Greetings and salutations to one and all! I hope that everyone is looking forward to this April's show and more importantly, you'll have builds to enter. Lawd only knows we had two years to build without a Buffcon so those tables better be filled!

IPMS Niagara Frontier Meeting Agenda - February 15, 2022

7:00 PM to 7:10 PM - Place models on tables with description forms.

We would like to encourage all club members to join the national IPMS. Help support your hobby on a national level. IPMS provides the insurance that allows us to have our events, and membership includes a nice monthly magazine. The website can be found at: IPMS, and an application form can be found HERE.

The monthly general club meeting will be on Tuesday, February 15th, starting at the usual 7:00pm at the usual meeting room in the rear building. Here are the safety guidelines we will be following:

• The Knights Hall currently requires that everyone wear masks during the meeting, except for brief periods while eating or drinking.

The raffle is back! BuffCon 37 will have a raffle, and we're asking all club members to contribute to the prizes. If you would like to donate, please bring new, complete, unstarted kits, preferably in sealed boxes, but in any case with sealed parts bags, to the next club meeting. Mike Patskin will be handling the raffle, and will be collecting donated kits. Other model-related items will also be accepted, including new tools, paints, decals, etc. Thanks for your participation!

Section 8 Hobbies will be holding an IPMS Niagara Frontier members-only sale on Saturday, March 5th, with a club discount of 25%. The store will open at 10:00am for club members - see you there!

Section 8 Hobbies is now holding a build night every Wednesday from 4 to 9pm. All are welcome to bring their latest projects and work on them in the company of other modelers.

The BuffCon 37 website is now up, and can be viewed HERE.

A link to the current Sprue and Glue News has been added in recent months to the Newsletter Blast emails provided by National IPMS. For those readers from other chapters, and anyone else who might be interested, our website has a Newsletter page with buttons to select any of the newsletters from the current year. There is also a button on that page to access the Archive page, which has links to all of the newsletters published since September 2007.

The Links page on the club website has recently been updated with information contributed by members. If you have a favorite website for modeling info, forums, etc., email the information to larryo@ipmsniagarafrontier.com.

A NOTE TO NON-MEMBERS

The minutes from the January 2022 general meeting are included below. Thanks to our Secretary, Al Germann, for the meeting minutes.

January 18 - President Mike Butry led the meeting.

• Old Business:
  • None.
• New Business:
  • Membership dues are due and see Tom Faith for payment.
  • Tom Faith stated he is working on the club's financial report. The club's bank balance is slightly up. We are looking at the option of the hall rental on a monthly basis versus one payment for the whole year for the general meetings.
• BuffCon #37, April 3, 2022:
  • Mike Butry stated the use of promotions on Facebook and other scale model forums will lead to positive results.
  • Making contact with model kit manufacturers and distributors for raffle donations are in progress.
  • Frank Blonski started discussion for criteria for kits to be considered for raffle. These include new or new condition, decent subject and quality of kits.
  • Mike Patskin suggested a request to members for a donation of a kit that may already be in their stash. Mike will also be the raffle coordinator.
  • Tom Brown Sr. has a request for judges, free training. Jeff Keenan was a bit concerned as some members also have rented vendor tables and this cuts down the number of members available for judging.
• Miscellaneous/Open Floor:
  • Member's models on the tables were presented by Bob Conshafter.

To promote greater transparency regarding the operation of the club and the EBoard, action items from the previous month's EBoard meeting will be published in the newsletter. These will not be detailed minutes of the meetings, but highlights that the general membership should be aware of.

February 7 - President Mike Butry led the meeting, held on Zoom.

• Old Business:
  • Tom Faith stated that there are 26 members who have already paid their dues for 2022.
  • Tom provided basic financial status with current bank balance and upcoming expenses.
• New Business:
  • None.
• BuffCon #37, April 3rd, 2022:
  • Mike led discussion of having a kit raffle. Mike stated he received one response and a kit or two from a distributor. E-board approved a kit raffle for this event. Based on last general meeting, Mike Patskin will be Raffle Coordinator. Al Germann suggested membership to bring kits to next meeting for collection by Mike P. No update was obtained on the stash of kits with John Z.
  • Mike had discussion with an IPMS club in Indiana for a trophy sponsorship exchange. More to follow.
  • Larry stated he updated the BuffCon website with sponsors and links.
  • Jeff K. provided status for vendor table which is going well with about half spoken for.
  • Trophies status discussed from Tom F. for Ed B. and trophies are ordered.
  • Ed B. previously reported status of sponsorships.
  • Again, the distribution of show flyers are moving from businesses.
  • Al G. stated the planned food is the same in years past, although prices may need to be adjusted based on our cost. Al has action item to get quotes.
  • Once again Tom F. stressed that we need to increase advertising activity.
  • Via email, Frank B. suggested/offered using PayPal for collection of membership dues. E-board is not pursuing this at this time.
  • Jeff K. suggested/offered using PayPal for collection of fee for vendor tables and sponsorships. E-board gave the go ahead since many vendors are not local. Larry stated he could create an email account for this purpose. This can carry over for future events. Jeff has action item to set this up and contact potential vendors and sponsors.
  • Tom F. reported BuffCon is advertised in FineScale Modeler magazine. We planned on 2 ads but only 1 was printed. We did not receive an invoice yet.
  • Al has action item to bring signup sheet for area volunteers to the next general meeting.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Tom Brown Jr. stated Section 8 Hobbies is offering space for our E-board meetings. Also that build night for the club started for Wednesday nights, 4 to closing.
  • Maryann brought up topic of demos for the club meetings. A demonstration for modeling water is planned. Brief discussion for a couple other ideas.
  • HeritageCon is planned for this March in Hamilton Ont. Covid protocols to cross the border on that weekend may be a factor to consider.

