Hawkeye’s Squawkbox

We spent three very long and intense days at iHobby Expo and it was worth every minute of it. Though if you were to have asked us that while our feet, knees and backs were aching from being on our feet all day, you might have heard something a bit different.

I want to give a special thanks to those who stopped by to say “Hi” to my wife and I. Seeing familiar faces, reaffirming acquaintances and meeting new folks for the first time is always a pleasure. Products aside, it is the people that make this industry and hobby what it is.

The expo showcased not only established companies in our industry but those seeing its potential and joining into the fun and excitement it offers. One such veteran is Lindberg/Hawk, to which I must salute Ernie Petit, a man who has a great passion for modeling and kids. I had the opportunity to have a great conversation with someone new to our industry Raymond Wong at Grex a manufacturer of airbrushes. Our conversation wasn’t centered around products as much as it was about the industry and the hobby. Raymond’s optimism was refreshing and I can’t wait to experience the use of his products…maybe at next years expo I’ll get the chance.

If you think plastics is dead, well you’re absolutely WRONG! One barometer was the attendance at the Plastics and Diecast Division Counsel meeting on Friday evening. It was the best attended membership meeting of the other three including the General Division Counsel which I am a member of. They want to succeed as do the rest but their attendance numbers tell me they are serious too.

An Atta Boy! also goes out to Mark Fothergill at Replicarz and Alian Morot at Minichamps our conversations at the Plastic/Diecast meeting was nothing less than positive and forward thinking. No wonder you guys have been so successful!

A sad note that still has a positive ending. This year we lost David Huff, President of Minicraft Models. I met David and he was a genuine nice guy. His passing was a sad moment for many of us, even those of us like me who barely knew him and of his achievements. But his spirit continues forward through his wife Norma Huff who has taken firm control of the reigns at Minicraft. Supporting her is another really great man, Lewis Nace. Working with folks like this is one of the main reasons I enjoy this industry.

Special THANK YOU! to the crew from Accurate Miniatures. They gave us (Aerospace Modeler Magazine) a place to use as a base camp and display our product. Yes, Accurate Miniatures too is another one of those companies that is forward thinking and understands what it is going to take to keep this hobby vibrant. Bob, John, Steve and Tom…SALUTE!

Xuron. The new sprue cutter I designed was very well received and production tooling is the next step to make them a reality. They’re coming soon! Everyone who stopped by to visit and inspect them said they liked them. Even Michael Gross gave them a look see while he visited the Xuron booth.

Allan Iwig from Excel, is another pleasant highlight at the expo. I can sit and converse with Allan for hours…some of it just for fun, but much more of it is solid business and industry related discussions.

A couple of other tidbits of information. I was able to renew interest in yet another new tool idea to a company that I pitched to them last year. With the preliminary success of the sprue cutter I did for Xuron they are keen to take my idea forward. I can’t tell you who it is, but when I can I will share it with you. I will say it will help make finishing your model much easier.

I’m looking forward to next year! Retailers who make the decision not to attend, should consider doing so. Why? Because it is apparent those who do are being successful in their business operations. This expo provides more than just an opportunity to view product and place orders. There are educational and promotional benefits as well.

Lastly, for those of you wishing to see a comprehensive list of what the manufacturers are releasing, visit Michael Benolkin’s Cybermodeler website. Thanks Michael for composing such a great list!

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Finally I was able to spend a few minutes at the bench, not only to get ready for this segment but to also do a new tool eval for a major manufacturer…more on that later.

After some further sanding of both the cut out in the wing and of the aluminum panel I’m installing I’ve managed to get it in place. I use CA for speed purposes but one can use pieces of styrene to make little ledges for the panel to press against and a few drops of CA to hold it in place…I globbed it on and managed to stick myself to the project literally. Which meant I had to redo it and use some filler to feather the panel in place. Never enough time to do it right the first time, but always enough time to do it again.

There is even plenty of room left to do some interior scratch building of internal components. Though for this particular demo I will not be going that far, however I will show you were to resource the necessary parts to do so.

Now that the wing is “ready” having the aluminum panel installed, I’m going to paint both the inside (Interior Green?) and the upper wing (Olive Drab) so you can see the added realism that using metal provides.

Let’s review a bit though first, because it might be a few days before I can get the airbrush fired up to do this. First we are going to score the panel (since it is mounted…if it were separate I would punch the hole first) with our hobby knife. Score as many lines as you want tears (fingers) to appear. Once you have that done you can poke a hole using a pin…I’m using a T-Pin.

