Photo: Vueling Airbus A320 – courtesy of Peter Shum 2Q19

President’s Report

Greetings and welcome to the second newsletter for this year.

As I write this, 24 June, you have a mere 137 days of build time before the next ScaleACT. Just saying.

Talking of build time, thank you all who participated in the Langsamer build. It was a great success and something

that we will run again. I do like the idea of a themed club build night evidenced the great participation we have

had for both the RU OK night and Langsamer. And these build nights fit in wonderfully with the feedback you

provided in the survey earlier this year.

Between now and ScaleACT there will be two great opportunities to advance some of the builds. Both Malkara

and Model Shipwrights will have a build table. Please take the time to participate. Not only are they an

opportunity to get some building done, but it they are both important events whereby we can advertise ourselves

in the community and further grow this club. And in due course, the Canberra Show will be upon us early next

year. The committee is looking to provide incentives for entrants, and as I understand it, we will be able to have a

build table there just by meeting some of their conditions. Stay tuned on that one.

And of course, in amongst all this is the AGM in August. A reminder, all positions are open, none of the positions

are onerous – all they need is a little attention each month, and you have to be a financial member to have your

say and vote on the night. The committee will send out more details in due course and we will also include a role

description of each elected position prior to the AGM in the event you are considering running for the committee.

Once the AGM is out of the way, the committee's attention will turn to ScaleACT......

President ACTSMS Tony Allocca

ScaleACTION President’s Report P1

From the Editor P2

Treasurer’s Waffle P2

Chief Judge’s Spotlight P2

ACTSMS Calendar of Events 2019 P3

2019 Model Events Update P4

Modelling Airliners – Let’s Talk Painting! P5-14

ScaleACT 2019 Flyer P15

ScaleACT 2019: The Kittyhawk Cup P16

ScaleACT 2019: The Sentinel Shield P17

ScaleACT 2019 “Grail” – At the Movies P18-20

ScaleACT 2019 Themed Displays P21

ScaleACT 2019 Traders P21

ScaleACT 2020 Special Category & Award Subjects P22

Platypus Publications: Book Review P23

Committee Contact Details P24

ACTSMS Page 2

From the Editor

Firstly, apologies for the delay in publishing the Q2 edition of the newsletter. There is a silver lining in this,

however, and that’s Peter’s follow-up article on modelling Airliners which you will find below.

As we hold more of these special talks by experts within the club, I’ll be asking for write-ups so we may have the

knowledge ‘on record’. My sincere thanks to all who have contributed thus far, not only have you been kind and

generous enough to present in the first place, you’ve graciously followed up by dedicating even more time to

write an article for the newsletter.

Editor Min Hwang

Treasurer’s Waffle

It is the end of financial year and we remain in a healthy financial position with 114 society members – not as high

as last year but it does show people are still very interested in our hobby.

Over the last couple of years, I have been deliberately finding ways to bring our balance down to around $6,000

as it was getting a bit too high but also ensuring we have enough to cover our costs and we’re getting there

steadily. This year we actually turned a small profit of just over $200 with an end of year balance of just over

$7,700.

The committee is continuing to find ways to ensure we achieve a neutral balance sheet over the year and always

welcomes suggestions and ideas (workshops, raffle prizes, etc) from the membership to benefit us all, so please

let us know. As always, if you are interested in seeing ‘the books’ come and see me.

ACTSMS Treasurer Paul D'Orival

Chief Judge’s Spotlight

I’m sure it’s been said elsewhere in this edition – but I can’t believe it’s already mid-July, with ScaleACT less than

four months away! I’m sure that many of you, like me, are looking at the calendar and wondering whether you’ve

left yourself enough time to get that special entry finished…. So get cracking!

Our March meeting saw the successful reintroduction of detailed monthly assessments. Thanks very much to

everyone who participated in this first-off event – those of you who brought your models in to be evaluated, and

those of you who helped with the assessments. I do intend to circulate certificates and assessment sheets to

everyone who brought along their models, so watch this space – and apologies for the delay.

We’ll have at least one more assessment night before ScaleACT in November, with the intention of providing

more constructive feedback on models ahead of the show, as well as practice for those of you who want to help

with judging at ScaleACT. Stay tuned for more details.

This will likely be my last Spotlight column, as I will be stepping down from the role of Chief Judge later this year.

It’s been a great privilege to serve in the position across four ScaleACTs and many more monthly People’s Choice

competitions, because it’s enabled me to appreciate the high quality of models that find their way onto our

tables. I’d like to thank both the Committee and broader membership for their support during this period, with

particular thanks to Min for his generous involvement, including but by no means limited to taking over the

running of our People’s Choice completion.

