jimbot58

I can remember my first exposure to scale modelling was a friend in elementary school bringing in a Saturn V /Apollo spacecraft. (This was about the time of the first Lunar landings.) It was so cool, as you could separate all the various stages and even open it up and extract a tiny Lunar Module. I asked my parents for one and I think for Christmas or a Birthday I got a kit. Unfortunately what I got was not the same thing. What they found instead was the Apollo craft only, which consisted of the Command Module, Service Module, Lunar Module, and the adapter section that housed the LM. Also included were 2 square bases, one of which held the Adapter and had a few clouds molded on it, and a Lunar section pitted with small craters and imprints of the landing pads for the LM to sit on. Also included was the escape tower. The LM could be separated into it's two parts and the CM separated from the SM. The service mod had a door that opened to show the fuel cells, tanks, batteries and other details inside.

Though not what I wanted, it was pretty cool as well. I put all together pretty quickly with minimal painting and didn't even bother with any decals. As far as a work area? Well the kitchen table was off limits to kids activities, as was much of the rest of the house. My work station was sitting on the edge of my bed using an old beat up folding TV tray.

Later kits and paints were purchased with allowance money or were gifted. It's a good thing kits were cheap then as Dad didn't make a lot of money.

Early kits I remember were: P-51, P-47, a Kingfisher, a Stuka "Tank Buster", British Phantom, the USS Missouri battle ship, an aircraft carrier (WWII era), some cars and trucks and even a few commercial airliners. I also remember a AC-47 gunship with 3 Gattling Guns pointed out the left side of the aircraft. It was molded in a camo pattern (not sure how they did that-maybe it was prepainted, I don't know.)

All these kits were tossed out as I "grew up" as most had broken or fallen apart. (Tube glue was not always permanent)

Now years later, it's an adult hobby, with high-tech kits, detail parts and the the investment of probably thousands of dollars in kits, tools, paints, books and magazines, and even the area to work and display projects.

Jim

Hi Jim,

I guess I was lucky that my Mom was so lenient.  That would have made it tough to build on a TV tray sitting on the edge of a bed.  But as kids, we always seemed to be able to adjust.

Ken

Tal Afar Dave

Sounds like we all had similar childhood experiences.  When I was a kid, I'd do my chores and my Mom would pick up a model kit for me from the hobby shop next door to where she use to work.  She'd let me know how much my chores had earned me in model dollars and I'd give her an idea of what I wanted.  More often than not, she did a great job of picking out things that I'd like.  There was nothing like the anticipation of Mom getting home with my next new project, usually a plane or a tank, mostly Monogram or Revell, and sometimes Airfix or Matchbox.  If I did a lot of work, I might rate a Tamiya tank or figure set.  Those were the days!!!  I would pity anyone that took me to a department store, or a hobby shop and have to wait for me!!! LOL.

Dave

So true Dave!  Often when my Mom did come to collect us, I was still trying to decide!

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Hey All, I finally got my C-123 kit. Roden has a new 1/72 scale kit out that is really nice!

I ordered mine from Roden Kits http://rodenkits.com/. The kit was well protected in a cardboard box and the sprues were wrapped in bubble wrap. The kit made it fine all the way from the Ukraine. It cost $42 US plus $15 shipping. Not bad considering those horrible Mach 2 models are going for $60-$70 on eBay. I suspect that won't be happening very long once folks hear about this kit.

The kit parts are clean and well detailed and the panel lines are nicely engraved instead of raised.

BTW, anyone know of a K-conversion kit for the C-123 to add the jet engines?

Cheers,

Russ

 

What?  A new 1/72 C-123B?  How did I miss this?

I am one of the misfortunate soles that purchased a Mach 2 C-123!  Even though everyone has complained about how poor the kit is, it was the only one available.  I did buy mine though when it was still available so I did not pay an outrageous amount for it.

This is great news!  Thank you for sharing that Russ!  I will definitely be purchasing one.  I have not heard of a conversion kit for the C-123K, but I would not be at all surprised if Roden doesn't come out with one.  They did release both the T-28B and T-28D versions.

