Seattle Chapter News · Albatros D.III in Turkish Markings by Ken Murphy Each December, IPMS Seattle holds a group build contest. The subject for this year was the WWI Albatros. A

Sea

ttle

Ch

apte

r N

ews

Seattle Chapter IPMS/USAMarch 2009

PREZNOTES

In This Issue

NWSM Show Report 3Do It Yourself Decals 4DML/Dragon PzKpfw IV

Ausf G 8Powder Puff Trophy 11Trumpeter BAC Lightning

F.1A/F.2 11CMR DH-9A 12Model Hobby Definitions 14Flying Subs and Spaceships 15

A “plethora of plastic” seems to beshowing up at all the local hobby empori-ums lately. Everything from the TSR.2 to aMartian war machine, a new Fletcher classdestroyer, a flying sub, and a bunch moretoo numerous to list. I’ve made somecomments on a few of the new oneselsewhere in this issue, but here, I’d like tocomment on the TSR.2.

It’s the newest from Airfix and appears tobe typical of their latest releases. The kitcomes in a monster size box, actually largeenough to hold four Dynavector TSR.2vac kits. The Dynavector kit, until now,has been the only 1/48th scale rendition ofthis beautiful flying machine and Airfixappears to have carried it off quite nicely.The model is molded in white plastic withengraved panel lines, nice weapons bayand gear well details, and more. Somewould say that the cockpit details are alittle sparse, but you won’t see that muchanyway if you leave the canopies closed.I’ve been told that parts fit is quite goodand requires minimal putty work if care istaken during assembly. One point I’ve readabout is that the main gear is splayed toowide, but have read other reports havesaid that it is OK. I’ll let you know when Iget that far.

The decal sheet is complete with markingsfor three aircraft, all the stencils andeverything one will need to build theaircraft. The only issue I have with the kitis that color callouts are given usingHumbrol paints but all the instructionsgive are the Humbrol color numbers - notthe colors, so I had to search on-line tofind out what colors the numbers referredto. Other than that it looks to be a topseller for Airfix and if you’re interested ingetting one, I don’t think I’d wait too long.As with their 1/72nd TSR.2, this one is alimited edition kit so I would suspect it’llbe out of stock soon and the only way toget one in the future is to pay too much oneBay for one. I highly recommend this oneand even though only one aircraft flew,

there are numerous aftermarket decal setsfor this one, all due to the vivid imagina-tion of modelers that feel that overall whiteis not the only color scheme for theaircraft. There are two separate sets ofdecals for “what-if” versions of theaircraft. I’m leaning towards the NASAversion myself, but that’s a whole differentadventure...

One more thing about the TSR.2 is that wehave a local connection to the real thing.The father of our esteemed editor, RobertAllen, actually worked on the aircraft. Ihope he finds the interest in the TSR.2 inthe modeling world as much fun as wemodelers are having with it.

Our Spring Show is only a month awayand our meeting this week will be to makesure everything is taken care of. We’llneed volunteers for all areas of the show,from registration, raffle, hosting, andjudging. This year, we also have a numberof seminars which is a new area for us andwe’ll need help in that area as well, so beready to sign up.

That’s it (for now).

We’ll see you at the meeting,

Terry

SEATTLE CHAPTER CONTACTS

President: Vice President: Treasurer: Editor:Terry Moore Marilynn K. Laird Spencer Tom Robert Allen3612 - 201st Pl. S.W. 1825 South 330th St. F-201 318 N.E. 81st St. 12534 NE 128th Way #E3Lynnwood, WA 98036 Federal Way, WA 98003 Seattle, WA 98115 Kirkland, WA 98034Ph: 425-774-6343 Ph: 206-491-0096 Ph: 206-522-8414 Ph: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

IPMS Seattle Web Site (Webmasters, Norm Filer & Tracy White): http://www.ipms-seattle.org

Public Disclaimers, Information, and Appeals for Help

This is the official publication of the Seattle Chapter, IPMS-USA. As such, it serves as the voice for our Chapter, and depends largelyupon the generous contributions of our members for articles, comments, club news, and anything else involving plastic scale modeling andassociated subjects. Our meetings are generally held on the second Saturday of each month, (see below for actual meeting dates), at the NorthBellevue Community/Senior Center, 4063-148th Ave NE, in Bellevue. See the back page for a map. Our meetings begin at 10:00 AM, exceptas noted, and usually last for two to three hours. Our meetings are very informal, and are open to any interested modeler, regardless of interests.Modelers are encouraged to bring their models to the meetings. Subscriptions to the newsletter are included with the Chapter dues. Dues are $25a year for regular mail delivery of the newsletter, and $15 for e-mail delivery, and may be paid to Spencer Tom, our Treasurer. (See addressabove). We also highly recommend our members join and support IPMS-USA, the national organization. See below for form. Any of the memberslisted above will gladly assist you with further information about the Chapter or Society.

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual writers, and do not constitute the official position of theChapter or IPMS-USA. You are encouraged to submit any material for this newsletter to the editor. He will gladly work with you and see thatyour material is put into print and included in the newsletter, no matter your level of writing experience or computer expertise. The newsletter iscurrently being edited using a PC, and PageMaker 6.5. Any Word or WordPerfect document for the PC would be suitable for publication. Articlescan also be submitted via e-mail, to the editor’s address above. Deadline for submission of articles is generally twelve days prior to the nextmeeting - earlier would be appreciated! Please call me at 425-823-4658 if you have any questions.

If you use or reprint the material contained in the newsletter, we would appreciate attribution both to the author and the sourcedocument. Our newsletter is prepared with one thing in mind; this is information for our members, and all fellow modelers, and is prepared andprinted in the newsletter in order to expand the skills and knowledge of those fellow modelers.

IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 2

Upcoming Meeting DatesThe IPMS Seattle 2009 meeting schedule is as follows. All meetings are from 10 AM to 1 PM, except as indicated. To avoidconflicts with other groups using our meeting facility, we must NOT be in the building before our scheduled start times, andMUST be finished and have the room restored to its proper layout by our scheduled finish time. We suggest that you keep thisinformation in a readily accessable place.

March 14 April 11April 18 (Spring Show at Renton) May 9


Northwest Scale ModelersAnnual Winter Show at the

Museum of Flight

article by Jim Schubert

photos by Tim Nelsonand Jim Schubert

The standing order, “Maximum Effort!” forthis year’s big show started coming downfrom General Frank Savage, aka TimNelson, in December. “Bring all yourmodels.” Was the exhortation we heardfrom the General at every meeting, kaffee-klatsch and casual encounter. He’s a realslave driver but if you’ve ever been to anIPMS-USA National, you’ll know thatorganizing independent-minded modelersis akin to herding cats. This job gets donewell and on time because of the goodleadership provided by the General. Goodon ya, Tim.

Every year over the Presidents’ Dayweekend (this year, on February 14 and 15)the Northwest Scale Modelers put on atwo-day model show for Seattle’s Museumof Flight in the Museum’s Great Gallery.This is a superb venue for a model show.The show is our quid pro quo to theMuseum for the free use of a meeting roomeach month.

A show goal each year is to have moremodels, and especially more modelers,than the year before. This year the modelcount was 1,959 from 65 modelers; thesecond highest and highest ever, respec-tively. A lot of modelers won’t participatein this event because of the exposure oftheir models to the breakage that is theinevitable part of having to pack andunpack them twice and having to transportthem to the MOF and back home. I reckonthis risk is our payback, or dues, to thehobby that gives us all so much enjoy-ment. I personally slightly damaged six ofmy 161 models during unpacking and setup. These were quickly repaired and on thedisplay tables by Saturday noon. I thenslightly damaged three packing up Sundayevening. I’ve been too busy, as of this

writing, to unpack so I don’t know yet ifany damage occurred in transit home.

