IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter – March 2017
Volume 25 # 3 Southern California’s Premier Model Club
The President’s Column
By David Frederick
“SprueFest: 2017 a new model contest”
SprueFest 2017 was held at Brookhurst Hobbies in
Garden Grove CA on January 28th. Not a small contest
by any means, there were over four hundred models with
more than thirty categories. Since Brookhurst is nestled
in the middle of a large Asian population in Orange
County and the Chinese New Year was being celebrated
with a large number of fireworks setting off the morning
activities with a bang.
You just do not get that type of community enthusiasm
for a model contest anywhere else. I was pressed into
service as a table judge for the Science Fiction and
gaming categories. The head judge was James Wechsler
who used the back-parking lot of Brookhurst hobbies to
have a judge’s conference. Mark Glidden, volunteered to
judge science fiction categories.
In This Issue Table of Contents Page IPMS OC Contest Themes 4
Financials 6
USA Membership 7
OC Membership Form 8
ValleyCon / Peterse Museum 9
MOTY 23
IPMS OC Contest Table 23
Monthly Contest Results 24
IPMS OC Make and Take 27
Arizona Adventure Pt. 3 29
Re-building the Lindberg I-53 41
Local Club Meetings 48
Upcoming Events 52
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
2
The President’s Column
He even judged the Gundam figures with
the judge from the Blue Fin distributors
which markets the Gundam / Bandai
product in the United States. Henry
Tremblay, the owner of Brookhurst hobbies
stands in front of a rather impressive
amount of model raffle prizes. In addition
to having an impressive raffle, the quality of
the modeling awards was excellent. The
clear etched on crystal looking trophies are
keepers as the inaugural show was a
complete success. Looking forward to next
year’s contest! DF
Raffle Czar sneak peek of models for March
Monthly raffle (If you like below choices bring
MONEY to support club…)
1. Armor: 1/35 Tamiya: M4A3E8 Sherman “Easy
Eight”
2. Auto: 1/25 AMT: 1967 GT350 Shelby
3. Airplane: 1/32) Academy: Hawker Hunter F.6
4. Sci-FI: Moebius: Jonny Quest dragonfly
5. Miscellaneous: Excel Magnivisor.
~News Flash~
Bob Penikas sends in a great link to the American Invasion force set for 1945 at Ulithi near Guam.
The site has some really incredible photos of the force that would have been used to invade Japan
along with some good pictures of shore liberty and also good diorama reference material. Enjoy.
http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=52966
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
3
2017 Chapter Officers
President David Frederick
1st Vice President Sean Fallesen
2nd Vice President David O’ Barr
Treasurer Jeff Hunter
Secretary Nat Richards
Contest Director Derek Collins
Volunteers Chapter Contact Nat Richards
(949) 631-7142 [email protected]
Newsletter Editor Terry Huber (714) 544-8908
Webmaster Julian English
Mail IPMS Orange County
Club Website www.ipmsoc.org
P.O. Box 913 Garden Grove, CA 92842 National Website
[email protected] www.ipmsusa.org
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
4
January 20th - OUT OF THE BOX ONLY
Anything built out of the box with no aftermarket parts. Built using only what came inside the
box. Decals optional.
February 17th - THE SHELF OF DOOM
Build or finish a kit that you never thought you would start or complete because you lost
interest or ran into a problem.
March 17th - TAMIYA VS HASEGAWA
Who's the best? Build the best model you can from either company. Best Tamiya Model and
Best Hasegawa Model will receive an award.
April 21st - SOMETHING ENGLISH
Build a model of anything English. Including Scotland and Ireland.
May 19th - BUILD NIGHT (No Monthly Contest in May, Build Night Only)
Bring a kit to work on and have some fun with other club members building.
June 16th - FIRST OR LAST
The first or last of something. The first Abrams tank. The last F4 Phantom. Last to use a radial
engine. First to use a jet engine, etc.
July 21st - CLASSIC PLASTIC
Build the oldest model you have in your stash.
August 18th - WHEN I WAS A KID
Build the model that was your favorite from when you were a kid
September 15th - SOMETHING GERMAN
Build a model of anything from Germany
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
5
October 20th - CONVERSIONS
Build a model of something you normally could not get. Make a conversion from an existing kit
to make a different version
November 17th - UNEXPECTED
Build a model of something you never expected to be released as a model kit
December 15th - SOMETHING FRENCH
Build a model of anything French.
JANUARY 19th 2018 - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FUN
Build a model of your favorite subject. Something you enjoy the most building.
ORANGECON 2017 - SEVEN
Anything with the number seven in it or that has something about it related to the number
seven. (This one is a killer everyone, think about the 7. Ed.)
Hope to see you there. DC
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
6
From Our Treasurer Financial Statistics for the meeting in February 2017
Admission Distressed Kits $ 0.00
Members 17 Monthly Raffle $ 105.00
Non-Members 1
Juniors 0 Total Income $ 429.00
Paid in Full 6 Total Expenses $ 723.21
Guests 1 Profit / (Loss) $ (294.21)
Total Attendance 25 $ in Checking $ 980.07
$ in Savings $ 9,663.93
Memberships / Renewals $ in PayPal $ 361.18
Regular 4 Total in Bank $ 11,005.18
Youth 0
Full Year 2
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
7
Membership is of great importance, both here at the level of the local chapter as well as the
National level. As a long time member I can highly recommend the expenditure of the additional
dollars to become a member of the national organization.