Ken

You're welcome, Ken!  Glad it brought a note of chear in the midst of your many recent problems .

Hope you're right about Roden making a C-123K version, or maybe a conversion kit for the B model.

Cheers,

Russ

I can remember my first exposure to scale modelling was a friend in elementary school bringing in a Saturn V /Apollo spacecraft. (This was about the time of the first Lunar landings.) It was so cool, as you could separate all the various stages and even open it up and extract a tiny Lunar Module. I asked my parents for one and I think for Christmas or a Birthday I got a kit. Unfortunately what I got was not the same thing. What they found instead was the Apollo craft only, which consisted of the Command Module, Service Module, Lunar Module, and the adapter section that housed the LM. Also included were 2 square bases, one of which held the Adapter and had a few clouds molded on it, and a Lunar section pitted with small craters and imprints of the landing pads for the LM to sit on. Also included was the escape tower. The LM could be separated into it's two parts and the CM separated from the SM. The service mod had a door that opened to show the fuel cells, tanks, batteries and other details inside.

Though not what I wanted, it was pretty cool as well. I put all together pretty quickly with minimal painting and didn't even bother with any decals. As far as a work area? Well the kitchen table was off limits to kids activities, as was much of the rest of the house. My work station was sitting on the edge of my bed using an old beat up folding TV tray.

Later kits and paints were purchased with allowance money or were gifted. It's a good thing kits were cheap then as Dad didn't make a lot of money.

Early kits I remember were: P-51, P-47, a Kingfisher, a Stuka "Tank Buster", British Phantom, the USS Missouri battle ship, an aircraft carrier (WWII era), some cars and trucks and even a few commercial airliners. I also remember a AC-47 gunship with 3 Gattling Guns pointed out the left side of the aircraft. It was molded in a camo pattern (not sure how they did that-maybe it was prepainted, I don't know.)

All these kits were tossed out as I "grew up" as most had broken or fallen apart. (Tube glue was not always permanent)

Now years later, it's an adult hobby, with high-tech kits, detail parts and the the investment of probably thousands of dollars in kits, tools, paints, books and magazines, and even the area to work and display projects.

Jim

Sounds like we all had similar childhood experiences.  When I was a kid, I'd do my chores and my Mom would pick up a model kit for me from the hobby shop next door to where she use to work.  She'd let me know how much my chores had earned me in model dollars and I'd give her an idea of what I wanted.  More often than not, she did a great job of picking out things that I'd like.  There was nothing like the anticipation of Mom getting home with my next new project, usually a plane or a tank, mostly Monogram or Revell, and sometimes Airfix or Matchbox.  If I did a lot of work, I might rate a Tamiya tank or figure set.  Those were the days!!!  I would pity anyone that took me to a department store, or a hobby shop and have to wait for me!!! LOL.

Dave

jimbot58

Odd, now the picture of the Saber kit is upright. Perhaps it takes a bit for changes made at Photobucket to take effect.

I was thinking of the changes to the hobby: years ago, most of us were slapping kits together that were made in the US by such makers as Revell and Monogram. (Who took more than 30 minutes or less to assemble a kit?)

Now the kits are many times more sophisticated and higher priced, coming from China, Japan, Korea and many countries in eastern Europe. Those detail parts I ordered out of Australia were made in Poland and the Czech Republic. I'm sure they passed through a number of distributors and many hands before they ended up at BNA Models and then traveled all the way around the world to me. Wonder how many miles total they actually covered......

It's probably just one of the reasons we don't many young people getting into the hobby these days. (That and I-Pods and X-Boxes, etc.)

Jim

I totally agree with you Jim.

I can remember as a kid, getting my allowance, and then being taken to the local department store to spend it.  My brother and I would always head straight to the model section.  While my Mom was doing her shopping, my brother and I would sort through every kit,  We would examine the kit's box art, read the details, and start narrowing our selection.  Then our mom would know exactly where to find us when it was time to go.

The ride home was always too long.  We would open our kits in the car, look at each sprue, and start reading the assembly instructions.

