Thanks to everyone who was able to attend our meeting Saturday!  Unfortunately the meeting didn't record, probably user error on my part.  😖

We started off with a follow up from Brian and Jerry on the visors.  Jerry has the rechargeable version and Brian the AAA battery version.  Two thumbs up from our reviewers.  These are both available on Amazon with the rechargeable version slightly more expensive.  Jerry reports that these don't work well if you use glasses.  It sounds like these are good choices.  Maybe the next version will be more accommodating to us folks that wear glasses.  Brian suggested that Jerry could plug in with his USB charging cord to extend the life of his battery.  Hopefully he doesn't forget he's plugged in!  :-)

Battery version (listed as Amazon choice) $17.79

Rechargeable version fulfilled by Amazon $16.99

We had a follow up on Ostrich Hobby.  Here is a list of kits that they offer.  They currently are available on eBay through Global Toy in China, however they are in the process of opening up their own store.  You've received the poll I sent out about shipping.  They're trying to figure out the best options for their customers and your input will help.  

Check out Ostrich Hobby Facebook page.  Here's an example of their HMS Yarmouth 1982.  There is one kit left on eBay at it sells for about $51 plus $10.02 for shipping.  As you can see it's very nice quality and good price for a resin kit.  Excellent find Bill!

While we missed Rob Weilacher at our meeting, we got to look at his 1/700 Argonaut from Tom's Modelworks.  This kit sells for $36.50 plus shipping.  Really well designed kit and can be modeled full hull or waterline.  Unfortunately temporary out of stock but write Richard at Tom's if you're interested.  Sam also treated us to some history on this sub.  It's about as long as a destroyer.  What a beast!  Thanks for sharing your work Rob!

I will send out Sam's write up to the group in a separate email.

Next John Widmar showed us his USS Huntington.  She's a Fargo Class light cruiser which is a modified version of the Cleveland class cruiser.  She apparently had a stability problem.  Sam also provided us with some history on this ship and class which I will send out to everyone separately.  This is another winner from Niko models.  Waterline series kit available and in stock at Free Time Hobbies for $80.  

Next Bill Smallshaw treated us to his work on the new Revell PT-109 kit converted to PT-143.  Bill and Blake worked together to create custom decals for the Squadron 8 markings on the spray shield.  The rest of the decals are from a set by Warbird decals and are still available.  Bill reports that this kit went together really well and is an excellent representation of an 80' Elco PT Boat.  A great addition is the 3D printed beehive radar and the roll off depth charges.  Nice job Bill!  Looking forward to the late model Elco you're working on.  

Next Roger gave us a kit review of the HMS Jervis by Aoshima.  Jervis is a J class destroyer.  Roger reports that this is one of their newer kits and really well made.  Roger advised that the kit includes photo etch railing and for the price it's a great value.  Roger is in the process of making this kit and we'll look forward his progress.  These are available from a number of suppliers ranging from $25 to $40 depending where you find them.  Search the internet.

Next I talked about ship deck painting masks.  Typically when building these models the deck is painted first.  Then it is masked off and the fixtures, hull, and structure is painted.  This is a painstaking process.  There are a bunch of manufacturers now making custom deck masks that should save you all that tedious masking.  They are typically laser cut to make a perfect match of your ship model kit.  Here is a list of manufacturers just for ships.  Below that an example of the mask set for the Flyhawk HMS Kelly.

Artwox (Out of business but product still around)

Flyhawk

Rainbow

Hunter or WoodHunter

Ship Yards Work

J's Work

Dream Model

There are also companies like Gators Mask who make customer masks.  In fact Kenny made some customer masks for my container ship.  

You can also make these yourself using a Cricut or Silhouette machine.  We'll come back to this at a later date as there's a lot more to learn about this process and machines.

