...or, News from The Nameless One

Notes from the August 2010 Meeting

Once again, the "Timmy's Challenge" has come and gone, and as the dust and other debris settles, we find a table full of nicely built models, and a whole bunch of goofy photos of otherwise reasonable, responsible adults making barely legible double-yous on their foreheads, declaring their status as winners for participating in an activity that they're SUPPOSED to be doing anyway! All the models listed below were completed, save for Frank Del Russo, who was not able to attend the meeting and didn't arrange for his model to be delivered to the meeting hall. We all hope that Frank's absence was not due to anything serious. We also can't wait to get our cement-and-paint-spattered meat hooks around that mug of Tim Horton's coffee!

Dick Schulenberg did the honors at the Exhibition table. (Remember it was an exhibition, NOT a competition!)

The entrants and the models:

Justen Hanna's 1/48 Eduard Ni-11 is a "Weekend Edition" kit which he says went together easily and would be a great kit for modelers starting out in the World War One aircraft category. He used invisible monofilament for the rigging, which is available at Jo-Anne fabrics or Michaels craft store. Otherwise, he built it straight from the box.

Tony Gliszczynski entered a 1/48 Glencoe UFO, the older version without the flames, which a few club member said were "really cool."

After snapping a "FaceBook" style self-portrait with his million-dollar, tricked-out Nikon camera, Bob Collignon presented his 1/72 Da Vinci Tank made from a kit by club member Ted Parris. He thought it turned out so nice that he is going to enter it in the shows he attends this fall.

Dick Schulenberg's 1/72 Matchbox Heyford was brush painted. It is a vintage kit, designed to be built by young modelers.

Samantha Hanna's 1/35 MPM BA-20ZD Armored Car came with instruction written in Russian and with pictures that looked like a child drew them. She got it built anyway, although she describes it as a challenge.

A "Frank" by Frank Blonski! His 1/72 Hasegawa Ki-84 is a departure from the automotive subjects Frank usually builds. He says that the decals were "A Trip" but clear-coating them solved the problems and after ripping two, the remainder went on fine.

Tom Brown Sr entered a 1/1 Colt 25 Pocket Model. Tom bought it as an assembled kit and re-built it.

Paul Kittell answered the challenge with a 63mm Model Shipways Boat, which had 11 pieces.

David Krygier didn't make the meeting, but his Thunderbird 1 did.

Matt Krygier brought his Ecto II.

John Doerr's 1/48 Academy Bf-109D was an easy build, but after bringing it to the July meeting and subsequently breaking off the landing gear, he had to re-enforce them with wire before the repair took hold.

Piotr Gajowka built his 1/32 Eduard Bf-109E-4 in one day! It sounds like he had fun speed building the kit, but doesn't recommend it.

Jacob Gadek built a model of The Beast, which he had fun building.

Mark Gadek entered a 1/72 Su-27, which he reports was a straight-forward build.

Brian McFee took a break from aircraft kits to build a 1/35 Italeri DUKW, the World War 2 amphibious vehicle known as "The Duck." This is Brian's first armor model.

Dave Schwab's choice for the challenge was a Polar Lights Batmobile which was an exact replica of the old Aurora kit-right down to the poor fit! Some sanding was needed to get the chassis aligned.

Hallo! Mein Namen ist Dave Sccccccccchvabbbie und ich bien eine Modeling Viener! (Bob Collignon made me put this caption here!)

Ed Button displayed a 1/48 Lindberg TBF Avenger "George Bush Sr." on which he's scratch-built the cockpit interior and bomb bay. He hopes to have the plane dropping a torpedo into the waves on the display stand. The decals dissolved in the water, but Ed assures us that the model is done enough to qualify for coffee!

John Zachritz had two unusual subjects entered this year: a Seaquest Darwin, and a Heller Ant. John used Future Floor Finish to give a wet look to the Dolphin and says the Ant was an easy build at only 13 pieces. He mounted the Ant on an artificial leaf purchased from A.C. Moore.

Making a last minute entrance, Alan Gryfe squeaked by the time limit to add his Primex 1/87 Apartment House to the model table.

A 1/48 Revell P-51D was entered by Matt Keysa, who drove 410 miles just to avoid a repeat of the expensive consequences he faced last year! He says his airbrush skills got a workout and that the kit's decals were 'hit or miss.'

Joe Szcygiel also had a double entry with his 1/48 Roden OH-1D Mohawk AND HobbyBoss 1/48 A-7E Corsair II. Joe evidently likes to live dangerously! He used Tamiya and Model Master paints and says that the decals were good on the A-7 Corsair, but not so good on the Mohawk.

John Zaranek brought his 1/48 Revell F/A-18E Super Hornet, which he chose for the "Pukin' Dogs" logo, which he thought was cool. (and it IS cool!) John used 'Gator's Grip' glue to assemble the kit, which was built out of the box.

