Archives

All posts by Scott

ACME July 2019 Meeting Recap

Posted by Scott on July 8, 2019
Posted in: Uncategorized.

A great turn out for our post 4th of July meeting, about 35 members attended with 22 models on display. The 35 people attending included 3 new members:
1. Kevin Hetmanski enjoys building various truck models and will be opening a RC hobby shop in the near future. I’ll share more details as they become available.
2. Leigh Guarnier collects diecast and I am looking forward to seeing some of the items from his collection.
3. Tony Sciarrino builds mostly 1/43rd race cars and believe has some actual racing experience as well.
Welcome to ACME, we are glad you are part of our club.

Happy Birthday to the following folks celebrating birthday’s in July:
Pico Elgin, Jim Sheperd, Mike Hackey, Bob McAllan, Paul Wehner, John Gum, Eric Cole, and Leigh Guarnieri.

Bob Downie delivered the review of our joint build of Aoshima’s Lamborghini Huracan Performante. Bob did an excellent job of correcting the body flaws, laying down an awesome paint job, and fighting with several issues regarding the headlights, rear fascia, etc. My contribution included the chassis and engine, both of which were very easy and hassle free. Look for a full review on the website in sometime in July.

Four additional models were handed out for reviews at the October 2019 meeting.

Mike Crespi took additional pictures of many of the models on display during Show & Tell and will be adding these to an album on our website in the near future.

After the raffle Jim Sheperd did an incredible how to about adding working lights to models. He brought along a Camaro Indy pace car which has to be seen to be believed, I counted eight working LED’s in the light bar alone. Not sure how many total there are but it has to be close to 20. While there are multiple sources for LED products Jim likes Evan Designs based on there selection and in particular their customer service: Evan Designs

Tamiya Ford GT Review

Posted by Scott on May 19, 2019
Posted in: Reviews.

First impressions are everything and Tamiya knocked it out of the part from the moment you open the box. The setup is normal Tamiya quality with each tree being bagged separately.

At first glance the parts are all molded very crisply and had little to no mold release despite some previous releases from the company. The parts are molded in clear, a satin chrome finish, white, black, metallic grey. The black rubber tires are very crisp with detail however there is no side wall “brand name” to be found which is a bit of a bummer.

The body went together with ease requiring about 45 minutes of careful sanding and dry fitting. A trick learned  building the body was to apply your thin cement from the backside of the body, this way you can avoid fuzzing up any body lines or having a stray fingerprint on body. The only mold lines I uncovered after a quick dusting of grey primer were very light on the fender tops and easy to take off. After that the body was scuffed using 1000 grit and sprayed with Tamiya pink primer followed by base and clear coats.

Engine assembly consisted of a handful of parts followed by a few decals which are hidden once the body is mounted. Suspension was very simple with some nice detail – which was again covered up and hidden by the body.

The interior is on full display in this kit and can be ultra-detailed with aftermarket racing seat belts, flocking, etc. you get the idea.

I had no real complaints with this kit but if I were to knit pick, I would say the hardest part was making sure the body was glued and built straight so it mounted and all the glass fit properly. If building another one I would take extra time during these steps. The other thing would be the headlight assemblies are a bit finicky and all that hard work is hidden once painted and installed.

My final thoughts on the kit would be how it builds into a very detailed curbside model of the new Ford GT and I think even gives the diecast versions of the car a run for their money. It was a very fun build even though supercars are not my first model of choice, but it was a fun creative break from my normal builds, and it turned out very well!

Model on and never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone of building!

Brendan Glover – ACME

Additional pictures to be added

Revell 1968 Chevelle Review

Posted by Scott on May 19, 2019
Posted in: Reviews.

The 1968 Chevelle received an all-new distinctly sculpted body with tapered front fenders and a rounded beltline. The car also adopted a long-hood, short-deck profile and a high rear-quarter “kick-up”. The public responded well to this new design by selling a total of 464,669 units, 62,785 of them being equipped with the SS396 L78 package.

Revell’s all new 68 Chevelle comes complete with 201 parts, molded in white with chrome, clear and red transparent parts.  An impressive decal sheet provides 3 color choices for the side accent stripe (red, white, black) along with gauge and under hood details. Revell also includes some nice pad printed red line tires.  The body is nicely molded in white with very little clean up required before going to paint.  I felt that the panel lines were a bit shallow for the doors and trunk and decided to deepen them with a scriber. I would recommend deepening the lines to avoid filling them in with paint.  Also, the right and left taillight housings are separate from the body.  I chose to glue them to the body and re scribe the panel lines before painting.  This decision worked out well, causing no issues during final assembly as well as not having to worry about trying to glue them into place after a fresh paint job.