With membership come six copies of the IPMS Journal publication which is better than ever, and
the right to participate at the IPMS National Convention contest. The subscription to the Journal
alone is worth the cost of joining.
A copy of the membership application is below or available on our website, or at the IPMS / USA
website address, www.ipmsusa.org. Complete the form and return it to the address listed at the
bottom of the form along with your method of payment.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
8
Membership Renewal Form
Below is the new and improved Membership and Renewal form. Print this page, fill
it out and bring it to the meeting. It is also available on-line at www.ipmsoc.org.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
9
Distressed Kit Auction - DKA Next DKA will be at the June 16th meeting. Please bring in your worked on or
“everything there” kits for donation. Actually we pretty much take anything, worked
on, missing decals, one part gone, almost completed, you get the idea. Time to thin
the herd a little bit, you may never build it. Thanks. See you there.
~Membership Renewal~ Michael Bare is accepting applications for renewal and new members this month. Renew early
this time and get it out of the way. Don’t be like your Editor that sometimes does not renew
until June. Save money, renew now. Do it now! Go do it!
~News Flash~
Pasadena Modelers ValleyCon
Invades Petersen
Automotive Museum
March 5, 2017
By Terry Huber
I was fortunate enough to travel with the club
President David Frederick to the Petersen
Automotive Museum on the Miracle Mile,
Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles for the George
Creed / Petersen event ValleyCon. This was the
second year that the event was held at Petersen and I guess that since we all behaved last year
we were invited back. All kidding aside this is a great venue and you know I will tell George
something when I see it to improve next year.
Sir David showed up at 0800 in Tustin and we packed up the Dodge Ram for the trip up
Interstate 5 towards LA. David had just returned home last night from the trip to the Silicon
Valley Scale Modelers show in San Jose so he was going two-for-two this weekend.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
10
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
There was very little traffic for a Sunday morning, a tradition with ValleyCon going back many
years which has always been a benefit to the Sunday choice. After transitioning to the
I-10 and west of downtown we exited Washington on the west side and it quickly turned into
Fairfax Ave. We arrived at the “Pete” around 0850 on Wilshire Blvd and proceeded to park in
the structure. This time the vendors were to be inside instead of the garage area so good call on
that from last year as it was still plenty cold in
that structure this year too.
After I received my senior discount of $3.00
from the regular $15.00 fee and Dave paid up we
entered the Mullin Salon on the 1st floor.
There was plenty of light at this contest in some
areas and dark in others which sometimes proved
a little tricky taking photos but that did not
detract too much and even gave some of the
photos I took a different quality to them.
Jim Frye sets up his Lemans 24hr collection
of race cars.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
11
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
The table orientation around the Sci-Fi category lacked sufficient room between tables and it
was difficult to walk through this area as there were so many people wanting to check out Sci-
Fi. This is a heavy Sci-Fi show so it should go towards the end of the room near the Master
salon where there is more room. The Sci-Fi entries were very well done.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
12
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
At left is the Best of Show
USS Cygnus from the
Disney movie “The Black
Hole” Interesting to note
about this model is that it is
entirely 3D printed and
built in several sections.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
14
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
Our own IPMS Orange County President Dave Frederick was awarded a First Place in Sci-Fi
Battlestar Gallactica category with his Viper ship. I guess Dave can now retire the model from
competition (we can only hope).
The car modelers usually come out in force for this show.
And the quality is always quite good. Best Automotive
award along with the Best Tamiya award was given to Jeff
Corder for his Porsche Carrera GT in 1/12 scale.
Since I grew up building car models from a very young age I
can really appreciate the amount of work it takes to produce
some of these great entries. This four engine boat was quite
impressive.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
15
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
Equally impressive was this modified split window “Corvette Boat” and the telephone booth car.
Our very own Sean Fallesen 1st VP of IPMS Orange County wins Best Collection with his Pearl
Harbor Battleship set. George Creed strikes again with the photobomb of Sean’s acceptance.
Fred Medel of Tamiya announces the Best Tamiya
Award while Jim Frye, center, and George look on.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
16
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
Stay with me here as we look at my favorite category aircraft. Nice looking Su Fritter not sure
which one but was executed well. Also some Mikoyan factory products below.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
17
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
You want to see Bf-109’s? Lots of 109’s at the show. One of my favorite aircraft and a fan of
the E model.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
18
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
Armor categories are 1/72, 1/48, and 1/35th no splits. Sometimes this makes sense if you do not
have a lot of entries, but there were plenty there. You want Stugs? George’s show had Stugs.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
19
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
Here is the 1/35 scale Tamiya M40 diorama by Jeremey Pratt.
Great build nice action scene.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
20
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
I used to race slot cars growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. We had an Aurora HO scale track setup
at home and also we raced 1/24 scale Cox, Champion and Parma slot cars at the local Grand Prix.
It was good to see some of this at the ValleyCon show. One guy is making his own slot car bodies
in HO with fantastic paint jobs.
