ASM Field Trips
ASM Website Pages - Click on applicable Title below to
visit that page.
This page includes current and past reports and pictures from both ASM group field trips and individual ASM member trips to air shows, museums, displays, conventions, etc., that might be of interest to fellow modelers. Some of these reports have been previously displayed on the ASM Articles page. New reports will be posted to both the Articles page and this Field Trips page. They will be deleted from the Articles page when they go non-current but will be retained here.
Click on the limks below to go to that specific Trip Report - Most recent are at the top of each table
| Aircraft & Space Museums and Displays |
| Armor & Military Vehicle Museums |
| Mil Veh Technology Foundation (CA) | Heartland Mus of Mil Vehicles (NE) | Imperial War Museum (UK) |
| Bovington Tank Museum (UK) |
| Other Museums |
| Indy Cars Museum (IN) | USS New Mexico Model in NM Mus | Destroyer USS Turner Joy (WA) |
| Star Wars - Sci & Industry Mus (IL) |
| Air Shows and Aircraft Visits |
| ASM at Kirtland Open House 2011 | B-17 Liberty Belle Visit to ABQ | Wings of Freedom Tour at ABQ |
| Tucumcari Air Show (NM) | ASM at Kirtland Air Show (2006) | Me 262 Project (WA) |
| Model Conventions and Contests |
| 2012 AMPS National Convention (IN) | ||
| Model Show at Starfest 2010 (CO) | ModelZona 2009 (AZ) | Modeling at Starfest 2009 (CO) |
| AMPS Nationals (IN) | Modeling at Starfest 2007 (CO) | Scale Modelmania 2006 (GER) |
| Desertcon 2004 | The Gathering 2004 (UT) | Tamiya/Con IX |
| Other Conventions |
| Fred's Foto Files |
Field Trip Report - Military Vehicle Technology Foundation
This past month I had the chance to stop in at the
Military Vehicle Technology Foundation in
A few of the more
interesting exhibits are the cut aways of the M4 Sherman turret and the turret
simulator for an M1 Abrams.
If you ever find yourself up in that neck of the
woods I highly recommend stopping in. You do need to make reservations in
advance. They do tours usually on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
http://www.mvtf.org/contact.html
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Fred's Foto Files - German Military Museums
About seven and nine years ago I took several vacations to
The museum in Dresden is a military museum run by the German army logistics
center. It has a military function in that things such as uniforms,
weapons, etc., are grouped so that engineers and equipment designers can study
the past to help design the future. What a concept. And everything was
well laid out and presented.
The word "Panzer" translates to "Armored Fighting Vehicle," so the sign showing
PANZER T 34 makes sense. I think that was at the Auto & Technik Museum
Sinsheim.
This is a switching locomotive at Frankfurt. I saw it while I was on the way to
the Sinsheim museum. It looked "cute and colorful," so I took a couple of
snapshots. What the heck.
Is that a Marder? Probably at Sinsheim.
I think this was also at the Sinsheim museum.
This was probably taken at the Army museum at Dresden. An M5 light tank.
Another Marder at the Dresden museum
Is that a Panzer III? Dresden museum again.
Above: A row of armored vehicles; just look at all those gun barrels. At
Dresden.
Next group: Photos of an armored car at the Dresden museum.
Is that a C-119? Probably at Sinsheim. As I look at the photo, it
appears that they removed some of the blades on the right engine's propeller to
fit the airplane against the wall.
I sometimes take photos of radial engines, so I can figure out how to paint
them.
Four shots of a Hind D. This was after West Germany and East Germany
unified, so Soviet equipment that was formerly used by East Germany was now
available to the reunified Germany.
An F-104 in German markings.
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** Please contact Fred Franceschi for permission to publish, digitally or in print, any of his pictures, at: fredfran@unm.edu **
ASM Trip Report - Planes of Fame and
Brian scheduled another awesome ASM
road trip for September 2012 and it was really fun even if there were
only four of us that could make it. On this trip we flew Southwest out
to Ontario, California and then drove on over to the Planes of Fame and
the Yanks Air Museum in Chino.
The weather was sunny and it was
downright toasty in the hangers but the planes on display were just amazing. Had
we been just a little earlier arriving we would have been able to see a really
mean Hawker Sea Fury land at Chino. The aircraft is "September Fury" and she was
in transit from the Reno Air Races where they had finished second in the
unlimited class. When we arrived the engine cowling panels were propped open and
you could hear the distinct popping sound of cooling sheet metal as things
contracted.
One of the neat things
about the Planes of Fame Museum is the fact that so many aircraft that they have
on display are airworthy and get flown routinely in air shows. It's nice to be
in a museum that has drip pans under so many of these old warbirds and enjoy the
smell of hydraulic fluid and engine oil.
They
also have quite a collection of racing planes and it was surprising to me just
how compact many of those aircraft were (and still are). It seemed more like you
strapped them on to head out and tear around those pylons at high speeds and
very low altitude.
And if
you keep walking you will find quite a bone yard and a small collection of
military vehicles out in "the back 40".
Well
that was it for the Planes of Fame museum and we felt like the trip was already worth
the effort. But we weren't done yet. T he last stop for the day was a visit to
Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove and it's definitely worth a visit if you are
ever in the area. It's a very "old school" shop that is jam packed to the
ceiling everywhere you look. I wish I would have thought to take some pictures
in the store since they probably had more completed plastic models on display
than any other shop I have ever seen. I think my favorite display was an entire
"box" of 1:72 scale B-17s suspended from the ceiling with a couple of FW-190s
slicing down through the formation. We also couldn't resist bringing home a few
goodies to stash in the luggage.
The next stop was the Yanks Air Museum on day 2 and they have an exceptional collection of aircraft as well. They have more in the way of jet aircraft but it appears they do not have as many airworthy aircraft in their collection.
One of the truly unique (and airworthy)
aircraft that they have is a recently acquired Lockheed Constellation EC-121T
Warning Star airborne early warning radar platform. This was another impressive
product to roll out of the famed "Skunk Works". This particular aircraft was one
of the last Warning Star aircraft to be retired from the Air Force, and it is
definitely an interesting aircraft to see. They are in the process of starting a
restoration of the aircraft as funding and resources allow.
Another
nice thing about the Yanks Air Musuem is the large and very active restoration
hanger that you are allowed to walk through. The amount of effort and time it
takes to restore old aircraft is just amazing and much of it is volunteer labor.
One of the things that has always fascinated me about seeing aircraft during the
resoration process is the fact that you are able to see the advances in
technology over the years at more than a surface level. The progression from
wood spars, ribs and linen coverings to steel tubing, machined aluminum and
flush rivited aluminum skins makes you realize just how much research and
development was taking place. It also makes you realize that totally new
paradigms in assembly and mass production had to be implemented in order to
produce these flying machines in the quantities needed.
Yanks Air Museum also has the requisite bone yard out back and they had just rolled an F-15 in on a flatbed for future resoration. Now that would be a cool project to work on!
Well that wrapped up this ASM trip and it was really worth the time we spent. Great friends, great machines and a few kits brought home in the luggage, what more could you ask!
Additional Pictures of the Planes of Fame Air Museum
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More Yanks Air Museum Pics To Be Posted!
By Ken Piniak
My next
stop was the
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Field Trip
Report - National Naval Air Museum
By Mike Blohm
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I had the opportunity to visit the National Naval Air
Museum in Pensacola, Florida in October 2012.
It's a wonderful museum and well worth the visit.
It has two large buildings full of aircraft and displays, plus a flight
line area of parked aircraft that is also worth seeing via a narrated bus tour.
According to the museum's website, there are about 175 aircraft,
helicopters and airships on display in the museum buildings and on the flight
line. I saw a lot of aircraft that
were not included in their website list.
Pictures of the aircraft and displays and map layouts for the two
buildings are included below.
The main building has displays from the inception of US Navy aviation through the Early Cold War arranged by periods of time (see maps). There is a great display of aircraft carrier models right as you come in the entrance doors in the "Quarter Deck" area, so be sure to spend some time viewing those. I recommend starting in the "South Wing" with the World War I, Early Aircraft and Early Cold War displays and then working your way through that to the "West Wing" that has World War II and additional Early Cold War displays. There is a "second deck" balcony in this building which provides for good shots of the aircraft on the "main deck" area, but there are also displays tucked away in a few areas on the second floor that are easy to miss. One of these is the "Carrier Exhibit" which is an "in-action, quick-turn below decks on the carrier" display of an F6F Hellcat in the "Minsi III" markings of top US Navy ace David McCampbell. You also view the airship control cars up on this level. Aircraft of note in the main building were the Curtiss NC-4 that was the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in May 1919, the D-558-1 Skystreak test aircraft, Sopwith F.1 Camel, P-40B Warhawk in American Volunteer Group markings, an SDB-2 Dauntless that participated in the Battle of Midway, the whole Grumman "Cat" series of fighters, K-47 and L-8 Airship control cars, Skylab Command Module, and a four-ship of Blue Angel A-4E Skyhawks suspended in formation in the "Atrium" area. There are also several captured/foreign aircraft, including an A6M Zero, NiK2-J George, Me 262B, and a MiG-15.
The
second building (Hangar Bay One) houses aircraft and displays from Viet Nam
through present time, presidential support and Coast Guard aircraft, plus a few
large aircraft that would not fit in the main building.
Aircraft of note include the P2V-1 Neptune "Truculent Turtle"
that set an un-refueled long-distance flight record of 11,235 miles over 55
hours and 17 minutes of flight in September 1946 (note: this was finally broken
by a B-52H in 1962), a huge SP-5B Marlin flying boat, and aircraft that flew in
Viet Nam (A-1, A-4, A-6, A-7, O-1, F-4, F-8) and Desert Storm (F-14, EA-6B,
F-18). The F-14D "Bombcat" on
display flew the last operational F-14 combat mission.
An A-3 Skywarrior is parked outside between the main buildings.
If
you have the time, it is worthwhile to take the tour of the museum's aircraft
parked on the flight line area awaiting renovation and inside display.
If you want to take the tour, be sure to get a ticket (free) on a
specific tour time when you first get to the museum.
It takes about 45 minutes, and the trolley car-looking bus leaves from in
front of the museum. Aircraft of
note include a PV-2 Harpoon, SP-2H Neptune, C-46, AJ-2 Savage, PB-4Y-2
Privateer, and RA-5C Vigilante.
The
museum is located in the northwest corner of Naval Air Station Pensacola, and
you enter the base through the gate off Highway 295 (South Navy Blvd / Duncan
Rd). The signage to get there was
not the greatest, so it would be good to have either a GPS in your car or a map
application on your smart phone to help you find it.
Plan
on spending almost a full day at the museum if you want to see everything.
I spent five hours looking at the displays, and probably could have used
at least two more. There is a
souvenir shop that I did not have time to check out, and an IMAX theater in the
museum. The museum hours are 9:00
AM to 5:00 PM daily, and admission is free.
You will need a valid ID to be able to enter into NAS Pensacola.
Check out the museum's website at:
http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/
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ASM Model Display at Albuquerque Comic Expo 2012
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The Albuquerque
Scale Modelers (ASM) put on a model display (show) on June 9-10 in
support of the Albuquerque Comic Expo (ACE) 2012.
The purpose of ASM's display was to promote the modeling hobby,
possibly gain some new members, and to have fun.
ACE 2012 was held at the
The theme of the model display was "Science
Fiction, Real Space, Fantasy, and Science" - the same as what ASM has
for its January Special Contest each year.
We had a total of 108 models on five tables - actually 155 models
if you also count each individual figure that Mike McNichols brought in.
The models were pretty much grouped by theme and genre, and the
ASM "What is Scale Modeling" display board was right in the middle, with
four P-51D models ranging from 1/18 through 1/72 scales.
Pictures of the display are included below.
ASM members that helped man the tables
included Jim Guld, Joe Walters, Ray Ayles, Mike McNichols, Blaine Couch,
Ken Piniak, Frank Randall, Adrian Montano, and Matt, Laura, and Mike
Blohm, Members who provided
models but could not attend included Patrick Dick, Victor Maestas, and
Gorham Smoker. We normally
had at least three ASMers available to watch the models, answer
questions, and pass out ASM, IPMS/USA and NM State Fair model contest promo
sheets. Thanks to all who
manned the exhibit and provided models.
I believe that we met our three objectives.
I think ASM put on a great show and it was very well received by
the both the ACE attendees and the ACE leadership.
It was like a super mall show, where the attendees knew what the
subjects were, and really wanted to see and talk about the models.
There were some highly-charged "words of excitement (expletives
deleted)" expressed by a few of the visitors as they saw their favorite
subjects. We also had
"celebrity judging" by a cast of characters that reviewed all the models
and picked out their favorite - those award certificates will be passed
out at the July ASM meeting, and they
are posted below. You'd be
surprised at who attended ACE, sometimes incognito.
