Webmaster's Tales By Mike Blohm, ASM Webmaster

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!

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.

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.  

   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.

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.        

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!

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

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.

   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	B-17G Flying Fortress	B-25J Mitchell	SR-71 Blackbird	EB-47 Stratojet	B-52G Stratofortress
A-10 Thunderbolt II	F-15 Eagle	F-16 Falcon	AC-130A Spectre	MiG-21F	F-4D Phantom II

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.

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.]