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D e l aw a r e Va l l e y S c a l e M o D e l e r S / c h a p t e r i p M S u S a

Newsletter

Visit the DVSM website: www.dvsm.org

March 2017

thewinners circle

For the “what if” February theme, I brought in a made-up German torpedo bomber which I built for the Airfix Tribute Forum (ATF.com) “What If” yearly online group build. There are

some really wild ideas coming from these group builds and everyone tries to make a plausible scenario for the what if build. This is what I submitted for my build…

Messerschmitt Bf-110t torpedo Bomber German air Force, Mediterranean theatre, 1942in 1942 the German Air Force was still looking for a suitable Torpedo Bomber to use in the Mediterranean theatre. With the allied forces growing in the region Germany needed a quick fix to stem the tide. It was only a matter of time before the allies built up enough forces to invade Africa from the West. Having an effective

torpedo bomber to engage the allied fleet would help stop that invasion. While the He-111 was used successfully in the torpedo bomber role, the Germans never had a truly successful torpedo platform like the Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 three engine bomber. Early attempts to use the Bf-110 as a Torpedo bomber failed because of the weight of the payload. With an eye towards the Sm.79, a third engine was grafted onto the nose of a standard Me-110E Zerstorer. Since the nose contained the main armament of the 110, it was decided to graft the nose of an Me-109E fighter including the armament package (2 Mg and 1 x 20mm cannon). While

Continued on page 8

next MeetinG

March 3rdtheme contest...

“Delta wings & Giant Fins”

What If?

by Paul Tomczak, photos by the author

February 2017 Theme Contest Winner: Messerschmitt “Bf-110T Torpedo Bomber” by Paul Tomczak

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President’s Corner by Paul Tomczak

welcome to March everyone! We are now three months into the new year and you know what that means – Spring is coming? No more snow? The Spring model show season has started? No, actually

it’s the last month to get your “Shelf of Doom” model photographed and entered for this year’s contest. So far, I have seven models photographed and entered. If you want to add yours, please bring it in during our March meeting and fill out the entry form.

i am happy to report that the work on my basement remodel has moved into high gear. Most of the rooms are framed and lighting installed. The bathroom plumbing is in place. I am expecting the wallboard to be installed next week. This means I will have a bathroom, bedroom, model room (with filtered venting, additional plugs and extra lighting), kitchenette, fireplace and entertainment room all in one spot. I don’t think I will ever need to go upstairs again.

this has also lead me to think about my other stash – no, not my unbuilt stash which I have cleverly labeled as reference books, artwork, Christmas ornaments and such so my wife could not get a full count of my stash. No, the stash I am thinking of is my built models which are currently gracing every open shelf area in my living room, family room and walk in closet. I counted when I took down my collection from my old build room. I had 285 built models on those shelves packed in tighter than the US Army Air Corp aircraft at Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Adding in what I already had on various bookcases in the house meant I had over 300 built models in total.

i think i would like to clear out a number of models so I have room to add in the future. I have already thrown out about 20 of the builds when I packed them up for safe keeping. It was easy to pick those models as they were either badly broken (awaiting repairs), poorly decaled or earlier builds not up to standards. But now comes the tough choices. My plan is to remove at least 50.

i am a tough judge of my work. I can look at all my models and tell you the flaws. I would say I have only built 2 models that I considered – not perfect – but nothing really bad. There is always that decal that silvered and you just made it worse trying to fix it. Maybe it’s the off-kilter landing gear or misaligned tail. For every awesome tank camo there has to be some poorly painted tracks. Then there are the “collection” builds I have been working on. A set of Bf-109 fighters from E-K. But lately I noticed my E model version now has peeling decals. Fix that or build a new one? Tough choices ahead. I have started moving some models to a staging shelf for final determination. Will need to decide soon. Ugh…

Don’t forget next month’s theme is “Delta Wings and Giant Fins”. Any aircraft with Delta wings or cars with fins is acceptable. Also, for the armor guys it’s any armor from the 1950’s. For ships, I would assume it’s anything with sails. See everyone in March.

happy Modeling! n

January “Big & Small”Winner: USS Kearsarge by Howard Rifkin

February “what if?”Winner: 1/72 Bf-110T by Paul Tomczak

March “Delta wings & Giant Fins”Model can be any delta-winged aircraft or a car with fins.

april “wild thing”Any model, any subject with a wild paint scheme, e.g., Tiger Meet aircraft, custom cars.

May “a Day at the Beach” Model subject must relate to a beach or beach scene, e.g., D-Day; Marines island landing; Woody with a surfboard; LST, etc.

JuneNo theme. Judged Gold, Silver, Bronze Contest.

July “4th of July”Model must have all three colors, and be mostly red, white and blue. An American flag on an olive green airplane doesn’t qualify.

august “Guns of august”Model must be of a subject from the WWI era.

September “rising Sun”Model of a Japanese subject.

october “Scratch-built/Vacuform/resin” Model must be a scratch-built or vacuform kit, or be a completely resin kit.

november “Dungeons & Dragons”A model in orange and black (Halloween) color scheme and/or with a spooky name, e.g., “Spectre”, “Banshee”, “Phantom”.

