Air Force Ball

September 19, 2023

UPDATED: Requesting Models for ASM’s 2023 US Air Force Ball Model Display

Casey Rupley (webmaster) Air Force Ball, Community

New Date – Saturday, November 4th

All –

I am requesting loaner models for ASM’s model display at the 2023 Air Force Ball on Saturday, November 4th at the Mountain View Club on Kirtland AFB. (This is a change from September 23rd.) This will be our fifth club display at this event, which celebrates the birthday of the USAF. The USAF became a separate service on September 18, 1947 with the passage of the National Security Act of 1947.

Our display will include models for the usual theme of “USAF 1947 through Present,” and also models that fit the event’s theme of “The Evolution of Flight,” which is pretty broad.

For the usual theme we are looking for anything USAF from 1947 through the present including aircraft, helicopters, drones/UAVs, missiles, vehicles, figures, dioramas, test aircraft or missiles, future USAF projects, etc., in any scale. This includes the Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard (ANG), especially NM ANG subjects or other NM units and bases, i.e., Kirtland AFB, Cannon AFB and Holloman AFB.

For the event theme we are looking for anything that portrays notable steps and advances in the “evolution of flight.” For example, these could include the Wright Flyer, early Curtiss and European aircraft and Channel crossers, early through late WW I, first’s in twenty’s and thirty’s aircraft, Lindberg’s Spirit of Saint Louis, Earhart’s Lockheed Electra, notable WW II aircraft (P-59. Meteor, Me 262, Me 163), Bell X-1, Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, the Concorde or Tu-144, and the Voyager around-the-world aircraft. We will also be including some space subjects, such as the Space Shuttle. These models can by any scale, any U.S. service or civilian organization, and any nationality. Please send me an E-mail with what you have and we will try to get an even spread of historical models.
Please contact me (info below) if you would like to contribute any models for the display, or if you have any questions on whether your model fits in or not.

If you are going to loan some models, please bring them by Hobby Proz the week of Oct 30th in a plastic tub with your name on it. Since the ASM meeting occurs on Oct 3rd, you could also bring them to the meeting that night.

Please include a list of your models, and also any info on the subject like name, type, unit, date depicted, etc. that I can use for an ID card in the display. I will take a picture of each tub before it is unpacked. I will drop by Hobby Proz each afternoon to pick up whatever has come in. Please E-mail me when you have dropped anything off. Models will be returned to Hobby Proz the following week. I will let each member know when his tub has been dropped off.

** If you have loaned models for the Folds of Honor display (on Sep 8th) that also fit the AF Ball themes and you would like to loan them for that, too, then I can hold on to those models until after the second display is complete.
Please let me know if you would like to help man the display tables. We normally have four club members. Dress is coat and tie. The timeline from set-up to break-down will probably be 4:30 to 9:30 PM.

You can find articles on previous ASM Air Force Ball displays at:
https://abqscalemodelers.com/air-force-ball/

A few pictures from the 2017 – 2022 events are posted below.

Contact info:

Mike Blohm
Cell: 505-507-6137
blohmm@aol.com

October 15, 2022

2022 Air Force Anniversary Ball

Mike Blohm Air Force Ball

The ASM model display at the 2022 Air Force Ball was a great success. The event, held on Friday, October 14th at Kirtland Air Force Base, celebrated the 75th birthday of the USAF. The USAF became a separate service on September 18, 1947 with the passage of the National Security Act of 1947. The theme of the event was “Roaring Twenties.” The theme of our display was “USAF 1947 to the Present.” We also threw in some New Mexico and Albuquerque Air Base history – more on that below. Pictures of the display are provided below.

This year we had two large sets of tables on each side of the hallway near the entrance into the Mountain View Club that the attendees would pass by as they entered into the event. See the composite picture. ASM arrived with 26 tubs and boxes of models and set up a total of 83 models on the tables. This was a record number of models at an AF Ball event (this was our fourth display). The model scales ranged from 1/144 to 1/32. One set of tables had 41 models covering the Korean War (13 models), Southeast Asia/Viet Nam (13 models); Air Defense Command (F-102, F-106 and two BOMARCs); the USAF Thunderbirds, Air Training Command (T-37 and T-38), cargo transport aircraft (C-54, C-118, and C-119); and the “New Mexico” models. This last group of models included the P-38H Lightning flown by Captain Danny Roberts, New Mexico’s fighter ace; B-17F Flying Fortress and B-24J Liberator models and a short story on the Bombardier School at Albuquerque Army Air Force Base during World War II; and finally, my “You Are Leaving New Mexico” model featuring a cow being beamed-up by a UFO.

