September

 The
ypoxic
September 2012 Newsle er Modeler
Oxygen is for Sissies! Next Club Meeting
26 September 6:30pm
Falcon Police Station
7850 Goddard St.
Colorado Springs
(Theme is “First Day of
Autumn,” Anything Fall Colors)
Upcoming Events
15 September
Wingnutcon 2012
Wings Over the
Rockies Museum
Theme is “Celebrating the
Movies and TV Shows of the
1970’s” download the flyer
at: hƩp://
www.ipmsdenverrobwolf.org/
uploads/
WingNutCon_Flyer_2012_Version_
1s.pdf 21 & 22 September
SLC XII
Salt Lake City, UT
3 November
ModelZona 2012
Phoenix, AZ
www.ipms-phoenix.org
One of Matt’s favorites from the tables at Nationals, an amazing Monogram A-4 Skyhawk.
From the President
Hello Centennial! As we move forward into September several of us have returned from the IPMS National Convention in Orlando or more appropriately, the Mouse House of Disneyworld. Several of us
made the trip south to attend the convention and to shadow our counterparts in hopes of gleaning some
information in regards to our positions for our turn in the chute. Many notes were taken, thoughts jotted
down, suggestions rendered and pictures taken. All told, I believe we had close to a dozen people on
hand including a few from the Denver contingent. For those that could not attend there was some impressive builds on the tables including one that took Popular Choice. It was a large scale diorama from the
Puerto Rico modelers featuring 2 Tamiya P-51 Mustang’s strafing a German train. Overall length I’d
estimate close to 10’. It featured spinning props on the Mustang’s and s sound track of machine gun
noise, train whistles, and low flying aircraft. The entire piece was described and narrated by one of the
builders. Pretty impressive it was.
My time at the nationals was spent shadowing my counterpart which gave me plenty of opportunity to
view the model room and the pieces being placed on the tables. I took lots of pictures while doing so
and you can view some of those I took within these pages. All told I believe there was close to 2800
models put on the tables. Big numbers no matter how you look at it! The vendors this year were split
over two rooms; one large, the other smaller. As I flew this year, I wasn’t able to go hog wild with the
purchases and merely bought items I could fit in a large carry on case to be checked for the return flight
following the convention. It was a hard thing to do as there was so much there I wanted to buy…Some
new items I saw that will be forthcoming really peaked my interest and I am looking forward to seeing
them in the flesh when they arrive. A couple of those being a 1/35 T-64 from Hobby Boss (Finally!!) a
1/48 A-3 Skywarrior also from Hobby Boss if I’m not mistaken, a 1/32 Catalina (*absolutely huge!)
and a 1/32 P-61 Black Widow. There are more, but these made the top of the list for this builder.
Overall it was a good trip and one in which I hate to say it, but I actually spent more eating than I did
shopping. There was not a meal to be had for under $12 to $15. Once on site, if you didn’t have a car
you were a hostage of the mouse house. Did I mention there were kids? Lots of them and lots of screaming kids…and here I thought it was the Happiest Place on Earth. Apparently somebody forgot to tell the
kids that. I made it there and home safely with a ton of notes for our turn so I am happy for that. I hope
this finds all of you doing well and getting in some time at the bench. Cool weather is moving in and that
means we will hopefully find more time to spend on our hobby. Thanks again to all of you who attended
the convention this year with me. You made the trip a good one. Keep your sprues empty!
Matt~
The Hypoxic Modeler 1 September 2012 EDITORIAL: THE END OF AN ERA
By Rob Schmitt
EDITORIAL: I MISS COMPLETE
After more than 20 years of supporting Colorado Springs, Compleat
Games & Hobbies has closed its doors for good. Owner Ty Hare has
decided to close the store to pursue other business opportunities. While
he still owns the property, the once great hobby store is no more.
By Rodger Cole
I miss Complete Games and Hobbies already!
For those of us who may not know, a quick history lesson. Ty opened the
store in June 1990 as the Compleat Gamer, which was (ironically) across
the street from where Compleat now stands. A few years later he partnered with Tom McDowell, owner of Great Games and Hobbies, and
created Compleat Games & Hobbies.