When we finally got home, we would take over the dinning room table, laying down newspapers first, then open the kits and spread out the sprues.  The smell of glue and paint would soon fill the air.  When we were younger, our patience did not exist.  Just as you said Jim, the whole model would be completed in one sitting.  But as we got older, our skills improved, and the amount of glue finger prints diminished and the painting details became sharper.  We would also allow sections to dry before final assembly.

As it is today, applying the decals was the last step.  (Except today we apply a final coat of clear to protect them.)  Then it was time to play with them!  We would zoom around the house, attacking each other, taking turns at being destroyed (fictitiously of course, we would not purposely destroy our models).

But I agree with you Jim, kids now have iPads and iPhones, xbox, etc.  I think most kids don't even know what patience is.  Everything is want it now, get it now.

Another aspect that is lost is the history behind the models we build.  As kids, most if not all the kits had a brief history of the model included in the instructions.  The video games that kids play today offer no education.  In fact, they are worst because they never experience real life inside their "virtual" worlds.

Ken

Odd, now the picture of the Saber kit is upright. Perhaps it takes a bit for changes made at Photobucket to take effect.

I was thinking of the changes to the hobby: years ago, most of us were slapping kits together that were made in the US by such makers as Revell and Monogram. (Who took more than 30 minutes or less to assemble a kit?)

Now the kits are many times more sophisticated and higher priced, coming from China, Japan, Korea and many countries in eastern Europe. Those detail parts I ordered out of Australia were made in Poland and the Czech Republic. I'm sure they passed through a number of distributors and many hands before they ended up at BNA Models and then traveled all the way around the world to me. Wonder how many miles total they actually covered......

It's probably just one of the reasons we don't many young people getting into the hobby these days. (That and I-Pods and X-Boxes, etc.)

Jim

jimbot58

Nice kit Russ. Kind of interesting- I read that this aircraft originally was developed as a glider?

Finally got the last of my goodies.

All the way from down under is the pitot tube for the Voodoo. Her you can see the Master model version vs. the kit supplied part.

Also got the PE kit for the F-100F I got a few weeks back. Nest to it is the Master Model pitot probe for it, which is very long because of the intake situated in the nose of the plane:

Opening the PE set, I ask myself: "Am I nuts?" 3 full sets of frets are included!

Here is the Trumpeter kit:

Don't know why it is on its side. I edited it with photobucket, but it still comes out sideways.

Now I have to put it aside for now and continue work on the Voodoo and the Phantom....

Hi Jim,

That Model Master pitot tube is a great improvement over the original kit part.  I have the ones they put out for the 1/48 scale kit.

And that F-100F looks like a great kit!  And yes, I agree with Russ, we are all obsessed with making our kits as detailed and accurate as possible!  We are just glutens for punishment! 

Ken

Striker8241

Hey All, I finally got my C-123 kit. Roden has a new 1/72 scale kit out that is really nice!

I ordered mine from Roden Kits http://rodenkits.com/. The kit was well protected in a cardboard box and the sprues were wrapped in bubble wrap. The kit made it fine all the way from the Ukraine. It cost $42 US plus $15 shipping. Not bad considering those horrible Mach 2 models are going for $60-$70 on eBay. I suspect that won't be happening very long once folks hear about this kit.

The kit parts are clean and well detailed and the panel lines are nicely engraved instead of raised.

BTW, anyone know of a K-conversion kit for the C-123 to add the jet engines?

Cheers,

Russ

 

What?  A new 1/72 C-123B?  How did I miss this?

I am one of the misfortunate soles that purchased a Mach 2 C-123!  Even though everyone has complained about how poor the kit is, it was the only one available.  I did buy mine though when it was still available so I did not pay an outrageous amount for it.

This is great news!  Thank you for sharing that Russ!  I will definitely be purchasing one.  I have not heard of a conversion kit for the C-123K, but I would not be at all surprised if Roden doesn't come out with one.  They did release both the T-28B and T-28D versions.

Ken

jimbot58

Nice kit Russ. Kind of interesting- I read that this aircraft originally was developed as a glider?