Chief Judge Brad Fallen

ACTSMS Page 3

ACTSMS Calendar of Events 2019

Month Opening Break Main Break Closing Other July 10 (Hellenic Club Woden)

Admin Presentation – resin casting using "Blue stuff" by Rob Tracz

• People’s Choice Draw

• Detailed Assessments session

• Raffle

August 14 (Venue TBC)

Admin AGM • Annual winners Awards

• Members Raffle

• Raffle

September 11 (Venue TBC)

Admin Presentation – 50-year anniversary of moon landing by John Saxon from the Apollo Committee. Modelling Real Space, Presenter – Gordon Whalley

• People’s Choice Draw

• What’s on your shelf – bring your completed real space models

• Raffle

October 9 (Venue TBC)

Admin Presentation – Getting technical, difference between a good model and a great model- Brad Fallen

• People’s Choice Draw

• Detailed Assessments session

• Raffle

November 6 (Venue TBC)

Admin ScaleACT 19 Preparations • People’s Choice Draw

• Raffle

December 11 (Venue TBC)

Presentation – Replicating water, let it flow, let it flow, Working with Photoetch – Paul D’Orival

• People’s Choice Draw

• Monster Raffle

Interim Vice-President Phil Keene

ACTSMS Page 4

2019 Model Events Update

Well, the first half of 2019 is all but done – where has the year gone?!? Nevertheless, there are more events being

added, so quite a bit still to go in the latter half of the year:

• 13/14 Jul 19 – Castlemaine Auto Model Show, held at the Autoplex Castlemaine (the new home of

the Castlemaine Hot Rod Centre), 35 Etty St, Castlemaine, VIC. For more details contact Kim

Michelmore on 0412 276 772 or email info@bnbbookings.com

• 13/14 Jul 19 – Gunpla Builders World Cup Australia, held at the Sydney Convention Centre, Darling

Harbour, NSW. For further information visit www.facebook.com/gundam.info.en

• 15/16 Aug 19 – Our Town Model Show, held at the Newcastle Jockey Club, Darling St,

Broadmeadows, NSW. For more details, visit https://www.facebook.com/ourtownms

• 24/25 Aug 19 – Queensland Model Hobbies Expo, held at the Collingwood Park Sports Centre, 235

Smiths Rd, Redbank. For more details, visit www.qmhe.com or Facebook

• 07 Sep 19 – Sydney Scale Model Show, held at the St Marys RSL, cnr Mamre Rd & Hall St, St Marys,

NSW. For more details contact sydneyscalemodelshow@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page

• 08 Sep 19 – Oak Park Scout Group & Northern Area Modellers Annual Modelling Competition &

Swap Meet, held at Ulm Reserve, 81 Loongana Ave, Glenroy, VIC. For more details contact Don

Williams on 0417 004 118

• 06 Oct 19 – Edinburgh Truck Show, (displaying military & civilian vehicles), held at the National

Military Vehicle Museum, 10 Sturton Rd, Edinburgh Parks, SA. For details, contact

militaryvehiclemseumpro@outlook.com or go to https://www.military-vehicle-

museum.org.au/event/edinburgh-truck-show

• 12/13 Oct 19 – SA Scale Model Expo, (hosted by SAPMA) and held at the Immanuel College, 32

Morphett Road, Novar Gardens SA. For details, contact the Expo Coordinator on 0418 185 125, go to

www.expo.saplasticmodellers.com.au/expoindex.shtml or visit the SAPMA Facebook page

www.facebook.com/SAPMAModelClub

• 26/27 Oct 19 – Wagga & District Scale Model Club Annual Show, held at the Kyeamba Smith Hall,

Wagga Wagga Showgrounds, cnr Bourke St & Urana St, Wagga, NSW. For more details, contact Odie

on (02) 6931 8594 or Graham on 0432 487 950 or visit the Facebook page

• 09/10 Nov 19 – ScaleACT 2019, yes, the premier event of the year!! Held at UC High School, 108

Baldwin Dr, Kaleen. For more details check out our website at www.actsms.asn.au talk to any of the

committee members.

Remember, if you're thinking of going to any of these events and would like some company, just email or 'Reply

All' to the ACTSMS distribution list actsms@googlegroups.com (it goes to all ACTSMS members who've registered

their email addresses). Anyone who then wants to hitch a ride or can offer a lift can then join in the email

conversation.

Events Coordinator Len Partridge

ACTSMS Page 5

Modelling Airliners – Let’s Talk Painting!

This article is a follow on to my presentation to the club on modelling airliners. In that session we covered the

reasons and the joy of modelling airliners, but time did not permit an in-depth discussion on the techniques used.