A sure sign of growing older is when you get nostalgic for the past.
While the internet is great, and shopping online can save you money, I
am beginning to really miss “brick and mortar” stores. I can’t remember
the date, but I can certainly remember the first time I wandered into
Complete downtown. It was soon after I got back into the hobby after a
long absence. I walked in and immediately felt like home. Two isles of
models, with a special section for bargains, kept me drooling for quite
some time. I snatched up a marked down Revell/Monogram 1/48 scale
B-17, the Memphis Belle, for a very low price. This was the first kit I
completed and it hung from my Grandson’s bedroom ceiling with pride
until recently.
I first visited Compleat in 2000 and was immediately greeted by the
legendary Carl. Carl is an institution – he knows everything there is to
know about models, but entertaining nonetheless. I’ve run into people
that haven’t lived in COS for years and they would say “There used to
be a hobby store downtown with this crazy guy”. That’s Carl! He will be
sorely missed. I also first met Mark Krabbenhoft at Compleat. Mark is
one of the most amazing sculptors and painters I’ve ever met and still
remains a close friend. If you’ve ever seen his “Bad Moon Rising” kit you
know what I mean! I had the opportunity of watching him sculpt that kit
from the ground up; from the musculature to the skin to the fur. Mark is
now the co-owner of The Yellow King gaming store.
The thing about Complete is that it reminded me of my youth. Remember when you were a kid and you could pick up models in every supermarket, drug store, and five and dime store? Heck do you remember
drug stores, except Walgreens, and five and dime stores? That’s where
most of my models came from as a kid, except for the twice a year gifts
for Christmas and Birthdays. Then when I was older, and my bicycle
gave me the freedom of the town, I discovered stores that actually specialized in nothing but models. Oh the heaven those stores were! They
might not have been like Cheers, ‘where everybody knows your name’,
but the folks there recognized you and nodded when you came in. Complete was one of those stores. You could ask questions, get recommendations, and generally just hang out to your heart’s content. You might
even run into a friend or two while you were there. Somehow filling up
your shopping cart, putting in your credit card, or hit “buy it now”, just
doesn’t have the same feel.
Compleat wasn’t just a hobby store, it was a place to hang out with
your friends and build models. Numerous clubs including Centennial,
FRAM and FRAFM called Compleat home. In its heyday there would be
20+ people crammed into 6 picnic benches in the back on any given
Saturday. Ty also supported the modeling community with Summer and
Winter Model Daze; month-long celebrations of the hobby run by Tom
Grossman. Who could forget the “friendly” 6-Hour Builds challenges or
the infamous “Blind Build”? Ty always encouraged local builders to show
off their talent in his display cases during the Model Daze In-The-Case
Contests. That’s how I sold my first commission piece.
I miss going downtown to check out what was new, or to see if that kit
I’d been planning on getting was still there. I miss running into other
people I knew, or listening into conversations others were having about
the latest kit offerings. I miss Carl telling me some story or other that
would usually make me laugh. I’d even put in double the amount of
money in the parking meter just because I knew I wouldn’t get out of the
store as quickly as I could because something would keep me there. I
miss the weekly “build and bull” sessions on Wednesday nights. I miss
the contests, like two week builds, or sweating, literally, over a six hour
build in the summer heat. Heck I even miss the aromas wafting over
from the folks playing some game that I never heard of, and probably
couldn’t understand anyway. I just miss being surrounded by all the
sights, smells, and sensations of a real honest to goodness model store.
Dark storm clouds loomed in August 2009 when Ty sold the store to a
couple of guys I’ll refer to as Beavis and Butthead or Dumb and Dumber. B2/D2 promised the community plenty, but in the end failed to deliver. After a promising start they opened a second store and things quickly went downhill. Within a year they had chased off all the clubs and
loyal customers and stopped paying their distributors. By the time Ty
reclaimed the store from B2/D2 the damage was done. He kept the
store on life support for another 8 months, but the damage was irreparable.
