This could really suck

There are many skills in our hobby that are inherently difficult. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the challenges of decaling, but other tasks come to mind as well, such as applying a natural metal finish or masking and painting canopies. One of the lessons I learned far too late in my modeling career is to charge head-on into anything that intimidates me. Worst case scenario: I fail miserably and toss a $15 model into the trash. Big deal. Try, try again as they say.

Thanks to Alclad, a gift from the gods to modelers around the world, I've achieved a degree of confidence with a NMF, and I have a Fujimi Judy in the stash awaiting my attention just for the exercise of masking its ridiculously complex canopy. What next?

The one area that still needs my attention is rigging. (Okay, there's vacuform models, too, but no one really builds those anymore, right?) I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't attempted rigging since I built Airfix's tiny Tigermoth many years ago. It was a half-hearted effort due to Justine Bateman detracting my modeling after I heard a rumor that she didn't wear underwear while filming Family Ties.

Mind you, I'm primarily a jet guy, but I do have a couple of kits in the stash that have intrigued me over the years that require some rigging. I recently acquired the classic Airfix Handley-Page HP 42 after seeing the plane in Imperial Airways livery, and I have a Williams Brothers 1/72 Douglas World Cruiser in my stash that I bought when I started getting serious in the hobby some time around 1985, a plane that I've always thought was particularly rugged.

 With that enthusiasm I nervously clicked the Buy It Now button on eBay for an Eduard 1/72 Nieuport 17 with the intention of using it for my first, earnest foray into rigging. Was I foolish for choosing to do this in 1/72nd scale? Perhaps. Okay, yes, but it's my scale and I'm a glutton for punishment. I also picked up Eduard's WW1 photoetch seats at the IPMS Nats.

Next I had to find a few articles online about rigging. I found this thread on ARC's forums, this article from John Seaman on Austin Scale Modeler's Society site, and another one on
ww1aircraftmodels.com.

Finally, being a JEEP, (that is, "just enough education to pass" in military slang), I disguised myself as a 19 year-old girl and snuck into a beading supply shop and bought some monofilament thread.

Now I'm ready to begin this new chapter in my hobby. It could really suck. And it could really be great. Some of the best looking aircraft ever manufactured were the early bi-wing types, so if all goes well I may find myself spending less time on jets. Time will tell.

The weird and the bizarre at the Nats

Hidden among the ever-popular F-16s and Sherman tanks in the contest, in between the deeply discounted Hasegawa Bf-109s in the vendors room, exists the weird and bizarre world that is scale modeling. Here are a few of the more esoteric and stranger things I noticed, excluding of course the attendees ourselves.

Looking through the contest room I found what may be the first entry of its type ever to be entered in the Nats, this tiki pole. There was at least one entrant from French Polynesia, so I'm guessing that he was the modeler of this most interesting model.

I saw this entry of a stealth fighter. I'm usually not a party pooper in our hobby, but please, let this be the last of its kind. The idea has been done many times before, and it's not funny anymore. And more to the point, no one can do the concept any better than this modeler. Kudos!

You know you're living in the best of times when you can find a book that completely documents the jerrycan. Yes, that's right, those little water/fuel cans that most of us glue onto our tanks and softskin vehicles as an afterthought. Are you sure the jerrycans on your Matilda should be three-handled rather than two? The book has been described as "lavishly illustrated" and "superb" by reviewers and people are even tweeting about it. If it's not in your library you're a loser. Contact Casemate Publishing for your copy today, and be sure to suggest a book about Italian crowbars circa 1935-38.

Japan is often known for its eccentricities, and our hobby is not a sanctuary for those seeking the unconventional. I found this model of dumplings from Bandai on Hobbylink Japan's table. Not buying it may be my one regret coming away from the Nats.

Speaking of Japan, I spotted these anime models in the back of the vendors room. I'm always surprised to find that naked women can make almost any grown man giggle.

Sitting next to a model of the World Trade Center was this model of Epcot Center's Spaceship Earth. It's always nice to see a model reflect the location of the convention.

Finally, I captured these two signs in the vendors room in the final hour of the show. I never understood why eBay sellers discount items at 5 percent off, so I almost LOL'd at this one. Guess which vendor took home most of his stock.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Dang, I bought the wrong kit!

