VM-08-01 march 1997 Volume 8 Number 1 oe Modeling eC FIRE POINT VICTOR - ea eg EMER OTe) US MARINE CORPS Nee a Uae Neate Cem Tree on a P-51A Mustang i TAMIYA's D250 in 1/48 Scale Magazinevx jen coEN ncaa 1 = VERLINDEN , PRODUCTIONS =| 2 1218 Captain USAAF WWI 135, 1219 Fanzer ll &¢Stug it yeans and Equipment Racks 1:35 MARCH KeleasesuP Neen poe eee ce VERLINDEN PRODUCTIONS VERLINDEN PUBLICATIONS Modeling books & accessories Volume 8 Number 1 EDITORIAL STAFF Editor in Chief Francois VERLINDEN Senior Editor Bob LETTERMAN Editor : Joe PORTER ART DEPARTMENT Art Director : Judith DE BIE Staff Artist : Joe PORTER Staff Photographers Francois VERLINDEN Bob LETTERMAN SALES Sales Manager : ‘Tom GERRINGER As Julie NOAH tant EDITORIAL OFFICE 811 Lone Star Drive Lone Star Industrial Park O'Fallon, MO 63366 USA, \VERLINDEN PRODUCTIONS Modeling Magazine 'S a quarry publeaton of VERLINDEN PUBL! ANIONS, a ion of The VUS Corparaten, 895 Lone Sar Ore (Fallon, Hssoun, 63066 USA Phone (314) 281700, Fax 14) 261.8750. Intact Address: hpaenvispcom erkaden Productions Modeing Magazine ©1996 The VLS Corporation All igh reserved, Tie Is rogiteree as trademark This publeabon may not bo reproduced im pat cr whole witout win pormsion fo the pubsher except ae cate ot Bret quotations used In. reviews. Verhagen Praductons Maceing Magazine obi al repre Gucton “right -unless otherwise agrees Instructions fr suerting fates, protographs and aos or pubcaon are aval For th ‘tor. Uneaicted materl wil be retuned ony Bosage and. ericepe ae proved. Ver Proditions Modeing Magazines not esponst forthe seer of unsclestea mater Iho same reason tis publeaton s 6econtnued a0 tehande wil "be. paid by "the Publisher {© sibscipion hokers nor ean the Publisher be ed responsi for any drnage resuting rom the dscortnuston ois magazine VERLINDEN PRODUCTIONS Modeling Magazine is pried inthe USA by aor bot he From the editor ince we released the Napoleonic fig ures a few years ago, the same sculp- tor has created every single release for that range. We have been very happy with this series and our customers must feel the same, judging from the sales figures. As with any type of product that is well recieved by the buying public, there are always correla ing problems. Everyone wants more and more and faster and faster. That's great! We love it The problem is that, typically, a sculptor finishes a figure only every four to six weeks. So, if the range goes well, soon- cr or later, we must move another sculptor into that subject to meet the demand. When that occurs, there wil be differences in style, anatomy and size of the sculpting. Many of ‘our customers collect several subject areas of VP figures and never notice that there are differences between the figures in one range compared to another ‘Two recent releases from VP in the Napoleonic era were from another sculptor who has been producing figures for us for some time. His work in the past has also been well received and good sellers. No complaints from anyone. But they were not Napoleonic. Since the release of these two, we have heard fram a few people who have said these \were not as good as in the past. We know from experience that people generally do not like changes, especially in their hobby. We also know that when this sculptor’s work was released in another era, they received a great deal of praise, in fact by many of the same people who now say they don’ like his Napoleonic figures. Are you beginning to get the picture? We know that we could give the exact same commision to twenty different sculptors and you would have twenty different sivles, poses, anatomies and sizes. So, there's the dilemma, We are in business to please our customers, but sometimes, its not possible, We have seen this same reaction in many areas. A good example isin the resin formula. We never stop trying to perfect the quality of our products. Each time we change the formula for the better, many letters will follow telling us how great the new formula is, but we always get others that say they don't like it. We will never stop trving to improve to Keep vou happy, but sometimes we have to change a format in a publ- cation, a resin formula or introduce a new sculptor or an old sculptor to a new range And sometimes, change is good. Francois Verlinden Note : The front cover is shows a vignette built with VP 1230 & VP 1231 Painting of these figures will be described in a future publication, US. - 3d Class -§ 20 9570S tt lass -§ 90.95 Canadaein Air - $3395 /Sufae- $30.95 | Foreign Ar ~ 848.95 Surtace~ $98.95, Subseigton begins with cent issue, Backissuesavalabl cect by mal arder (aot by sub- szrigtion) | Name | Address: City, State, Zip | Country Pease spey the arguage tat you watt recive Engish 9 Germano” Hench a” Ralan 0" + Avlabias of Volume 2 Numer 1 ‘Maladie sof Volume 2-Nue 3 07-1 ony ‘valable sof Volume 2- Number 3 Worldwide Subscription \Wite or it paying by credit card cal (314 284-5700, ME BAM to SPM C.ST for your suiscrintion (hacks must be US. funds dravn on US. banks Cre Card Information Cardholder Name Signature Card Number Expiration Date For mor information contact VLS. fe 217 Lane star Orne Le Star Industria Pak (aon lo 63368 USA Tal. (314) 28-5700 - Fx (314) 281-9750, Inka Addres hip: com"Terrorists" a 120mm diorama by Lewis Pruneau Jaccept terrorists as a kind of soldier. So, although not truly military in substance, it sill has a military feel. Here we have an ‘Arab village market ant bickering with a customer over the price of dates, when, suddenly the except for Mustal the camel, who simply i Oznes to do something "tongue in cheek. Terrorists s such a diorama. In today's world, people have come to iplace, a quiet oasis in the desert, with a me ;cefulness erupts in the chatter of automatic weapon: res it ll and continues chewing his cud, or whate Everyone runs for is that camels do, TERRORISTS A diorama that has the "feel" of action! 