Matt Blohm won the prestigious "Most Liked Aaward" (picked the most)
with his NX-01 star ship from "Enterprise" (Star Trek).
We passed out a lot of ASM promo sheets and it looked like a lot
of folks were interested in the club.
There was also interest in bringing models to the NM State Fair,
especially amongst the junior modelers.
It turns out that the Cylon Centurion warrior who stopped by to
chat and judge is actually an avid model builder.
Not sure how much time he has to build models between raids on
the Colonials, but he might be showing up at one of our meetings.
As for having fun, one of the bennies was free tickets for the
ASMers manning the tables, and we all did have a fun time.
If you've never been to one of these conventions, you should
definitely check them out.
And you will get the chance to check ACE out next year, as it looks like
ACE would like to have us back, and maybe incorporate some other aspects
such as a contest. We will
provide more info on that as we receive it.
I think this would be a tremendous annual thing for ASM to do as
a promo event. So now you
have another reason for building those models for the January contest -
we need another 150 brand new models to display in 2013.
ACE 2012 Celebrity Judging Awards
2012 Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) Nationals Report
This
past
April
26-28th,
I
attended
the
AMPS
Nationals
in
For those of you who are not familiar how AMPS administers a contest, you can
check out this link for the full details:
http://www.amps-armor.org/ampssite/contestRules.aspx
I'll give you a quick overview. Your model is not judged against anyone else's
model except in the case of Best of Show awards. You are judged by a group of
four modelers on a points scale that adds up to 30 points and the lowest score
is dropped. The awards are Gold,Silver, and Bronze and depending on what level
your at, this will determine what your score will be. The different levels are
on the website. When you enter your models at the show, they are put in the
judging room and as they are judged are brought out to the tables for viewing.
So once the show begins judging
begins. They run two hour shifts and have six tables going per shift. The only
models that are judged out on the floor are dioramas, vignettes and figures.
This year I took the judges certification class and I'm now an AMPS certified
judge. It consisted of two hours of classroom training on Thursday night and at
least two judging shifts. I ended up doing a total of four shifts. This year
they had a record number of models entered, 648. Judging was done by 3pm on
Saturday.
Along with the contest they had seminars and a
raffle. This year some of the seminar presenters included Mig Jimenez and Adam
Wilder. I had a chance to talk to both of them at the show, and they were both
down-to-earth guys. This show it was also an opportunity to meet up with old
friends or a chance to meet someone I might have talked to online. I did both
this year. It was a great show and the only real criticism I have of the venue
is the lighting in the display area of the museum where all the vehicles are
kept. It is poor and most of the vehicles have barricades around them so you
can't get up real close to take detail shots. Other then that it was a great
show with a ton of great armor. So if you ever get a chance to go to one I would
personally recommend it. If you ever want to come to one of our NM AMPS
meetings, E-mail me and I'll add you to our mailing list. There is no cost to
join but we do encourage you to join the national AMPS organization.
Field Trip: War Eagles Air Museum
The Albuquerque Scale Modelers (ASM) conducted a group
field trip to the
Aircraft of note included the P-40E Warhawk, P-51D and TF-51D (2-seater)
Mustangs, F4U-4 Corsair, Hawker Sea Fury, A-26C Invader, F-156K Storch, ,P-38L
Lightning (modified - looks like it has some racing history), TBM-3 Avenger,
Tu-2, DC-3 / C-47, BT-13 Valiant, AT-6F Texan, T-33 Shooting Star, T-38B Talon,
L-5 Sentinel, J-3 Cub, F-86 Sabre Mk VI, FJ-2 Fury, F-84 Thunderstreak, A-7E
Corsair II, MiG-15, MiG-15UTI, and MiG-21PFM.
Military vehicles of note included an M-163 Vulcan (M113 APC) and a
Ford Chassis Searchlight truck.
Several pictures are posted below; more are available on the Field Trips page.
Tom Perea led the first ASM field trip to the
Definitely recommended for a one-day trip or a stop
if you are driving through
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Walk-Arounds: M2A1 Half Track and M-18 Hellcat
Jim Guld posted two pictorial "walk-arounds" on the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society website covering the M2A1 Half Track and M-18 Hellcat.
Click on the following link and scroll down to find Jim's two entries: http://www.amps-armor.org/ampssite/preservation.aspx
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Field Trip Report - Albuquerque Comic Con 2012
This trip report covers a
visit to the Albuquerque Comic Con 2012 convention that took place on 13-15
January 2012 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
The theme of the convention was "Celebrating the 70th anniversary of
Wonder Woman and Women in Comics and Film".
The event was held in a different, larger venue than the
2011 Comic Con, which certainly made it easier to get around, and
there seemed to be more vendors too.
The convention featured both comic book authors and celebrities from
comic-book-related movies and television shows.
Guests of note included Brent Spiner (Data in
Star Trek Next Generation, Independence
Day), Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap,
Dune, Battlestar Gallactica,
multiple other roles), Claudia Christian (Ivanova on
Comic artists at the convention included William Stout, Gene Ha, Frank Cho, and Phil Jiminez. Many local comic book authors and artists were present as well and it was interesting to talk with some of them too. The main room had lots of vendors selling comic books, posters and art, action figures, T-shirts, and even some model kits - mostly science-fiction spacecraft and figures. Lots of the attendees were dressed in comic book, anime, and movie costumes and those are always interesting to see. Surprisingly there were only a few Wonder Woman outfits and a lot less of the Marvel movie and comic characters than in 2011. Maybe they got involved in a "Secret War" in an alternate universe somewhere. One of the more ingenious costumes was "Spam Man" – see his photo amongst the others posted below – but Bobetta Fett was pretty good too. Based on what looked like to have been a successful second convention, they will probably be back in 2013. Be there – Aloha – No deals.
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Posted below
are photos
that I took at the
The museum's website is at: http://www.sasmuseum.com/
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Field Trip
Report - Planes of
This Field Trip
Report covers the second of two outstanding air museums that I visited
in August 2011 on a trip to
The stated mission
of the museum is "to preserve aviation history, inspire interest in
aviation, educate the public, and honor aviation pioneers and veterans.
The Museum is dedicated to
the preservation, perpetuation and exhibition of historical aircraft,
and to the men and women, both famous and unknown, who devoted their
lives to flight." The museum was
founded in 1957 and now has over 150 display aircraft, numerous
historical artifacts and educational exhibits that span the history of
manned flight.
Highlights of the
Maloney Hangar inside the main building include an original, flyable
Boeing P-26A Peashooter (one of two left), a Hanriot HD-1 Scout flown by French ace
Charles Nungesser in the USA, Boeing P-12E, Seversky AT-12 Guardsman,
Northrop N9MB Flying Wing, P-51D and replica Wright 1903 Flier and
Apollo command module capsule.
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The Pond Hangar
contains Army Air Corps and Navy aircraft and a few
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The "USS Enterprise CV-5 Hangar" has a simulated aircraft hangar deck with multiple US Navy and USMC aircraft. These include an FM-2 Wildcat, TBM-3 Avenger with torpedo, F4U-1A Corsair, Dauntless SBD, T-6/SNJ Texan (visible airframe), FR-1 Fireball, F9F Panther, and A-4 Skyhawk. Information about the carrier and memorabilia are included in displays opposite the hangar deck.
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The Foreign Hangar
contains mostly Japanese and German aircraft but also a few allied
planes. Of note are the
only original A6M5 Zero (flyable), the wreckage of a G4M1 "Betty" bomber
in a jungle setting, and original J2M3 Raiden, J8M1 Shusui (Japanese
version of the Me 163 Komet) and MXY-7 Okha (Baka Bomb).
German aircraft include replicas of the Fokker DR.1, He100, and
V-1 Buzz Bomb; wooden mockups of the Me 163B Komet and Ba 349 Natter,
and original He 162A-1, Horton H.IV Flying Wing Glider, Fi 156C Storch,
and a Bf 109E-1/7 that flew in the Battle of Britain and Eastern Front.
It was recovered from a lake in
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The Jets and Air
Racers Hangar contains a mix of civil / racing aircraft and jet
aircraft. Military aircraft
include the original D-558-II Skyrocket, P-80A, F-86F, T-33, MiG-15,
MiG-17, MiG-21R, Vampire Mk VI, Meteor Mk IV, Gnat Mk I, and TS-11
Iskra. Civil aircraft
include the R3C-2 Racer, 1913 Deperdussin, and R-4 Firecracker, R-6 8
Ball, and replica R-1 Gee Bee racers.
This hangar also has a large number of model display cases around
the inside walls.
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The 475 FG Hangar
contains a P-38J in the "23 Skidoo" markings of ace Capt Perry J. Dahl.
Group memorabilia, pictures, and information depicting their life
at the front during WW II are displayed throughout the hangar.
The Friedken Hangar is where restorations are ongoing but I was
not able to visit that due to the time I had available.
That will be included on the next trip.
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And Other Static Displays
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F-84F Artesia, NM |
F-100A Melrose, NM |
F-111 Clovis, NM |
P-59B Edwards AFB, CA |
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Submitted by Matt Blohm |
Submitted by Mike Blohm Jr. |
Submitted by Mike Blohm |
Submitted by Mike Blohm |
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F-104 St Michaels, MD |
F-104 St Michaels, MD |
F-104 St Michaels, MD |
photos of any aircraft or military items,
or other items of interest that you
encounter in your trips around the country.
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Trip Report ASM at the Kirtland AFB Open House |
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For the first time ever, a local plastic modeler's club has participated in an Albuquerque-based air show as guests of Kirtland Air Force Base's "Open House." Albuquerque Scale Modelers now holds that dubious distinction and we did it in grand style. At this year's KAFB Open House on October 9, ASM had the honor of setting up six tables in KAFB's Hangar 1000 (aka the Osprey Hangar) to participate as one of their Vendors/Guests. We were able to set up our club's "What is Scale Modeling" display, host two live model building demos, and (the icing on the cake) display ASM's 2006 IPMS/USA Nationals award-winning 1/32 scale F-16 Thunderbird Team!
ASM members Pete Beck, MTCM(SS), USN, Keith Liotta, and I arrived early Sunday
morning before the gates opened up to set up the tables and displays that Pete
and I had dropped off the previous Friday. The arrangements made with
KAFB to grant our club special access to the Show were a direct result of the
dedicated efforts of Master Chief Beck and his contacts at KAFB. Without
his efforts, ASM would most likely have never had this opportunity. For
the club's Thunderbirds display, we used the original simulated tarmac base
that was used for the 2006 Nationals. To protect the F-16s from possible
wind incursions and potential little wandering hands, we covered all six T-birds
with one large glass display case cover that I have had in storage at my place
for a few years. I had a special banner made up (thanks to my loving wife
Rita for assistance with that) to post in front of the T-birds and we also added
appropriate patches, stickers, and photos that were made available for the
display, care of Mike Blohm.
For the "What is Scale Modeling" display, Mike Blohm provided the presentation
board and we used Frank Randall's 1/72 scale, John Tate's 1/48 scale, and my
1/32 scale Spitfires to demonstrate the three basic scales with respect to
one-another.
To add to the two ASM displays, on one end Pete set up several of his 1/48 scale
completed masterpieces representing some of the Air Force hardware currently
being flown today, including the F-16CM, the F-15E, the MQ-1 Predator, and the
MQ-9 Reaper. On the other end, Keith and I set up numerous models
representing examples of the various kinds of plastic models that are available
to the public along with our complete model building setups. While we also
focused on Air Force hardware, we included a few other "off" subjects. For
example, we included a 1/12 scale Ensign Darwin Dolphin from the old
SeaQuest
TV show. That turned out to be one of the kid's favorites.
The Open House officially opened at 9:00
A.M. and came to an end around 4:30
P.M. with numerous air
demonstrations and fly-bys throughout the afternoon, including a T-33 demo,
multiple passes by a B-1 and then a B-2. As usual, the show-ending finale
was the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration, a truly amazing sight for any aviation
and modern day jet enthusiast. During the entire show, our tables/display
had a continuous flow of visitors literally lined up to pass by and see the
displays. Numerous attendees stopped to take pictures of the models, the
T-Bird display and of their children right next to or with the models. On
several occasions, I had noticed moms having their kids lean in towards the
table to get a picture of them next to the Academy 1/32 scale F-18 Blue Angel
that I had brought along. It just seemed like the right thing to do by
carefully handing the model to the kids so that they could hold it while their
moms or dads snapped pictures. The payoff was seeing the huge smiles on
their faces.
Besides all of the picture taking, we had dozens of attendees asking how we
built certain models and how did we apply some of the paint, decals, and effects
(washes). The entire day was filled with mini-demos, how-to
instructionals, directions to finding model kits and supplies at places like
Hobby Proz and the internet. We handed out the entire handful of Hobby
Proz business cards within the first two hours, and then dozens of handwritten
contact info for the shop too. We probably could have handed out a box load of
them (hmmmm, lesson learned). In addition to all of the business stirred
up for the shop, we also handed out the fifty-plus ASM club flyers that Mike
Blohm and I had printed out for the show within that same first two hours
(again, lesson learned for next time). It turns out that many
Albuquerqueans had no idea there was a Plastic Model club in town. With
any luck, we will see several of them at our meetings in the coming months.
