IPMS January 2015
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PREZNOTES If It's 08:00 in Seattle, It pack this bag yourself, Sir?” No one asked me to take my shoes off? Surely someone Must Be 19:70 in wants to scan my carry-on baggage? How New Zealand about at least a manual rummage through it? Up way too early at 05:00 to drive to the airport to catch my flight to Taupo, NZ. By I DO see a “security gate” at the entrance the time I have a quick shower and shave, to the corridor leading to the departure my Uncle is sitting in a darkened kitchen, gates. But it is only a moveable “belt” drinking his cup of tea. I throw my barrier with poles, like the ones at US suitcase in the back of his stately Jaguar movie theaters, and staffed by two smiling saloon as the garage door slowly opens. female Air New Zealand staff members in We drive up the steep drive that leads their smart crisp uniforms. One of them from the cliff top property overlooking the announces the boarding of my flight. I Pacific Ocean and out the gates that swing approach the “security gate” and am asked open silently as we approach. for my boarding pass. No ID? “No, just your boarding pass. Thank you, have a Auckland City is deathly quiet at this time pleasant flight Sir.” Down the corridor, and of the day, the sun's rays just beginning to down the gangway at my gate, and out appear over the horizon. The sky is clear, onto the tarmac, where we are met by the the air humid and warm, for it is summer in co pilot of our flight, aboard a twin-engined the Southern Hemisphere. The traffic is Beech 1900D. He deploys the boarding extremely light in this city of one million, door and steps to the aircraft and helps and after an uneventful 40-minute drive, everyone aboard. Seat 2F, front of the we pull up to the front doors of aircraft on the right, but no window next to Auckland's relatively small domestic me to see out. The flight is quickly loaded, flights terminal. I thank my Uncle for his and the aircraft cleared by air traffic control hospitality, shake his hand and collect my for take off. A short run to the end of the suitcase from the truck of the Jag (or boot runway, and we are ready to go. Seattle Chapter News as they call it Down Under), and stroll into the terminal. There is some but not much The pilot receives clearance for take off activity at this early hour. My Sister, bless and down the runway we go, engines her, booked me on a 06:40 flight to Taupo “to save money”! Continued on page 15 I have my boarding pass, printed the night before from my Uncle's computer. But In This Issue what to do with my large suitcase? A quick read of the relevant signage indicates that I need to print out my own baggage Dragon Sd.Kfz10/4 3 sticker from the nearby kiosks, and attach Democracy Is Not a Magic Gift it to the suitcase's handle before placing it Factory 8 on a nearby conveyor belt, which I do. A Tamiya DKW NZ350 8 quick stop at the airport cafe for an egg, Hasegawa Kawanishi N1K-2J cheese, and bacon muffin and a hot drink, 10 and then off to the departure gates. Hurricane Bookshelf Puzzle “Where's the security in this place?” I Corner 12 think to myself. No one checked my ID Messerschmitt Me 262A 13 before I loaded my suitcase onto the Great Wall Hobby Victor B.2 14 Seattle Chapter IPMS/USA conveyor belt, nor asked me “did you January 2015 IPMS Dues for Calendar Year 2015 16 IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 2 SEATTLE CHAPTER CONTACTS President: Vice President: Treasurer: Show Chairs: Andrew Birkbeck Eric Christianson Spencer Tom Andrew Birkbeck P.O. Box 15983 18215 NE 95th Way #103 318 N.E. 81st St. Spencer Tom Seattle, WA 98115 Redmond, WA 98052 Seattle, WA 98115 Ph: 206-522-3539 Ph: 425-591-7385 Ph: 206-522-8414 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] IPMS Seattle Web Site (Web Co-Ordinator, John Kaylor): http://www.ipms-seattle.org Public Disclaimers, Information, and Appeals for Help This is the official publication of the Seattle Chapter, IPMS-USA. As such, it serves as the voice for our Chapter, and depends largely upon the generous contributions of our members for articles, comments, club news, and anything else involving plastic scale modeling and associated subjects. Our meetings are generally held on the second Saturday of each month, (see below for actual meeting dates), at the North Bellevue Community/Senior Center, 4063-148th Ave NE, in Bellevue. See the back page for a map. Our meetings begin at 10:00 AM, except as noted, and usually last for two to three hours. Our meetings are very informal, and are open to any interested modeler, regardless of interests. Modelers are encouraged to bring their models to the meetings. Subscriptions to the newsletter are included with the Chapter dues. Dues are $25 a year for regular mail delivery of the newsletter, and $15 for e-mail delivery, and may be paid to Spencer Tom, our Treasurer. (See address above). We also highly recommend our members join and support IPMS-USA, the national organization. See below for form. Any of the members listed above will gladly assist you with further information about the Chapter or Society. