an Alternate Future diorama that he's been thinking about for a while. The model started as a prebuilt kit that Dave Armitage was able to locate.

John Doerr showed us a collection of 1/48 Smer - Hobby Craft MiG17s. He used Model Master Light Blue-Gray, and Tamiya Desert Yellow, Dark Green and Dark Brown paints, and replaced all of the cockpits with resin aftermarket parts. John said all of the kits had fit issues, with seams requiring putty and sanding. He wanted to show off various camo schemes.

Bob Conshafter had several items on display. The first was a Monogram/Hobbycraft kitbash of Horst Perez's Bf-109E3 from JG-26 on display at the RAF museum in Hendon. Bob used the Monogram plane with Hobbycraft cockpit, canopy and wheels. He utilized Testors RLM02 Gray, Lifecolor RLM71 Dark Green and 65 Bright Blue paints, along with Microscale Clear Satin finish. Bob made a Tiger emblem by scuffing up white decal paper and airbrushing Testors International Orange. He then cut out the basic shape and used black, white, yellow and a 0.005" black fine tip pen. Pastel chalk was used for weathering the exhausts. Bob said he had all the usual putty and sanding work typical for legacy kits, with extra fuselage sanding to fit the Hobbycraft canopy. He picked the subject as a summer build from his started kit pile, and he liked the story of the plane, the tiger emblem, and the fact that it still exists. He mentioned that he used 6 pound fishing line for the antenna, and had fun with making the tiger emblem.

Bob also showed us his award winners from the Syracuse Syrcon show. His out-of-box build of a Monogram 1/72 P-51B Mustang (1967 kit) "Short Fuse Sallee" garnered a 3rd place trophy in the Single Engine Prop category.

Bob's 2nd place winner in the Multi-engine Prop category was an out-of-box old Revell (1956) B-25B Doolittle Raider with painted-on exhaust pipes and nav lights and pastel on the engine exhaust.

Finally, Bob got a first place in Armor Dioramas with an out-of-box Revell (1967) M-56 Scorpion with crew from the box on top of an old Aurora K&B Plastic square base for a biplane. He used Krylon Tan Texture spray with an acrylic rust-colored wash, dark gray painted rocks with assorted yellow, black and white pastel chalks and MMP Sand weathering powder.

Paul Hines had three new automotive art subjects for us to see. They comprised a 1953 Studebaker Champion Starliner, a 1972 Chevy Chevelle - the ultimate with a 454 with 270 HP, and a 1977 Z28 Camaro which became a legend.

Steve weller showed us some Kits World product samples and some 3D-printed 1/144 USN guns from Shapeways. Steve said the A/C dashboard is a 3D decal, and the A/C stand/runway printed surface and paint masks were all free samples from Kits World.

Dick Schulenberg had four models on display. The first was a Special Hobby 1/72 Temco TT-1 US Navy Trainer. Dick used Tamiya primer, Tamiya Camel Yellow from a spray can, Vallejo acrylics, and a Vallejo satin clear coat for finishing. He said there were no modifications done during the build, which was all out-of-box including the kit decals. He mentioned that considering the big clear canopy, he should have added detail to the cockpit. Dick said he had no issues with the kit other than the decals, which were thin and easily broke up. Two coats of Microscale decal film helped. Dick is continuing with his 1946-1960 interest range. He thinks yellow trainers look good with Navy blue airplanes. The markings used were for Service Tests at Naval Station Pax River in 1954.

Dick's second model was an Academy 1/72 LT-6G Armed Texan (USAF version) with minor conversion to a US Navy SNJ-5 circa 1954. He used Tamiya spray primer and Tamiya spray can Camel Yellow, again with Vallejo acrylics and satin clear. The decals from the kit were used, but most were extras from the Special Hobby Temco TT-1. Dick's modifications included removing the USAF antenna cover, and adding frames to the canopy with 1mm masking tape colored with a silver Sharpie. He also left off the landing gear doors per a photo he found, and made landing lights from pin heads with clear tape covers. Dick said the landing gear legs were very fragile - both broke and had to be pinned with 0.020" wire. Dick thinks "Texans are cool; the airplanes, that is." This model is another addition to his growing 1946-1960 collection. The markings are for Naval Training Station Saufly in Florida, 1954, based on a picture in the Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Color Guide, Vol. 3, 1950-1959.

The third model from Dick was a Hobbyboss 1/72 F8F-1 Bearcat. This subject was also painted with Tamiya spray can primer and Camel Yellow, with the remainder sprayed Vallejo Model Air Glossy Sea Blue and brushed Model Color, and a final overcoat of Vallejo sprayed satin clear. He added some internal structure in the fuselage to blank off the empty space between the wheel wells; other than that, everything fit very well, and the nice details match drawings and photos well. Dick said the kit was a gift from John Doerr - thanks, John! Dick had some Starfighter decals for an F8F-1 at the Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern in 1950 for testing various air-launched rockets. He said the kit was better than he thought it would be. It was well worth building, and is a nice addition to his 1946-1960 airplane collection.

