The

FlakSheet November 2011

All the News We Make Up to Fit

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 1

John Huggins displaying his 1/72 Lockheed C-5N, showing

the folded wings and tail to fellow NCT members.

The Prez Sez! Time to write another Prez Sez! It’s the morning after that

tremendous choke displayed by our beloved Ranger’s!!!!

Game six reminded me of that old Get Smart line…”Missed

it by THAT much!” Of course in this case we have to add the

word…”TWICE!!!!!” I’m glad I’ve never been a huge fan of

baseball. Comes from growing up with the Red Sox with

whom I spent the bulk of my youth learning the meaning of

the word choke!!

I’m on a new computer this month and it was a pain to get

all my files brought over. As a result, I’m still missing a

bunch of email addresses which is how this old boy

remembers who people’s names are. Therefore I will thank

our terrific Newsletter editor, Mr. Frank Landrus for filling in

the correct names when I mess them up. (With any luck you

the reader will never know that I missed them!) Was that last

auction a great time? I had a lot of fun and I suspect that most

of you did too. Thanks go out to our auctioneers, Frank, Sean,

and Jeff Bankston. Also we want to thank Trevin Baker and

Randy Spurr for running the money pit with their usual

degree of style and grace. Finally let’s not forgot all of the

members who showed up with a great variety of items for

those of us in the mood to buy. It’s rewarding to see such a

large group of people showing up at our meetings these days

and I trust it will continue.

This month our meeting will be held at the Lancaster

Airport chapter of the Confederate (ok Commemorative) Air

Force. Frank has inserted maps into the newsletter for those

of you not familiar with the area. I’m excited to only have to

drive 10 minutes to get to the meeting for a change. I’m not

exactly sure what is in store for the meeting but I’m sure it

will be interesting. I suggest that we all treat the meeting as

normal so please bring any items of interest that you’ve

acquired in the past month for your fellow modelers to

admire.

I have just returned from a whirlwind tour of several of the

local Half Price Bookstores and was able to find a BUNCH

of books of interest to me as a modeler, especially at the store

in Rockwall. I found a mint edition of Ullmann’s books of

Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings which was complete

with the color chips in the back. This is a great companion to

Merrick’s book that I already owned. Funny thing was that

the book I found still had its original MAL price tag on it. A

$59.95 book for 15% off of $28.49 (I had a calendar coupon

with me), who could I pass up that bargain!! This is an every

couple of weeks event for my wife and I can you can often

find some real gems to support your modeling work at least

with respect to reference materials. Just to give you an idea,

in addition to Ullmann’s book I also picked up today: Four

Osprey books I didn’t have, A color history of the F-5,

Squadron In-action #121 on the Hawker Hunter, Squadron’s

Fighting Colors USAF Europe, an NASM volume on the P-

80 and another on the FW-190, Legends of the Air Vol 1, F-

86, Mig-15 and Hawker Hunter, Jay Miller’s book on the

Lockheed Skunkworks, Thomas and Ketley’s book on KG-

200 and Bill Yenne’s book on the history of Rockwell

(including all of the info on North American Aviation) In any

case I’m still psyched by the haul. (NO I am not being paid

by Half Price Books!!)

I’ve been a bit busy to do much modeling this month

although I do have the fuselage buttoned up on my Ar-234C.

I’m got a perfectly good Hasegawa version and the Pro-

Modeler version sitting on the shelf but, of course, I decide to

build by old Hobbycraft version and stuff it full of resin parts

designed for the Hasegawa kit in the first place!! It took some

grinding but the cockpit is finally in place. I report more on

this kit next month after I have some time to build during

Thanksgiving.

Can you believe that it’s already the end of October!!

Thanksgiving is coming fast and Christmas won’t be far off.

Remember that we’ve moved the Christmas party to Dec 10th

at Doc’s house which is a Saturday. Also remember to bring

that extra gift for the donation box for the vets!! Probably a

good idea to wrap those donation gifts too so that disgruntled

gift game winners won’t be tempted to start swapping out

from the donation box. Keep in mind as we said at the last

meeting, the vets can use modeling accessories and

consumables as well. I’m certain that paints, glues, setting

solutions, etc would also come in handy for the guys who

have given so much in service to our great nation.

Let me wrap up now with a couple of final tidbits. I’ve not

had a chance to talk to Trevin by email because of this new

computer but he’s been in contact with the folks at Mesquite

Convention Center to set the date for ScaleFest 2012. We’ll

get a report at the next meeting and see where we are at

(Trevin, I hope you’re reading this newsletter!!) The final

tidbit is that when I restore my files to this new hard drive I

found an article I wrote for Scale Aircraft Modelling that

never got published because they changed editors and the

new guy didn’t want an article on such an uncommon subject.

It’s a 1/32 resin Alpha Jet. I’ve given the copy to Frank with

this email along with all the photos. See you in a couple of

week in Lancaster.

Happy Modeling Don

Don Capone, IPMS 45394

Proud IPMS NCT member since 2001

Don’t Forget!

The next NCT meeting is Sunday, 11/13/11:

CAF Chapter in Lancaster, Texas

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 2

The VP’s Notes!

November 13, 2011

Lancaster Regional Airport – DFW Wing of the

CAF

We will meet at the CAF facilities at the Lancaster

Regional Airport. Steve Bennett, Wing Leader of the

DFW Wing, has agreed to give a briefing on the wing's

status and ongoing projects. CAF has two hangars at the

airport. The Lancaster Regional Airport is located at

730 Ferris Road, Lancaster.

December 10, 2011

NCT Annual Christmas Party

Doc and Jean Webber have generously offered to

once again host the NCT Chapter’s annual Christmas

Party. Please note that the party will take place on

Saturday night and will start at 6:30 pm. While the

Webbers will provide the location, NCT members

attending the party will supply food and beverages.

Please contact Doc or Jean at 214-348-3526 or

biged69@juno.com to let them know what you would

like to bring or what they would like you to bring. One

of the highlights of the evening will be our annual gift

exchange challenge. Gifts should have a value of

$20.00 or more and must be wrapped. There will be two

exchanges – modeler’s types of gifts and women’s

types of gifts. You can decide which group you would

like to participate in. Models kits do not have to be

sealed but must be complete. Please do not bring

partially assembled kits. Address and directions will be

provided in the November Flaksheet.

January 8, 2012

Guest Speaker – Former B-25 Pilot

Jeff Bankston is making arrangements for a former B-

25 pilot to talk about his experiences in WW II at the

meeting.

John Walen

John Walen, IPMS 17482

Proud IPMS NCT member since 1982

Dallas-Fort Worth Wing, Commemorative Air Force

http://www.dfwwing.com/

Lancaster Municipal Airport

630 Ferris Road, Lancaster, Texas 75115

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 3

In 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, the

United States was thrust into the mainstream of international

affairs and gained status as a world power, acquiring as

possessions the Philippines and Guam in the Pacific, then

Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. In 1904, the United States also

established a naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to

ensure the safety of the Panama Canal, then under

construction.

President Theodore Roosevelt thorough out the eight years

(1901-1909) of his administration vigorously advocated the

upgrading and expansion of the US fleet in order to protect

American interests abroad. From 1904 to 1907, American

shipyards turned out 11 new battleships giving the Navy

formidable new battle capabilities. This was timely, for, in

1906 hostilities with Japan seemed possible; the Japanese

navy dominated the Pacific and posed a potential threat to

the Philippines.

America's problems with Japan arose shortly after

Roosevelt mediated the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1906, ending

the Russo-Japanese War. In that conflict the Russian fleet

had been annihilated by the Japanese. But despite their

triumphs over the Russians on the high seas, the Japanese

failed to get all they felt they deserved at the peace table and

blamed Roosevelt for it.

Roosevelt did not want a confrontation with Japan, as the

United States was ill-prepared for war. Most of our battle

fleet was concentrated in the Atlantic, and there were only a

handful of armored cruisers on duty in the Pacific. In the

event of war with Japan, this small contingent that made up

the Asiatic Battle Fleet would have to abandon the

Philippines for West Coast ports until the United States had

strength enough to go on the offensive.

Thus, to impress upon Japan that the US Navy could shift

from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Roosevelt ordered the

Atlantic Battle Fleet to sail around the world. After the fleet

crossed the Pacific, Japanese leaders realized that the

balance of power in the Pacific had significantly changed.