Although Compleat Games & Hobbies is now just a fading memory, it will
always be near and dear to me. It’s where I met most (if not all) of my
modeling buddies, shared a few laughs, a few curse words and even a
few drops of blood! Thankfully we have a new place to hang out at
Hobby Town South. Fred and Chuck are great hosts and the air conditioning works great!
On the window of Complete is a letter from Ty saying goodbye. In it he
mentions that there is still a chance Complete could return some day. I
hope so. Downtown just won’t be the same anymore without that “funky
little shop.”
The Hypoxic Modeler Rest in Peace.
2 September 2012 Kit Review
Kit Review
1/72 A-Model KACKP-2 Kit #7279
1/72 Academy P-39Q/N Airacobra Kit #2177
By Ken Meyer
By Ken Meyer
Our club had a kit auction in July. I bid on and won another kit I
wanted and this A-Model kit came with it, not my cup of tea.
Well after I got home and looked at this orphan kit, I decided to
build it for grins. It was going to be a test of my building skills.
This is the first P-39 that I have built. I remember as a young
model builder wanting buy and build the Monogram P-39 which
is now in my collection.
The kit is molded in gray plastic with recessed lines, no problems
with flashing or gates. There are some delicate parts, namely
the landing gear, door actuators, and MG barrels.
The model was molded in a soft light blue/gray plastic, and
there was plenty of flashing and seam lines to remove. There
were many fit issues throughout the build process, along with
very fragile, soft plastic parts.
I substituted the factory cockpit with the Eduard Set. Since there
is an open door I wanted a more detailed cockpit.
I was able to assemble the kit without much damage to the delicate parts. I used a fair amount of filler and sanding to get rid
of the seams.
I didn’t have any issues with the cockpit, fuselage, or clear parts.
The wing assembly went together with no problems. The fitting
of the wing to the fuselage presented a problem. I had to trim
the wing root on the fuselage, so that way the wing would have
the correct dihedral. After the fit issue was resolved the rest of
the model went together with no problems. I had to add some
weight to the nose area to have the plane sit correctly.
I gave it the basic paint job that the instructions provided (Olive
Green, Sky Blue, Silvers, and Wood)
I used two pound fishing line for the rigging. The only real reference was the box art, so it has a basic wire rigging from what I
could discern from the box.
I followed the kit paint instructions, applied the decals, minor
weathering and called it done.
I did finish this orphan kit, it did challenge my skills, and I don’t
plan on building another!
The Hypoxic Modeler 3 September 2012 335 TFS F-15E
1/48 Revell
Forces, the lead F-15E of a two-ship formation acquired one of
the 5 Mi-24s operating in the area via its AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN
(Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) pod
while the Hind was in the process of disembarking Iraqi soldiers. The crew of SN 89-0487 promptly pickled a 2000 lb
GBU-10 laser guided bomb, and even though the enemy bird
lifted off, the F-15E crew kept the laser on the target aircraft. Designed for use against ground targets, the Strike Eagle
crew thought that the laser guided bomb had missed and were
preparing to engage with a short range infrared (heat-seeking)
AIM-9M Sidewinder when the Mi-24 was destroyed in mid-air.
The Special Forces team observed the event and estimated that
the Hind was approximately 800’ AGL when GBU-10 found its
mark.
By Dave Wellen
The 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron was the second fighter
squadron in the US Air Force to receive the Strike Eagle, and on
27-28 December 1990, the 335th deployed twenty-four F-15Es
along with support personnel and equipment to Al Kharj Air Base
in central Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield.
When Operation Desert Storm began on the night of 16 January 1991, the Chiefs went “downtown” and participated in the
initial air campaign on Iraq, hitting communications, power networks, and airfields around Baghdad.