The engine consists of two engine halves with the transmission molded into the block and a separate oil pan eliminating that pesky seem running down the center.  The valve covers; fuel pump and carburetor are chrome plated.  I would recommend stripping the chrome off the carburetor and fuel pump and finishing them in a metallizer or paint equivalent to make them appear more realistic.  Other parts for the engine include an alternator with bracket, fan belt and pulley assembly, fan clutch; separate water pump, coil and distributor. Once assembled, it builds up into a nice representation of the Chevrolet L78 396ci. 

Revell chose to mold the frame separately from the interior floor pan.  It makes detailing the chassis and floor pans much easier if you choose to do the primer with body overspray effect as I chose to do.  The front fenders are also molded into this assembly.  Careful masking will need to be done to protect the fenders, interior floor and floor pans if painting multiple colors, but the results are well worth it.

The interior consists of 11 separate pieces including separate door panels, front and rear seats, dash, steering wheel and column, shifter and center console.  The interior assembles easily and I didn’t discover any fit issues.  There were some small gaps on the left and right side of the rear seat where it meets the door panels.  I was concerned at first, but after installing the interior into the body, they are unnoticeable.  I thought the option of black and white shift pattern decals was a nice touch to add to the shifter.  Full instrumentation decals are also included for the gauges.

Final assembly was a breeze.  I did have to carefully shave the top of the firewall to get the chassis assembly to fit properly in the body, but overall that was the only challenge I found.  The front and rear windshields are crystal clear warp free and fit perfectly into the recessed areas of the interior.  Once completed, the model sits nice and level and represents the 1:1 car well.  I chose to add a black vinyl top with Rust-O-Leum textured paint and finished the body in GM Butternut yellow courtesy of MCW finishes.  Overall, I would recommend this kit to everyone from beginners to veteran model builders.  This kit assembles well, it’s almost nonexistent of flash, parts fit are great and it was a lot of fun to build. 

Mike Hackey – ACME


March 2019 Modeler of the Month

Posted by Scott on March 6, 2019
Posted in: Uncategorized.

Name: Pico Elgin

When did you start building models? – I was about 10 years old and started building military models, primarily planes and ships.

Why? – My Dad was in the Seabees and I started building models of the planes, ships and boats he told me about in his stories.

What was the first model car you built? – 1961 Ford convertible 3:1 kit. I slapped every part in the kit on it and brush painted it with enamel. It was something else.

What types of models do you build? – I like to build models of the most significant cars across different time periods. Those which were significant because of their styling, engineering, or both.

What brand(s) of models do you build the most? – I build mostly my own designs and over the years I developed skills in carving masters, modifying existing kits, and now really focused on using 3D design and printing.

What do you like most about model building? – Hard to say there is just one thing, I Really enjoy doing the initial research and developing new skills to bring the models to life. I truly enjoy building and my building day typically starts at 6:30 AM.

What part(s) of model building do you find the most challenging? – Manually scribing panel lines and other surface details. Sometimes two-tone paint schemes can be very challenging as well.

Anyone special who provided you guidance/inspiration/support? – Yes, Lee Baker influenced many of my builds and provided inspiration for many more.

If you could have one older kit reissued what would it be? – Heller Bugatti Type 50 What new model would you like to see issued? – 1956 Ferrari 250 GTO, body by Zagato, chassis number 0515.

Below are some pictures of Pico’s favorite models and a screen capture of a 3D he is working on in order to print a body.

ACME March 2019 Monthly Meeting Recap

Posted by Scott on April 4, 2018
Posted in: Uncategorized.

Even with the weather being as it was 32 people attended the meeting and brought 37 models to the tables for Show & Tell.

The April issue of Scale Auto is pretty incredible with tons of great tips about painting models with various types of paints, etc. and includes 4 pages of coverage from last year’s show with 5 ACME builders having their models pictured.

The club decided on two themes for our club builds for the 2019 show: Ford GT Heritage (Ford GT40’s, and both generations of the new Ford GT) and the new 1934 Ford Pickup. We will have a separate display area for these builds. Remember these can be individual or group builds.

For those participating in the Porsche 959 group build, these can be displayed in the same area.

The models displayed for Show & Tell were awesome and the build quality and level of detail continues to impress me and inspire me to try new things. 

