High Plains Gazette - River Rock Commons

High Plains Modelers
High Plains Gazette
Volume 1, Issue 7
May 2011
May Meeting Notes
Kit auction tonight, more
kits than people showed
up.
Colpar Club Night is on
Friday June 3rd, 2011, at
7pm. IPMS day at Pueblo
is September 17th, it is a
Saturday.
Don Kehrer is stepping
down as the Region X
coordinator. Don Kehrer
also sent a letter from
ChiliCon 2. We won for
Region X Newsletter of
the Year!!!
Tie for the monthly
model contest. We will
discuss next month what
to do if we have a tie at
the end of the year.
BBQ for the club this
summer. (Discuss next
month.)
Dave is going to host
judging clinics. Split over
two months.
Cheyenne Super Day,
June 25th. 10x20 canopy
for the club. 6 tables. We
can put up a banner. We
can have club flyers and
contest flyers there. Peoples Choice trophy for
Best Scale Model. Bring
models up to show off.
The display is from 10-4.
Parking is $1.
Pablo sent out e-mails to
99 modelers about the
contest. There has been a
spike at the website.
Budget for initial round
of posters and flyers was
approved.
High Plains Con XXII Update
From now until August
my reports on the contest
will be shorter. As a reminder the contest is October 8, 2011 at the
Ranch in Loveland.
We have the two big
rooms this time. There is
plenty of space for vendors, tons of models, and
this years group/
collection build table. I
know at least two clubs
who will enter the group
build.
We have 1 confirmed vendor, Kahuna Designs, and
they will be selling their
diorama materials and
their custom 1/24 license
plates. See the review in
this months Gazette.
medals ordered for the
awards.
The website is up and
running, and Pablo has a
special link to our contest
site through our blog
page. It looks great!
The last few pages of the
newsletter has a copy of
the contest flyer, and also
explains in detail the special categories and
themes and what they
entail. That way nobody
is confused when they
enter “Best Star Wars
Subject” with a Klingon
Bird of Prey and get
laughed at by the rest of
us.
We have the room, the
date, the flyer, the Facebook page, the website
page, and the fee schedule all taken care of. Now
Randy and I just need to
get together and get the
After that we can relax
until September!
“I've done nothing but
have good thoughts
about that damn bridge
ever since we left!”
Inside this issue:
May Meeting Notes
1
Omaha Update
2
Pappy Boyington
4
Monthly Contest Results
5
IPMS: Spacecraft
5
Workbench from Hell
8
June Calendar
9
What’s New This
Month:
 Review: Call of Duty
 Review: Seehund
 Review: Kahuna Designs
 Review: Mig Productions
 May Model Gallery
 Part 3 of George‟s M-16 Build
 Classified Ads
 IPMS Membership Form
High Plains Gazette
The Cactus Air
Force, an F4F
Wildcat on Henderson Field.
A Zero which
had taken
that many
bullets
would have
been a ball of
fire by now.
The F4F Wildcat: Better than a Zero?
In December of 1941 the
war in the Pacific began
for the United States. At
that time the most feared
plane in the entire Pacific
theater was the Japanese
Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen,
code named Zeke by the
allies.
The Zero was nimble,
quick, and could perform
lightning fast turns and
aerobatics that could
leave an enemy pilots
head spinning. Yet it was
out fought and outclassed
by a small, slower fighter
named the Grumman F4F
Wildcat. Now the grumblings start… the Wildcat
wasn‟t better than a
Zero… really? I beg to
differ.
Quite simply against the
Japanese the Wildcat had
a 6.9:1 kill to death ratio.
Which means we shot
down nearly 7 Japanese
aircraft for the loss of 1
Wildcat. Not too shabby
for a plane that was not as
powerful, and couldn‟t
turn as quick as a Zero.
Early in the war (19411942) this was the main
fighter for the US Navy
and the US Marine Corps.
We also had the Brewster
Buffalo which is about as
appealing as a Rocky
Mountain Oyster. The
Wildcat was the plane
that was tasked with stopping the Japanese advance in the Pacific and
then turning the tide of
battle against them.
In that respect the Wildcat did its job and did it
well.
Wildcat pilots included at
least two Medal of Honor
winners, Joe Foss, and
John Lucian Smith, one
who has a world famous
airport named after him,
Butch O‟Hare, and several
other memorable pilots
like Marion Carl, Jimmy
Thatch, and E. Scott
McCuskey.
The Wildcat helped stop
the Japanese at Midway,
and at Guadalcanal.
The Wildcat was also
used during Operation
Torch to clear the skies of
the French Air Force.
(cough laugh cough)
The ruggedness of the
Wildcat can be summed
up by Japanese ace Saburo Sakai. After shooting
around 600 rounds into a
Wildcat, which kept flying, Sakai said, “A Zero
which had taken that
many bullets would have
been a ball of fire by
now.”
Omaha IPMS National Update
The links are on the site
to take you to the forms.