Roosevelt also wanted to find out what condition the fleet

would be in after such a transit. As he stated before the fleet's

departure, "I want all failures, blunders and shortcomings to

be made apparent in time of peace and not in time of war."

But, more importantly, Roosevelt felt that a successful

cruise of this magnitude would provide the American people

with an example of naval preparedness, strength and range.

Such an impression, he hoped, would help him get the desired

appropriations for four more battleships. With the exception

of the few highest ranking naval officials, nobody was aware

of Roosevelt's intention to send the fleet around the world.

Even the President's own cabinet didn't know about it. All

anyone knew was that the fleet would be steaming from the

east to West Coast in a training exercise.

Once the plans for the cruise became public, not everyone

was impressed. Some critics felt that this show of force would

encourage a Japanese attack on the fleet. Others were

worried that the Atlantic naval defenses would be weakened

by taking away so many ships. Also, it was reasoned, since

the Panama Canal was unfinished, the ships would have to

pass through the Straits of Magellan, an area that posed

considerable danger because of tricky currents and great

storms.

Senator Eugene Hale from Maine, chairman of the Naval

Appropriations Committee, threatened to withhold money for

the cruise. But this didn't bother Roosevelt, who replied in his

typically brusque and forthright fashion that he already had

the money and dared Congress to "try and get it back."

Nobody took Roosevelt up on his challenge and the Great

White Fleet got underway on December 16, 1907 with the

coal-burning ships' stacks spewing billowing clouds of black

smoke into the gray sky. Roosevelt had selected Rear Admiral

Robley "Fighting Bob" Evans to command the fleet. Evans

had stated earlier that his ships "were ready at the drop of a

hat for a feast, a frolic or a fight".

Late on the first day of steaming, Evans passed the word to

the officers and men of the fleet that after a short stay on the

West Coast, the fleet would return home by way of the

Pacific, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean and

then to the Atlantic. In short, they would be transiting the

globe. When this announcement became general knowledge

the next day, countries throughout the world communicated

invitations for the fleet to visit their ports.

The battleships, dubbed the "Great White Fleet" because

that was the Navy’s peacetime color scheme, were manned by

14,000 sailors and marines.

The fleet was embarking upon a naval deployment the

scale of which had never been attempted by any nation before

- the first around-the-world cruise by a fleet of steam-

powered, steel battleships. The 43,000 mile, 14-month

circumnavigation would include 20 port calls on six

continents; it is widely considered one of the greatest

peacetime achievements of the US Navy.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 4

Route of the Fleet

On October 12, 1907 the armored cruisers Tennessee and

Washington designated as the Special Service Squadron and

advance element of the US fleet departed Hampton Roads,

Virginia to reconnoiter the course of the coming battleship

fleet. The squadron’s port visits included Rio de Janeiro,

Montevideo, Punta Arenas, Callao, and Acapulco.

On December 28th

at Magdalena Bay, Mexico they

rendezvoused with the armored cruisers California and South

Dakota and waited for the battleship fleet to join them. The

California and South Dakota were Pennsylvania Class

armored cruisers.

In the early 1900’s the Tennessee and Pennsylvania Class

armored cruisers were the largest ships in the US Navy,

exceeding the largest battleship class by 50 feet. Also during

these years both battleships and armored cruisers were given

state names.

The battleships were also preceded by a torpedo flotilla

comprised of six new torpedo boats/destroyers (Hopkins,

Hull, Lawrence, Stewart, Truxton, and Whipple), as well as

several auxiliary ships.

Their route to San Francisco generally matched that used

by the battleships. They joined the fleet in San Francisco Bay

and were part of the greatest assemblage of US sea power in

the Pacific in the nation’s history.

The torpedo boats remained on the West Coast for most of

the next decade.

Special Service Squadron

USS South Dakota (AC-9)

USS Tennessee (AC-10)

Torpedo Flotilla

From the left: USS Hull (TB-7), USS Lawrence (TB-8),

USS Hopkins (TB-6), USS Whipple (TB-15), USS Truxtun

(TB-14); USS Stewart (TB-13) is at the end of the dock

Same ships different view – and yes that is laundry hanging

on rigging and not signal flags

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 5

USS Whipple (Flotilla Flagship)

First Squadron - First Division

USS Connecticut (Fleet Flagship)

USS Kansas

In December 1907 there gathered at Hampton Roads a

fleet the likes of which the American people had never seen –

sixteen great battleships, none more than seven years in

commission and some like the Kansas, Minneapolis, and

Vermont, fresh from the builders.

The battleships represented five different ship classes:

Kearsarge, Illinois, Maine, Virginia, and Connecticut.

Displacements ranged from 11,500 tons to over 16,000 tons

and lengths varied from 368 to 450 feet.

The 16 battleships were divided into two squadrons and

four divisions:

USS Louisiana

USS Vermont

First Squadron - Second Division

USS Georgia

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USS New Jersey

USS Rhode Island (Entering San Francisco Bay)

USS Virginia

The Great White Fleet steaming out of Hampton Roads

The fleet off the coast of Virginia

Next month: Part 2 - The Battleships of the Second

Squadron (Third and Fourth Divisions), Auxiliary Ships, and

Adventures Along the Way

Source Material – Most of the information and pictures in

this article was secured from various internet sites of the

Navy Department Library (History and Heritage Command)

John Walen, IPMS 17482

Proud IPMS NCT member since 1982

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 7

Mystery Ship

This Month’s Mystery Ship – Can you Name The Ship?

The last ship in a class of four, this ship was known as the

“Grand Hotel”. A notable feature of the ship was the

cantilevered gun-houses suspended over the wing turrets on

both sides and described as looking like “a pair of bow-

windowed parlors on a Regency townhouse.”

Last Month’s Mystery Ship

I’d bet most of you had no idea Sweden had monitor class

warships. The ship pictured is the HMS John Ericsson which

was the lead ship of the John Ericsson Class monitors built

for the Royal Swedish Navy in the mid-1860s. She was

designed under the supervision of the Swedish-born inventor,

John Ericsson, and built in Sweden. John Ericsson designed

and built the USS Monitor and several other monitor class

ships for the US Navy. The standoff between USS Monitor

and the much larger CSS Virginia during the Battle of

Hampton Roads in early 1862 roused much interest in

Sweden in this new type of warship as it seemed ideal for

coastal defense duties. The ship made one foreign visit to

Russia in 1867, but remained in Swedish or Norwegian

waters for the rest of its service.

John Walen, IPMS 17482

Proud IPMS NCT member since 1982

Capone’s Hit List

Fliegerhorst 1/32 Dornier / Dassault Alpha Jet

Introduction

I’ve been working my way up to this challenge for the

better part of the last five years. I began with the

standard fare of cockpit and interior components. I’ve

put off doing an all resin kit for many years literally

opening several kits in my stash and then gently placing

the parts back into the boxes without starting

construction for any number of excuses I’ve created

over the years mostly centring around the thought that

these all resin kits were just too much work, too

difficult or just too something!!!

My last jet build was a successful F-101B conversion

that had an entire resin front end grafted onto the

Monogram F-101B kit fuselage along with numerous

interior resin parts. Surely now I was ready to tackle

the challenge of an all resin kit. I chose for this first

attempt at an all resin kit the 1/32 scale Alpha Jet

produced by Fliegerhorst. Alpha is the first letter of the

Greek Alphabet so perhaps this is not such a strange

coincidence after all.

The kit comes well packaged in a sturdy box

dominated by the two resin fuselage halves. (1) The

larger parts are cast in a beige-coloured resin with little

evidence of pinholes but do have flash and residual pour

stubs in some areas especially around the cockpit and

intake areas. In general, the surface details were a little

on the soft side.

In some areas of the fuselage and wings the panel

lines fade out altogether. The smaller parts are grouped

into a dozen bags and are cast in a white-coloured resin.

These smaller parts have a noticeably different finish on

the opposing sides of the part. There was also quite a

bit of flash evident on these smaller pieces that needed a

bit of care to clean up prior to use.

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(1) The 200+ parts are well packaged in a sturdy box and

grouped by application into individual plastic bags.

The instructions are minimal and require the skills of

an advanced modeller to use for construction. I spent a

fair bit of time downloading hundreds of images from

the internet in order to have a good feel for the proper

location of many of the component parts. In effect, the

‘so-called’ instructions are only slightly better than

stating that the modeller should assemble the parts

contained herein until the result looks like a Dornier /

Dassault Alpha Jet.