One potential visitor to a future ASM meeting may include the 377th Air Base
Wing KAFB Public Affairs Manager Michael Kleiman. We had a fair
conversation about ASM and what we have to offer, and he expressed a significant
interest in exploring the hobby.
The icing on the cake for the day was the numerous visits to the club's
Thunderbird display by several ground/support crew members, PA Superintendent
MSgt Kimberley Harrison, the Number 12 Public Affairs Officer Maj. Kristin
Haley, and Thunderbird 3 himself, Maj. John Gallemore. All of the
Thunderbird team members were very impressed with the display and appeared to
turn into little kids in a candy shop as they looked closer at the models.
Each member's visit would usually lead to photograph opportunities where they
were asked to stand by the ASM T-bird display for and with the general public.
There are now dozens of photos across
Additional thanks should be given to ASM members Dave Epstein, Jeff Frickstadt,
Chuck Girven, and Pete's wife Rayna for the time they offered to stop by,
support the display efforts, and for sitting in for Pete, Keith, and I so that
we could enjoy portions of the Air Show too.
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Awesome Air Show pictures below by Gil DeLaPlain
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Field Trip -
On a business trip to
For any aviation enthusiast or modeler, you could easily spend a full afternoon
poking around the old aircraft; most of the planes are on open display and
modelers can check out nooks, crannies and landing gear bays to their heart's
content.
And if you tire of the museum displays, the US Coast Guard maintains an active
C-130 unit just across the parking lot.
When your visit to McClellan is complete, be sure to check out
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This Field Trip Report covers one of two
outstanding air museums that I recently visited on a trip to
The
stated mission of the museum is "Preserving the heritage of American aviation".
According to their brochure, the collection has 160+ aircraft, many of
which are the sole surviving examples.
The aircraft on display have been restored to airworthy conditions.
The displays are mostly divided up by eras and specialty.
The West Hangar has 37 aircraft and 3 vehicles from 1903 to 1945.
The East Hangar has 17 aircraft from 1946 to modern day.
The East hangar also has several simulators and ejection seats, and about
10 display cases of models which are highly recommended for viewing.
Rare aircraft of note include an F-6M (photo recon P-51A), YP-47M, F-5G
(photo recon P-38L), MX7-Y Ohka II (Baka Bomb), Fi 103 V-1 (Buzz Bomb), Kaman
KD-1A Autogiro), and a P-63A. For
the WW II fan, there are an F6F-5, FM-2, SNJ-5, SBD-4, P-39N, P-40E, P-47D,
P-51D, and B-25J. There are lots of
modern jets too, including an F-84E, Canadair Sabre Mk 6 (F-86E), F-100C,
F-106B, F-5 on the USAF side, and FJ-1, F9F-8P, A-4C, F-14A, and E-2C on the
USN/USMC side. Pictures of some of
these are included below. As
always, you "exit through gift shop" and lots of items are available, but not
too many models other than pre-built and wood display types.
Highly recommended - plan on about half a day to see everything.
The museum is located southwest of the
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Trip Report - Albuquerque Comic Expo (ACE) 2011
This trip report covers a
visit to the Albuquerque Comic Expo (ACE) 2011 convention that took place on
24-26 June 2011 at the
The
biggie event was a question and answer period with Stan Lee on Saturday morning,
which was very entertaining.
Saturday afternoon featured a costume contest, which meant that a lot of
attendees were roaming about in some pretty cool costumes for most of the day.
Pictures below capture a lot of those.
Richard Hatch gave an interesting presentation called "So Say We All"
that discussed the history of Battlestar Galactica from its original inception
through the efforts to get it back on the air, the most recent series and
movies, and some more things in the works.
There was also a Star Trek Q&A
with LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis, and a presentation on the
Robotech series which was pretty
interesting.
Talking with the celebrities was pretty cool, and we were able to get some good
pictures with a lot of them. Jeremy
Bulloch (Bobba Fett) was very interesting to talk to, but the Storm Trooper
dudes were always trying to take everybody in for the most minor infractions.
The upcoming Green Lantern
movie had a large promotional display where you could see scenes from the movie
and talk with some of the producers.
There was also a larger area where attendees could try out the latest
video games.
There were lots of vendors selling comic books, posters and art, action figures
and statuettes/busts, T-shirts, etc. where you could spend a lot of your money.
There were some model kits too, including figures and science-fiction
spacecraft. Out in the main lobby
coming into ACE there was an almost life-size replica of the power loader from
the Aliens movie that Ripley used to fight the Mother Alien in the
final scene of the movie. This
power loader would attempt to make an entry later on at the ASM-sponsored 2011
New Mexico State Fair Model Contest, but unfortunately was too large for the
Fair officials to accept.
Overall it was a very fun experience, and you should plan to make the next ACE
convention that is currently scheduled for 22-24 June 2012.
Make sure you attend the costume contest, as some of the costumes were
pretty amazing. Get working on
yours.
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Additional pictures from Annette Montano:
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Convention Report - Star Trek Las Vegas 2011
My wife Linda and I attend the big Trek convention put on by Creation
Entertainment in
The convention took place August 11 - 14, and was in a new venue this year, the
Rio Hotel & Casino - a large and modern facility with plenty of space. The
There were few items of interest to modelers at this convention, and
certainly no modeling-related events. The main thing of modeling
interest would be the Dealer room, where some vendors sold kits (mostly the
mainstream sci-fi kits you see everywhere), and some sold props and
recreations of items from the shows and display kits that could be of
interest.
Most of the dozens of guest stars were easily accessible at various times during
the con; some, like the really major luminaries (Patrick Stewart, William
Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, etc.) limited that access to autograph and photo
sessions, for which you had to pay, but many were approachable after initial
lines had died down. Indeed, for much of the con, stars like Jonathan
Frakes, Brent Spiner, and John DeLancie, spent time at tables in the Dealer room
and you could just walk up and strike up a conversation. Considering the
several thousand people in attendance, this was a bit unexpected!
A major event of the convention was Leonard Nimoy in his final Vegas con
appearance. He's retiring from conventions as of this year, and his final
con appearance ever will be in October at a Creation con in
There was an attempt (second year in a row) to break the Guinness record for
most Star Trek costumes in one place at the same time. They did this last
year, setting the record at 543. Later that year, DragonCon in
Sunday featured the biggest draw: Sir Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, and Kate
Mulgrew together onstage. They each got some solo time, then came together
for a mass Q&A session. The Main Events room was filled to the gills; all
the chairs were full and people were standing around the walls and in the back.
I have to believe there were over 5,000 people in there. Remember, Star
Trek has been off the air for the better part of a decade! Apparently,
there's still some interest in the franchise. This was easily one of the
high points of the show.
Events we missed included several more panels (you can't hit them all!), David
Gerrold's Writer's Workshop, genre auctions, the "Resistance is Futile Champagne
Bingo Bash" (we attended that once a few years back - the prizes were excellent,
but the event was very pricey and there were far more attendees than prize
packages), Karaoke Night (I make a habit of missing out on Karaoke nights
wherever and whenever, thank you), the various breakfasts and lunches with the
stars, a presentation on the Hubble Space Telescope, Leonard Nimoy's photography
seminar, a "Stump the Experts" trivia competition, autograph sessions and
photo-ops (we happen to have virtually everyone's autograph from over the years;
Linda only got one this year, John Cho - Mr. Sulu from the recent Trek movie),
and much more.
An excessively detailed version of this report, along with a large number of photos taken at the con, can be found at the old ASM
Temp Web Site (http://web.me.com/jwalters).
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Trip Report -
This trip report covers the Heartland Museum of
Military Vehicles (HMMV) located in
The museum's mission is to preserve historic military
vehicles and also to honor
Overall a great museum to visit and a definite
stop for military vehicle modelers.
Plan about half a day if you want to see everything.
Admission is free. For
further information see the museum's website at:
http://www.heartlandmuseum.com.
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Every time I go out of town to a different city, I first look up the local model
shops and then I always find out what interesting museums are around. One
of the things I look for when I'm in museums is model displays. These can
be used to showcase a large collection or tell a story without having to build a
whole new wing. The good displays are ones that not only have high quality
models, but also have the background information clearly presented to explain
the display and engage the audience to want to learn more about the subject
being shown.
ASM has a presence in local museums and public displays with a display in the
old
There is always something new at
The
Museum of Flight every time I go through
it. This time there was a new display showing vehicles and equipment used
in space travel including a Soyuz capsule, Mercury capsule, a laboratory module
of the ISS that was used as a ground simulator, and a moon rover.
The very impressive model display at this museum was
a collection of aircraft of WWII in 1/72nd scale in the WWII fighter wing of the
museum. There were over 400 models all from a single builder. Each
country that was involved in WWII had planes represented.
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45th
The
45th
Infantry Division Museum showcases the
history of the 45th Infantry Division through WWII and
The museum had a wall dedicated to Medal of Honor
recipients from the 45th Infantry Division. The division had eight
recipients and each one was memorialized with a copy of the citation as well as
a model diorama showing a snapshot of the events leading to earning their
awards.
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Museum of Naval Aviation at
I visited this museum many years ago. The
Pax River Naval Aviation Museum
has a large collection of test/evaluation aircraft in the typical white/orange
markings for test aircraft outside near the entrance to the base. Some of the
highlights include the X-35 and X-32 evaluation aircraft parked across from each
other.
The display inside included an impressive model of the aircraft carrier USS
Hancock in 1/48 scale! It was huge, about twenty feet long and took
up an entire hallway, so much so that it was hard to take pictures of it.
It was shown in its 1950s configuration and had a lot of detail including guns,
stairs, rigging, etc. It had about twenty aircraft on deck including F7U
Cutlasses, F9F Cougars, and others.
Models getting the chance to be on display in a
museum are like professional athletes or rock stars. There are hundreds of
thousands of worthy applicants out there, but only a select few get to go to the
big show. Some of the models and collections are there by luck or because
they are so impressive in their own right. I like to go out and see what the
next amazing display will have to show.
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Not since
Homer's famous writings of the adventures of Odysseus has there been such an
epic tale of adventure as that undertaken by Brian and Gil during the ASM
road trip of May 2011. Well maybe not epic, but it was a blast all the
same. Brian had done some research on inexpensive air fares and potential
destinations and came up with a great itinerary. The primary goals for
the trip were seeing the
The second thing that we
noticed was a strange and wonderful aroma in the air that we could not identify
at first. Then we realized it was an absence of dust! It was damp, cool,
green and very refreshing. I am fairly certain that several people
wondered who the weird guys were that just stood in the parking lot with their
noses in the air inhaling deeply for several minutes. The next morning we
got up early, had a quick bite at the motel and hit the road headed for Wright
Patterson Air Force base in
On this particular day we
were also reminded just why things are so green and refreshing in that part of
the country.
l had a personal interest
in seeing one of the aircraft at the museum since my father in law was an engine
mechanic on a SAC RB-36 during his years in the Air Force. He had always
described to me how huge they were, but until I saw one up close and personal it
just never sunk in.
This fellow seemed far too
interested in the museum's Mig 29, maybe a background check is in order!
The short guy had a little
easier time getting into the cockpit, but he was totally befuddled by the
complexity of this high tech machine!
Like
a presentation on how Disney Studios volunteered time and talent to help design
unit insignia and artwork for flight jackets.
.... Or the accurate
recreation of a typical control tower that the 8th Air Force would have used in
We were almost done at this stop and what with all the rain and dampness it was fortunate that Brian found an amazing 50 millisecond hair dryer! Where do you drop your quarter to get this puppy going?
What a great time that was, the guys at Lingenfelter were more than gracious and treated us like we were going to drop $50K on our visit, even though they knew we would just be going home with some souvenir T-shirts. We even got to meet Mr. Lingenfelter himself and he is as down to earth a guy as you will ever meet.
They spent a couple hours showing us the machine shop, the engine dyno room and the chassis dyno room. No pics were allowed in the machine shop or engine dyno room since this is such a competitive business to be in.
Then best of all they asked if we would
each like a ride in one of their 750 HP ZR1 Corvette "test mules".
Needless to say it took no arm twisting and Brian let me take the first ride.
Holy Cow! I have never been in a vehicle that was capable of cruising down
the road at 70 mph in 4th gear and then spun the tires when the guy stomped the
throttle! I am guessing it took about 2.5 seconds to hit 120 MPH from 70MPH! And
yet on the small town side streets it was a docile vehicle that you would not
hesitate to take to the grocery store. These guys definitely know their
automotive engineering.
