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Index:

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Next Club Contest    Next Sponsored Contest
Notes and News Items    Current Articles
Local Contest Information IPMS/USA Links
IPMS National Convention - 2008  Website Updates

                Archived / Past Articles                


Next Club Contest

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    The June 6th Theme Contest is

"Eastern Front"

(Points contest)

Aircraft, Armor and Figures of WWII Eastern Front.  All scales and all subjects.

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Upcoming Contests Info

The July 11th Theme Contest is "Open Contest # 2" (Points contest)

The August 1st Theme Contest is "The Zoo" (Points contest)

For further details on upcoming contests, click on the link below to the

ASM Contest Schedule section of the website:  Contest Schedule

ASM Modeling Workshops Schedule for 2008

Please stay tuned for changes and for what model projects you should bring in for the workshop!

March 7

Workshop 1:  Model Building Problem Solving - Patrick Dick, James Guld, Ken Liotta, Brian Peck
Workshop 2:  CONSTRUCTIVE Model Critique - Patrick Dick, James Guld, Ken Liotta, Brian Peck

April 4 Building Aircraft Model Tips - Part 1 – Brian Peck
June 6 Armor Modeling Tips - Working with photo etched parts  -  James Guld 
July 11   Building Aircraft Model Tips - Part 2 – Brian Peck 
August 1 Armor Modeling Tips - Scratch building detail parts -  James Guld 
October 3 “Building Aircraft Model Tips - Part 3 – Brian Peck 
November 7 Armor Modeling Tips - Painting / weathering techniques  -  James Guld 
December 5 Building Aircraft Model Tips - Part 4 – Brian Peck 

 


Next Sponsored Contest

June 6th

The ASM E-Board will host a "Best D-Day Subject" contest

Best of any subject related to D-Day.  Any subject, any scale.

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November 7th

Mike Blohm will host a "World War I Aces" contest

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Any aircraft, any scale, flown by an "ace" of any nationality in World War I.  Please bring documentation for the ace your model's scheme depicts.

Award plaque:

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December 5th

The ASM E-Board will host a "Best Captured Subject" contest

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Best of any subject in captured markings.

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For further details on upcoming Sponsored Contests, click on the link below to the

ASM Contest Schedule - "Sponsored Contest" section of the website:

Sponsored Contest ROE


Notes and News Items


Hobbies 'N Stuff Model Contest - March 29th

By Tom Perea.  ASM Vice President

I just found out that Hobbies ’N Stuff is going to have a model building contest on Saturday, March 29.   They will be having separate categories to judge; e.g., armor, planes, ships, figures.  They will be awarding first through third trophies.  Each person who wins a first-place prize in their respective categories will be receiving a $25 gift card, but only for the first-place winners.  Any one person can enter with no limits on entries, but only one gift card per person—they want to spread it around.   The one exception will be for the Best in Show, which will receive a $25 gift card as well.  This is the only way one person can come out of the contest with $50 in gift cards.  They will fill me in on the dead line for entries, which is to say when we can start bringing in our models and what time they will be starting their judging.   More information to follow.

Note:  Article on the March 29th contest to be provided ASAP by Ken Liotta.  There were 28 total entries.

The next contest at Hobbies 'N Stuff will be on June 28th - stand by for more details.

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Special Raffle # 2 by Centennial IPMS

Centennial IPMS will hold Special Raffle #2 to benefit the upcoming Pikes Peak Model Expo on
June 7, 2008 at the Weisbrod Air Museum in Pueblo, Colorado.

Item to be raffled: 

Hasegawa Kit # 40024, 1/350 Scale IJN Nagato 1941 (Battleship).   SRP $219.99

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Ticket Cost:   $5.00 each.   All monies go straight into the Pikes Peak Model Expo fund.

Drawing Date:   June 7th at the contest - Need not be present to win!

Click here for raffle promotional info:  Nagato Raffle

Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket can contact Tom Grossman at  tomtag@pcisys.net or 719-531-7346.
You can also contact any other Centennial Exec.

Cllick here for info on the Pikes Peak Model Expo

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Special Raffle # 1 by Centennial IPMS - Won By Frank Randall

Centennial IPMS held a special raffle to benefit the upcoming Pikes Peak Model Expo on
June 7, 2008 at the Weisbrod Air Museum in Pueblo, Colorado.

ASM's Frank Randall was the lucky winner.  Raffle details below:

Special Raffle - Centennial IPMS

Centennial IPMS is holding a special raffle to benefit the upcoming Pikes Peak Model Expo to be held on
June 7, 2008 at the Weisbrod Air Museum in Pueblo, Colorado.