Each year the 8th Air Force Associationhas a large display section at our showand this year they presented a round-tablediscussion in the MOF’s Allen Theatre onthe history of the 8th Air Force. ChrisBucholz, Editor of the IPMS-USA Model-ers’ Journal, presented his new book 4thFighter Group, Debden Eagles, No 30 inOsprey’s Aviation Elite Units series. Ourmodelers supplemented the Association’sdisplay with models from our collectionsand with a special presentation of fauxWWII Recognition Models. The MOFstaff also set up a display of some of theirgenuine WWII recognition models thatwere cast in one piece from a brittle, hard,rubber-like plastic.

This year, as the past two, the show waslaid out “By Modeler”. Next year we willreturn to a themed presentation. It’sbeginning to look like this will be a “Time

Line of History” presentation” but that’snot set yet. Although this show is held inan air museum, models of all subjects in allmedia are welcome. Mike Morrow, ownerof Aero Aces, for example, brought severalof his rubber-powered flying scale modelsand several No-Cals. We had tables full ofcars, armor, figures, ships, Sci-Fi, etc.; themore the merrier.

Those of us who are members of theWings of Peace internet forum received apleasant surprise Saturday morning whenWOPer Alex Bigey, from Tahiti, showed up.He was in the US for A340 recurrenttraining.

Skyway Model Shop, and Galaxy HobbyShop, again presented make-and-takeprograms for kids on both days of theshow. These were, as always, very popular.NWSMers and IPMSers helped the kidsduring these programs.


Do it Yourself Decals:Eduard’s 1/48th Scale

Albatros D.III in TurkishMarkings

by Ken Murphy

Each December, IPMS Seattle holds agroup build contest. The subject for thisyear was the WWI Albatros. A greatchoice I thought, since the colors andschemes are endless.

I started working on the Eduard WeekendEdition D.III, planning on doing one ofthose flashy schemes, when I received mycopy of “Small Air Forces Observer.” Thisexcellent black and white newsletter coversinteresting aircraft and histories of small airforces worldwide (if you’re interested inthis sort of thing, contact the publisher,Jim Sanders at: [email protected]). I wasenjoying an article focusing on the air warin the little known conflict between Turkeyand Greece just after WWI, when to mysurprise the author mentioned the roleplayed by a few Albatros D.IIIs! How coolis that? An Albatros in bright red Turkishcrescent and star markings would certainlystand out on a table full of black crosses.There was just one problem – where couldI find decals of such an obscure subject?The only real choice was to make thedecals myself.

It’s not as though I hadn’t done it before. Ihad just recently made decals for aRomanian MiG-21 with Testors CustomDecal System using decal paper for ink jetprinters. They turned out okay, but I wasless than thrilled with the sharpness anddensity – as in basically there isn’t any.Ink jet inks are transparent and they arejust that on the decal. In order to get thekind of density I needed, I printed up theroundels on white decal paper first, andthen placed two more copies printed ontransparent over them to finally get a“solid” color. They look okay at a normaldistance, but close up, they look a bit softand you can see the dithering pattern(dithering being the dot pattern created bythe printer to blend and overlap the

primary colors to create other shades andtones. The coarser the resolution of theprinter, the more pronounced the dither).

If you have tried the Testors systemyourself, you’ve probably had mixedreactions as well. It seems to be fine forbasic colors, solid red, blue, yellow, andblack, in other words, colors that can bemade up of 100% cyan, magenta, yellow orblack. The trouble comes when you have acolor such as orange that’s composed ofsay, 100% yellow and 50% magenta. Theprinter “dithers” a dot pattern of 50%magenta in the yellow, which at mostprinter resolutions is plainly visible. I

found that overlapping copies such as Idid for the MiG will blur the dithering a bitand deepen the color, but it also makes fora more blurry edge to the image.

I certainly considered these issues when Icontemplated creating the decals for theAlbatros. Since I was going to be doingsomething in solid red (100% magenta,100% yellow), I thought I might just getaway with using the Testors system, butjust as I was about to take a deep breathand give it a go, my modeling buddy ScottKruize turned me on to a new product: BELINC laser print decal paper.http://www.decalpaper.com:80/

Wow! Something you could run through alaser printer! I was excited for two reasons:much higher printer resolutions and muchdenser, more opaque print.

As the site declares:

“Create your own water slide model decalsfor planes, trains & automobiles! Developyour own water mount model decals fordetailed model projects like model rail-roads, die-cast cars, ships, vehicles,rockets, airplanes, etc. Water slip decals


can help to customize your models withsignature stripes, logos, initials, and signsto make each creation an original.”

The paper works with ALPS printers, laserprinters, and color copiers and comes in:

* Clear Paper: White backing paper withclear lacquer film.

* Blue Paper: Blue backing paper with clearlacquer film.

* White Paper: White paper with whitefilm.

They are sold in packs of 25, 50, and 75 atabout a dollar a sheet, less for the largerpacks and you can select any combinationof papers in your order.

You can use clear decal paper for mostlettering. However, most printers or copiersdo NOT print white except for the ALPS5000 printer. If you are using an ALPS andprinting white they suggest their bluedecal laser paper (with clear coat) so thatthe white print will be easier to see on theblue background. The ALPS MD-5000printer utilizes dry ink to print single colorsor multiple combinations of white, gold,silver and many other colors. However, ifyou do not have an ALPS printer, you canuse their “white” paper for graphics thathave a white color background.

Note: the paper is slightly thicker thannormal copier paper, so be sure to feed itinto the printer one sheet at a time. Be sureto mention this fact if you go to Kinko’s orsome other print shop. Also I recommendthat you test a couple of sheets with yourprinter or copier to ensure compatibilityprior to producing multiple copies, andmake sure you’re printing on the correctside of the paper! After the prints aremade, I use a light coating of clear lacqueror acrylic clear to seal and protect thedecals. The manufacturer suggests KrylonCrystal Clear finishing spray. Furtherinstructions on how to use the paper areon the website.

Before I could try it out of course, I wouldhave to create the artwork. Not a problem

in my case. I’m a professional graphicdesigner by trade and I have the kind oftools I would need. But how do you do it?Well, there are a number of ways to getstarted in the Do It Yourself Decal indus-try. In fact, you don’t even need a com-puter. If you can find an image of thegraphic you want to use, you could take itto Kinko’s and make a copy. Of course,you’d want to size it correctly. My methodfor this is to measure the model as accu-rately as possible, then copy the image inseveral sizes, going about 5-10% largerand smaller than my measurement. I thenmake a copy on plain paper, cut out theimage and place it on the model. I oftenfind that it’s one of the other sizes that fitbest. Once I’ve identified the winners, Imake a copy of them on the decal paperand I’m on my way. The advantage of thismethod is that it is cheap and fast. Thedownside is that the images are copies ofcopies and quality suffers accordingly. Forthat reason alone, I prefer to do my ownartwork. So how do you do it?

First of all, be aware that you do not need tobe an artist to do this! Building roundels,crosses, numbers, or stencils requires noartistic skills or ability. All you need isaccess to some tools.

First of course, you need a computer. Itdoesn’t have to be super hot, most of thisstuff is not memory intensive. It helps ifyou have a scanner, or access to one. Ihave one of those combo scanner/printers:an Epson Stylus CX4800. It’s an ink jetprinter so I can do the Testors stuff here athome and the scanner does a very nice jobup to letter size. We’ll see why that’shandy in a moment. Again, you don’t haveto own these things, your library hascomputers available and maybe you have arelative (say your hyper-computer savvyson or granddaughter) who can help youout.