The category list shows
what categories are still
available. We‟ll update
that list often, but no
guarantees it‟s 100% current. You can mail or
email the form to us. Trophy Sponsorship is also
available in the shopping
cart. Email us the form
and pay in the shopping
cart and you‟re done –
with our thanks.
Page 2
We got an update from
the hotel yesterday. The
Marriot is sold out on
some days. If you try to
get into the Marriot on
the site for the days inclusive of the convention
you‟ll be told it‟s not
available. We are working
on getting a few more
rooms there-no guarantee. Over at the Embassy
we are down to about 20
rooms. Room reservations have been amazing
and registrations are roll-
ing in. The third vendors
room is all but full so that
is over 300 vendors tables!
Night at the Museum is
very poplar. Not sure yet
when that will sell out,
but if you are planning to
join IPMS for an exclusive
evening at the Strategic
Air and Space Museum
head into the site and
make your reservation.
Product Review: Seehund 1/72
Reviewer: Pablo
Bauleo
Manufacturer: ICM
Product: 1/72nd Seehund Type XXVIIB
(Early) Boxing S006
MSRP: $22.99
This review has been
first published in the
IPMS/USA website:
http://
www.ipmsusa.org
ICM has join the 1/72
scale plastic scale submarine club by releasing the
U-Boat Type XXVIIB
“Seehund”, a midget submarine with a crew of
two. During War World II
the Seehund was used to
harass convoys across the
English Channel (post DDay) and to supply isolated German garrisons in
French harbors during
1945.
This kit is typical ICM
standards, with good fit
and no alignment pins.
Construction is very simple and straightforward.
No interior detail is provided, but this kit would
be a good canvas for
those that want to
scratchbuilt and superdetail the interior of submarine.
Just a few comments on
the construction: The
bow „eye‟ was broken in
my example. I had to replace it some styrene
sheet and use a circular
file to reproduce the „eye‟.
Parts A15 and A16 must
be swapped in the instructions.
Otherwise
they don‟t fit to the hull
sides. I had to use a circular file to enlarge the hole
where part A33 fits. All of
these are very simple issues to deal with and presented no serious challenges.
I would recommend careful mating the top part of
the hull halves to achieve
a step free seam to the
risk of perhaps having a
small step in the bottom.
The bottom part of the
hull is obscured by the
torpedoes, making easy to
hide a minor step.
Volume 1, Issue 7
other parts, which are
tiny and delicate too.
Two marking options are
provided. The decals are
thin and a little bit fragile.
There is a Kriegsmarine
flag included in the sheet
which is a little bit out of
register. The flag is not
used in neither of the finishing options. Painting
instructions for the torpedoes are vague. I just
“guessed” where to paint
I‟ve spent five very fun
and relaxing hours putting together this kit. I
hope ICM releases other
1/72 midget submarines.
Due to the lack of alignment pins and some very
small and fragile parts,
this kit is recommended
to everyone but the absolute beginner.
I would like to thank
IPMS/USA and Dragon
Models for the review
sample.
The submarine and torpedoes screws are very
fragile. Be careful when
cutting them from the
sprues. There are a few
Auction Fun at the Clubhouse
This month was our annual club auction. Honestly it was the biggest
turn out I can remember
in many moons.
The club made a whopping $240.50 from the
auction. That is not bad
considering during last
years auction we made
something like $30.
Of course some buyers
went a bit overboard. I
mean really, are you going to build all those kits
you bought? I actually do
plan on building all three
I bought.
As you can see from the
photo MC Gary Moore,
our professional auction
master of ceremonies had
a difficult time this year
because of the amount of
kits available.
I think Gary did a good
job, except when he let
Hersh outbid me for that
Luftwaffe book.
All in all not a bad night.
Page 3
High Plains Gazette
“Pappy” Boyington
One of my childhood heroes was Pappy Boyington. Partly because of a
TV show when I was a kid
and because I read his
autobiography, “Baa Baa
Black Sheep”, in Jr. High.
Pappy Boyington, 22
kills as a Marine 2-6 as
a Flying Tiger.
“Just name a
hero and I’ll
prove he’s a
bum.”
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 January 11, 1988) was a
United States Marine
Corps officer during
World War II. He was a
fighter ace having shot
down 22 enemy aircraft
while with VMF-214 and
another 2 (or 6 depending
on who you believe) with
the AVG in China. For his
heroic actions, he was
awarded both the Medal
of Honor and the Navy
Cross.
What most people think
they know about Pappy
Boyington they learned
from watching “Baa Baa
Black Sheep” starring
Robert Conrad. Boyington himself did not like
the way the show portrayed his squadron calling it, “...inaccuracies,
hogwash, and Hollywood hokum.”
What many don‟t know is
he fought in China with
the Flying Tigers, that he
was a strict Marine officer, not the screw-up they
show on TV, and that he
was shot down and spent
time in a Japanese POW
camp until the end of the
war.