Item to be Raffled:  Dragon #75001, 1/6 Scale Sd.Kfz.2 Kleines Kettenkrad   SRP $109.95

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Ticket Cost:   $5.00 each.  All monies go straight into the Pikes Peak Model Expo fund.

Drawing Date:   March 26 at Centennial’s monthly meeting - Need not be present to win!

Winner to be announced through the Region 10 contact list.

Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket can contact Tom Grossman at  tomtag@pcisys.net or 719-531-7346.
You can also contact any other Centennial Exec.

All out of town requests must arrive by March 19 to help ensure delivery of your ticket.

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ASM Supports the Troops - 2008

ASM collected kits and model supplies in late 2007 and early 2008 in order to make
another Donation to the Troops.  The kits are being packed and will be mailed out shortly.

See article below on ASM's 2008 and 2007 Support to the Troops.

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ASM Modeling Techniques Workshops

There will be an ASM Modeling Techniques workshop at
Hobbies N' Stuff on Saturday, 19 April from 12:00 to 3:00 PM.

Topics to be announced ASAP.

Workshops are scheduled each month on the second to last Saturday.


Current Articles

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Deadline to submit proposed ASM Newsletter articles to

Joe Walters is the 20th of the month prior.

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The Prez's Spiel

By Jim Guld, ASM President

A Few Words From the Top  

I would just like to say well done to all. Those tables have been pretty full the past couple of months, except for you juniors. Come on get out there and build something.  

Just a couple of reminders: Buy raffle tickets for the upcoming Super Raffles! June is just around the corner and that P-47 would look awful funny-looking sitting in my closet if I win it. I will also have the signup sheet out for Dave Straub’s weekend workshop in June.

Well, that’s about it. Now get back to the workbench and build something. 


Vice-Pres Ramblings

By Tom Perea.  ASM Vice President

No Current Article.


From the Judges Chambers

By Ken Liotta, ASM Contest Director

Hello my fellow model builders.  This is a partial reprint of an article I wrote up two years ago.  While some of it is the same ole thing, I thought that it had enough significant content to reiterate it.

   Thank you for placing your trust in me to return as ASM’s Contest Director.  It is great to be back and I look forward to serving all of my fellow club members to the absolute best of my abilities.  It has always been my desire to share with you the enjoyment we all get out of building, talking, trading, and admiring the plastic models that we build.   Be it an F6F Hellcat, an SdKfz. 251/9, or an YZR-M1 I look forward to talking models with all of you.  And serving on your E-board once again brings me that much closer to the ASM membership.

   One significant aspect of ASM is our almost monthly contests.   They have become an important feature of our organization.  Unfortunately, too many modelers, both outside and inside of the club, have looked upon us as overly contest driven.  And that is not the case.  ASM covers a lot of plastic model building ground, from clinics on applying decals, to guest speakers that have actually flown warbirds during World War II.  We have swap meets, raffles, distressed kit auctions, mall shows, etc., etc.   Not to mention a fairly substantial website presence and a colorful and comprehensive monthly newsletter.  (By the way, many thanks and appreciations go to Joe Walters and Mike Blohm for putting in many hours of their own time to make these two such successes).  But yes, we still do host model contests.  We meet 12 times a year and of those meetings this year we are hosting eleven monthly contests.  I view my job as being responsible to all of you, the membership, to ensure that these contests are conducted in as smooth, complete, enjoyable and fair as absolutely possible.  And to make sure the playing field is as evenly presented as possible.

   We are now fully three months into 2008 and the model building is in full swing.  Our March meeting included the first points bearing contest and many of you have left the gates at a full sprint.  The Theme for March was Open.  That meant that ALL models were illegible to receive the extra points that go along with the Best of Show awards.  We had 25 models entered in March with numerous “display only” and “works in progress” on the tables.  Everything was looking top notch and the judges were definitely put to the test looking at some outstanding workmanship.

   Since the results of the contest were announced at the March meeting and they are posted on the website, I won’t cover every placing.  But I do want to mention the Best of Show winners.  In the Basic Division, Gil Johnson’s very well built Tamiya M4A3 took the honor along with the People’s Choice award, too.  Tim Wood’s super cool build of the 21st Century 1/32 scale Mc.202 won him both the B of S and the People’s Choice.  And James Guld won the Masters B of S with his excellent Tamiya 1/35 Steyr.