A major part of modelling airliners is the painting, on which I have spent many years experimenting with paints

and techniques for painting airliner models. I started with water/alcohol-based acrylics paints such as Tamiya

Acrylics and Mr Hobby Aqueous Color, which dried too soft and had poor colour opacity. Then I settled on using

enamels like Tamiya Enamels and Testors Model Master and got good results, but they were hard to spray

consistently and took way too long to dry. I then gave water-based acrylics another go and subsequently gave up

and went back to enamels and stuck with them for years.

About 3 years ago out of frustration I got some lacquers and had a go and never looked back.

Japan Airlines Embraer E190 – Working in progress with GSI and SMS lacquers

Let’s start with safety

Modern acrylic-based lacquers used in modelmaking do not have the toxic chemistry that the

older lacquers have. However, exposure to any chemicals should still be minimised so use

only in well-ventilated work areas. An airbrush spray booth with an external outlet to a

window is highly recommended as is a good breathing mask with filtering for solvents.

Lacquers and thinners are highly flammable and should be used and stored away from flame sources. They need to be transported by road and not by air which actually makes them hard to find and buy in Australia. Also, the solvents in lacquers are very strong and can eat into other paints, decals and even

the plastic itself. Care and technique are required to prevent lacquers from damaging your

models in progress.

This makes lacquers generally unsuitable for use by novice or young model builders.

ACTSMS Page 6

Then why use lacquers?

Lacquers completely changed the way I paint airliner models, giving me a better finish and much faster results.

They have many advantages: first and foremost, lacquers spray smoothly and consistently and are probably the

easiest paint to airbrush.

The finish is very thin and does not cover up detail. Lacquers are self-levelling and can produce very high gloss

finish. They also dry very quickly taking typically 5 to 10 minutes to be touch-dry.

Compatibility is good between the different brands of model lacquer paints and you can spray one brand of

lacquers over another without problems. Although not recommended by the lacquer manufacturers, you can

usually mix different brands of lacquers and thinners together.

By the way what are Lacquers?

From Wikipedia:

“Lacquers using acrylic resin, a synthetic polymer, were developed in the 1950s. Acrylic resin is colourless,

transparent thermoplastic, obtained by the polymerization of derivatives of acrylic acid. Acrylic is also used in

enamel paints, which have the advantage of not needing to be buffed to obtain a shine. Enamels, however, are

slow drying. The advantage of acrylic lacquer is its exceptionally fast drying time.”

Note the lacquers we these days are “acrylic lacquers” and not to be confused with “acrylics” that we modellers

refer to, which are a range of various alcohol/water-based paints and/or water-based polyurethane paints.

The Brands

Up until a few years ago it was rather difficult to get model lacquers in Australia. Floquil was the best known but

they were specialised to model railroads and was eventually withdrawn by the manufacturer.

In the last few years however, things have changed. Suddenly we are now rather spoilt for choice with lacquers

both from established makers and new brands coming on the market. More importantly, you can now get them

in Australia from specialist Internet sellers, and even your local hobby store.

GSI Creos

http://www.mr-hobby.com/en/

This is a long-established maker of model lacquers and is formerly known as Gunze Sangyo.

In the past, their Mr. Color range of lacquers have been difficult to find in Australia but are now available from a

small number of hobby shops and speciality Internet retailers.

GSI Creos is the brand I use the most for paints, surfacing primers and thinners.

ACTSMS Page 7

GSI Creos: Sample Product Line-up

Mr. Color

Probably the oldest and most prolific range of hobby lacquers on the market. Many Japanese and non-Japanese

model kit manufacturers call out Mr. Color paints in the kit painting instructions. These should not be confused

with their Aqueous Hobby Color paints which are very similar in packaging but are water/alcohol-based.

Most Mr. Color lacquers are supplied in 10ml jars but with some specialised colours in 18ml jars. These Mr. Color

lacquers are made for hand-painting and you will need to thin these yourself for use in an airbrush. This does

means you get a little more paint in each jar and makes Mr. Color an economical paint to use.

For airliner models I especially like the GX1 Cool White and the GX100 Super Clear III.

Mr. Surfacer

The Mr. Surfacer line is well-known by modellers as an excellent surfacing primer. This means it contains some

dissolved filler to the help fill and smooth the surface. Mr. Surfacer comes in a number of grades from Mr.

Surfacer 500 (the coarsest), 1000, 1200 and Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 (the finest).

Originally available only in grey, Mr. Surfacer is now conveniently available in black and also white which is most

suitable for airliner models.

These are lacquer-based and made for hand-painting; as such you will need to thin these yourself for airbrushing.

Thinners

Mr. Color Thinner

This is the standard thinner for the GSI Creos lacquers and it is my main thinner for thinning any of the lacquers I

use including all the other brands including SMS and Tamiya lacquers.

For past few months the Mr. Color Thinner 400ml size was in short supply and only the 250ml was available which

is rather expensive for what you get. Fortunately, the Tamiya Lacquer Thinner is compatible and their 250ml size

is much cheaper than the Mr. Color Thinner.

