Mike Blohm

ASM Member Since:	1995
Division:	Masters
Online Profiles:	(none)
Modeler of the Year Winner:	Yes
Model of the Year Winner:	No
E-Board (current/past):	Webmaster (2004-2022) President (2017, 2018) Vice President (2012-2016) Contest Director (2003-2005) Pro-Tem (2002, 2022)

Background

How/when did you get started?
I started building models when I was maybe 7 years old. I can remember building some of those 1/48 scale Aurora aircraft kits in the solid blue (Spitfire), red (Me 109), and purple colors, and buying Airfix kits for 25 cents.

What do you like to build?
Mostly U.S. ace’s aircraft in 1/72 scale, science fiction/real space, and Soviet aircraft and armor. I will build models pertinent to displays that ASM is putting on.

How many models have you built?
Probably over a thousand.

How many models do you build a year on average?
A good year would be 4 to 6. Have built more than usual this year to fill some needs at our AF Ball, Folds of Honor, and NM State Fair displays.

How often do you work on models?
I try to do a little bit maybe every other week but it is mostly in the weeks ahead of an ASM contest where I am entering a model, or building a model for one of our displays.

Bench

What are your favorite tools?
X-Acto knife and toothpicks.

What are your favorite paints?
I like Model Master enamel paints. I still have a bunch of those but they have shut those down, and I have had to start learning to use acrylic paints. Have dabbled with Tamiya and AK.

What is your airbrush of choice?
I have a Badger that I have used for a very long time.

Where do you build?
I work at a desk in my den area.

Stash Management

What’s your favorite build?
I think it might be my “F-4X X-Wing Starfighter” build for Chile Con IV that combined a 1/72 Hasegawa F-4E Phantom II kit with a Revell X Wing Fighter kit. That build was a lot or work but it turned out very cool. I had wanted to build that since 1977 when the first movie came out (still the best one). A close second might be my Dragon 1/72 “Apollo 11 Lunar Approach” build for ASM’s 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing display at the National Museum of Atomic Science & History.

What’s your dream build?
I still have hundreds of U.S. aces schemes to build—I have built about 180 so far. I would like to build the “XSL-01 Manned Space Ship” kit that was issued only once in 1957. I have kits from sci-fi shows and movies, and NASA space programs that I would like to build, too.

How many unbuilt models are in your stash right now?
Lots.

Do you have a build horror story, accident, or mistake that haunts you?
I have knocked over bottles of paint or thinner several times onto models during their builds and had to do repaints.

Accolades

Do you compete outside of ASM contests?
I have won a couple at the IPMS/USA Nationals and won several first, second and third places and Best of awards at IPMS Regional contests. Have included some pics of those.

Have you been published in a trade magazine (picture or article)?
Yes – I had an article published on an ASM Make & Take event in the IPMS/USA Journal magazine. A picture of my “UFO Fly-In at Roswell NM” build for Chile Con 2 was published in Scale Aircraft Modeling International magazine. That was a fun build, too.

What’s your biggest accomplishment in modeling?
Model-building wise, I would say it is my “Aces Gallery” model collection on display at the USAF Academy. I started that in 1971 and it currently has 150 1/72 scale models of American aces on display.

I am also proud of the ASM model displays that I have been able to orchestrate, especially our first one, which was the WW II display with 78 models mostly in 1/48 scale that ran at the National Atomic Museum for 12 years (1997-2009); and our 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in 2019. On the non-building side, I have won the IPMS/USA Ralph Foreman Webmaster of the Year Award two times in 2011 and 2016,and the IPMS/USA Region 10 Webmaster of the Year eight times.