   The current points are posted on the website and appear in the newsletter.  Since we haven’t had any Junior activity yet this year there are no points posted in Juniors yet.  Gil has a notable lead already in Basic while intermediate is HOTLY contested.  El Presidente Jim is leading the charge in Masters with Johnny hot on his tail.  All predictions are that this year will be a hot bed of competition for the points leading to Modeler of the Year.  Don’t miss out on the action and join in on the fun.  Whether you enter a model in the contests or simply want to bring them in for display, we are all about the enjoyment of plastic model building and sharing in our craft.

   April is a points bearing contest with the theme of “Heroes & The Good Guys.”  Build the men/women and/or their machines.  Fire trucks, TBM’s flown by Medal of Honor Recipients, Shirley Muldowney’s Championship 1977 Rail, or JFK’s PT boat.  Any scale, any Nationality, and any eras.  And a reminder that at April’s meeting, Don Smith is sponsoring his Best Corsair contest.  The award is a really cool framed piece of artwork.  Don’t miss out on this one.  Go finish your F4U and make the winner work for it.  We look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations.  So sling some glue and slap some paint on.  Let’s see that plastic!


Spider_web (2).jpg (150780 bytes) Webmaster's Tales

By Mike Blohm, ASM Webmaster

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Here’s a summary of recent updates on the ASM Website. 

2008 Pages are in place for the Contest Results, Model Pics, Meeting Pics, and Model of the Year Contenders.  A 2008 section has been built on the Modeler of the Year Points Standings page.  Please let me know via E-mail if you find some links going to the incorrect year pages.

Some reminders:

The “Marquee Banner” that scrolls across the top of the Home Page will always have the latest info on club activities – contests, events and speakers for the upcoming month, and whether an event has been postponed – so always check that out first when you visit the ASM website.

The "Website Updates" page was moved to a separate page on January 26.  Some of the links back to older article postings no longer work.  If you cannot find an older article mentioned in the Website Update listings, it would be best to check the "Archived Articles" page as it was probably moved to that location.

 The “New and Potential ASM Members” web page has all the info that new and prospective members need to review to understand how ASM is set up and the policies that govern club operations – the By Laws, Contest Guidelines, etc.  The link to the New Member page is on the Home Page.  Both new members and “old heads” should review these documents every so often.  Here’s the link to the New / Prospective Members page:  http://abqscalemodelers.com/ASM_New-Member_Info.htm

As always, let me know if you have any ideas for changes or additions to the website, and please send me any articles, reviews, or trip reports with pictures that you’d like to post on the website - and also send your inputs to Joe Walters if you'd aricle included in the  the Newsletter.    Thanks!


Trip Report - AMPS Nationals

by Jim Guld

This past month I attended the AMPS Nationals in Auburn, Indiana, and I drove.  It was held at the WWII Victory Museum, which also has side gallery rooms for Women’s Baseball League, cars, and a James Dean room.  A bit of an odd mix but a nice venue for the contest.   For those not familiar with AMPS, they don’t give out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards, but award gold, silver, and bronze awards.  Your model is judged to a set of standards with a four-man judging team.  Each judge awards up to 10 points with the lowest judge’s score thrown out.  Each model is judged for eight minutes.   I did two judging shifts while at the show.  You can go to the AMPS web site and get more information on how they judge:

http://www.amps-armor.org/ampssite/default.aspx

There were 425 models entered, plus probably another 20 – 30 out for show.  The way the AMPS show works, people bring their models in and register them, and the models are put on trays and side tables.  The judging teams start judging and the models are then put out on the display tables.  The only exception is for figures, vignettes, and dioramas, which are judged out on the display tables.  I personally like this system better, but it does take a lot of time and people to judge.  Judging was finished by early Saturday afternoon and the awards ceremony was at 5:00.

As far as seminars go, I was only able to sit in on one.  Gerry Chester was a wireless operator on Churchill tanks from the Tunisian campaign on into the Italian campaign. He gave a great presentation and he has a web site also (http://northirishhorse.net).

The vendors’ room was pretty good.  Some of the vendors who attended were Formations, Roger Saunders from Hornet Heads, Great Models, Ampersand Publishing, Panzer Tracts, CRM Hobbies, M&Models, Wings-N-Treads, Tank Rat’s Models, and reps from Tamiya and AFV Club.   AFV Club had sprues out for their new 1973 IDF version of the Centurion and some artwork for the upcoming Churchill III.

As far as models go, there were plenty of nice models on the tables and if you go to any of the armor-related web sites such as Missing-Lynx or Armorama you can find links to pictures.  As for me, I did better than I expected. I won 1 bronze, 2 silver, and 3 gold medals, and I also received Best US Subject for my WC-51.

Next year, the contest is held at Havre de Grace in Maryland, but hopefully it will be moved around after that. I’m hoping either west coast or more of a midpoint, say Kansas City.   A one-day drive sure would be nice.