The Fliegerhorst kit does comes with two excellent

multi-view colour drawings of two different subjects.

The modeller should exercise a little caution here as

there are some minor printing errors on the drawings.

In addition, the builder is provided with two large

sheets of stencils to match the illustrated versions of the

aircraft.

(2) The main gear wheel well mounts to the inside of the

fuselage half without the need to much filler. The

mounting location for the main gear is marked with the

arrow as the instructions do not provide much help in

this regard.

(3) The gaps in the cockpit floor were covered using 0.005”

styrene cut using cardstock templates I made by test

fitting ahead of time.

Construction The large fuselage is dominated by several alignment

pins which are both a bane and a blessing for the

modeller. They generally helped with good alignment

between the fuselage halves but did hamper prepping

the mating surfaces but not allowing a good wet sanding

on a flat surface. This would have reduced the amount

of filler required after the halves were assembled.

(4) The gaps in the fuselage seams were sealed with CA and then

wet sanded using Flex-i-files.

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(5) The sequence for the instrument panel begins with a base

coat of RLM66, followed by flat black instruments (a), flat

white enamel and oil-based yellow and red were used to add

detail (b), finally a drop of acrylic floor wax was added to

each bezel to simulate glass (c).

Prior to assembling the fuselage halves I installed the

combination main gear well/intake trunks on each side.

(2) These parts fit well with the removal of a little

flash. I then glued the halves together using medium-

thickness cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive. I used

accelerator to aid in progressing with the build.

The cockpit tub is moulded as an integral part of the

fuselage casting but there were some large gaps evident

on the floor of both cockpits. As sanding in these areas

would be difficult I chose to correct this with floors I

made from 0.127 mm sheet styrene using card stock to

first produce templates to work from. (3)

(6) Mounting tabs ensure that the correct console goes in the

correct location within the fuselage.

All the fuselage seams were filled with CA, cured

with accelerator and then immediately wet sanded with

Flex-i-files from 150 grit to 600 grit before proceeding

with construction. (4) I began the cockpit construction

by spraying the tub area, all of the consoles and the

instrument panels with RLM 66 (black grey). The

detailed painting steps I used to complete the instrument

panels are illustrative of the process used on the

consoles as well. I began by painting the instruments

and boxes with Flat Black enamel. I then picked out the

dial details as best as I could with Flat White enamel

paint. This task was made more difficult by the lack of

crispness in the casting. Finally, I placed a small drop

of Future acrylic floor wax onto each instrument bezel

to simulate the glass. I finished up with some coloured

details picked out with an 18/0 spotting brush and oil-

based yellow and red paints. (5)

I mounted the finished consoles and instrument panels

in their respective locations within the cockpit. The

consoles have tabs cast onto them which aid the

modeller in placing the consoles into the correct

locations within the cockpit. (6)

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(7) Masking tape sprayed light grey is used for harnesses and

seat liners; added after installing the seats. The prominent

buckle was punched from 0.005” styrene and painted chrome.

I prepped and painted the two ejection seats, again

working from photos of the cockpits obtained on the

internet. Photos I found of the seats on the German

version of the aircraft had prominent seat liners with

integrated harnesses. I replicated these using masking

tape first sprayed with light grey enamel paints. (7)

To correct some of the soft panel lines, I scribed new

panel lines where needed. I used Dymo label tape for

this process as the adhesive backing holds the strip of

tape in place quite well and one strip can be used for

many scribe lines before needing replacement. For this

resin the Dymo tape did not stick as well as it does on

styrene and I had to use a lot more tape than normal. (8)

(8) Dymo label tape & a scribing tool were used to replace panel

lines missing from the casting or lost during wet sanding.

(9) The vacuum-formed centre section was held in place with

masking tape while the Testor’s Cement for Clear Parts dried.

I will have to admit to a bit of indecision with regard

to the canopy installation. For the canopy modelled in

the closed position the kit provides a complete one-

piece vacuum-formed canopy for use. For those who

want to model the aircraft with open canopies there are

two clear resin parts provided, one for the windscreen

and one for the fixed centre section between the

cockpits. The kit also generously provides two sets of

vacuum-formed canopies (just in case) and resin cutting

guides to aid the modeller in separation.

I initially used a section of the vacuum-formed single

piece canopy for the centre section and carefully

mounted it into place after masking. (9) I mask my

canopies with an adhesive trim foil made by Monokote

for RC aircraft. It is thin, adheres well, and is much less

expensive than using Bare Metal Foil. I attach clear

parts using Testor’s Cement for Clear Parts. I filled the

seams with Squadron White Putty (thinned with liquid

cement to the consistency of pudding) applied along the

seam with a small toothpick. I then sanded and blended

the seams into the fuselage as required.

The vacuum-formed centre section later proved to

have insufficient structural support for mounting the

front canopy and I replaced it with the clear-resin centre

section.

(10) The clear resin parts needed careful polishing inside and out

to provide an adequate level of clarity. The part was finished

by dipping in Future and allowed to dry under cover.

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(11) The antenna strakes on both sides of the rudder were

removed with a #11 blade.

The clear-resin parts had some pitting and an overall

fogged surface finish (the main reason I had gone with

the vac part in the first place). I carefully wet sanded

the resin inside and out using MicroMesh cloths

through 6000 grit and improved this quite a bit. The part

was dipped in Future and allow to dry overnight inside

a sealed container to avoid dust. (10)

(12) Lead strips were added to the space under the cockpit floor

through the openings on both sides of the fuselage. The

strips were held in place with a liberal amount of white glue.

(13) The air brakes were mounted in the closed position and

required a lot of filler to properly blend into the fuselage. The

exhaust parts are also shown prior to attachment.

The vertical stabilizer is cast with the strake antenna

used on the French version of the aircraft. I removed it

with a few strokes of a #11 blade along the bottom

edge. The parts break cleanly and required just a light

sanding to clean up. (11) I attached the stab with CA

and carefully checked the alignment with the fuselage

before hitting it with accelerator along the seam.

I decided the best location for ballast was underneath

the cockpit floor. This location was accessible through

the opening behind where the intakes would mount. I

didn’t weigh the lead but simply packed 0.5 cm wide

strips into the space until the balance point with the

wings taped into place was forward of the main gear

attachment point. Since the main wheels sit to the rear

of the gear strut this is sufficient. (12)

The air brakes were mounted in the closed position

and required a bit of coaxing to get them installed. The

white resin parts did not have the same curve as the

cross-section of the fuselage. I did some trimming

during the dry fit process to match the shape as closely

as possible. I then attached the upper portion of the

brake to produce the best fit since this would be the

most visible seam during viewing.

(14) The port wing mounting tab needed extensive rework so that

the wing anhedral was symmetric when mounted.

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(15) Careful checking of the alignment as the wings are attached

to the fuselage is critical for any aircraft build.

I then “stitched” the part into place using drops of CA

in strategic locations. I then filled all the seams with

CA, applied additional filler where necessary and then

sanded everything smooth. (13) I used a similar

technique on the main gear and nose gear doors.

I cleaned up the exhaust nozzles and the fuselage

fairing and painted them with Testor’s Metallizer Paints

using Burnt Metal on the exteriors and Exhaust on the

interiors. These parts where then attached to the

fuselage using CA. I wrapped tubes of card stock and

slipped them over the nozzles to protect them from

overspray for the remainder of the build.

I initially dry fit the wings to the fuselage while

getting the nose weights installed and noticed at that

time that the anhedral was not going to be symmetrical

without modifying the attachment points. I solved the

issue by grinding the stub short and also tapering it on

the upper side to achieve a symmetrical fit to the wings.

(14, 15) I gave all the seams one more sanding and

filling check prior to painting. I filled the cockpit with

soft tissue covering the still vacuum-formed centre

section and wiped the surface with denatured alcohol to

remove and mould release from the resin. I completed

the major construction steps by attaching the horizontal

stabilizers.