And another gentlemen had a display
upstairs in the Vendor area where he is
starting a vintage slot car museum in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Slot Car Museum will feature
slot car memorabilia dating back to the very beginning of this hobby. Their website is
www.lascm.com and check them out.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
21
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
Our good friend George Canare from
Tamiya was there along with a new
announcement in 1/35 scale the Valentine tank.
Zokei-Mura SWS were there displaying and selling
some of their latest kits and reference books.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
22
ValleyCon / Petersen Automotive
The raffle above could have been helped with a
few more “Grand Prizes” as the SWS 1/48th F-4J/S was the only premium kit I could see. I think
all-in-all it was a good show. George stated over 600 models were entered. So that would be a
new record for the ValleyCon show. Next month I’ll bring you the cars of the Petersen Museum
including Dan Gurney’s All
American Racing cars and
more model photos. TH
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
23
Modeler of the Year – MOTY
~Notice from your Contest Director ~
The point’s categories below may change in the future. Read the Contest Table article below for
more information.
If you would like to participate in the Modeler of the Year Award, the table below will explain
the points that can be accumulated for the different activities listed for the club.
Entering one or more models in the Monthly Contest 1 point
Placing in the Monthly Contest
Judges Choice award 5 points
Theme award 4 points
First Place 3 points
Second Place 2 points
Third Place 1 point
IPMS OC Contest Table
by Derek Collins Well, you guys made it official. We are removing the "Out of the Box" classes at
OrangeCon. Hopefully there will not be any backlash from non-members at the show but
I think that this is the right choice moving forward. This may allow us in the future to add
other categories to our lineup.
Member & Modeler of the Year, MOTY
You guys did it again!! Thank you all for giving us the feedback that you did regarding
Member & Modeler of the year. We will no longer be tracking a point’s competition with
regard to member of the year. Rather this will be looked at and voted on at the end of the year.
We all should be on the lookout for that member who continually goes beyond what is
considered normal. If you witness something someone in the club has done that you think
makes them deserving of consideration for the "Member of the Year" award then drop me an
email at [email protected] and nominate that member for member of the year. I will
add your nomination to the monthly newsletter in my column.
That being said, I would like to nominate David Okamura for member of the year for his
donation of 30 model kits for the OrangeCon raffle. Thank you David!!!!
Modeler of the year will continue as before though we may change the point’s structure a little
and add a few more ways to earn points. This will be discussed at the next E-board meeting.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
24
On the IPMS OC Contest Table, Feb.2017 Advanced Division
Dan Matthews, 1/48th Scale Academy F-
16C, 1st Place.
Julian English, 1/72nd Scale SOC-3 Sea Gull Bi-Plane, 2nd Place.
Derek Collins, 1/12th Scale Tamiya
Honda CR-250R 3rd Place.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
25
Advanced Division
Jim Fleming, 1/72nd Scale P-38J Lightning, Pacific Theater.
Jim Teahan, 1/48th Scale Buccaneer.
Bob Zmuda, 1/700th Scale USS Los Angeles Heavy Cruiser.
Paul Cadwell, 1/12th Scale Tamiya '01
Yamaha YZR-500 GP Bike
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
26
Master Division
Joe LoMusio, 1/35th Scale Eastern Express BA-6 Armored Car, 1st Place. Judges Choice
Award Winner.
Dennis Henry, 1/72nd Scale Buckeye,
Second Place.
Foster Rash, American Graffiti '57 VW
Convertible, 3rd place. Toad's Vespa
Scooter, Theme Award Winner
Michael Bare, 1/6th Scale Flash Gordon
Figure, Missing something here
Mike!!!
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
27
Master Division
On "Display Only" was David Okumura's Model T (??) Racer.
Also on display was Paul Cadwell's Model Factory
Hiro 1967 Ferrari 312 F1 Racer.
~News Flash~
Orange County IPMS Make and Take Event “2017” By Darnell Pocinich
This May 13, 2017 IPMS Orange County will conduct a “Make and Take” at Fullerton Municipal
Airport in conjunction with the celebration of “Wings over Fullerton” Airport Day. This year our
host will be AFI (Aviation Facilities Inc.) located at 4119 Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA
(west of the airport tower). AFI will provide hangar space, tables and chairs for the event.
Last year IPMS/OC members assisted 120 youngsters to assemble snap-together plastic aircraft
and car kits. These kits were provided by our club at no charge to any participant. As in the past
3 years, about 15 club members will be needed to provide the support for our event. Please make
plans to help out this May 13th. I will provide a sign-up sheet for those wishing to help at our
April 2017 club meeting. Thanks for you past support of this worthy event. DP
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
28
Contest Entries and Results February 2017 Theme: "Out of the Box Only"
Total number of Modelers: 12
Total number of entries: 14 Masters Division
Joe LoMusio 1/35 BA-6 Armored Car_________________1st, Judges Choice
Dennis Henry 1/72 Buckeye__________________________2nd
Foster Rash 1/24 '57 American Graffiti VW Convertible__3rd
1/24 Toad's Vespa Scooter________________Theme
Michael Bare 1/6 Flash Gordon Figure (Missing the figure!!)
Nice Effort Mike!!!