ASM Supports the Troops - 2008

by Frank Randall

For a couple of months back we were collecting Kits for the Troops.  After all your generous gifts I had the privilege of sending to the Baghdad Hobby Club a couple of care packages containing thirty-one kits a pack of brushes and four posters. The donations covered a wide selection from tanks to airplanes to even ships. So there will be something for every one.  The kits will be distributed by Master Sergeant Brian Allen who passes on his thanks to all who contributed to this cause.

Thank you members of ASM.  

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Dem Brudders Visit Albuquerque

by Ken Liotta

   What do you get when only one of Dem Brudders stops by for a friendly visit?  Der Brudder?  Das Brudder?  Neither.  You get a lot of shared fun and camaraderie amongst plastic model building friends.  Recently, it became known that Richard Engar of the famed “Dem Brudders” in the IPMS/USA Journal and Regional Liaison/Publicity Coordinator of the Northern Utah Scale Modelers Association upcoming "Shocon 2008: The Regional" was going to be in Albuquerque on a small business trip.  Prior to his stay, arrangements were made between him and the ASM E-board to meet at my humble abode in conjunction with our monthly E-board meeting Thursday evening on March 27th.

   I always enjoy having club members over on occasions to share burnt hamburgers, hot dogs, and other goodies.  Before, during, and after the E-board meetings you will always find conversations jumping from the latest kit release, to the newest found model building  technique, to the latest news from the hobby shops, to updates on the next up coming model contests, etc, etc.  Of course, we do actually discuss club business, but hey, we’re all model builders and we love this hobby.  We usually have a couple of in-progress models that show up and also a few of the latest finished masterpieces.   The only difference this month was that we had the good fortune of sharing it with Dick Engar.  He spiced up the evening with his usual good humor and friendly model building experiences.  We learned a little more about the upcoming Regional in Utah this coming September.  (Those details will follow later).  Everyone had a fantastic time yucking it up with fellow craftsman and I am elated that I had the pleasure of hosting the E-board meeting here.  Of course, the business meeting was followed up with giving Dick a tour of Plastic Model Mecca.  Bulged eyeballs and dropped jars were abundant.  Many thanks to all that helped coordinate the visit/meeting and made it such a success:   The entire E-board, brother Keith, and just as important, best friend and loving wife Rita.

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Trip Report - Starfest 2008

by Joe Walters

The annual Denver-based StarFest science convention took place over the weekend of April 18 – 20.

In addition to the impressive lineup of guests (including Masi Oka from Heroes, Zachary Quinto from Heroes and the new Star Trek movie, Adam Baldwin from Firefly, Serenity, Independence Day and more, Nana Visitor [who currently lives in Corrales] from Deep?Space Nine, Nichelle Nichols from the original Star?Trek, and many more), there were far more activities and events than one could possible attend.

This is always a heavily-scheduled convention, with eight to ten events ongoing simultaneously all throughout the show.

A costume competition is held on Saturday night, and the hotel (Marriott Denver Tech Center) is packed with various aliens, creatures, and oddly-costumed humans.

There are some events that aren’t scheduled, but are continuously available. A sci-fi Art Show is a popular attraction, and Tom?Grossman always runs the “Airbrush?Experience,” which is sort of a make-and-take along with instruction on airbrush usage. Tom is always at these shows, and never gets to see anything, as he’s running the Airbrush?Experience from beginning to end.

One of the continuous attractions offered at the StarFest is the Model Show, which this year attracted over a hundred models entered. Shown with this article are a few photos from that event.

There were figures, spaceships, dioramas (one had a giant Japanese-style robot standing on a highway, stopping traffic while a bunch of little robots crossed the road), kits, scratchbuilds, you name it.

A large scratchbuilt Sulaco from Aliens was there (pictured), as was a large Klingon battlecruiser from the original Star Trek series, scratchbuilt to studio scale.        

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Like full-scale models?   There’s a nationwide organization of enthusiasts who build full-sized functional replicas of the B9 Robot from Lost in Space. Two were on display there, complete with the appropriate blinking lights and whirling thingies, and at least one of them spoke, in the Robot’s voice and synched with the flashing light. This was quite impressive—the owner operated the voice via a connected laptop computer, and could have the Robot speak numerous sentences and phrases, many taken from the old TV series. Still, some of the things spoken by the Robot clearly weren’t from the series; it said things like, “I?am not Robby the Robot—I am a Type B9 Robot, and am usually addressed as ‘Robot.’” and “I think R2D2 is cool!” There was also a function whereby the Robot would speak the time and date. The owner explained that he and several other members of this group had split the expense and hired Dick Tufeld, the voice actor who originally voiced the Robot, to record several things just for them. Now that’s aftermarket detailing!

