Takom’s new Yamato anchor and the questions it raises

Takom used the 2021 Shizuoka Hobby Show this month to announce 1/16th scale anchors from the IJN Battleship Yamato. I’ve been a fan of anything eligible for the Miscellaneous categories at model contests, so this release caught my attention.

The model does, however, raise some pretty big questions for the anchor enthusiasts in the hobby.

Is this the first in a long line of new kits of ship anchors?

Will each anchor consist of just five or six parts, or will they have 200-300 parts as most modern kits do these days?

How should I build, paint, and weather it? As if it were new? Rusty and neglected? Restored? Restored and neglected? As part of a zombie vignette?

Is there a rivet counter assessing the accuracy of the anchors? If it's one scale inch too short, it's unbuildable. (Remember, we love rivet counters, right?)

Will Osprey publish a book on anchors of the Japanese Navy?

Will Eduard include a photoetch set for the model among their August releases?

Will Micro Master Details or Black Cat Models produce 3D printed chain links for the anchors?

Which aftermarket company will be the first to produce 1/16 scale barnacles for the model?

How long do we have to wait for AK Interactive to produce a set of paints specifically for these anchors?

When will someone in Japan take 40-50 photos of the actual anchor at the Yamato Museum in Kure, Hiroshima and submit the walkaround to Prime Portal?

Should I create a Facebook group named "Takom Yamato Anchor Group Build?"

Will HK Models release a partial 1/16 kit of the Yamamoto — just the bow — so that we can display the anchor in situ?

When will Trumpeter, Hobby Boss, Bronco, and Rye Field Models release their versions kits of the Yamato anchors?

Is there a chance of Drachinifel doing a YouTube video about the evolution of Japanese anchors on his channel?

When I finish building this Takom kit, can I share it in the Airfix Facebook group? Yes.

If scale weight was a thing, just how much would a 1/16 scale anchor weigh?

(Thanks to four friends of mine for helping me brainstorm these questions. I've chosen to keep them anonymous on the strong likelihood that these jokes fall flat.)

My favorite COVID scale modeling memes

As we come out of this international experience with COVID, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite memes from the last year.

The best April Fools' box art of 2021

 There was a time when people could be pranked on April Fools’ Day. I remember falling for the announcement that Tamiya was planning a 1/48 B-17G. We’re all too smart for that now.  It takes a brilliant mind to pull off a legit hoax...or an embarrassingly gullible mind to believe it.

So the day has become an opportunity to have some fun with each other, and the democratization of Photoshop has made it easier to create box art for the things we might like to see.

Here are some of the best of the tomfoolery that I noticed this year.

The members of the Facebook WingNut Wings Fan group were particularly creative, with convincing box art for kits that maybe, possibly, might have, could have been real if the business were still in operation.

One was clearly unbelievable, as well done as it was and as profitable as it would've been.

Airfix is always a popular target of April Fools' pranks, and 2021 was no different.

Finally, this post from the folks at Quinta Studio convinced at least one follower on Facebook that it was real.

Tom Anyz got into the spirit, too.

The best pranks turn out to be legitimate products, like Bandai’s cup of noodle soup kit last year. These bizarre releases will always be the source of most amusement throughout the year. Let's see what the remainder of 2021 holds!

Facebook insanity

 Many of you enjoy my eBay insanity posts, so now it’s time to expand these lighthearted observations to what I’ll call Facebook insanity. These won’t have anything to do with selling models, rather people’s comments to photos or posts. Like this one.

You’ve probably seen this photo of an F-4S Phantom II with two bombs mounted backward on the inboard pylons. It’s pretty obvious to most observers that it was a joke that the ordnance guys played on each other or the pilot and WSO. But when someone posted the photo to a Facebook group, the responses were more amusing than the ordinance. I mean…ordnance.

