IPMS/Kalamazoo Scale Modelers

Constitution and By-Laws

January 26, 2008

Revised January 3, 2012

CONSTITUTION

We, a group of individuals, located in the proximity of Kalamazoo Michigan, united by a common bond of mutual interest, do hereby establish a non-profit association of plastic modelers and modelers with the purpose and objective set forth herein.

ARTICLE ONE

The name of this group is established as the IPMS/Kalamazoo Scale Modelers (KSM or the club). The organization is intended to be a formal chapter of the International Plastic Modeling Society/USA (IPMS/USA). In case the organization is unable or unwilling to remain a chapter of the IPMS/USA, the name will revert to Kalamazoo Scale Modelers.

ARTICLE TWO

The purpose of this organization is to cultivate interest in the hobby of modeling in plastics, particularly through use of commercially manufactured plastic model kits, and to provide information, data, and other assistance to such members to continually raise the standards and techniques of their work.

ARTICLE THREE

The objectives of this organization are:

1. To hold regular monthly meetings to generate feelings of fellowship between members, to provide information and to enable members to demonstrate their new projects etc.

1. To establish, maintain, and provide an information service for the benefit of the membership. At present, the form of this service will primarily be a club web site.

1. To encourage interest in plastic modeling and assist interested organizations and groups such as boy scouts, museums etc. Also, to the extent possible, regular contests, open to all individuals should be organized and executed.

D.   To establish and maintain liaison and good relationships with other IPMS branches.

ARTICLE FOUR

If, for any reason the group should be dismantled or dissolved, all assets and monies shall be given to the Air Zoo.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE 1 -MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Application for Membership

A.   Any individual, regardless of race, color or creed or national origin, expressing a desire to become a member of KSM may be considered for membership to the organization.

B.   The Executive Board will have the ultimate responsibility and decision for acceptance or rejection of any application.

C.   Any applicant accepted for membership agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of the Constitution and By-Laws of KSM and regulations and directives promulgated by the Executive Board.

Section 2. Dismissal of Members

1. The Executive Board may drop a member from the rolls of the organization for reasons felt to be detrimental to the club.

B.   Ex-members so dismissed may reapply for membership six months after dismissal and will be subject to re-evaluation by the Executive Board. Notification of the decision will be given to the applicant as soon as possible.

ARTICLE 2 -OFFICERS

Section 1.

The elected officers of the Society shall be the following: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. At present, the responsibilities of the Secretary and Treasurer are combined. Appointed officers shall be the following: IPMS Chapter Contact and Webmaster. The elected officers shall be defined as the Executive Board.

Section 2.

Members may be appointed by the Executive Board to a specific titled position to facilitate the functioning and control of KSM. These appointees will not have a vote within the Executive Board unless so directed by the President under special conditions.

Section 3.

Special Provisions. If an officer must for any reason relinquish his position during his term, the Executive Board may select a replacement to that office for the balance of the term, with said replacement having duties, voting rights, and other privileges of the office.

ARTICLE 3 -DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. President

A.   The President shall preside at all regular club meetings and also, at any Executive Board meeting.

B.   The President shall plan the agenda for regular club meetings.

Section 2. Vice President

A.   The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President.

1. The Vice President shall be in continuous liaison with the President and be prepared to assume the presidency on immediate notice.

C.   The Vice President shall be responsible for the choice and planning of special programs to be held during normal club meetings. This shall include demonstrations, contests, special visitors, club trips etc.

Section 3. Secretary

1. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all official meetings.

1. The Secretary will function as Corresponding Secretary when necessary.

Section 4. Treasurer

1. The Treasurer shall collect all monies and make all disbursements keeping detailed accounts of all monies received and expended by the organization.

1. The Treasurer will make a yearly financial report.

When the offices of Secretary and Treasurer are combined, the officer shall have the responsibilities for both positions.

Section 5. Chapter contact

1. The Chapter contact shall be appointed by the Executive Board.

1. The Chapter contact will be the main contact between the club and IPMS/USA as well as other modeling organizations.

1. The Chapter contact shall provide Regular reports to the Executive board and to regular members of the club. As necessary the Chapter contact shall post reports on the club web site.

