How about a FREE tutorial on painting and weathering armor models?

That's right...FREE.  Sven-Ake Grufstedt has published a brief PDF booklet demonstrating his techniques for painting and weathering armor models.  Though titled Braille Scale Modelling, the techniques are just as applicable to larger scales, and with some immagination, even planes, cars, sci-fi...heck any model!  Some of the techniques included are using pigments, oil dot filtering, and the hairspray technique for chipping and showing heavy wear on the paint.

Sven-Ake Grufstedt's Braille Scale Modelling

And speaking of the hairspray technique, check out the new Chipping Fluids from AK Interactive.  I've tried the hairspray technique on a few models.  A couple have been successful, and one was a complete failure.  Although I followed the technique as described by the guys who did a great job with it, I always had a hard time removing the upper layer of paint to reveal the undercoat.  But, at the AMPS International show a couple weeks ago I watched a weathering seminar by Mig himself and he used the AK Interactive Chipping Fluids.  I was VERY impressed with how easily the top coat came off to reveal the undercoat with the Chipping Fluid.  I went away from that determined to pick some up.  I know Jack is out of it right now, but I'm sure he's got a re-stock of this fantastic new product coming.  Check it out at MidTenn Hobbies.

And speaking of Mig's seminar, he mentioned one of the coolest things I've ever heard a modeler of his caliber say.  He made a point, even saying please at one point.  His comment?  I'll paraphrase here:

If you make a mistake with painting, please don't strip the paint and start over.  Cover up the mistake with a tarp or stowage, keep going and move on to the next model!

What a cool attitude from someone I think most of us would consider a master!  I'll have to give it a try!

Big news for our 2013 show!

We have a new venue.  After two years in the Family Life Center at the East Brainerd Church of Christ (and HUGE thanks to them for giving our show a home for two years while we got it off the ground!) we realized we'd out grown the space.  So we've moved...to the Chattanooga Convention Center.

We'll have 18,000 sq ft of carpeted space in one room, plus a seperate room for the judges meetings and seminars.

The dates are January 11th & 12th.

Check the show page for more details!

FINALLY...a new update!

So what's new these days?

Pictures have been posted of our show.  We had two guys busy with cameras so I hope you can get a good feel for what the show had to offer.

I've also posted small galleries of both the 2012 Atlanta Figure and AMPS show and the 2012 Old Dominion Open.

And finally, here is a link to some absolutely FANTASTIC scratch building tips from a master scratch builder, Ben Jakobsen.  Ben has been doing master patterns for many years for many different types of models including display bases, tank parts and aircraft sets.  Even if you don't do much scratch building, you should check this out because I guarantee you'll pick up at least a tip or two that will help you out:

Ben's scratch building tips

And don't forget to check out the other galleries on Ben's Fotiki page.  He's got galleries of some of his personal projects.  His 1/72 Helldiver was my first exposure to his work (that I was aware of.  Years ago I used the F8F wingfold he mastered for Cutting Edge, but I didn't know about Ben at that time).  Spend some time browsing through, I don't think you'll be disappointed...

SIX days to the Second Annual Chattanooga show!!!!

That's right, next Saturday is the big day!  Birmingham says they're first, but we know different!  And actually, we are different, but that's a whole 'nother can o' worms!   But the point really is, our show is coming in six days!

Remember, there is still time to email your registration in and get a $3 discount.  And like last year, there is no need to pay up front!  Just send your form in via email, and you'll save the $3.  We are even extending the deadline for the pre registration to the 19th.

Also, in the interests of better clarifiying an admittedly confusing new deal, here is some more information on the Airfix Club Challange (the overall concept can easily be learned on the show page):

1. First off, if you have a challenge model, it doesn't get registered as one of your "regular" entries.  So you don't need to include it on your registration form, and you won't be charged for it as part of that registration.  It also will not be eligible for a medal as it will not be judged formally.
2. Second, we've (finally) realized we needed some sort of entry form.  So as of this evening, there is now an entry form on the forms page!  Just have one club member fill it out, and he (or she) can take care of registering the club entry and paying the $5 for it.  How you guys divy up the $5 is your problem, we can't solve everything.
3. Third (why did I bother formating this part as a numbered list if I'm going to start each point with a "first", "second", etc...), you CAN enter as an individual.  It will cost you $1.  You won't be eligible for the notoriety of being the winning club in the challenge, but you will be eligible for the $25 MidTenn Hobbies gift certificate for the best individual kit!
4. Fourth...there is no fourth.

Need to blow the cob webs out a little?

Try making it a little simpler.

Last month I started AND finished two models.  From sealed in the box/bags, to sitting on my shelves.  The first one was my entry into the CSMs inter club (later expanded to intra club) Airfix Challenge.  I chose to build the new Airfix 1/72 Spitfire PR XIX.  In a bow to more extreme tendencies, I did embelish the kit with Xtradecals, stencils swiped from an Aeromaster sheet, painted walkways, and tape seat belts (all legal under IPMS OOB rules).  Total time...7 days.  I actually had the paint base coated within 24 hours and then life got in the way a bit.

The second was an Academy AT-6 I built for a group build over at US-Aircraft.com.  This one took a little longer becasue the Holidays actually got in the way a bit.  Never the less, built OOB again, it was less than 14 days from start to finish.  Aftermarket decals for the Norweigan markings, and tape seat belts again.

I can't remember the last time I built a model in a month.  Much less in a week.  And even I can't really believe that I not only built one in a week, but two, from start to finish, in a month.  But it was a lot of fun.  I didn't get too wrapped up in the history or the accuracy (I'm pretty sure that given the 1950's time period for the Spit that the black cockpit is correct, but I'm wondering if the T-6 shouldn't also have a black cockpit.  Then again, who cares!),  but I did try to do as good a job as I could, as fast as I could.

It's not the way I normally build, and I wouldn't want to build this way all the time; and I know that for some, building this way wouldn't be any fun at all (SD01, you out there son?); but, give it a try.  You might just find that simple pleasure of gluing plastic together you enjoyed all those years ago and reconnect with it.  Or, maybe not.  But you won't know unless you try!