Painting, Stenciling and those Fiddly Bits I began the finishing process with a coat of light grey

enamel along all the seam lines to double check the

quality of my prior work. I filled remaining irregular

areas with CA and then wet sanded again. I still had a

significant amount of additional work to do around the

seams as I began the initial colour coats. (16)

I was able to confirm from two different sources that

US Navy Light Grey (FS 36495) was a good match for

the RAL7001 underside colour. I only found

contradictory matches for the RAL 6014 and RAL 7012

upper surface colours and was forced to resort to

matching photographs. I made my initial selection of

Dunkegrun (RLM 71) and Grauviolett (RLM 75) from

the Testor’s ModelMaster enamel line of colours by

painting swatches onto small pieces of sheet styrene.

(16) This sequence of photos illustrates the work needed to remove

all vestiges of seams from the kit during painting.

I began by spraying the underside colour and allowed

it to dry overnight. I then masked the underside with

Scotch-brand 3M painters tape #2080 for delicate

surfaces which works well and is less expensive than

Tamiya tape. (17)

I began the upper surface by spraying a coat of RLM

71.

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(17) After painting the underside the entire surface is masked with

ScotchBrand #2080 masking tape.

I found a number of blemishes that required

additional filling and sanding before proceeding with

the camouflage. (18) I sprayed an additional coat of

RML 71 and allowed to dry overnight.

I masked the upper surface to receive the RLM 75.

(19) When I stripped off all of the masking I absolutely

hated the results!! The choice of RLM 75 had not

provided anywhere near enough contrast with the RLM

71 to match the photos I had of the aircraft. I did some

additional test splotches, this time against the RLM 71,

and decided that I would use Neutral Grey (FS 36270)

for the upper surface. I re-masked the underside and the

RLM 71 sections and sprayed the Neutral Grey and let

it dry overnight. The results were now much closer to

the photographic evidence and I felt comfortable in

proceeding with the finishing steps. (20)

The final step in the initial painting was to mask and

spray the anti-glare panel in Flat Black. (21) Note: The

weathering process on any aircraft is such that colours

fade with time and not always at the same rate for the

same portion of the aircraft surface. As a result the

exact colour is less important than just getting close.

Prior to applying the stencils I sprayed the entire aircraft

with a coat of Clear Gloss Lacquer.

The stencils are printed with a continuous carrier that

must be close trimmed prior to use with a #11 blade and

a straightedge ruler. (22) The colour stencils are

applied over a matching white base stencil in most

cases. This required two separate stencilling steps that

was a tedious but straightforward task. (23)

Unfortunately, the carrier film of the smaller coloured

stencils did not respond well to Solvaset, MicroSol or

MicroSet and some of the edges tried to curl away from

the surface during drying.

I mounted the nose gear and both main gear struts to

the aircraft. I chose a three step process to glue the gear

in place and help ensure good alignment.

(18) This photo shows a few additional blemishes still remaining

after the second coat of RLM 71. Taking the time to repair

these smaller defects is the key to great modelling.

I first glued the nose gear strut into place with CA

followed by the port gear and allowed them both to dry

completely. With two support points now in place I

mounted the starboard main gear strut using 2-part

epoxy adhesive.

I placed the aircraft onto its gear and propped up the

starboard wingtip so that the main gear would dry with

the wings level. Using the grid on my cutting board

really helped with this process.

By using 30-minute curing epoxy I had plenty of time

to adjust the final position of that starboard gear to get

the wings proper and the strut into alignment with the

fuselage.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 14

(19) The RLM71 is masked in preparation for the second

camouflage colour.

This required a bit of finesses and a little compromise

to get a satisfactory result as appeared that perhaps the

strut had come out of the mould a bit too soon and had

warped slightly.

I cleaned up and painted the wheel hubs with

Metallizer Buffing Aluminium, punched out tape circles

to mask the hubs and finished spraying the wheels with

Flat Black. I attached them to the gear struts in a very

similar process to the struts to maintain good alignment.

(20) The RLM75 was simply not the right contrast. I completely

re-masked the model again and painted the second

camouflage colour with Neutral Grey instead.

(21) The final painting step was the flat black anti-glare panel.

While the resin gear is strong enough to support the

model it could really benefit from white metal landing

gear. Perhaps we can persuade the folks at SAC

Productions to produce an offering for us. During the

weathering process I snapped the nose gear clean off

and performed a repair in the most inconspicuous place

I could find later in the build. (24) After breaking the

nose gear off (actually for the second time!!) I built a

support cradle from some Styrofoam sheet hot glued

together with which to hold the model for the rest of the

build.

I weathered the model with a combination of acrylic

washes and oil-pastels. Using an 18/0 round brush I

applied a grey/brown mixture of ground oil pastels

along all the panel lines on the upper surfaces. On the

lower surfaces I used the same technique with a mixture

more towards a medium grey with a hint of brown.

Working with one complete panel line at a time I

applied the pastel with the round brush and then swept

it off the model with a fan brush always sweeping in the

direction of airflow. The initial result is a bit distinct

but fades in the final weathering steps. (25) To

complete the weathering I sprayed a coat of tinted flat

clear lacquer over all the surfaces. For the major areas

of the upper surfaces I tint with a drop of Light Grey.

Around the edges of the wings and tail surfaces I tint

with a drop of two of Flat Black.

At this step in the build I realized that I had neglected

to paint the interiors of the intakes!!! I guess we all

make mistakes but this was a big one. I dealt with it by

cutting 2 mm wide strips of masking tape and carefully

masked around the intake and the surrounding areas

taking extreme care not to tape over any stencils. I was

then able to spray aluminium enamel inside the intakes

without damaging the finish on the exterior of the

model. (26)

The final task in the completion of this model was

mounting the open canopies.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 15

(22) The continuous carrier film of the stencils required careful

trimming before application.

(23) Many of the colour stencils had to be applied over the top of a

matching white background stencil.

(24) A small piece of styrene was used to repair the broken nose

gear strut.

(25) The panel lines were enhanced by applying ground oil-pastels

with a small round brush followed by a fan brush.

I removed the masking from the canopy parts and

cleaned up any residue using a bit of Goo Gone. (27) I

fashioned small hinge parts of styrene carved with a

taper fitting into the slot on the fuselage and a small

ledge to receive the vacuum-formed canopy.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 16

(26) The interior of each intake was sprayed with aluminium

enamel paints after masking. Caution: Please learn from my

error and do not try this at home.

(27) The canopy parts were dipped in Future acrylic floor wax

before masking and painting to match the rest of the aircraft.

(28) The final position of the canopies matches photographs fairly

well but the opening angles were too small.

Prior to mounting the canopies I cut some white decal

material to represent the det-cord on the interior of the

canopy. I propped the canopy into position while the

clear parts adhesive dried. (28) After mounting the

front canopy I checked the angles against more

photographs and decided that the actuator struts

provided with the kit were a bit too short to bring the

canopies to the proper angle and still make contact with

the struts.

(29) I lengthened the actuator rod and raised the canopies to

their correct height.

After mounting the front canopy I checked the angles

against more photographs and decided that the actuator

struts provided with the kit were a bit too short to bring

the canopies to the proper angle and still make contact

with the struts. So I removed the struts and kept the kit

cylinder but used a short piece of styrene rod to replace

the too short actuator. The clear parts cement takes

long enough to dry that I could then slip the lengthened

actuator rods into place and bring the canopies to the

correct angle. (29)

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), this kit is out

of production and is not currently available. Apparently

the master was being modified to the French version

and suffered significant damage (no French jokes,

please). This model definitely challenged my skills as a

modeller. I spent about 50 hours on the project spread

over several weeks. I’ve learned from my numerous

missteps during the build that I can put to good use on

my next resin build. Does anyone make a jet called

“Beta”?

Don Capone, IPMS 45394

Proud IPMS NCT member since 2001

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 17

Floyd’s Fling

Vintage Eagle Publishing 1/48

th Captured Eagles: German WWII

Aircraft Captured by the Allies

Mfr. Stock No: VE001D

MSRP - $ 20.50

Vendor Website: www.vintageeagle.com

Reviewed by

Floyd S. Werner, Jr. IPMS# 26266

Released in conjunction with the book, “Captured

Eagles: German WWII Aircraft Captured by the Allies”

these decals cover four different aircraft. The decals are

quite unique in offering both dry transfer and water

slide decals.

The instructions are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

They are included in a 10 page full color instruction

booklet printed on high quality paper. The four aircraft

are shown on the first two pages. This is followed up

by four pages of individual aircraft stencils and

markings. Two pages explain the dry transfer and water

slide procedures. The last two pages have the top and

bottom views of the aircraft.