Strange as that sounds, Jim, it's true. Heres a portion of the description in Wikipedia:

"The C-123 Provider was designed originally as an assault glider aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF) by Chase Aircraft as the XCG-20 (Chase designation MS-8 Avitruc)^["

jimbot58

Finally got the last of my goodies.

All the way from down under is the pitot tube for the Voodoo. Her you can see the Master model version vs. the kit supplied part.

Also got the PE kit for the F-100F I got a few weeks back. Nest to it is the Master Model pitot probe for it, which is very long because of the intake situated in the nose of the plane:

Opening the PE set, I ask myself: "Am I nuts?" 3 full sets of frets are included!

Here is the Trumpeter kit:

Don't know why it is on its side. I edited it with photobucket, but it still comes out sideways.

Now I have to put it aside for now and continue work on the Voodoo and the Phantom....

You probably are nuts, Jim, but because most of us are in the same boat, you seem entirely normal . Looks like you have more than enough to keep yourself busy. Looking forward to seeing how that F-100 turns out after you finish your current projects.

Cheers,

Russ

Nice kit Russ. Kind of interesting- I read that this aircraft originally was developed as a glider?

Finally got the last of my goodies.

All the way from down under is the pitot tube for the Voodoo. Her you can see the Master model version vs. the kit supplied part.

Also got the PE kit for the F-100F I got a few weeks back. Nest to it is the Master Model pitot probe for it, which is very long because of the intake situated in the nose of the plane:

Opening the PE set, I ask myself: "Am I nuts?" 3 full sets of frets are included!

Here is the Trumpeter kit:

Don't know why it is on its side. I edited it with photobucket, but it still comes out sideways.

Now I have to put it aside for now and continue work on the Voodoo and the Phantom....

Hey All, I finally got my C-123 kit. Roden has a new 1/72 scale kit out that is really nice!

I ordered mine from Roden Kits http://rodenkits.com/. The kit was well protected in a cardboard box and the sprues were wrapped in bubble wrap. The kit made it fine all the way from the Ukraine. It cost $42 US plus $15 shipping. Not bad considering those horrible Mach 2 models are going for $60-$70 on eBay. I suspect that won't be happening very long once folks hear about this kit.

The kit parts are clean and well detailed and the panel lines are nicely engraved instead of raised.

BTW, anyone know of a K-conversion kit for the C-123 to add the jet engines?

Cheers,

Russ

mikeymize

Reading some of the post from this week and noticed the comments about honor guard. This is one of those areas that are all volunteer and at times difficult to fill. If supervision deems it important they'll work with the guys doing it by helping them get time off to attend functions as well as training, otherwise the onus is all on the member. If you're active duty it's usually not as much a problem but sometimes for the Guard/Reserve guys it can be more difficult.

The work they do is important and I can tell you from personal experience it is most appreciated by the families. Even though Col. James didn't get to see your project finished Ken I'm certain those who knew him will be grateful.

I also didn't know about the Honor Guard being volunteers. Suddenly, I feel I have inserted a rather large size 13 appendage known as my foot into my mouth when I made a comment as to their age! I now feel a little humbled to think that these young men gave their time to honor a fellow comrade in arms who had fallen!

I tell myself I should also keep in mind that these young men are the same age as so many others who went off to fight and sometimes die.

mikeymize

Reading some of the post from this week and noticed the comments about honor guard. This is one of those areas that are all volunteer and at times difficult to fill. If supervision deems it important they'll work with the guys doing it by helping them get time off to attend functions as well as training, otherwise the onus is all on the member. If you're active duty it's usually not as much a problem but sometimes for the Guard/Reserve guys it can be more difficult.

The work they do is important and I can tell you from personal experience it is most appreciated by the families. Even though Col. James didn't get to see your project finished Ken I'm certain those who knew him will be grateful.

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the information.  I did not know that it was an all volunteer group.  I totally agree about the families appreciation, being one myself.

Yes, I will continue working on Don's plane until it is finished.  And when I do take it to a model contest, it will be dedicated to Don.