One guy asked, tongue-in-cheek, “Are you referring to the really dumb, dumb bombs or the poor guy being eaten by the landing gear?” To which another responded, “I think he’s referring to the bombs.” Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

A former Marine wrote, “Must be Air Force.” Two guys responded, both clearly lacking a sense of humor that exists in inter-service rivalry, responded, “Air Force never used that paint scheme. Try again.” And, “Don’t be a dick.”

Speaking of no sense of humor, another member of the group wrote, “There has to be an explanation for this.”

One guy, who we’ll call Captain Obvious, wrote, “The bombs are mounted backward.” Mind you, this was after all of the other comments.

There's hope in humanity, because some guys got the joke and played along, one writing, “This is for those 90 degree nose-high deliveries.” Another, “Just turn the jet around.” And another, “It’s for bombing things behind you as you pass overhead.”

The next time you get bummed out on Facebook -- for any of the many reasons we get bummed out on Facebook -- click into your favorite group and read the comments.

Weak subject lines are weak

Marketers are creative. Their job is to entice you to read their ads. You’ve probably seen their appeals:

3 simple steps to lose 25 pounds!
Make money using this little trick!
You're grilling steaks all wrong
The biggest myth you've been taught

Okay, that last one was from right here on Scale Model Soup. Guilty.

Several years ago I vented — in good humor — about the plethora of vague subject lines I’d seen within the online forums. I’m amused to see they’ve continued over these subsequent six years.

I appreciate the intent of modelers to entice us to click into their posts, but if I may…I’d suggest using subject lines that are specific to your topic or question. I think they’re more likely to elicit helpful responses.

Here are a handful that made me smirk.

More info
WHEN???!!!
Something I found on Facebook
Help wanted
Asked before…answer forgotten
While surfing the web I found this
Just to be on the safe side
Anyone seen this yet?
What’s the BEST?
Apologies if its already been posted
Just wondering
Need a part
Tell me WHY?
What color would...
Your assistance please
Is this the right move?
Oh, Wow!
FYI
How It’s Done!
Anyone?
A big difference
Info on this one
LF
Anyone have one of

So what was that big myth you've been taught? The answer is here.

COVID-19 traced to moldy plastic model

Yesterday the World Health Organization (WHO) revised its conclusions to the origins of COVID-19. The source wasn’t a wet market in Wuhan, China as previously reported. Rather, it was this moldy plastic model sold at a model contest in New Jersey last year.

“This totally took us by surprise,” said Jacob Schumacher, senior epidemiologist at the WHO. “We were alerted to the possibility of an alternate origin of the virus when a scale modeler told us that he and nearly all of the members of his model club came down with Coronavirus symptoms.”

“That club member was very helpful after he realized the mistake he'd made in purchasing the model,” Schumacher said. “He's an international hero, even if he admits to pre-shading and using Future, which I'm told are crimes in his weird community of enthusiasts.”

That modeler, who asked to be identified only as Carl N., told investigators that he thought the model might be problematic when the mold on it got worse over time. “The model was pretty funky when I bought it, but after six months the green mold had turned black and spread to other kits in my stash.”

When asked why he would be stupid enough to buy a model in such condition, Carl said, “I really wanted the model. The vendor hadn't put a price tag on it, so I had to ask -- which I really hate. He offered it to me for $35, which he said was 5 percent off the regular price. How could I say no?”

WHO researchers spoke with the vendor who sold the model to Carl and asked why he would sell anyone such crap. “Look, a lot of these old models come from damp basements and garages,” the vendor said, who asked not to be identified. “There’s bound to be a little bit of weird shit on some of them. Modelers are real men. Carl and his buddies will be fine.”

The vendor told Scale Model Soup, “Please let everyone know that I just picked up a new collection of kits that have been stored in a pig barn in Pennsylvania that I’ll be selling at contests later this year.”

WHO researchers confiscated Carl's model for analysis at a Berlin laboratory.

“I hope to get the model back eventually,” Carl said. “Yes, I have 475 other models in my stash, but I might want to build it one day? Or I'll save it as a collector's item.”