Bruce Mathes, our Syracuse member, sent in some photos of his latest projects. The first batch includes an A-Model Grumman Gulfstream; a PM Beech conversion to tri-gear Volpar; a red pointy nose Volpar conversion of a twin Beech 18; a Matchbox conversion to single engine demonstrator, with hand-made lettering on the nose; a Tamiya F6F-3 in Navy drone controller colors; an Airfix racer in DRAW decals; a Clay Lacy P-51, also with DRAW decals; and a Golden Knights C-47 from an old Micro Scale decal sheet.

Bruce's second group comprised a Frog Corsair with "Lucky Gallon" markings; a Tex Johnston Bell P-39; and an Extra 300 acro-racer kit by Bregun. Bruce mentioned that "the Bell P-39 was flown by Tex Johnston in the 1948 Cleveland Air Race which he won. His partner and the other Bell P-39 'Cobra I' are in Lake Ontario. While test flying their aircraft, Jack Woolams's Cobra I suddenly rolled over and dove into the lake. Speculation is Woolams succumbed to carbon monoxide fumes in the cockpit, became unconscious, and went into the lake. The wreckage has never been found."

Al Germann emailed some pics of "worn and weathered" vehicles in keeping with the special award theme for BuffCon 37. They included a Plymouth, a Ferrari, a Mercury, a '32 Ford, a Chevy pickup and a VW bus.

Ilya Grinberg brought in his Dragon 1/35 M4A2 Sherman tank. Ilya said he used resin tracks by OKB Grigorov, resin road wheels by Caliber 72, PE parts, machine guns by Miniworld, and armor plates from a Heller kit.

Tom Brown Sr. showed us his progress on the G.I. Joe figures he brought in last month. Painting, modifications and weathering have not started yet, and Tom said the boots are still hard to get on. Tom said he picked the subject because "I have a dream". He's looking for the following items of clothing and accessories: five helmets, one rifle, one pair of boots, five long sleeve shirts, one pair of pants, three canteens, and two knives with sheaths. If anyone can help, let Tom know.

Ron Mikol displayed car bodies for two works-in-progress, an AMT '65 Chevelle Wagon and a Testors Boyd's Coupster. Ron said he turned the Chevelle Wagon into a Sedan Delivery with a scratch-built scoop, wing and raised wheelwells. He also added a scoop to the Coupster. The Chevelle received PPG silver paint with HOK mini-flake and candy magenta, and the Coupster has PPG silver with HOK flake and Mirra flake and black.

Al Germann brought in several items. The first was a Monogram 1/24 Chapparal 2D Coupe. Al said it was an easy, quick build. He improved the control rod for the rear spoiler, and finished it with Tamiya white from a spray can and Tamiya brush paint for the interior. Al said he likes race cars from the mid-1960s, and thinks the Chapparal will look good with the Ford GT-40 he built last year. He's happy with the way the model turned out, but wants to hand paint the numbers on the rear grill.

Al's second item was a 1/32 resin kit of a Jet Pack Flyer from an unknown manufacturer. He said he got the kit from eBay because it looked interesting and cost around $17 with free shipping. Al mentioned that the kit has nice detail, and he painted it with Kryon Citrus Green spray paint.

Al's final item was a scratch-built 1/25 model of Grandpa Germann's Gas Station. He said the scratch-building included rigid foam board for the walls, wood and styrene for the windows, and 1/64" wood in layers for the door. It's finished with craft paints, and was built working from actual family photos from the 1930s. Al said he built it to go with his 1934 Ford tow truck, and it was a fun project.

Maryann Germann had a few items for us to see. The first was a 1/10 bust of a Celtic Warrior. It was a gift from Al who got it on eBay. The manufacturer was not specified, but it will make an interesting project. Maryann said she will also need to make a stand.

Maryann also continued her woodburning efforts with a late '50s Dodge Coronet. She said she burned it on basswood, and is in the process of finishing the sky and background.

Maryann's last item was a figure set of a native with a cougar. Maryann said she airbrushed the figures with Vallejo paints, and added a hand-painted loin cloth. She is creating a rock wall out of plaster and will add a cast shadow to finish the model.

Paul Hines brought in some new automotive painting subjects. He started with a 427 Cobra, his all-time favorite car. Paul said he thought "this painting turned out really well as it captures the solid feeling of the car and makes the viewer want to reach out and touch the car."

Paul continued with a 1937 Ford 5 Window Coupe. He said he decided to use a two-tone paint job and fade the colors for a unique look on this body style.