I have so much on my plate right now with my basement still completely stripped.  But I should be receiving the first check from the insurance company any day now.  As soon as it arrives, I will be immersed with putting my basement back together so I can get back to model building.

Ken

Ken

Reading some of the post from this week and noticed the comments about honor guard. This is one of those areas that are all volunteer and at times difficult to fill. If supervision deems it important they'll work with the guys doing it by helping them get time off to attend functions as well as training, otherwise the onus is all on the member. If you're active duty it's usually not as much a problem but sometimes for the Guard/Reserve guys it can be more difficult.

The work they do is important and I can tell you from personal experience it is most appreciated by the families. Even though Col. James didn't get to see your project finished Ken I'm certain those who knew him will be grateful.

Wow Jim, I lose most of those as soon as I opened the bag!

jimbot58

Hi gang!

Ken, I am curious about the honor guard. At my Dad's funeral we had 3 very wet-behind-the-ears service men (I can't recall from which branch) who, though they seemed very young, were very professional and well drilled. The National anthem was played from a portable boom-box. They did perform a 21 gun salute.

I ask because at the time, we were told the honor guard units were spread very thin due to the passing of the WWII vets and what the military could provide varied from service to service.

I did keep busy painting on the RF-4B:

I also had some goodies arrive. Pitot tube sets by Master Models. Here are sets for short nose Phantoms, long nose, F-105, and the F-100. The one for the Voodoo has yet to arrive! You can see the dime I taped to one for size comparison.

Here I test the macro feature of the camera to its fullest. This is the set for the RF-4B. Top to bottom is the ram air inlet (tail) pitot tube, and AOA probe, which juts out from the side of the aircraft below the cockpit. I wish I had picked a couple more up as there are still other Phantoms to be built, such as an "E", and "S" and an RF-4E. They are so tiny, I will probably loose or break them anyway.

Hi Jim,

As to your question about the Honor Guard, for my Dad's funeral, there was a total of five persons.  They too were very young, but very professional.  Yesterday there was only two, but I believe this was because the family had requested the local VFW to perform.  (I don't think they realized that since Don was a commanding officer, plus a colonel, that he was entitled to a lot more.)  In one of the pictures of Don the family had displayed, it looked like he was wearing the "Legion of Merit" medal.

Those pitot tubes look fantastic!  I have several for my aircraft.  Master Models does a really great job on those!

Ken

Hi gang!

Ken, I am curious about the honor guard. At my Dad's funeral we had 3 very wet-behind-the-ears service men (I can't recall from which branch) who, though they seemed very young, were very professional and well drilled. The National anthem was played from a portable boom-box. They did perform a 21 gun salute.

I ask because at the time, we were told the honor guard units were spread very thin due to the passing of the WWII vets and what the military could provide varied from service to service.

I did keep busy painting on the RF-4B:

I also had some goodies arrive. Pitot tube sets by Master Models. Here are sets for short nose Phantoms, long nose, F-105, and the F-100. The one for the Voodoo has yet to arrive! You can see the dime I taped to one for size comparison.

Here I test the macro feature of the camera to its fullest. This is the set for the RF-4B. Top to bottom is the ram air inlet (tail) pitot tube, and AOA probe, which juts out from the side of the aircraft below the cockpit. I wish I had picked a couple more up as there are still other Phantoms to be built, such as an "E", and "S" and an RF-4E. They are so tiny, I will probably loose or break them anyway.

Hi Everyone,

I am still working on the list of items that was destroyed in my basement.  Since I know that I have more things destroyed than what my policy will cover, I am going to send the insurance agent an email with what I have so far.  If it totals to more than what my policy covers, then I am done.  No since in continuing listing the rest of the items.

Ken

mikeymize

It's a drag to hear about your pilot buddy Ken I'm sure you would've liked for him to at least see the finished tribute. I know he must have been happy with what you had accomplished thus far

Yes, he was very happy with what I had done so far.  So he did know that when it is finished, that it is going to be one of my best accomplishments.

Ken

Gamera

Sorry to hear about Col. James Ken, at least you were able to hear about some of his experiences straight from him so you can keep him alive in your memories.