Next, you’ll need a graphics program todraw with. I use Adobe Illustrator, which isa very capable professional tool. Unlessyou plan on going into the business, Idon’t recommend it, as it is quite expensiveat $600! Corel Draw is another greatprogram with tons of features, but it too is

pricey at nearly $400. But what if you’drather spend that kind of money on modelsrather than software? Well there are a lot ofalternatives from cheap to down right free.Many computers these days come withsome sort of drawing program in theirsoftware package. Check to see if youhave one and if it’s easy to use. But if youwant to get a program more powerful thanthe Etch-o-Sketch that came with yourcomputer, you can take a look at what’savailable out there. Wikipedia gives a nicelist of programs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vector_graphics_editors

Of the Vector Graphic Editors, the one thatseemed to me to be the easiest to use andmost capable is Inkscape. It is an opensource program and best of all it’s FREE!Just go to this site to download it. http://www.inkscape.org/

I was able to draw the roundel, cross andserial number in just a few minutes offiddling around with it. It helps to befamiliar with these types of programs, buteven if you aren’t, I’m sure you will be ableto figure it out with the Help feature andsome trial and error.

Another recent “find” of mine is a FREEweb application call Sumo Paint. You don’tdownload it, but use it right off the web, soit doesn’t take up space on your computer.You can find it at their website.http://www.sumopaint.com/web/

This is a bitmap editor program much likePhotoshop. If you prefer to “paint” ratherthan “draw,” this might be a better choice.


If you don’t know the difference betweenbitmaps (paint) and vectors (draw),perhaps a short explanation will help.

Vector graphics use geometrical formssuch as lines, curves and shapes, whichare all based upon mathematical equations,to represent images on your computer.Vector graphic formats differ from rastergraphics (often referred to as bit maps), inwhich the images are an array of pixels, asis typically used for the representation ofphotographic images. The advantage ofusing vector tools is that you can createusing shapes and forms that remain sharpand clear at any size. Type manipulation isalso sharp and flexible. Raster or bitmapediting tools can be more intuitive, butoutput is severely degraded if the image isenlarged. You may have noticed howimages degrade when you print them outfrom the web. A comparison between thetwo might be this: vectors are like cuttingout shapes with a scissors and placingthem on top of one another like a collage.Raster images are like finger painting; yousmear the pixels around ‘til you get whatyou want. But the best thing is to use themtogether, as we shall see. In the meantime,for more detailed information about thishot topic, visit the Wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics

Now that you have the equipment, thesoftware and materials, what’s next?

Here are the steps I took to create mydecals:

As you can see in this screen shot fromIllustrator,

1.) I did my research – finding this illustra-tion in “Military Aircraft Insignia of theWorld” by John Cochrane & Stuart Elliot,which I scanned, then

2.) cropped the part of the insignia Iwanted and placed it in Illustrator.

3.) I was able to use Illustrator’s tracingfunction to trace the crescent and starcreating a vector graphic (as indicated bythe blue lines and squares that representthe curves and lines of the vector).

4.) I removed the background square andchanged the fill color to red (just to checkthat I had what I was looking for, I couldhave used any color), after which I

5.) rotated the image, drew a box around it,colored it red and changed the redcrescent to white to complete the image.

I used a similar approach for the blacksquare and script for the fuselage sides. Inthis case however, I needed to find someway to recreate the Arabic script. I decidedto do it the old fashioned way, as you cansee in the second screen shot:

1.) I enlarged the photo,

2.) made a print and traced it with tracingpaper and pencil and scanned the results


3.) which I then traced using the tracingfunction.

4.) I cleaned up the image to smooth thelines using a smoothing tool, then

5.) drew a square and placed the scriptinside.

If you were using a raster or bit map editorinstead of a vector program, you can usethe scanned image to “paint” over it,creating your graphic. If you already havea scanned image, why can’t you just usethat? Of course, you can – if the image isof acceptable quality. Most images youmay want to use may be of poor quality,due to printing dot patterns, lack of color(black and white pictures such as I wasworking from) or just generally not a crispcopy. The whole point of doing thisprocess outlined above is to give you aclean, sharp image.

With the insignia now made, I needed tosize them. In this case, rather than guessti-mate, I just taped the wing, tail andfuselage on a piece of scrap plastic andscanned them. I then took the scan andplaced it in the file with my insignia andused it to size the decals.

Then it was just a matter of making thecopies on the laser decal paper. I usedclear film, so I had to paint the areas underthe decals white, which created one lastproblem. The decals were just a hair widerthan the white areas on the wing, leaving adark edge. I solved this by aligning thedecal exactly on one edge of the white,then took a X-acto knife and gently rocked

it along the otheredge to cut off theexcess.

The new laserdecal film isexcellent. Thelaser printer givesa nice, bright,dense copy. Usinga vector programallows you tocreate crisp, sharpgraphics. Thegreat news here isthat these toolswill allow us tocreate any images,any insignia, anyflashy graphics we can think of. We are nolonger restricted to whatever we can findin the piles of decal sets at the hobbyshop. Not that I have anything against thegreat decals they provide. In most everycase, buying a special decal set forsomething you want to build is the easiest

and fastest way to decal-up. But whenthere’s a subject that you just have to doand there’s nothing out there, you’re notout of luck anymore.


DML/Dragon 1/35th ScalePzKpfw IV Ausf G

by Bob LaBouy

Initial Comments and Caveats

For those who are keeping notes and trackof such things, this is the 3rd Pz Kpfw IVI’ve built, and follows close on the heels ofmy just completed Ausf E, also by DML/Dragon. In a ‘nutshell’ it’s another greatkit. Scaled correctly (to the dimensionsshown on several web sources), lots ofsurface detail and from my referenceslooks like the Ausführung G in everyrespect. As you have probably seen inearlier reviews, this is the third version of aPzKpfw IV that I’ve built (sadly my firstbeing an older Tamiya version built abouteight years ago) and I think there’sprobably one more ‘IV in my near future.Why so many of the same tank youprobably asking (while thinking that Ishould see some professional help withwhat you are beginning to surmise is aserious mental illness or at least a seriousvitamin deficiency)? As I mentioned acouple of years ago, this entire crazinessbegan when I read one of the scholarlyarticles by Stephen Ambrose in which hesurmised about which pieces of militaryequipment had the greatest impact on theoutcome of WW II.

While there are many similarities, there arealso several differences, notably that thisis one of Dragon’s Ausf E version (kit #6264), which is one of their ‘3 in 1’ kits;aside from the fact that several variationsof that tank may be built, there are also alot of parts, many of which you willprobably never need or use. That short-barreled version, as you may havededuced from my prior notes, was a realgem and builds into a great model, albeit aslow build since it comprised of many moreparts.

This current Ausf G version is notable inseveral respects. It is clearly labeled as a‘Smart Kit,’ which I believe means that it is

a simple, less demanding version to buildfor the modeler. This should not beconstrued to mean that it is simple or lessdemanding. There are often subassemblieswhich have only 3, 4 or 5 parts as opposedto the prior kit’s 8-12 parts for the samearea on the kit. It has a much smallernumber of parts — meaning only about600+ parts as opposed to the almost 1,000parts in the Ausf E kit. There are manyparts which outwardly resemble the earlierkit, though to their great credit, Dragonhas totally retooled and injection moldedalmost every part I can compare. Theymust have figured out how to clone theportions of a kit and its details andincorporate those parts into another kitand its sprue assemblies.