The decals themselves are quite unique with both a

sheet of dry transfers and water slide decals being

offered. The dry transfer decals are printed by

Hobbydecal from South Korea.

The dry transfers includes the stencils primarily, as

well as, the aircraft serial numbers. They should prove

easy enough to use.

I especially liked the wing walk areas which are very

thin. The water slide decals are printed by Cartograf so

you know they are the best in the world.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 18

They are printed in register and with good color

saturation. The Cartograf decals have the individual

aircraft markings and the German crosses. Swastikas

are included where they are allowed.

The first aircraft is a Heinkel He-162A-2 from 1./JG1

“White 4”. This is a typical He-162 with RLM 81 and

82 over 76. The next aircraft is a Bf-109G-10 from

3./JG27. This aircraft sports an upper surface

camouflage of RLM 74/75 and 83 with a bare metal and

two tones of RLM 76 bottom. The aircraft has a green

RVD band, as well as, a “Yellow 7” painted over a

previously over-painted number. A Fw-190A-8 from

2./JG301 has a fairly standard paint scheme of RLM

74/75/76. The power egg and rudder are painted in

RLM 83 which will add some flare to the paint scheme.

The yellow and red RVD band on “Red 3” adds a flash

of color.

The final aircraft is “Yellow 7” from 3./JG2. Being

from JG2 the aircraft sports the yellow/white/yellow

RVD and mottling that is more of a spot type of

application. The aircraft is painted in RLM 70/81/82

over a two tone RLM 76 and bare metal bottom. The

airplane is carrying a bomb.

The decal set up of dry transfer and water slide decals

is unique but it should provide a great looking model.

You will have a hard time finding a better instruction

book.

The selection of aircraft will interest most modelers.

Overall this is a great first release from Vintage Eagle.

When used in conjuction with the book these decals are

a first class affair. Well done Vintage Eagle.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Vintage Eagle Publishing for the review

copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting them at

www.vintageeagle.com . Let them know you heard

about it from me and from here.

There is also a deal if you buy the book and the

decals. Check out the website.

Floyd S. Werner, Jr., IPMS 26266

Proud IPMS NCT member since 1989

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 19

Old School Modeling

1/35 Panzer IV L-70

Like many of you, I built models growing up. I loved

WW-I aircraft and had squadrons of them in a perpetual

dog fight on my ceiling. Cars and Girls replaced them in

High school. I did not get back into building till chance

intervened. A few years after High School, I got

married. My Dad helped me get a good job with Ford

Bacon and Davis Engineering company in Dallas. I was

a board draftsman/piping designer and had just started

to learn the trade. One day one of the lead guys came to

me and asked if I would like to transfer to his group and

help build a 1/32 scale model of a Sulfur Recover Unit

we were designing.

I jumped at the opportunity. Within a few weeks we

had taken on a few more guys from outside. Two of

them James Sharp and Lee Thomas were also in the

hobby and members of an organization I had never

heard of, IPMS.

One day they brought a few of their models to show

the rest of us. I had never seen such detailed and finely

painted models before. I was hooked! I pestered the

heck out of them asking questions. After a few years I

was pretty good at this new hobby. Lee and James had

been friends for a long time already and were like a dog

and a cat in a cardboard box. Always teasing, and

arguing about models.

The NCT chapter of IPMS, which we all now

belonged to, was having a contest. Sharp and Lee

started ribbing each other as to who was the better

model builder. Finally after a few traded insults, a

$20.00 bet was issued. I asked if this was an open

contest? I also offered to put my $20.00 up against them

as well. The challenge had been issued.

The pics show my entry, remember this was in 1974.

You guys don't realize how good you have it now. This

is a Nichimo 1/35 Panzer IV L-70 with tracks from the

Monogram Panzer IV. Zimmerit is from Green Stuff

putty. Skirts are scratchbuilt as is the exhaust and

interior. National markings and numbers are also hand

painted. Contest result? Sharp won 1st, I won 2nd and

Lee came in 3rd. I got my $20.00 back a few years later

with a scratch-built 1/35 T-60 Flying tank at the Salt

Lake Nationals.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 20

LSM 40432 1/48 Lohner L rerelease

Finally after much pressure from many customers I

have the Lohner L ready for rerelease. Somewhat

unchanged from the previous release except for the

brass parts set. Due to the increasing cost of the etched

brass I had to drop it as part of this kit.

The model has a resin hull, tip floats, beaching dolly

and wheels, tail surfaces and interior parts. The wings

are vacuformed and the original Austro Hungarian

decals are included.

Available in late November for $45.00

LSM 40438 1/48 VLR P-51 fuel tanks

110 gallon Very Long Range fuel tanks as used on a

number of P-51 Mustangs in the Pacific. Field made

wooden sway braces are included. $15.00

Tank on Hasegawa P-51D wing

LSM 40400 1/48 J-93/B-58 test engine

J-93 test engine for the Valkyrie project. Flown on a

B-58 out of Edwards Air Force Base. For use on the

Monogram kit.5 resin parts including the engine

exhaust interior. Decal also included. $35.00

LSM 40431 1/48 Gotha G-I

Coming in late November:

This is another long overdue project that has been

sitting on the shelf way too long. The kit will include

resin flying surfaces, wheels, seats, gun, tail surfaces,

props, and engine nacelles with the cylinders molded in

place. Aeroclub strut stock and decals are also included.

Some experience will be helpful building this.

$55.00

Only the lower wing is pictured below:

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 21

LSM 70429 1/72 replacement

P-3 engine nacelles

A set of four resin nacelles with the scoops opened up

and interior trunking in place for a bit of added realism.

$15.00

LSM 1/48 40425

Solid Symmetrical P-61B nose

New Symmetrical solid nose for use on either the

Great Wall or Monogram kits. $10.00

LSM 70418 1/72 F-15 Reporter

Model by Phil Brandt

Conversion for the Dragon P-61 kit in 1/72. The kit

includes a resin fuselage, engine replacements, props,

cowlings and supercharger intakes plus an interior and

vacuformed canopy . Decals are also included

Available in late November : $30.00

Mike Mike West, IPMS 5994

Proud IPMS NCT member since 1974

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 22

Upcoming Contests

November 5, 2011

GatorCon 2011

IPMS Acadiana Plastic Modelers

http://www.cajunarmor.com/IPMS-Acadiana.html

Crowne Plaza Hotel

1801 West Pinhook Road, Lafayette, Louisiana

November 13, 2011

Bassett Place Veteran’s Day Show Model Display

IPMS El Paso

Bassett Place Mall

6101 Gateway West, El Paso, Texas

January 28, 2012

Calmex XXVI

http://ipmsswamp.com

IPMS South West Area Modelers of Plastic

Managan Center

1000 McKinley

Westlake, Louisiana

February 18, 2012

Model Fiesta 31

Operation Torch

http://www.alamosquadron.com

IPMS Alamo Squadron

Live Oak Civic Center

8101 Pat Booker Road, Live Oak, Texas

March 3, 2012

RiverCon 1

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sportmodelers/

IPMS Red River Modelers

Trends & Trains Hobby Shop

7143 Mansfield Road

Shreveport, Louisiana

March 10, 2012

MCMA Showdown 2012 Model Car Contest

http://www.themcma.net/

IPMS Metroplex Car Modelers Association

Dr. Pepper Star Center

12700 North Stemmons Freeway

Farmers Branch, Texas

March 24, 2012

Great South TigerFest IX

IPMS New Orleans Flying Tigers Scale Model Builders

St. Jerome K.C. Hall

3310 Florida Ave, Kenner, Louisiana

April 14, 2012 Cajun Modelfest XXVII IPMS Baton Rouge Scale Modelers http://www.brmodelers.com/

LSU MiniFarm 4-H Building

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

May , 2012

Squadron ScaleFest 2012

IPMS North Central Texas

http://ipmsnct.net/

Mesquite Convention Center

1800 Rodeo Drive, Mesquite, Texas 75149

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 23

Upcoming Contests

May 26-27, 2012

WonderFest 2012

www.wonderfest.com

Crowne Plaza West

Louisville, Kentucky

June 9

th & 10th, 2012

Heartland Model Car Nationals

www.kcslammers.com

IPMS / KC Slammers Model Car Club

Overland Park Convention Center

600 College Blvd., Overland Park, Missouri 66211

June 21-23, 2012

Squadron EagleQuest XXI (Formerly Mastercon)