After our test rides we decided we might need to have the smiles surgically removed from our faces! Alas the time had come to move on and leave this wonderland of hot rods behind.
So we piled back into our anemic little rental car and
pointed it down the road towards Grissom Air Force base and the next museum
adventure. The drive was very scenic and it really was a reminder why they
call it "
And some that just looked friendly, with flags on the front porch, old fashioned main streets and even an M3 Stuart in the little park by the post office.
The little M3 was
definitely worth a quick stop and a few pics. Hmmm with Brian next to that M3 it
almost doesn't look like its 1:1 scale.
Out on the “back 40” they
had pieces of an old F-89 hoping to become a whole aircraft again someday.
We also decided it was
appropriate to practice our own refueling techniques and made a quick pit stop
on the way. Steak n Shake was another fun learning experience for Gil, maybe
they’ll open a franchise in NM someday!
After braving lots of
construction on the freeway (those dang orange barrels followed us all the way
from NM), we found our way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It really is a big place
and to get to the museum you drive through a tunnel under the grandstands and
pop out in front of the main building.
If you like race cars,
especially Indy Cars then this is a neat museum to see. There is something from
every era and it is fascinating to see the progression in ideas and engineering
over the decades. The old roadsters killed quite a few drivers; the good old
days weren't always so good.
Before we left we got a
chance to take a ride on a small tour bus that runs around the track and down
pit lane. We were both impressed with just how big the track is, it really is a
super speedway. The bus driver probably got tired of us asking if that thing
could go any faster. They still have a one yard wide strip of the original
bricks that runs across the front straight. If I remember right the tour guide
said the original track had 3.2 million, ten pound bricks that were laid by
hand. Wow and I was tired after laying a few pavers for a patio last summer!
So in the end we got to
see lots of history everywhere we went. We met lots of nice folks everywhere we
went and also gained more appreciation for the good friends we have back home. I
was reminded often of the common bond that our hobby provides, and also reminded
that I am lucky to have a place like Hobby Proz to go hang out where there are
nice folks who genuinely care about the customer and are eager to help you
learn. This really is a hobby that can teach you a lot about many things, and it
makes the learning a fun and entertaining process. Many thanks to Brian for
cooking up such a great itinerary. And many thanks to Joe and Mike for all their
hours of work on the newsletter and web site. As a wise man we all know is often
heard to say "it's all good"!
Webmaster's Note: Many thanks to Gil for his
truly outstanding first person "There I was..." trip report, and the multitude
of pictures; and also to Brian for setting up the trip. Other ASMers
please take notes, and get your own stories in to the ASM Newlstter and Website!
More trips are being planned, so stay tuned to the website.
Click here
if you'd like to view an
Additional USAF
Museum Trip Report from May 2008.
Warbirds
B-17G "Liberty Belle" Visit to Albuquerque
With an increasing sense of dismay, I recently read that a WWII bomber had been destroyed in a ground fire outside of Chicago. When I found out it was a B-17, it got even worse. On June 13, 2011 the "Liberty Belle" suffered an in-flight fire, the pilot successfully completed an emergency landing in a field where everyone got out safely then the plane was slowly consumed by the fire when the on-board fuel tanks lit up. Fire crews were on the scene, but could not get close enough to the plane due to the field being too muddy. The cause of the initial fire has not yet been identified.
She was a
B-17G that, after World War II was sold as scrap to a mining company.
The price was set based on how much fuel she had on board!
The plane was later sold to Pratt & Whitney as a test bed for new
engines. A fifth prototype engine
was grafted onto the nose (kit bash/conversion anyone?) for testing.
She was later heavily damaged in 1979 when a tornado pushed another plane
into the midsection, breaking the fuselage in half. In 1987, the plane
went through a 15 year restoration back to its original configuration. She
was given the markings of the "Liberty Belle", a plane that completed 64 combat
missions with the 390th bomb group.
I happened to
see the Liberty Belle last summer at Double Eagle airport when she was going
through as part of her tour. I was
in Corrales and heard, then saw the plane flying in the distance.
I convinced my wife to go for a quick look, so we drove out the airport.
The plane was coming in for landing when we got there.
The sound of four radial engines is something to behold.
I talked to
the pilot and got to go through the plane.
One of the questions to the pilot was how do you train for piloting a
multi-engine tail dragger? There
aren't very many schools with that on the curriculum (or simulators) these days.
He is a 747 pilot that has been also flying various warbirds as a hobby.
He also said that their fuel bill for the weekend of flying was going to exceed
$20,000.00. That's one of the
reasons the rides in these planes cost what they do.
I had considered getting a ride, but they were all booked up for the
weekend. Oh well, maybe next time…
I took some
photos of the plane and was surprised at how cramped the interior of the plane
is considering how big it looks from the outside.
The little "bridge" across the bomb bay is only 6 inches wide and you
have to watch your head every time you go from one compartment to the next.
It was hard to imagine a crew of 10 and 13 .50 caliber machine guns
blazing.
Webmaster's Note: See additional Liberty Belle article below and and related Warbirds Tour article on the Field Trips page.
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Trip Report - StarFest
2011 |
The annual StarFest sci-fi convention took place April 15-17, 2011 at the
This year's guests included LeVar Burton (Star Trek's Geordi LaForge), Morena Baccarin (Anna from V, as well as roles on Firefly and Stargate SG-1), Jeffrey Combs and Casey Biggs (Weyoun and Damar from Star Trek: DS9), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars), and several more. Autograph lines were set up so you could meet all the guests, and from what we could see, it appeared everyone got to meet everyone they wanted to!
Several sci-fi authors and artists were there as well, along with three
other concurrent conventions: RoboFest (a single large room devoted to
builders of robots such as the
Lost in
Space
robot, R2D2, and others), Horrorfest (which took up several rooms and
included movies and panels and lots of attendees dressed as zombies), and
ComicFest, which takes place at a hotel across the street (the StarFest
schedule is always so full we've never made it over there!).
There is an art show, a Harry Potter-themed wizarding area with their own
activities, panel discussions of various sorts (we attended a talk by a
Hubble scientist who showed and discussed many amazing images from the
telescope), a "Saturday Night Live"-style play parody, a costume
competition, a compilation of trailers and sneak peeks from upcoming sci-fi
movies, and more activities that can fit here.
Of special interest to modelers are two ongoing activities: the Make & Take room, and the Model Show. Tom
Grossman normally runs the Make & Take but could not make it this year due to schedule conflicts, but his substitutes filled in quite effectively. As you can see from the photo, it was a popular and busy attraction - and it was this busy all weekend long!Vern
Clark runs the Model Show and contest, and there is always a large turnout, usually around a hundred or so models entered. This year, one model overshadowed all the others: a full-sized scratchbuilt replica of the shooting model of the original Battlestar Galactica! Surrounded by several of the well-known ships of the "rag-tag fleet," this monster was about five feet long, and dominated the entire room. Webmaster's Note: See picures below from Joe's "Report From StarFest 2011" article. It was hard to notice the other models...
The Galactica was a multi-year project, involving extensive
research (the builders of the show's shooting model kept detailed journals
describing not only the design elements but also what existing kits they
raided for what parts to stick on the hull). We were told the builder spent
over $8000 acquiring all the parts to precisely recreate the original model.
He confessed that he "improved"
on it in some ways; as with another famous TV
show, the model was unfinished in some areas, as they were only planning to
shoot it from one side. This model is complete all the way around.
The level of detail is staggering, and must be seen to be believed. The ship
is fully lighted, and both the landing bays have sequenced flashing approach
lights, floor and ceiling!
A short video of this effect can be seen on the
web site listed at the end of this article, along with many photos of the
model from different angles and distances and photos of the other models in
the show.
Modelers also wouldn't feel left out in the huge Dealer Room, where dozens
of vendors sell everything from movie posters to autographed photos to
swords to toys to books to videos to pornographic fan fiction (really).
Sci-fi model kits are offered from several vendors (see photo), as are
various pre-built models and displays.
We always get our money's worth at StarFest, and recommend you consider
attending next year. Jonathan Frakes and Bruce Campbell (yes,
that Bruce Campbell!) are
tentatively scheduled to appear, and that sci-fi Model Show beckons.
I took many photos at this show, and you can see all of them online (
http://tinyurl.com/sf2011jw). Note that all the images labeled "Costume Competition"are video files, and you'll want to turn your sound down before playing them.
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Report from StarFest
2011 ( Via E-Mail ) |
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Trip Report - Albuquerque
Comic Con 2011
By
Mike Blohm

This trip report covers a visit to the Albuquerque Comic Con 2011 convention
that took place January 15 - 16, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel. The convention
featured both comic book authors and celebrities from comic-book-related
movies and television shows. Guests of note included Peter Mayhew and
Dickey Beer (Chewbacca and Boba Fett in
Star Wars), Gil
Gerard and Erin Gray (from
Buck Rogers), Herbert Jefferson and Anne Lockhart (original
Battlestar Galactica),
Deep Roy (Star Trek 11,
Charlie &
the Chocolate Factory),
Lou Ferrigno (Incredible Hulk),
and Alaina Huffman (Stargate
Universe and
Smallville); and comic artists Gene Ha and Andy Kuhn.
Local comic book authors and artists were present as well. There were
many vendors selling comic books, posters and art, action figures, T-shirts,
etc., where you could spend a lot of your money. There were some model
kits too, including figures and science-fiction spacecraft.
The crowd was a lot bigger than the planners expected and navigation from one place to another was often difficult, as passageways became jammed with attendees. The action flowed out into the hallways and patio of the hotel. Let's hope that next year's Con will take place in a larger venue!
Panel discussions were lively, including one featuring the Buck Rogers
and Galactica actors together, answering questions and telling
stories. Movies were shown, autographs were signed, and everyone found
much to do.
Many attendees were dressed in comic book and movie costumes, and some were
pretty cool. There was a face-off in the patio of Marvel and DC Comic
characters, but the members of the 501st Legion (Vader's Own) kept it from
getting out of hand.
Tall Tale Comics put on this show, and they plan to do Comic Con again in
2012, so put that on your calendar and get working on your costume.
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USS New Mexico Battleship Model Dedication
There was a dedication ceremony on Sunday, January 23rd for the
USS New Mexico
battleship model in the exhibit "A Noble Legacy: The
USS New Mexico"
at the
Trip Report - USS New Mexico Dedication Ceremony
by Victor Maestas
The dedication for the "A Noble Legacy: The USS New Mexico"
exhibition at the
The model has been set up at the entrance to the museum in a large glass
enclosure. All the people looking at the model were very impressed with the
detail and workmanship that had to have gone into the model. A smaller model
(probably about 1/350) of the
One of the speakers was Commander George Perez, the CO of the USS New
Mexico (SSN 779). He gave a talk on the submarine and its expected
mission. The submarine is a Fast Attack Nuclear submarine armed with Mk. 48
torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. He extended an invitation to anyone
to visit the ship and show your NM ID and get a tour. I guess the trick will
be to first find the ship…
A compelling presentation by retired Chief Warrant Officer George Smith was
next. A 92-year-old veteran of BB40, he spoke of the ship being in top shape
at all times because of the pride of the crew as well as the tight
discipline (no baseball caps with the bill facing backwards).
A short movie on the war experience of the ship was put together by the
museum based on the official records as well as some information pulled from
the diary of one of the sailors. The ship was nicknamed "The Queen" and won
six battle stars. She was involved in the invasion of the Gilbert and
The exhibition at the museum includes uniforms from the time period before
WWII, some of the parts from one of the kamikaze planes that hit the ship,
and the models on display. Some of the silver settings used on BB40 were on
display; they will eventually be sent to be used on SSN 779.
The dedication was a very interesting event that portrayed the history and
future of the ships named after our state. The exhibition will be at the
museum for four months. If you are in the area, it's worth a look.
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Webmaster's Notes:
USS New Mexico (BB-40) was a battleship in service with the United States Navy from 1918-1946. She was the lead ship of a class of three battleships which included the USS New Mexico, USS Idaho, and USS Mississippi. New Mexico was extensively modernized between 1931 and 1933 and saw service during World War II both in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. After her decommissioning she was scrapped in 1947. New Mexico was the first US Navy ship named for the state of New Mexico.
For additional pictures visit the following website; there are sets of pictures for different year groups: http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/40a.htm
For the history of the battleship New Mexico visit the following site: http://www.acepilots.com/ships/new_mexico.html
Trip Report - Century
Circle at Edwards AFB
By Mike Blohm
This trip report covers the "Century Circle" aircraft display at Edwards AFB CA. The display is located at the West Gate into the base on Rosamond Boulevard and is available for the general public to visit. There are six jets on display that are commonly called the "Century Series" because their numbers are in the hundreds. The jets include the second of two YF-100A prototypes and the oldest surviving Super Sabre; an F-101B Voodoo that served with the 132 Fighter Interceptor Squadron in Bangor, Maine; the third TF-102A Delta Dagger two-seater trainer built that served at Edwards AFB for most of its career; an F-104A Star Fighter that had a very unusual career (see sign picture below) including chase for the first SR-71A flight and having a U-2 nose installed; an F-105D Thunderchief that served with the 419 Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah; and an F-106B Delta Dart two-seat trainer that had served part of its career with the 329 Fighter Interceptor Squadron at George AFB, California. Also displayed is the first of two prototypes of the McDonnell Douglas YC-15 Advanced Medium STOL Transport. In the center of the display is a restored control tower that was used by the Air Force Flight Test Center from the 1950's until 1988.
