February 2023 – Meeting Recap
Club Business
Swap meet night!
An election was held to fill a recently vacated Pro Tem position on the E-Board. Jim Coatney was elected to the position.
Next club meeting is March 3. First points contest of 2023 – OPEN!
Casey Rupley (webmaster)
About Casey Rupley (webmaster)
Posts by Casey Rupley:
Moto Art
Moto Art, a company featured in a 2004 Discovery Channel show called “Wing Nuts,” turns aviation history into wonderful pieces of furniture. They also sell “plane tags” made from the skins of iconic airplanes.
Check out Moto Art at: https://www.motoart.com/
Their Plane Tags can be found here: https://planetags.com/collections/frontpage
(ASM does not claim to endorse or represent aforementioned company and it’s views. Content is shared for entertainment purposes only.)
January 2023 – Meeting Recap
Club Business
Contest schedule is posted, but if anyone has suggestions for enhancing it or sponsoring a contest, please contact Ken.
ChileCon V planning will likely be discontinued due to lack of funds.
Membership dues are increasing to cover a rise in costs for the meeting location. New dues are as follows:
- Adult – $36/year
- Junior – (TBD)
- Family – (TBD)
Attendance was approximately 38 people.
John Tate presented gifts to individuals who have gone above and beyond to support the club.
- Dave Tingley – for coordinating the presentation from Jim Stark, WWII P-38 pilot
- Scott Jaworski – for all the builds completed as gifts to presenters
- Casey Rupley – for technical efforts related to the modernization of the ASM website and recording presentations
Next club meeting is February 3. Swap meet!
Special Contest - “Annual Moe Blalters” SCI-FI, REAL SPACE, SCIENCE & FANTASY.
Best of Show – Masters
Scott Jaworski
T2 Aerial Hunter Killer (HK)
Best of Show – Intermediate
James Barrett
MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom
“Just Staff” Sponsor Winner – Masters
Scott Jaworski
T2 Aerial Hunter Killer (HK)
“Just Staff” Sponsor Winner – Intermediate
Michael O’Brien
NCC-1701-C USS Enterprise C
Sponsored Contest - Full Results
Masters - Ground (split)
2nd
Victor Maestas
Xenomorph, Snail-ien
3rd
James Medina
Echo Base, “The Breach”
Masters - Air (split)
2nd
Jim Coatney
Iwata Aek 3000
3rd
James Medina
Hammerhead Corvette
Intermediate - Vehicle (split)
2nd
Blaine Couch
Millennium Falcon
3rd
Rob Whitlock
AT-ST
Intermediate - Figures (split)
2nd
Charles Petrilli
Gundam M-9 Gernsback
3rd
Blaine Couch
Gundam Barbatos
Complete Meeting Gallery
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.
Anything else to add?
My thanks to all ASM members who contributed models to our displays over the years, and to all who contributed articles for the ASM Website.
Favorite Builds
Published Pieces
Biggest Accomplishment
Personal Gallery
Mark Vaughn
| ASM Member Since: | 2014 |
| Division: | Basic |
| Day Job: |
Retired Mechanical Engineer at Sandia Consulting Biomedical Engineer, Research Professor at Michigan Tech. |
| Online Profiles: | (none) |
| Modeler of the Year Winner: | Yes |
| Model of the Year Winner: | Yes |
| E-Board (current/past): | No |
Background
How/when did you get started?
I was 6 years old and my dad brought home a small Revell kit of a B-47. He and I put it together and I was hooked. Being a fighter pilot in WW II, he built models himself in the late 40’s. I wish he had kept his old models. I’ve been modeling for 59 years, but with a lot of hiatuses. I always had something “going”. But school, a career, two kids and other hobbies: well, you know.
As for ASM, Harry Davidson of the Cavalcade of Wings got me started by bringing him sometimes. Later I started entering some of the stuff I was doing for him and CoW.
What do you like to build?
Sailing ships, mechanisms, real spacecraft. Some armor, lately. I like technological transition stuff, transparent stuff. Right now I’m finishing a 1/32 Apollo that has two large transparent sections and am in the middle of a Visible Horse. Starting with my CoW involvement, aircraft, of necessity, but not really fun for me. When did they stop including pilot figures? That was the best part, for me, making them look like humans.
How many models have you built?