We all know Hollywood
takes liberties with historical events. I found one
of Boyington‟s quotes
funny considering Hollywood showed him as a
gambling fool, he said
that he never gambled
with the men in his
squadron because he did
not want someone flying
behind him that owed
him money.
The Black Sheep, under
Boyington‟s leadership,
became one of the best
Marine Fighter squadrons
in the war. The squadron
had nine aces, including
Boyington.
On a mission over Rabaul
on January 3, 1944 he
was shot down and captured by the Japanese. He
spent the rest of the war
in several prison camps.
The funny thing is Boyington never saw himself
as successful. He ends his
autobiography with the
line, “Just name a hero
and I‟ll prove he‟s a bum.”
He gives himself too little
credit. I for one wish I
could be half the bum he
was.
If you are interested in
learning more about Major Boyington might I
suggest “Baa Baa Black
Sheep” by Gregory Boyington, and “Black Sheep
One” by Bruce Gamble.
HPM Monthly Contest
Gary’s Truck, with the
“special” yellow paint.
Page 4
We had a decent turnout
once again for this
months contest. Gary
Moore won for his truck
with all the scratch built
extras. Love that
“special” yellow paint.
tie for first.
We still have a logjam at
the top. In the next few
months a decision needs
to be made what to do if
we end up with a six way
One thing I like is we all
have different tastes and
that makes it more fun.
At least we aren‟t all
bringing the same P-51
Still, I like seeing the
models show up every
month. I hope we keep
seeing a good turnout for
our contest.
every month like some
other clubs. You know
who you are.
A reminder, next month
you are supposed to bring
two models, one for the
monthly contest, and one
for the Red, White and
Blue award.
IPMS Handbook: Space and Sci-Fi
Space and Science Fiction
models depict a wide variety of subjects, from real
vehicles to complete
flights of fancy.
In so doing, they run the
gamut from sleek “rocket
ships” to boxy satellites,
from robots to alien armored vehicles.
Models of actual spacecraft are typically judged
much like aircraft or vehicle models. The incredible
range of science fiction
subjects, however, would
seem at first glance to
defy any attempt at systematic judging. Yet even
a model that represents a
builder‟s total flight of
fancy can still be judged
on the basis of basic scale
modeling skills.
Basic Construction
1. Flash, mold seams,
sinks marks, copyright
marks, ejector-pin marks,
and similar molding flaws
eliminated.
have same dihedral or
anhedral on both sides
and, when viewed from
various angles, line up
properly with the vehicle
centerline.
B. Landing/running gear
components properly
aligned with vehicle and
with each other in front,
side, and plan views.
C. Ordnance items (laser
cannon, photon-torpedo
tubes, etc.) aligned correctly with vehicle and
with each other.
5. Canopies and other
clear areas:
A. Clear and free of crazing caused by adhesives
or finishing coats.
B. Gaps between windscreen, canopy, or other
clear parts eliminated
where applicable.
C. All clear areas scratch-,
blemish-, and paint-free.
Details
2. Seams filled if not present on the actual prototype. If depicting a subject with visible seams,
such detail should be uniform and to scale
throughout the model.
1. Overly thick parts
should be thinned to scale
or replaced. This is especially true of the antennas
supplied with many kits.
Kit versions often appear
too “fat” and lack detail.
3. Detailing removed
while correcting errors,
filling seams, etc. restored
to a level consistent with
the rest of the model.
2. Scoops and other such
openings should be
blocked off to prevent a
“see-through” effect.
4. Alignment:
A. Wings, fins, pods, etc.,
Volume 1, Issue 7
rockets, etc. should be
drilled or opened.
4. Details added to the
model should be in scale
or as close to scale as possible.
5. Aftermarket parts
(photo-etched, white
metal, resin, etc.) should
integrate well with the
basic model.
Photo-etched parts that
require forming should be
precisely shaped, and any
surfaces that require
building up to a thicker
cross-section should be
smooth and uniform.
6. Science fiction and fantasy modeling can entail a
fair amount of scratchbuilding or kit-bashing.
Items or areas added in
this fashion should look
useful and truly part of
the vehicle, and should be
similar in fit, detail, and
overall finish to the rest of
the model. Parts used
from other kits should be
sufficiently altered or disguised so that their origin
is not immediately apparent in order to avoid the
appearance of a haphazard assemblage of spare
parts (sometimes known
as the “Panzer IV in
Space” syndrome).
ARTICLE CONTINUED
ON PAGE 14…
The incredible
range of science
fiction subjects,
however, would
seem at first
glance to defy
any attempt at
systematic
judging.
“Your powers are
weak old man.”
“The Judges Are
a Bunch of @#$
%# Nit-pickers.”
- From the IPMS
Competition
Handbook
3. Weapon barrels, exhausts, intakes, vents,
small thrusters, steering
Page 5
High Plains Gazette
Detailing Dragon’s M-16 GMC Part 3
Detailing Dragon’s M16 Multiple Motor
Gun Carriage Kit No.
