BSAC NEWS April 2002 Volume 20, Number 4 ************************************************* IN THIS ISSUE President's Message Last Meeting's Minutes BSAC Website Kit Reviews Editor's Comments 2002 Themes Coming Events ************************************************* PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE From the Desk Of the President, (Why are all the drawers glued shut?) It's been another hectic month for me. I don't have much to say this month. I am looking forward to receiving our Same Kit Night models. I've always found the same kit night festivities to be a lot of fun. I'm also looking forward to some of the new releases slated to arrive this year. Some of the kits I am anticipating to be of excellent quality, detail & finish. Well, that's it for now. See you at the meeting! President Mike ************************************************* LAST MEETING'S MINUTES Numero Uno Mike opened the March 7, 2002 meeting of the BSAC at the usual time. Mike discussed his finding of an alternative meeting place. Houlihan’s on Rt 161. A large, reasonably lit meeting room is available at no fee, with no minimum food purchase required. The room would be able to accommodate club growth (should this ever occur) and also enable the membership to sit closer during meetings. As the idea of a change in venues met some resistance, the discussion was tabled till a future date. This led into a discussion regarding the advertising of the BSAC and the merits of increasing membership. The memory of the adverse affects that a larger number of members had on the club was recalled. No decision was reached whether to actively seek additional members at this time. Winner of the monthly theme, cars we drove (or wished we had driven!) to high school, was Carl Rees’ 1954 Ford 4 door. Very nice conversion, Carl. Winner of the miscellaneous theme was Mark Harmon’s Mustang Superstallion with Chromillusion paint. The finish on this car is superb. ************************************************* 2002 OFFICERS President: Mike Newport President-Elect: Tom Dillion II Treasurer: Carl Rees Secretary-Editor: Bob Mako ************************************************* BSAC WEBSITE http://bsac.topcities.com/ For those of you that still cruise the internet and happen upon unique websites that you think the membership would enjoy viewing, please pass their links on to me so I can add them to our Favorite Links page. Thanks... Tom ************************************************* KIT REVIEWS (Blast from the Past) Revell (Germany) #7488 1/16th scale V W "Kafer" 1951/1952 $20. OO(Hobbyland) (five years ago) To clear up any confusion at the start, "Kafer" (pronounced Kay-fur) is German for "Beetle". The Germans love to give cute names to things they love and they were calling VW BUGS "Beetles" long before we were. How I came to build this kit is pretty simple. I was "between projects" (what a concept!) And rather than go out and buy something new I decided to take advantage of my "warehouse" and build something I had on hand. I picked this one because it would be fairly easy (and fun) to build and I already had two cans of the funky green paint I planned to use. This is one of those rare kits that give you virtually everything you need to create a very detailed replica right in one box (aside from the paint). Its large size makes detailing easy, although "Scale Bigots" might not approve of it. All of the opening panels work, so it is imperative that as much extra detail as you can do gets in place, so it looks right when you open it up. As a kid I can remember seeing thousands of these things. Looking back now, I remember that all of them seemed to be either black, gray or what we used to call "baby shit green" (you know it when you see it!). Several years ago I found some craft paint (Hobbycraft) that was an almost perfect match, and I bought two cans. I really did cut it close though, and I wound up having just barely enough to finish. The model is molded in white and black plastic, with a chrome and a clear tree also. All of the body panels are in white while black is used for the engine and suspension parts. Revell of Germany models generally have a good reputation for being flash or defect free. Sadly, that is not the case with this kit. The body has noticeable mold lines on all four fenders and the ones on the front run right through important molded-in detail. They are a real pain to remove. A number of sprue attachment points on the body have to be carefully taken out as well. Important "fiddly" little parts like the door hinge arms have a lot of flash on them as well. I spent a good two days just getting the body ready to paint. The instructions start with the engine, which goes together very easily despite having over 40 parts! Its large size means that things like individual