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Editorial (aka Rob’s Rantings)

Melbourne Model Expo 2011

AMMS Brisbane News

fantastic—if ever you get

the chance to visit, do it!

The people are friendly

(and very unlike those in

the lower 48), the weather

was great, and even the

wildlife was cooperative.

Apologies for the lack of

newsletter last month, but

as I had only been back

from Alaska for two days,

simply did not have time

to put together anything

worthwhile. Not to worry,

at least I had no trouble

with material this month.

I only had a chance to

visit one hobby store in

the US, (I did have

SWMBO with me) and that

was one in LA which has

been operated by the same

couple for the last 48 years

in a Santa Monica back

street.

Although hobby stores are

undoubtedly present in LA<

I certainly couldn’t find too

many—looks like mail or-

der is thriving.

Fortunately, Alaska was

Jamie Degenhardt received the following awards at the Model Expo in Melbourne recently - 1st Tristar 1:35 Panzer I Ausf. A, 1st 1:48 FW 190,Highly Commended T-34 turret vignette

Well done Jamie

Inside this issue:

Models from last QMC 2

Modeller’s Profile 3

The Joy of Scratchbuilding 3

2012 QMC 4

DML M2A1 105mm Howitzer 5

Some Pictures from Vancou-

ver 6

Special points of inter-

est:

M2A1 105mm howitzer

build

Models from last QMC

Joy of scratchbuilding

2 July 2011

Volume 7, Issue 6

War as it used to be fought—the photo above was taken at History Alive 2011

A NEW ADDITION

AMMS Brisbane would like

to welcome into the world

Keira Josephine Bumstead,

born Sunday 26 June. Mum

Theresa and bub (and nerv-

ous Dad Phil) all well.

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Some Models from Last QMC (thanks Peter Battle)

Page 2 Volume 7, Issue 6

Model Bases

Custom Boards - any material, any size, polished or stained. Contact Paul Pearson - Mob. 0423 758 578 eMail

pearsonpaul6@gmail.com

The Base Place - bases, plaques & shields, trophies, routing services, manufacturer of timber trophy compo-

nents. Contact Matt Fulton Tel. 07 54839900 fax. 07 54937200 eMail enquir-

ies@thebaseplace.com.au web. Www.thebaseplace.com.au

The pictures above and below show Wayne Murray’s entries to the last QMC (they were also the only entries)

Also seen at

last month’s

meeting were

Al Kelly’s

GMC (left)

and Type 94

(right)

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Modeller’s Profile (thanks Charlie Clelland )

Page 3 AMMS Brisbane News

Like many modellers at AMMS I started out as a kid with Airfix plane models. These were difficult to obtain in the small country

town I grew up in New Zealand. Paints were enamels in colours that never seemed to match the colour you wanted, you got rea-sonably good at mixing and matching �± or rather matching imagined colours since there were few references around. Once I'd left school the modelling impulse faded with the usual demands of jobs, marriage, etc.

About 10 years ago I went looking for a hobby. This was after a health scare mostly caused by falling into the software developer's trap of working stupid hours and the IT nerd unhealthy life style. Although plastic models had improved a lot in the years since I'd last built any I found they didn't attract my interest. Then I found card models. Card models have literally been around for centuries, they were popular in the 1930s and 40s but just about vanished in Western countries with the rise of plastic models. Fortunately card modelling survived in Eastern Europe and has had a renaissance since the 1990s. When I started card modelling there were few resources to tell you how to build them and many of the models were pretty bad. It took trial and error and a big learning curve

to figure out how to build models. In the last few years the quality of models has improved greatly since they are designed using CAD packages rather than the old hand drafting techniques. Not only has the quality improved but the range of model subjects is now immense. Although WW2 German armour is way overrepresented in the offerings of commercial model publishers as it seems to be in the plastic model world there are models of other interesting vehicles available. The continual improvement in computers also has meant it's quite possible to design your own models using tools such as Rhino 3D, Blender, etc.

Personally, I get a real buzz out of starting with a bunch a printed pages and building a 3D model of a subject. Getting an card ar-mour model finished can be a problem for me, the old "rush of enthusiasm" problem, but I figure that's an issue for many modellers. There are still plenty of interesting modelling issues in card armour models such as the representation of rivets (there are contend-

ing schools of stick on vs. embossing rivets), realistic representation of castings and cast textures and building tracks in card.

I'd like to get into designing card models. There are a whole host of model subjects which have hardly been touched in card models - WW1 artillery. There are a few artillery card models around but most of these are from WW2. It's fairly obvious that WW1 was the conflict in which artillery played a major role.