6381
By George Slack
Photo 1: Unpainted
screw detail on the outside of the fighting compartment side panels.
Finally, an easy
section of the
build.
Photo 2: The front wall of
the fighting compartment is
also the back wall of the
cab. To spruce it up a bit
styrene strip was added to
simulate the rolled top edge
and 10 “bolt heads” were
sliced from hex rod and
glued into position. Unfortunately, most of the bolt
heads are hidden behind
the driver’s seat.
Page 6
PART 3: THE
FIGHTING
COMPARTMENT
Finally, an easy section of
the build. The M-16
fighting compartment is
well detailed straight
from the box and requires
little in the way of upgrading. Since I was
building a June ‟44 M-16
the major change I made
was to build a sheet plastic shelf for the radio.
This allowed me to display two additional 200
round ammo chests at the
front of the fighting compartment. A few bolt
heads, some extra packs
and some blanket rolls
finished off the fighting
compartment.
Detail on the fighting
compartment walls is
excellent; perhaps too
good. Dragon corrected
the rounded “bolt” detail
on their earlier M2 kit,
replacing them with slotted screw heads on the M
-16‟s fighting compartment. (Photo 1.) This
creates a problem for
modelers since the cab
comes from the M2 kit,
mixing the two styles of
fasteners. The most accurate solution is to use a
micro chisel to add a slot
to each screw on the cab
section. Definitely a two
beer project.
Edge and bolt detail was
added to the front wall of
the fighting compartment
where it joins the cab.
This wall is completely
bare from the box, but
photographs of the M-16
cab show this wall had a
rolled lip on the upper
edge and several hexagonal bolt heads on the wall.
These were added with
strip plastic and “salami
sliced” hex rod. (Photo
2.)
Photos 3 and 4 show the
front and rear details of
the fighting compartment
before finishing. White
styrene was used to build
the radio shelf on the
right front of the fighting
compartment. Since the
radio on early M-16‟s was
exposed to the elements,
the radio received a
“canvas” cover from
thinly-rolled Milliput.
(Photo 5.)
Dragon includes several
200 round .50 chests
with the M-16 kit. These
are well detailed from the
box and decals are included to mark the up. I
drilled out the crank handle port on the center of
each ammo chest, then
painted them different
shades of olive drab just
for variety. The greenishdrab chests received
white markings while
yellow decals were used
on the brownish-drab
chests. Photo 6 shows
the ammo chests from
stock through painting,
decaling and weathering.
Storage space was at a
premium inside the M-16
fighting compartment as
the Quad .50 turret required quite a bit of room
to rotate. I imagine every
nook and cranny was
stuffed with the crew‟s
personal gear so I ran
through my spares box,
grabbing every piece of
American gear I could
find to fill the open
spaces. Photo 7 shows
the front of the fighting
compartment after finishing with boxes and packs
below the ammo chest
rack and radio shelf.
Now that I had someplace
to install it, the gun turret
was constructed and finished. The quad .50 turret is the subject of Installment IV which, absent any new computer
glitches, will appear next
month.
Volume 1, Issue 7
Photo 3: The rear of the
fighting compartment
after assembly. The
ammo chests were added
to check fit, then removed and finished
separately. The dimples
next to the ammo chests
on the rear wall are for
spare .50 cal barrels.
Since my painting skills
are not up to painting
these types of details in
place, the barrels were
finished and added after
the fighting compartment was painted.
Photo 6: Finishing the
ammo chests. A stock
chest appears on the left.
The second unfinished
ammo chest shows the
drilled-out hole for the
crank handle. The
brownish-drab ammo
chest was finished with
yellow markings while
greenish-drab chest received white decals. After scratches were added
with brown and black
oils, both ammo chests
were weathered with a
filter of Humbrol tan and
finished off with Mig pigments.
Photo 4: The other end
of the fighting compartment. The shelf to the
right of the ammo chests
is for the radio. The
ammo chests were added
to check the fit of the radio shelf, then removed
and finished separately.
Photo 7: Every nook and
cranny was filled with
the crew’s personal gear.
Here a wood box and
various packs have been
stuffed under the ammo
rack and radio shelf.
Adding this sort of detail
cleaned out the spares
box in a hurry, especially
since I don’t usually buy
Allied armor.
Photo 5: Milliput Super
Fine White was rolled
out and used to fashion a
“canvas” cover for the
radio. Snap fittings for
securing the flap were
made from thin plastic
discs punched out with a
punch and die set.
The quad .50 turret is the subject
of Installment IV
which, absent
any new computer glitches,
will appear next
month.
Page 7
High Plains Gazette
The Workbench From Hell
Cigarettes are bad for you.
Yes, I am sure we all understand that. Of course, during World War II everyone
smoked. Everyone that is
except Hitler.
Cigarettes that
won the war… or
did they?
So, cigarettes
helped us win
a war, but we
can’t put
Marlboro on
a model car.