Next up we discussed something a little different from Artist Hobbies.  How about a 1/700 HMS Victory!  John Widmar has this on order.  You can do full hull or waterline.  There is a lot of turned brass and photo etch on this small little resin model.  They are on pre-order from Hobby Search in Japan at about $57 for the waterline and $72 for the full hull model plus shipping.  To put this into perspective this ship was 227' overall which works out to just under 10 cm long.  I can't wait to see John put this one together!  

We then turned our attention to some tools.  While listening to one of the modeling podcasts they talked about this machines tool chest.  You can buy these from Harbor Freight for $85.  They are felt lined and are a great way to store your tools so that you know where to find them when you need them.  They take little space.  I've had one on my desk for years.  Highly recommended.

Next we discussed scrapers from Trumpeter's Master Tool collection.  I have the Zoukei Mura version of this that cost $40 at an IPMS show.  This one costs $20 and you can get it from Sprue Brothers.  These are solid chunks of steel with lethal blades.  They are great for removing seam lines, etc.  Also highly recommended by both Roger and me.

Last up for tools Bill Smallshaw talked about his vacuum form adventure.  Bill was trying to make clear turrets for his PT-9 model in 1/72 scale.  Bill tried to upgrade his mighty Mattel vac-u-form machine but that didn't work as planned.  He then purchased a higher end machine on eBay which cost about $120.  There are a bunch of these available on eBay so shop carefully if you want to buy one.  Check with Bill for guidance on buying the right machine.  Bill is reporting some issues with stress on the stretched plastic but he's working the problem.  The machine works well and you can see  the quality of the vacuum in his sample.

I thought this was going to be a short meeting!  

We made room at the end for a presentation from John DuGene (aka Deacon).  It was optional but everyone stayed.  John visited Craft Lab in Austria who are the makers of high quality early aircraft and car restorations.  Remarkable woodworking and construction.  Great presentation by John.

We covered a lot of territory today!  Thanks everyone for contributing and staying through to the end of John's excellent presentation.

See you next time!

We're back to our regular rotation!  Thanks everyone for being flexible the last few months.

Meeting via Zoom.  Invitation has been forwarded.
Time:  August 1st at 10:00 MDT or 16:00Z

On the agenda for this meeting.

Jerry received his visor with the rechargeable batteries.  He'll be giving us a quick follow up review


Rob Weilacher will be discussing his 1/700 Tom's Modelworks Argonaut.  Sam Bartlett will be adding some historical perspective about the Argonaut and her sister ships.

We'll talk about the many deck masks that are coming out lately.  We'll talk about the manufacturers currently producing these.  I picked one up for the 1/700 HMS Kelly.  Will this be a nightmare or a godsend? 

We'll be talking about some tools and tool management

We'll discuss some different kits coming to the market

We'll chat about the new movie Greyhound.

After a short break John DuGene will talk about his trip to CraftLab in Austria.  If you appreciate craftsmanship, you'll enjoy hanging around for this!  

As always bring your questions, works in progress, and finished models.  See you then!

July meeting follow up

Wow, we covered a lot of territory once again.  Here's a recap of our meeting...

Here's a link to the recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/y-FMCPbT1nNJT42KzHvfQaMPIrnIeaa8hHBP-PFYzU-Xo7yuSrdd3Vq5WkFXNJBo?startTime=1594482403000

We began the meeting with John's presentation on getting his Dremel battery repaired.  It was very interesting to see these come apart and the process for putting back together and back in business.  In this case improved performance over the original.  In reality a very simple process.

John was able to do this at Batteries Plus Bulbs in Longmont for $11 plus gas.  It turned out to be a very straight forward and easy process.  But other Batteries Plus Bulbs stores were more expensive, more trouble, or not capable.  Good advice to call in advance to make sure they can do the replacement on site while you wait.

We moved to our most prolific builder, John Widmar.  First with his Flyhawk Bismark in 1/700 scale. This kit is still available through eBay and other providers.  John also added a wood deck.  John told us that this was a great build and the detail included in this kit is "fantastic".