No idea. Hundreds. I like to give them away, particularly to folks that had something to do with them or they are somehow special to them. Many are in spares boxes. I built a lot as a teenager. They were a lot cheaper then and I had more time.
How many models do you build a year on average?
Lately, during Covid, 10-12. I do a lot of old kits and they take a lot of time. It seems like I do an oldie out of necessity right before someone comes out with a new mold.
Bench
What are your favorite tools?
My latest favorite is the glue looper. Intended by the maker for CA but I’ve found if I’m fast it works for liquid cement, though they don’t recommend it. My all-time favorite, particularly for scratch builds and verification, is the Gerber variable scale.
What are your favorite paints?
Enamel. Until I run out. I find acrylics fragile but much easier to shoot through an airbrush. Depending on the brand sometimes acrylics are difficult to brush the small details. Of course, I don’t have to go to the garage with acrylics.
What is your airbrush of choice?
Lately, two cheap Iwatas, one gravity for most enamel jobs and one siphon for acrylics. I have an old Paasche siphon for bigger enamel jobs. It spits sometimes; it’s real finicky about the viscosity.
Stash Management
What’s your favorite build?
The old three foot sailing ships, Revell, Heller. They take a year but they are grand. I had one going in the background but finished it.
What’s your dream build?
Heller Preussen. Also Heller Victory. Well, also the transparent AFV Club T-34/85.
How large is your pile of shame (unbuilt kits)?
Hundreds, I would say. I like to get a sealed kit and a “started” or incomplete kit when I can, so when I goof up, it’s not such a disaster, so right off the bat it doubles. If the subject is common enough, I like to get several different brand molds and select from there.
Do you have a build horror story, accident, or mistake that haunts you?
Oh, the usual—forgetting the nose weight once or twice, airbrush spitting, carpet monster, stuff like that. But no real horror story. I did convert to CA adhesive a while back and made the mistake of using it for structural joints. After several minor disasters, I went back to liquid cement for stuff that needs to take a lot of stress, particularly in shear. I still use CA for the small stuff, small gap filling.
Accolades
Do you compete outside of ASM contests?
No. Just State Fair stuff.
Have you been published in a trade magazine (picture or article)?
No. Well, I sent in a couple of mails to FSM that they used but that really doesn’t count.
What’s your biggest accomplishment in modeling?
Several of the old 3 foot sailing ships. The hardest model I’ve done lately was the Athens double barrel cannon; pewter and wood. I made several jigs for the wheel spokes: I had to resort to using a dividing head on my mill. They were a CA nightmare I don’t want to repeat. I should have used Duco or epoxy or something else.
Model Bench/Room
Favorite Tools
Personal Gallery
December 2022 – Meeting Recap
Club Business
The club approved finances to pay for UNM CE meeting space in 2023.
Although a contest schedule has not yet been created for 2023, contests are expected to remain as “Open” theme. Anyone interested in sponsoring a themed contest should notify the E-board.
The Model of the Year contest was held for all the 2022 Best of Show winners.
Special Presentation - Jim Stark, WWII P-38 Pilot
Jim Stark (age 98) recounts, in great detail and clarity, his experience flying a P-38 in the Army Air Corp near the end of WWII in the European theater, including how he was shot down, spent 5 days behind enemy lines, and managed to escape.
Model of the Year Winners
(no meeting pictures to share yet)
November 2022 – Meeting Recap
Club Business
Attendance was approximately 38 people.
Ken Piniak, Mike Blohm, and Victor Maestas were elected as Pro-Tem E-board members for 2023.
Chile Con was discussed at length and Tom Perea provided details on some of the logistics to help prepare us. The process was started to create a Contest Committee and tentative dates in June of 2024 were identified.