It is also important to note that (by mycount at least) this kit is now one of elevenPz Kpfw IV kits produced by Dragon.There may be more that I haven’t listed orlocated, but in any case someone feelsthere is a significance to the IV and itsnumerous versions.

I understand there is still some confusion‘out there’ as to ‘what’ to call these tanksand some of the more commonplaceGerman ‘panzer speak.’ If you can just adda few terms or words to your working

vocabulary, I suspect the larger discussionwill begin to make a bit more sense…..atleast I hope so. Here are what I think of assome of the basic common groundwork or–words, as the case may be.

Panzer - appears to be a very generalizedterm, meaning both the tank in general(regardless of the type or version) andoften interchanged by many writers andhistorians alike to mean just that – a tank.In movies and some books, any piece ofarmor is called a ‘panzer’ and in many otherinstances a ‘panther’ when they are notreally talking about the specific type calleda Panzer (or Panther).

The discussion then becomes a bit moremuddled when we throw the most commonabbreviations into the mix. At this pointthe English commonly used names, andthose which appear to come primarily fromthe Commonwealth or our British alliestake a major ‘y’ in the discussion.

Armor Types or Names - In the basicEnglish speaking terminology, we start torefer to German tanks by their major types(e.g. III, IV or V) with the version (Ausf. orAusführung and yes, that pesky little‘double dot’ over the ‘u’ is an umlaut andits use denotes a specific pronunciation in

photo by James Tainton


the German language and it also is oftenomitted or overlooked). The other, lessobvious type names include both theabbreviated Sd.Kfz. and Pz.Kpfw. terms.Where did they come from?

The Germans assigned a very orderly, butlong name to every piece of armor. Theseare known as Sonderkraftfahrzeug,abbreviated often with just Sd.Kfz (andmost often without the periods shown). Inthe west and certainly among manymodelers, you’ll hear someone (obviouslynot in the know) saying a ‘skidfizz’ this orthat. Shame. This list is lengthy, though avery small and abbreviated list includesthese very basic types:

SdKfz 101 or 111 Panzer I (Ausf A or B) orutility versionsSdKfz 121, 122 or 123 Panzer II and itsseveral major versionSdKfz 124, 131, 132 - 139 Wespe orMarder self-propelled gunsSdKfz 140 Flakpanzer and Panzer38(t)SdKfz 141/142/143 Panzer III andsome of the StuG assault gunsSdKfz 161/162/163 Panzer IVSdKfz 164 Nashorn tank destroyerSdKfz 165/166 Hummel and Brummbärtank destroyersSdKfz 171/172/179 Panther mainbattle tank (or PzKpfw V) familySdKfz 181 Tiger I heavy tank (orPzKpfw VI Ausf E and H)SdKfz 182 Tiger II heavy tank (orPzKpfw VI Ausf B)

As best I can determine, the full name isthe Panzerkampfwagen, which is mostoften abbreviated PzKpfw, though it is alsoreferred to at the Panzer or Panther (whichseems to be the ‘Americanized’ version ofthat word). This is also were the plot reallythickens. The word itself translates into‘armored fighting vehicle.’ Lastly, for themore ‘British’ (or Commonwealth) of you, Ihear them referred to as just the ‘mark’ thisor ‘mark’ that.

While on basic information, I should alsomention, I have noticed some confusionabout the meaning of the normal abbrevia-

tion ‘Ausf’ that sometimes causesconfusion. This is just that an abbreviationfor the Germanic ‘Ausführung’ meaningvariant or version; it is most often shownas ‘Ausf.’ There are often many versionsof each German armor pieces. For examplethis is the ‘Ausf G’ variant for the PzKpfwIV tank.

It was interesting for me to construct (orattempt it at least) this kit, as my originalforay into German armor was also a muchearlier PzKpfw III tank built by the DMLcompany, probably about 7-8 years ago.Boy, has this kit undergone some dramaticchanges and improvements. Once again,the surface detail is beautiful, includingsuch small detail as the hull welding andsmallest surface details.

The surface detail and texture is great anda “Smart Kit” has only a reduced numberof parts – only about 600! This accountsfor the dramatic reduction of the smallestparts and subparts that marked my priorAusf E version (with approximately 1,000parts) review earlier. Much quicker in the‘building phase.’ This kit contains a similaramount of detail shown on the inside of allthe hatches or doors, facilitating paintingand weathering of the interior surfaces anda smaller amount of interior gun compart-ment details. The tracks are once againhighly detailed individual plastic links,DML calls ‘Magic Tracks.’ I should alsomention, by way of an apology, thatAndrew Birkbeck finally introduced me tothe smallest amount of ‘nut’ and ‘both withpins’ that appear on these tracks, meaningthat DML has actually provided the tracksin two versions –- one for each side of thetank. It’s still crystal clear to me whichtrack section goes on which side and it isdifficult to see in existing black and whitephotos of these tanks.

There are the (by now) usual foul-ups andmissing ‘links’ on the DML instructionsheets, though this is becoming less of abother for me as I progress through thesebuilds. I also still find that a meticulous‘checking off’ of each part and piece reallyhelps reduce the apparent errors duringconstruction of the kit. There are also, as

with most DML kits approximately 50-70extra or unneeded kit parts for your ‘partsbox’ as I completed this model.

Detail Observations

I am not whether it’s a good idea to getinto the ‘details’ of this kit, but decidedthat it might help me explain some what Iexperienced as I attempted to build this kit.As in the case of most recent DML kits,this PzKpfw IV is a ‘gem.’ The amount ofdetail is outstanding. While this aspect ofthis kit is a wonderful, rewarding experi-ence for the most part, it also brings with ita lot of very detailed, sometimes repeti-tious work. If you want, ‘quick or easybuilds,’ don’t even think about this kit.

Why do I mention this? When I embarkedon the assembly of the suspension for thistank, which is by its very nature, one ofthe first areas one builds on this kit,beginning with the step #1 part of the kitsinstruction sheet. As in most DML/Dragonkits, it is clearly wise to both very carefullylook at the instruction sheet’s detaildrawings, lay out all the parts for each ofthe suspension pieces, attempt to holdthem or place them together and checktheir orientation with what you see in thedetailed drawing and on the kit itself.There are eight major parts for each of thesuspension arms, including the housing,the forks, shock absorbers, springs andtrunions. And this does not include any ofthe related bogie wheels. You will haveeight of these assemblies, four of whichare unique to each side of the tanks hull.These differences on the surface may notseem like there’s much of a difference, butas one progresses, you will quickly learnthat a misstep or mistake early on willcause one a lot of grief and possibly blowthis build out of the water. These differ-ences became critical as I attempted to dry-fit the two parts (which I believe are thehousings for the suspension arms: partsA25 and A11). The A11 (or A12) parts arevery close in shape and size, but whencompared side-by-side, you will see justthe slightest alignment of the small holes(onto which the rest of the suspensionparts are later mounted). Further descrip-


Thoroughbred

tion will even confuse me. Suffice to say,the ‘devil is in the details’ (as we have allprobably heard before). Advice: be verycautious and careful. Once you put ‘glue’to these parts, it’s ‘a done deal’ and youmay not be able to alter your course. I alsosuggest that you consider placing thesehousings (nos mentioned above) onto thehull in their respective places before youput the entire suspension sectionstogether and glue them. Even thought thisstep is ‘called out’ step #5 drawings,waiting till that point makes it a bit moredifficult, since these assembles are a bit onthe fragile side (in my opinion).