Theme: Fantasy / Sci-Fi

Squadron www.squadron.com

Embassy Suites Dallas

DFW Airport North Outdoor World

2401 Bass Pro Drive

Grapevine, Texas 76051

August 8-11, 2012

IPMS USA National Convention 2012

http://www.ipms2012.org/

IPMS Pelikan Model Club

Walt Disney World’s

Contemporary Resort & Convention Center

4600 North World Drive

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Local Events of Interest

November 3, 2011 (Thursday)

Lone Star Aero Club www.lonestaraeroclub.org

Ted Black

DFW Airport at Hyw 360 & FAA Road

American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum

Fort Worth, Texas 76155

November 5, 2011 (Saturday)

IPMS MCMA http://www.themcma.net/

Monthly Meeting

Heritage Park, 217 South Main

Irving, Texas 75060

November 12, 2011 (Saturday)

OBA / FACM / VMAP

2nd

Saturday Work-Party 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

http://www.ov-10bronco.net

http://www.facmuseum.org

3300 Ross Avenue, , Meacham Airport

Fort Worth, Texas

November 8, 2011 (Tuesday)

EAA Chapter 34 Meeting http://eaa34.org

TBD

UTA Campus Room 100, Nedderman Hall

416 Yates Street, Arlington, Texas

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 24

November 9, 2011 (Wednesday)

Marauder Men of the Metroplex

http://webspace.webring.com/people/oj/jobiz/

Business Meeting

Spring Creek Barbecue, Cooper Street, Arlington, Texas

November 15, 2011 (Tuesday)

B-36 Peacemaker Museum

http://www.b-36peacemakermuseum.org/

Dr. J’Nell Pate: Carswell Air Force Base

UNT Health Science Center Room 124, West Building

3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas

November 19, 2011

Tyler Historic Aviation Memorial Museum

http://www.tylerhamm.org

General Meeting

Tyler Pounds Airport, 2198 Dixie Drive, Tyler, Texas 75704

November 21, 2011 [Monday]

IPMS Fort Worth Scale Modelers

http://www.fortworthscalemodelers.org/

Knox Bishop & Paul Metz: 11 Days of Christmas

First Baptist Church of Benbrook

1015 McKinley Street, Benbrook, TX 76126

November 30, 2011 (Wednesday)

Lone Star Aero Club www.lonestaraeroclub.org

Tommy Thomason : Chance Vought F7U-1 Cutlass

DFW Airport at Hyw 360 & FAA Road

American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum

Fort Worth, Texas 76155

December 4, 2011 (Sunday)

IPMS MCMA http://www.themcma.net/

Monthly Meeting

Heritage Park, 217 South Main

Irving, Texas 75060

December 19 , 2011 [Monday]

IPMS Fort Worth Scale Modelers

http://www.fortworthscalemodelers.org/

Christmas Party

First Baptist Church of Benbrook

1015 McKinley Street, Benbrook, TX 76126

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 25

Babe of The Month

Lana Parrilla

Lana Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is a Puerto Rican-

American actress, best known for her roles on Spin City,

24, Boomtown and Miami Medical. She currently stars

as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills in the ABC series Once

Upon a Time.

Parrilla was born in Brooklyn, New York, the

daughter of Sam Parrilla, a professional baseball player

for the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 1970s. She

had roles in a few movies, including Very Mean Men

(2000), Spiders (2000), Frozen Stars (2003) and

Replicant. She was first noticed in the mainstream when

she joined the cast of Spin City in 2000, playing Angie

Ordonez for one season. After this, she joined Donnie

Wahlberg and Neal McDonough in the 2002 series

Boomtown, for which she received the Imagen Award

for Best Supporting Actress, in which she played

Teresa, a paramedic. Initially a success, Boomtown

began to struggle, and Lana's character became a police

academy rookie, so as to tie her more closely to the rest

of the show. That program was cancelled just two

episodes into its second season.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 26

Parrilla guest-starred in shows such as JAG, NYPD

Blue and Six Feet Under. In 2005, Parrilla took a

recurring guest role on the fourth season of 24 as Sarah

Gavin, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent. After just six

episodes, Lana was promoted to a main cast member,

but in the thirteenth episode, she was written out for

reasons unknown after her character demanded a

promotion from temporary head Michelle Dessler

(Reiko Aylesworth) which was denied.

In 2006, Parrilla starred in the NBC summer series

Windfall alongside Luke Perry, fellow former 24 cast

member Sarah Wynter, and Parilla's former Boomtown

castmate Jason Gedrick.

In 2007, Parrilla guest starred as a character called

Greta in the third season episodes of ABC's Lost,

"Greatest Hits" and "Through the Looking Glass"

In 2008, she starred on the Lifetime movie The

Double Life of Eleanor Kendall, in which she played

Nellie, a divorcee whose identity has been stolen. In

June 2008, she starrred in the CBS summer series

Swingtown as Trina Decker, a woman who is part of a

swinging couple.

In 2010, Parrilla starred in the Jerry Bruckheimer-

produced Miami Medical on CBS, which had a short

run towards the end of the 2009-10 television season

before being canceled in July 2010. From 2010 to 2011

she made many guest appearances of TV shows, such as

Covert Affairs, Medium, The Defenders and Chase.

Parrilla stars as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills in the

ABC adventure fantasy television series, Once Upon a

Time , which debuted in October 2011.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 27

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 28

Museums

American Airlines C. R. Smith Museum

http://www.crsmithmuseum.org

Fort Worth, Texas 76155

Cavanaugh Flight Museum

http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com

4572 Claire Chennault

Addison, TX 75001

Cold War Air Museum

http://www.coldwarairmuseum.com/

Lancaster, Texas 76106

Corsair (Goodyear FG-1D), Commemorative Air Force

www.caf-corsair.com

Lancaster Municipal Airport

630 Ferris Road, Lancaster, Texas 75115

Dallas-Fort Worth Wing, Commemorative Air Force

http://www.dfwwing.com/

Lancaster Municipal Airport

630 Ferris Road, Lancaster, Texas 75115

Flight of the Phoenix Air Museum

www.flightofthephoenix.org

Hanger One, Gilmer Texas 75644

Frontiers of Flight Museum

http://www.flightmuseum.com/

6911 Lemmon Avenue Dallas, Texas

Hanger 10 Flying Museum

http://www.hangar10.org/Site/Home.html

1945 Matt Wright Lane

Denton Municipal Airport

Denton, Texas 76207

National WASP WWII Museum

http://www.waspmuseum.org

Sweetwater, Texas

OV-10 Bronco Museum

http://www.ov-10bronco.net

3300 Ross Avenue, Meacham Airport, Fort Worth, Texas

Ranger Wing, Commemorative Air Force

www.rangerwingcaf.com

Blackland Aircraft Corp. Hanger

Airport Blvd., Waco, Texas

Silent Wings Museum

www.silentwingsmuseum.com

6202 North I-27 Lubbock, Texas 79403

Texas Military Forces Museum

http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org

Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas

Tyler Historic Aviation Memorial Museum

http://www.tylerhamm.org

Jake Smith Exhibit Hall Tyler, Texas

Vintage Flying Museum

http://www.vintageflyingmuseum.org

505 NW 38TH ST. Hangar 33 South

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 29

Local Plastic Emporiums

M-A-L Hobbies http://www.malhobby.com

108 S. Lee St., Irving, TX 75060

(972) 438.9233

HobbyTown USA Colleyville

Town Center Colleyville

http://www.hobbytown.com/txcol/

5611 Colleyville Blvd., Suite 160

Colleyville, TX 76034

(817) 581-1027

HobbyTown USA Dallas

The Corner Shopping Center

http://hobbytown.com/TXDAL/

8041 Walnut Hill, Suite 870

Dallas, TX 75231

(214) 987-4744

HobbyTown USA Arlington

http://hobbytown.com/TXARL/

4634 South Cooper St

Arlington, TX 76017

(817) 557-2225

HobbyTown USA Plano

http://hobbytown.com/TXPLA/

2100 Dallas Parkway, Suite 150

Plano, TX 75093

(972) 473-0800

HobbyTown USA Rockwall

Rockwall Crossing

http://www.hobbytown.com/Store/Profile/TXROC

935 East Interstate 30

Rockwall, TX, 75087

(972) 771-1233

HobbyTown USA Tyler

French Quarter Shopping Center

http://hobbytown.com/TXTYL/

4566 S. Broadway

Tyler, TX 75703

(903) 509-3000

Mason’s Hobby Lobby

6905 Grapevine Hwy.

Fort Worth, Texas 76180

(817) 284-0264

Roy’s Hobby Shop

1309 Norwood DR.

Hurst, TX 76053

http://www.royshobby.com/

(817) 268-0210

Wild Bill's Hobby Shop

535 East Shady Grove Rd.

Irving, Texas 75060

(972) 438-9224

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 30

Cyber-Hobby 1/35

IJN Type 2 (Ka-Mi)

