Greetings and thanks to everyone able to make our last meeting, wether in person or in Zoom.

Speaking of Zoom, thanks to everyone's generosity we're covered for another year of hybrid meetings on Zoom.  It worked well today except for my screen freezing at the very beginning.  I've clipped that part out of the recording.

Here's the recording of meeting. Note the password below for viewing. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/6vZatv4ljTnrdT3evG7FDYX7NqPuCR5zlmB6jY7tkintNmmrGUsYIgP2jPwCPw5M.nmerItexv6xfOHe9?startTime=1717257288000

Passcode: g*d3Vfac

Here's a recap of our June meeting...

We had a good laugh when Kenny shared an issue with the USS Texas and its blocking the harbor view from Katie's Seafood House.  Sure is tough having a major attraction in front of your restaurant.  

Sam Bartlett gave an excellent presentation on the "Dynamite Gun" and how it was employed by the US Navy and US Army.  

First up with show n' tell was Rob with his Corsair Armada, USS Northampton

David Angelo was next up with his Heller, HMS Victory.  She's really looking the part!  

John Widmar was next up with his HMS Queen Elizabeth in 1/700 scale.  The kit is still available at Squadron.  

Roger Schafer shared his back dated 1/700 Toho Maru from Fujimi.  I found this kit under another name on eBay.  But this is a rare bird.  Roger did a great job finishing this model from available photos.  

Roger also shared with us his rare 1/700 HP Models, HMS Leander.

Len Fricke shared his project that he's been working on with his partner, Thomaso.  This is a 1/700 Italian "what if" model.  Len worked with Matt from Kraken Hobby to get this destroyer printed.  Stay tuned for more updates on this kit.

Kenny Loup sent us this image of the ship staging at the Bikini Atol Atom Bomb testing.  I think we all found this very interesting and to see the assorted ships in this underwater test.  Sad ending to some amazing ships and boats.

So what the hell happened here!  Check out what happened with the rigging on my UB-10, WWI German submarine.  After I got it back from the local CoMMiESfest show the cotton rigging line went slack.  That's not supposed to happen!  I can't take it to NATS looking like that.  I contacted Ropes in Scale in Canada and they told me that unless I keep the rope real tight, atmosphere can cause the lines to shrink and expand.  They suggested switching to their nylon rope which I've placed on order.  Should be an easy fix!  

I'm also working on a 1/350 AFV Club LST for NATS for the Operation Overlord group build.  I'm also using the Infini detail set which consists of a ton of photo etch and turned brass parts.  All the details on this ship are above deck and have been prepared in advance.  It will be sitting on a water base in loading mode prior to departure to Normandy.  I'm really going to have to push hard to get this one to the finish line.

Martin Sagara sent me this great photo of a PT Boat/Sea Plane tender.  There is a ton of tonal variations exhibited in this photo of boats/ships painted in one color.  

This photo inspired me to try out Kris Sieber's technique of using acrylic inks to add weathering and tonal variations to a model.  Kris is a graphic artist by trade and does wonderful work with his models.  Check him out on Facebook at Luftraum 72.  It was an okay first effort on my part.  I'm going to go back, repaint it, and give it another shot.  I plan to use this technique on the LST I'm building.  I'll share at the next meeting.  Below are my notes from the articles and conversations I've had with Kris on this technique.  

Some new and interesting things in the ship model world

Magic Factory is releasing a pre-painted replacement deck for their USS Gerald R Ford 1/700 carrier.  Normally I'm skeptical of anything pre-painted, hopefully this will be different.  It could be a lot easier than painting and decaling this beast.  Can I resist?  

Black Cat Models has released a very nice 3D printed, 1/350 set of aircraft, catapults, as well as crane and Strongback.  You choose if you want the OS2U Kingfisher or the Curtis SC Seahawk.  

Also coming from Black Cat Models is the APD-16 USS Ward in 1/350 scale.

Starling Models is working on a 1/700 HMS Andromeda in 1982 fitting.  Stay tuned for more information.

Here's a CAD drawing of a new kit coming from Neomega-Resin.  This is the 1/144 Fairmile "D" Dogboat.  It was mentioned that this company makes a very nice kit.  Check out their Web link for their other kits which are very interesting.

Here are the actual 3D printed parts

Here's another interesting model from Starling Models.  This is the famous Mulberry loading docks from the Normandy invasion.  It comes in both US and British versions, the difference being the vehicles provided.  The US Version was destroyed during a major storm which took place June 19th through 22nd, 1944.  Could make for an interesting diorama!  Maybe Sam will do a presentation for us! 

Continuing with Starling Models, they have updated their 1/700 Black Swan Sloop.  

Here's a new one from ICM.  This kit comes as both waterline or full hull versions.  Roger has built their models and speaks highly of them.  

We talked and bought the Flyhawk USS Cowpens in 1/700 scale.  They've decided that their first release will be the same kit in 1/350 scale.  I can't wait to see what Flyhawk does in 1/350 scale!

Here's what the "deluxe" version buys you for an extra $100.  Lots of 3D printed resin.  Maybe my favorite part is the longhorn steer horns.  Not sure where they go but should make for an interesting talking point on the model.

Eduard continues to offering upgrades for ships.  Their latest is an upgrade for the bare bones 1/350 USS Sangamon.  In addition to this kit, Eduard will release a separate set for the island.  I've pre-ordered this from Brandon so we'll be looking for that when it arrives.

Eduard is quickly out of the gate for the Hobby Boss 1/350 USS Iowa kit recently released.  

Lots of detail in this set which I'm sure this kit is starving for.

Hobby Boss announced the release of a 1/700 Type 094 Jin Class SSBN.  Look for that in the near future.

This one caught my attention.  Coming soon from L'arsenal is a Rubis Class submarine in 1/700 scale.  This one seems to capture a lot of detail in this small scale.  At least the CAD drawings look interesting. 

I brought in my 1/144 Type XXI U-Boat from RCsubs.cz.  The type XXI is Oto Gerza's pride and joy.  The detail and printing are amazing.  Weld lines are incredibly fine and to scale.  What it does need is a pressure hull which Oto is adding for future releases.  All the flood holes are open allowing you to see through the model.  There is only minimal photo etch for this kit which is great.  He prints this kit in resin up to 1/72 scale.  I'm going to be interested to see how the hull sections come together.  Oto also prints this kit up to 1/35 scale using a high resolution FTM printer.

Another excellent looking kit of a more modern subject is this Russian type 01090 anti submarine ship.  It has a cast resin hull and lots of 3D printed parts, which is a plus.  Look for this on eBay from China. 

Here are some models of note I've found on Facebook which I've past on our appreciation for with our virtual challenge coin.

Finally, a really bad submarine movie on Amazon Prime.  The premise is so bad you have to see it to believe it.  Keep in mind that this is mostly done in Japanese and you'll have to read the subtitles to figure out what's going on.  I did manage to watch the whole thing.  I won't be tuning in for Season 2.  

That's it for now.  I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting!