Hawkeye’s Squawkbox

I know many of you are aware that this week is the 2008 iHobby Expo in Chicago, the US equivalent to the Nuremburg and Tokyo Toy Shows. We’re putting the final touches on a major project that we’ll be unveiling there, lucky for you you’re a subscriber to my blog, so you get to see it in just a few moments. So we’re winding down our daily operations here and winding up for the trip south.

Aerospace Modeler Magazine has already reached the larger distributors as well as many of the subscribers by the time I post this. Retailers should be seeing theirs too, so those who purchase copies from their local hobby shop will soon find them on the rack.

Billy Crisler will be spending several days with us after iHobby, at which time we will begin the process of getting issue #10 into preproduction. Though I can’t share what will be included in issue #10, I will tell you this, the quality of the material being submitted is FANTASTIC! I am also planning to show Billy EAA’s AirVenture Museum and attend our local model club meeting. If you’re within driving distance, and want to meet Billy come to our meeting. Tuesday October 21st 7:00 PM at the HobbyTown USA in Oshkosh, WI. Drop me a note if you need more details on how to get there.

For those of you awaiting word on the new sprue cutter from Xuron which I designed, a preproduction unit will be available for previewing during iHobby at the Xuron booth. A preproduction unit will be on hand for folks to cut and snip at sprues with. When will they be available for purchase, I wish I had the final definitive answer but things are looking good for a end of year or early next year release. If sufficient interest is expressed by the retailers in attendance at iHobby, it will help the process along.

For those of you order my products, any order received between Tuesday Oct 15 and Sunday Oct 20th will not be processed and shipped until Monday Oct 20th. Why…we’re at iHobby during that time!

Photo Contest winner will not be announced until after we return from iHobby Expo. I know there is great anticipation by some for this announcement, but with the standing up of Aerospace Modeler operations, HMA’s website and other tasks with short deadlines we had to set this aside temporarily.

I’m planning on providing you with show updates while I’m at iHobby, stay tuned!

I’m really hoping that this trip gets me back into the modeling workshop…I need it! The stress relief it provides is awesome…and with everything that has been going on, I need that kind of medicine.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I am pleased to inform you that issue number nine went to press! Over the past several months Billy Crisler and a host of other folks including myself have been working towards returning Aerospace Modeler Magazine to operational status. Well after some really hard work, mostly on Billy’s part the plan has come together, printing and production has resumed. Issue #9 will be shipping soon and work on number ten has already begun.

From this day forward, I’ll be actively involved in the magazines operations. Rookie Aerospace, Inc (publisher of Aerospace Modeler Magazine) has contracted with Zero To Sixty Marketing LLC to handle much of the back office administration and preproduction operations for producing Aerospace Modeler. Zero To Sixty Marketing LLC is owned by my wife Shari and me, so I will be instrumental with the handling of your customer service needs with Aerospace Modeler Magazine.

I first met Billy through email conversations when I first acquired the SnJ Spray Metal line. Then I had the opportunity to meet him for the first time face to face at the 2006 IPMS Nationals in Kansas City, Missouri. From there we have exhibited at iHobby Expo in Chicago twice and our friendship has continued to evolve. I consider Billy a close friend and a model businessman and entrepreneur. Though some recent personal difficulty slowed him down, he never lost sight of the goal. Even while he was sitting on the bench strategizing the next series of plays, he came back on the field stronger and determined. Way to go!

We are proud to be associated with and a part of the process of bringing to you one of the finest aerospace and modeling magazines in print today. If you are not a subscriber you should be. Once you lay your hands on an issue, open the cover and read through the pages…you’re hooked. It’s that good! A magazine that you will want to keep as part of your aerospace reference library. Its not simply just a modelers only magazine.

Again congratulations to Billy Crisler and the return of Aerospace Modeler Magazine! Subscribe or ask your local hobby shop for a copy today!

**Aerospace Modeler Magazine’s website will be updated soon to reflect the good news as well as updated contact and customer service information.

Thank You!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If you’ve been following the blog you might already know that I’ve had a couple of recent visitors here at the Hawk’s Nest…Billy Crisler editor of Aerospace Modeler Magazine; Greg Drawbaugh of Draw Decals and Steve Williams of Windsor, Great Britain who is an avid aviation photographer.

<-There has been some question as to the state of Aerospace Modeler, well it is alive and the only way that it would cease to exist is if the owner and investors walk away…which is something that isn’t likely. Billy reported to me that everyone who saw him at the Nationals was supportive and had a chance to preview issue number nine, which is spectacular! I suspect that in a few weeks we’ll all be seeing the next issue, whether in our mailbox or at our favorite LHS.