Bob Bolton 1/? Sling Rave Curvette
1/350 Nautilus
Advanced Division
Dan Matthews 1/48 Academy F-16C____________________1st
Julian English 1/72 SOC-3 Sea Gull By-Plane____________2nd
Derek Collins 1/12 Honda CR-250R____________________3rd
Jim Fleming 1/72 P38 Lightning (Pacific Theater)
Jim Teahan 1/48 Buccaneer
Bob Zmuda 1/700 USS Los Angeles, Heavy Cruiser
Paul Cadwell 1/72 '01 Yamaha YZR500 GP Bike
Modeler of the Year Points Standings
1st Julian English 16pts
2nd Joe LoMusio 9pts
3rd Mark Deliduka 8pts
Bob Bolton 8pts
Dan Matthews 8pts
4th Dennis Henry 7pts
5th Foster Rash 6pts
March Meeting Presentation There will be some brief presentations on various modeling products demonstrations. These are
usually very interesting as you can learn about new items to help you in putting together that
Masterpiece.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
29
Arizona Adventure Part 3
By Foster Rash Southeastern Arizona Sightseeing (Continued) Benson
Bob's friend Jerry is a G gauge (1:32 scale) model railroader and works at the Benson
Visitors Center. Bob dropped off some brochures promoting the Tucson Toy Train
Museum and we picked up some literature about sights to see in the Benson area. The
Butterfield Stage line established a stop located on the San Pedro River about a mile north
of town. The Southern Pacific RR arrived in 1880 and built a locomotive roundhouse,
servicing facilities and a bridge over the San Pedro River. The present town of Benson grew
around the railroad facilities.
The Benson
roundhouse in 1910
The Benson Visitors Center is a
recreation of the old railroad
station
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
30
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Bridge over the San Pedro River at
Benson
Today dozens of idle locomotives are stored
near Benson. These once hauled coal trains
from the Four Corners region before the
Obama administration shut down the coal industry. Damage to the industry may be
irreversible as most Arizona power plants have since converted to natural gas.
Agriculture and cattle provide most of the employment around Benson today. Although
the Apache Powder Co., "We put the Boom in Arizona Mining," is the second largest
manufacturer of explosives in the U.S. and is safely located beyond the Benson city limits!
Model-worthy truck. Old vehicles galore in rural
Arizona!
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
31
Arizona Adventure Part 3
"I'm standin' on a corner in Benson Arizona
Such a fine sight to see"
After exploring in the area, we returned to Benson for dinner before heading home that night. The Horse Shoe Cafe is a local watering hole on what used to be the main drag before the Interstate by-passed it. Juicy steaks, cold beer and friendly folks. Huber and Budzieka, you would have loved it! (Looks like a fine establishment, we could take mark too! Ed.) Union Pacific tracks are across the street; the double track mainline is very busy with container trains. I think one went by about every 30 minutes.
Bisbee The town was built on copper but its economy now relies on tourism and retirees. There is an artist’s colony with old hippie types (like the Laguna Sawdust Festival). Lots of restored buildings, bars and antique shops. The artsy town, known for being "quirky," is a popular destination for motorcyclists. The area is cool and green due to the elevation. There are picturesque paved back roads with virtually no traffic... motorcycle heaven! John Wayne made movies and owned property in the area. When he was in town he resided at the Copper Queen Hotel and his favorite room now carries his name.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
32
Arizona Adventure Part 3
The old brewery is now a saloon and live music venue) Lowell Lowell is the next town down the road from Bisbee. As Bisbee’s Lavender Pit Copper Mine grew it eventually consumed the town of Lowell. Only one street remains! It has been "restored" in a Knott's Berry Farm sort of way for tourists.
The only remaining street in Old Lowell ends at the edge of the Lavender pit mine
Lavender pit mine devoured the town of Lowell
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
33
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Tom Mix While driving on a remote stretch of Highway 79, we spotted a sign and pulled over.
Cowboy Tom Mix was a super star of the silent movie era.
In 1940, cowboy actor Tom Mix was
enroute from New Mexico to
Phoenix for the christening of his
grandson. He had partied hearty in
Tucson the night before, then
stopped at the Oracle Junction Inn,
a popular gambling hall, to visit his
friend "Death Valley" Scotty. He
and Scotty played cards and did a
little more drinking before Mix hit
the road again.
Mix' damaged '37 Cord
Mix' 1937 Cord convertible was capable of 100 mph and he was known to have a lead foot. He failed to see a warning sign that a bridge was out and missed the detour. Highway workers tried to flag him down but he plowed through a barrier and into a dry wash. The open car flipped and he died from head injuries. The car still exists and has been restored by a collector in Phoenix. The incident is reminiscent of the death of James Dean.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
34
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Tom Mix Memorial
As a trivia bit, Mix is on the Beatles Sergeant Pepper album cover. See the face with the white cowboy hat to the right of Marlon Brando and behind Paul McCartney (left of center).