At the outbreak of the Gulf War, Iraq had an effective, if limited, ballistic missile force that they had developed during the
Iran-Iraq war. Though not terribly accurate, SCUDs were responsible for the vast majority of coalition deaths outside of Iraq
and Kuwait. A total of 42 SCUD missiles were fired into Israel,
and fearing that Israel might be drawn into the conflict (and
fracture the fragile coalition comprised of several Arab nations),
the 335th and their sister squadron, the 336th TFS, were assigned
the priority mission of finding and destroying Iraq's SCUD missile
launchers. On 17 January 1991, 24 F-15Es launched an attack
upon five fixed SCUD installations in western Iraq. SCUDhunting missions continued through that night, followed by a second strike consisting of 21 additional F-15Es, and numerous
more hunter missions in the nights that followed. In addition to
locating and destroying all of the fixed launchers and many of
the mobile launchers, the F-15Es conducted random bombings in
suspected areas in the hopes that they would deter the mobile
SCUD operators from setting up for a launch. The strategy
worked, and the Strike Eagles of the 335th, along with the 336th
and the Patriot missile batteries deployed to Israel and Saudi
Arabia, brought Iraq's use of this weapon of mass destruction
against Israel and Saudi Arabia to a virtual halt, earning the
squadron the nickname "SCUD BUSTERS."
During the war, the Chiefs flew 1,097 combat missions over Iraq
and occupied Kuwait, dropping over 4.8 million pounds of ordnance in the form of laser guided GBU-10s and GBU-12s, unguided Mk-82s, as well as Mk-20 and CBU-87 cluster munitions.
100% BOOB (Built Out Of Box)…with no exceptions…that was
hard for me to do, considering that the Mud Hen is a mud mover
and the kit contained ZERO air to ground ordnance. So I guess
the story is that this Strike Eagle is fresh back from a successful
SCUD hunting mission in western Iraq.
The lack of A2G ordnance was my only complaint with this kit
whatsoever. Fit, detail, and decals were all very good…
probably the best I have seen in a Revell kit. The canopy did
have a mold line down the center which had to be polished out,
but some progressively finer grit sand paper, Novus #3 and #2,
and a dip in Future solved that problem. Model Master Enamel Gunship Gray was the main color. The pre‐decal gloss coat was straight Future, and the dull coat is a photo‐finishing fluid that I bought years ago cut 10:1 with lacquer thinner. A variety of Tamiya and Model Master acrylics and enamels were used for everything else. The wash was Windsor Newton Lamp Black ar st oil thinned with WN odorless turpen ne. There are still a
few minor dust particles and stray fibers to clean up that I can
see in the hi-res photos, but the construction is DONE.
On 14 February 1991, the aircraft represented here (SN 890487) made history by scoring an air-to-air kill on a Russianbuilt Iraqi Mi-24 Hind using a laser-guided bomb. While responding to a request for CAS (Close Air Support) by US Special
The Hypoxic Modeler 4 September 2012 Chuck Holte took a field trip to the Air Force Academy and
shot some pics of the UV-18B Twin Otter (below) which supports the Academy’s parachute jumpers. He also caught the
Academy’s brand new powered flight platform, the T-53
(right) which is made by Cirrus.
Wayne Cassell dug this old Tamiya 1/35 Challenger out of his
garage and decided to finish it. (above and left)
Support Our Local Hobby Shops
Club Officers
About Centennial IPMS
Our goal is to promote the building of scale models, all types and
sizes. Through interaction with other club members we wish to
further the skill and knowledge of the modeler. We strive to communicate information through this newsletter, our web site and
monthly meetings. We are a chartered member of the IPMS/USA
National Group. You do not have to be a member of IPMS/USA
to join our group, however, we recommend it. Our website address is www.centennialipms.org.
International Plastic Modelers Society (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. The IPMS/USA website address is www.ipmsusa.org
The Hypoxic Modeler President: Matt Quiroz- [email protected]
VP: Dave Wellen- [email protected]
Secretary: Yvonne Carpenter- [email protected]
Treasurer: Rob Schmitt- [email protected]
Meetings
We normally meet on the 4th Wednesday of each month at
6:30pm but be sure to double check our website or this newsletter
for updates. We meet at the Falcon Police Station which is located at 7850 Goddard St., Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
The Hypoxic Modeler
The Hypoxic Modeler is the monthly newsletter of Centennial
IPMS. We are always looking for submissions of content that
modelers will find interesting. Please send your submissions to the
editor at [email protected].
.
5 September 2012