June 2014 Meeting Minutes

The June meeting kicked off on time with 15 in attendance. We had 11 models on the table from 9 different modelers. Great showing!

Dave Lockhart updated us on club business. To highlight:

·        Bob’s Models group build will be due at the December meeting
·        Medic group build will begin AFTER the December meeting
·        Ad in the latest FSM for a 1/8^th scale McLaren (only 67.88/month for 20 months)
·        The upcoming HBO series “Masters of the Air” based on the 8^th AAF book of the same name
·        Pictures from the Atlanta and Warner Robins shows
·        Model reference site Modelersite.com with downloadable articles for sale
·        Progress on the club parts box

Dave asked that the next club meeting move to the 3^rd weekend in July. That would make it July 19^th . Also due to the Nationals, we agreed to move the August meeting to August 16^th.

On to the models. Dave led us off with his work-in-progress, a Me-163. Dave is building the Hasegawa 1/32^nd scale kit. To replicate the mottled camouflage, he applied the splotches of Model Master enamels with micro brushes (the green-handled ones), giving great control over the pattern.

Darryl Cordell had his belated Sow’s Ear kit. This is the Minicraft 1/144^th C-130J. The basic kit is a C-130 H with a sprue included for J model parts, such as fuselage plugs and propellers. Lots of cutting and filling resulted in a great looking replica of one of the “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft.

Mike Idacavage had his continuing project, the ESCI C-47 in 1/72^nd scale. He’s been doing a lot of putty applications, but it’s coming along well.

His finished project this month was a sweet little cat. He built Revell’s 1/144^th scale F-14A Tomcat in the markings of VF-111 “Sundowners”. Mike added a metal pitot tube and scratch built the tail hook, which he placed in an off-center position as the real aircraft have to compensate for crabbing during carrier landings. He lightly weathered the aircraft with pastels to give a subtle worn finish.

Gary Litavis had an in-progress M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle. The ASV is the Trumpeter kit done out-of-the box. After reading a build article in Military Modelling, Gary obtained the kit and gave it a whirl. After what he says a lot of “prayer, luck and swearing” due to some finicky assembly, Gary’s well on his way to completing a beauty.

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Gregory Dyar took a classic and turned out a nice model. The kit was the Revell P-39 in 1/72^nd scale. He added stretched sprue .30 caliber wing guns, moved the auxiliary tank forward and dropped the flaps. He chose a British paint scheme of green, dark earth and sky and used early war US markings to depict a plane built for the RAF but diverted to the USAAF in the Pacific after Pearl Harbor.

Continuing the 1/72^nd scale parade, Paul Crawley completed the Authentic Airliners B-727. Paul further detailed this solid resin kit by adding landing light lenses and plumbing the landing gear hydraulic and brake lines. He used Draw Decals to model a Delta Air Lines B727-232ADV in the classic “Widget” scheme with the additional fuselage markings commemorating Delta’s status as the Official Airline of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Paul used Testor’s white enamel and Alclad metallic paints.

Rob Morales completed the Trumpeter 1/35^th scale D-30 2A18 122mm Howitzer. This out-of-the-box project was painted with Vallejo paints, weathered with raw umber oil paint detail wash, Vallejo black grey chipping and Tamiya diluted Buff overspray. A DML Soviet figure is added to guard the gun. The model was added to a base constructed with Durham’s Water Putty, static grass and scenic grasses to depict a gun deployed along the Sino-Soviet border during the tensions of the mid-1970s.

Joe Geib had a subject with some local color, a DeKalb County, GA police cruiser. Joe built the 1/25^th scale Revell Snap-Tite Chevy Police Car and painted it with Krylon and Wal-Mart spray paints. He ordered the decals from Policecarmodels.com. For Joe, it was a good opportunity to get back to basics after having little time for modeling in recent months.

Keith Scruton had a work in progress P-40E. This is the 1/48^th scale Otaki kit he built some time ago that he is planning to accurize as his skills have advanced. He cut the control surfaces and trim tabs to reposition them and scratch-built the cowl flaps in the open position. The result is a nice replica of a Warhawk ready to go.

Keith’s finished project is the Hasegawa F-22 Raptor. This 1/48^th scale kit was finished in its “Factory Primer” state to represent the final aircraft off the Marietta Assembly Line. Keith made stencils and painted all details and markings on this kit.

Paul’s B-727 was selected as the Model of the Month. Martin Hatfield won the HTUSA Gift Certificate.

The next meeting is scheduled for July 19^th. Your Secretary/Newsletter Editor/Photographer will be attending a family function in New Jersey and will not be able to attend. Hopefully, a club member or two will graciously step up and fill in.