We also kicked off the ACME Model Review program so look for reviews of the Revell Boss 302 Mustang & 68 Chevelle SS396 at our May meeting.

Several people stuck around for the “Working with Resin” round table which provided good insight and guidance on working with resin whether it is a complete resin kit or trans-kit. Will summarize this and work with Scott to make it available on our website.

 

Printable PDF file of the Working with Resin Document:

Working with Resin Documentation

ACME Southern Nationals 2017 Show Report!

Posted by Scott on November 30, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized.

What a show!!! So many incredible models on display from an amazing and talented group of builders from all over the US and even Canada. Had a blast, had a ton of fun, my aching back and feet to prove it. I love it when builders tell us that our show is their favorite show of the year, we work hard to make it the best show possible for all of our guests. The ACME show is voted people’s choice style by the people at the show. Congrats to all the award winners!

Best In Show: David Thibodeau – Model Factory Hiro 1/12 Gulf Porsche 917; dedicated in memory of Peter Wingfield

Bike Week Theme: Terry Love – 1:9 Triumph

Asian Invasion Theme: Rodney Clements – Honda Accord wagon & jet ski combo

Web Theme Non-Tracked Military: Mike Witkowski – Dragon Wagon

Augie Hiscano Award: Bill Cunningham – Scratchbuilt 1953 Lancia D24

Top Ten Awards:

Curtis Dillon – 1970 Maverick Pro Mod

Steve Boutte – 1947 Chevy Coupe

Claude Jones – Geo Storm with trailer

Shane Harrold – 1971 Ford F100 Custom

Dwight Clements – Wagon Rod w/’59 Century Custom boat

Clay Kemp – Clint Boyer #14 Ford Fusion

Jay Savarese – 2017 Corvette C7R Test Mule

Rodney Clements – 1941 Chevy lowrider pickup

James Hart – Custom Mystery Machine

2018 ACME Southern Nationals Information

Posted by Scott on November 27, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized.

Please note that we have added the 2018 ACME Southern Nationals to our menu on the left side of the page. Included is show information, themes, and flyers. Vendor tables are available; historically by summer we are already sold out and have a waiting list. We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018!

2017 ACME Southern Nationals Web Theme

Posted by Scott on November 15, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized.

Our Web Theme for 2017 is “Non-Tracked Military Vehicles”. Humvees, Jeeps, Kubelwagens, MRAPs, Deuce & 1/2, Staff Cars, SAS LRP vehicles, Recon vehicles, Military motorcycles, that kind of stuff. Watch this space for reference list of some available kits to work from.

2016 ACME Southern Nationals Report

Posted by Scott on November 15, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized.

Thanks to everyone who made our 20th anniversary Southern Nationals a huge success! 123 builders officially entered 610 models, there were a total of 643 models on display. The quality of builds was amazing as usual, the camaraderie among all the builders was enjoyed by all. Dr. Cranky and Ken Hamilton conducted a pair of very popular seminars. Our show next year moves to November 4, 2017, a week earlier than usual, due to the community center using the gym for Veterans Day 2017. Our themes for 2017 are “Asian Invasion”, any car built in Asia or by an Asian manufacturer, and “Bike Week”, any motorcycles. Our web theme will be announced separately.

A big congratulations to the builders who earned awards:

Deja Vu Theme: David Morton; 1959 Cadillac Convertible

Left Turn Only Theme: Andy Caldwell; 1963 Parnelli Jones Indy Watson Roadster

Web Theme Ford vs. Ferrari @ LeMans: Gale Brown, 2017 Ford GT LM GTE LeMans 2016 LeMans winner

Top Ten: Tom White; 1950 Krupp Titan SWL80 & Hanomag Trailer

Top Ten: Leonard Harold; 2012 Camaro Super Gas

Top Ten: Dennis Matthews; 1958 Impala Lowrider

Top Ten: Calton Temple: 1961 Impala Lowrider

Top Ten: Ken Hamilton; Tire City Diorama

Top Ten: Freddie Pena; 1948 Chevy Coupe

Top Ten: Gary Kulchock; Peterbilt “Binford” Tow Truck Rat Rod

Top Ten: Joe Scavato: 1/16 1933 Cadillac Town Car

Top Ten: Michael Jackson; 1950 Chevy Pickup

Augie Hiscano Memorial Engineering award & Ken Mosezar Best In Show Award: David Morton, 1930 Delahaye “Delah Who?”