Hi all,
First of all, best wishes to John “Deacon” DuGene who had his ACL repaired Friday. I heard from him and he’s doing well. But he hasn’t met his physical therapist yet. Muhahaha. Speedy recovery John!
On another note. I’m very happy to see that you’re getting your vaccines. While the majority of us are voluntarily getting COVID vaccines, not all of our group will be getting it for different reasons. I’ll just ask that everyone remain respectful to each other.
Here’s a link to the recording of the meeting.
Topic: Ship Club Meeting
Start Time : Mar 6, 2021 09:45 AM
Meeting Recording:
Access Passcode: Sig.P6#H
Moving on, Richard started by sharing some 3D printed parts that he purchased from Kraken Hobbies which was a new one for me. They produce 3D printed parts and upgrade sets for 1/350 and 1/700 kits. Here’s a link to their site…
We followed up on model railroad scales and how they might relate to our scale modeling. Here’s the table I put together.
We then talked about a company in Germany who is finding a way to market 3D printed models and also sell the files. It will be interesting to watch how markets will be established to provide files to modelers, but still protect their rights. RCSubs in the Czech Republic is selling kits with three different options. 1). Print file plus photo etch. 2) Photo etch only 3). Complete photo etch and printed parts. By the way, if you like 1/72 submarines, or larger scale submarines, this is the place to get your detail parts.
David Angelo sent us some photos of his two tankers that he’s working on. Unfortunately David wasn’t able to log in. We’ll catch up next meeting
I shared some new products coming to market. One of my favorites is Black Cat Models. They produce high quality kits that take advantage of 3D printed resins for details. They have some great kits they’re bringing to market but the supply chain isn’t where they need it to be so the kits are coming out slower than they would like. Richard expressed some of the same issues with his business.
Here are some of the kits they are planning to come out with. The first is a Bathurst class Corvette from the Australian Navy. The winch for the paravanes is a work of art.
About to release is a series of 1/350 LCI’s in three different styles. Much of this was made possible by the LCI 713 museum in Portland. Here’s a link to their web site… USS LCI 713 (L) - Amphibious Forces Memorial Museumwww.lci713.com › About › AFMMBrochure. Jerry Gilmartin is a retired Chief and instrumental with this museum and the PT-658 museum, both in Portland.
We marked the passing of Mr. Tserng MH who was the founder of AFV Club in Taiwan. AFV club kits are really wonderful injected molded subjects. They also offer very nice upgrade sets if you want to take it to the next level.
From Flyhawk I shared a different kit line that they are offering. These are People’s Liberation Army Navy. These look like typical high quality kits that you come to expect from Flyhawk. As expected these are 1/700 scale. The Type 055 Destroyer sells in Japan for about $65 to $70. The submarine kit sells for about $30 at Hobby Link Japan, but currently out of stock.
From Pit Road I came across an interesting kit in 1/700 scale. It’s a Japanese Coast Guard Cutter. I suggested to Richard that it’s screaming for photo etch parts. As it turns out Pit Road has a couple of different Japan Coast Guard Cutters and offers separate photo etch sets for them. You can find the kits from a variety of sellers and on eBay for about $25 each.
Naval weapons have really taken off. TAKOM has come out with Yamato and Bismarck turrets in 1/72 scale. That Bismark turret will fit inside the Yamato turret. The Yamato sells for about $75 and the Bismarck sells for about $65. You can purchase wood deck metal barrel upgrade kits for each subject. Note that the barrels don’t elevate. If they come out with a 5in mount… I could be in!
I mentioned that I had a rough experience with Stynylrez primer. I have been a fan of this product for a long time. But this last batch which appears to be new is horrible. I bought it in the summer so it wasn’t subject to freezing. But when sprayed it left artifacts, pebbly finish, and gloss. I contacted Badger several time and they have not bothered to call back. I’ve sent them emails with photos and nothing. John Miller from Model Paint Solutions told me that he’s had several customers complain about recent Stynylrez purchases. I’m really put off by their customer service and I may be breaking up with them. I have a call into Spray Gunner in Florida to see if they can shed some light on the issue. Below is the test I did on my other paint mule. On the left is a heavy coat as I would normally spray. You can see it’s blotchy and artifacts sprayed all over. Yes, I mixed it thoroughly. On the right is a series of lighter coats. Again blotchy, rough, and glossy.
Rob gave a talk on Corsair Armada. He knows Mike C who lives near in Georgia and recently visited with him. I have a couple of their kits (Vestal and Wasp) but didn’t know that much about the company. Below are some of the new kits Mike is working on.
Here’s an AO-3 tanker. Looks like you have some competition Dave!
Rob also shared some of his completed Corsair Armada kits. Really nice work Rob!
AUCTION!!!
Finally Rob is offering up another kit for auction. This time it is the Corsair Armada USS Louisville CA-28 1944. This is a resin kit with photo etch details. It retails for $69 at Free Time, but is sold out. Proceeds from the sale support or club. Shipping cost is included. Thank you Rob! The bidding will start at $15. Send me an email message with your bid and I will keep everyone posted with the latest bid amount.
Thanks again for everyone who came. I look forward to seeing you next time, and I hope soon in person!
Dave