The plot thickens. Each of the eight piecesfits together well, though they require fromthree to four cut-off points each (from boththe sprue tree and from the extra small‘overrun’ pieces which seem to be moldedonto each part), each has to be carefullytrimmed and sanded and then againchecked for fit and location. The goodnews is that all the parts fit together verywell, tight and look great together. Anotherhurdle is that even though these parts aresmall and fit well, they won’t ‘sticktogether’ without some type of adhesiveand repeatedly fall apart, making theoverall task of dry-fitting them a real chore.I worked this aspect of the build, butassembling the parts into ‘sub-groups’ andthen putting each of these groups togetherinto the suspension part itself, then ontothe tank hull.

There are also several small parts, easilyseen on the sprue trees, which I was neverable to find on the detail drawings and afew others shown but only in a ‘distantview’ which is not shown on the detaildrawings and you have to use somejudgment as to their actual placement onthe model. Examples of this are the mainrunning lights (on each front fender top):they are shown only in a vague manner onthe drawings (though the small view of theleft light installed on a larger drawing [#13]provides my only real clue as to itsplacement). Then I made the ‘leap’ andremoved two small rivet heads on eachfender in the place shown in #13 drawing,drilled two #66 holes into the fender topsand then mounted the lights. These

necessary steps seem to be just forgottenin the detail drawings. One last ‘rant’ aboutthe maddening habit of showing a part (onthe overview sprue top view drawing) tobe used and then not shown anywhereelse in the instructions. It’s because ofhabits and ‘flaws’ like this that cause me towarn my close-by neighbors of when I’mworking on detailing a tank kit – everyoneshould keep their window drawn tightlyclosed and their radio’s or TV’s volumeturned up. It helps them to avoid hearingmy comments, shouting and sometimes(yes, only sometimes, quietly) swearingand comments about various familymembers and their descent.

At our last meeting, someone asked if theycould follow the practice many of us didpreviously when we could remove all theparts from the sprue tree as we began aproject or kit. If you do this with any of thenewer Dragon kits, you must be a muchbetter modeler than I am, or at the veryleast have one heck of a memory! Withseveral hundred parts, some of which youdon’t use in all of the various versions, Isuspect you’ll find that locating theappropriate part from the 600 - 900 parts inthese kits is an impossible task. Thisappears to be even more daunting, whenone considers the sometimes hard todecipher drawings and/or misnumberedparts.

And once again, the ugly topic ofDragon’s instructions. As always, it is alsocritical that you very carefully check thedetail instructions against the ‘kit reality.’There are the usual instances of where thekit’s instructional drawings are either veryvague or incomplete. I have found a fewexamples of where detail parts are calledout in one drawing and then not shownlater, leaving one to put them where onefeels needed. In this instance, building anearlier kit of this same basic tank providedme with the insight to accurately ‘guess’where the parts might be placed. In morethan one instance, stop, visualize theassemble process or pieces shown on adrawing section and then envision whatwill happen (or not more often than not) ifyou assemble it in one manner or the other.Sometimes a sequence must be established

and followed if you are to have any chancelater to bring it together properly. I alsolocated at least two misnumbered items onthe drawings, which weren’t difficult tolocate, using the schematic drawings tofind the part and its correct number. Atleast for me, I find this ‘missing informa-tion and detail’ a bit daunting at times.

As you have probably seen previously,Dragon’s engineering expertise does notextend to the kit’s instruction sheets inmany instances. Like I say, it really pays toperiodically perform a reality check whenthe ‘extra parts’ appear to be pilling up; thekit instructions may not always be asaccurate as we might wish for. In more thanone instance a detail is added on only oneside in the instructions while the tankactually has two sides and you have tomake the leap of faith and add it in a similarplace on both sides.

My departure from the ‘straight-out-of-the-box’ approach differs with this modelas I added one of the Voyager Modelphoto etch sets (#PEA090) to provide forthe turret skirts. I did this, because thereare so many pictures of these skirts (bothturret and hull sides) and I thought theylooked ‘neat’ and wanted to try to expandmy use of PE pieces on a grander scalebeyond the normal small parts includedwith the kits. I no sooner purchased thisPE set (about $15) and started to studyhow to install it, when as all modelers knewwould happen, you betcha, Dragon hasannounced a kit with this same turret skirtaddition. It happens often and I wasn’tsurprised, though a little disappointed. Ibegan this model by purchasing both theTamiya and Staler kits (#3554 and #218respectively). Neither kit even approachesthe Dragon kit in overall detail, fit orappearance in my opinion and I quicklycame to the decision that I would have touse brass PE to replicate the often em-ployed turret skirts. I encountered theusual fit and apply issues I have with otherPE parts. While the two-page instructionsheet look good, when I began to cut outthe brass details, trim and sand the edgesand then fold them to place and assemblethe skirts, I started to run into the usualproblems. I broke several of the brass


support arms (they are thin and foldingand refolding them more than once ortwice results in separated pieces. Fortu-nately, I was able to replicate those brokenwith pieces from my PE scraps and oncepainted, they look OK. I articulated theside door panels and opened them toillustrate both the small details and toillustrate how they worked. One mightconclude that I had learned my lesson, butI am already planning to build at least onemore model, probably an Ausf. H, with thehull skirts as well (in a Russian campaign‘white-washed’ finish). Overall, I enjoyedthe Voyager aftermarket set and feel it addsto the PzKpfw IV overall appearance.

And all along, you thought I was a‘shallow, slam-bam, thank you maam,’ typeof builder right?

Overall Evaluation and Summary:

Overall, I like this kit quite well and wouldgive it a 9 on the 10 point scale. I wouldrecommend it anyone who is interested inreplicating more of the German WW IIarmor and provides a much needed part tothe many German tanks I’ve seen whilelooking over WW II pictures. I thoroughlyenjoyed it and would estimate about 75-80hours time spent on this project. I thinkthis kit is a winner, another worthwhileaddition to my growing armor collectionand provides the modeler with a veryaccurate model of one of the Germany’smost significant pieces of WW II armor.

Trumpeter 1/72nd ScaleBAC Lightning F.1A/F.2

by Chris Banyai-Riepl

The progression of British jet fighters wasa gradual one, moving from the Vampireand Meteor into the Hunter, learning ateach step, until arriving at Britain’s firstsupersonic fighter, the Lightning. In termsof performance, the Lightning was anincredible aircraft for its day, being the firstaircraft capable of supercruise, and eventoday could give many aircraft a run fortheir money in terms of maneuverability.Electronically, though, the Lightning wasless than optimal, proving inferior in thataspect to the F-102, which was developedat roughly the same time. Still, the Light-ning was an impressive fighter and formedthe backbone of the RAF for decades.

Given its impressive performance andpopularity on the air show circuit, it issurprising that we have not seen more1/72nd Lightning kits. All of the previous1/72nd kits have had their various prob-lems, which makes the Trumpeter kit all themore welcome. Molded in light gray andclear plastic, this kit features finelyrecessed panel lines, a decent cockpit,open airbrakes and dropped flaps, and anice decal sheet with three options.

Starting with the cockpit, this will build upto a very decent office out of the box, morethan adequate for those building their kitwith the canopy closed. The seat is madeup from three pieces, while the tub itselfhas sidewall detailing and rear bulkheaddetailing. The instrument panel, control

column, and coaming are separate. Forthose wanting an open canopy, a simpleresin seat with seatbelts would be about allyou would need (although those wantingmore detail can get that with full resinreplacements). Also fitting into thefuselage is the nose intake assembly,which incorporates ducting, the shockcone, and the nose wheel well.

