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Everything posted by ipmsusa2

  1. Hate to tell you, Robin, but Squadron is no joy. It states "available to order', but when you try to add it to the cart, it states that the kit is out of stock.
  3. Beyond trying to keep myself breathing and functioning. I have a number of the old, square Testors paints that I brought with me when I moved to Fort Worth from El Paso in 1961. So they have to go back into the mid-50s. Believe it or not, the paint's still good!
  4. It appears that Pledge is continuing to change the name of what we have known as Future, with the latest being Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss Original. Anyone know if this stuff is the same as our old, reliable Future or Pledge Multisurface?
  6. Pete, I particularly like the Blue Angel and the Eiffel Tower. Since I build mostly for commission, my stuff is all over the landscape. That's in spite of the fact that my first love is aircraft. The 1/16 Jenny is fairly ordinary, although it took 450 hours. The house took over 200 hours and is 100% scratchbuilt from sheet styrene. The 6' tall squeeze bottle is simply ten times larger than an original bottle. As for the motorized toilet paper dispenser, it was a concept model that proved the concept wouldn't work. Finally, the one that I have no photo of and definitely qualifies as weird. Believe it or not, I was commissioned to build a working, full scale eyelash dye clip that a beautician had designed and was hoping to patent. Spring loaded so that it would trap the eyelash and protect the eyelid, I had to test it on myself...not including the dye...to make sure it would work. Amazingly, it actually did what it was designed for, but I have no idea whether or not the woman ever got a patent or produced the clip. There's been other screwball stuff over the years. If nothing else, it's kept things interesting.
  7. Gil has stated the situation well. While I have never entered a Nationals contest...primarily due to only attending one and that one as a vendor...I have entered and both won & lost in local contests. It might do us all well to keep a story in mind that I heard some years ago. Don't remember when and don't even know if it was an IPMS/USA Nationals contest, BUT: The story goes that two models were head to head in a particularly category. Both models were as perfect as you could get and still call them models. Judging was a dead heat, to the point that scores were absolutely identical. What finally decided first and second? It wasn't a "flip of the coin". Through the use of a magnifying glass, a single dust mote stuck in the paint was found on one model that wasn't on the other. That made the difference.
  9. Here's what I think is a slightly different perspective. I build for a living...or at least part of one...as many of you know. I can and have won at local contests, but I would have very little, if any, chance at the top three in a Regional or National contest. Why? Because I build to satisfy clients who do not want me to take the time...nor would they pay the required fee...to produce a Regional or National contest winner. Now, could I produce a model of my own that would win on that level? I'm egotistical enough to say "probably". But if I'm going to continue to satisfy clients, I don;'t have enough spare time to focus on a Nationals entry. Having said all that, IF I entered a Regional or National contest and didn't win, I wouldn't have a problem with constructive criticism as to why my model didn't win. And it wouldn't matter if the criticism came from a judge's comment on an entry form, a conversation with a judge or comments from a fellow modeler. As long as it was done in a constructive and non-denigrating manner. After all, without that kind of information, none of us have little chance of significantly improving our skills and modelbuilding knowledge. Just my seven and a half cents.
  11. Agreed, Gil. All of yours are very, very nice and I cannot tell which ones are raised line and which are recessed. What it all comes down to is the skill of the builder.
  12. This thread is all over the landscape, so let's shift over to the 80s vintage Monogram kits. Not only do they hold their age well, there is still nothing out there to match their 1/48 F-105. Is it totally accurate? Hardly. But the new Hobby Boss is worse. As for raised panel lines versus recessed. That one is going to depend on the kit in question. Personally I don't have a problem with raised lines unless the manufacturer goes overboard. And in a lot of cases, it literally doesn't matter. For example, I have a 1/48 A-37B Encore kit. As you know, it's nothing more than the Monogram kit with photoetch and resin parts. The raised lines are so delicate that you have to tilt the parts against the light to be able to see'em. And remember, raised lines can always be gently sanded down to a very low level. Recessed lines on an A-37B after it's been painted....especially in Viet Nam camouflage? They'd be about as hard to see as the raised lines if not worse. Going back to the Monogram F-105, there's enough aftermarket parts out there to turn one into a showstopper, raised panel lines and all. Of course that does require us to be modelbuilders instead of box shakers.