So I'm unpacking my haul from the Nats this morning, eager to fondle one of the kits I was most looking forward to buying. In the final 30 minutes of the vendors room I was excited to score what I thought was the new Tamiya 1/72 A6M5 Zero, which if you haven't seen it is a gem of a kit. But no, what I actually grabbed off the table was their 1/48 version of the plane. Dang!

Anyone else do that? Or maybe buy a duplicate of something you already have?

Oh well, at least I scored a $50 kit at a deep, deep bargain.

Best Of Nats winners!

Well, the 2012 IPMS National Convention is complete. Pictures are slowing being posted across many of the sites, and I will be posting a few of my favorites soon, but in the meantime here are the Best Of winners from this year's Nats.

(My apologies if I mangled anyone's name.)

Best Junior: Travis Blemins, Space Marine
Best Florida Subject: Closed Went Fisher, James Decker
Race to the Moon: Frienship 7, Mark Saxon
1942 Guadalcanal: USS Atlata, Richard Schliefka
1942 Stalingrad: Ju-87, Tom Gastaneau
Cuban Missile Crisis: Zil-157/SA-2, Kevin Farris
100 Years of Chevrolet: Century of Excellence, Rocky Saint
60 Years of Sebring: Corvette Grand Sport, Larry Litaborski
Best US Naval Subject: SBD, Pat Donahue
Wings of Gold: SOC, (Didn't catch name over the cheering)
Best Use of IPMS Decal Sheet: MiG Killers, Robert Booth
Best WW1 Aircraft: F2B 148, Jose DeCarlo
Best British Subject: Avro 504K, Alejandre Bige
Best Sharkmouth: A-10, Cyrus Tan
Best Fleet Air Arm: Swordfish, Bill Devins
Best Aircraft: A-10, Cyrus Tan
Best Military Vehicle: Sdkfz 6/3 Diana, Mark Ford
Best Ship: USS George H. Bush, (didn't catch name over cheering)
Best Figure: Templar Knight, Luis Mendoza
Best Automotive: Yamaha YZRM motorcycle, Richard Gonzalez
Best Space Subject: Space Police Vehicle, Emil Zumbia
Best Diorama: Casualties Many, Brian Goslin
Best Miscellaneous: Mother and the Ones, Ken Belisle
Best Group Entry: Egg Plans, IPMS Orlando
Popular Best of Show: Red Tails on Attack Diorama, (didn't catch name over cheering)

Best of Show: Yamaha YZRM motorcycle, Richard Gonzalez...from Venezuela!

So you're attending the Nats!

When you became an adult and entered the workforce you left behind the wonder and joy of summer vacation. What do we have to look forward to now? Nothing. Okay, maybe you're one of those adventure-seeking types who zip-lines over the Amazon or climbs a snowy mountain in Asia. Odds are your week-long vacation is spent sitting on a hot beach with the family (not that there's anything wrong with that).

But wait! We're modelers. We look forward to the childlike joy that comes from attending the IPMS National Convention! Four days surrounded by plastic, resin, photoetch, decals, and books of every variety. I'm convinced that most children don't feel as much joy on Christmas morning as we do walking into the convention space on that first day.

I've been fortunate to have attended nearly a dozen Nats over my 30 years in the hobby, so if this is your first convention I'd like to pass along some advice.

The Vendors

When you arrive at the convention (whether you arrived early on Wednesday or later Saturday morning) the first thing you should do is walk through the vendor rooms. Don't buy anything. Your goal is to get a sense of the items available and the vendors' prices. Most of us have a budget, so you don't want to blow it all in one room only to find two more rooms at the end of that long hallway.

I know I just said not to buy anything, but if you come across that kit, book, or accessory that you've been looking for for the last seven years, you should probably buy it when you first see it. There's a good chance it may not be there when you come back. That said, if you do buy something be prepared to kick yourself in the arse when you find another one an hour later at a better price. That's not uncommon at the Nats.

Finally, forget about the wish list you compiled the week before. When you're walking among thousands of kits, decals, photoetch, and books it's all about bargains and impulse purchases. You're much better off compiling a list of the items you *do* have (such as decals, aftermarket, etc.) so you don't accidentally buy duplicates. Yes, I've done that.

The Contest

For goodness sake people, please enter the contest! I can already hear the whining and excuses:

"I don't like contests."

"The judging isn't fair."