With the fuselage together, the assemblybecomes very straightforward. The wingshave a very good fit, and with care onecould paint the model with the wings off.That could make finishing quite a bitsimpler, as you would not have to maskaround the wing. The stabilizers arelikewise a piece that could be left off,pegged at the natural pivot point. Thevertical fin is separate, logically, to allowthe other variants to be made from as fewmolds as possible. A separate nose ring

helps avoid those difficultseams on the inside of theintake. The exhausts aresuitably deep, with a separatepiece for the rear fuselage.

For markings, all three optionsare overall natural metal (asindeed nearly all of the earlyF.1A/F.2 Lightnings were).The full-color markinginstruction sheet illustratesthe three options, whichinclude 226 OCU, 56 Squad-ron, and 19 Squadron. The

decals are decent, although some of thesmaller details are soft. The markings forthe 56 Squadron aircraft are not complete,as the instructions do not show the redwing leading edges found on the FirebirdLightnings.

Overall, this is an outstanding kit of theLightning, and one that will become quitepopular with the 1/72nd crowd. Here’shoping that Trumpeter will come out with atwo-seater variant down the road. Mythanks to Stevens International for thereview sample.

[Thanks to Chris Banyai-Riepl andwww.internetmodeler.com for permissionto use his, Jim’s, and John’s articles. - ED]

Powder Puff Trophy

A new Special Award added to this year’sIPMS Seattle Spring Show is the PowderPuff Trophy. This award is being spon-sored by Jill Moore and Marilynn Laird. Itwill be awarded to the best model built bya female modeler. It can be any subject andany scale. Your entry will still be eligible tobe entered and win in whatever catagoryyou are building for. At registration yourentry form will be identified as beingeligible for the Powder Puff Trophy.


Czech Master Resin 1/72nd

Scale De Havilland DH-9A

by John Alcorn

The AIRCO/De Havilland DH-9A was anevolutionary development of thatcompany’s DH-4 and DH-9 single-engine,two-seat biplane general-purpose bomb-ers. The DH-4 had proven to be a verysuccessful type since its service introduc-tion in October 1916. Powered primarily bythe exemplary Rolls-Royce Eagle engine of250/275 hp, it was, without doubt, theRFC’s best airplane in this role.

However, its primary weakness wasplacement of the main petrol tank betweenthe pilot and observer/gunner, whichseriously hindered in-flight communicationbetween them. It also placed the pilot atsevere risk of immolation/crushing in theevent of a hard crash landing.

This flaw was rectified in the follow-onDH-9, for which the pilot was located aft ofthe main petrol tank and just ahead of theobserver/gunner. However the DH-9proved to be a retrograde development,due to the unreliability and insufficientpower of its Siddeley Puma engine, whichdeveloped only some 230 of its intended300 hp rating.

Therefore, in order to fulfill the urgentneed for a DH-4 and DH-9 replacementwith improved and reliable performance,AIRCO decided to adapt the DH-9 airframeto accommodate the 400 hp Liberty 12 thatwas approaching quantity productionstatus in the USA. However, sinceAIRCO’s design and production facilitieswere then fully committed to the DH-9 andtwin-engine DH-10 programs, responsibil-ity for the new design was assigned toWestland of Yeovil, Somerset.

In order to accommodate the increasedhorsepower and weight of the Liberty 12,and to ensure adequate range, payload(bomb) and altitude performance, thefuselage structure was strengthened andthe wings marginally increased in arearelative to the DH-9. However, as the result

of this redesign effort and limited availabil-ity of the Liberty, the DH-9A was notavailable for operational service until lateAugust 1918.

The DH-9A began operations with No. 110Squadron, which arrived in France on 31August 1918 as part of the Independent(strategic) Force, RAF. All the airplanes of110 Squadron were “subscribed” (paid for)by the then richest man in the World: “HisSerene Highness, the Nizam ofHyderabad” (India) - and were prominentlymarked accordingly on the forwardfuselage. As a consequence, 110 wascommonly referred to as “The HyderabadSquadron”.

110’s first mission was flown on 14September by a dozen airplanes thatattempted to bomb Boulay-Moselleaerodrome near Metz. Although only sixfound the target, all returned safely to theirbase at Bethincourt. However, 110’sfortunes changed on 25 September whenfive of their twelve machines were lostduring a mission to Frankfurt.

On 5 October, while bombingKaiserslautern, the squadron lost four oftheir number to anti-aircraft fire anddefending fighters. One of these wasF1010, which came down almost intact. Itwas later displayed in the Berlin AirMuseum. Hastily stored in a Berlinwarehouse when RAF bombs threatenedthe museum in 1943, its remains weremoved to Poland at War’s end. There itlanguished until acquired by the RAFMuseum in 1977 to become the onlysurviving DH-9A.

By War’s end, 110 Squadronhad lost 17 DH-9As to enemyaction, while 28 more had beenwritten-off from various othercauses.

The only other IndependentForce DH-9A unit was No. 99Squadron, which flew a mixedbag of 9s and 9As until theArmistice, although two otherRAF squadrons took the 9Ainto action: Nos. 18 and 205.

Also, 53 DH-9As were used operationallyby the US Marine Corps Northern Bomb-ing Group, which began operations inSeptember.

By War’s end the RAF had acquired 405DH-9As, 149 of which were in France.

After the Armistice on November 11, 1918,DH-9As served in Germany as part of theoccupation forces. During this time theyperformed peaceful and mundane services- as personnel transports, on communica-tion duties, and delivering mail to Britishservicemen. As demobilization progressed,most of the DH-9A squadrons weredisbanded: 110 Squadron in August 1919,18 Squadron in December 1919 and 205Squadron in January 1920.

It is my understanding that Czech MasterResin will reissue this kit in the near futurewith decals and additional details depict-ing it in as used in its post war mission of“Policing the Empire”.

As a lifelong airplane enthusiast andbuilder of static scale models, I have aspecial interest in and affection for the“Ninak” - as the DH-9A came to be knownin the 1920s.

It all began with a set of multi-view linedrawings sent to me by my friend DougCarrick of Stockholm (but really a dis-placed Scot) in about 1988. This soon ledto an uncontrolled desire to render a“scratchbuilt” static scale model of thetype in polystyrene plastic. Although thusarmed with an accurate and detailed set ofmulti-view exterior drawings (Doug creates


no other kind) I yet required, and began toprepare a complementary set of structure/interior drawings, based upon severalgood sources that I soon acquired.However, as some aspects yet eluded me, Icontrived a special trip to England, andspecifically to the RAF Museum atHendon, wherein resides the only surviv-ing example of this type.

Then, over the next eight years (1990-1998)I constructed my modelling magnum opus- a 1/24th scale DH-9A, completed in thelivery and configuration of H3510, “L” ofNo. 8 Squadron, based at Baghdad, 1924/5.During this time I maintained a dailyconstruction log, which ultimately revealedthat I had squandered 6,400 hours of mylife on this obsession over a period ofeight years.

It garnered “Best Aircraft” at the 1998IPMS/USA Convention in Santa Clara,California.

Then, against all good judgment due to itsfragile nature, I took it to the 2000 IPMS/UK Convention, billed that year as the firstever IPMS/INTERNATIONAL, in Telford.There, to my utter delight and amazement,it was awarded “Best of Show”. It was thehigh point, to date, of my 60-year model-ling career!

This 1/72nd scale cast resin kit of the DeHavilland DH-9A comes packaged in a 26 x16.5 x 3.5 cm white box, on the top of whichis printed a very pleasing color profile ofF1019 from No. 205 Squadron by MichaelFletcher of Canada.