ACTSMS Page 8

Mr. Color Levelling Thinner

This is a retarding thinner formulated to make lacquers dry slower, thus helping it self-level and smooth out. It is

good for top wet coats on paint and clear coats.

I have found this thinner to be quite aggressive and can eat into (as in wrinkle) other paints especially enamels

and decals. I “water it down” by not using it straight and mixing about half-and-half with the standard Mr. Color

Thinner.

Mr. Rapid Thinner

This is the opposite to the Levelling Thinner and is made to dry even faster than the standard thinner. It is

recommended only for flat finishes and not for gloss

I have not tried Mr. Rapid Thinner as I really don’t see the need to make lacquers dry any faster.

Vueling Airbus A320 – Done mainly with GSI Creos lacquers

Qantas Boeing 717 – Done mainly with GSI Creos lacquers

ACTSMS Page 9

Scale Modellers Supply

https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/

This Melbourne-based business makes a range of excellent model lacquers now being stocked by an increasing

number of hobby shops in Australia.

In their range they have colours for general, motor vehicle, railroad and military aircraft and vehicles, as well as

specialist pearl and candy colours and paints for Gundam models.

SMS: Sample Product Line-up

SMS Premium Airbrush Paints

Supplied in 30ml glass bottles, SMS lacquers come “ready for airbrushing”, which is advantageous to some

modellers who like “shake and go” paints. I found that with most “ready for airbrushing” paints that I need to add

some extra thinner to help it flow out of the airbrush easier.

I do use SMS paints for some of their colours on airliner models, especially their aluminium on leading edges and

their Neutral Grey (which is a good match for “Boeing Gray”) on wings and tailplanes.

SMS make 2 different gloss clears, the original Clear which has a slight milky colour and the Super Clear which is

water clear. I have used both but trust the Super Clear more as experience will other clears which are not water

clear when new in the bottle may discolour with age.

SMS Primers

SMS have primers conveniently in Grey, Black and White colours. They appear to have less filler compared to Mr.

Surfacer and dries harder which can be preferable for some applications.

ACTSMS Page 10

SMS Thinners and Retarders (Leveller)

SMS supplies their thinners in 100ml bottle and have a separate retarder available.

I have not as yet used the SMS thinners as I use the GSI Creos lacquer thinners with good success with SMS Paints.

Lot Embraer E170 – Done mainly with SMS lacquers

ACTSMS Page 11

Tamiya

https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/lacquer/kit82101.htm

Whilst we all know Tamiya, the famed hobby kits and products manufacturer did not make any hobby lacquers

until recently.

The exception to this are the Tamiya aerosol paints, which are of course lacquer-based and many modellers have

“decanted” the paint out of their aerosol cans and sprayed them through an airbrush.

Tamiya Lacquers: Sample Product Line-up

Tamiya Color Lacquer Paint

A couple of years back Tamiya introduced this new range of lacquer paints which have over 60 colours. Supplied

in the familiar 10ml jars these paints are for hand-brushing.

I have found Tamiya Color Lacquer from the jar to be thinner than the Mr Color lacquers and therefore needing

less thinning for use in airbrushes.

Tamiya Thinners

Tamiya make both a normal Lacquer Thinner and Lacquer Thinner (Retarder Type). The Retarder Type has a

retarding agent which slows the drying time (a little) to allow the lacquer to self-level for a smoother finish. Both

of these thinners are available in a more economical 250ml size bottle.

ACTSMS Page 12

Other brands

I used both Alclad2 and AK-Interactive True Metal for reproducing bare metal finishes on aircraft. As they are

lacquers, they spray very similarly to normal colours. However, reproducing bare metal finishes deserves a more

thorough explanation and it is beyond the scope of this article.

There are other model lacquer brands popular with modeller such as Mr Paint (MRP) and Zero Paint but I have

not used or tested these.

AK XTreme Metals and Alclad Lacquers: Sample Product Line-up

Spraying

The good new here is lacquers in many ways are easier to spray than more hobby paints. Sure, you have to take

care with the fumes and not dissolving your model and decals as you spray but you will love the predictable

manner lacquers come out of the airbrush.

Nozzle Sizes, Air Pressure and Thinning

Below are the recommendations a fine quality double-action airbrush such our Runway 13 AL-133B Nozomi.

