Well, the new year is upon us and the show season will begin soon.

IPMS Niagara Frontier Meeting Agenda - January 21, 2019

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

Call for adjournment.

In case of inclement weather, members are advised to watch WGRZ, Channel 2 TV or check their website at the WGRZ Alert Center for information on meeting cancellation.

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 January 2019 newsletter of the IPMS Patriot chapter is available HERE.

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

December 17th - President Rich Bernecki led the meeting.

• Rich acknowledged and thanked members for the donations for Toys for Tots and for bringing in the models for table discussion.
• The minutes from the November general meeting were approved without comment.
• Rich read the New York official non-discrimination clause and the proposed clause for the club's constitution. Tom Faith moved to approve the proposal and Gene Paveljack seconded the motion. There were no comments and the general membership unanimously approved.
• Tom Faith had a follow-up for the survey to gather modelers' preferences on model subjects.
• Larry Osolkowski read a short list of what appeared as bad or incorrect email addresses with intent to improve club communications.
• Table models were presented with "pass the mic".
• Members enjoyed the pizza and wings. Thanks to Tony Gliszczynski for handling the arrangements.
• Tom Brown Sr. facilitated the Secret Santa gift exchange.
• Two US Marines, one of them being member Tom Brown Jr., were present to collect the donation to Toys for Tots.

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.

December 10 - President Rich Bernecki led the meeting.

• Al Germann read thru his draft of the BuffCon Work Instructions for the kitchen operations. There was some feedback provided from the E-board members.
• Paul Hines spoke about his position of Trophy Coordinator for BuffCon and that he will be stepping down after the next show in 2019. Paul stated that his replacement should come from the E-board members compared to a volunteer from the general membership. The advantage is the E-board members are experienced in the working and running of the club and BuffCon. Ed Button stepped up to fill this position. Paul will work with and train Ed during the preparation and the BuffCon show.
• Action Items from November E-board meeting were discussed. Most were completed and arrangements were made to complete Rich Bernecki replacing John Zaranek on the club's bank accounts. Tom Faith is leading this action item. All other action items are closed.
• Larry Osolkowski stated he is interested in storing E-board minutes on the club's website in a secured manner to be available to E-board members with proper log in credentials. E-board members were in favor of this and Larry will complete this action item.
• Tom Brown Sr. asked about the table cloths used at BuffCon as John Zaranek was storing these. John was in pursuit of proper storage containers. This is an open action item.
• Tom Faith is in progress of reviewing the financial details of club operations for 2018 with the plan of creating a forecast/budget for 2019. This is an open action item.

Member Name: Al Germann

What kind of modeling? What scale?
I like cars & trucks in 1/25, especially kit bashing and converting them into a wild custom. I also like aircraft and some military; the scale varies there from 1/32 to 1/144. I have a few ships, too, with the Titanic in progress. I tend to like the unusual.

Member Name: Maryann Germann

What kind of modeling? What scale?
I enjoy building figure models. I've built 3 and working on 4and 5. The scales are between 1/32 to 1/6.

Model tables from the December meeting:

Mike Butry displayed his current project, a Dragon 1/35 Armored Jeep. It's being finished with Tamiya, Model Master and MIG Colors paints, and pastel chalk and dry brushing for weathering. Mike said that instead of using the kit photo-etch for the armor plating, he used Evergreen sheet. He also used stock Verlinden nap sacks and a tarp made from aluminum foil, and mentioned that the kit photo-etch is very brittle. The motivation for the model is Mike's love of Jeeps.

Paul Hines showed us "two cool hot rods" paintings this month. Paul told us that the two reasons he likes hot rods are first, that no two are alike - all are one-of-a-kind originals. Second, he grew up with them in the 40's and 50's.

Jim Greenfield brought in a 1/16 ICM Night King kit, which will be his first figure model.

Dick Schulenberg had three models on display this month. The first was an Azur (Special Hobby/MP4) 1/72 Loire 130 French pre-WW-II battleship-based seaplane. He's planning on using Vallejo aluminum and black paints, maybe airbrushed, for finishing, with no weathering. He said he used no aftermarket bits, but mods and scratchbuilding were needed just to build it. Dick is hoping the vacuformed windscreen will fit. He said that this was an early short run kit, where not much fit without lots of work, and the instructions were minimal with no real info on where parts fit. Dick mentioned that he likes seaplanes and French oddities, but will be happy when this one is done.

Dick's second model was an ICM 1/35 WW-I Standard B Liberty Truck, mostly airbrushed with Vallejo Model Air and Model Color paints. He used watercolor marking pens in two shades of brown for weathering, by placing dots on a flat-coated surface and blending with a dampened (with water) stiff bristled brush to give some depth. In contrast to the previous kit, Dick said that this one was a pure pleasure to build and paint. He said there was not a single bad joint to putty or repair, and the instructions were clear and precise. Dick's motivation was a broadening interest in WW-I subjects, and trucks seem easier than airplanes! He also mentioned that he hopes some figures appear, and that he left the canvas loose so he can add some appropriate cargo.