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More info is available online (http://www.starland.com), including links to more photos.


Jim’s Sprues & Reviews

by James Guld

So what’s new this month for you treadheads? Well, let’s start out with Trumpeter’s announcement and, by the looks of it, soon to be released Sdkfz 7 8-ton halftrack. People have been asking for a replacement for the old Tamiya kit and it looks like we’ll soon have one. There are images at Armorama and at PMMS of the test shot model built up. And, not to be outdone, Dragon has also announced that they will do one.

Next up, I was able to see sprues for the new IDF 1973 Sho’t Centurion while at the AMPS convention. I’m not a modern armor guy so I don’t know the differences between it and the recent release of the 1967 version.

Also in the vendors room at AMPS were the new releases from Formations of the M-50 Israeli Sherman pillbox and “Oddball’s” Sherman conversion.

Another cool new source I came across was a company called PFA Productions, doing all sorts of laser-cut boxes. Great for dioramas or onboard stowage for tanks. There is an article about them at Armorama.

Plus Model has three new releases: a Rural Farm set, a German ammo cart, and the twin light flak mg 36 mount.

MK/35 continues their range of civilian figures, with a seated Frenchman playing the accordion.

AJ Press from Poland has a new book out on the Churchill tank. It is vol. 1 of three. There is a review on Armorama.

Mike Starmer has updated his British Army Colors and Disruptive Camou­flage book with new color chips and more info. There is a review at PMMS.

Tasca has their new M4A1 late version out along with the VC Firefly with cast in cheek turret armor. PMMS has reviews.

Tamiya announced a Panzer II A-C, a set of German infan­try for the French front, and a Russian recon team vehicle and crew. Word has it that this is a re-release of the old Ford GPA with some ICM figures thrown in.


E-Board Kit Review

by James Guld

   Bronco Models Hotchkiss H39

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I thought I would give you my impression of the H39, which I had at last month’s meeting. This was Bronco’s first model from 2005 and I built it basically OOB except for adding a few missing bolt details here and there, filling in the seams around the turret vision slots, and adding some casting numbers to the front nose under the Hotchkiss logo.

Starting from the bottom up, the running gear comes with metal springs for the bogey units. The fit of the pieces is slightly off when assembling the two halves together, so you have to watch that or they will sit askew. The tracks come as individual links which you glue together, but they didn’t have any knockout pin marks at all. The rear idler can be positioned on its mount, but make sure you mount it as low as possible—otherwise, you’ll have problems with the tracks hitting on the bottom of the fenders.

The lower hull tub is a one-piece unit and the upper hull is broken down into two parts. The front section stops about at the middle of the driver’s hatch where there is a natural seam line just like on the real tank. The rear section then has the engine deck grills as a separate piece.

The kit actually comes with a bit of an interior, but they left out any inside hatch details for the driver’s hatch so I left it buttoned up. The side fenders are separate and I had to cut off the location tabs to get them to sit right on the tank.

I tried something different on this build. I built the road wheels and put the tracks on and then assembled the upper hull to the lower hull. Basically, I built the entire tank and then painted it. The only thing I left off was the chain.

The turret comes with the side and front vision slots as separate pieces, and it also comes with a brass barrel. There are also interior details of the gun itself. The turret has some very fine details that you have to add to the top dome, and for mounting the gun itself they give you a thin plastic rod that goes through the side of the mantle.

They did forget to give you the exhaust shroud for the muffler, which I made out of spare photoetch brass, and I added the support arm, which goes down to the fender. All of the kit tools are a little weak on the detail side but I didn’t have any references other than the Char Francais web site (http://www.chars-francais.net)

I used part of the kit decals (the red hearts) and used Archer Transfers for the registration numbers on the front and back.

The overall fit was okay but not great. It’s not up to Tamiya or Dragon standards but not terrible either. The only other fit problems I saw were around the visor slots. I saw pictures at the Chars Francais site, which show gaps around the visor slots, and in other pictures I saw tanks that didn’t have the gaps. The tank I wanted to model didn’t seem to have the gaps, so I filled mine in. So to rate it, I would give it a 7.5 out of 10. Not bad for their first kit.


Road Trips

by Brian Peck

Note:  The Pima Air Museum Road Trip was successfully completed and a great time was had by all.
Article by Brian Peck - with tons of pics - to be posted ASAP!