Work Nozzle/Needle Air Pressure Paint/Thinner Ratio

Detail work 0.2 or 0.3mm 8 to 12 psi

40:60 Mr. Color 80:20 SMS

50:50 Tamiya

General 0.3mm 10 to 15 psi

45:55 Mr. Color 30:70 Mr. Surfacer

90:10 SMS 55:45 Tamiya

Large Area 0.5 or 0.7mm 12 to 18 psi

50:50 Mr. Color 40:60 Mr. Surfacer

90:10 SMS 60:40 Tamiya

ACTSMS Page 13

Note the different brands of paints have different viscosity and some are made for hand-brushing whilst others

are “airbrush ready”. As mentioned before, I in general have found with “airbrush ready” paints that you still

need to add some thinners to make them spray better from an airbrush.

Some specialist paints require different thinning ratios. The Mr. Color GX1 Cool White is a high coverage white

paint and is also quite thick in the jar.

Priming

Mr. Surfacer 1000 is the main primer I use. I airbrush it to check join lines for imperfections and as a general

undercoat.

Primers like Mr. Surfacer are quite thick in the jar and require a lot more thinners for use in an airbrush. A

paint/thinner ratio of 30:70 is suitable for general work. Some people have encountered problems with the Mr.

Surfacer spraying out of the airbrush stringy like “spider webs”. This means the mixture doesn’t have enough

thinners.

Mr. Surfacer dries with a slightly coarse finish and needs a little bit of rubbing down. After spraying Mr. Surfacer, I

use some very worn out 1500 grade sanding sponges to lightly rub down the whole model and dust it off with a

large soft brush before continuing with the painting.

Applying Coat

Airbrushing lacquers is really no different to spraying other types of paints. Apply the colour in 3 to 4 light coats

rather than one heavy one. Lacquers are fast-drying and you need only allow a minute or two for matt paint

before recoating. Gloss colours will need a few more minutes.

Turn or move the model as you airbrushing to make it easier to get to all parts of the model. Airbrush any

corners, crevices and other hard to reach areas first before moving to the main flat areas. This make it easier to

get a smooth even coat of paint and avoid too much paint building up in the hard to reach areas.

Cleaning

Airbrushes and paintbrushes can be cleaned with lacquer thinners. No need for the expensive hobby grade stuff,

just the cheap lacquer thinners from the local hardware shop will do.

Be careful with lacquer thinners on the rubber O-rings in your airbrush. A quick rinse and wipe is ok but soaking

rubber O-rings in lacquer will cause them to swell up and turn to jelly. If this happens do not put the O-rings back

into the airbrush. Instead, leave the O-rings out to dry overnight and they will shrink back to their original size.

Same goes with your other painting equipment. Lacquer thinners will dissolve many plastic containers and even

the paint on the handles of your paintbrushes.

Special Considerations

Whites

Everyone hates painting gloss white and unfortunately with airliners you are going be painting lots of this. White

is difficult as it is very hard for this colour to cover over another colour, even light grey primer. If you spray gloss

white with a water-based acrylic it would take about 10 coats to cover grey primer.

Fortunately, with lacquers there are a number of high opacity white paints. Products like Mr. Color GX1 Cool

White and the SMS White would cover in just 2 to 3 coats.

ACTSMS Page 14

Clear Coats

As a general rule I never use a clear coat product that is not water clear in the bottle. Any clear coat that has any

colouration like amber whilst in the bottle would very likely turn yellow with age. So, your pristine white airliner

will in 5 years’ time will become beige! Testors Glosscote and Dullcote, and the Humbrol Enamel Clear are good

examples on products to avoid.

Mr. Color Super Clear III is the main clear coat I use but I have found the SMS Super Clear also to be excellent.

Yes, when looking at the bottle the contents are water clear for these products.

As the thinners in lacquers are quite strong, they can attack paints, plastics and of course decals. Too much

thinners on top of decals and they will start wrinkling up. The tip here is to use light “barrier coats” first with a

few layers of clear lacquer to protect the decals before going with the heavier coats to build up the gloss finish.

Start with applying very light coats over the model including the decals and leave a few minutes to dry between

these light coats. This means the lacquer thinners are allowed to evaporate quickly and do not get the chance to

attack the decals. Do not use any retarding thinners at this stage.

After a few barrier coats to protect the model and decals, the main coats are applied. These are just sprayed in

the normal manner to build up the clear coat depth. Between each coat you can rub down the clear coat with

some well-worn 1500 grade sanding sponges to smooth out the surface.

The top coats are done to smooth out the clear coat and produce a high gloss finish. With the top coats you mix

less paint and more thinners. Also here is when you would use some retarder or retarding thinner to slow down

the drying and allow the lacquer to smooth itself out and produce a high gloss. The idea with applying top coats is

to spray enough to slightly flood the surface. This can be a bit tricky as you can overdo it and cause “runs” in the

spray (too much paint and it starts to drip down the model). Fortunately, lacquers tend to self-level which does

even out these runs a little.

Closing and Further Information

Lacquers makes it much easier and faster to apply high gloss finishes. For modelling airliners, it has almost

halved the time it takes me to finish a model and produces better and more consistent results.