Instruction Sheets: Three sheets/six sidesof line drawings:

Each group of resin cast parts is drawnand numbered, mostly on page one. This“Parts Map”, although a common featureof most Czech kits, is a new feature forCMR. The following pages containisometric line drawings of components andsubassemblies that pictorially describeassembly of the model. These are excellent,well-drawn, thorough visual instructions,

with very few words -except for color notesfor wing struts,propeller, cockpitinterior, etc.

Multi-View Drawings:These, presented onpage eight, are quiteaccurate line/tonedrawings, of detailappropriate for this1/72nd scale kit. Page

seven features line/tone profiles - left andright sides of the three subjects for whichdecals are provided.

Resin cast components: With caveatsnoted below, the resin cast componentsare of the highest quality as regards shapeand crispness, in a color approximatingclear-doped linen. The wing panels,however, leave something to be desired. Inplan the top wing leading edge has a slightcurvature forward, and is marginallynarrow in chord at the center section. Thechord narrows progressively toward thetips. This leading edge curvature could beeliminated by separating the outer wingpanels from the centre-section. This is asurgical operation that should be per-formed in any case in order to impart theproper dihedral to the outboard panels;leaving the center section flat. The primaryweakness, however, of the wing panels isthe poor representation of ribs and inter-rib catenary sag. Spanwise, these featuresare only vaguely indicated by shallowundulations sans sharp representation ofthe ribs and no hint of rib-tapes. Thiscondition could be corrected by verycareful fore and aft abrasion using a rolledlength of fine sandpaper and/or addingthin paper or plastic strip at each riblocation, followed by airbrushing of fillerand subsequent light fore and aft sanding

with a roll of fine emery paper. An addi-tional challenge would be restoration ofthe barely indicated leading edge partialribs between each full rib. These commentsapply also to the tail.

Decal sheet: These decals are of outstand-ing quality as to sharpness, registry andcolor.

Photo etched plate: This small plate,produced by Eduard, is also of the highestquality. Noteworthy is the fine surfacedetail on the simulated wicker seat, andcolouring of the instrument panel andcertain other elements.

Overall assessment: On balance I considerthis kit to be of excellent quality, fromwhich a competent modeller can fashion aworthy facsimile of this fine aeroplane.

References

Aircraft Profile 248 - De HavillandD.H.9A (R.A.F. 1918-30), by Chaz Bowyer,1973, Profile Publications, Limited CoburgHouse, Sheet Street, Windsor, BerkshireSL4 1EB, England

RAF Operations 1918-1938, by ChazBowyer, 1988, William Kimber & Co., Ltd.100 Jermyn Street London SW1Y 6EE,England

De Havilland Aircraft of World War One,by J.M. Bruce, 1991, Arms and ArmourPress Villiers House, 41-47 Strand LondonWC2N 5JE, England

Windsock International - Vol. 20, No. 3,May/June 2004, Article: DH9A Colours,Part One, pp.10–24. Albatros Productions,Ltd. 10 Long View, Berkhamsted,Hertfordshire, HP4 1BY, England

Windsock Datafile 137 - De HavillandDH-9A by John S. Alcorn, 2009, AlbatrosProductions, Ltd. 10 Long View,Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1BY,England.


Model Hobby Definitions

by John DeRosia

(Real definitions we have heard, shared,and come to know first hand buildingmodels)

Box Art: The best selling point of mostkits. The box art always causes theunconscious mind to fork over the moneyset aside for food for a month. When youopen the kit - you go into shock that therereally are only 18 parts and there’s enoughroom in the box for at least 12 kits.

Budear: The expression used by modelbuilders that are married or living with asignificant other. The starting word whenyou tell your significant other that youabsolutely can not live without the newmodel, book or accessory. Example:“Budear - I have to buy that $3,000 photo-etch for my latest project. Can’t wepostpone eating until the year 2012?”

Channel Locks: those very helpful typesof pliers where you have the ability toadjust the opening for different sized paintbottles tops where you can’t open them byhand. Invented by paint bottle engineers.Keeps income going to the factory sincethey are guaranteed to mess up the paintbottle lid up so bad it will cause the paintto dry anyway when stored. You’ll have tobuy more paint the next time you need it.

Cheap Kit: Always the subject matter youare never ever interested in. Unfortunatelythe cheap kits are really the only ones youcan afford though. Your favorite model andsubject only comes in the newly releasedvery expensive version that takes a small12-month loan to buy.

Contest Entry: It’s the one model you’vebeen working on forever- finally getting itdone and believing it’ll be the only one ofits kind at the next contest. It never failsthough, 52 of the same Modern GermanArmy MAN6x6 Troop Transports show upthe year you display your pride and joy.

Cottage Industry Stuff: These are thenever ending ads and pictures in modelmagazines that convince you to buy those45 extra things for your new model. Whyuse all the good decals and parts thatcome with the kit when you can buy nearlyall the duplicate extra parts from the momand pop stores? You end up spending fourtimes as much for pretty much the samestuff that came in the kit anyway.

Directions: As in instructions. Looking forwords that describe each part - forget it.It’s almost guaranteed that the way theyshow the steps have not been tried at thefactory. Their company motto is: Let’s seeif this model builder is smart enough toactually do step 12 before step 8. The onlywords you actually found on that new andimproved kit were: Copyright 1947. Thepaint codes called out were banned by theEPA back in 1983. Printed history aboutyour model in the directions? – Funny.They know you’re going to go buy thatseven-volume $143.99 book series anywayfor reference. Saves on their printing andresearch. The pictorial symbols in eachstep were intended for a country wherethey speak only fluent Swahili.

Expensive kit: Related to ‘Cheap Kit’,usually the one model you’ve waited for allyour life. It finally comes out but takes asmall fortune to buy. Usually goes hand inhand with the state of the economy. Thistime, you have to decide - eat for a weekand buy gas, or buy expensive model andstarve. Dedicated modelers typicallydecide the heck with food and gas.

Extra Parts: The many extra parts you getwith your kit. Although not needed foryour current model, when you do needthem months later for another subject, youwill never find them again.

Injection Molded: The kit you’ve boughtwhere they accidentally put the test moldsinto your model box. The ones where bigsections are warped and only some partsare molded completely.

Kit Sale: Absolutely everything on sale atyour local hobby shop except the one and

only one item you want to buy! If trying tobuy it on the Internet - their stock ran outtwo minutes before you put in your creditcard number. They don’t take back orderseither!

Liquid Glue: The new space age glue thatnever leaves a trace of glue joints. Whenpainted, your model looks like it has neverbeen glued together. However - this glueloves gravity. It will always spill on yourfamily’s dining room table and it isguaranteed to take off that 100 years oldStradivarius varnish in 34 seconds.

Paint bottle: The little bottles you can buyto paint your subject just the right shade.However, the very small fine print on theside says, “If you don’t use the paint all atonce - it will be dry the next time you needit, sucker” – that is if you own a $10 milliondollar electron microscope to be able toread that part of it.

Photo-Etch (PE) Parts: The thing thatkeeps you from building a perfectly goodmodel. You are determined to follow thenew model law passed in 1998 that saysbuy photo-etch whether you really need itor not. You are determined to use the 639PE detail parts for your 1/700th Scale P-51Mustang. Once you see the quantity of PEparts to bend and mess-up, you rebox yourkit and put it in the ‘someday I’m gonnafinish it’ pile. (see Plastic Storage)

Plastic Storage: The many sized foggyclear boxy shapes with lids that you willput your prized models - both built and theunbuilt ‘someday I’m gonna finish it’model. Also, why don’t they make thestorage box you need to store that largemodel with the 18-inch antennas, 24-inchheight and 67-inch wings? Last but notleast - can’t they make square bottoms?What’s with these 12-inch round radiusbottoms?