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual writers, and do not constitute the official position of the Chapter or IPMS-USA. You are encouraged to submit any material for this newsletter to the editor. He will gladly work with you and see that your material is put into print and included in the newsletter, no matter your level of writing experience or computer expertise. The newsletter is currently being edited using a PC, and PageMaker 6.5. Any Word, WordPerfect, or text document for the PC would be suitable for publication. Please do not embed photos or graphics in the text file. Photos and graphics should be submitted as single, separate files. Articles can also be submitted via e-mail, to the editor’s address above. Deadline for submission of articles is generally twelve days prior to the next meeting - earlier would be appreciated! Please call me at 425-823-4658 if you have any questions. If you use or reprint the material contained in the newsletter, we would appreciate attribution both to the author and the source document. Our newsletter is prepared with one thing in mind; this is information for our members, and all fellow modelers, and is prepared and printed in the newsletter in order to expand the skills and knowledge of those fellow modelers. Upcoming Meeting Dates The IPMS Seattle 2015 meeting schedule is as follows. All meetings are from 10 AM to 1 PM, except as indicated. To avoid conflicts with other groups using our meeting facility, we must NOT be in the building before our scheduled start times, and MUST be finished and have the room restored to its proper layout by our scheduled finish time. We suggest that you keep this information in a readily accessable place. January 10 February 14 March 14 April 11 Newsletter Editor: Robert Allen 12534 NE 128th Way #E3 Kirkland, WA 98034 Ph: 425-823-4658 [email protected] IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 3 Dragon 1/35th Scale Sd.Kfz.10/4 fur 2cm Flak 30 w/Ammo Trailer by Eric Christianson (Editor’s note – this abridged version has been edited for use in our newsletter. You can see the full build article posted on the IPMS USA website under ‘Re- views’, or in the ‘Reviews’ section of our club website.) Dragon has expanded their family of Sd.Kfz.10/4 utility halftracks to include a new version towing a standard ammunition trailer. This fully detailed kit sports an engine and gearbox, with an open passenger compartment and poseable hood panels to expose these beauties. Up- graded road wheels and MagicTrack have resulted in a spectacular halftrack/trailer combination. The kit comes with an array of new parts like the loading ramps which can be either assembled for dismounting the gun in the rear or attached to the front of the vehicle. Germany fielded a wide range of halftracks during WWII. The Sd.Kfz.10, one of the lighter types, was conceived as a prime mover for small towed guns such as the 3.7cm PaK 36. Measuring 4.5m long and weighing 4.9 tons, this Demag-designed vehicle had a one-ton payload capacity. Around 14,000 Sd.Kfz.10 halftracks were built from 1938-45. Several specialized vehicles were based on this halftrack design, among them the Sd.Kfz.10/4, the subject of this kit. This type had a platform on the rear for carrying an antiaircraft 2cm FlaK 30 cannon. The purpose-built platform had fold-down sides and rear for the seven-man crew to serve and traverse the weapon. The Sd.Kfz.10/4 was used by both the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe, and commonly pulled a two-wheel trailer containing ammunition. There are a lot of parts in the box, especially for such a small vehicle. I must say, however, that this kit has some of the finest molding that I’ve seen coming out of Hong Kong. There are many parts so delicate that I feared breaking them while handling the sprues.