Flying Legends (B-17 and B-25) at KAFB Air Fiesta
Articles/Reviews
ASM Star Trek Display at Cherry Hills Library
ASM members Michael O’Brian and John Tate recently setup a Star Trek model display at the Cherry Hills Library Branch. The display will run through March, in conjunction with Star Trek events being held at the library.
Here is a link to the Cherry Hills Library mentioning ASM and showing off our models: https://abqlibrary.org/exhibits/CherryHills
Visit to the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums
By Mike Blohm
This trip report is on a visit to the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums located at Fort Bliss, just north of El Paso, Texas. “Old Ironsides” is the nickname of the 1st Armored Division, a combined arms division of the United States Army. The division is part of III Armored Corps and operates out of Fort Bliss. The museum covers the histories of both Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division. During a recent business trip, I had the opportunity to see the outside vehicle display at the museum, which is called the Combined Arms Heritage Park. Unfortunately, the museum itself has been temporarily closed for redesign, but just seeing the outside display was worth the visit.
They have a Bell AH1-F Cobra helicopter as the display’s centerpiece and nine armored vehicles lined up around it. These include: M4 Sherman tank, M24 Chaffee tank, M26 Pershing tank, M41 Walker Bulldog tank, M47 Patton I tank, M48A2 Patton II tank, M109 Self Propelled Howitzer, M114 Command and Reconnaissance Carrier, and an M551 Sheridan Armored Reconnaissance/Air Assault Vehicle. All the items are very well cared for. Several pictures of the overall display and each vehicle and its signage are posted below in numerical order by type designation. The file names identify what they are. The signs provide good info on the history of the vehicles and their use by the units at Fort Bliss, so be sure to read those.
A great display to visit – highly recommended if you are passing through El Paso. Per their website, you can get a pass at the post visitor center to visit the museum. Their website shows some pretty cool vehicles inside the building and states that they will reopen on July 15, 2025. Check out the museum at these links:
https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/my-fort/all-services/fort-bliss-and-old-ironsides-museu
I have also included some pictures of armored vehicles on display elsewhere around the post. These include: M1A1 Abrams, M2A3 Bradley, M3 Stuart, M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) APC (M113 with M61 Vulcan cannon), and an early M551 Sheridan. There are several others, but I was not able to get pictures of those.
Museum and Display Pictures
Combined Arms Heritage Park Armored Vehicle Pictures
Other Armored Vehicles on Display at Fort Bliss
New Zoukei Mura Releases
New Zoukei Mura 1/32 kits for future release posted on their “Old Man Blog” (12/24/24) with some cautionary health information to remind us of our mortality. Ki-100, two-seat Horten, Navy Blue Skyraider and P-51B/C are the goodies coming our way….
https://www.zoukeimura.co.jp/en/sentiment/oyajiblog_135.html
THUNDER & LIGHTNING OVER ARIZONA 2025
On the weekend of March 22-23, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is opening the gates and inviting everyone to enjoy a free, weekend-long event packed full of entertainment. Come out and see dynamic aerial displays, memorable planes, and SO much more!
WWII USAAF Model Workshop
During WWII, enlisted men could end up anywhere, from the Solomons to Iceland. The guys in this picture got lucky – a nice, easy model-building gig at Wright Field, OH. But they’re no slouches, the models they’re turning out in 1942 would look good on any modeler’s shelf today- they’ve even included ground equipment! Inspiring to see that the scale modeling we enjoy today has a pedigree that goes back more than 80 years.