"I'm not good enough to win."

I call shenanigans on all of you! Yes, it is a contest and the primary purpose is to judge models and reward the best, but there is a secondary purpose that we frequently overlook. If you're anything like me you enjoy looking at models! Crazy, I know, but it's true! Look at it this way, if only the truly competitive guys entered the contest, you'd see maybe 200 models on the tables rather than 1,000.

So I beg you, enter the contest so that we can enjoy the fruits of your labor and vice versa. One of the best modelers I've known over the years refuses to enter contests. He's a great guy. Very friendly, very helpful. But I've always thought it a shame that the only people who get to enjoy his models are the select few invited into his home.

Finally, you should enter the contest because it's important to support the convention itself. It's expensive and labor-intensive to host a convention, so it's good when you register and participate. The sponsoring club wins, we win, and the hobby is better for it.

The People

You are probably an introvert like me. You might enjoy spending time in your man cave, hunkered down over a model. The bright light of the sun might hurt your eyes and burn your fair skin. But hey, it's great to see so many of us trolls venturing to the Nats and spending time together.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of talking to the other convention attendees. The real value of the convention is the information that we have and share. If we don't talk among ourselves we've lost the opportunity to learn. And to make new friends. I met most of my best friends in IPMS clubs and contests. Don't be afraid to ask someone a question, and if you're in the position where someone is asking you a question, engage in a conversation. And remember, if someone doesn't respond when you reach out, it's a reflection on his character not yours. There are a few hardcore introverts among us.

Enjoy the convention and the remaining contests of 2012!

So you're not attending the Nats?

Many of you will wake up tomorrow and the next few days and the reality will hit you. "I'm not at the IPMS National Convention!" You might cry a little bit. Go ahead. We understand.

It's a sad fact of life that we can't attend every National Convention. Maybe your budget is limited, maybe you can't get the vacation time at work, or maybe you have family obligations that come first. No matter what the reason, it's a bummer to log onto your favorite forum and see all the chatter among the attendees and realizing you're not enjoying the great models, finding that rare kit in the vendors room, or taking home the Best of Show award for the model you spent 50 hours on.

What's a modeler to do?

If you're not attending the Nats this weekend, here are a few suggestions.

1. Get together with a few of your modeling buds and have lunch or dinner together. The Nats is primarily about friendship and camaraderie (or it should be), so if you can't spend the time with 500 friends then find four or five and enjoy a few hours of modeling chit chat.

2. Go to your Local Hobby Shop (LHS) and splurge a little on a few models, books, and supplies. A big attraction of attending the Nats is bring home some booty from the vendors room. If you can't be there, treat yourself and support your LHS in the process. Both of you will be glad you did!

3. Spend the day at the workbench. I don't mean one or two hours; I mean the entire day. Tell SHMBO that you need the time to decompress, and then lock yourself away in your room from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. and enjoy doing what you love. If you want to be really ambitious, commit yourself to completing one model, whether it's one you start that day or one that's nearing completion.

4. Watch a favorite war movie. It might be Top Gun, Band of Brothers, Henry the V (great battle scenes), etc. Whatever it is, engross yourself in a movie that will inspire your modeling.

No matter what you do, enjoy the weekend and our hobby. And start saving your pennies for next year!

I love Solvaset!

Practically every model I build has at least one decal that has to conform over some contorted area, and as I wrote about yesterday, decaling is the one step in the process of building a model where everything can go horribly wrong.

I use Microscale's Micro Set and Micro Sol on most builds and those two products alone allow me to lay most decals onto a model with reasonable success, but when I need to apply a decal over a particularly complex shape nothing beats Solvaset. I don't know what's in this witch's brew, but I'm convinced it's not of this world. This stuff is great. The bottle I have has been in my toolbox for more than 25 years!

I had to use Solvaset this weekend on my 1/72 F-15B. The unit tail bands at the top of the vertical stabilizers lay over the ECM blisters on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizers. I knew Solvaset would work its magic, and it didn't let me down! (That said, if you look carefully you can see some issues with my application of the decal for the tail code. Ugh!)

If you don't have a bottle of Solvaset on your workbench you really need to get a bottle, or two.

If you're in the United States you can get Solvaset from Sprue Brothers. For my UK readers I'm told Hannants stocks it but I don't see it listed on their web site.