Back then cigarettes were a
good thing. Heck they even
came in your ration box. Of
course American tobacco
was the most sought after,
probably because we filled it
with good things like nicotine and other wonderful
chemicals which helped you
relax after a day of shooting
Krauts.
I love old movies, and old
TV shows. All of the stars
back then smoked. Granted
most of them died painful
cancer related deaths but
man did they look cool.
Of course John Wayne was
killed in the “Sands of Iwo
Jima” right before he lit up a
smoke. Was that foreshad-
owing?
Why am I ranting about
cigarettes? Well, for my entire life I have been a fan of
Formula One racing, and I
remember the old colorful
cars of the 70‟s and 80‟s in
which many were literally
rolling tobacco ads. It wasn‟t
just F1 though, NASCAR and
Indy racing back then had
some cool looking tobacco
cars.
Recently I bought some kits
of 70‟s F1 cars and there
were no tobacco decals. Apparently you have to spend
an extra 25 bucks to get
them from an aftermarket
company. What the heck? I
mean honestly, who doesn‟t
know Mario Andretti drove
the John Player Special Lotus.
So what happened? Well the
evil political correctness of
the world decided that ciga-
rette advertising is illegal.
Why? Because cigarettes
kill. Hmmmm… alcohol
kills, and last time I checked
drinking and driving was
illegal in all 50 states yet
every week there are cars
running around the track
with ads for hooch. Ironic
isn‟t it, you can legally
smoke and drive.
I for one have never taken a
single drag off of a cigarette
in my life. Why then am I
punished as a race fan because weak minded people
can‟t help but light up a cancer stick?
So, cigarettes helped us win
a war, but we can‟t put Marlboro on a model car. What
happened to the freedoms
our smoking grandparents
fought for? You know who
hated cigarettes, Hitler.
Call of Duty: Lt. Lynn “Buck” Compton
Recently I finished reading
the autobiography of Lieutenant Lynn “Buck” Compton. It is titled “Call of Duty:
My Life Before During and
After the Band of Brothers”.
My Brother from a
Band of Brothers.
The book covers Buck‟s life
pretty much from birth up
until he retired from the
bench.
Buck Compton has had one
hell of an interesting life. He
was in the movies as a kid,
actually fired by Charlie
Page 8
Chaplin. He attended high
school with a lot of famous
people. He went to UCLA on
a football scholarship, and is
a member of Phi Kappa Psi.
Robert Kennedy‟s assassination. He then became a
Judge, appointed by Ronald
Reagan. (Reagan was then
Governor of California).
He went of to war, and did
many heroic things. He was
most likely the best loved
officer in Easy Company.
This book was a very easy
read, and it allows you a look
into the life of one of “Band
of Brothers” most memorable officers. I for one am
glad I bought the book, and I
am also glad he is my fraternity brother.
After the war he became a
police officer and later an
assistant D.A. in Los Angeles. He was the attorney who
put away Sirhan Sirhan for
Mig Productions: Improve Your Skills
This month I am writing
a review on Mig Productions items. I am going to
focus on the Filters,
Washes, and the Pigments.
Mig has a wide range of
products to help your
models look better, and
they are easy to use. I will
be honest, a lot of the
improvement you see in
my modeling is due to
Mig Productions.
Let‟s start with the wash.
They come in many different colors, the three
most popular have been
the dark, brown and neutral. These washes are pre
-mixed. There is no
guesswork on your part
about how much thinner
JUNE
and paint to add to have
an effective wash. It is
ready to go. It is also super easy to apply, and
easy to clean up.
Next comes the filters.
These are a thinned
down, more so than a
wash. They help change
the coloring of your vehicle. Mig produces these in
specific colors for specific
paint jobs. They help
blend everything together
and add different tones
and hues to your final
product.
The pigments I really enjoy using. They come in a
wide range of colors
which allow the creative
modeler to add your own
touch to your work of art.
Volume 1, Issue 7
These are also very easy
to use and give the model
a look of ultra realism.
I know a lot of people
have never tried Mig‟s
items. I have some for
sale at very good prices
just so that you can try
them out and see if you
like them.
In July I plan to hold a
clinic on using Mig Productions items. I will
show you how to use the
wash, the filter and the
pigments. If there is time
I will even show you a few
other tricks that I have
learned from the master
of armor, Mig Jimenez.
2011
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
4
Colpar Club
Night
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Build N
Bull
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Cheyenne
Super Day
26
27
28
HPM
Meeting
29
30
Page 9
High Plains Gazette
May Model Gallery
Photos by Jeff Brown
Randy’s Mach 5
Pablo’s Paper Spaceship
Dave’s P-47 in 1/144
Jeff’s Jagdtiger 1/48
Brians Uboat in 1/700
Larry’s Landing Craft
Kit Auction Fun
Page 10
Scott’s 1/72 Shermans
Mike’s Rat Warrior
Mark’s FOW Shermans
Volume 1, Issue 7
High Plains Modelers
Presents
HIGH PLAINS CON XXII
“Cool Cats”
October 8, 2011
The Ranch in Loveland
5280 Arena Circle
Loveland, Colorado
I-25 Exit 259 (Crossroads Blvd)
Registration 9:30am-12:30pm
Judging Begins around 1:00pm
Awards to follow Judging
Model Pick-Up 5:00pm
No Previous IPMS or Regional Winners
IPMS Rules will be used for Judging. (Rulebook on hand.)