Reference Book: The book you had tobuy since the directions didn’t print anyhistory on your model. The book that justmade your cheap model really cost threetimes as much. All for the one picture onpage 456. Makes it so much cooler to tell


Flying Subs and Spaceships

by Terry D. Moore

Moebius Models 1/32nd ScaleFlying Sub

Growing up in the 1960s as a young maleteenager, I was enthralled with the TVshows produced by Irwin Allen. Lost inSpace, Land of the Giants, and Voyage tothe Bottom of the Sea, among others.Looking back, I think my favorite aspect ofall of his shows was the really coolhardware that was designed by his artdirector. The Jupiter 2, the Seaview, theSpindrift were all neat ships. The biggestissue that put me off all the shows was thelack of quality stories, and it seemed thatevery one of his shows ended up withrubber suited aliens, monsters,werewolves, and even a talking carrot (yes,it’s true).

Fortunately, the interest in the hardwareused in his shows has only increased overthe decades and recently we’ve seen quitea number of new kits issued. Last year wesaw a new space pod from Lost in Space, anew Seaview kit from Moebius Modelsand now the latest release, the Flying Sub,from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, alsofrom Moebius Models. The newest flyingsub is 1/32nd scale with a wing span of13.5”. It is molded in yellow, gray and clearparts, and comes complete with a veryAurora-like stand. There is not a large

everyone at the next model meeting…”yeah – I bought that 47 volume on theairplane and let me tell you the facts inthere blew my mind”. No - your wife almostblew your brain out for spending threemonths of grocery money on another (notreally) need-to-have item…

Re-Released Kit: The same $2.16 kit youbought 19 years ago- but because it is re-released with the same everything - it nowcosts $345.89. This makes you reflect backto the ‘good old days’ reminding you, “Ishould have bought one 19 years ago –especially when I had more money….in thebank…and a job...”

Resin Kit: The kit you buy is not like thereviews you read about - you know:excellent quality, easy instructions and thelike. Your model has every surface coveredwith bubbles and sink-holes, or has partsso fragile they break from you just lookingat them. The small parts are best as-sembled in micro-gravity. This is typicallywhy good friends who suggested this kitwill not be getting anymore birthday cardsfrom you…for the rest of their lives!

Spray Booth: The one thing you probablywill never have. It’s more original to havethe little bug tracks in the paint or use thedust as pre-weathered rust like features onyour model. If ever analyzed, your paintedmodel will keep DNA scientists busy forfour years identifying all the traces ofdifferent animal hair on the wings….

Super Glue: The great universal instantbonding glue- the one that works on mostsurfaces except the two you are trying toglue together. Used the mornings of manymodel contests. It’s been six hours andthere are still no signs of it drying. It’s theglue that challenges you to find drasticways to unglue your fingers. The glue thatfinds the micro micro micro crack in yourmodel you thought you sealed up andruns right to that super clear canopy and‘frosts’ it up.

Tape: Usually the kind that always sticksto surfaces you don’t want it to and/or liftspaint from your best air-brush paint job todate.

Tweezers: A tool used to place smallobjects on your models – and designed tofling off to places in your home where youwill never find those parts again. They alsohave ends on them where small amounts ofglue will accumulate, where the parts nevercome off the tweezers when you open thejaws to let those little tiny parts stay wherethey are supposed to.

Unbuilt Kits: This reference usuallyreflects your current state of depression.You go around in a slump thinking toyourself “why can’t I ever just start andfinish one kit? Am I the only one with 47started kits all over the house and in clearplastic storage boxes?” The little-knownfact is by age 40 – every modeler has atleast 23.67 kits in various stages.

Weathering: The art of making your modelsubject look worn, used, old, etc. The onetime you tried it, you accidentally droppedit…in the wet cement in front of yourhouse, then a bird overhead dropped somegooey cargo on it, it fell into the cat litterbin, and you threw it into the air where itcame to rest on that old pile of leaves outback. Your 14-year-old son retrieved it,then months later, took it to a contest - andit won the best weathered subject everseen.

X-Acto Knife: Guaranteed to be your firstintroduction to the possibility of going tomedical school. You’ll get very good atcutting open things other than theintended item. It will also cut and scratchparts on your models you would havenever though possible. “Not to worry dear- I’m using my own blood to make thismilitary model look more realistic…”


Meeting Reminder March 1410 AM - 1 PM

North Bellevue Community/Senior Center4063-148th Ave NE, Bellevue

Directions: From Seattle or from I-405, take 520 East tothe 148th Ave NE exit. Take the 148th Ave North exit(the second of the two 148th Ave. exits) and continuenorth on 148th until you reach the Senior Center. TheSenior Center will be on your left. The Center itself isnot easily visible from the road, but there is a signpostin the median.

quantity of parts, but those that areincluded are well detailed. The parts allhave oversize alignment pins, which don’tdetract from the model and surprisinglydon’t leave any sink marks, especially inthe hull. The folks at Moebius havedesigned the kit to be super detailed bythe modeler. The gear doors have someinterior detail, although no gear wells oreven landing gear are provided. Thelanding gear was only used in one episodewhen the flying sub landed on a carrier,even though it was never physicallyshown. The way the interior is designed,using many clear parts, indicates that theinterior could be lit to resemble the realthing and as a matter of fact, I’m aware thatan interior lighting set is currently indesign for this model. I can hardly wait.The six-page, four-color instruction sheetis of the exploded view type, with a pagedevoted to color photos of a model inprogress to explain certain aspects of theassembly. Color callouts are based onscreen grabs from DVDs of the show andwhere they are not sure of the exact colors,give an alternate color. The model wasdesigned from studio plans and a 3D scanof a filming model from the production. It’sprobably the best kit released of this iconicsubject from the Fantasy World of IrwinAllen.

Pegasus Models 1/48th ScaleMartian War Machine

“...and when you wave a white flag itmeans you want to be friends...”

ZAAAPPP!!!!!!!!!!

Thus began the attack on greater LosAngeles and the rest of the world in the1953 production of War of the Worlds. Ithas everything one would expect in aclassic science fiction movie - space shipsfrom Mars, Martians, Los Angeles blastedto smithereens, the B-49, and in the end“humanity was saved by the littlest things,which God, in His wisdom, had put uponthe earth.” The first plastic model of theclassic Martian War Machine has finally

been released, only 56 years after theoriginal movie was released. There havebeen resin kits and vac kits released overthe years (I’ve built two resin kits) but nowwe have an injection molded kit in 1/48thscale produced by Pegasus Models. Thekit is the essence of simplicity with only 16parts, molded in gray, clear green, clear red,and clear plastic. Two of the parts are for astand. If you were to build the model outof the box, you could have it assembled inan evening and painted the next. It’s thateasy. Parts fit is excellent and the onlyattention to any seam would be the hullupper and lower halves. The halves of theray gun neck might need a bit of attentionwith filler, too. The fit of the clear parts isalso excellent and no filler putty is requiredanywhere with the clear parts. Probablythe most difficult part of the model wouldbe to put an even coat of copper paint onit. This model also screams be lit and thekit design is such that no modificationwould have to be made to light it up. Andif you want to cheat, an assembled versionof the kit, complete with a shiny copperfinish, has also been issued.

Both review samples supplied by mywallet.

Documents

Seattle Chapter News · Albatros D.III in Turkish Markings by Ken Murphy Each December, IPMS Seattle holds a group build contest. The subject for this year was the WWI Albatros. A