Dick's last model was a Revell 1/72 Chance Vought Regulus II test submarine-launched cruise missile, made from a kit bought in 1958. It has Tamiya spray can primer on it so far, and the finish will be Tamiya spray can white primer and Vallejo Model Air Glossy Sea Blue. He said decals will hopefully be from the original kit. Dick said he blanked off the see-through fuselage, replaced a missing canard fin and replaced the missing nose cone with the end of a drop tank. He also sanded off the raised markings and rivets and rescribed everything. Dick said he bought this kit in 1958 when he was 11 years old (!) He said the plastic is brittle and the decals are yellowed, and the worst part was removing the white house paint he put on in 1958 - Easy Lift Off worked! Dick mentioned that the kit has been sitting in its box on a shelf ever since 1958 when he couldn't figure out how to clean up the mess he made with the white paint. He said he wasn't too motivated because the instructions said the scale was 1" = 5' 8", which was too big to go with his 1/72 collection. He then found some Vought drawings online and discovered that the kit is almost exactly 1/72 scale. At that point, he just had to build it, and hopes the decals will work. Historically, the missile was almost immediately superceded by submarine-launched ballistic missiles (Polaris) and never went into service. A side note: the bodies of the first series Polaris A-1 were all made in Silver Creek, NY by Excelco Developments.

Ron Mikol had a couple of car models to show us, both of which won awards at recent shows. The first was a '58 Edsel Panel Truck that had minor modifications, and the second was a Willys Pro Mod that was heavily modified. Both models were finished with PPG Automotive base coats and clear coats.

Larry Osolkowski brought in his progress on a Meng 1/9 BMW HP4 Race motorcycle. He got most of the exhaust system assembled and painted with Model Master Metallizer Buffing Stainless Steel, but ran into some problems with the muffler. It's mostly covered in carbon fiber decals, with some stainless steel bands around it. Larry finished applying the decals and clear coated it with Zero Gloss Clear lacquer, but decided to paint the inside of the exhaust outlet with flat black before the clear coat had completely dried. The result was fingerprints and smeared carbon fiber decals - it will have to be stripped and redone. He had better results completing the rear suspension, also adding a braided metal brake line and aluminum fitting, and finished some additional bits that mount to the frame. One side of the frame is now covered in carbon fiber decals, with the other side ready to be done. He also painted the oxygen sensor that mounts to the exhaust system and added a wire to it.

Larry also brought in a recent acquisition, a new multimedia 1/43 kit of the Sunoco/Penske Ferrari 512M from the 1971 Le Mans 24 Hour race. The kit is made by a new brand, Montegrosso, which is a spin-off of Tameo, a well known manufacturer of 1/43 F1 kits. The kit features a white metal body and lots of tiny white metal bits, including a full engine, along with photo-etch details and a nice decal sheet.

Nick Carluccio displayed his Daisy's CJ-5 Jeep, finished with Valu Hardware's "Now" Flat Black. Nick said he changed out the V6 engine and installed a Willys flathead 4-cylinder in its place. He also installed a front bumper and winch from a Monogram half track.

Mike Butry showed us two of his winning entries at Syrcon 34: a Tamiya 1/48 MiG-15 Bis, and a Tamiya 1/35 Willys Jeep. Mike said he took four builds to Syrcon, and was four for four. The MiG-15 took first place in the 1/48 Jet Category, and the Jeep vignette garnered a first in the Armor Vignette category. His other two 1st place winners were another Tamiya 1/35 Jeep that he built for our club Tony Bartozek Challenge, and a Tamiya 1/48 Jagdpanther seen at a previous club meeting. Mike commented that this was the first time in the last three visits to Syrcon that it didn't rain.

Bob Butry had two models on display: a 1/48 Tamiya P-51D in South Korean markings, and an AD-3N Skyraider in US Navy markings. The Mustang took a 2nd place at Syrcon in the Prop Allied Inline category, and the Skyraider got a 1st in Prop Allied Radial.

Jim Greenfield showed us a couple of his latest projects. The first was a Revell UDT 1/35 scale conversion with scratch-built cabin and top. Testors, Vallejo, Citadel and Mission Models paints were used, with washes and drybrushing for weathering so far. Jim scratch-built the interior, turret and superstructure, and has had no problems to date. He picked the subject because it's a Pre-Vietnam era French gunboat.

Jim's second item was an Annagrand 1/72 Cheyennne kit-bashed with an AMT 1/72 Apache Attack copter. Jim produced a heavily modified combination of the two kits, and finished it with Tamiya, Citadel, Vallejo and Testors paints. He mentioned that the Cheyenne fuselage from the resin kit was warped, but he had fun with the mix of old and new.

There were a few unidentified items on the tables.

Finally, some around-the-room shots.

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