Registration forms are available to download online at http://ipmshpm.blogspot.com/
High Plains Gazette
Special Awards
Award Sponsor
Best Cat Themed Model
IPMS High Plains Modelers
Best Weathered Vehicle
Mig Productions USA
Best Race Car
M&S Hobbies
Best Star Wars Subject
Anonymous Donor
Best UAV
Chuck Holte
Best Mopar Subject
Wyoming Mighty Mopar Club
Worst Model
IPMS High Plains Modelers
Categories
(Subject to change/splits – All decisions are final)
AIRCRAFT
Military Single Engine Propeller
1/72 and smaller
1/48 to 1/50
1/32 and larger
Military Multi Engine Propeller
1/72 and smaller
1/48 and larger
Military Single Engine Jet
1/72 and smaller
1/48 and larger
Military Multi Engine Jet
1/72 and smaller
1/48 and larger
Civil, Sport, Racing, Commercial
Rotary Wing (all scales)
Junior
AUTOMOTIVE (CIVILIAN VEHICLES)
Cars
Trucks
Competition
Commercial
Heavy trucks
Motorcycles
Junior
DIORAMAS
All Scales
Junior
ARMOR
Tanks
1/72nd
1/48th
1/35th
Soft skin
1/72nd
1/48th
1/35th
Half-Tracks & Armored vehicles
1/72nd
1/48th
1/35th
ARTILLERY PIECES (ALL SCALES)
Senior
Junior
SPACECRAFT
Sci-Fi (all scales)
Real (all scales)
Junior
NAUTICAL
1/700 and smaller
1/350
1/150 and larger
Junior
FIGURES
All Scales
Junior
Contest Best of Awards in Detail
For the first time in a
while we are having a
theme and a nice set of
Special Awards for our
contest. This article is
going to describe them all
in detail so there will be
no confusion come contest day.
So what is the “theme”
and what does it entail?
The Theme is “Cool
Cats”, and that means
any model with a cat
theme is eligible for the
award. We tried to come
up with something that
covered every category,
and I think we nailed it.
There are cat named cars,
planes, ships, and figures.
I believe the only group
left out will be Space/SciFi, but they have a special
category for Best Star
Wars subject so they are
covered. “But what if we
don‟t build Star Wars?”,
asks Space Builder Bob,
Well in that case as my
Uncle used to say
“Toughski shitski”.
Best Weathered Vehicle, sponsored by our
friends at Mig Productions USA, means weathered. Weathered does not
mean clean and pristine,
it means dirty and mean.
If you have not tried
them, Mig makes a lot of
products to help you
weather a vehicle. I personally have over 40 of
their products and I can
tell you not only do they
work, but they can improve your modeling
skills as well with their
How to videos.
Best Race Car, sponsored by our friends at
M&S Hobbies, should be
obvious, but I know there
will be questions. A “race
car” is a car that races
around a track and has
lots of stickers and a
number on it. F1, Nascar,
IHRL, NHRA, Rally cars,
Touring Cars, hopefully
you are getting the idea
since there are literally
hundreds of different
racing series worldwide.
By the way, Mark at M&S
is a great guy to deal with,
and he has great products
too. Wait until you see
what I built with the
products from his site.
Best Star Wars Subject, is also pretty easy to
explain. Star Wars means
STAR WARS! It does not
mean Star Trek, no matter how awesome Captain
Kirk is. We went with
Best Subject, so that we
can open it up to more
than just the awesome
ships of the Star Wars
universe. This gives you
an excuse to finally build
that old Yoda diorama
you have had sitting in
the basement. (Which
hopefully you are still not
living in.)
Best UAV, is a special
category sponsored by a
special individual, Chuck
Holte from down south in
Colorado Springs. It covers Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles, which include
the Predator, the Global
Hawk, and the Ryan Firebee. I had to visit Wikipedia to find out how many
there are and there are
dozens of different UAV‟s
that are included. What is
not included are drones,
rockets and smart bombs.
Best Mopar Subject,
Mopar (short for Motor
Parts) is the automobile
parts and service arm of
Chrysler Group LLC. The
term was first used by
Chrysler in the 1920s and
has been in continuous
use ever since. Mopar
parts are original equipment manufactured parts
for Chrysler vehicles. This
category, not surprisingly,
is sponsored by the Wyoming Mighty Mopar Club.
Worst Model, is in
honor of all you builders
who do not believe in
opening a window when
using glue. The hallucination that your model
looks better than it really
is gives some a chuckle.