Copper Basin Railway Near Kearny, AZ, a string of empty ore cars are headed for the mine at Ray. The 54 mile short line was built in 1902 and connects with the UP near Superior, AZ. Its primary customer is a large open pit copper mine at Ray, AZ. The management of the railroad is friendly to rail fans; just sign in at the office in Hayden, AZ to get schedules and advice for photo locations. We got some good pictures as we chased this train from Hayden to Ray.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
35
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Open pit copper mine at Ray, AZ. We were told that most of the production these days is going to China. Giant shovel and dump truck in the Ray pit. For a sense of scale, look at the stairways leading to the operators cabs.
Mattie Blaylock Gravesite Near Superior, AZ and over a mile hike in from the highway, the old silver mining town of Pinal is gone but the cemetery remains. Road repairs in progress had obliterated the landmarks and we couldn't find the trail head. We did a lot of meandering through some rough terrain before we finally found the old cemetery on a low hill above a dry wash.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
36
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Mattie Blaylock was a prostitute and companion of Wyatt
Earp. She claimed to be his wife but there is no record they
were ever married. She accompanied him when he moved
from Dodge City to Tombstone but he left her for a younger
woman.
Blaylock returned to "the oldest
profession" and died of opium
addiction in 1888 at 38 years of age.
She's buried in the Old Pinal
Cemetery.
Globe Globe is another old copper mining town. As
America electrified in the early 20th century, there
was a tremendous demand for copper. You can tell
there was a lot of money passing through this town
by the handsome old buildings. Globe is trying to
be a tourist destination with antique stores, arts
and crafts shops and bars in the old downtown area.
Unfortunately many of the businesses were closed and there were a lot of vacant stores.
Old postcard of Globe, AZ in its heyday. The courthouse (gray building with flag) has
been restored and houses a performing arts center on the third floor, art gallery on the
second, and antique shops on the first floor.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
37
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Besh Ba Gowah on the outskirts of
Globe are the ruins of the ancient
Salado people who occupied the
site nearly 800 years ago. Besh Ba
Gowah in the Apache language
means “place of metal.” Several
years of drought in the 15th
century resulted in fighting over
water by the Native American
tribes in the area. The Salados had
disappeared before Columbus
discovered America.
Al Sieber
While driving through Apache Pass in the Chiricahua
Mountains, I mentioned to Bob that I had recently watched
a re-run of an old western, Geronimo, An American Legend,
which starred Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall and Matt
Damon. I'm a big fan of Duvall and the way he plays
westerners. He had played the character of Al Sieber who
was General Crook's Chief of Scouts. Bob said he knew of
him and where he was buried. So while in Globe we visited
Sieber's grave.
Al Sieber emigrated from Germany and joined the Union
Army. He fought at Antietam, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg and other battles. Traveling
west he became a skilled tracker and Indian fighter. He was wounded over two dozen
times during his military career.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
38
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Sieber was killed in a freak construction accident in 1907. Before we knew it, the week was over and it was time for
me to return home. There were numerous other sites on
our list that will have to wait for another time. We're
talking about a trip in the Spring of 2017 to visit Gordon
in Placerville and explore the Gold Rush country.
Building a Commemorative Model
I took a lot of photos, mostly vehicles and structures that
beg to be modeled. I also got some good reference shots
for weathering and decay.
Decrepit adobe, peeling plaster and distressed wood
As I have done following previous trips, I built
commemorative structures. "Goldwater Bros.
Mercantile" is a freelanced model combining design
elements of old Arizona buildings that we saw. The
basic construction materials are cardstock and coffee
stir sticks. I primed the structure with a base coat of
white pigmented shellac (Home Depot) then waited
two days to make sure it was thoroughly dry before
rubbing it down with #0000 steel wool to remove
wood/paper fuzz. Then I painted and weathered it
with water base craft paints (Michael's). Using
reference photos as a guide, I developed the colors
with multiple thin washes.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
39
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Here's a video of the technique.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=+painting+weathered+wood+with+craft+paint&
&view=detail&mid=5050D68D4EA06448F9945050D68D4EA06448F994&FORM=VRDG
AR
The modeler in the video uses Vallejo paints but I find the inexpensive ($.59 per bottle)
Michael's Craft Smart brand work just fine on structures (I believe the Vallejo pigments
are more finely ground and better for models with very fine details.
Commemorative Structure, Goldwater Bros. Mercantile
Crumbling plaster simulated with spackle
Scratch built truck uses 1:40 scale military wheels and Hot Wheels details.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
40
Arizona Adventure Part 3
Adobe walls are braced by timbers The signs are home printed
decals. I got the white
lettering by using a David
Okamura trick. The letters
were reverse printed on
white decal paper by
selecting a background
color that matched the
structure. So the white
lettering is the white decal film showing against a printed color background. A decal
setting solution and two coats of Dullcote virtually eliminated the decal edge. Final
weathering with washes and powders completed the process of blending in the decals. I
also incorporated materials into the models (wood, metal, stones, and dirt) that I had
collected in some of the locales we visited. The trucks' cabs were carved from basswood,
wheels are from military kits (distressed kit auction stuff), engines and some small details
from Hot Wheels. Rusty patina created with weathering powders.