We spent some time talking about talking about laying the red field decal with the swastica.  John used solvaset to settle the decal down over the deck.  Bill also recommended putting down Solvaset first before adding the decal, but cautioned that it could stain the wood deck.  Rob was wondering about markings on Aircraft Carriers.  Deacon recommended painting using a mask.  We're going to come back to that idea at the next meeting.  

Next John showed us the Dragon USS San Diego CL-53 Atlanta Class Cruiser.  John added additional details to this kit.  This kit is also released as CL-52.  Both kits may be a little hard to find these days but check eBay.

For the trifecta John showed us his IJN Gunboat UJI from Aoshima.  This is another kit that has some amazing aftermarket parts for and is available.  

Bill told us about a kit he received from Global Toy in China.  This seller offers kits through eBay.  This is a manufacturer Bill has told us about before.  These are complete kits including photo etch nd decals.  Castings are very sharp.  This seller has a very good reputation.  The manufacturer has a relatively new Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/ostrichhobbyhomepage

They seem to be open to suggestions.  They are currently working on a new HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier which looks really nice.  Thanks for sharing this one Bill!

David Angelo shared with us the work he's doing on his new Oilers.  It will be fun to watch these come together!

Cimmeron  AO-22

Hog Islander USS Sirius AK-15

Housatanic AO-34

Chicopee AO-35

I gave a brief review of the Flyhawk HMS Kelly.  This kit is released in several versions.  This one is the Deluxe edition which includes photo etch, brass barrels, and brass masts.  The detail in this kit is unbelievable.  John Widmar is right, these are a great bargain.  As mentioned I didn't expect to get this kit and thought it was lost in the mail.  But it showed up after eBay refunded the money to me.  I made it right with the seller but it will be going to Bill.  This one was purchased for $31.19 delivered but typically are a few more dollars.  I found another one of these kits in the "Commemorative Edition" which includes all the goodies plus a Short Sunderland flying boat.  

I also followed up on the Zucas Studios kit.  This is a Q series model of the Perry Class Frigate.  The detail on these is quite remarkable for a distorted series model.  You can see the web site for Zucas Studio on the listings.  Also here is the link to their facebook page:  

Here's the diorama Using the Knox class he put together that seems to have done well in competition.  Note the dolphins and towed array sonar.  

I also discussed the Model Ship Dry Dock.  It's the only commercial building stand I've seen for model ships.  It's available from Wargame Miniatures in Australia.  The sell price is AUD 55.00 which is roughly USD 35.00.  They are out of stock right now but if you're interested drop them a line.  They've been getting a lot of press from the On The Bench podcast so they have sold out quickly.  

https://www.wargameminiatures.com.au/product/model-ship-dry-dock/

I would say this is good for 1/700 battleships and up.  I wouldn't recommend this for anything smaller.  It's also only good for capital ships.  It's not good for something like a PT boat.  

Rodrigo told us about a visor he's been using.  As it turns out Blake has this same visor and gave it a very good review.  The lenses are described as very good.  There is a strap you can use instead of the temples but Blake reports the temples are better.  The batteries go into the frame at the forehead.  Blake reported that it was a little heavy to wear for long periods and he usually doesn't have the batteries in.  Jerry found one on eBay that apparently has rechargeable batteries instead of the typical AA batteries.  

At the book corner we discussed two. 

Rob Discussed the book Pacific War Diary.  He describes it as written in three paragraphs.  It's a continuous narrative of a young sailor.  Highly recommended.  It's a very different perspective of being a sailor in WWII.

I talked about a new audiobook I'm listening to called The Good Shepard.  The author does an amazing job of describing what it's like to be on a tin can conducting escort for convoys.  This is the book that the new movie "Greyhound" is based on.  David Angelo and Bill Smallshaw both gave it a thumbs up.  I'm going to finish listening to it before I watch the movie.  

We finished with a nice discussion with Richard Harden of Tom's Modelworks and White Ensign.  Tom told us about his experience with IPMS cancelling and a new kit he's working on of the USS Coral Sea which is based on the HP Models kit.  Those were good kits and with some good photo etch and markings it could be a winner.