Greg is pleased to announce that his recent acquisition of the Thrust line of decals and resin products is moving forward to be released under the Draw Decal banner. Greg like me, saw an opportunity to save a viable line of products that otherwise might have disappeared. Way to go Greg! ->

Greg and I met this nice gentleman (Steve Williams) while at AirVenture on Friday. We sorta met under the shade of a Stearman biplane’s wing, way out on the south end of the field. It was a hot sunny day and shade under any wing was prime real estate. Fortunately, the Stearman’s wing was high enough to sit under without hitting ones head constantly as we turned to look at aircraft approaching from nearly every direction.

The three of us were quite comfortable until without warning two people showed up and plopped their lawn chairs right down amongst us. How rude! After a short while others came and joined them…which we now deciphered was the first two owned the aircraft. They could have said something like…”Hi, we’re taking aircraft owners privilege here…the aircraft and the shade is ours to enjoy.” and we would have been happy to move elsewhere…but they just moved in and sat where we were sitting.

Anyway the crowd continued to accumulate…seems they had a lot of friends, which is one of the reasons folks come to EAA. The aircraft flying were staying further north, so we opted to move towards that direction and setup elsewhere. During the course of our conversations Steve had a tough decision to make…stay for the Warbirds or catch the tour bus back to his hotel. Learning that his hotel was a hop skip and a jump from my home, I invited him to hang out with us and we’d get him back after the show. That evening we extended the invitation for him to stay for dinner. To quote Steve in a recent email to me:

Hi Gerald,

I wanted to thank you for the enjoyable evening last week. It was a real treat to visit your wonderful home and see the den (I’m very envious). Pizza was hot, beer was cold, and the company was excellent as well!
What a great way to relax after an airshow. Thank you again for your hospitality. Please pass on my thanks to your wife.

Warm Regards,
Steve

As I told Steve he is welcome anytime. The whole time we were together on the flightline, I was suffering from camera envy…his Cannon setups were fantastic!

In the past week or so the airspace over the Hawk’s Nest has been rather busy. Caught some images of a KC-135R flying overhead with my new camera…succumb to purchasing one after spending time with others who were properly equipped for what I wanted to achieve. Though my photographs of AirVenture aren’t too shabby. Anyway this was my Monday distraction last week as it made several touch and goes.

August is almost half gone, which means there are only a couple of weeks of summer left. Where did it go? As much as I have enjoyed the warm weather (air conditioning helps), I am looking forward to the explosion of color that autumn brings to NE Wisconsin. Which also means the outdoor chores will begin to ease, freeing more time towards modeling. I hope!

Several projects are underway that have taken a lower priority on the task list. Battle Damage, Tinkle Bug, Workbench 101, Perfect Seams and Informational Tutorials related to our products. Business has been slow this year, which is somewhat expected given the economic situation around the world. What’s been taking my time? Well, several other irons are in the fire, many related to projects within the hobby industry.

We’re feverishly working to create a new informational consumer website for the Hobby Manufacturers Association. We hope to unveil it at iHobby in October…fingers crossed! This site will help those not familiar with the various hobbies our industry supports. By providing them information and resources to learn about such things as Plastic Scale Modeling and where they can source them. This should be a boost for the LHS owners.

Writing also takes a great deal of my time. Not only am I penning articles/columns for my blogs, but for other resources as well. I even find (or make) the time to work on a couple of novels I someday want to have published. Add to that, wanting to have some resemblance of a “normal” life to enjoy family and friends it does take up most of any spare time that might be left.

So I apologize if the blog posts are not exactly centered on modeling related topics which some have recently unsubscribed giving that as their reason. The topics will shift back as the “modeling season” returns. For those of you in the northern climates know, winter is prime modeling time. After all who wants to be outside in the cold other than the times when you want to participate in winter sports?

Our Photo Contest is in full swing and the deadline to enter is fast approaching. Get your submission in soon in order to qualify to win fantastic prizes… including a $100 Gift Certificate from Sprue Brothers Models. Submit your photos of models finished in our products…NOW!

There are a couple of modeling events this fall, so that too should motivate me into spending more time in the workshop building and sharing modeling with others. Our club meets tomorrow night, already some have sent notes that they too haven’t done much modeling over the summer…maybe this will kick us into the “modeling season” again.

We just picked up two new bicycles…I guess I am going to start getting more exercise from this point forward. A healthy body does promote a healthy mind, one that can focus on details such as modeling. Besides It does help to reduce our consumption of gasoline for shorter trips. It is a nice way to relax and enjoy the community…already been riding around to snap pictures of things one just passes by in a car hurrying to get somewhere else.

Until next time…Happy Modeling!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!