Open Contest - Bests of Show
Open Contest - Full Results
Masters - Aircraft
1st
Scott Jaworski
T-28B
2nd
Steve Brodeur
A6M2b
Masters - Armor
1st
Scott Jaworski
2K12 Kub
2nd
Steve Brodeur
Nike Hercules
Masters - Automotive
1st
Chuck Hermann
Alpine A210
Masters - Figures
1st
Chuck Herrmann
Gilles Villeneuve
Masters - Science/Fantasy
1st
Chuck Herrmann
Batwing
Masters - Ship
1st
Scott Jaworski
SSGN Oscar II Class Kursk
Intermediate - Aircraft
1st
Bob Henderson
Fw-190D-9
2nd
Matt Blohm
B-52H
3rd
Michael O’Brien
F4U-4
Intermediate - Armor
1st
Rob Whitlock
M8 Greyhound
2nd
Rob Whitlock
Willys Jeep
3rd
Bob Henderson
SAS Recon Vehicle
Intermediate - Automotive
1st
Bob Henderson
1929 Ford Roadster
Intermediate - Dioramas & Vignettes
1st
James Medina
“Dawn Patrol”
2nd
Matt Blohm
Rx-79G Gundam Ground Type
3rd
Steve Miller
Battle of the Rosebud, 1876
Intermediate - Figures
1st
Matt Blohm
Super Saiyon 4 Goku
Intermediate - Science Fiction
1st
Michael O’Brien
Imperial Class Star Destroyer
2nd
James Medina
“Red 12” X-Wing Fighter
3rd
James Medina
“Brute” TIE Heavy Fighter
Basic - Aircraft
Gold
Kris Herrera
F4F-4
Silver
Mark Vaughn
F-84F
Silver
Mark Vaughn
XF-86
Complete Meeting Gallery
John Tate
| ASM Member Since: | 1995 |
| Division: | Masters |
| Day Job: | International Man of Mystery |
| Online Profiles: | (none) |
| Modeler of the Year Winner: | Yes |
| Model of the Year Winner: | |
| E-Board (current/past): |
President (2021-current) P, VP, Contest Director, Pro Tem – several times since 1999 |
Background
How/when did you get started?
I’ve been building models since I was a kid in the late 1960s. Model kits were everywhere in those days and every kid in the neighborhood built car and plane models. Even back then, scale modeling was a way to capture history, from WWII to the Vietnam War to the Apollo program. As a kid, building a model helped make sense of what was going on in the adult world.
Bench
What are your favorite tools?
All I need to build a model is a trusty No. 11 X-acto knife, some gray wet-or-dry sandpaper, toothpicks, an old cutting mat, CA glue, paints, brushes and my boxes of spare parts. I’ve been using CA glue since the 1990s but otherwise everything I know about building models I learned back in the Golden Age and have stuck with it ever since.
Stash Management
What’s your favorite build?
One of my favorite modeling projects was working with Tony Humphries on a Battle of El Alamein photo article back in 2017. Not only did I learn about the historical elements of that pivotal WWII battle but also had fun posing models in realistic settings, such as the below HO Scale Ju-52 diorama.
Group projects can be fun and also bring recognition to ASM, such as our winning Renault FT and Matilda Group/Chapter entries at the IPMS Nationals in Phoenix, AZ in 2018.
Accolades
Do you compete outside of ASM contests?
Have won many trophies at local and regional contests over the years; besides ASM’s own Chile Con contests, my favorites were the late, great Tamiya Con contests in Aliso Viejo, CA, in the early 2000’s and the thoroughly enjoyable Gathering model shows put on by the Engar brothers in Ogden, UT during the same period. I’ve also picked up a small bag of trophies from several IPMS Nationals but for me being part of the contest judging process at Nats was what made those trips worthwhile.
Anything Else to Add?
It’s not the plastic, it’s the people. I’ve made life-long friendships in the hobby and being part of the brotherhood of modelers was worth more than any contest win. Helping out other modelers, working on club projects and enjoying a few laughs about this hobby of ours is what’s kept me in the club cutting sprue all these years.
Personal Gallery
Bob Henderson
| ASM Member Since: | 2015 |
| Division: | Masters |
| Day Job: | Sitting around the house and annoying my wife |
| Online Profiles: | (none) |
| Modeler of the Year Winner: | Yes |
| Model of the Year Winner: | No |
|
E-Board (current/past): |
Pro-Tem (past) |
Background
How/when did you get started?
My first models were made when I was about 10 or 11. Mostly small scale WWI aircraft.
What do you like to build?
I try to concentrate on aircraft, armor, cars and trucks, sci fi, ships, or dioramas.
How many models have you built?
God only knows, it’s been a bunch over the years. Since I joined ASM, probably 50.
Bench
What are your favorite tools?
Air brush, trash can, and my Proxxon Micromot moto tool.
What are your favorite paints?