Definitely a site to visit if you are in the Palmdale area of
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Aerial view of Century Circle from theAFFTC Museum's Website |
Trip Report - Air Force Flight Test Center Museum - The Inside Look
by Mike Blohm
This
trip report provides an "inside look" at the
The
inside displays include display cases with the history of Muroc Air Base and how
it was later renamed Edwards AFB after Glen Edwards, a test pilot lost in the
crash of the YB-49 Flying Wing.
Displays cover testing from World War II through the present.
An item of interest to modelers is the "First Flights" display which
features 1/72 scale models of aircraft which either had their first takeoff or
landing, or both at Edwards AFB.
There are multiple display cases with models of the aircraft tested at Edwards.
Aircraft on display include the first YF-22A Raptor prototype, an AT-37
Dragonfly, and three aircraft suspended from the ceiling: a full size replica of
the Bell X-1 (think this was from "The Right Stuff" movie), a Bensen X-25B (B-8)
gyrocopter, and an AQM-34 Firebee reconnaissance drone.
Other items include a B-58 Hustler ejection -seat capsule, a Boeing
AGM-69 Short-Range Attack Missile (SRAM), AGM-136A Tacit Rainbow mock-up, Boeing
X-36 Air Vehicle #2, several general purpose bombs, and various large aircraft
models. Rocket engines on display
include the XLR99 from the North American X-15, an LR121 used on the Lockheed
NF-104A Starfighter, and an XLR-8-RM used on the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket.
A
worthwhile visit if you are in the southern
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| Bell X-1 Replica |
History of Edwards AFB Displaye |
Yeager & Hoover Flight Suits |
First Flights Model Display in 1/72 Scale |
First Flights Signage |
YF-22A Raptor Prototype #1 |
AT-37 Dragonfly |
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| Muroc Air Base Sign |
AQM-34 Firebee Recon Drone |
YF-22A Raptor Prototype #1 |
AQM-34, X-1, YF-22A and B-58 Capsule |
Bensen X-25B (B-8) Gyrocopter |
B-58 Ejection Capsule |
Countdown to Edge of Space Display |
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| XLR99 Rocket Engine (X-15) |
XLR99 Rocket Engine Info |
XLR-8-RM Rocket Engine (D-558-2) |
LR121 Rocket Engine (NF-104) |
Universal Testing Display Side 1 |
Universal Testing Display Side 2 |
Pilotless Aircraft Display |
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| AGM-136A Tacit Rainbow |
X-36 Air Vehicle # 2 |
AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile |
AQM-34 Firebee Recon Drone |
Bell X-1 Replica |
YF-22A Raptor Protoype #1 |
AT-37 Dragonfly |
Trip Report - Air Force Flight Test Center Museum
by Mike Blohm
This trip report covers the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) Museum
located at Edwards Air Force Base in
Aircraft displayed include the YA-10B prototype (two-seat night/adverse
weather A-10), an NF-4C Phantom II (the first production F-4C built) an
SR-71A Blackbird, the first F‑111A Aardvark built, a YA-7D Corsair II
(second prototype built), PGM-17A Thor intermediate range ballistic missile
(IRBM) on transport trailer, B-52 Stratofortress, F-84F Thunderstreak, NF-11
Meteor, T-28 Trojan, T-33A Shooting Star, CT-39A Sabreliner, UC-45J
Expeditor, SH-34G Seabat helicopter, and a CH-3 Jolly Green Giant
helicopter. Most of the
aircraft are in good shape other than the B-52 and Thor IRBM which need
repainting.
A
worthwhile visit if you would like to see some prototype and one-of-a-kind
aircraft, especially if you are an F-4 or A-10 fan.
Visitors without access to the base (military or retired military)
will need to contact Edwards AFB Public Affairs to get on a tour.
How to get on a base tour, plus other information on the museum, is
available on their website at:
http://www.afftcmuseum.org/
There are several other aircraft displays at Edwards AFB, which will
be covered in a follow-on trip report.
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| AFFTC Museum | AF Flight Test Center Museum | AF Flight Test Center Museum | AF Flight Test Center Museum | YA-10B Prototype | YA-10B Prototype | YA-10B Prototype |
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| NF-4C Phantom II |
NF-4C Phantom II |
NF-4C Phantom II |
YA-7D Prototype | YA-7D Prototype | YA-7D Prototype | SR-71A Note Blackbird sitting on the left tail. |
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SR-71A Blackbird |
PGM-17A Thor IRBM |
PGM-17A Thor IRBM |
PGM-17A Thor IRBM |
T-33A Shooting Star |
T-33A Shooting Star |
T-33A Shooting Star |
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T-28B Trojan |
T-28B Trojan |
T-28B Trojan |
F-84F Thunderstreak |
F-84F Thunderstreak |
F-84F Thunderstreak |
F-111A Aardvark |
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F-111A Aardvark |
F-111A Aardvark |
CT-39A Sabreliner |
CT-39A Sabreliner |
CT-39A Sabreliner |
NF-11 Meteor |
NF-11 Meteor |
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NF-11 Meteor |
SH-34G Seabat |
SH-34G Seabat |
CH-3 Jolly Green Giant |
CH-3 Jolly Green Giant |
B-52 Stratofortress |
B-52 Stratofortress |
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B-52 Stratofortress |
UC-45J Expeditor |
UC-45J Expeditor |
UC-45J Expeditor |
B-52 and Thor IRBM | AF Flight Test Center Museum | AF Flight Test Center Museum |
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| AF Flight Test Center Museum | AF Flight Test Center Museum |
YA-10B Prototype |
SR-71A Blackbird |
AF Flight Test Center Museum | NF-4C and YA-10B |
AF Flight Test Center Museum |
by Mike Blohm
I recently visited the
The "Looking at Earth" exhibit featured a DH4 and a U-2. "Beyond: Visions
of Our Solar System" has a lot of cool pictures of the solar system from recent
space probe missions. "The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial
Age" features the original Wright Flyer. “"pollo to the Moon" has a lot of
artifacts and some cool models of rockets and spacecraft. The "Barron
Hilton Pioneers of Flight”"is a new exhibit under construction, but you have a
fairly unobstructed view of those aircraft, which include the Douglas World
Cruiser "Chicago," the Lockheed 5B Vega flown by Amelia Earhart, Lockheed 8
Sirius "Tingmissartoq" flown by Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and the Fokker T-2
that was the first aircraft to fly nonstop coast to coast in May 1923. The
"Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)" display has six different UAVs
suspended from the ceiling - pretty cool.
One newer exhibit I missed on this trip is "Jet Aviation," which includes
an Me 262A, XP-80 Shooting Star, and FH-1 Phantom I.
Old exhibits that always deserve a look-see included the "Legend, Memory and the
Great War in the Air" with a SPAD XIII, Fokker D.VII, Sopwith Snipe, and
Albatros D.Va; "Sea-Air Operations" with an F4B-4, FM1 Wildcat, SBD-6 Dauntless,
A-4C Skyhawk and a totally awesome
1⁄/00-scale
model of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65); and "World War II Aviation" with
a P-51D Mustang, Spitfire Mk VII, Bf 109G-6, MC.202 Folgore, A6M5 Zero, and a
pretty cool "Identification Models" display. The "Space Race" exhibit has
several missiles, including a Jupiter-C, Vanguard, V-1, V-2 and Minuteman III,
an Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous mission mockup, and several space capsules. The
"Lunar Exhibition" exhibit has multiple space probes (Ranger, Surveyor, and
Lunar Orbiter) and a full-size Lunar Excursion Module (I'm old school).
A must-see museum if you visit
More info on the museum is available online here:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/flagship.cfm?hp=v
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Trip Report -
Wings of Freedom
Three aircraft of the Wings of Freedom Tour visited
The weather was great and I was able to get a lot of great pictures. I was able
to crawl around inside the B-24 -it made me appreciate even more the courage and
sacrifices of the American airmen who flew in these during World War II. The
B-17 was getting ready to fly so I was not able to get inside that aircraft. Watching the B-17 start up, taxi out and take off, followed shortly thereafter
by the P-51C, was pretty cool. The P-51C is carrying the personal markings of
Col. Charles McCorkle, a 11.0 victory ace and commander of the 31st Fighter
Group (red-striped tails). Highly recommended to go out and see them whenever
you get the chance.
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| Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress |
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress |
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress |
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress |
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress |
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| North American P-51C Mustang |
North American P-51C Mustang |
North American P-51C Mustang |
North American P-51C Mustang |
North American P-51C Mustang |
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| Consolidated B-24J Liberator |
Consolidated B-24J Liberator |
Consolidated B-24J Liberator |
Consolidated B-24J Liberator |
Consolidated B-24J Liberator |
by Joe Walters
Over 90 models were on display at the Model Show at the recent StarFest sci-fi
convention in
The weekend was a mix of costumes, celebrity guests, music, events, activities,
and competitions in fields including models, costumes, art, balcony decoration,
and more.
A huge and varied sampling of (mostly!) sci-fi related models was on display,
and the room was a popular one.
Longtime ASM
friend Tom Grossman was there, running his usual and well-attended model
workshop, which keeps him so busy he rarely gets to see any of the rest of the
con.
Guests included Stargate's
Christopher Judge and Firefly and
Sarah Connor Chronicles actress
Summer Glau, 2001 and
Star Trek actor Gary Lockwood, and
several others.
I took quite a few pictures and videos at this show; some are on the ASM
Newsletter Bonus Pages for our digital subscribers, and you can see them all
online (http://tinyurl.com/asm1005),
along with a few I snagged from someone else. In general, you can kill the
sound on the videos, as it's mostly crowd noise!
StarFest 2011 will take place next April, and invited guests (none confirmed yet!) include Bruce Campbell, John Noble (from Fringe and Lord of the Rings) and Michael Dorn (Mr. Worf). My wife and I attend this show every year, and we've yet to experience a boring moment. Be there!
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By Mike Blohm
I wrote
a field trip report in March 2008 on the Air Force Armament Museum, but that
report covered only the outside aircraft and weapons displays because the inside
of the museum was under renovation and closed to the public.
This report gives you an "Inside Look" at the inside displays as of
January 2010. Click
HERE to see the "Outside Look"
trip report posted below.
The
museum has four aircraft on the main floor:: F-105D Thunderchief, P-47N
Thunderbolt, P-51D Mustang, and F-80 Starfire.
Suspended from the ceiling are multiple types of missiles, rockets,
drones, and bombs including a JB-2 Loon (V-1) and a bomb-carrying BQM-34 Firebee
drone. Throughout the ground floor
are multiple types of weapons including a replica of the Fat Man nuclear bomb.
There is a large grouping of bombs clustered around the F-105D which
includes most of the laser guided bomb family and a very interesting display of
the air-delivered sensors used along the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam
War.
There
are cockpit simulators for both the F-15 Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt.
Note that time slows down when you sit in the A-10 simulator, so check
your watch. There is a nice display
on the American prisoner of war experience.
There is a real Airborne Battlefield Command and
The
second floor is a wrap-around balcony that depicts aerial weapons development
from World War I through current times.
A lot of the weapons have cutaways and informative descriptions depicting
how they were designed.
A few
notes to update my previous report.
The outside displays are getting repainted and are in better shape than in 2008.
The MiG-21 and Mace have been redone and look good.
Unfortunately they have not yet gotten to their F-4D.
They have added an HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant helicopter, with that
type's retirement from the USAF.
The Air
Force Armament Museum is located just outside of Eglin Air Force Base in
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USAF Armament Museum |
USAF Armament Museum |
Inside Look Tomahawk Cruise Missile |
F-105D Cruise Missiles JSOW |
F-105D Thunderchief |
P-47 Thunderbolt P-51D Mustang |
F-80 Starfire & Fat Man |
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F-105D & Munitions |
F-105D & Munitions |
JB-2 Loon (V-1) |
Link C-3 Trainer |
P-47 Thunderbolt |
P-47 Thunderbolt |
A-10 & F-15 Cockpits |
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BQM-34 Firebee Drone with M117 Bombs |
P-51D Mustang |
P-51D Mustang & Fat Man |
Model Display - 1 |
Model Display - 2 |
Airborne Command & Control Center | Airborne Command & Control Center |
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Weapons Vault - 1 |
Weapons Vault - 2 |
Weapons Vault - 3 |
Supersonic Target Drone |
YAIM-120 AMRAAM |
Mk-82 500 lb Bomb Family |
GBU-24 Laser Guided Bomb |
by Jim Guld

More
information is available from the shows official web site (http://tinyurl.com/mzona09).