The second set of tables had 42 models covering the X-planes and test aircraft from 1947 to the present (8 models); fighter, attack and combat support aircraft post Viet Nam to the present (16 models); aircraft used by the 58th Special Operations Wing (CV-22, MH-60G, and UH-1N) and the New Mexico Air National Guard (two F-16s in 1/48 and 1/72, and an A-7D) at Kirtland AFB; and aircraft of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) (7 models). We had newly-built B-52H and B-1B models in 1/144 scale in that last section, as well as two sets of missile models that I finished the night prior to the event. We had been short on SAC bombers and totally without any missile models at our previous three AF Balls, so my son Matt and I built the two bombers, I put the two “missile collections” together, and Frank Randall built an SR-71.

The missiles were a big hit with some of the attendees including the 377th Air Base Wing Commander, who chatted with us for about 15 minutes about our model display. He thought the display was great and he was very appreciative of ASM putting it on for the event, and he presented all of us with “Commander’s challenge coins.” They do want us back next year. I will be writing an article on the build of the missile model collections for the ASM Newsletter and ASM Website. Finally, at the end of this table, we included my F 4E Phantom II (from circa 1978) and my F-4X-Wing Starfighter models side-by-side depicting the USAF of the future. The attendees really enjoyed seeing the Starfighter and UFO models and we had some good conversations about those. So overall, we had a pretty good model representation of the different periods of USAF history, the different commands, and the aircraft types. We plan to build more transport and cargo aircraft for next year.

Mike and Matt Blohm and Ken Piniak set up the display and manned the tables. Since it was a formal event, Ken decided to wear his US Army dress uniform, which included his Cavalry hat and spurs. Therefore, I decided to wear my USAF dress uniform as well. So ASM looked pretty good at the event (see pictures). Thanks to the following ASM members who loaned models for the display: Frank Randall (19 models), Victor Maestas (5), Don Gatewood (4), Dave Epstein (3), Bob Henderson (2), Mark Vaughn (1), Brian Peck (2), Josh Pals (2), Steve Brodeur (1), and Mike and Matt Blohm (43).

November 4, 2021

2021 Air Force Anniversary Ball

Mike Blohm Air Force Ball, Community

1947 – 2021

The ASM model display at the 2021 Air Force Anniversary Ball was a big success. The event, held on Friday, October 15 at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), celebrated the 74th birthday of the USAF. The USAF became a separate service on September 18, 1947 with the passage of the National Security Act of 1947. The theme of the event was “Casino Night.” There was no secondary historical anniversary theme this year. Therefore, we decided to include the “71st Anniversary of the Korean War 1950-1953” display that we had done at the 2021 New Mexico State Fair alongside the “USAF 1947 to Present” model display as we had set up at the 2018 and 2019 events.

This year we had two large tables set up in the main ballroom that the attendees would pass by as they entered into the event. ASM arrived with 26 tubs and boxes of models and set up a total of 76 models on the tables in a multitude of scales. They were arranged in chronological order from the right end starting with 1947 to the left end at 2021, to go with how the people would walk by the tables. See the pictures posted below.

For some variety and humor the far right end started with my “You Are Leaving New Mexico” diorama with a flashing UFO levitating a cow on a beam of light – that was a big it – and the P-38H Lightning of New Mexico’s fighter ace Capt. Danny Roberts who scored 14 victories in the South West Pacific theater. Next in the lineup were some early test aircraft including the X-1, XF-82, and X-15. The Korean War section was next with 34 total models covering all aspects of the conflict. We had a mix of models from all the U.S. services, including some armor and US Navy beach assault models from the Inchon Landing, a Sea Fury from the United Kingdom, and six aircraft flown by North Korea. The Mercury-Atlas “Friendship 7” model included in the Korea section had a tie-in with the awesome “F-86 Sabre versus MiG-15” diorama done by Glenn Bingham that depicts Major John Glenn downing his third and last MiG-15. So we did have a space exploration model in the display and we did get some questions from the attendees about the availability of space models.

The next section covered aircraft from the Viet Nam war (11 models) including John Tate’s A-1E Skyraider flown by Medal of Honor winner Major Bernard Fisher, and aircraft in the Strategic Air Command and Air Defense Command. These were followed by modern aircraft from the Gulf War through the present time. This area included 1/144 and 1/200 scale models of large aircraft such as bomber, attack, reconnaissance, and cargo/airlifters. Finally, capping off the far left end were models of an F-51D and an Fâ€‘16C from the New Mexico Air National Guard’s 150th Fighter Wing “Tacos” in 1/48th scale by Glenn Bingham and Dave Epstein for some more local flavor in the display.