Collection of road trip commemorative structures FR
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
41
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
Part I
By Steven Lund
Let me start out by first saying that this is NOT a “kit review”. By the end of this piece you
are bound to see that I’d probably be sued for libel by Lindberg if it was. What I will attempt to
do though is recount how I have taken their kit and attempted to produce an “acceptable” (By
this I mean a model worthy of display/operation among competent ship modelers. Best classed
as “Stand-off scale”.) model. And contrary to an impression that I might make later, I have to
say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the project. Much of the pleasure came from the last four
months of the project consumed with solving new problems almost daily.
Some may recall that the arrival of this kit (Scheduled to be
followed by the release of the midget sub-carrying I-20.) in
2009 was eagerly awaited by the ship modeling community.
There were even some “pre-release” bits on some of the
forums, showing the pieces and a “bare plastic” assembled
model. We all should have looked closer at that point.
The resulting kit that was released, was to say the least,
disappointing. The most glaring errors apparent as soon as
you opened the box (Which is the size of a small coffin.) was
the bow that didn’t look like that of any of the large Japanese
submarines, and the grotesquely over-sized conning tower.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
42
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
In anticipation of the kit’s release I assembled as much
reference material as I could find, with the intent of “kit
bashing” it into a more interesting version than the kit
portrayed. Lindberg’s I-53 is portrayed as a Kaitan
(Human piloted torpedo) carrying sub of late-war vintage.
My desire was to build an earlier war version. The 2007
release publicity brochure for the I-53 portrayed the Kaitan
version. And if one looked closely at it, the strange looking
bow and oversized conning tower were already visible.
My intentions were to build either the B-1 version that sported a hangar container at the front of
the conning tower and an aircraft launch rail or a Type C-1 that carried midget subs on raids on
Pearl Harbor, Sydney, and Madagascar. To that end I procured all three different 1/72 scale kits
of the Yokosuka E14Y “Glen” seaplane and the two Fine Molds kits of the midget subs. My two
choices of subject were to be either the Type B-1 I-25 whose floatplane bombed the Oregon coast
in June of 1942 or the Type C-1 I-16 that carried a midget sub to the Pearl Harbor attack.
Subsequent months/years saw various serious modelers doing various things with the kit. Dave
Merriman, one of the hobby’s premier submarine modelers, made a serious attempt at making a
“diver” version. He successfully reconfigured the bow with foam and epoxy and worked out
functional linkages for the rudder and diving planes. And then it apparently slipped to the “back
burner” for him. Other modelers built static versions with varying amounts of correction and
added detail.
After drilling out all the vent openings and flooding ports, my own enthusiasm also faded. I
parked the monster box on a shelf in my garage and often passed it while bemoaning the
tremendous investment that I had put into it in model kits, parts, reference material and emotion.
And there it sat until 2016.
In 2010 the PBS “NOVA” series ran a piece called “The Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor”. It was
based on the fact that the remains of the last unaccounted for midget sub had been found in the
period 2001-2003 and showed the subsequent research done to validate the fact that it was the
missing craft. The whole subject fascinated me, and more information soon became available
through websites and magazine articles. The end result was a firm conviction on my part to get
the project back underway and to build it as the I-16.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
43
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
(The likely mothership of that last midget.) and complete it by the 75th Anniversary of Pearl
Harbor on December 7th. It helped that there were two fairly clear shots of the I-16 and her sister
ship I-18 on the surface, so I could know the exact configuration of their upper works.
As I started work in earnest I came to realize that some faults just weren’t correctable. The first
and most glaring one was that the vents in the side of the hull were located down too low on the
hull. This was puzzling because the 2007 publicity shot showed them in a position more close to
the right one (!) It’s as though when Lindberg delayed the kit release by a year, they were busy
making more mistakes rather than correcting the previous ones (!)
Since the hull is so big that it is molded in four pieces, it was easy to break the problems down
into more manageable tasks. I started by gluing the forward hull together and reconfiguring the
bow. I was first startled though to find that tube glue didn’t seem to work well on this kit’s
formula of plastic. I ended up finding that using Dave Merriman’s method of using MEK (Hard
to get in California these days.) to “fuse” anything “structural” was mandatory. Due to the
different formula plastics involved, the variety of adhesives necessary throughout the project
proved to be an issue. Evergreen sheet and rod stock “melts” in MEK but responds well to liquid
and tube styrene glues while Plastruct only reacts to tube glue and their own brand of liquid
cement. I found that I had to do a lot of experimenting to that end throughout the project.
For the bow, I decided to build it up from sheet rather than carving foam and then putting an
epoxy layer over that. I started with making and inserting a bow profile of 1/8” styrene sheet like
Dave Merriman did. The shots below show how that progressed.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
44
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
The second shot shows the initial “sheeting in”. Two of the static builders on the forums used
wing panels from Soviet fighters. I found that upper wing panels from the Revell 1/32 scale MiG
21 were ideal. They had a nice compound curvature and taper that one couldn’t get with flat sheet
styrene. Thanks guys!
For the torpedo tubes I first scribed their positions and then grafted and faired in styrene tube
stock. At this stage I also cut in the anchor wells and the slots for the retracted bow planes.
I decided that for structural integrity that I would permanently glue in the deck on the forward
hull. Like most of the other major pieces, that assembly was all wrong. It had inset cavities for
deck details and the planks would have translated into being two feet wide with “rivets” the size
of pie plates. The hatches (Of which there were too many) would have been the size of patio
tables. So I sanded the panels down about .010 to leave room to lay new Evergreen scribed stock
over it to hide all the “sins”.