The other stuff I do for AMMS is much less interesting �± the website. I volunteered to do this in 2008 since there wasn't anyone who had the time/knowledge to run the website. The website has been through one complete rewrite and is (slowly) undergoing another revision. The site has grown to about 4 times its original size in the last 3 years and with the addition of the trophy guns section has

attracted a fair amount of attention from the non-modeller community. I have concerns about how long the site can keep going but �W�K�D�W��V���P�R�V�W�O�\���W�K�H���,�7�� �Q�H�U�G���F�R�Q�F�H�U�Q���D�E�R�X�W���W�K�H���P�\�W�K�L�F�D�O���³ �V�X�S�S�R�V�H���\�R�X�U���Z�H�E�P�D�V�W�H�U���J�R�W���U�X�Q���R�Y�H�U���E�\�� �D���E�X�V�´���L�V�V�X�H�V��

The Joy of Scratchbuilding (thanks Al Kelly)

The term scratch-building can mean anything from using a bit of stretched sprue for an antenna right through to fabricat-ing an entire vehicle from plastic card, rod and strip. I am always impressed and inspired by the amount of work some of our members do in this regard, and I suggest no-one should ever feel daunted by it. Speaking personally I constantly surprise myself at what I am able to scratch-build. Often I’ll look at what I need or want to do and think that it is beyond me. But, perhaps emboldened by a second Scotch, I decide to see if I can do it. After all, what is there to lose? Just a little time and a bit of plastic. Often I will make two or three pieces where I might need only one or two, and discard the worst of the samples I’ve made. And I’m always prepared to fail, keeping in mind the words of Albert Einstein: ―Anyone

who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.‖

Another saying comes to mind in this context: ―That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved‖ (Ralph Emerson, an American philosopher and poet). So it is that after years of scratch-building to various degrees I’ve accrued experience and techniques that allow me easily and quickly to make parts for my models that I would never have contemplated when I started out in the hobby. There is much joy in sitting back after a session and looking at something that one has created from raw materials. I don’t say that what I make rivals the quality of professional model companies, but I would argue that my models look better with what I’ve made than without it.

It is an aspect of our hobby that challenges us mentally, trying to figure out how to make something and what to make it from . It is rewarding and satisfying.

So, I hope that in this article I haven’t sounded like I’m blowing my own trumpet. Rather, I am trying to say that ―even the longest journey begins with a single step‖ (Lao Tzu, founder of Taosim), and who knows what will follow when you take that first scra tch-building step and replace an over-scale antenna on your tank with one you made yourself?

Article deleted for privacy reasons

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2012 Quarterly Model Comp (thanks Jamie Degenhardt)

Page 4 AMMS Brisbane News

As was announced at the June meeting, the following themed competitions for the 2012 AMMS competition year will

be:

Vehicle - Shermans and variants, these can be from any relevant timeframe. If anyone has something in mind but

they are not sure if it would fit within the parameters for this vehicle then please come and see me, I will be only too

glad to point you in the direction of someone who knows what they are talking about!

Campaign theme will be ―Winter‖. This is a different approach to what has been done in the past, but basically the

subject can be any vehicle or diorama setting, but as long as it conveys the message of winter. Obviously winter oc-curs in all parts of the globe including warm climates but we will be looking for vehicles that are whitewashed, or if not whitewashed then have a cover of snow on them or where the base/ground work is snow/cold etc. If people have never tried a whitewashed model then hopefully this will be an opportunity to have a go at some techniques they may not have tried before. We also hope that workshop held earlier this year on the hairspray technique may prove bene-

ficial as well as the DVD’s on winter techniques that members may have seen, may also be a source of inspiration.

Whilst any models entered into the quarterly competition will be eligible for awards for both the campaign theme and the relevant category for which they are entered i.e. modified, OOB etc, the ―Winter‖ competition will also be the sub-ject for the 2012 End of Year Christmas competition. By doing this we are opening up to members who may wish to produce something that fits in with this theme but who may not wish to enter into the quarterly competition. As usual the End of Year competition will be peoples’ choice and any member who has entered a ―Winter‖ model into the

quarterly competition can also enter the same model into the End of Year competition

Whilst sound construction and any build modifications/additions/enhancements will always be taken into account when judging a model, we are hoping that the primary focus for the modeller will be the finishing/weathering of the

model.

10th Anniversary Comp - We will also be holding more of a light hearted competition next year, which will probably be held in June 2012. A few of the members attended the 2009 Model Expo in Melbourne and entered a jerry can in the Military Vehicles and Equipment category so Dave has suggested the idea of trying a competition along these

lines.