Lots of people stopped by and asked questions about the models and the subjects, and we were thanked for putting on the display by the Kirtland AFB Commander and the AF Ball POC. The POC remarked that the display was great and a visual reminder to all the attendees of the mission of the Air Force. He also mentioned that we should be a part of every AF Anniversary Ball event and that he would pass the word for next year. We did hand out some ASM flyers so maybe we will get some new members in the club.

Mike and Matt Blohm set up the display and manned the tables during the event. Thanks to the following ASM members who loaned models for the display: Frank Randall, Glenn Bingham, Steve Brodeur, Ken Piniak, John Tate, Scott Jaworski, Bob Henderson, Dave Epstein, Victor Maestas, and Mike and Matt Blohm. Note that there were additional models provided by the members listed above that could not be displayed due to space limitations.

October 16, 2019

2019 Air Force Anniversary Ball

Mike Blohm Air Force Ball, Community

The ASM model display at the 2019 Air Force Ball went very well. The event, held on Saturday, September 21, at Kirtland AFB, celebrated the 72nd birthday of the USAF as well as the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. ASM had planned to have three tables in three different rooms on which to display models, but we ended up with just two. One was in the main room where the festivities took place. It was decorated in a USO theme with lots of camouflage netting and we set up 31 D-Day-related models there. The other table was located in the entryway into the club where the attendees checked in. We ended up closely-packing 45 models on that table, covering the Korean War, Viet Nam, Air Defense Command, and Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. We brought 23 tubs of models but due to the space limitations not all were put out on the tables. We did have a total of 76 models on the two tables.

Lots of people stopped by and asked questions about the models and we were thanked for putting on the display. Ken Piniak wore a World War II tanker uniform complete with pistol and submachine gun, so he got lots of questions. Thanks to the following ASM members for setting up and manning the tables during the event: Josh Pals, Frank Randall, Ken Piniak, and Matt and Mike Blohm. Thanks also to John Tate for dropping by with his models and helping with the set up. Thanks to the following people who loaned models for the display: Glenn Bingham, Tony Humphries, Keith Liotta, Larry Glenn, Steve Brodeur, Jim Medina, Len Faulconer, Dave Tingley, John Tate, Josh Pals, Frank Randall, Ken Piniak, and Mike Blohm.

October 10, 2018

2018 Air Force Anniversary Ball

Mike Blohm Air Force Ball, Community

The ASM model display at the 2018 Air Force Ball was a big success. The event was the celebration of the 71st birthday of the USAF (September 18, 1947), and was held on September 15th at Kirtland AFB. We had 74 models on four tables showing the history of the USAF from 1947 through the present, and all the attendees really enjoyed the display. We answered lots of questions on the models and the club, and passed out a lot of ASM flyers. There was a lot of interest and we may see some new folks attending our upcoming meetings to check us out.

The models were grouped left to right (see pictures) starting with test aircraft (1947-present), then the Korean War, Viet Nam, Strategic Air Command, Air Defense Command, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and then Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve. The far right end had several models from the New Mexico Air National Guard “Tacos.” We had brought models to put up the “What is Scale Modeling” display but did not have enough room to do so. Lots of 377 Wing and other command leadership came by to see the display and thanked ASM for putting it on. I think that we will have no problem doing a repeat performance in 2019 if we would like to do so, or doing another display at the Kirtland AFB Air Show in May 2019. I did get the chance to talk to one of the people in the Wing Public Affairs Office about ASM doing that.

Thanks again to Josh Pals, Larry Glenn and Frank Randall for helping me man the tables. Thanks to the following members for loaning models: Frank Randall, Victor Maestas, Chris Kurtze, Keith Liotta, Patrick Dick, Glenn Bingham, Jack Garriss, Larry Glenn, Matt Blohm, Mike Blohm, and the Defense Nuclear Weapons School Museum (ASM-built models). We carried-in 27 tubs/boxes of models. Of note, I went back and checked on the number of models that we have had at all our recent displays (info available on the website), and besides the three displays at the Albuquerque Comic Expo events in 2012 (155 models), 2013 (100+), and 2014 (140), the exhibit at the 2018 AF Ball is the next ranking display.