Rick
Carver, my wife Stacy, and I went to the show. The turnout was around 80 modelers
with over 350 models. There was a fair turnout for armor and planes, but the number
of car models, which probably had more on the tables than the armor category, surprised
me. The Figure and Sci-Fi categories had about what I would expect for a one-day
show with around 15 20 entries on the table. There were a number of really
well-built planes including a really nice Mirage in tiger-stripe markings. The show
also had a Make-N-Take for kids to participate in which seemed to go over well.
Outside
the hangar, there were four vehicles on display: two WWII Jeeps, an M151 Mutt, and an M29
Weasel. There were also a couple of re-enactors walking around the show and outside
with the one-to-one stuff.
The
vendors room was great for a one-day show and to me equal to what was at the Region
10 contest. The one surprise for me came when we started to judge, and it was
announced that there could be sweeps for categories. It made judging a little bit
faster since you didnt have to see if the same modeler had more then one entry in a
category. I for one benefited from this ruling, getting a first and a second place award
in one armor category. I didnt hear anyone complain about the rules, at least
not at the judges meeting.
I
did well with three Firsts, one Second, two Thirds and Best Diorama. What was a
surprise for me was that one of the Firsts was for a figure, and one of the others was for
the diorama that I took. Originally I wasnt going to take it and then decided
to. It just goes to show: you never know what will win. One thing is for sure it
wont win if it stays at home in the display case!
It was a nice ending for the 2009 model season. Im glad I went and, for you plane guys, you would have liked it, since they had some nice warbirds there.
Trip Report - Tucumcari Air Show
by Joe WaltersOn
Wednesday,
October 7, I met with Keith
Liotta
and family and the four of us carpooled over to Tucumcari to see the annual air show
presented by the local Rotary Club.
This
is a great showattended by fewer than 1000 people, you dont have to fight
through huge crowds or jammed parking lots. Easy to get in, around, and out!
And they manage to bring in some real quality entertainment. Static
displayswhich you can approach quite closelyinclude several Warbirds,
including an Avenger (pictured), a Navy SNJ, and a trio of cats
(Wildcat,
Hellcat and even a Bearcat)all of which flew! An F-15 flew in from?
Cannon
AFB
to do some bone-rattling flybys in afterburner, a few stunt planes put on crowd-pleasing
demonstrations, the Army
Golden
Knights
did their thingtwiceand the capstone of the show was Canadas Snowbirds
aerial demonstration team, which put on an utterly astounding demonstration of precision
flying. The Snowbirds attend this show every year.
Low
clouds prevented them from doing their full show, but their low show was
incredible on its own. With nine planes in the air at once, they can do a lot of
misdirection and come at you from unexpected places. A beautiful and elegant
performance, this show, featuring amazing precisionist flying, is not to be missed.
One is wise to bring ones own lawn chairs and sunscreen and such, and vendors abound selling everything from standard show foods to T-shirts to souvenirs to enlistments in military branches.
Well be keeping an eye out for info on next years show, and make announcements at club meetings as the time approaches. Its an easy day trip and well worth the effort and time!
Trip Report - Destroyer USS Turner Joy
by Mike Blohm
This trip report covers a visit to the US Navy
destroyer USS Turner Joy (DD-51) which is
located in
You
visit the ship by taking a self-guided tour. You
enter through gift shop and pay an entrance fee, and are then pretty much on
your own to tour the whole ship. A nice
handout is provided that gives an excellent overview of the major areas of the ship and
also the ships history. You go aboard at
the stern, go below decks to see the engine area, go through a lot of cabins and ready
rooms, the
Highly
recommended if you happen to be in the
http://www.hnsa.org/ships/turnerjoy.htm
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-t/dd951.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/951.htm
Trip Report - Flying Heritage Collection
by Mike Blohm
This Field Trip Report covers a trip that I
recently made to the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field in
Flyable aircraft on
display include a Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc in RAF Czechoslovakian 312 Squadron markings;
Hawker Hurricane Mk XIIb, Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 Emil, Fiesler Fi 156C-2 Storch, Curtiss
JN-4 Jenny, Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk - was Lend-Lease to Russia but is in American Volunteer
Group markings; Republic P-47D Thunderbolt in 510th Fighter Squadron (FS) markings; North
American P-51D Mustang in 352 FS / 353 Fighter Group markings; Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Zero-Sen
(currently stripped-down of paint); Polikarpov I-16 Type 24 Rata;and a Polikarpov U-2/Po-2
in 46th Guards Regiment markings.
Aircraft of note
that are either static or not flown due to rarity include a Focke Wulf Fw 190D-13 Dora in
Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 26 markings; F6F Hellcat in Commander James Flatley's
(CVAG-5) markings; Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet in Jagdgeschwader 400 markings; Nakajima
Ki-43 Hayabusha (Oscar) in 11th Sentai markings; Fiesler Fi 103 / V-1 Buzz
Bomb, and a Fiesler Fi 103R Reichenberg (manned V-1).
The museum also has a nose section of an Avro Lancaster Mk 1 bomber and a
Space Ship One replica on display.
Each aircraft has a placard that tells the story of that aircraft - it's real lineage and it's current markings, which are sometimes different. Many of the stories tell of wreckage or abandoned derelict aircraft being found in remote areas long after the war and being restored. The Collection's website does have some on this information on-line as well, so please refer to that as you review the pictures below.
Very highly
recommended - plan on at least half a day to see everything. Unfortunately the
aircraft are grouped together and surrounded by low barriers, such that you cant
walk totally around them or get very close up. Try
to visit during the summer when they are flying on Saturdays the website has a
schedule for Flying Days that includes which specific aircraft will be flying. Hint: If
you are there on 18 July you can see the Bf 109E and P-47D go head-to-head. Check out the Collections website at: http://www.flyingheritage.com.
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| Collection Hangar |
Collection Hangar |
Hangar Entrance |
Hangar Entranceway |
P-51D & Hurricane |
A6M3 Zero & JN-4 Jenny |
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| Curtiss JN-4 Jenny |
Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk |
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt |
North American P-51D Mustang |
Grumman F6F Hellcat |
Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 Emil |
Focke Wulf Fw 190D-13 |
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| Fiesler Fi 156C-2 Storch |
Fiesler Fi 103 V-1 Buzz Bomb |
Fiesler Fi 103R Reichenberg |
Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet |
Hawker Hurricane XIIb |
Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc |
Avro Lancaster B Mk I |
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| Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Zero | Hayabusha Ki-43 Oscar |
Polikarpov I-16 Type 24 Rata |
Polikarpov Po-2 / U-2 |
Space Ship One Replica |
Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk |
Focke Wulf Fw 190D-13 |
by Joe Walters
The
annual Starfest sci-fi convention was held again in
As always, among the many many activities offered at this convention, modeling plays a major part. There are two main modeling events: Vern?Clarks Model Show and Tom Grossmans modeling workshop.
A
combination airbrush training session, modeling how-to, and make-&-take, Toms
venue is always busy. Tom tells me he never gets to attend any other convention
events, as hes tied up in this activity room basically from start to finish.
You can see in the picture below how his hands stay full, and everyone manages to have a
good time!
The
Model Show is a contest and a chance to display ones sci-fi modeling skills to other
fans. Over 100 models were entered this year, in just about every conceivable
subject. Entry costs a couple of bucks per model.
In
the photo at below left, you can see about half the models that were entered. Most were
sci-fi / fantasy entries, but a few mundane items like tanks and airplanes snuck in.
We modelers always like to see good work, even if the subject matter doesnt
necessarily fit in!
Model
entries ranged from Star Wars to dinosaurs, Star Trek to
For
Star Wars fans, a meticulously-detailed Republic Star Destroyer (below left) drew a lot of
attention, as did a pair of Millennium Falcons, one of which is shown below middle (the
other was not only nicely detailed, but also fully lighted). Many other Star Wars
subjects were present, as were many Star Trek starships. Below right is an outstanding
Thunderbolt StarFury from
Starfest
is always a great time, for modelers and non-modelers alike. The guests are always
top-notch, many attendees come in costume (we rode an elevator with the Joker; a
brilliantly-costumed General Grievous left many wondering how he pulled that off; Shaun of
the Dead was abouthe even had some red on him; Seven of Nine, the Penguin
the
list goes on!), and there are more events and panels than you can attend.
I
highly recommend this excellent and professionally-run convention; if you are interested,
monitor the web site (http://www.starland.com)
for ongoing news of this and the next convention.
Oh, and you might want to get working on that sci-fi model for the show!

Trip Report - Pima Air & Space Museum
by Mike Blohm
This Field Trip Report covers a trip
that I recently made to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. I arrived in Tucson at about 12:00 noon, so I only
had about four and a half hours to do a whirlwind tour before it closed for
the day. I grabbed a map of the collection
(see below) and planned out my strategery to try to see everything possible. The museum has a huge outside exhibit area with
approximately 157 aircraft and 18 aircraft-related ground vehicles from all the US
services, and from some other countries as well. My
greatest interest was the large collection of MiG fighters, so I started there and then
looped around the outside ring and worked my way back towards the middle. Amazingly I got to see everything, but just barely. I ended up with two memory cards full of pictures,
some of which are included below.
Museum |
Visitors Guide |
OutdoorExhibit Guide |
GLCM |
MiG-29 |
F-4C |
F-84F |
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F-11F |
AP-2H |
NB-52A |
Bristol |
B-26K |
B-23 |
B-17G Flying |
B-24J |
Hawker |
B-29A |
Fi-103 / V-1 |
Ki-43 |
PBM-5A |
SR-71A |
Helicopter |
Bomber |
Bomber |
Civil |
Military |
Military |
Presidential |
MiGs |
MiGs |
USAF Fighters |
USAF Fighters |
USAF |
USN Fighters |
USN Fighters |
Sabre |
Recon |
GLCM |
World War II |
Miscellaneous |
USN - Allied |
USAF Fighters |
B-377SG |
C-124 |
B-58 |
C-46D |
F7F |
B-36 |
A-26C |
AAA Gun and |
A-10 Warthog Fly-By |
VC-32 |
YQM-98A |
TBM |
B-25J |
F-4C |

Trip Report - Air Power Park and Museum
by Mike Blohm
I
recently had the opportunity to visit the Air Power Park and Museum located in
http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/museums/va/appm.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Power_Park
| Museum Building |
Museum Sign |
T-33A T-Bird & A-7E Corsair II |
Display From the South |
Display From the East |
F-100D Super Sabre & Missiles |
KV-6A Kestrel |
| F-86L Sabre | RF-4C Phantom II |
F-100D Super Sabre |
F-101F Voodoo |
F-89Q Scorpion |
F-105D Thunderchief |
A-7E Corsair II |
| MIM-14 Nike Hercules SAM |
MIM-3 Nike Ajax SAM |
MIM-3 Nike Ajax SAM |
Jupiter IRBM |
M-2 Corporal |
A-2 Polaris SLBM | Mercury - Little Joe Booster |
Mercury Test Capsule |

Trip Report - National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
by Mike Blohm
This Trip Report covers two different
visits I recently made to the
Museum Views
Early Years Gallery
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| Wright 1909 Military Flyer |
Nieuport N.28C-1 Scout |
Caproni Ca.36 Bomber |
Sopwith F-1 Camel | SPAD XIII | Fokker D.VII | Martin MB-2 |
| Curtiss P-6E Hawk |
Boeing P-12E |
Boeing P-26A Peashooter |
Martin B-10 |
North American BT-14 | Northrup A-17A |
Hawker Hurricane MkIIa |
Airpower Gallery (World War II)
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| Douglas B-18 Bolo |
Bell P-39D Airacobra | Supermarine Spitfire MkVc | Lockheed P-38L Lightning | Republic P-47D Thunderbolt Fiery Ginger |
Republic P-47D Fiery Ginger Rudder |
DeHaviland DH98 Mosquito |
Modern Flight Gallery (Korea and Southeast Asia)
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| North American F-86A Sabre | Douglas B-26C Invader |
Sikorsky UH-19B Chickasaw | Boeing B-52D Stratofortress |
Republic F-105G Thunderchief | SA-2 SAM V-750 Dvina |
McDonnell F-4C Phantom II |
Cold War Gallery
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| Convair B-36J Peacemaker | Boeing RB-47H Stratojet | Convair B-58A Hustler, Boeing KC-97 Tanker | B-1, B-2, SR-71 and F-89 |
Martin CGM-13B Mace |
Lockheed F-117A | Lockheed F-22A Raptor and Bird of Prey UAV |
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| Convair B-58A Hustler |
Northrup SN-62 Snark |
Republic RF-84K Thunderflash |
Boeing WB-50D |
Grumman HU-16B Albatross |
Mikoyan- Gurevich MiG-19S |
Lockheed F-94C Starfire |
Missile and Space Gallery
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| Missiles Lineup |
Chrysler PGM-19A Jupiter | Douglas PGM-17A Thor | Martin-Marietta HGM-25 Titan I and Thor-Agena B | Boeing LGM-118A Peacekeeper |
Apollo 15 Command Module | Stargazer Balloon Gondola |
Research and Development Gallery
| Bell X-5 |
Chance- Vought/LTV YC-142A |
Ryan X-13 Vertijet |
Republic YRF-84F Ficon |
North American F-107A |
Martin Marietta X-24A |
North American X-10 Navaho |
| Bell P-59B Airacomet |
Convair XF-92A |
North American X-15 |
Dark Star | Grumman X-29A |
Lockheed D21B UAV Drone |
Piper PA48 Enforcer |
Air Park (Outside Aircraft)
| Fairchild C-119J Flying Boxcar |
Lockheed C-141C Starlifter |
Junkers Ju 52 |
Boeing EC-135A ARIA |
Lockheed C-60A Lodestar |
Fairchild C-82 Packet |
Northrup YC-125B Raider |

Trip Report - Pima Air Museum Road Trip
by Brian Peck
Here are some pictures from ASM's Road Trip to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona on April 12-13, 2008.