The subject is a piece of equipment or part of a vehicle, the idea is for this to be a bit of fun, something small, a few examples of what could be done include a road wheel/drive sprocket/idler from a tank, the wheel and tyre from a truck or jeep, a fuel drum, a crate or box, a part of a vehicle, but not something as substantial as a turret or full chas-sis, the idea is to keep it small and simple. The subject can be on a base or on groundwork if you wish and you can

have as many entries as you like. This will also be people’s choice.

If anyone has any questions about the competitions for next year please let me know.

A Couple of New Releases from DML (thanks to Terry Ashley and PMMS)

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DML M2A1 105mm Howitzer on M2A2 Carriage & Marine Crew (thanks

Russell Hall)

Page 5 Volume 7, Issue 6

Opening the box

Well I have finally completed a dragon kit, this subject was chosen with one of the club theme builds in mind. The kit

contains 3 sprues, a small decal sheet and a metal barrel to make the gun assembly as well as 2 sprues to make up

the crew of 4 figures. The instructions and decal sheet give us 6 different marking options – all from Iwo Jima. The kit

instructions give us 2 build options, I being the towing position and the other the firing position. Firing position was

chosen as I did want to use the figures

Construction

I followed the instructions as layed out and didn’t take too long before I ran into trouble. The 1st issue I came across

were the tiny parts and very small contact areas for glue, this made some of the sub assemblies at best – fragile –

and it didn’t take long before I was having to re-attach some small parts. I resorted to drilling 0.4mm holes and using

stretched sprue was able to at least make up some location pins and that appears to have worked.

As stated I had intended building this subject in the firing position and certain parts of the instructions called out

variations for this option. As I have been informed I should have not put so much faith in the instructions but I can

only assume that they have it right. I will list some issues I have found but I will have to make reference to sprue

parts so I hope it makes sense

1st were the hand brakes which attach to the wheel hubs ―C17‖, diagram in instructions shows these when mounted

as being at about 45 degrees, since the hubs can only be mounted one way onto the axle mine have turned out be-

ing vertical. Since then I have discovered the the 2 extra hubs ―C11‖ and ―C12‖ should have been used – too late to

fix that one

2nd was the placement of the towing arms but in firing position. Instructions call out for parts ―C5‖ pins to be located in

the 2nd hole on the bracing bracket and this would be correct for towing but in firing postion these should be in the

other location holes – again too late to fix this one

3rd was the towing goose neck ―C27‖ which attaches to the end of one of the towing arms, both finish options show

this part mounted the same way so of course that is what you do. Later I discovered that this item in firing position

should be rotated 180 degrees so the goose neck is facing up.

I have saved the best for last.

I had glued the gun slide in what I thought would be a slight incline, this was done to give the assembly some rigidity

as you were almost scared to pick it up. Imagine my horror when construction was complete and I realized that the

gun was at best horizontal, the shape and mounting of the towing arms in firing position still keeps the axle horizontal

At this stage I was almost ready to bin the lot, I was given a word or advice to try softening the joints with instant

tamiya glue and the very carefully re-position things. It worked but I don’t recommend it

Conclusion

Well it does appear as though all the parts are in the box but there position or even be called out does not always

apply. I have compared the instructions for the AFV Club version of the gun thanks to the ―HobbySearch‖ site and

only then did I realize my mistakes and corrected what I could.

1st impressions of building a dragon kit as you can guess are not too good, that I confess is totally my fault for not

knowing exactly what I was building, we assume that the instructions are correct. That aside the kit quality and fit I

would class as very good even though it was very fiddly in some places.

I will open another can of worms now and start painting it

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Some Pictures from Vancouver

The two photos above I took in a side street in Vancouver. They show a Canadian RAM tank at left, armed with a six

pounder, and an M4A3E8 Sherman at right.

The two photos above were taken of the Sherman (also above). They show an interesting feature of the tank which I

don’t think I have ever seen portrayed accurately on models, and that is bullet strikes. Think about it—what happens

when even a .30 calibre bullet hits armour ? It doesn’t simple evaporate—it must leave a mark, and given the rate of

fire of most machine guns, there should be a lot of them. They were all over the vertical surfaces of the Sherman, but

not on the RAM (which did not see action). Interestingly, there were fewer strikes on the turret than on the vertical

sides of the hull, and none on the sloping glacis. However, this could be explained if the glacis was covered by sand-

bags as was a fairly common practice. I’d be interested to hear other members’ opinions.

OK—here’s a challenge. Let’s see some-

body replicate the surface texture on THIS

Brummbar!

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