  13. The C-46 was a commission project for a client and he wanted a pristine model with no weathering. Otherwise I would've done at least a little weathering on it.
  14. Very nice, Bill. I have the Encore version which is nothing more than the Monogram kit with photoetch cockpit details and some resin components. No metal gear, but SAC has those. It'll be interesting to see if I can find a way to weight the nose down when I get around to mine.
  15. Gil, Excellent points. It's a learning process to be sure, especially where Youtube is concerned. Point 1: Sounds like I've found a decent balance. Enough to make people want to buy the ebook but not so much that they feel they don't need it. That was a mistake I made on the Photo Gallery CDs. They run over six minutes and have so many photos that I'm sure viewers feel they don't need to buy the discs. For example, the B-36 video has over 10,000 views but no sales of the CD. Point 2: The C-46 ebook does not include references. I can go back and add them but they will be in the form of links for the most part, I think. Copyright problems rear their head when it comes to including photos of the actual aircraft. Anyway, I'll see what I can do and let you know. Point 3: Very good observations and I tend to agree with you. One that I'm planning is an F-105 E-book using the Monogram 1/48 kit. In this case, the Hobby Boss kit isn't as good as the old Monogram. The Monogram kit is also far cheaper. Same comments basically apply to the Monogram P-61 versus the Great Wall kit. Also, what about the early/old Hasegawa and Revell 32nd scale kits? There are aftermarket products that can bring them up to current standards or pretty darn close. And if you want to do a conversion that requires major surgery, it sure beats chopping up a modern $150 kit. I have a lot of photos of the F-105 that I should be able to include in that ebook. In fact, there may be enough to produce a separate Photo Gallery CD. That isn't possible with the C-46. Arrgh! So much to do, so little time. BTW, I have an Encore A-37B that I'm considering for an E-book. Whatcha think about that one?
  16. Which raises an interesting question. Should ebook subjects be limited to kits that are generally readily available at both the LHS and Online shops? Or would some of the older but still good kits...such as the Monogram 1/48 F-105 or Monogram AT-6....be possibilities?
  17. Ed and Gil, Appreciate your observations. The music clip keeps me from making from the video any longer. However, I've tweaked it a bit by shortening the transition time between slides. This effectively allows slightly more time to view an individual slide. Please check the revised video out and let me know what you think. Again, a direct link to the channel is here . As before, click on the C-46 boxtop icon. Of course here's the big question. Would the video encourage anyone building the kit to actually buy the E-book? I'd like your opinion on that as well. BTW, Gil, thanks for your comments on the music. I may wind up using it for the background for other E-book promos. Richard
  19. Try Dupli-Color 2-in-1 Filler and Sandable Primer, High Build Formula. It's an acrylic lacquer in a 16 oz rattlecan that will do exactly what you need. If necessary, follow up with 600 grit or so sandpaper, either wet or dry. You can find this stuff at many auto supply stores, including NAPA, Auto Zone, O'Reilly's and I think even Advance Auto Parts. This stuff is my go to primer. Hope this info helps.
  20. Bryan, You raise some very interesting points. It also confirms what I have said that creativity/skill originates in the mind. How it is manifested physically is the result of a multitude of factors, such as visual, tactile ability, physical limitations, etc. Now to your other questions. Why scratchbuild when there is an easier alternative? In a nutshell...for the challenge. There's a very long history of humans doing things the hard way just to prove that it can be done. And the areas of their efforts are legion. Mountain climbing, exploring, deep sea diving, caving and yes, modelbuilding. Also keep in mind the rather perverse human temperament that...when they are told you can't do it that way...goes out and does it that way just to show that it can be done. Would this entry be considered? Depends on the specific contest's rules and/or whether or not a category had been created to deal with your particular creation. BTW, you do outstanding work.