w/Flotation Pontoons By Cookie Sewell

Kit Number: 6699

Media: 315 in grey styrene, 31 etched brass, 13

clear styrene, 2 DS plastic track runs, 1

length of copper wire

Pros: Adds the flotation pontoon to the

excellent kit; pre-molded open hatches

makes installation of a full interior a

snap; wise inclusion of DS Plastic track

avoids frustration with itty-bitty single

links

Cons: Nothing major noted

Rating: Highly Recommended

Price: US $ 71.99

As I noted when the first (non-amphibious) version

of this kit was released, amphibious tanks per se are a

contradiction in terms, for as the old farmer in the joke

knows, “cast iron sinks” and so does steel. Items which

were created to stop bullets, shell splinters and

projectiles from penetrating them also did not need to

be 100% watertight to do that job well.

During the 1930s only two nations gave serious

thought to amphibious light tanks for scouting

purposes: the USSR and Japan. The former did it as an

analysis of the terrain of the country said they would

encounter a water obstacle which could not easily be

forded every 10 kilometers and a river every 50. The

latter did it for, as an island nation, they knew they

would need to move from island to island if they

wanted to defend their empire or expand it.

In order to have true sea-keeping qualities, the

vehicle must have a sufficient buoyancy reserve or it

will quickly be swamped even in a mild sea state (think

of the DD tanks at D-Day). The Japanese approach was

to make a larger, roomier hull but add large and bulky

pontoons at the bow and stern. Essentially the Type 2

was a seagoing derivative of the land-locked Type 95

Ha-Go but with more than enough sea-going buoyancy.

The Type 2 Ka-Mi (a 1942 design) was the most

prolific amphibious tank with about 185 of them being

built during the war. It did mount a 37mm cannon and

two 7.7mm machine guns, one of which could only be

used when the bow pontoon was dropped. The vehicle

weighed 13 tons with the pontoons mounted, and 10

when they were dropped. It was followed by the much

larger and heavier Type 3 “Ka-Chi” and Type 5 “To-

Ku” amphibious tanks with 47mm guns, but neither

one of them was much of an improvement.

Using mechanical components from the land-based

Type 95, the Type 2 used a new hull design with

pontoons held in place with “claw” type clamps that

could be jettisoned from inside the tank when the

vehicle no longer needed them. Divided into separate

compartments, the pontoons gave excellent buoyancy

at sea and proved to be effective. But like all

amphibious tanks designed to be amphibious first, it

was thinly armored and quite vulnerable to mines. Few

actions were carried out by Type 2 tanks with their

amphibious qualities put to the test, and most were

forced to fight on land which was not their strong suit.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 31

As a result, they were encountered by US forces

starting in 1943 but quickly eliminated. One example

captured by the Soviets (with its pontoons!) exists

today in the Kubinka Museum in Russia and several

others are still found where knocked out on Pacific

islands.

This kit was well received when released a few

months ago other than many modelers wanted to build

it with the pontoons in place. Dragon’s boutique

affiliate cyber-hobby.com has responded, adding 105

parts to the original kit but also at a much higher price.

The kit builds on the DML release, which came with

a minimal interior but all hatches separate for posing

positions. Some interior is included, such as the three-

piece “claw” connectors and handwheels, what appear

to be two either fuel or ballast tanks, and the machine

guns and the 37mm gun with mounting. The new

variant concentrates mostly on the exterior of the

vehicle with all of the “Rube Goldberg” (or “Heath

Robinson”) gizmos and devices needed to hold the

entire assembly together.

Assembly mirrors the earlier kit through step 7. Initial

assembly begins with making sub-assemblies of the

wheel bogies, idlers, clamps, muffler, main engine

hatches, and interior tanks.

These are installed in Steps 2 and 3, which also cover

the assembly of the upper glacis and bow machine gun.

Step 4 covers the assembly of the engine deck (which

is cemented in place as the kit comes with no engine!)

and upper hull details. Step 6 covers cementing the

upper and lower hulls together and initial assembly of

the 37mm gun.

The gun is a typically over-engineered Japanese

weapon of the time and the kit requires 15 parts for it

and its coaxial machine gun to form a single unit. As

this gun is only about 50mm long on the kit, that’s a lot

of parts for a very small gun.

Step 7 is when you begin to work on the pontoons.

These are complex affairs and the mold makers have

attempted to get it right, but there is a seam between

the left and right halves of the bow pontoon (parts L1

and L2). The directions are more than a bit confusing

here, as the attachment devices (either parts M8 or

B19) are for “disconnecting”. One is the open claw (B-

19) and M8 is a closed one, so apparently you use M8

when the pontoons are mounted and B19 if they are

not. You also mount the engine radiator intake trunk

(parts J12-14-18/19) in this step.

Steps 8-11 cover the turret and its details, which are

many and pretty clunky in design (not DML’s fault –

speak to the original managers on that one...) The turret

comes with a ring and drive as well as optional choices

for the viewers and periscopes. Also a choice of what

appears to be an AAMG mount on the rear of the turret

is offered. However, in step 13 you also install the

conning tower which consists of four parts plus six

clear styrene view blocks. It also requires the copper

wire be installed to the rudder control and rudder yoke

at this time.

Lastly are the tracks but as they are DS plastic and

identical not a problem in sorting. As with most tracks,

DML shows them being installed “V” shape down

when looking at them head on. While DS tracks tend to

“run large” as most Japanese light tanks are usually

seen with loose fitting track this may not be a problem,

moreso if used in a diorama and “burned out”.

Technical work is credited to Hirohisa Takada and

Shin Okada and Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson are

the technical consultants.

Three (to six) marking options are provided: vehicle

101, Kwajalein Island 1944 (grey, halfmoon insignia

with white 101); vehicle 105, Papua, New Guinea 1944

(grey with white 105), or vehicles 601-604, Papua,

New Guinea 1944 (grey with white 601, 602, 603 or

604). Decals are a targeted set from Cartograph.

Overall while expensive this great little kit does offer

the pontoon fans a chance to built the complete vehicle.

Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 32

Sprue Layout A 25x2 Road wheels, drivers, return rollers, bogie

assemblies

A 12 Idlers, final drives, details

B 63 Clamps, locks, pontoon fittings, upper glacis,

machine gun, ball mounts

C 49 Gun, turret details

D 47 Propellers, skegs, hatches, handles, tanks

F 7 Clear styrene

G 1 Upper hull

H 1 Lower hull

J 19 Rear pontoon decking, engine intake trunk,

conning tower hatch

K 6 Front pontoon decking, rear section

L 2 DS Plastic Track

L 3 Lower pontoon sections

M 32x2 Pontoon mounts, fasteners, rudders, conning

tower

R 6 Clear Styrene

MA 31 Etched brass

MB 1 Copper wire

Cookie Sewell www.cybermodeler.com

http://www.anotheramericasmostwantedcaptured.com

http://www.ipmsusa.org/

IPMS/USA is an organization dedicated to the fun of Scale

Modeling. It was started by Jim Sage, of Dallas, Texas, in

1963. There are now branches of IPMS all over the world.

Many of our Local Chapters and Regions sponsor Model

shows and contests every year. Of course, you needn't be a

member to just visit the shows, or attend the clubs.

As part of your IPMS/USA Membership, you will receive

The Modeler's Journal six times a year. In it you will find

stories of interest on subjects such as aircraft, armor,

automotive, ships, figures, you name it. You will also find

listings of IPMS contests and swap meets, hints and tips, and

reviews.