So, rather than arguing
why your Enterprise did
not win anything, we will
have a special table for
you to display your worst
model. This category is
winner (or loser as the
case may be) take all.
Volume 1, Issue 7
Star Wars
means STAR
WARS!
I’m sorry, I can’t
hear you over the
sound of how awesome I am!
Worst Model, is
in honor of all
you builders who
do not believe in
opening a
window when
using glue.
So, now you have an idea
of the theme and special
categories, so GET
BUILDING!
Page 13
High Plains Gazette
IPMS: Space and Sci-Fi (Continued)
Painting and Finishing
A heavily weathered
battle used Y-Wing.
Of course, for
science fiction
models that are
solely the
product of the
builder’s
imagination, the
rule on colors is
“anything goes.”
1. The model‟s surface,
once painted, should
show no signs of the construction process (glue,
file, or sanding marks;
fingerprints; obvious discontinuities between kit
plastic and filler materials; etc.).
2. Finish should be even
and smooth. If irregularities in the actual vehicle‟s
finish are being duplicated, documentation of
such irregularities is required.
A. No brush marks, lint,
brush hairs, etc.
B. No “orange-peel” or
“eggshell” effect; no
“powdering” in areas such
as cavities or inside corners.
C. No random differences
in sheen of finish caused
by misapplication of final
clear coats.
3. Paint edges that are
supposed to be sharp
should be sharp (no
ragged edges caused by
poor masking). Edges
that are supposed to be
soft or feathered should
be in scale and without
overspray.
Sienar Fleet Systems
TIE Fighter
Page 14
4. Framing on clear parts
should have crisp, uniform edges.
5. Weathering, if present,
should be consistent
throughout the model,
not overdone, and appropriate for the vehicle and
the conditions in which it
was (or would be) operating. Reentry vehicles
(Space Shuttle, Apollo,
etc.) should show some
aerodynamic weathering
if depicted in a postreentry or landing mode.
Rocket engine nozzles
generally should showsome sort of weathering,
particularly on the inside;
but check references, as
such weathering can vary
greatly from one type of
nozzle to another.
6. Decals:
A. Aligned properly. (If
the actual prototype had a
markings anomaly, e.g.,
an inverted insignia, the
model builder should provide documentation to
show that he is deliberately duplicating someone
else‟s error, not inadvertently making one of his
own.)
B. No silvering or bubbling of decal film. Decal
film should be eliminated
or hidden to make the
markings appear painted
on.
C. Uniform finish (a consideration if using decal
bits from a variety of
sources).
7. Colors. Paint colors,
even from the same
manufacturer and mixed
to the same specs, can
vary from batch to batch.
Different operating environments can change colors in different ways. All
paints fade from the effects of weather, sunlight,
supernova explosions,
etc., and viewing distance
alone can alter the look of
virtually any color. Poor
initial application and
subsequent maintenance
compound these problems. Therefore, except
for gross inaccuracies
such as a black Space
Shuttle Columbia, color
shades should not be used
to determine the accuracy
of a model that represents
an actual spacecraft or a
specific TV or movie science fiction vehicle. Of
course, for science fiction
models that are solely the
product of the builder‟s
imagination, the rule on
colors is “anything goes.”
Volume 1, Issue 7
Who is Kahuna Designs?
Kahuna Designs is a small
one man graphic design
firm that has the creative
talent to draw what you
dream.
How and why did I begin
printing World War II
materials?
The World War II objects
that I produce began
when I bought some posters and signs made by a
competitor, and realized
that they were not good
quality. So now I make
my own 1/35 and 1/48
scale printed material.
Like Papa John says,
“Better ingredients, better
pizza.”
My prints are made on
high quality paper,
printed from a super high
quality color
printer. This helps show
the true colors of these
great works of art from
the original World War II
posters. I do not mass
produce nor use a copier.
Each item is an actual
print. When the ink runs
down I stop printing until
the ink runs out and I can
buy new cartridges. That
way the prints stay crisp
and clean.
Currently I make 1/35
and 1/48 printed materials. I also have branched
out into the custom 1/24
license plate arena.
I have German posters,
Russian posters, wallpapers, playing cards, magazines, newspapers, Ger-
June Special
 Wallpaper #1 Yellow with Flowers
 Wallpaper # 2 Blue with Flowers
man papers, and a 1/35
Tigerfibel. I am working
on cigarette packs and
ration boxes.
As for the license plates I
have all 50 states and DC.
I can put whatever you
want on the plate.
I have received nothing
but positive feedback on
my items from my ebay
buyers.
Kahuna Designs wallpaper
and playing cards in the
diorama “Dead Man‟s
Hand”.
My prices are great and so
are my printings.
Just search on ebay for
Kahuna Designs, or request a brochure by sending an e-mail to:
[email protected]
Kahuna Designs German
Poster and German papers
on a vignette base.
Wallpaper Sale
For June we are having a special on our wallpapers, normally they are $6.00 each this
month they are $5.00 each!