  21. Noel, I agree with you. While most of my business is kit buildups, I also do scratchbuilding when called for. There's a special feeling you get from creating something that has never existed in any form. The same can be said for books. While I write ebooks, the print books I've written provide more pleasure in the process. Also, reading an ebook on a screen is convenient but it doesn't compare to the tactile sense you get by holding a physical book in your hands and the feeling you get when turning the pages. There's a place for both scratchbuilding and kits, as well as a place for ebooks and physical books. I suppose the trick is to find the proper balance. Incidentally, I'm including a couple of photos of a land development model I built some ten years or so ago. Totally scratchbuilt except for the cars on the road. Four and a half feet wide and seven feet long. The other pair of photos is a 1/160th model of a $1,000,000 mansion design. This one was 100% scratchbuilt from sheet styrene. Over 200 hours in it and the last photo I saw of it after it was delivered, it had already sustained significant damage. How or why I don't know, but I figure it didn't last long after that. Anyway, hope you enjoy viewing the photos.
  22. Pete, If you want examples of scratchbuilt models that took top honors at the IPMS Nationals 30 years or so ago, how about a YB-49 in 1/72 scale, entirely from sheet styrene? Today it wouldn't stand a chance. Tools, rule changes and technology marches on.
  23. Pete, you have expounded on a very important point, which is that technology is changing at a breakneck pace...or at warp speed if you prefer. Some things that we considered state of the art 12 - 18 months ago are now obsolete. If you recall the Star Trek:The Next Generation series...and I would think you are a serious science fiction enthusiast...we may not be that far from some version of their replicator that created everything from food to clothes to violins...remember Picard's Tea, Earl Gray, Hot and Data's Stradivarius Violin...by the individual doing nothing more than speaking their desire into thin air and the replicator manufacturing it from basic atoms. In some ways we're tilting at windmills, much as Don Quixote did. But the bottom line is that we have to figure out a way to handle all these new developments in a way that we find acceptable. By the way, back in the late 60s, early 70s, I was one of the first to produce resin aftermarket components. Back then, the masters were hand made from wood, RTV was poured over them to create a mold, then resin was poured into the cured mold by hand to produce a finished part that could be sold. The first resin products I ever made were underwing tanks for the 1/32 Revell F4J. Back then they were state of the art. Today no one would want them due to the lack of surface detail compared to what is available today.
  24. That time may be closer than you think. With the rapid development in driverless cars and AI, we may be judging models of driverless cars before long.
  25. This thread has been fascinating and has pretty well covered the full range of problems and solutions involving modelbuilding and 3D printing. But I would suggest that none of us have touched on the true root of creativity. That root is the MIND. Or if you prefer, the SOUL. Think about it: No scale model, full size aircraft or machine, floor plan, etc, literally anything that has ever been constructed in a hard, physical form would exist if it had not been originally CREATED within the mind of the individual who constructed the first physical example of that CREATION. Yes, creativity is everywhere, especially within what is known as the creative arts. But the initial spark...call it the Big Bang Of Your Mind if you wish...that triggers the original CREATION (the "Hey! I just got an idea!" thought), occurs within the MIND and nowhere else. Jim, I agree with you that the solution to the 3D 'problem' with IPMS/USA will be separate categories. And Rusty, I agree with your last comments. Stephen King is as much an author as Ernest Hemmingway, even though Steven King uses a typewriter. Heck, he might even use software that allows him to talk his writing into a computer without touching a keyboard. Keep in mind that Hemmingway refused to use a manual typewriter. Instead, he sent handwritten tablets to his publisher who had hired a woman whose sole job was to turn his handwritten manuscripts into typewritten form. Oops! I just realized something. I write articles and books on a computer so that a computer can tell a printer how to print my articles and books. So who's the writer...me or the printer?
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