Section 6. Webmaster

1. The Webmaster shall have direct responsibility for maintaining the club web site.

1. The Webmaster shall be responsible for providing the Executive Board with any financial requirements associated with the club web site.

Section 7. Terms of Officers

1. All elected officers shall be elected every two years. The President of KSM will be limited to two consecutive terms of office. [i]

1. A past President may run for the office of President at a later date.

C.   Elections shall be held on the first meeting of the year.

We see plenty of small models at Show & Tell.  Now we are going bigger!

We were all waiting to see the finished 1/144 scale B-36 that Steve Nelson was working on.  Sadly, neither the B-36 or Steve were there.  Both were AWOL!!!  So we will never know  how it would have faired.

Larry Cherniak brought a 1/72 scale Italeri YB-49.

Larry has spent many, many hours figuring out how to use aluminum foil to get an aluminum finish on this model.  It wasn’t quite finished, but it sure looks nice!

Richard Bauer built a 1/200 model of the HK-1 “Spruce Goose”.  This huge sea plane was to be built for the Army Air Force and not the Navy.  Buy the time it made it’s one flight in November, 1947, it was the USAF.  So if it had went into service, it would have been in the USAF.  The fictitious markings are for MATS Atlantic Command.  I’ll buy that!

Richard had to do much work to correct the fit of the wings.  He did a nice job of capturing the look of silver doped wood for the finish.  Hey Stewart, how about this for your real one???

Clarence Wentzel brought a Minicraft 1/144 model of the C-54 “Candy Bomber” flown by Lt. Gail Halvorsen during the Berlin Airlift.

So this judge and jury looked all three models over very carefully several times noting their pluses and minuses.  To be honest, I liked all three.  Sadly, only one could be selected.  The winner is…………….

Claire Wentzel and his C-54 “Candy Bomber”.  I gave Claire the trophy and the wrapped present.  So what was in the present you ask?

Claire got a sport drink bottle with the Air Force logo.  This is his to keep.  Thanks to the local Air Force Recruiters for donating this for the contest.

Now Claire, we are all waiting for you to name the next challenge!!!  Please don’t keep us waiting too long!

For me, it was nice winning the “Back From The Dead Challenge”.  I look forward to what Claire is dreaming up for us.  Claire, we are all waiting!

Martin

Recently Steve Nelson mentioned that he had heard there was a new hobby shop in Ypsilanti called the ModelCave and he wondered if anyone had been there yet.   The silence that followed indicated that a mission had to be undertaken.  It just so happened that I would be coming through Ypsilanti on my way home from a business trip so I checked online and found the hours (Wednesday-Saturday 11am – 8pm, Sunday 12-5), the address (103 W. Michigan Ave) and directions and stopped by for a visit on a Friday night.   The shop is easy to get to from I-94,  just take the South Huron street exit  (US 12) North to Michigan Ave.  They are on the southwest corner of the intersection with parking in back or along the street out front.

It is not a large shop, but they have a lot of models, both current issues and older kits.  I spent some time talking to the owner and he said he gets his older kits through connections who frequent estate sales.  He appeared to have some rare kits that might appeal to collectors , but most of the stock is there to cater to builders.   Here are some photos of the inside of the shop. Click on the photos to make them larger.

He  also has a display case in the back where there were a number of built models on display including this neat Mad Max Vehicle.

In addition to the kits, the shop stocks Tamiya and Vallejo acrylic paints, Humbrol enamel, Alclad and Model Master Automotive Lacquer  paints, Vallejo weathering and diorama materials, Air Brushes (Aztec and Passche), air brush parts, tools, and aftermarket decals and detailing accessories.  He has a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/ModelCave/252848264740575) where they have been posting new kit arrivals and updates on store hours.    I was tempted by some of the science fiction kits he had, but settled on a couple of cans of Tamiya Fine surface primer.  All in all it was a nice visit and I will probably stop by again the next time I am in the area.

I think I purchased the Aurora KM Graf Spee back in 1971 before going into the USAF.  I started the model in 1974 at Griffiss AFB, NY.  I assembled the hull, prop shafts, and rudder.  I painted the hull red.  Then I taped the waterline.  I used Pactra Paint to paint the hull a light gray and was going to paint the false bow wake on the bow.  I was very unhappy with how it was turning out, so I put it back into my wall locker.  I had other models I wanted to work on.  So it followed me to Grissom AFB IN, Pruem AS West Germany, Ellsworth AFB, SD, and finally in 1984 back home.