Catch you all next meeting!

Greetings all,
I just realized that I had not posted our agenda items for our meeting on Saturday, July 11th.  Good thing Hugh woke me up!

Zoom Meeting:  You should have the link.  I will send out a reminder.
Date:  July 11, 2020
Time:  10:00 MDT (16:00 Z)

So here's what we have on the agenda this month...

John DuGene (aka Deacon) will be giving us a presentation on his Dremel battery pack repair adventures.  I had no idea this could be done until Jerry brought it up at the last meeting.  I think you'll find this very interesting.

John Widmar will be showing us three completed models, including his Flyhawk 1/700 Bismark.

David Angelo from Loose Cannon East will be giving us an update on a new project which is three Oiler's he's working on.  It's interesting to see how these come together as kits.

We'll have some product reviews including the Q scale Perry Class that I got in the mail last week.  The Flyhawk 1/700 HMS Kelly, and the TAKOM 1/72 IJN Yamato No. 2 turret.

On the tool side we're going to talk about magnifiers that Rodrigo recently purchased, one similar purchased by Jerry and Roger, and the Optivsor brand I own.  We'll talk about their lighting systems.  Spoiler alert, Optivisor brand lighting systems SUCK!  Also I received my ship jig, aka Model Ship Dry Dock and I'll tell you about that.

See you Saturday!

Dave

Greetings,
I wanted to share with you a great video tutorial I stumbled across today relating to airbrush tip drying.  This is a big issue for us in Colorado, made worse if you're using acrylics and lacquers.

After watching this video I realized that I was using poor technique with my double action airbrush.  I'm the guy he describes who releases air and paint at the same time which leads to paint building and drying on the needle tip.  A bad habit I developed over the years.  The only thing I don't agree with in this video is back blowing your airbrush.  Also thin and mix your paint before you add it to the color cup.  But as my wife likes to say "you do you".  Give it a look.  I think you'll find he's a good instructor and the information useful.

Thanks to everyone who made it to the meeting today.  Another great turnout.  Lots to review.

Here's a link to the meeting video if you care to review.

June ship club meeting  Note that there is a password required now for viewing the recording.  The password is 7y^@z05a and you have to verify that you're not a robot.  I'm sure part of the security requirements to keep the Zoom bombers away.

IMPORTANT:  I will only maintain the current and previous months recordings as that's our limit for cloud storage.  

We started with a look at the 8050 Dremel tool ($68 on Amazon) I just bought and what went into my decision making. So far I'm happy with it but we'll have to see how well the lithium batteries hold up.  Before we go on, Jerry had a great tip on taking batteries to Batteries Plus to have them rebuild batteries you can no longer buy.  Great tip Jerry!  Sam also offered up another tip I had forgotten about which is the foot controller for the wired Dremel's.

We also took a look at some other options on the market.  This was probably my second choice based on a recommendation from John Widmar.  These are corded but have excellent features.  They are on sale at Micro Mark.  The Micro is on sale for $49 and the Mini is on sale for $69 right now.  Here's a video on these units.

Another unit I took a good long look at was the Proxxon power station and rotary tool.  A step up in price at about $150 for the pair, but very good power and speed range.  The power station can be used with other Proxxon tools.  A nice choice if you're all in on the Porxxon line.

Last we looked at the DAVIDUNION 550E pro model which also had a separate controller.  This unit had the lightest hand piece at less than half a pound and the best low end RPM.  But looking at videos indicated that at the low end it lacked power to keep the motor from stopping.  It was also quite expensive at just under $500.  Update... scratch this one as manufacturer can't sell to the US because they don't have FCC certificate.  

They do have another version called the 360E without the controller which is more affordable.  While not shown it is corded.  It can dial down RPM's to about 1300 but lacks enough power to keep from bogging down.  These are a bit hard to find but if this interests you check with Jerry Beasley.