AK interactive or Tamiya. I like Tamiya but the color selection is limited.
What is your airbrush of choice?
I use my Paasche H for large surfaces and a Badger Renegade Krome for details.
Stash Management
What’s your favorite build?
Probably a Airco DH2.
What’s your dream build?
I’d like to build a large scale ship, but I don’t have the space to display one.
How large is your pile of shame (unbuilt kits)?
I really don’t have much of a stash, probably only about 5 or 6 I usually buy a kit and build it before I move on to another one.
How many models do you build a year on average?
Maybe 8 or 9
Do you have a build horror story, accident, or mistake that haunts you?
I had just about finished a Lancaster Dam Buster when I broke the canopy. I’m still trying to find one. The other time I knocked over a bottle of Tamiya extra thin cement on a sheet of decals. We won’t dwell on the time I super glued my hand to my work bench.
Accolades
What’s your biggest accomplishment in modeling?
I think it’s probably refraining from throwing crappy builds in the trash.
Victor Maestas
| ASM Member Since: | 1996 |
| Division: | Masters |
| Day Job: | Mechanical Engineer designing flight and gunner simulators |
| Online Profiles: | (none) |
| Modeler of the Year Winner: | Yes |
| Model of the Year Winner: | Yes |
| E-Board (current/past): |
President (2011) |
Background
How/when did you get started?
My first model was when I was about 7 or 8. My dad was building a model replica of his ’67 Corvette and I wanted to help. I got a Starship Enterprise to work on. Ever since and when I can, that’s how I like to spend my free time. Working on models was always a way to keep me busy as a kid and then later during HS and College, it was a nice to do something different during breaks or between semesters. Now it is something different from my usual and lets me recharge.
What do you like to build?
Machines. Larger scale mostly (aircraft, cars, spacecraft, Sci-fi) with the occasional figure. I like to avoid getting in a rut by changing subjects and scales for each new build. I very rarely build the same twice in a row (props vs jets vs helicopters, shiny vs matte, armor vs cars, big scale vs small scale) and I am one of those finish-what-I’ve-started-before-starting-something-else modelers.
How many models have you built?
150 or so.
Bench
What are your favorite tools?
Other than basic snips and sanding sticks, a good folding tool makes a huge difference when doing photoetch!
What are your favorite paints?
Alclad and Tamiya Silver Leaf for natural metal finishes and used to be primarily Model Master Enamels, but now that the world has ended, I’m still using up my stocks, then I’ll have to figure that out!
What is your airbrush of choice?
I have several Iwata airbrushes, but the workhorse is a Revolution CR that just keeps working and working!
Stash Management
What’s your favorite build?
1/32 NMF B-25G in custom warbird markings. I tried a bunch of new techniques with this model including several different shades of Alclad metal and home-made artwork on printed decals! …and it took a first place at a Nationals!
What’s your dream build?
My on-going theme is to build a model of every simulator subject I have worked on or “flown”. So far, I have about a dozen, but more than a dozen to go!
How large is your pile of shame (unbuilt kits)?
More than I can finish in this lifetime! Don’t even do the math, it doesn’t reconcile!
How many models do you build a year on average?
In a good year about 10, lately 2 or three
Do you have a build horror story, accident, or mistake that haunts you?
Knocking over a bottle of liquid solvent glue all over a bunch of parts on my bench.
Accolades
Do you compete outside of ASM contests?
Some firsts and placings at Regionals (ChileCon II, III and IV) and Nationals (2010, 2013, 2018, 2021) and at the NM State Fair.
Have you been published in a trade magazine (picture or article)?
No.
What’s your biggest accomplishment in modeling?
Building a gift model for a veteran and building a diorama for a F-105 Thud reunion/conference and having it end up in a museum.
Anything else to add?
The biggest influence on improving my skills has been interacting with other members at the club meetings. Everyone will share their techniques and building “secrets”, just ask! It’s also good to share with others at the meetings; something obvious to you may be a new discovery for another member. Also being involved in judging will really hit home on what judges look for and will put a focus on things to watch for when building something for a contest.
Over the years, I have been involved in the organization of the club including Pro-Tem member, President and a couple of stints as Contest Director. Some of these are more work than others, but it is fun and satisfying to help influence the direction and well-being of the club by having a hand in running things!