Even more eBay insanity

Gosh, it’s been well over a year since I shared an eBay insanity post, but the laughs have not stopped. Here’s another round of auction items that made me wonder aloud, “WTF?”

With all due respect to Admiral David Nichols and his service to the United States (he retired as Deputy Commander of US Central Command in 2007), I find it hilarious that the seller of this photo was asking $899 about a year ago. You can find autographed photos of Presidents Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama at the same price point. (Autographs of the Kardashians will set you back much less.) I see that the price is now down to $180.

Okay, it’s pretty cool that someone saw that this Frito-Lay Sun Chip looks like a jet and is willing to sell it to the right aviation enthusiast. But $999? I don’t think so.

If you enjoy sloppy seconds, $19.99 will get you this model. I hope the seller included what was left of his tube of Squadron Green Putty. Oh, and if you’re in the US you’ll need to tack on an additional $17 for postage from the Italian seller.

For just $14.99 you can buy this model of the Space Shuttle…less the Space Shuttle itself. Really? On the upside, the seller claims it was owned by a former NASA engineer.

I’ll never understand why people believe that old, yellowed decals are worth anything more than one dollar. Hell, anything at all! Here’s another example of a demented eBay seller offering decals that would look like shit on your model, assuming you could get them off the paper. The price? $15.

I’ve shared a few eBay auctions of slides that have sold for over $200, but this one takes the cake. The seller was asking $405 for this slide of a C-124, which would be insulting enough if it hadn’t been marked down from the original price of $899.

Photoshop hilarity

If you’re a fan of Reddit’s Photoshop Battles subreddit, you know how creative people can be. We aviation enthusiasts have our fair share of creative types as well, and their editing of images to absurd lengths often inspires hilarious comments across Facebook groups. Those comments generally come from three types of enthusiast:

• The Comedian, the guy who immediately gets the joke and adds his comedic input.

• The Greenhorn, the newcomer to aviation who doesn't quite know what to make of the improbable image he's seeing and isn’t too embarrassed to ask if it’s real.

• Captain Obvious, the guy who knows the image is fake and is quick to tell everyone. He’s the party pooper who can’t laugh at some innocent tomfoolery, or he’s simply a schmuck who needs to show off his impressive knowledge of aviation.

Here are my favorite Photoshopped photos with a few comments from the latter two groups, spelling and grammatical errors intact, just for the additional laughs.

"Sorry for being a spoil-sport, but, the sole reason why the SR-71 was painted black was for radiative heat cooling. Black radiates heat quicker than white does.”

“How?”
"How did the wing get past the island”
“Is it possible?"

“B52 is not supper sonic.”
"Is this even possible, that a BUFF could break the sound barrier?"
“Photoshopped for sure."

“It's not real...it's photoshopped. even in a steep dive a powered hang glider would never be able to keep up with a C-130 at it's slowest possible flight speed.”
"Obvious photoshop..... Scale is wrong."

“Real or not…it could be real!!!!”
“That is a bad ass selfie!”

“Photoshop”
"Was this a true aircraft or just photo shop?”

“Fake as FU--"
"This pic is so fake. That thing would never fly."

"Totally fake, would never even taxi with those unsyncro'd props crashing into each other!”

“No, it’s fake.”
"that is really bad photoshopping."
“Looks bogus.”
“fake”

Has the Soup run cold?

Cripes, I can’t believe it’s been more than three months since my last post! Time sure flies, especially as you get older. Suffice to say, I’m still here and periodically share random thoughts or photos on my Facebook page. Despite my lack of writing, I’m still seeing people liking my Facebook page and commenting now and then. All appreciated!

So what’s been going on?

Injury!