   The next ASM road trip info is April 12 – 13 to the Pima Air Museum, and we already have five signups so far.  We will either caravan out there in everyone's personal cars, use a member’s minivan, or chip in and rent a large 15-passenger van, depending on how many sign up.  Family members always are welcome to come along.  If we rent a large passenger van, you are recommended to bring your own gas mask just in case of an anonymous burrito gas attack.  There is a possible arrangement in the works to see the adjacent bone yard at Davis-Monthan AFB, but nothing is confirmed yet.  Here's a link to the Pima Air Museum:  http://www.pimaair.org/

     The second ASM 2008 road trip is planned for late spring (Date TBD) to the Denver/Greeley/Colorado Springs area for multiple Hobby Shop raids and a possible stop at the Air Museum in Pueblo.  It will be also a 2-day sortie.  Here's a link to the Weisbrod Air Museum:  http://www.pwam.org/

 The third road trip scheduled for mid-late summer will be to El Paso for a 1-day sortie to go the War Eagle air museum and Hal’s Hobby shop.

  The last road trip in the mid-late summer will be either to Liberal, Kansas, for the Air Museum there as a 2-day sortie, or to Amarillo for a 1-day raid at the local hobby shop and eats.  I dare anyone to eat the famous 72-ounce steak at The Big Texan steakhouse, (bring a bag!)


Trip Report - USAF Armament Museum

by Mike Blohm

   I recently visited the USAF Armament Museum located outside of Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and took the pictures below of the aircraft that are on display outside the museum.  A lot of the modern aircraft types are from the Eglin test organizations that became surplus due to force drawdowns in the 1990’s.  Conditions of the aircraft vary greatly.  Some look to be just repainted and some are in very sad condition, particularly the MiG-21 and the Mace missile.  

    There are 26 aircraft and missiles outside the museum – the standouts include the following.   The B-25J - repainted as Jimmy Doolittle’s B-25B – used to be part of a memorial display in the town of Valparaiso that commemorated Doolittle Raiders training that took place at Eglin prior to the famous mission in April 1942.  The B-17G used to be an active fire bomber - I remember it flying in under its own power while I was stationed here.  The EB-47 was the last B-47 flying and was used to support electronic warfare testing at Eglin.  The SR-71 is a rare version with a long extended tail boom.   The AC-130A on display is the very first testbed Spectre that was built.

    Unfortunately the inside of the museum is currently closed due to work on the air conditioning system and will not be open until the end of April.  There are four aircraft inside, all in great condition: P-47, P-51, F-80 and F-105.  Fortunately, I do have pictures of the munitions located inside from a previous trip, and those will be included in my “Weaponology - Things Under Wings” talk at the September 2008 ASM meeting. 

More pics are posted on the ASM Field Trips page.

A definite visit for aircraft and weapons fans if you happen to be near this part of Northwest Florida.

 Click on this link for more info on the museum: http://www.afarmamentmuseum.com/

USAF_Armament_Museum_Mar08.jpg (51700 bytes) B-17G_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (56351 bytes) B-25J_Doolittle_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (71083 bytes) SR-71_2_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (54340 bytes) EB-47_2_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (65003 bytes) B-52G_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (433367 bytes)
USAF Armament
Museum
B-17G Flying Fortress B-25J Mitchell SR-71 Blackbird EB-47 Stratojet B-52G Stratofortress
A-10_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (82852 bytes) F-15_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (71979 bytes) F-16_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (73162 bytes) AC-130_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (37647 bytes) MiG-21F_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (67442 bytes) F-4D_USAF_Arm_Museum_Mar08.jpg (53027 bytes)
A-10 Thunderbolt II F-15 Eagle F-16 Falcon AC-130A Spectre MiG-21F F-4D Phantom II

 


Book Review

by Don Smith

The Jolly Rogers: The Story of Tom Blackburn and Navy Fighting Squadron VF-17

by Tom Blackburn with Eric Hammel
Zenith Press, 1998 (1st edition) • 270 pages

Jolly Rogers Bookcover.jpg (92937 bytes)

I’m reviewing a book that keeps in theme with next month’s sponsored F4U Corsair contest.
Get those gull-wing birds ready; remember, anything goes as long as it’s an F4U.

I didn’t think I would like this book so I sent it to my Dad, he’s an old sailor. He liked it enough he sent back for me to review. It is a good book worth a look if you’re interested in the Pacific Theatre and dog­fighting. Tom Black­burn’s cocky pilots were castoffs from other units. Together they worked out to become the top Navy fighting squadron during VF-17’s short time in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville area of the South Pacific.   The fighting was brutal and the attrition rates high. VF-17 would’ve been wiped out by attrition if they didn’t develop new tactics.