This is what I found in the basement.  It sure hadn’t gotten better with age!

And when I opened it after how many years, this is what I found.

I found a great many loose parts.  I sure hope they are all here!

I started with Goo Gone to remove all of the brown masking tape.  Even with tape this old, it works!  I had removed some before I took the pictures.  The old Pactra paint was the next problem to remove.  I see the dimples in the bottom of the hull.  So the red paint will go to!

I stripped the paint with Chameleon.  It is a gel and it works great.  You still need to do some tooth brush scrubbing and plenty of rinsing in water.  As you can see, the paint is gone.  Next was a large amount of Squadron Green Stuff to clean up the bottom of the hull.

After a lot of wet sanding.  It is starting to look better.

After priming the hull with Testors shaker can gray, I found spots that needed more filling.  I know this never happens to you!!!  So a bit more wet sanding!

I masked off the upper hull and painted the bottom Testors shaker can 04 dark red.  This is my favorite color to simulate red lead navy paint.

I thought a long time ago about painting the model as she went to war in 1939.  She had an interesting cammo scheme.  What stopped me is scratch building the fake turret and funnel.  So I decided to paint her for a pre-war scheme at the start on 1939.  I started painting the deck.  I used Tamiya Deck Tan for the wood deck.  I used Model Master Light Ghost Gray for the hull and steel parts of the deck.

Then I put the model away until just before the due date.  I got to work post haste.  I am sorry, no time for in work shots.  It was paint and glue time.  Sometimes it was glue and paint.  The fun was painting the KM flag on the stern.  As Steve noted, it is in scale, many feet thick!  I chickened out at painting the swastika in the center of the flag!  But you get the idea of the colors of the flag!

I did end up short one search light.  I found a OLD Spee that I built back in High School.  So I borrowed the search light and put it on the new Spee.

Here she is.  I finished it just a few hours before the contest.  I even did a paper for Steve on how I brought this kit “Back From The Dead”.   I guess I did pretty good.  Steve named the Spee the winner.  I think it was more story than build.

The kit was the only choice we had back then.  It is 1/600 scale.  The kit is very basic.  The anti-aircraft guns are of poor quality.  The Ar-196 float plane is even worse!  There are no floats.  That makes landing on the water a bit tough!  The kit had a lot of flash.  This is normal for kits of this era.  The good is when you see it, you know what ship it is.  Back then this was a “B” kit.  Today, I would have to give it a “D-”.   There wer no decals for the ship’s crest, name, or Golden Eagle crest on the stern.

Only the bottom required filling, a lot of filling!  The rest of the kit was modeled very well except for lots of flash.

Today, this kit is best left to collectors.  That is it’s real value today.  If you want a Graf Spee model, there are much better kits to be found.  But this one lives again.

Karen entered her 1/35 scale Blackhawk helicopter.

Claire entered his 1/72 scale jet trainer.

For the club’s November meeting, we will be holding our meeting at the Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society’s hang out.  We will be meeting at our normal time of 7-9pm.

Directions to the KMRHS’s location;

From the North, South or West of Kalamazoo:  Take US-131 to Exit 44 (D Avenue).  Take D Avenue East 5 miles to Riverview Drive.  Turn left of Riverview Drive, traveling North for 1.3 miles.  The entrance is on the right side of the road.

From East of Kalamazoo:  Take I-94 West to exit 80 (Sprinkle Rd).  Head North on Sprinkle Road for a little over 8 miles until it curves to the West where it now becomes D Avenue.  Follow D Avenue West to the first stop sign (Riverview Drive).  Turn right, traveling North for 1.3 miles.  The entrance is on the right side of the road.

A LARGE BLACK REFLECTIVE SIGN WILL BE AT THE DRIVE WAY

For those who have a GPS, the street address is;

9336 Riverview Drive
Kalamazoo, MI  49004

View Larger Map

I am just working on this kit just during the Club’s group builds.

It has been many months of painting the parts on the sprues.  I find this easier than trying to paint assemblies after they are put together.

This article is up to date with last Saturday’s Build Session.