Once the forward hull was together it was necessary to clean it up. In addition to sheeting over
the “wrong” openings for the bow planes and anchor wells it was necessary to add panel lines.
The hull was molded with “welts” that would have translated into weld lines about a foot wide
(!) I used them as guides to scribe the panel lines and then carved and sanded them off.
Setting the fore hull aside I started on the aft section. My intention all along was to build a
“surface runner”, rather than a “diver”. My approach was to make the hull free-flooding rather
than water tight. The latter configuration results in having to ballast the hull to sink it down to
the correct water line. In the case of my five and a half foot Civil War USS Monitor model it
came out weighing over 85 pounds! The end result for the I-16 with its free-flooding hull is that
the boat weighs less than 10 pounds. This makes a real difference when you have to wrestle the
beast in to and out of the water.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
45
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
This approach resulted in requiring two separate water-tight boxes in the stern for the motors and
rudder servo and one at mid-ship for the batteries, speed controls, and receiver.
I found it necessary to make the “engine rooms” separate because the hull there was too narrow
to just partition off with bulkheads and assure a water-tight assembly. Using the kit’s prop shaft
openings and modifying the supporting struts somewhat, I was able to come up with a
configuration that didn’t interfere with the rudder or stern planes. I used commercial stuffing box
and prop units that I had on hand, although one could easily use the kit props and fabricate the
rest.
The first photo shows the finished port “engine room” in the foreground. It also accommodates
the rudder servo (push rod visible upper left on the box.). The tops of the boxes are closed with
“shoebox” type lids (Standard practice with ships hatches for hundreds of years.) and sealed with
silicone caulking material. I took care to locate the outlets for the rudder pushrod and wiring
above the waterline, and to seal them with the silicone.
The box in the mid-ship position is eleven inches long and rests under the conning tower. As
stated earlier, it contains the receiver and batteries and an ESC for each motor. This allows for
differential steering with each motor controlled separately. The box is of the same “shoebox”
configuration as the others and is moveable for “fine tuning” the fore and aft trim. All of its
openings were treated the same as the aft compartment ones.
Joining the halves of the aft hull entailed the same procedure of MEK “welding” and deciding
which deck sections would be “fixed” and which removable. In the end I found that it was most
practical to make the aft-most four inch section permanent and make the rest removable.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
46
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
The principle reason for all the removable sections is that the necessary buoyancy is supplied by
ping pong balls, and as many as possible of them need to be removable for drying out the inside
of the hull after sessions when the sub “goes to sea”. More on all that later.
Joining the fore and aft sections was made easy by one of the Lindberg kit’s commendable
features (Of which there are few.). The joints overlap, are secured with screws, and have cover
plates to hide the joints. And it turns out that all of this works well and results in joints that are
invisible and a hull joint that is quite strong. Well done guys!
Once the hull was together, I floated it and worked out the number and position of the keel ballast
weights and of the number of ping pong balls necessary to provide trim and buoyancy. Getting
the flotation and ballast installed and testing out the R/C gear installed in the mid-ship box with
the motors running assured that the “operational” aspect of the project was a “go”.
After that, the lengthy process of sanding off the “welds” and cleaning up the keel joint took
some bit of work. Once that was done though, it really started to look impressive. I had seen
the1/72 scale Revell Gato and Type VIXC sub models complete, but this thing looked massive
by comparison (!) The next step was to complete the conning tower and external details to make
the model “credible”.
The deck was a challenge in that the planking had to go over the previously sanded off detail,
come apart where needed, and still lend sufficient structural integrity. As I stated earlier, the fore
deck was glued in permanently for that purpose. A cut-water forward of the conning tower housed
the 5.5 inch deck gun. This “fence” was fashioned from .020 styrene and a lip of Plastruct angle
stock finished it off. Then Evergreen .020 V-Groove 100” spacing was laid down and used
throughout for the deck planking.
The deck gun was fabricated from parts taken from the Revell 1/72 scale German “Heavy
Artillery Gun 21 cm Morser 18”kit and various bits from the scrap box. I’ll have to call it an
“approximation” of the unique Japanese gun that I couldn’t find good drawings of. Like most of
the deck details, it is removable and can be easily replaced when I can fabricate a more authentic
piece. The aft deck and the conning tower were the next and final challenges.
The aft deck accommodates the Midget Sub, which has to be readily removable for a variety of
reasons. Accessing the engine boxes being the first and foremost.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
47
Re-Building the Lindberg I-53 Submarine
I made the center portion “semi- permanent”, and the aft section over the engine boxes readily
removable. To make the Midget sub removable I installed powerful magnets in the innermost
mounting pylons and put iron washers under the deck planking in the corresponding locations.
Works like a charm! No mounting structure is visible for when I want to run it as a pure “Cruiser”
sub.
The Midget Sub presently installed is the excellent Fine Molds kit of the “Type A Pearl Harbor
Attack” configuration version. I also have the “Sydney Bay” version. I plan to exhibit that one
as well because the I-16 transported Midget Subs to both the Pearl Harbor Attack and the attack
on a British Battleship in Madagascar. SL
(Part II next month on the I-53 by Steven. So
far so good with a lot of modification work
there. Ed.)