This book is a quick read. I tired a little of Blackburn’s bragging, but hey, he earned the right. From a modeler’s perspective it was interesting that they started out flying F4U-1’s and by the time they reached combat they had F4U-1A’s.  If you have a Tamiya F4U-1/2 model, you will notice that there are markings for a VF-17 F4U-1 with four kills; what gives?   You can also read about putting a bomb rack on the Corsair and why you have to be careful about showing an early Corsair with a bomb rack.  I think somebody noted that Tamiya made the mistake of putting a bomb rack on the wrong plane.  Now go build those F4U’s for next month.

I would recommend this book for any Corsair or Naval Aviation fan or student of the Pacific Theatre.  There are some interesting photos and a few maps, but the appendix does not show the final number of planes shot down by VF-17’s pilots (by the way, the Tamiya kit with the markings for four kills is for a pilot who had shot down four Japanese planes at Guadalcanal while flying F4F’s; the actual F4U-1 with the four kill markings did not see any combat and the pilot left VF-17 as soon as he finished the first tour).

I can’t find many faults with the book.  I liked it. I picked up my copy at Borders for $17.95 before I applied my coupon discount.  I’ll have to give it four out of five stars. ****

Webmaster's Addition: 

If you would like to build a VF-17 "Jolly Rogers" Corsair (note pirate flag emblem on the nose), here are some decal sheets for you to check out:

EagleCals EC#20 "VF-17 Jolly Rogers" (in both 1/72: 72020 and 1/48: 48020) has five different schemes, including Tommy Blackburn (model depicted below),
Roger Hedrick, James Streig, Butch Davenport, and Doris "Chico" Freeman. 
Eagle Strike Productions' # 72013 "Pacific Corsairs" has two VF-17 schemes: Ira Kepford (top VF-17 ace) and an early F4U-1 (BirdCage) aboard USS Bunker Hill.
Eagle Strike Productions' # 48093 "Corsair Collection Part 3" has two VF-17 schemes: Doris "Chico" Freeman and Merl Davenport.
SuperScale # 72-701 has one VF-17 scheme for Tommy Blackburn.
SuperScale # 72-856 has two VF-17 schemes: Doris "Chico" Freeman and Merl Davenport.
SuperScale # 72-857 has one VF-17 scheme for Thomas Killefer.
        Techmod # 72018 has two different VF-17 schemes for Ira Kepford (Corsair profile depicted below).
Recommend "Corsair Aces of World War II" by Mark Styling (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces) for additional information.

Here's Tommy Blackburn's F4U-1A Corsair # 1 "Big Hog" - Model by Mike Blohm (Hasgawa 1/72 scale kit):

Blackburn_F4U-1A.jpg (535355 bytes)     Blackburn_F4U-1A_2.JPG (430381 bytes)

F4U-1_Kepford.jpg (40866 bytes)

Ira"Ike" Kepford's F4U-1A  # 29


ASMLogoSm.jpg (177860 bytes)    ASM Modeling Presentation to Cub Scout Pack 17    cubscouts-symbol.jpg (61756 bytes)

by James Guld

This past Thursday, the 17th of January,  ASM did a presentation to Cub Scouts Pack 17 in Rio Rancho.  Tom Perea, Mike Blohm and myself brought models and we talked about models and fielded questions from the scouts.  I was happy to see so many young kids interested in models.  Now if we can just get their parents to bring them to a meeting, then we would have something.   We also took part in judging their Pine Wood Derby cars and helped out with their raffle.  All in all it was productive night out, though a cold one.

[ Webmaster's Note:  Pics of the presentation will be posted when they become available.]


ASM Hats, Shirts and Buttons

The E-Board is looking into getting hats, shirts and buttons with the "ASM Logo" and other desired wording.

Price listing for the "ASM Wearables" is as follows:

Hats -$15

Tee shirts-$15    Colors:  Black, White, Grey

Polo- $18     White

Personalization’s is an additional $8.00

Contact Brian Peck (822-8577) if you're interested. 


IPMS/USA Links

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

IPMSUSA%20Logo%20LD.jpg (17589 bytes)   IPMS/USA Home Page:    http://www.ipmsusa.org/index.htm

IPMS/USA Modeling Links Page:    http://www.ipmsusa.org/Links/links_frame.htm

IPMS/USA Region 10 Home Page:   http://64.119.173.247/~modelono/R10.html

Click on the Region 10 IPMS Chapter names below to connect to their website.
Chapters without websites are not listed.

