Greetings all,
Thanks for everyone who attended our meeting Saturday. Here is the LINK to the video recording of the meeting. The video quality was sketchy again during the first part of the meeting. Somewhere around the middle it improved. No idea what's causing this. I may skip the use of my phone as a participant at the next meeting.
I apologize for leaving early. I had tickets to the Air Force/Army game. The weather was perfect. The cadets on the field were great. The skydiving into the stadium by the cadets was great. The A-10 four ship flyover was amazing. The best part though was at half time the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, promoted Lt. Col. James H Harvey of the Tuskegee Airman to full Colonel. Col Harvey served in WWII and Korea. He was on the first ever William Tell competition team winning the event back in 1949. It was caped off with a fly over of a P-47 and P-51, both of which Col. Harvey flew in his service. So cool!
This half time event ended up earning the "play of the game" because unfortunately the football game just sucked. That was the worst performance I've ever seen from AF in all the games I've gone to see over the years. Oh well.
Okay, so here's a recap of our abbreviated meeting....
I immediately created controversy by following up on our discussion of line handling. Specifically the term Faking a line or Flaking a line. I think the answer is whatever the chief tells you it's called. But here's sort of an explanation I found...
So let's see what Ben at Black Cat Models comes up with. No doubt it will be a nice addition to a ship coming into port.
Next Sam gave us an excellent presentation on the sinking of the Bismark. It was very interesting to learn how the ship rolled over dumping her barbets identifying the initial sinking location. Then how she moved through the water while sinking to the initial impact point. That followed by her slide down the avalanche underwater to her final resting point. Really amazing story.
We then got into our build progress. We lost David Angelo so we didn't get an updated on HMS Victory. We'll catch up next time.
Then John Widmar told us about his build of the Armored Cruiser, USS New York
John said this was a difficult kit to build, unlike many of his other NIKO kits. This kit is still available at Squadron/Freetime Hobbies for $60.95
This led to a quick discussion about Armored Cruisers. Perhaps we can persuade somebody in our group to give a more in depth talk on Armored Cruisers and their history.
Rob then told us about his build of the Flyhawk 1/700 Prince of Wales. Unfortunately the photo didn't appear so as promised, here is Rob's build. Rob reports it as being a very nice kit. Rob felt that the kit was more complicated than it needed to be. This is what we have learned from Flyhawk. Just need to finish up the Walrus and she's ready to sail.
On to what's new....
Black Cat Models has released three long forecastle Flower Class Corvettes. This is a follow on to their previous shot forecastle Corvettes recently released.
First is the HMS/FNFL Mimosa K11. This one is an example of the early Corvettes with the mast forward of the bridge.
Second is the HMCS Sackville which is the sole surviving example of a Flower Class and a museum ship in Nova Scotia.
Third is the HMCS Snowberry, another late model Corvette example.
The models are all 3D printed with only the photo etch you need (railings). Welcome additions to the Black Cat models lineup. I ordered a couple of these and will bring to the next meeting.
These kits sell for $90 direct from Black Cat Models and will likely soon be available from Squadron/Freetime at a price to be determined.
We discussed a new manufacturer, Model BDM. They are a French company and are releasing a series of 1/400 scale French destroyers. Apparently as destroyers go they are quite large. Not a lot to share other than the announcement. Stay tuned for more...
Another relatively new company, Pig Models, has a unique release of a Norwegian Skjold Class Corvette. This is a combination of gun boat and hover craft. Only three have been built and the Norwegian Navy is trying to come up with an alternative. Available from hlj.com for only $36.00.
Strangely crew figures are provided of which some appear to be holding fish? Yep! A later photo revealed that the crew should be fishing. That's different!
Another new company called Neverland Hobbies is releasing a 1/144 type VII U-Boat. The model will be molded in color so apparently you don't need to paint it? Price to be determined. Hmmmm....
Starling Models announced the release of a new kit, HMS Amethyst in 1/700 scale. Expect this to be released around the end of this year.
Atlantic Models is releasing updated versions of their HMS Scorpion and HMS Venus in 1/700 scale. This is a trend we're starting to see with traditional resin kit manufacturers updating their models with 3D printed detail parts, giving new life to older subjects. These are very reasonably priced at $40 each.
Here's a kit from another new manufacturer, NeOmega UK. This is a Harbour Defence Motor Launch from 1943. This one is getting a lot of attention in the press. It's 1/144 scale and combination of resin hull, 3d printed detail parts, and just enough photo etch. This kit is priced at $62.00.
Dream Models, not really known for naval subjects, is releasing some Russian subjects which are 3D printed with resin hulls and photo etch for railings and ladders. This is the Bunyan M, Project 21631. This one is also in 1/700 scale. Looks like it builds into a very nice model. You can find it at Hobby Search in Japan for $71.
Our last new kit is from the Greek manufacturer, Hellenic Ship Models. The model is 100% 3D printed. You can find their kits on their web site at hellenicshipmodel.gr. This is of the Belharra FDI (Defense and Intervention Frigate). Initial release is 1/700 scale selling for eur 60. The kit is also available in 1/350 scale. This is a very unique looking modern ship.
That's all for this month. I look forward to seeing you in December!