Never mind the contest! Tony Bartoszek actually built a model! (on the recording, there's BIG round of applause.) The history-making kit was The Incredible Hulk! He undercoated the Aurora kit with acrylics and painted the green skin with Windsor-Newton Oils. The groundwork was done with dirt that Tony has been saving thirty years for just such an occasion. Tony thinks the face on the kit looks like a cross between Frankenstein and Moe Howard.

And lastly, Bob Raithel entered a 1/35 Bronco V-1 Buzz-Bomb, which went together easily and was fun to paint.

The moderator for the regular monthly model table was Bob Collignon.

Ernie Yuhnke brought four of his 54mm presidents as well as a Mereti World War Two soldier, a French Voltages, and a Verlinden Scotsman and a Verlinden British infantryman cooking his dinner.

John Zaranek is working on a red 1/35 scale Italieri DUKW. The surplus Duck John has depicted was in service with the Buffalo Fire Dept. in 1953, replacing a fireboat that burned. John is working with eight reference photos of the original fireboat. He will be scratch-building nozzles, hoses and pumps for the project.

John also had a 1/35 scale AFV Scimitar British self propelled gun in a UN paint scheme.

Paul Kittel had an in-progress model of the Essex. He has installed 527 pieces of copper foil to the hull!

Tom Faith brought a horse from a figure set called "Hans" based on the film "The Longest Day." Tom wants the horse to be mated with the field kitchen, but is slightly out of scale. The horses that come with the field kitchen are walking and Tom wants the display to be static, so for now, the horse stands alone.

The field kitchen was Tom's choice for the challenge, but he missed the meeting. The kit is the old Tamiya kit and Tom has replaced the seat and the back railing has been replaced with copper wire. He also replaced the rims on the wheels. He finished the model with Flo-Quil foundation and foundation stain.

Dan Marafino displayed a Monarch "Sinbad" figure, which he's painted with Citadel and Tamiya paints. Except for an annoying little lizard that keeps falling off his perch, the model was an easy and fun build.

Dick Schulenberg's Vickers Wellesley long-range bomber is in 1/72 scale and is an old Matchbox kit. Dick hand-brushed the model.

Reindfliesch (sorry, missed the first name) converted an American Flyer cars to get a Lehi Valley 11 window coach. He spliced to cars and connected the roof pieces. He did the conversion 30 + years ago and revived it because of recent photo etched detail sets and laser-cut windows which he had custom made. He also did a lot of scratchbuilding on the exterior. He runs this car on his train layout.

John Doerr brought a Mark IV World War One tank. John say it was a 24 hour build and he finished it with Tamiya Khaki Drab as a basecoat, clear coated it with enamel and then weathered it with a Tamiya Brown and gray mix.

Illya Grinberg shared a pair of 1/72 scale T-34 Russian tanks. One is a Dragon kit which Illya claims is the best T-34 kit they produced, pronouncing their other kits as "Not good." He added detail parts made by a Bulgarian manufacturer to make the engine deck and is modifying the kit from an early 1941 model to a later 1941 Stalingrad factory specimen. The other T-34 is a Zvezda kit. Made in Russia, the kit is designed to be built by young modelers. Illya says that this is the most accurate T-34 model in 1/72 scale currently being made.

Frank Blonski used his casting skills to make some tank parts for someone. His skills keep improving with each mold-making project.

Matt Keysa' unusual "Flying Beertray" experimental flying craft by Hobby Craft is nearly done, with decals, the interior and some of the extremities needing to be done. Matt tried doing some panel line re-scribing, but it didn't work out.

Tony Bartozek displayed a one-to-one scale arrangements of Tim Horton Donuts. Tony claims that real flour and lard were used by the model's manufacturer to construct the pastry orbs and several coats of various sugar-based glazes were applied to add a weathered effect. Tony says they were easy to build and that he thought they were "Yummy."

Jim Wolf brought an un-built Viking Ship. The model depicts an actual ship from approximately 1000 AD that was recovered in Denmark in the 1950's and restored. The kit retails for around $85.00 but Jim got it at a tent sale at Niagara Hobbies for $10.00. It had been started but proved too much for the previous owner.

John Zachritz had on hand a Gundam Fighting suit figure in a gaming scale that he says was a 'warm-up' for his more challenging projects. He also had a Macross Flying figure in the same scale. The model didn't have a pilot, so John found a suitable replacement in his train stuff.

John also brought a B-24 that he made a tarmac base for and used toothpicks to get the nose down, as he didn't have enough weight in front to keep it down.

Mike Butry showed his F-5N Tiger II unbuilt kit, which he is looking forward to building.

Mike also brought in a vintage 1955 era kit of a P-39 Airacobra.