DecemberNo theme. “Shelf of Doom” (pictures of entrants taken through March meeting) & Favorite Five contest.

Questions about DVSM’s Contests should be directed to Mike Turco at MATurco@aol.com

Theme CoNTesTs 2017

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February Display Highlights Photos by Paul Tomczak

“What If?” entry ATST-M, by Joe Leonetti

“What If?” entry XF-108 Rapier, 1/72, by Howard Rifkin

“What If?” entry Corvair Monze Sport GT concept car, 1/32 , by Rod Rakos

“Rommel’s Rod,” 1/24, by Charlie Lockard

“What If?” entry Chrysler Atlantic concept car, 1/25, by Dave Anderson

“What If?” entry Hughes “Sea Apache,” 1/72, by Joe Vatillana

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February Display Highlights Photos by Paul Tomczak

Combat Walker, 1/72, by Paul Tomczak

“What If?” entry Flak Panzer, 1/35, by Logan Brown

Imperial Japanese Navy i-171, 1/700, by Bob Cicconi

F-16, 1/48, by Glenn Hoover

“What If?” entry Northrop N-63 VTOL Concept, 1/72, by Mike Turco

HMS Zetland, 1/700, by Bob Cicconi

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February Display Highlights Photos by Paul Tomczak

Corvette, ZR-1, Porsche Targa and Porsche Carrera, 1/24, by Frank Tiewski

F-22A Raptor, 1/72, by Howard Rifkin

XF-35A, 1/72, by Howard Rifkin

“Earth Thunder Fighter,” 1/72, by Mark Webb

XF-32A, 1/72, by Howard Rifkin

Porsche Boxster, 1/24, by Frank Tiewski

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February Display Highlights Photos by Paul Tomczak

USSR T-35 Heavy Tank, 1/35, by Joe Leonetti

T-72, 1/35, by Lou Ursino

Panzer III, 1/35, by Lou Ursino

Lagg-3, 1/48, by Mark Webb

Jan. Feb. Mar. April May July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. TotalsTomczak, P. 3 5 8Anderson, D. 3 4 7Lockhard, C. 4 3 7Rifkin, H. 5 1 6Turco, M. 2 4 6Brown, L. 2 2 4Leonetti, J. 1 3 4Orsino, L. 3 3Rakos, R. 2 1 3Volz, J. 2 2Goschke, J. 1 1Benner, J. 1 1Schur, G. 1 1Senner, D. 1 1Vattilana, J. 1 1 Monthly points are awarded as follows: Each person who enters a model into the theme receives 1 pt. 1st place = 4+1, 2nd = 3+1, 3rd = 2+1

2017 Theme Contest Point Standings to Date

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I was speaking with Bob Doebley at the January meeting and he mentioned that he’d seen a new chrome pen that produces a true chrome finish. All

of us who build aircraft and autos in particular know how difficult it is to get a chrome-like finish with other than Bare Metal Foil. Even decanted Testors Chrome spray enamel leaves something to be desired when you are trying to cover a blemish on a chrome part or match a plated part. So I decided to give this product a try.the product is “liquid chrome”,

an import from a company called Molotow. Molotow is based in Lahr, Germany and makes art supplies like spray paints and markers. Theirs is the premium line if you happen to be a graffiti artist. They have a spray

chrome can labeled “Burner” and now a line of chrome marker pens. The

pens can be purchased with 1 mm, 2 mm or 4 mm sponge tips, and are refillable from 30 ml tubes that can be bought separately. Even the tips can be interchanged. The specs say it is an alcohol-based formula, so it should not affect plastic. As a trial, I bought a 2 mm pen from an Amazon hobby supplier who happened to be based in Buffalo, NY. It arrived in about three days.

the pen is about five inches long and functions like those supplied with auto touch up paint. You shake the tube until the tip loads, then it flows freely. a car model that i built has

a license tag frame that I forgot to paint. This would be my test. I took the license tag off and ran the tip of the chrome pen around the perimeter of the tag space on the trunk lid. I hit the key port underneath as well and painted that. It looked terrific, as close to a plated finish as I have seen. Finally, a chrome paint that

looks like chrome!at $12.97, the price i paid, the

pen isn’t cheap, but is it worth it? Definitely yes. Gotta go and chrome those exhaust tips!the Molotow liquid chrome

pen. Highly recommended.

complete information on the product can be found at the following website: http://www.molotow.com/uploads/tx_slmolotowproducts/Infosheet_LIQUID_CHROME_2016-12-01.pdf

molotow Liquid Chrome Pen by Mike Turco

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less than the standard armament of the 110 (4x 20mm cannon), the provided armament could still be used to suppress AA fire during the torpedo run. It was decided to retain the rear gunner as some protection would be needed during a low and slow torpedo run. initial testing proved

successful (with some handling problems) and the third engine added a lot of speed to the new fighter. The new heavy fighter was cleared for torpedo testing. Two aircraft were built for testing, but immediately problems were found. Again the weight was a problem and the new engine made the aircraft nose heavy. When the torpedo was dropped, the aircraft would attempt to nose over which was dangerous in a low level torpedo run. Prototype 2 was lost when it nosed into the water after a drop. Fortunately for the crew the low altitude and speed made for a “soft” landing and the crew escaped unharmed. While several hits were scored on dummy targets, controlling the aircraft after a drop proved too hard and the concept was abandoned. Soon after the project was cancelled, the allies launched Operation Torch at the end of 1942 and the Germans had much bigger problems to worry about in the Mediterranean.