At the end of August I ruptured a tendon in my right hand, which required immediate surgery to repair. That put the kibosh on all model building activities through September, but now, in the middle of what is expected to be a three-month therapy regime to regain full use of my thumb, I’m just dexterous enough to handle knives, sandpaper, and airbrush. I don’t think I can do any precise painting at this point, but at least I can spend quality time at the workbench. I've resumed a couple of projects that were in progress, like this 1/72 T-33.

Conversations

Much of my silence is simply a reflection of not having much to say. Even in my personal life, I’m not one to talk just to hear my own voice, so I tend to take that same mindset to Scale Model Soup. I want to add value to conversations about trends and products, and I haven’t felt passionate enough about anything to do that.

The IPMS Nats

For the third year in a row I did not attend the IPMS Nats this summer, and I was particularly bummed after hearing all the positive reviews of the show. I’m not sure I’ll attend next year’s convention in San Marcos, Texas, but I could be enticed to go if a few of my friends will be there. The Nats is always a source of excitement and inspiration for me, so not having attended has sapped me of some of my enthusiasm for the hobby.

Speaking of conventions, the AMPS 2020 convention will be in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in May, but my presence there is also at risk. It’s my wife’s birthday week, and there’s a good chance I’ll have other plans. As they say, “Happy wife, happy life.” Frankly, she supports my hobby, so missing a contest is a small price to pay for all she does for me.

Here I am, nonetheless, looking for that spark, that incentive to write new content for my blog. Maybe with winter around the corner and outdoor chores behind me you’ll hear from me more frequently. I have a couple of articles in the immediate queue, so don't give up on me.

Until then, as figure painters say, keep your brushes wet!

The three weird trends of 2018

A few days ago I shared a summary of the big stories of 2018, but we should also reflect on the weird trends that caught my attention throughout the year.

Sexy women

2018 is likely to be the year of the #timesup and #metoo movements, but modelers could care less. We saw a large number of products depicting women in ways that many women wouldn’t be comfortable with.

Master Box released several female figures in their 1/24 scale “Trucker Series," from one that is likely intended to be a prostitute and a pair of sexy hitchhikers.

Master Box also added to their own Pinup Series.

Modern Armies in Miniatures released a number of 1/24 female figures depicting car models, runway models, and pinup girls.

Armor35 also jumped on the bombshell bandwagon with an extensive line of women in uniforms.

Even Dolman Miniatures, one of my favorite figure manufacturers with an outstanding lineup of military subjects, got in on the action with a couple of female figures, like this busty, saluting woman.

Not to be left out, Hasegawa offers these paddock girls.

Egg models

A few years ago I wrote about several trends in the hobby that I don’t understand, and one of them was egg planes. Apparently many of you enjoy them, because the trend exploded in 2018 with not just egg planes, but tanks and ships as well!

Freedom Model Kits released egg models of the F-5 and F-104 under a new “Compact Series.”

Meng Model released a number of weird warships in an egg-like series, such as the USS Missouri, USS Lexington, and the Scharnhorst.

They also have a line of armor, including the Tiger, Pz.Kpfw. III, and a Santa-themed M4 Sherman.

How do we know this is a legit theme? Well, there’s a book on the genre from AK Interactive, a Santa themed Sherman from Meng for the holidays, aftermarket (you read that right…aftermarket) from KASL Hobby, and a Facebook group (of course).

Oh, and a few modelers are doing conversions!

Bizarre German armor

The German military has been a source of fascination for modelers for a long time, and with the World of Tanks video game has provided fodder for the imaginations of modelers around the world. That’s manifested itself in a number of new kits of hypothetical German war machines.

I wrote about Revell’s flying saucer in my 2018 year-end review, but we also saw the strange Kugelpanzer 41 rolling ball thingamajig from MiniArt (with interior) and a huge line of 1/72 tanks from Modelcollect’s Fist of War series, such as an E-100 walking tank.

It's been a strange year in many ways. I can't imagine 2019 will be any different, but time will tell. Let's meet up here in a year and discuss what we saw.

Happy New Year, everyone! As always, build what makes you happy!