Dick's last model was a Copper State Models 1/35 Lanchester Armoured Car (1914). Dick again used Vallejo Model Air and Model Color paints over a Citadel black spray can primer. The model was built straight out of the box, with the brown water color marker technique used again for weathering, which is not quite finished yet. This was another excellent kit, with superb instructions and great parts fit. Dick said these new armor kits are really good stuff. He has an expanding interest in WW-I stuff, and liked the Royal Navy Air Service markings, with the name "Good Hope" for the Royal Navy Cruiser lost in the 1914 Battle of the Falklands. Dick said he hopes they make more vehicles, and can't wait for the 1/32 Nieuport 17 that's due soon.

Larry Osolkowski showed us his next project, a Tamiya 1/20 Ferrari F-189 Formula 1 race car. This is an older kit with a few rough edges, but some nice detail. He's currently finishing up the engine and gearbox, using Tamiya acrylics and lacquers plus Model Master and Alclad paints. Larry is also using a Studio 27 carbon fiber decal set and a Studio 27 white metal brake set for better detail, plus some additional aftermarket bits for radiator faces and seatbelt hardware. Larry mentioned that he has 25-30 Ferrari kits in his stash, and hasn't finished one yet, so it's about time.

Larry also brought in some flyers for upcoming gigs with a couple of his bands.

Clint Keidel displayed his progress on his Roden 1/32 Albatross DIII (OAW). He's using Tamiya and Vallejo paints along with Mission Models for woodgrain effect. The kit is being built mostly out of box, with rigging still to come (he said "we'll see how that goes"). Other than some pre-shading on the wings, no weathering has been done yet. Clint said that there were some minor fit issues with the engine cradle centering, but nothing too bad. He said that this kit is mostly practice for his Wingnut Wings Albatross DVA build in the future, and that the Albatross is his favorite WW-I airplane.

Tony Gliszczynski showed us his AFV Club 1/35 M-42 Duster, finished with Tamiya paints. He said he added aftermarket gun barrels, Fruilmodel tracks and some photo-etch. There is no weathering yet, but he's working on that. Tony mentioned that the kit went together OK, but there are left-over parts on the sprues that are not identified in the instructions. He said that there was an M-42 on the perimeter of his compound in Vietnam.

Al Germann brought in his completed Hurricane Mustang diorama. The model was finished with Tamiya paints, and the car was cut at the waterline to simulate a flood. Al said he scratchbuilt the side windows and it was his first time trying to simulate water using toilet tissue, white glue and a little water with gloss varnish over the top. He said the project was a good way to use bits from his parts box and experiment with water technique, and was fun to do.

Maryann Guest Germann displayed a 1/16 WW-II Infantryman figure, carrying an MP44 assault rifle. This was Maryann's third completed model, and was finished with Tamiya paints and weathered to simulate a harsh winter climate. She said she used roots for a tree and made the base from a tin lid. She picked this subject because she wanted to try painting camouflage.

Dave Armitage brought in another new collection of models for our perusal. The first was a model of the Batman character, the Joker, built from a Moebius kit. Dave painted the model with acrylics, added cards, money and a bomb, and weathered it with washes and drybrushing. He said he had no issues with the kit, and has all the others in the series so far.

Dave's next model was "Dairy Christmas", made from toy cows and a tree ornament. It was painted with acrylics and he drilled out one of the cows to install a light in its nose.

Dave also had some Aoshima Japanese Soldiers, again painted with acrylics. He mentioned that there was not a word of English on the box or directions, except "1/35 scale".

Dave's last item was a 3 Inch Ordinance Rifle built from a metal "Guns of History" kit. It was painted with enamels, and Dave had to make replacements for some missing parts. He mentioned that the model is from the Civil War, and will be a Christmas gift to a fellow re-enactor.

Tim Grieve brought in a couple of models to show us. The first was a Lindberg 1/163 Robert E. Lee. Tim used Testors and Model Master paints for finishing, with no weathering added. He said that he added steam and smoke plumes from the main stacks and the stoves in the galley and wheel house, and also added freight, cotton bales, poles, pipes and barrels on the deck. There were some difficulties figuring out the rigging details, and some doors and windows were missing from the model. Tim said he enjoys hand painting details and trying to take a model to the next level.

Tim's second model was a PM Model 1/72 Lippisch P.13a, finished with Model Masters paints and Future clear. Tim said he built the kit out of box with no weathering and no issues. He mentioned that this was one of the first delta wing planes to be designed, to be followed by the XF92A, the F102, F106 and the B-58. It was started by rocket engine after being towed aloft, then transferred to ramjet, then glider. Tim thought it was an interesting concept, and an easy build with few parts, good fit and very good decals.

Jim Wolfe displayed his current work-in-progress, an M5 3 inch gun on an M6 carriage. It hasn't been painted yet, but he's been detailing it with bits of plastic and brass. Jim said his main issues have been dealing with very small, fiddly parts that keep getting lost, requiring time on his hands and knees with a flashlight (haven't we all been there). He mentioned that the same gun is in the park in his village, and he's been working on repairing it with his local American Legion Post.

There were a few unidentified items on the tables - please make sure to fill out an info sheet and leave it on the table to be picked up at the end of the meeting.

The Toys For Tots collection went well, with the US Marines accepting our donations.

The annual holiday pizza party was enjoyed by all.

Finally, some around-the-room photos.

Thanks to Rich Bernecki for passing the microphone around for the tables, and Larry Osolkowski for the photography.