Most everyone had an old Dremel battery powered unit but struggled with the batteries not holding a charge or not being ready when you needed the tool.  Jerry's tip on Batteries Plus may be a solution.  Hopefully this discussion helped and you'll find a tool that works for you.  

Speaking of DAVIDUNION Jerry is working on buying the 400 sanders for the group.  If you are interested get with Jerry as he's going to be putting in his order soon.

I shared a relatively unknown ship kit manufacturer called Zucas Studio who produces "Q Series" resin model kits.  The gentleman who has this company is Chien Yu Wei and he is a veteran of the Taiwanese Navy.  He served on a Knox class frigate.  He has the Knox and Perry class frigates available.  Service is excellent and personal.  The detail built into these kits is remarkable compared to others of this genre.  His web site is in the following link.  Give it a look.

Zucas Studio

David Angelo shared with us a future kit he's working on.  This is the USS Tangier seaplane tender.  David is working out a few issues but expect to see a great and unique kit coming soon.  

John Widmar also shared one of his finished models.  This is the Combrig models Kasato Maru.  It's a 1/700 kit available at Free Time Hobbies. 

One of the things we talked about were the ratlines.  The kit did not come with them.  However John utilized some photo etch ratlines.  He's been kind enough to do some research for us.  Here's what John found in 1/700 plus one I added in 1/350.

Battlefleet Models #BFM-7pl

Ocean Spirit    #H084

Super Star   # SS700029

Alliance Model Works   #NW70060

Alliance Model Works  #NW35045

Rob Weilacher also shared his lates build which is the 1/700 Adams Class Destroyer.  This is the DDG-9 USS Towers built out of the box plus Gold Medal Models upgrade.  I've always liked the look of these destroyers.

Tim also shared his Alvin research submarine.  This is from a now defunct company called Viking Models.  It's resin, white metal, and brass components.  Tim did a great job of upgrading some parts with scratch built creations.  Very well done Tim!  

We added books as a new topic for our meetings.  Unfortunately we lost Rob who suggested this topic to the internet gods.  We'll bring it back for discussion at the next meeting.  Roger was familiar with the book and spoke to it briefly.  

I haven't finished this next book yet.  The book is called Shattered Sword and looks at the battle of Midway researched from the Japanese side.  So far an excellent read... or in my case listen.  As I'm doing choirs and such I listen to books on Audible.  

Roger also recommended to us some good books

Battle in the Arctic Seas by Theadore Taylor.  This is a story of life on an Atlantic convoy PQ-17 which was devastated by German attack.  Roger describes the book as written for young people and a quick but good read.  

Escape from the Deep by Alex Kershaw.  This is the story of the USS Tang, SS-306, lost in action and the survival of some of her crew.  

Finally Blake couldn't be with us today but sent me some links to customer decal providers.  They can all be found on Facebook but at least the first three also have their own web sites.  They have a library of decal sets but also do custom work.  Give them a look at book mark in case you need them sometime in the future.

Decision Height Decals.  Facebook sales only.

Link to Circus City Decals

Link to Daves Decals

Two others on Facebook who do custom decals...

George Eyerman

Clifford Booth

Greetings all
Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to postpone ship club for a week.  I was able to complete my class and happy to have that behind me.

I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about and I'll update this post with some more information shortly.

One thing I do want to show you all is the new motor tool I picked up.  I'm happy with the choice and will be reviewing the features that I found important in making my decision.

There are some new motor tools out that are smaller in size compared to the standard Dremel's we grew up using.  This is an essential tool on my bench and I suspect many of you use them as well.  We'll take a look at some of the different tools out there.  I would also like to hear from you all what tool you use and what you like, or don't like about it.  It should make for a good discussion.

We have three finished models to show off from David Angelo, John Widmar, and Rob Weilacher.  

Also wanted to remind you that we'll be discussing interesting and obscure books you might be reading or have read that you can recommend to the group.  I know we have some prolific readers in our group.  I'll be talking about this book I've been listening to through Audible.  

I look forward to seeing you all.  

Dave