pushrod tubes and all the "plumbing" for the intake, exhausts and heater boxes is in place and easy to dress up. A large decal sheet is included which has gauge faces for the instrument panel, license plates and markings for all the major European countries. Also on the sheet are markings for the distributor and for the fan belt(!). These markings all responded well to setting solution but they were all badly yellowed with age. An "option" gives you a choice of two styles of air cleaners, for either a 1951 or 1952 engine. A short length of tubing is provided for plug wires and brake lines. I had a problem with this; the tubing is so fine it was very difficult (almost impossible) to fit it over the "nibs" on the distributor and coil, especially after they had been painted. After fighting with it for two days I gave up and cut the nibs off, sanded them flat and drilled them out to fit the tubing. I did the same for the coil but anyone who looks at it won't know the difference unless they've built the kit themselves. Oddly enough, the "nibs" on the brake backing plates are slightly finer and the tubing slips over them as easy as pie. Go figure. If you ever get a chance to build one of these kits you will have to measure out the tubing you use very carefully, because they give you just enough to do the job, with little room for error. From the engine you move to the front and rear suspensions. All of this is mostly "see Spot run” modeling except for the tie-rod for the poseable steering. If you want the steering to actually operate, you need to "heat-swage” the little pins on the ends of the tie rod to the control arms. The problem with this is that the pins are very short and very small, so a little heat goes a long way. I keep a little bitty screwdriver in my drawer just for this, and even with that it was a problem to get the pin to "blossom-out" so it would stay in place. If I had to do it again, I'd use some 00/801 brass washers and 5- minute epoxy to do the job instead. My steering works but it won't handle much harsh treatment. I finally had to just glue it together. Next step is the interior, and because so much of it is visible, I'd advise anyone wanting to build a kit like this to have several sources of reference, as the instructions are rather vague as to some of the color call- outs. I'll leave it to you to figure out just what color "Matt Mouse Gray" is. VW's of this era came in either standard or deluxe trim, both of which had interiors that were either brown or gray. The dash was body color with ivory trim. German cars of this period had a cute little feature that was only used for a few years. Instead of separate front and rear turn-signal lights, they had little lighted arms that swung out from the pillar behind the door. We used to call them "winkles", and this model has them too! They are molded in clear plastic and a little Tamiya. "Clear Orange" really makes them look good. Somebody with more guts than I could even make them light up! Apart from all the prep time required, the body assembly goes fairly easily, although the door hinges can be a little frustrating - especially with just one hand! The little bit of chrome trim that came on these cars is all there as separate parts, and with some careful work they can really look nice. FIVE beautiful little skinny Dunlop blackwalls are provided, and these have great sidewall and tread detail. The only wheel option is for stock hubcaps and the ones in the kit just snap in place, with no glue needed! Its little touches like that , stuff you wouldn't expect, that make this kit a real joy to put together. Some things do take a little extra effort but the results are worth it. Good Volkswagen models have always been few and far between, especially ones as detailed as this one. If you see one, and you can get past the size of the thing, it makes a great addition to any collection. Even if its "Baby-Shit Green"! Gary Omen ************************************************* EDITOR'S NOTE Same Kit Night kits have been ordered from Hobby Heaven. They are, unfortunately, backordered. I am hoping that they are received before the meeting. Included in this newsletter is an article from the June 1963 Car Craft that some might find interesting, or maybe provide some inspiration for that ’58 Plymouth we are all going to try to build for November. Dave Taylor has graciously provided some old magazines that have some really neat modeling related articles and advertisements. These are from the early 1960’s when our hobby was in its infancy and every kid on the street built model cars. I will be including some of these tidbits in the newsletters so everyone (well, at least us middle aged guys!) can reminisce. Theme for the April meeting is “Niners” – any vehicle with the year ending in 9. There are all sorts of