Membership also qualifies you to participate in IPMS/USA

sanctioned Regional Contests, as well as our World-famous

National Convention, held each summer. As a member,

you'll also be able to access our online Member's Forum

where a wide variety of Society and Modeling topics are

discussed, and enjoy real-time access to other Modelers for

help with questions about Modeling or the Society in general.

In addition, many Hobby Shops around the county offer

discounts to IPMS/USA Members. Memberships are

available in several packages:

Junior 17 years old or Younger, $12.00 per year

Adult 1 Year, $25.00 2 Years $49.00 3 Years $73.00

Family Adult Membership plus $5.00 (Additional

Membership cards as requested)

Canada or Mexico $30.00 per Year

Foreign $32.00 per Year (Journal via Regular Mail) or

$55.00 per year (Journal via Air Mail)

Payment Information: Payment may be made via Personal

Check, Money Order, or Credit Card. Applications using

payment via Check or Money Order should be printed upon

completion of the registration process, and mailed to:

IPMS/USA

Dept. H

PO Box 2475

N. Canton, OH 44720-0475

For any questions or problems with your membership

application/renewal, please contact the IPMS/USA Officer

Manager, Ms. M.J. Kinney, at manager@ipmsusa.org

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 33

Crow’s Nest Models 1/32

Mercury Spacecraft

Porthole Version By Sven Knudson, IPMS 32490

www.ninfinger.org

The kit box has an artist's depiction of Freedom 7 in flight.

Kit contents: 73 resin parts

1 resin escape tower assembly jig

15 photoetched parts

6 cast metal parts

5 clear parts

#20 craft wire

thin craft wire

decals

marking guides

Summary

The resin parts are superbly molded with crisp details

and no visible airholes. There is some flash on a lot of

the parts that will require some minor cleanup. Some

parts will also need to be removed from their pour

plugs.

Here's what you get in the kit. The parts are carefully

packed into plastic bags.

The main capsule part has remarkable detail molded

into both the interior and exterior surfaces and visible

seams. The escape rocket part in my kit does have a

seam that will need cleanup.

Parts are included to depict both the launch

configuration with an escape tower or in flight with the

periscope and destabilizing flap deployed. Parts for a

completely detailed interior are also included, as is an

astronaut figure. The resin rocket nozzles are nicely

hollowed out and, in the case of the posigrade rocket

nozzles, quite delicate.

Cast metal parts make up the escape tower legs,

aerodynamic spike, and cooling hoses, and have a

minor seam that will need cleanup. A resin jig is

included to help assemble the escape tower. Small bits

of clear rod depict the interior lights or you can install a

separate lighting kit for real interior lights, also

available from Crow's Nest Models. Craft wire is

included to depict interior cabling and the cabling on

the retrostraps. A complete set of decals are provided

by Space Model Systems and printed for Crow's Nest

Models by MicroScale.

This begins a series of rotated views of the capsule, recovery

compartment and antenna fairing parts.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 34

This continues the series of rotated views of the capsule,

recovery compartment and antenna fairing parts.

This continues the series of rotated views of the capsule,

recovery compartment and antenna fairing parts.

This ends the series of rotated views of the capsule, recovery

compartment and antenna fairing parts.

Here's a look at the detail molded into the interior of the

capsule.

Here are the rear bulkhead and heat shield parts.

Here's the flip side of the rear bulkhead and heat shield

parts.

Here's a closer look at the hatch, forward bulkhead,

porthole frames, periscope, periscope door (and an extra

one in my set), escape tower base, destabilizing flap and

antenna fairing cover parts.

A photo showing the kit parts, a blurb for the interior

lighting set, and marking guides for the spacecraft and

escape tower by David Weeks are also included.

What's not included are the actual assembly

instructions, which must be downloaded from the

Crow's Nest Models website. They are well illustrated

with step-by-step instructions. But the real gem to be

downloaded is Phil Smith's Guide to Building the

Crow's Nest Mercury Spacecraft. It is profusely

illustrated with drawings and photos and has great text

descriptions of how to assemble the kit, including the

interior lighting.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 35

Here's another side of the parts (other than the periscope

door I neglected to overturn).

Here are the astronaut figure, couch, control arm, duct, and

escape tower jettison rocket parts.

Here's another side of the parts.

Here are the rest of the resin interior parts, including the

nicely detailed instrument panel.

And another side of the parts.

Here are the resin escape rocket and retropack parts.

Here's your last look at resin parts.

Here are the cast metal parts.

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 36

Here's the flip side of the cast parts.

Here's the sheet of photoetched parts.

Here's the flip side of the photoetched parts sheet.

Order from: Crow's Nest Models

web: http://www.crowsnestmodels.com

email: crowsnestmodels@verizon.net

Price: $ 170.00 http://www.ninfinger.org/

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 37

Flying Low with

François

1929 International Wrecker

1972 Volkswagen “Easy Rider”

1946 Ford Super Delux

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 38

1972 Chevy Nova SS

Lancaster 09/03/11

1963 Corvette

Photos Copyright © by Frank Landrus

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 39

IPMS NCT Group 1/72 Viper Build

Country Variant Decals available Kit Builder

Bahrain

Model Alliance ML72185 World Airpower Update #3

Richard Hanna

Belgium

Richard Winston

Chile F-16D ABZ72016 Zotz Vivacious Vipers#2 Hasegawa Michael McMurtrey

Denmark

Pat Villareal

Egypt

Zotz Vivacious Vipers #1

Greece

Zotz Greek F-16

Sean Glaspell

Jordan

ABZ72016 Zotz Vivacious Vipers#2

Indonesia

Blue Spot Scheme

Don Capone

Israel

Eagle Strike EP72081 F-16 Baraks

Pete Jung

Italy

10 Grupo del 37 Stormo Hasegawa 01913 Buddy Wolfe

Morocco

Brad Hoskins

Netherlands

Orange Jumper scheme

Ed Grune

Norway F-16A Block 20 MLU Zotz Nordic Tiger 2004 (80-3671) Revell 04691 Frank Landrus

Oman

Pakistan

Brad Hoskins

Poland

Model Alliance ML72155 World Airpower Update #1

Mike Zimmerman

Portugal

Portuguese 2007 Tiger Meet

Chris Norman

Singapore

RSAF Black Knights

Mike Quan

South Korea KF-16C Kit Decals Academy MH12418 Dave Hibscher

Taiwan

Thailand

Model Alliance ML729042 Royal Thai AF

Tom Mitchell

Turkey

Turkish 2007 Tiger Meet Hasegawa Robert Fawcett

UAE

Kit Decals Hasegawa 01944 Mike Quan

USA YF-16 Prototype

Mark Wilson

USA

John Huggins

Venezuela Aztec AT72023 Venomous Vipers Randy Spurr

http://www.vectorsite.net/avf16_2.html http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/f-16/viperversions.shtml http://www.zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=231

November 2011 The FlakSheet - the newsletter of IPMS North Central Texas http://ipmsnct.net/ Page 40

Tail Shot

Kjeller PK X-1, experimental helicopter constructed by Paul Kjølseth at Kjeller in 1955 at Gardermoen Museum

Photo © by Jay Miller, IPMS #45, Proud IPMS-NCT member since 1964

IPMS North Central Texas meets on the second Sunday of every month. Door opens at 1:00 p.m.; meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. See

Coming Events for which facility the current meeting is being held.

The FlakSheet is a monthly publication of IPMS-NCT and is used to communicate chapter news, functions, contest information, and other

events or items of interest on the local, regional, and national scenes. Subscriptions are 460 Kronor annually for an electronic subscription

via email.

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and should not be construed as the views or opinions of IPMS

North Central Texas or IPMS/USA.

Editor: Frank Landrus (viggenja37@sbcglobal.net) IPMS USA # 35035, IPMS-NCT Member since 1985.

Deadline for submissions to the FlakSheet is the 25th

of the month prior to month of issue. Please submit as a WORD or ASCII

text file on compact disc at the meeting or as an attachment via email to your editor.

President: Don Capone donald.capone@navarrocollege.edu IPMS USA # 45394

Vice President John Walen walen4@tx.rr.com IPMS USA # 17482

Contest Director Lynn Rowley

Treasurer: Trevin Baker (214) 797-9766

Secretary Bruce Culver (972) 490-8223

Facebook Director Richard Hanna rwhanna@swbell.net

Hannibal Lecter: James Sharp boxstock@tx.rr.com

IPMS North Central Texas