Pushing the pin through the center intersection of the scored lines should create the start of a blossom that you can start to grab with a fine tipped heavy duty tweezers or other suitable tool.

Then you can start to gently pull on the tips of the petals, tearing along the scored line. A little twisting and curling will also add realism. Remember your orientation to take in consideration airflow which the torn metal will have acting upon it.

Keep working the blossom until you are totally satisfied with your results…remember this is damage, not a perfect seam or panel line. It is replicating destruction.

Now compare the old school method used by MPC with that of what I am showing you here. The molded in damage has blunt “melted” looking edges. Whereas the aluminum looks more realistic…there is no substitute for metal…ask any body man who repairs cars.

Hope you’re following along, experimenting as we go. Practice makes perfection. Until next time…Happy Modeling!

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I’ve received a few emails from fellow modelers who follow my threads on the various forums asking me basic modeling How-To questions. So let’s do a bit of modeling 101, the basics.

Let’s start with workbenches and tools. A tour of my modeling bench where we’ll look at the various tools of the trade. Though each modelers bench is unique, they do share a lot of similarities. Also remember…“It’s not the bench that makes the model, it’s the modeler at the bench.” So each modeler’s bench is suitable to their needs, not necessarily to anyone else.

There are modelers who have limited space. Some have the space yet keep their work area small. Here is an example of one such bench. Everything is within easy reach. Paints, tools, paint booth, trash can and television! This modeler builds outstanding models from this little corner of a room in his home.

Workbenches may also need to meet certain household and child friendly requirements. When my boys were young I needed a bench that allowed me ample work room as well as means to secure it from little hands and fingers when I wasn’t using it.

My solution was making a self contained cabinet style bench that featured two doors that when opened, supported a fold up extension to the work surface. It could be closed up tight and locked.

Work benches can be small and cozy or huge and expansive. It all depends what you can facilitate and you are comfortable using.

Regardless of your bench layout, size or location there are some basic necessities you need.

Light! This is something that you can’t have too much of. Sunlight is best, but when you’re down in a basement, good warm artificial light is a must. Color correct or full spectrum is easier and more affordable than it once was, so if you can implement its use do so.

After light comes ventilation. You want your work area to be at a suitable temperature to keep you comfortable. But remember that many of the products you will be using have harmful fumes. You need adequate ventilation (exhaust venting preferred) to reduce the effects of inhalation of toxic fumes. I won’t harp on this topic, but please exercise some common sense.

Sitting or standing while you work. I prefer to stand, so my bench is high off the floor. I do have the appropriate drafting chair that gives me a place to sit when I need to. A comfortable supportive seat is, in my opinion important. For those of use who stand, an anti-fatigue mat is a must.

Now we have a place to work, sufficient light, adequately comfortable and a comfy chair. Let’s take a look at whats on the bench. As you can see in the picture of my current workshop, I have tool boxes for storage of my tools and accessories. These boxes have been recycled from storage of my mechanics tools when I upgraded to a Snap-On roll cab. Again these can be locked to keep little fingers out of things little kids should not have access to.

Tool and accessories need to be accessible. If you can’t find what your looking for at the exact moment you need it, disaster can occur. Been there done that. Probably one of the hardest disciplines in modeling is putting the tools back where they belong so they can be found when needed. GUILTY!

Workbenches evolve. My is constantly changing though the changes have slowed down to a crawl lately. At one time I kept my tools and accessories on top of the bench within easy reach. However, when I needed more work surface, I shifted towards the use of toolboxes and the drawers they contained. You can find various tool caddies, drawers, bins and containers to hold your “stuff.”

I’ve found that having all of my stuff on top of the bench made it prone to collecting dust from sanding, overspray from painting and sometimes it was just in the way of what I was doing.

Storing my stuff in drawers requires an extra step of opening a drawer, but it does solve the problems I mentioned. Again, you have to design your space to meet your needs and available resources. As your bench evolves and you collect more stuff you’ll find you need to adapt accordingly.

Keen organization is a must so everything is readily available when needed. Each modeler has his or her own methodology to their individual workbench and how they interact with it. My bench too does degrade into what some would call chaos while others see it as “normal.” This usually is the time when as some would say “the spirit leaves” and modeling becomes difficult. It is during these times I clean and organize the workshop, returning it to it’s “pristine” condition.

In the next segment we’ll take a closer look at what’s on the bench. Specifically the tools and the accessories I’ve acquired and found useful over the years. So until next time HAPPY MODELING!

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