IPMS / Utah Scale Modelers Association

IPMS / Utah Miniature Automotive Guild

IPMS / Salt Lake City

IPMS / Craig Hewett Chapter  

IPMS / Legacy

IPMS / Centennial

IPMS / Denver-Rob Wolf Chapter

IPMS / High Plains Modelers


IPMS Nationals - 2008 Links

IPMS/USA Nationals : August 6-9, 2008

Virginia Beach, Virginia

The 2008 IPMS/USA National Convention will be held at the Virginia Beach Conference Center on August 6-9, 2008

Check out the Official 2008 Convention Website at:  

http://www.ipmsusa2008.org/

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Past IPMS/USA National Conventions:

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IPMS/USA Nationals : August 22-25, 2007

Orange County (Anaheim), California

The 2007 IPMS/USA National Convention was held at the Anaheim Marriott Resort Hotel on August 22 - 25, 2007

Officilal 2007 Convention Website at:   http://www.ipmsusa2007.org/

Check out pictures from the event at the IPMS USA website at:

http://www.ipmsusa2.org/EventsGallery/2007_Nats/index.htm

       

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

IPMS/USA Nationals : August 2-5, 2006

Kansas City, Missouri

The 2006 IPMS/USA National Convention was held in Kansas City, MO on August 2nd through August 5th.

Review info and winners at the Official 2006 Convention Website at:  http://www.ipmsusa2006.org/

Click here for ASM Winners at the 2006 IPMS/USA Nationals:  ASM_IPMS-Nationals_2006.htm


Local Contest Information

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hard copy handouts on local contests are available for viewing in the ASM Book at Hobbies N' Stuff.

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Salt Lake City - 08

IPMSSLC 08 Contest logo

April 26, 2008

IPMS/Salt Lake City

Hellenic Memorial Cultural Center

279 S. 300 W    Salt Lake City, Utah

Website link for SLC-08 Info:  http://www.ipmsslc.org/contest/

Link to IPMS/Salt Lake City website: http://www.ipmsslc.org/

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Pikes Peak Model Expo

Pikes-Peak-Model-Expo-2008_Logo_New.jpg (194133 bytes)

June 7, 2008

9:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
31001 Magnuson Ave, Pueblo, Co 81001
719-948-9219

Website link for additional info on Pikes Peak Model Expo:

http://www.centennialipms.org/sponsorship.htm


Special Raffle # 2 by Centennial IPMS

Centennial IPMS will hold Special Raffle #2 to benefit the upcoming Pikes Peak Model Expo on
June 7, 2008 at the Weisbrod Air Museum in Pueblo, Colorado.

Item to be raffled: 

Hasegawa Kit # 40024, 1/350 Scale IJN Nagato 1941 (Battleship).   SRP $219.99

Nagato_IJN_Battleship_1-350_Scale_HAZ024.jpg (50684 bytes)

Nagato_Hasegawa_Kit_1-350_Scale_69710.jpg (29721 bytes)     Nagato_HG-40024.jpg (12199 bytes)

Ticket Cost:   $5.00 each.   All monies go straight into the Pikes Peak Model Expo fund.

Drawing Date:   June 7th at the contest - Need not be present to win!

Click here for raffle promotional info:  Nagato Raffle

Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket can contact Tom Grossman at  tomtag@pcisys.net or 719-531-7346.
You can also contact any other Centennial Exec.

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SHOCON 08

IPMS Region 10 Convention

ShoCon08_Logo.gif (75928 bytes)

September 13, 2008

Northern Utah Scale Modelers Association co-sponsored by

IPMS/Salt Lake City and Utah Miniature Automotive Guild

nusma.gif (11899 bytes)     slclogo.gif (33350 bytes)         umag1.gif (17045 bytes)

Union Station, Ogden, Utah

Click here for the latest SHOCON Briefing: SHOCON_Briefing_II

Website link for SHOCON 08 Info:   http://www.nusma.org/contest08.html

Link to Northern Utah Scale Modelers Association website:  http://www.nusma.org/


Chile Con wpe1A9.jpg (1223 bytes) 2006 
Region 10 Convention & Model Contest
May 5-6, 2006
wpe1F2.jpg (1522 bytes) Chile-Con_2006_Logo-4.jpg (23932 bytes) wpe1AF.jpg (1593 bytes)
Click here for to go to Chile Con 2006 home page:  Chile Con 2006
Click here for Pictures from Chile Con 2006:  Thumbnail Pictures
Click here for the Contest Results Listing from Chile Con 2006:  Contest Results
Click here for the Contest Results with Pictures from Chile Con 2006:  Contest Results with Pics

Website Updates has been moved to a new separate page.


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