Peter Shum

ACTSMS Page 15

ScaleACT 2019 Flyer

ACTSMS Page 16

ScaleACT 2019: The Kittyhawk Cup

The model for the ScaleACT 2019 Kittyhawk Cup is the Eduard 1/48 MiG-21 “Weekend Edition” range and the

Revell 1/48 MiG-21 SMT kits.

Eligible models:

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21R (kit 84123)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21PFM (kit 84124)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21MF (kit 84125)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21MF (kit 84126)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21PF (kit 84127)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21MFN (kit 84128)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21SMT/MT (kit 84129)

• Eduard 1/48 MiG-21BIS (kit 841231)

• Revell 1/48 MiG-21 SMT (kit 03915)

Kittyhawk Cup Rules

The Rules are very simple:

• Only the kits listed above are eligible

• The competition is open to all modellers, ACTSMS members or not

• The model must be constructed strictly to ACTSMS ‘Out-of-the-Box‘ rules. No materials not provided in

the original box may be used. No aftermarket parts etc. No cross-kitting (transferring parts between

boxings) permitted. The one exception to the Out of the Box principal relates to decals (see below)

• Modellers may finish their models using aftermarket decals and/or paint schemes

• Kittyhawk Cup entries will be judged as a stand-alone category, provided ACTSMS judging rules regarding

number of category entries and entrants are met.

What is the Kittyhawk Cup?

The Kittyhawk Cup is a special Scale ACT judging category where all entrants must build a particular 1/72 aircraft

model, to our “Out of the Box” rules.

Oh, and why call this special aircraft competition the “Kittyhawk Cup? This comes from a project undertaken by

ACTSMS members to build eight Academy 1/72 P-40E Kittyhawk models in RAAF markings for the Australian War

Memorial.

ACTSMS Page 17

ScaleACT 2019: The Sentinel Shield

The model chosen for the ScaleACT 2019 Sentinel Shield is the Tamiya 1/48 Tiger 1 range of kits.

Eligible models:

• Tamiya 1/48 German Tiger I Initial Production Tiger I (Africa Korps) (32529)

• Tamiya 1/48 German Tiger I Early Production Tank (32504)

• Tamiya 1/48 German Tiger I Late Production (32575)

• Tamiya 1/48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger (32591)

Sentinel Shield Rules

• Only the kits listed above are eligible for entry

• The competition is open to all modellers, ACTSMS members or not

• The model must be constructed strictly to ACTSMS ‘Out of the Box‘ rules. No materials not found in the

original box may be used. No aftermarket parts etc. There are two exceptions for this year and this kit;

(see below)

− Out of the Box Exception 1: modellers may finish their models using aftermarket decals and/or

paint schemes

− Out of the Box Exception 2: modellers may add home-made or aftermarket zimmerit anti-

magnetic mine paste

• Sentinel Shield entries will be judged as a stand-alone category, provided ACTSMS judging rules regarding

number of category entries and entrants are met.

What is the Sentinel Shield?

The Sentinel Shield is a special Scale ACT judging category where all entrants must build a particular AFV model,

to ACTSMS “Out of the Box” rules.

Oh, and why call this special military vehicle competition the “Sentinel” Shield? This comes from the AC1 Sentinel,

the Australian-designed and manufactured tank produced during WWII.

ACTSMS Page 18

ScaleACT 2019 “Grail” Competition – At the Movies

We all love the movies and television, right?!

Since the very beginning, vehicles and props have appeared as backdrops or as characters for the action, to bring

life to the screen. And, of course, where there’s a camera there needs to be actors and characters in costume!

We invite Scale ACT 19 attendees to enter models of any real-life vehicle or item (props) that have appeared in a

movie or on television or used behind the scenes, and actors and physical movie/tv characters, into our special

“The Grail: At the Movies” competition category.

The theme of the Scale ACT 19 “Grail” special competition came about as 2019 sees the 50th anniversary of The

Battle of Britain – the movie, that is! – which saw many aircraft being used in the flying sequences (some original,

some modified, and some pretending to be something else entirely!).

What’s eligible for the Scale ACT 19 “Grail” competition?

Any real-life vehicle or item (props) that has appeared in a movie or on television, whether it has depicted its

original subject, or been painted or modified somehow to “act” as something else. Also eligible are models of

actors and physical movie/tv characters (not CGI or animated).

Here are some examples to get you thinking:

Movies

• Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L Buchón playing Bf109 and Hurricane fighters (Battle of Britain)

• The Psychedelic Monster B25 camera aircraft (used in the making of Battle of Britain)

• The aircraft in The Final Countdown

• North American T-6 Texan as Mitsubishi A6M Zero and Nakajima B5N aircraft (Tora! Tora! Tora!)