Paul concluded with a Burgundy 3 Window Deuce Coupe. Paul mentioned that he likes the flowing fender lines, very similar to the 1930's Bugatti body lines, and that this car came from the Barry White Speed Shop in Corona, California.

Steve Weller had some interesting items. The first was a USS Antietam Korean War Cruise yearbook which included a vinyl LP from the C.O. This was another Navy vet's memorabilia from the Korean War - Paul Van Duzer USN, RIP.

Steve also had two new kits that were Christmas presents to himself: an HK 1/32 B17G, and an Amusing Hobby 1/35 T-72 with a complete interior. He said the kits were from China and Andy's Hobby Headquarters. He also had some photos downloaded from the web of some interesting ship building.

Gregory Fox displayed a couple of models: a Moebius Marvel Green Goblin & Spiderman in 1/48, and a 1/32 Model A Roadster.

Larry Osolkowski showed us his current progress on his Tamiya 1/20 Leyton House F1 race car. The rear wing is finished and ready to be attached to the chassis, which is otherwise complete. The top bodwork is painted, decaled and clear-coated, awaiting final polishing and touch-up of the inside.

Larry also brought in a 1/144 F-16 from the Minicraft USAF 50th Anniversary Thunderbirds set. He's building one first, out of the set of six, to resolve all the build issues before proceeding with the rest of them. There were some fit problems, but it's a pretty nice little kit.

Larry's last item was brought in after an incidental conversation at the January EBoard meeting, in which he mentioned something called a Klein bottle. This is a strange object of topology, being a three-dimensional object with only one surface. For more information, check out kleinbottle.com, a company owned by a friend of Larry's.

Jeff Keenan had three items on display. The first was a set of Bandai 1/144 TIE Fighter and Advanced TIE Fighter from the Star Wars universe. Jeff said he built them out-of-box and finished them with Vallejo Model Air and Model Color, Model Master, and oil paints. They were weathered with oil panel line washes and some hand brushing of lighter shades. Jeff mentioned that this was the first Bandai kit he's seen with some molding issues that were, unfortunately, not fixable. Jeff loves Star Wars.

Jeff's next model was a Bandai Cosmo Tiger II, finished with Vallejo paints along with Payne Gray oil wash and craft paints for orange and green. Jeff also added some post-shading with lighter and different shades of gray. He mentioned that the stand is pretty flimsy. Jeff described his interest in the subject: "when I was young (before 'Anime"), I watched 'Japanimation'. There was a show called 'Star Blazers' that featured the Yamato as a space aircraft carrier, and this was the aircraft (spacecraft?) flown by the hero."

Jeff's last item was an Italeri 1/72 Agusta A-129 Mangusta helicopter. Jeff used Vallejo Model Air, Model Color, and Model Master paints along with oil washes. He built it out-of-box, but had some general fit issues typical of a 20-year-old kit, and incorrect paint call-outs in the instructions. Jeff said he built the kit because he had Covid and wanted to knock something out quickly; he likes helicopters and 1/72 is a great scale. He commented that he wished he would have done some basic research and fixed some of the glaring inaccuracies.

Bob Conshafter graced the table with his Revell 1/40 M-56 Scorpion (circa 1967) diorama using an old Aurora K&B plastic base. Bob used Aeromaster and LifeColor olive drab for the vehicle along with French khaki for the uniforms. He also used Krylon spray velvet texture paint for the base, and acrylic washes for the base and rocks, along with pastel chalks and weathering powder. Bob said the model was a change over the past summer from doing planes, and he wanted to do an old retro-look diorama. It was his first attempt at figure painting and making a diorama.

Tim Grieve showed us a couple of models. The first was an AMT 1/72 AU-8B Harrier II, finished with Model Color and Testors paints. Tim said the kit had no issues, and he wanted a jump jet in the collection. He mentioned that he needs to slow down when building.

Tim's other models were a pair of biplanes from a Lindberg 1/72 set: a Fairey Flycatcher and a Hawker Fury Mk-1, both in the same box since 1969. He used Model Master paints, with a sooty exhaust, and added thread for cables and antenna on the Flycatcher and antennas on the Fury. He said they were a good weekend project of historical interest.

Paul Kittell displayed some ship's boats that he's making for a 1/150 model of the USS New Ironsides, including a launch, cutter and longboat. No painting has been done yet (Paul described their current finish as "winter camoflage"), and the models are all scratch-built using the plank on frame technique over a mold.

Mike Butry brought in a Tamiya 1/48 Jagdpanther, early vintage. He used Model Master and Tamiya paints, mostly airbrushed, along with weathering using a mix of Tamiya paints, AK washes and a Tamiya weathering set. Mike said he backdated the tank to an early variant because that was the only time that zimmerit was used. He mentioned that he had to do a lot of sanding and re-shaping of the gun mantlet. He said the model will not be 100% accurate, but it'll be close enough.

The recent tradition of recycling model magazines by bringing them to the meeting continues.

Finally, some around-the-room shots.

Thanks to Bob Conshafter for handling the model tables. Photos provided by Larry Osolkowski.