The first set of pictures is by Brian Peck. The second set of pictures is by Victor Maesta.
Here's a link to the museum: http://www.pimaair.org/
The next 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
The 3rd road trip scheduled for mid to late summer
will be to
The last road trip in the mid to late summer will be
either to Liberal,
| Avro Shackleton long-range maritime patrol aircraft | Convair with a piston problem - Part 1. |
Convair with a piston problem - Part 2. |
Discussion with an Avenger. |
| B-58 Hustler Tail with Artsy-Moon |
F-14 Tomcat: Insufficient weathering - toylike |
F-107: Needs Future on canopy |
YC-14: Wing leading edge seam line has poor filler work, |
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Trip Report - Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
by Mike Blohm
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Battle of Britain Memorial
Flights headquarters at Royal Air Force (RAF) Coningsby in

by Jim Guld
This past month I
attended the AMPS Nationals in
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 Rats 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

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 (
There are some events
that arent 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 hes 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?
Theres
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 Robots voice and synched with the
flashing light. This was quite impressivethe 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
werent from the series; it said things like, I?am not Robby the
RobotI 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 thats aftermarket detailing!
More info is available
online (http://www.starland.com), including links to
more photos.

Trip Report - USAF Armament Museum
By Mike Blohm
I recently visited the
A definite visit for aircraft and weapons fans if you happen to be near this part of Northwest Florida.
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| USAF Armament Museum |
B-17G Flying Fortress | B-25J Mitchell | SR-71 Blackbird | EB-47 Stratojet | B-52G Stratofortress |
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| A-10 Thunderbolt II | F-15 Eagle | F-16 Falcon | AC-130A Spectre | MiG-21F | UH-1 Huey |
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
Exhibition
By Mike Blohm
I recently had the opportunity to see the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Januarys upcoming Sci-Fi, Real Space, Science, and Fantasy contest makes this a good time to write an article on my visit. The exhibit includes over 100 artifacts from all six Star Wars films, and explores the fantasy technologies depicted in the films, the real science behind them, and the current research that may someday lead to real-life versions of the technologies seen in the films. There are a lot of hands-on activities for the kids and recorded interviews with movie designers and scientists. However, to a model builder, it was the chance to see and photograph the actual, awesome models that were featured in all of the Star Wars movies. Im sure that I made a pest of myself doing walk around shots of each of the models. A few of the pictures are included below.

Nellis Air Force Base Display Aircraft
By Mike Blohm
I recently visited Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada and took the pictures below of the aircraft that are on display just inside the West Gate (I Street). The display includes most of the jet aircraft that have been used by the 57 Fighter Wing in the recent past. Aircraft in the display are: F-86 Sabre, F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief, F-111 Aardvark, F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger II, F-4 Phantom II, and an F-117 Nighthawk. All were very nicely displayed and well cared for, but my favorite was the Phantom (of course!).

By Joe Walters
Each year, a local sci-fi group in Denver (online at
http://www.starland.com) puts on Starfest, one
of the most highly-regarded fan-run sci-fi conventions in the country, with attendance
generally in the vicinity of 3000 people. This year, the event ran across the
weekend of April 20 22.
In addition to guest speakers, panels, video, art shows, demos,
and many other activities (including an ongoing make-and-take event hosted by Tom
Grossman, a friend of many ASM members), theres a Sci-Fi Model Competition run by
local modeler Vernon Clark. My wife and I have been attending these conventions for
over ten years now, and Vern always gives me a hard time if I dont enter a model, so
I brought along the Klingon/Romulan battlecruiser I had entered at ASMs January
contest, and it fared just as well there as here
well, I got a consolation
prizeeveryone who entered got a choice of a new X-Acto knife or a cool self-clamping
tweezer thing. I took the latter.
Be that as it may, this years show featured far more models
than I had ever seen there, with a total approaching 100. Very impressive turnout!
A printed photo doesnt do it justice, but someone had
acquired and built all those glow-in-the-dark monster kits Aurora issued several years
ago, and arranged them in a light box under a black lightthe effect was astounding.
The picture on a video display looks pretty good, so check it out on the Bonus Page
if you receive the electronic version of the newsletter, or the ASM web site Field Trips page (http://abqscalemodelers.com/asm_field_trips.htm).
Another type of club had on display two full-sized replicas of
the robot from Lost in Spacecomplete with
blinking lights and sound effects. One of them even talked, though Im pretty
sure the fellow nearby with the laptop was feeding it the proper lines.
Someone entered a full-sized replica of the Ark of the Covenant
from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The entry
form next to it mentioned that it was safe to open. We didnt take
the chance.
There were a number of scratchbuilds, such as a huge Nostromo refinery ship and escape pod from the
movie Alien, and a rebel blockade runner from Star Wars. A tiny Discovery from 2001: A Space Odyssey was there, as was a huge
Treebeard figure from Lord of the Rings.
Lots of Gundam-type robots and Japanese anime figures were in
evidence, particularlybut not exclusivelyin the juniors category.
A private collector brought a gargantuan collection of Star Wars toys and figures (for display only) in
several full-sized display cases, and all laid out in various tableaux from scenes from
all the movies.
There was an informal meeting of IPMS Front Range at the
convention, so I thought Id drop in. By chance, I had my ASM name badge (I
keep it in my camera bag), so I wore it proudly. There were about ten folks
presentthis wasnt a regular meeting of the chapter. One of the members
was in costume as the V character from the movie V For Vendetta. I figured he was probably
working on a V-2
Oh, the rest of the convention was pretty good
too. My wife got her picture taken with Leonard Nimoy, and later got him to
autograph it. Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from the Buck Rogers TV series were there,
and were excellent guests. Gil looks like he could play the part again. Ray
Park (Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode 1) was
an excellent guest, with lots of stories from the Star Wars film as well as his work on X-Men, Sleepy Hollow, and others. He
demonstrated some of his moves on request, and was a very well-received speaker.
Additional guests were from Battlestar Galactica
and the Stargate series, the Mummy movies, and several horror films.
The dealer room was vast and crowded, and modelers
would be interested to see how many and varied kits (some of questionable origin) were
being sold.
Two pages of photos from the convention are available on Starlands web site (http://tinyurl.com/2cmbys).

Museum Visits in the United Kingdom
By Jim Guld
Posted below are armor pictures that I took during visits last year to several museums in the United Kingdom. All pictures by Jim Guld.
Links to the museums depicted below are:
Imperial War Museum: http://www.iwm.org.uk/
The Tank Museum, Bovington: http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk/home.html
Imperial War Museum, London UK
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| British 25 Pounder Field Gun | British 25 Pounder Field Gun | British 25 Pounder Field Gun | British 25 Pounder Field Gun | British 25 Pounder Field Gun |
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| German Jagdpanther | German Jagdpanther | British Grant - Monty's Command Tank at El Alemain | British Grant - Monty's Command Tank at El Alemain | British Grant - Monty's Command Tank at El Alemain |
The Bovington Tank Museum, Dorsett UK
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| British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier |
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| British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier |
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| British Bren Gun Carrier | British Bren Gun Carrier | British Buffalo | British Buffalo | British Cruiser A-10 |
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| British Cruiser A-10 | British Crusader AA Turret | British Crusader III | British Crusader III | British M-10 Wolverine |
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| British Matilda | British Rolls Royce Amored Car | British Rolls Royce Amored Car | British Rolls Royce Amored Car | British Comet |
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| German Panzer I Command Tank | German Panzer I Command Tank | German Panzer II | German Panzer II | German Panzer II |
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| German Luches Recce Tank | German Sd Kfz 234/4 | German Sd Kfz 234/4 | German Sd Kfz 234/4 | German Kettenrad |
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| German Panzer III | German Panzer III | German Panzer III | German Panzer IV with 75mm | German Panzer IV with 75mm |
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| German Panzer IV with 75mm | German Panzer IV with 75mm | German Panzer IV with 75mm | German Panzer IV with 75mm | German Springer Demolition Tank |
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| German Springer Demolition Tank | German Springer Demolition Tank | German Springer Demolition Tank | German Sturmgeschutz IIIG | German Sturmgeschutz IIIG |
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| German Tiger I Early | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings |
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| US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-24 Chaffee British Markings | US M-8 Greyhound |
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| Russian Su-76 | Russian Su-76 | Russian Su-76 | Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings | Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings |
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| Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings | Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings | Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings | Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings | Russian Su-100 in Egypt Markings |
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
By Mike Blohm
Posted below are pictures that I took during a visit to the National Air and Space Museum - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on February 10, 2007. This museum is located out near Dulles International Airport in Virginia, about 45 minutes from downtown Washington DC. The amount of displays was truly impressive. I was surprised at how uncrowded it was for a Saturday, but it was about 20 degrees outside so I'm sure that slowed down the visitors. One side of the large hangar-like building has military aircraft, and the other side has civilian and racing aircraft and helicopters. A section off the middle of the hangar covers space exploration and early missiles. There are a lot of displays including the space shuttle "Enterprise," which is truly huge. Fans of German V-Weapons and early precision guided munitions will have a lot to salivate over. One rarity in the aircraft section is the XF-35B short takeoff / vertical landing (STOVL) prototype of the Joint Strike Fighter in its demval test markings (check out the Revell and Italeri kits). One comment I would make is that the lighting is not very good throughout the building making it hard to take pictures. Most of my pictures were taken with the ambient light level due to the distance away from the aircraft. Additionally, the planes are arranged such that it is hard to photograph them without something being in the way. A big advantage over the downtown Air and Space Smithsonian and the Air Force Museum is that there are multiple balconies around the inside of the building that do allow you to get some unimpeded shots looking down on the aircraft. However, some of the aircraft are parked right beneath the balconies, leading to some gyrations trying to get a good shot. Sometimes you have to shoot between steps and poles, especially if you're a Korean War fan. There is only one balcony in the space exploration section, so it is harder to get pictures there. I would definitely recommend that you put this on your list to visit if you are in the Washington DC area! All pictures by Mike Blohm.Check out the museum's website at: http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/
| Vought F4U-1D Corsair | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | Rockwell Space Shuttle "Enterprise" | Boeing B-29 "Enola Gay" and Civilian / Helicopter Section | Boeing B-29 Stratofortress "Enola Gay" |
| McDonnell F-4S Phantom II | Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG 21F-13 Fishbed-C | Republic P-47D Thunderbolt | Arado Ar 234B-2 Blitz | Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8 |
| Curtiss P-40E Warhawk | Vought-Sikorsky OS2U-3 Kingfisher |
Northrop P-61C Black Widow | Grumman F-14 Tomcat |
Lockheed Martin X-35B STOVL JSF |
| JB-2 Loon (V-1) | Nike-Ajax Missile SAM |
Fritz X Guided Bomb | Henschel Hs 293 A-1 |
Rheintochter (Rhine Maiden) R I SAM |
| Tracking and Data Relay Satellite | Agena-B Upper Stage |
Pegasus XL Launch Vehicle | AGM-86A Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) |
Mars Pathfinder Lander Prototype & Sojourner Rover |
ASM at the Kirtland AFB Air Show
By Mike Blohm
Several ASM members traveled together to attend the air show at Kirtland AFB New Mexico on July 1, 2006. The featured performance was the USAF Aerial Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds. Other flight performances included a "Heritage Fly-By" consisting of a P-51D Mustang, F-4E Phantom II and an F-15C Eagle; the CV-22 "Osprey"; HC-130 with two HH-60's; and an F-117 Stealth Fighter. Static displays included a SCUD missile transporter, an A-10 Warthog from Davis-Monthan AFB AZ; an F-16C from the 150 Fighter Group "Tacos" here at Kirtland AFB; a German Tornado from Holloman AFB NM; one of the new "Eclipse" biz-jets being built here in Albuquerque; a C-5 Galaxy, and a CV-22 Osprey, HH-53, HH-60 and multiple C-130 types from Kirtland AFB. A P-51D and a T-6 Texan were in attendance but unfortunately were roped-off in a "prepping to fly" area where you couldn't get too close. Several pictures from the air show are posted below. It was a great time, but way too many people under a hot sky and long lines to get refreshments.