I am about finished with painting parts on the sprues.

Here you can see me hard at work painting a bulkhead for the radio room in the Fort.

The first gluing is done.  The tail wheel is glued to the bulkhead.  You have to start somewhere!  Much more to do!

 I know it is hard to see, but the glass parts have been dipped in Future.  They are drying on the paper towel.  When dry, they look so much better.

Here is the black sprue.  All of the parts have been painted.  You can see the propellers, wheels, instrument panel, machine guns, and many more parts.

The same sprue on the back side.

Here are both sides of the fuselage sprue.  You can see much detail painting was done inside the fuselage and on the cockpit/nose floor.

Here are both sides of one wing sprue. 

Here is the other wing sprue.

Now it is time for gluing, again!!! YIPPEE!!!!  I am building again!

Here is the famous chin turret painted and assembled!

Here are 5 views of the radio room.  Now that I see the pictures, I see a bit more painting I can do to bring out more details.  Behind the radio room is the mount for the ball turret.  Now that the turret itself has been “Futured”, I can start to paint it.

I did start assembly of the cockpit floor Saturday. All I got done before it was time to quit was to get the control column/wheel for pilot and copilot glued in place.

That is the update with text and pictures.  I hope you all enjoy it!

” A retired Kalamazoo Central history teacher, known for his creative and engaging teaching methods, has been named the 2011 State History Educator Award by the Historical Society of Michigan.”

You can see the entire article here…

Congrats Rick!

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Martin Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt test pilot Rudy Opitz in 1944 reached 1,123 km/h (698 mph). Over 300 aircraft were built, however the Komet proved ineffective as a fighter, having been responsible for the destruction of only about nine Allied aircraft (16 air victories for 10 losses, according to other sources).

This is the Academy 1/72 kit, which is a real jewel.  The fit was nearly flawaless, with petite scribed panel lines.  The only additions I made were tape seatbelts in the cockpit, the “porthole” bulkheads inside the rear windows, and a wire antenna and pitot tube.  The kit also comes with the Scheuch-Schlepper towing vehcile, and the option to build the two-seat training glider.

To recap a bit of my “in progress” article, the paint scheme is reasonably authentic, but I used a bit of guesswork.  No two references seemed to agree on the camouflage pattern, and photos show that no two Komets were painted alike anyway, so I just went with a generic “splinter” scheme on the wings, and heavy mottling on the fuselage and tail.

For the colors, I used Gunze Sanyo Acrylics..my favorite paint for airbrushing for the past 25 years.  For some reason they’ve stopped importing it into the U.S., but you can still get it from overseas online vendors.  Fortunately I’ve built up quite a stash of the stuff over the years.  I used their RLM 76 Lichtblau and RLM 83 Dunkelgrun straight from the bottle, but I didn’t like their take on RLM 81 Braunviolet (it was much too green to my eye) so I mixed my own; a two-to-one mix of Olive Drab and Chocolate Brown.

I used the kit decals, despite the poor reputation of Academy decals (and my own disastrous experience with them.)  There really wasn’t any alternative for the unit markings and stencils anyway.  Fortunately the kit decals went on surprisingly well, with a bit of Mr. Mark Softer (suggested by Larry C.) and some Solvaset for the tougher spots.  I did have to carefully run an X-acto along the panel lines under the larger decals to get them to conform.  As is common, the kit didn’t come with swastikas for the tail; those were sourced from an old Superscale sheet.

Once the decals were on, I used a wash of artist’s oils to highlight the control surface hinge lines (Payne’s Gray on the underside, and a mix of Pthalo Blue and Burnt Umber on the upper surfaces.)  I may do a little weathering by adding a few paint chips around the fuselage access panels with a silver Prismacolor pencil.

I didn’t bother with the transporter vehicle, since the model was build for a contest at the Grand Rapids club in which the model has to fit on a three-inch base.  A quick word about said base; it’s a cheap wooden one picked up at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.  I gave it a light sanding and spray-painted it flat black, then painted the top green.  I then liberally slathered the green area with a 50/50 mix of white glue and water, and sprinkled on a couple different colors of turf from Woodland Scenics.

All in all, this was a fun little project. I can highly recommend the kit to modelers of all skill levels.