OC IPMS Web Site
The members of the OC IPMS chapter are lucky to have a great website representing the club’s
activities. This site was created by long time member Joe LoMusio who created the design and
layout of the site which earned the club “Chapter website of the year” in 2016. So, I encourage
all the members to visit the site regularly to keep up with club’s activities. Each month the site
is updated with the results of the monthly contest including pictures, the latest news on the
home page lists up to date points of interest for the clubs and many new videos on the modeling
education section. Check out the expanding videos section for some interesting tips. Also,
have a look at the member gallery for some great pictures of master modelers work.
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
48
Model Club Meetings in the SoCal Area
Outcast Model Builders
(Formerly the Tamiya Model Club hosted by Richard Poulsen)
Meets: 2nd Friday of the month. 7:00 pm till whenever
Location: 1558 "C" South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California. 92805
Contact: Derek Collins, [email protected]
No dues, its FREEEEEEEEE but donations are always welcome!!
IPMS San Diego Model Car Club
Meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month
San Diego Auto Museum / Balboa Park
2080 Pan America Plaza
San Diego, CA
IPMS Orange County
Meets the 3rd Friday of each month
La Quinta Inns & Suites
3 Centerpointe Dr.
La Palma, CA 90623
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. till 10:00 p.m.
Non-member fee $7
IPMS Inland Empire Meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month
Pegasus Hobbies
5515 Moreno Street
Montclair, CA 91763
Doors open at 6:30 pm and go till about 9:00 pm
There is no charge for first meeting then $5
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
49
Model Club Meetings in the SoCal Area
Pasadena Scale Modelers Society Meets on the 4th Friday of each month
Meeting now at their new location
American Legion Hall
179 N. Vinedo
East Pasadena, CA
Doors open 7:00 p.m.
There is a $5 donation at the meeting
Pendleton AMPS Meets on the 3rd Saturday of each month
The American Legion
La Mesa Post # 282
8118 University Ave.
La Mesa, Ca. 91944
Doors open at 11:00 a.m. to about whenever
$5 dues which includes lunch
951-805-2541
IPMS South Orange County The Insane Modeling Posse Meets on the 4th Saturday of each month
Come see the home of the Insane Model Contest
Contact Terry Huber [email protected]
This is a build session style meeting
First meeting free then $5 dues
SoCal Amps Armor Modeling Preservation Society Meets the 2nd Saturday of each month
Frye Sign Company
12818 Nutwood St. Garden Grove CA
4:00 p.m. to around 9:00 p.m.
Bring some chairs. No-fee meeting
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
50
Model Club Meetings in the SoCal Area
Ship Modelers Association – SMA
Meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month
American Red Cross Building
1207 N. Lemon St. Fullerton, CA 92835
In Hillcrest Park 7:00 p.m.
Sprue Cutters Model Club Brookhurst Hobbies Meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
Brookhurst Hobbies
12188 Brookhurst Street
Garden Grove, CA 92840
Phone: (714) 636-3580
No charge to attend
IPMS San Diego
Meets the last Friday of each month at
Girl Scouts San Diego
1231 Upas St. San Diego, CA
Use Richmond St. entrance to Upas
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. till 10:00 p.m.
Adult first visit is free and then $4.00
Secret Society of Model Builders
Meets the 2nd Sunday of each month at the
Game Empire
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
Suite 306 San Diego, CA
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. till about 9:00 p.m.
Adults are $5
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
51
Model Club Meetings in the SoCal Area
Southern California Area Historical
Miniatures Society SCAHMS
Meets the 2nd Saturday of each month
La Quinta Inns & Suites
3 Centerpointe Dr.
La Palma, CA 90623
Meeting from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Miniaturists Society
LAMS Meets the 1st Saturday of each month
Veterans of Foreign Wars building
1006 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
Meeting starts around 9:00 a.m. till 12:30
Frequent demonstrations. Nonmember $5
Temecula Valley Model Club Meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month
Kay Ceniceros Center
29995 Evans Road, Menifee, CA 92586
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
Contact [email protected]
2017 IPMS National Convention
IPMS Fort Crook host chapter
July 26 to 29, 2017
LaVista Conference Center
12520 Westport Parkway, La Vista, NE 68128
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
52
Upcoming Events
Friday April 7 to 9, 2017 MONSTERPALOOZA
Pasadena Convention Center
300 E. Green St.
Pasadena CA 91101
Friday 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Sat and Sun 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday June 3, 2017 IPMS San Diego & San Diego Model Car Club
Present the Model Expo and Swap Meet
San Diego Air & Space Museum Annex
Gillespie Field, 335 Kenny St.
El Cajon, CA 92020
Theme: The Desert and 50 Years
Chevrolet Camaro.
9:00 am till about 4:30
Saturday June 24, 2017
SoCal Amps and IPMS South Orange County
Insane Modeling Posse present the
Insane Model Contest
Norman P. Murray Community Center
24932 Veterans Way
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
10:00 am to ~5:00 pm
IPMS ORANGE COUNTY Newsletter
March 2017
57