• M47 tank playing a King Tiger (Patton)

• Oddball’s Sherman Tank (Kelly’s Heroes)

• Tiger I modified from a T-34 (Kelly’s Heroes)

• ECTO1 (Ghostbusters)

• M3 Lee tank (Sahara)

• Max’s V8 Interceptor (Mad Max)

• Han Solo’s DL-44 blaster, based on the Mauser C96 broomhandle pistol (Star Wars)

• Moe, Larry and Curly (The Three Stooges figures from Polar Lights)

• Rick (Casablanca bust from Andrea Miniatures)

ACTSMS Page 19

TV

• London Police call box (TARDIS, Doctor Who)

• General Lee (1969 Dodge Charger, Dukes of Hazzard)

• KITT (modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, Knight Rider)

• Batmobile, Batcopter and Batcycle (1960s Batman)

What’s NOT eligible for the Scale ACT 19 Grail competition?

Anything that is purely imaginary, not based on a real-life vehicle or item

For example, X-Wing fighters, Star Destroyers and the Starship Enterprise are not eligible for this competition,

these belong in the science fiction/fantasy vehicles judging categories.

Also, models of purely CGI or animated characters are not eligible, these belong in the science fiction/fantasy

figures or Gundam judging categories.

One of the reasons this decision was made was simple – we don’t wish to gut the Science

Fiction/Fantasy/Gundam categories of all their entries!

Competition Conditions

Entries to this competition must meet the following criteria;

• Any model built from a kit, out of the box, modified or scratchbuilt.

• Diecast models or pre-assembled are not eligible.

Should there be any doubt on whether an entry meets these conditions, the Scale ACT Chief Judges’ decision is

final.

Judging Format

Due to the wide variety of subjects that may be entered, it will be very difficult to apply the usual competition

judging format. Instead, the competition will be run as a form of public’s and competitors’ choice.

• Best model as voted by visitors at Scale ACT – This award favours the biggest, brightest and the most

grand-looking models as that’s what the public likes and goes for. The Grail trophy will be awarded to

winner of this section.

ACTSMS Page 20

• Best model as voted by competitors at Scale ACT – This award favours the best constructed and finished

models as competitors appreciates skills involved in build such models.

Rules for voting

The time for voting has allow for a reasonable number of the entries to arrive before it starts, and also end with

enough time for the votes to be tallied up before the announcement of the competition results.

• Voting starts on Saturday 12:00

• Voting finishes on Sunday 13:00

• One voting ticket for the visitors’ award will be given to each visitor at Scale ACT

• One voting ticket for the competitors’ award will be given to each competitor at Scale ACT

ACTSMS Page 21

ScaleACT 2019 Themed Displays

We have a number of themed model displays planned for ScaleACT 2019:

• Aircraft of the Rhodesian Airforce (organised by Michael Cooper – he was a FAC pilot in the Rhodesian

Airforce hence his interest)

• Cruise Ships (organised by John Purcell)

• “75th Anniversary of 1944” (organised by Mike Grieve)

Please have a think about the above and consider if there’s something that you want to build in the near future

that you can put towards a display, or if you already have something appropriate on your modelling shelf. Please

contact the display organiser if there’s anything to can add.

Further, we’re planning a “Past Winners” display of models that have received awards at previous ScaleACT

events. If you’ve won a judging category or special award, we’d like to see your model again!

Alternatively, if you have an idea for a great themed display that you and your comrades would like to create –

no, it doesn’t have to be related to an anniversary – please let Mike Grieve (actsms@hotmail.com) know ASAP.

ScaleACT 2019 Traders

The following traders have accepted our invitation:

• Burfitt Tools (http://www.burfitt.com.au/shop/)

• Firestorm Models (http://www.firestormmodels.com/store/home.php)

• Hawkeye Models Australia (http://www.hawkeyemodels.com.au/)

• Jesse Owens

• Kerroby Models (http://kerrobymodels.com/)

• ModelArt Australia (http://www.modelartaus.com)

• MouseHouse Enterprises (http://www.mheaust.com.au/MHE/MHEmain.htm)

• Red Roo Models (http://www.redroomodels.com/)

• Ronnel’s Hobbies (http://www.ronnelshobbies.com/)

• Runway 13 (http://runway13.com/store/ )

• SANDLE Hobbies (http://sandlehobbies.com/)

• Scale Modellers Supply (https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/)

• SPECMOD Models (http://www.specmod.com/)

• Star Hobbies (http://starhobbies.com.au)

ACTSMS Page 22

ScaleACT 2020 Special Category & Award Subjects

Kittyhawk Cup

The Kittyhawk Cup is a special Scale ACT judging category where all entrants must build a particular aircraft

model, strictly to "Out of the Box" rules.