Report from Scale Modelmania 2006
Offenbach-am-Main, Germany
10-11 June 2006
By John Tate ASM # MA9 While on a business trip to Germany, I was curious about the local scale modeling scene so when some websurfing turned up a weekend scale model show near Frankfurt, I decided to check it out. It was hard to know what to expect beforehand, since the website was entirely in German, but travel is adventure so I headed towards the venue in Offenbach-am-Main.The show was being held in the towns "Stadthalle," which turned out to be a mid-size municipal auditorium. Admission was 3 Euros, about $4. The event itself was unlike any model show Ive seen in the U.S., since there was no contest. Instead, picture the vendor room at the Nationals with large model club display tables set up in the middle of the hall. I started checking out the vendor tables and found an amazing selection of model kits, reference material and aftermarket products. I like to think Im current on the hobby, but about half of the products on display were completely new to me it was an alternate universe of modeling! In the U.S., we are used to a Japan-dominated hobby, but Europe has its own hobby industry with an outstanding selection of kits, aftermarket products and reference books. I spent a half hour just looking at all the new products before buying anything. The shows primary focus was armor, diorama and figure modeling, but there were also plenty of aircraft kits and aftermarket items for sale.
The model displays were first-rate, representing about a dozen local model clubs. Aircraft, armor, figure and diorama models dominated the displays, but some nice car, ship and card models were also on hand. Particularly interesting was a card model display with some incredible ship and Zeppelin models I couldnt believe these models were made out of paper! After seeing some of these great models, all I can say is that Im glad theres an ocean between us and Europe or we would be in serious trouble at our Regional and National contests. Overall, the show had a friendly, business-like atmosphere, with participants shopping the vendor tables, admiring one anothers work and sharing historical tidbits and modeling tips; similar to an American show, but without the high-pressure competition.
But some things took some getting used to. For example, smoking was allowed in the lobby and there was beer on tap at the venues snack bar, something you dont see at an American modeling event. Another curious note none of the WWII Luftwaffe models had swastikas on their tails. They were left off, covered or only partially applied. This was in keeping with German law banning public display of the swastika. I know this is controversial to some American modelers but the Germans took it in stride. The only downside to the show was the exchange rate - no bargains here for Americans, since the dollar was only worth about 75 cents against the Euro.
Having a chance to visit a German model show was a worthwhile hobby experience. I enjoyed seeing a lot of new products and models on display and was interested to see a different approach to organizing a hobby show. If any ASM members find themselves in a foreign country, take an opportunity to check out the local scale modeling scene you might be in for a treat.
Oct 23, 2004 - El Paso, Texas
October 2004
by Patrick Dick
This past summer I had the rare opportunity to visit three of the finest air museums in the country, the National Air and Space Museum, the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson, and the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Each museum had beautiful examples of restored aircraft. However, I found myself spending the most time looking and photographing the Messerschmitt Me 262s at the NASM & AFM. Looking at these planes made me wonder what it was like to see them fly. Until now seeing one of these airplanes in flight is just a fleeting memory for a handful of people. In Everett, Washington (just north of Seattle) there is a small company, "The Me 262 Project," which has something that no museum in the world can claim: a flying Me 262 with four more on the way.Last July I was lucky enough to pay a visit to these folks and was truly impressed. I was there the week before the 3rd flight test of "White 1" and they were making some last minute repairs and changes. A very friendly and knowledgeable person gave us a tour of the facility. The five planes being built will continue the numbering sequence where the original "werk numbers" ended in 1945 (501241 501245). They are also informally giving the designation approved by the Messerschmitt Foundation of Me262 A/B-1c. The "c" designation is used for the GE engines since "b" was used for the BMW 003 powerplant. She explained that the group used both original blueprints and the measurements from another Me 262 they restored for the Navy to create the hundreds of custom made parts. The materials they used are the same as the originals right down to the wooden landing gear doors. However, the engines arent the old Jumo 004 s (Good thing too!!). "White 1" is using the same two GE J-85 engines that are used in the F-5. Since there is a considerable weight difference between these engines, the group made castings of the old Jumos and placed them around the J-85s. This solved two problems, giving the appearance of real Jumos and making the weight distribution the same as it was with the old engines. We talked a little more about "White 1" before we went into the second hanger where "Tango-Tango" is being built for the Messerschmitt Foundation.
This 262 still needed quite a bit of work before it was ready for the first engine test. In fact the engines were sitting out on the workbenches ready to be installed. I dont remember who manufactured these engines but they werent made by GE. I was surprised at how small the engines were. They were about six feet long and eighteen inches in diameter. The tour guide said that the GE engines were about the same size. We also discussed what you need to have to own and fly one of these planes: a license to fly a twin engine jet and a good insurance policy since these are considered either "experimental" or "demonstration" airplanes.
Once we finished looking at this plane the tour got really good. The tour guide started talking about the three remaining airframes and asked me to come have a look at them. She explained that these were about half complete and they will stay that way until someone decides to purchase them. I was then invited to have a seat in the cockpit of one of them. For the next fifteen minutes while I was sitting in the cockpit I only heard her say that the instruments were modern but the dials were designed to look vintage. The rest of the time I was in my own little world. She talked about other things to my wife and my cousin but I was oblivious to what the conversation was about.
After building several models of this plane, the cockpit seemed somewhat familiar. Its rather small and my legs were bent quite a bit even with the rudder pushed completely to one side. The gauges looked like they belonged in a 1940s plane, no digital CRTs, only analog instrumentation. I could explain in more detail the layout of the cockpit if I only knew how to fly. I guess the limited range of these planes was a good thing because the seat was very uncomfortable even with the small cushion. Sorry Brian, I dont think you could fit into this thing without some serious modifications to you and the plane.
After what seemed way too short a period of time, I FINALLY got out and we all went back to the office area of the facility. The tour guide asked if I would like to purchase one of the three remaining airframes. The cost is 2 million dollars plus the cost of the engines ($60,000 for reconditioned engines - $250,000 for brand new J-85s). The price could also go up depending on the extra avionics you may want. Since all my money is currently tied up in the stock market and Manhattan real estate, I could only afford a couple of shirts and a hat. I would have stayed quite a bit longer, but I think my wife and cousin were satisfied with the time we spent there.
I recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Seattle area. The people are friendly and more than happy to give you a tour. Theyre open Monday through Friday for tours. The only drawback is that the only pictures they allowed were the ones of me in the cockpit of the airframe. Progress and information about the project can be seen at
www.stormbirds.com.
September 24-25, 2004
by John Tate, MA-9
The big news from this year's Gathering model contest (held Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th) was the new venue. Moving from its old location at the Ogden train station, the Gathering entered the 21st Century at the new Davis Conference Center in Layton, UT.The Davis Conference Center is adjacent to and integral with the Hilton Garden Inn, a brand-new, mid-range hotel. Both facilities met and exceeded expectations and Gathering organizers plan a long association with the new venue.
Unfortunately, the downside to this year's show was the lower-than-expected turnout, possibly due to the recent IPMS Nationals in Phoenix, AZ and the new, unfamiliar venue. Gathering MC Dick Engar reported 467 entries totaling 534 models, with 110 registered modelers. These numbers were about half the total of previous years. Vendor turnout was also light, but hobby retailers Just Plane Hobbies and Earl's RC & Hobby had a large variety of kits for sale. Former ASM member Mike Franklin was on hand to assist Just Plane Hobbies, an online hobby retailer based in Spokane, WA. For those modelers willing to leave the venue, online retailer GreatModels had an open-house sale on Friday and Saturday in nearby Salt Lake City.
Despite lower turnout, Gathering modelers had a good time at the contest and traditional Friday Night social/auction. ASM'ers with entered models did well, with the following results:
o Don Alberts: Best Golden Age Aircraft award and a Silver in Biplanes for his 1/48 Grumman FF-1; a Gold in 1/48 Prop (Detail) and a Best Hooker (USN Plane with a Tailhook) award for his 1/48 Grumman Avenger; a Gold in 1/48 Jets (Detail) and Best Classic Monogram Kit award for his 1/48 P-80, a Gold in Resin Kits for his 1/48 XF5U Flapjack and a Silver in Vintage Kits for his 1/72 Savoia S.55X seaplane.
o Chuck DeWitt: a Gold in 1/48 Prop (Axis, Stock-Box) for his nicely-done Hasegawa N1K2-J Shiden
o Larry Horyna: Best Figure Special Award and a Gold in 54mm Historical Figures for his Samurai Archer; a Gold in Female Fantasy Figures for his 1/7 scale CDR Katoc Klingon warrior figure; a Bronze in 120mm Figures and Col. Sutherland's Choice award for Best Military Figure, for his Victorian-era British Life Guard soldier; a Silver in 1/48 Prop (Detail) for his RAF Hurricane IIc in SEAC markings; a Gold in 1/48 Prop (Moderate Detail, Axis) for his IJNAF Val; a Silver in 1/48 Prop (Allied, Stock Box) for his P-40 AVG model with custom-made R.T. Smith pilot figure and a Bronze in 1/144th Aircraft for his Sweet A6M2 Zero.
o Mike Mummey: a Bronze in 1/35 Support Armor, Detail, and Best Mid East Wars Armor award for his Su-100 in Egyptian markings ; a Silver in 1/35 Armor, Moderate Detail, for his USMC M4A2 Sherman; a Silver for his 1/35 SdKfz 184 Ferdinand; a Silver in Small Scale Armor for his 1/76 Egyptian T-34/85 and a Silver for his 1/24 Chevy Monte Carlo.
My wins included: Best Mid East Wars Aircraft award for my 1/48 IDF/AF Spitfire IXe; a Gold in 1/48 Prop (US, Stock Box) for my USMC F4U-5N; a Gold in 1/72 Prop (US, Moderate Detail) for my USAAF Spitfire IXc; a Best P-36/P-40 award for my CBI P-40N-1; a Gold in Large Armor for my 1/25 Tamiya T-34/85; a Gold in Spacecraft/Unmanned Missiles and a Best Luftwaffe award for my 1/48 V-1 flying bomb; a Silver and HSU Award (Best WWII Soviet Subject) for my Assault on Berlin diorama and Best C-47 Award and a Silver for my HO Scale Soviet C-47.
Although the Gathering is an 11-hour drive from Albuquerque and can be expensive for out-of-towners, it is the largest, best-known and most enjoyable annual contest in our Region. The new venue holds promise for future shows and organizers expect a bigger turnout for next year's contest. I recommend the Gathering to all ASM members interested in attending an annual, Regional-scale event in the Mountain West.
Report From "Weekend of Heroes"
25-27 June, 2004by John Tate, MA-9
Weekend of Heroes (WOH), a large action-figure event held annually in Southern California, took place at the Ontario, CA convention center the weekend of 25-27 Jun 04. Ordinarily this is not an event I would attend, but the WOH website boasted of a Stalingrad re-enactment, armor display and scale-model contest. A full-page, back-cover ad in a recent Finescale Modeler (FSM) billed WOH as a Hasegawa/DML-sponsored modeling event. Since I was in the area on business, I made an effort to attend the show.The FSM ad notwithstanding, the scale-modeling portion of the event was tiny compared to the action-figure draw, which was the primary focus of WOH. Model turnout at WOH was about the size of a small local contest, with model entries lumped into a few large categories and judged by volunteers from IPMS Orange County. I ended up placing third with my Hasegawa 1/48th SBD-3 Dauntless in a combined category of 1/48th and 1/32nd scale jets and props. Mr. Hasegawa awarded trophies to the winners at a small ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
There was a large vendor floor at WOH, about the size of the vendor room at the IPMS Nationals, but the vendors were primarily oriented towards the action-figure market. There were a few exceptions, with the standout being Mission Models of Los Angeles, CA, which had an excellent selection of aftermarket armor conversion kits. WWII armor displays included a restored M3A3 Stuart tank, SdKfz. 222 armored car and reproduction Tiger I based on a T-34 chassis, used in the movie Saving Private Ryan. Active-duty armor was also on display, including an M1A1 tank from the California Army National Guard.
Highlights of WOH were the two "Combat Dinner" events on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday's event was a talk by Lt. Col. James Megellas, a highly-decorated veteran of "H" CO, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, who saw action from Anzio to Germany in WWII. His recent book, "All the Way to Berlin," is a must-read. Lt. Col. Megellas is a natural leader and riveting s