It is good though to hear your mom's doing better.

Very true Cliff.  I am very glad that I was able to hear those stories.  And thank you for the thoughts about my Mom.

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Don's obituary is here in case you wanted to see it.

http://www.hahngroeberfuneralhome.com/home/index.cfm/obituaries/view/id/2487369 

Ken

A fitting tribute to a gallant airman. It's a shame he didn't have children but he did have plenty of friends and family.

Rest in peace.

 

So very true Russ.  Today was the funeral.  There was a pretty good crowd.  He had a few nieces and nephews with their families, but the rest were friends that knew him.  Our entire IPMS chapter (all 4 of us) showed up.  The procession of cars following the hearse to the cemetery was quite long.  And he had a Catholic ceremony along with a military one.  Seeing the Honor Guard perform brought back memories of my Dad's funeral.  He will be missed.

Ken 

It's a drag to hear about your pilot buddy Ken I'm sure you would've liked for him to at least see the finished tribute. I know he must have been happy with what you had accomplished thus far

Sorry to hear about Col. James Ken, at least you were able to hear about some of his experiences straight from him so you can keep him alive in your memories.

It is good though to hear your mom's doing better.

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Don's obituary is here in case you wanted to see it.

http://www.hahngroeberfuneralhome.com/home/index.cfm/obituaries/view/id/2487369 

Ken

A fitting tribute to a gallant airman. It's a shame he didn't have children but he did have plenty of friends and family.

Rest in peace.

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the well wishes for my Mom and your condolences for Don.  It was a good thing that I had the opportunity to meet Don and become friends.  I will always remember his stories.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Don's obituary is here in case you wanted to see it.

http://www.hahngroeberfuneralhome.com/home/index.cfm/obituaries/view/id/2487369 

Ken

Hey everyone!

First off:

I'm kind of down though as I miss having Easter dinner with Mom. To make matters worse, it's also my Mom and Dad's anniversary!

Guess I can try to stay busy....

I painted on the 101. I think I'm finally figuring the correct thinner/paint mix for gloss. Plus I finally have learned to check out the airbrush to be sure all works ok BEFORE I load it with paint!

My Silly Putty masking: You can see the air scoops I opened up for the afterburner cooling. Came out not to bad, I think!

Painted:

Topside was done earlier in the week in two seperate sessions:

I put it aside to cure for a few days, so I needed something else to work on. I pulled down the RF-4B and did some work on it:

You see some of the masking on the underside for the gear bays:

Masked and primered those bays:

Now comes the big question: Why did I do all that masking? Can you guess what color the underside of the aircraft is supposed to be? How about WHITE? Same as the gear bays!

Oh well, guess I like doing extra work!

I shoud primer the whole underside as you know what a pain gloss white can be to make cover.

Jim

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

I just learned that my good friend, Don James, passed away yesterday from lung cancer.  It is a very sad day.  He was the best part of the IPMS meetings.  The world has just lost a really nice guy.

Just as a reminder, Don was the pilot for the "Hoosier Hotshot" that I am building.  He also flew several other planes, including the U-2 Dragon Lady and the SR-71 Blackbird.

He will be sorely missed.

Ken

Wow Ken, that is sad news! It's too bad he couldn't have made it a little longer so you could have gotten a little further on the Hoosier! Don't feel guilty about that as I know you have really had your hands full the last several weeks, with work, your basement, and your Mom! At least he knew you were building his aircraft.

Glad though, that Your Mom is out of the hospital!

Jim

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

I just learned that my good friend, Don James, passed away yesterday from lung cancer.  It is a very sad day.  He was the best part of the IPMS meetings.  The world has just lost a really nice guy.

Just as a reminder, Don was the pilot for the "Hoosier Hotshot" that I am building.  He also flew several other planes, including the U-2 Dragon Lady and the SR-71 Blackbird.

He will be sorely missed.

Ken

Bummer, Ken. Very sorry to hear that   But think of how fortunate you were to know him and share your hobby with him. Both of you gained from the experience.

Maybe they will erect a memorial to him somewhere and your model can be part of it.

Russ