The model chosen as the subject for the ACTSMS Scale ACT 20 Kittyhawk Cup was the Airfix 1/48 P-51 Mustang

range of kits (four boxings at the time of writing).

Sentinel Shield

The Sentinel Shield is a special Scale ACT judging category where all entrants must build a particular AFV model,

strictly to "Out of the Box" rules.

The model chosen as the subject for the ACTSMS Scale ACT 20 Sentinel Shield was the Tamiya 1/48 Churchill

Mk.VII Crocodile tank kit.

The Grail 2020

“The Grail” is the third of our special themed competitions, the subject of which changes from year-to-year.

The Scale ACT 20 “Grail” competition theme is entitled “QANTAS centenary”. In recognition of the centenary of

QANTAS (established November 1920), enter any aircraft or vehicle (ground or water) in the markings of QANTAS

or any of its affiliate airline companies (JetStar Airways, QantasLink, Qantas Freight, Impulse Airlines, Australian

Airlines, Jetconnect, TAA, Australia Asia Airlines). Also eligible are models of personnel in QANTAS and affiliates

uniforms.

Real-life subjects only, no ‘what if’. Diecast models are not eligible.

We will see if we can arrange a special prize or two to commemorate the centenary, and we are planning a special

themed display to complement this competition!

Cars Special Award 2020

Our annual cars special award is designed to encourage entries in our six car categories.

The Scale ACT 20 cars special award theme is entitled “Best Open Wheeler”

In recognition of the 70th anniversary of Formula 1, enter any open wheeler car (eg. F1, F2, F3, go-carts, Indy cars)

in any of the car categories, and be in the running for the Best Open Wheeler award

Diecast models are not eligible.

Please see the ACTSMS website (http://actsms.asn.au) for further details!

ACTSMS Page 23

Platypus Publications

SPOTLIGHT ON – ON THE FLY Review by John Baxter

The medium of computer-generated images (CGI) has

come a very long way in a very short time. Images these

days seriously rival photography – very good photography.

STRATUS/Mushroom Model Publications have long

published unusual aviation topics and the ‘Spotlight On’

series has introduced some amazing CGI within these. The

use of superior CGI enables us to see some exotic aircraft,

never photographed in colour, and see them as they were

in their ‘moment in the sun’.

This book is an exception to previous Stratus ‘Spotlight On’

publications. Firstly, it does not concentrate on just one

particular type of aircraft, rather it showcases some of the

art of Marek Rys often used to illustrate Stratus

publications! This is an A4 sized, laminated card covered,

46-page book featuring some amazing CGIs. Some of these

are recognisable as having featured as covers on previous

Stratus books. Secondly, the images enable the aircraft to

often be seen in attitudes difficult if not impossible to

photograph, thus showing aircraft in some amazing

aspects. Usually, these aircraft are only shown as profiles.

Marek has achieved something here that is quite special –

not a single profile.

Types included are – Bristol F.2B Fighter, Fokker D.VII, PZL P.1, Caudron Renault CR.714, Morane Saulnier MS.

406, Junkers Ju 88A-1, Supermarine Spitfire II, Supermarine Spitfire XVI, Supermarine Spitfire IX, Junkers Ju 87D,

Supermarine Spitfire VIII, Focke-Wulf Ta 154, Bartini T-118, Junkers Bomber Project (a Luftwaffe ’46 type), PZL

Lim-6bis, MiG-19PM, Convair B-58 Hustler and MiG-29.

Now, this is purely an aviation art book. It has no text whatsoever, only type captions for each aircraft illustrated

and a short three paragraph introduction by Marek. Accordingly, its appeal will be somewhat limited. Despite

this, it is an excellent book showcasing a nice selection of a variety of aircraft types across the ages.

It is available from Platypus Publications – contact Ley at platypuspubs@y7mail.com or 02 4753 6148. RRP is

$35.00. ISBN 9788365958044.

Many thanks to Ley Reynolds of Platypus Publications for the review copy.

ACTSMS Page 24

Committee Contact Details

President Tony Allocca tonyallocca1962@gmail.com

Interim Vice-President Phil Keene philandsarah@grapevine.net.au

Secretary Matt Jorgensen matt_jorgs@hotmail.com

Treasurer Paul D’Orival Doz72@yahoo.com.au

Editor Min Hwang minjih@gmail.com

Events Coordinator Len Partridge len_partridge@hotmail.com

Chief Judge Brad Fallen lynleybradley@aol.com

E Coordinator Jerry Cashman jerry.cashman@readingroom.com

ACTSMS Post Box PO Box 600 Woden, ACT 2606

E: actsms@hotmail.com W: www.actsms.asn.au

Justice of the Peace John D. Purcell Life Member ACTSMS