i built my vintage kit of an Airfix Bf-110 by grafting on the nose and prop from a Revell (also vintage) Bf-109. I have a bunch of these old kits and they are not quite accurate and lack a lot of detail. I figured this would be a good way to use those kits as most folks would be trying to figure out why there is a 3rd engine on the Me-110 instead of looking at the raised panel lines. the hardest part of the build

was grafting on the Bf-109 nose. Work started by putting together the 109 fuselage and then cutting the body at the cockpit opening. This meant about 1/4 of the wing root came with the cut. I removed the wing root edge that stuck out of the fuselage to create a more rounded body. To fill the gap in the underside, I took the 110 nose and chopped off the top 2/3’s of the nose section. I then created a panel I carefully sanded to shape to fit the wing area on the 109. The new nose now had the rounded top and flat bottom to match the Me-110 body. A bunch of filler later and we had a match. I also used the top of the 109 tail above the tail wings to create a third tail on the Me-110 rear wing.the cockpit on this kit is a giant

empty pit with two pegs for the pilot & gunner to sit on. I decided to put a little detail in. I used the pilot seat from the 109 which I trimmed down. Behind it I used some scrap sheet and a radio looking piece from my scrap box. For the gunner I built a quick seat from sheet plastic. I added a couple of pilots from my scrap box. The torpedo came from my spares (from a scrapped SM.79).the model is painted with Testors

and Aeromaster paints. I marked the plane in the standard camouflage of the period, which includes RLM 65 on the underside and RLM 70/71 splinter camouflage on the top. The RLM 65 comes up high on the fuselage and a mottling of RLM 71 is applied. To finish the camouflage, I applied RLM 02 in a wave pattern over the splinter

“Bf-110T Torpedo Bomber”continued from page 1

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Join IPms/UsA why? The International Plastic Modelers’ Society/USA, of which Delaware Valley Scale Modelers is a chapter, fi-nances the insurance required for our monthly meetings and for model contests around the country, and offers a make and take program for young modelers. Encour-age the enjoyment of modeling in all its forms: aircraft, armor, cars, ships, fantasy, figures, military or civilian, beginner or advanced, join IPMS/USA! “By Modelers, For Modelers”

what do i give? Adult, 1 year: $30. Adult, 2 years: $58. Adult, 3 years: $86. Junior (under 18 years), $17. Family, 1 year: $35 (adult + $5).

what do i get? A membership card with your IPMS number that entitles you to enter the IPMS/USA National Contest, plus the magazine, IPMS/USA Journal, six issues per year, featuring great models and building techniques, kit and book reviews, and activities, plus access to members-only content on ipmusa.org.

how? Clip and mail the coupon in the DVSM Newsletter or the IPMS/USA brochure, see our IPMS contact, Joe Vattilana, at the next DVSM meeting, or join online at ipmsusa.org. n

camo which was also a typical camouflage for aircraft flying in the Mediterranean theater at the time. A white Mediterranean theater stripe and wing tips finished off the painted markings.i used Super Scale decals

to mark my model on what an in-service version of this what-if would have looked like attacking the Allied invasion fleet during Operation Torch in 1942. I mixed and matched a few decals to get the call letters and found an appropriate squadron insignia from my spares.a fun “what if?” build. The

ATF site runs numerous group builds throughout the year and the what if group build normally runs Nov-Jan. It’s a fun way to do some light kit bashing and just use your imagination. n

“Bf-110T Torpedo Bomber”continued from page 8

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MCF-11.10.16

MOSQUITOCON 26 Model Contest April 1, 2017

NEW JERSEY IPMS IS PROUD TO PRESENT FOR IT’S 26th YEAR...

This year’s show theme is: “The Cold War”, at the Wayne PAL Hall, PAL Drive, Wayne, NJ (973-696-2896)

FOR CONTEST AND VENDOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:Bill Schwarz: 732-567-3724 (No calls after 9 PM) Email: whsch@optimum.net

Registration info: Adults–$15 (includes unlimited model entries). Walk-In’s–$10. Kids under 16– $5 (children under 12 free). Active members of the military are also free. No bills larger than a $50.

Visit our web site at www.njipms.org for more information

The “Make & Take” time, to be announced at the show. Please note that registration ends at 12 noon. Models “should not” be removed until awards ceremony. There is “No snow date” for this show.

• Wall to wall vendors • Hot food available • Doors open at 9:00 am • Judging begins at noon• Extra parking in back

• Best Aircraft

• Best Armor

• Best Civilian

• Best “Cold War”

• Best Ship

• Judge’s Best

• Tailhook Award

• Trifecta category • Club “Make & Take” • Raffles and Prizes

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