models out there that fit this theme so let’s see how many we actually have built. If anyone has something intersting still in the box, bring that in too. Everyone always likes to ogle vintage plastic! ************************************************* 2002 THEMES Apr - Niners any vehicle year ending in 9) May - Class of 1960 Jun - Mercs and Dueces (Saw this one in an old Scale Auto Enthusiast) Jul - Goodguys Drivers Aug - Mopars Sep - Tri-powers Oct - Vintage Race Cars Nov - Same Kit Night Elections Selection of Themes for 2003 Dec - Christmas Party ************************************************* COMING EVENTS... APRIL 2002 April 13-14 Model Car & Toy Show Tiffin, OH For info. contact: Don Ziegler 1-419-983-5084; e-mail: fleamarket@tiffinohio.com April 20 Cincinnati Challenge 7 Model Car Contest, Gravity Drags & Swap Meet Cincinnati, OH For info. call Bob 1-513-858-6089 or e-mail Jace at BMITA8@aol.com April 21 12th Annual Butler Area Classic Plastic Model Contest & Show Butler, PA For info. contact: Daniel McEathron, 108 St. Mary St., Butler, PA 16001; 1-724-285-5720; e-mail: daniel@zbzoom.net April 28 71st Cleveland Toy Collectors' Exposition Broadview Heights, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. MAY 2002 May 4 22nd Annual Swap Meet & Model Car Contest hosted by Hoosier Model Car Association Indianapolis, IN For info. send an SASE to: HMCA, 1019 N. Tuxedo St., Indianapolis, IN 46201 or call 1-317-264-9387 evenings and weekends. May 5 3rd Columbus Area Toy Collectors Expo Hilliard, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. JUNE 2002 June 7-9 14th Goodguys Hot Rod Nationals Indianapolis, IN For info. contact: Tom Nengester, 6309 Rover Valley Way, Indianapolis, IN 46221; 1-317-821-1110 or call Goodguys 1-925-838-9876; Please visit Goodguys http://www.good-guys.com/ June 9 Toledo Mini Toy Collectors' Meet Toledo, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. JULY 2002 July 12-14 5th Goodguys PPG Nationals Columbus, OH For info. call Carl Rees 1-800-458-0975 or Goodguys 1-925-838-9876; Please visit Goodguys http://www.good-guys.com/ July 14 77th Toledo Collectors' Toy Fair Toledo, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. AUGUST 2002 August 11 72nd Cleveland Toy Collectors' Exposition Broadview Heights, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. SEPTEMBER 2002 September 22 4th Columbus Area Toy Collectors Expo Hilliard, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. OCTOBER 2002 October 13 78th Toledo Collector's Toy Fair Toledo, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. NOVEMBER 2002 November 3 4th Pittsburgh Area Model Car, Diecast, & Kit Collectors' Meet Butler, PA For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. November 24 73rd Cleveland Toy Collectors' Exposition Broadview Heights, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. DECEMBER 2002 TOLEDO, OH - December 8 (Sun) 13th Ohio X-mas Toy Collectors' Meet Toledo, OH For info. contact: John Carlisle, Old Toyland Shows, PO Box 1007, Lockport, NY 14095-1007. *************************************************** Classifieds Longtime BSAC member, Danny Thomas, is making a comeback in modeling. However, he needs some help in finding some parts. He needs several sets of Mopar Super Stock bucket seats, 4 hood scoops for '65 Hemi cars, 4 hood scoops for 67 Hemi cars; 4 backwindows for the Lindberg Dodge 330; 65 Cuda front and rear bumpers and taillights, grill and grill insert; 4 64 Dodge and 64 Plymouth SS front grills; 65 Mustang teardrop hood; 4 65 Dodge SS grills; 4 63 Plymouth rear bumpers and taillights; an AMT 53 Studebaker kit and a Johan 58 Dodge. If anyone can help him out, contact Mike Clements at 268 - 2467. ************************************************** SPONSORS: (Picture of Hobbyland logo) Hobby Heaven ************************************************* BSAC News is published monthly for members and associate members of the Buckeye Scale Auto Club. Reprinting any part of this publication is allowable, provided credit is given to the author and it is stated the article was originally printed in the BSAC News. The opinions expressed within are the opinions of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Buckeye Scale Auto Club or any other member of the club. Membership in the Buckeye Scale Auto Club is $20.00 per year for those able to attend monthly meetings on a regular basis; Associate membership is $15.00 for those unable to attend meetings on a regular basis; Junior membership, for ages 16 and under, is $10.00 per year with adult sponsorship. Articles will be accepted for publication through the U.S. mail: BSAC News, c/o Bob Mako, 1721 Fallhaven Drive, W. Worthington, OH 43235 or through E-mail to: jbmako@core.com or to bsaclub@hotmail.com. *************************************************