 Wallpaper #3 Faded Blue
 Wallpaper #4 Coral with Flowers
Kahuna Designs Inc.
 Wallpaper #5 Green Crazy Ivy
Kahuna Designs
[email protected]
Page 15
High Plains Gazette
Classified Ads***
For Sale or Trade:
Jeff Brown has items for
sale and trade, see ads
below and e-mail: [email protected]
I have added this new
section so you can show
photos of what you are
selling.
I have a bunch of Mig
Productions items for
sale, all are brand new,
never opened. I am giving
a good discount on these,
and if they don‟t sell locally I will put them on
greEd Bay. The prices do
not include shipping.
for High Plains Modelers
Members to post items for
sale or trade. If you are
not a member of the club
it cost $2 to post an ad
which goes towards our
annual club contest.
*** Posting Ads are free
MIG Productions Wash SALE $6.50 each. Supplies Limited first come first served.
I also have the following Mig Pigments for sale:
Trumpeter 1/32 Wildcat F4F-3.
These retail for around $75 this one
is still sealed in the shrink wrap. I
am asking $45 for it. (Shipping is
extra for those outside of Northern
Colorado.)







Lunar Dust (6)
Neptune Blue (2)
Zombie Green (2)
Sulfer Yellow (1)
Rocket Exhaust (1)
Metallic Silver (2)
Graveyard (1)
Price on these is $5.00 each.
Gary’s World War II Movie Trivia is MIA
Page 16
My two year old, the Destructor, ran off with
Gary‟s article, and I can‟t
find it. I searched for over
2 hours and finally have
given up. My guess is a
few minutes after I publish this month‟s newsletter I will find it.
chapter winners at the
Region X contest
(ChileCon2). My fault for
leaving my computer case
out where he could grab
it.
I also can‟t find the letter
from Don Kehrer which
named us “Newsletter of
the Year” and the other
I do remember the first
question was:
If you want nice stuff, DO
NOT have children.
“Although he played a war
hero in several movies he
never served in the military himself, who is he?”
More than likely it will be
in next month‟s newsletter when I find it lying
under some furniture or
in one of my drawers or
wherever else he hides
things. I found a model
part I was missing under
the oven a few days ago,
so this article could be
anywhere.
Volume 1, Issue 7
About IPMS/USA
IPMS/USA is the United
States Branch of the International Plastic Modelers' Society, whose roots
can be traced to the
startup of the first IPMS
National Branch during
the 1960's in Great Britain. In 1964 a US-based
modeler applied for a
charter to start the US
Branch. In the ensuing 4
decades, IPMS/USA has
become a 5,000 member,
all-volunteer organization
dedicated to promoting
the modeling hobby while
providing a venue for
modelers to share their
skills in a social setting,
along with friendly but
spirited competition in
the form of local, regional, and national contests and conventions. As
this is written, there are
over 220 active US chapters (including groups in
Canada and the Philippines as well as one
"cyber-chapter" existing
entirely on the internet).
These chapters are organized into 13 geographically-determined Regions, overseen by Regional Coordinators. The
IPMS/USA Executive
Board, made up of elected
and appointed members,
serves as the overall governing body for IPMS/
USA.
IPMS/USA produces the
Modelers' Journal, an allcolor magazine supplied
to our members 6 times
each year. Sample copies
of the Journal are available upon request, and
you'll find several cover
shots elsewhere in this
handout.
In addition, IPMS/USA
maintains one of the largest and most-visited public websites in the modeling community
(www.ipmsusa.org).
Members and visitors can
view product reviews,
chapter and contest information, see examples of
members' work, and view
images of contest, museum walkarounds, and
the like. A members-only
Forum allows discussion
of specific topics of interest amongst our membership. The remainder of
the website is open to the
modeling public and sees
thousands of hits weekly.
From: www.ipmsusa.org
Page 17
High Plains Gazette
High Plains Modelers
Meetings are the last Tuesday of the month
at The Ranch in Loveland. They start at
7pm and end around 9pm.
Editor: Jeffrey Brown
[email protected]
President: Pablo Bauleo
Vice President: Gary Moore
Treasurer: Randy Robinson
Secretary: Jeff Brown
Website
http://ipmshpm.blogspot.com/
Next Meeting June 28,
2011. 7pm at The Ranch.
Our club has plastic modelers from Northern Colorado, mainly
from the Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont area. We also have a
few members from Wyoming.
Honestly, if you need an excuse to get away from the wife an kids a
few days a month, join our club. Your skills will improve and you
will have a few laughs.
Stop by a meeting, the first one is free kid!
Contest Sponsors: Please Support Them (They Support Us)
Kahuna Designs Inc.
IDEAL SCALE MODELS
`
Hersh Consulting is sponsoring Best Armor!
Chuck Holte is sponsoring Best UAV!
Sidles Co. is sponsoring Best Automotive
Wyoming Mighty Mopar Club is sponsoring Best Mopar Subject
Page 18