4The "car". Try fitting six figures into a kit car sometime! | started with the ar, which I freely admit is not an accurate representation of a spe: cific vehicle, but the Peugeot-like compact sufficed to make the diorama work. Fitting six resin figures into a single car requires a degree of artistic license and I make no apologies to the purists out there. This one is for fun! It was bult from sheet plastic and a lot of epoxy putty with clear Styrene for windows. The wheels and tires found in my scrapbox. am constantly looking for anything that | can use in 120mm dioramas and ariything [find that even remotely looks that scale {goes into my stash. The interior is rather stark as I needed all the space possible to it those six figures inside. All six wore converted from the VP Panzergrenadier France (0476), using photos from a National Geographie magazine as refer A lot of arms, legs and heads were used to give distinct personalities to what was originally the same figure. Rear top view of "Terrorists". Note the convincing palm trees and other foliage.Keep your #&*@AI% dates, I outa here! A good shot of the well with it's Enviro-Tex water. The other three Arabs (Running for cover) had their basis in the VP Academy Figure (0752). Mostly clothed with Milliput epoxy putiy and lead foll, I used the same refer: fence as with the terrorists for both style and colors. The camel was used straight from the box (VP 0982). Most of the veg tables and accessories were from various VP kits, extended and embellished with my own Miliput formed goodies. ‘The base is of wood frame and blue insu jating styrofoam sheet covered with Celluclay. The palm trees were made from plastic tube with layers of Millput sheets ‘0 simulate bark. After making the orig nal, | made a mold and cast two for this scene. The vinyl palm branches I had found at a craft store. The building and fountain were fashioned from the blue sty rofoam, covered with a mixture of sand and Elmer's Glue. —— The styrofoam building is convincing with the sand mix- =P-51A Mustang Angelo Lodetti of Italy strikes again with Accurate Miniatures’ 1/48 gem ter the British fighter commission turned to the North American Aviation Company i AF, the Alison engine was chosen to power the new aireralt. It performed well and 1940 to build a new fighter for the A uke yeni ynumbers. The RAF named the aircraft the Mustang, which was later adopted by the U.S. instead of their original nickname the Apache Three versions are subjects of the first kits from Accurate Miniatures. 1 built an RAF version used by No. 170 Squadron, Royal Air Force Detail and overall quality of the kit are superb. The parts are beautifully executed with fine recessed panel lines. Molded in olive drab and clear styrene, the kit features a choice of main gear tires (one set bulged to simulate the weight of the aircraft), and sepa- ate wheel inserts hich make painting a snap. The clear canopy is a four-piece affair with optional Malcolm hood and adcitional windscreen with different framing.COCKPIT AND SEAT Tavalled myself of some photos of the innermost parts of the P-51A. The instru ment panels are very good, but | decided to add the Eduard photo-etched detail sot (EU 48134), Wire was used for the neces sary cables with control columns addec The kit floor was used but the rudders were replaced with those in the Eduard sel, Alter painting the cockpit, I glued the reflector gun sight with a glass cut from acetate, The seat is much improved using the Eduard set. FUSELAGE ‘The fuselage is perfect. After assembling and painting the inner parts, [inserted the exhaust pipes and glied them with the fuselage. The fuselage joint is good, but I used the Verlinden scribing template (#281) to complete the junctionas WING AND STARBOARD FIXED TAILPLANE we wing assembly can now be fitted to the fuselage, but I wanted to drop the flaps first. This shows the inner undercarriage doors in their lowered state and reveals the excellent detail otherwise hidden. | began by removing the flaps from the wing and building up their leading edges with plastic rod. The rear edges required careful thinning using a scalpel, followed by gentle sanding. Any detail lost in this process can be restored using a sharp pin to scribe lines and rivet detail, The fuselage area which meets the flaps also requires careful thinning, made the navigation lights using epoxy give after carefully carving out the plastic. After they had completely hardened they were polished with wet sandpaper and car polishing paste landing gear and wheels are well detailed. Wiring was added to simulate the main wheel oleo leg. SPINNER AND PROPELLER The prop shape is beautiful. After test fitting the blades to the spinner surface, plasticard rings made with a punch and die were used to improve the hub. After fitting several times, the prop was finished off with the spinner. PAINTING AND DECALS. Alter preparing the surface by wet sanding up to a 800-grit, the model was primed with Tamiya Yellow Green thinned with aleo hol. After drying, the underside was spraved with Light Grey followed by a camouflage pattern in RAF Ocean Grey and Dark Green con the upper surfaces. To weather I made a mixture of brown, white, grey, and black acrylics (very diluted with alcohol) and pushed this wash into all recesses with a No. 4 brush. Deeper recesses received this treatment with an airbrush. Metallic wear was simulat ed with aluminum paint for peeling and scratches. A final pass of dull lacquer finished the painting stage The only marking | used is the national roundel on the fuselage. I prepped the decal area by carefully polishing the plas hich then absorbs the glossy edge of he decal CANOPY The final stage is setting the canopy. masked the clear areas with paper tape, sprayed the frames, and assembled and attached it with vingi glue,‘uoFIRE POINT VICTOR - Italy, 1944 1/35 Diorama by Young Jin Won he U.S, Armys M4 Sherman may well hold the world’s record for the most heavily produced tank of all time. Although appearing under many flags and with many vari ‘ants, all shared the same name: Sherman. Many carried the 75mm or 76mm cannon, but some were armed with the 105mm gun seen here In this diorama, U.S. tankers and supporting G.ls take a brief rest during the Italian campaign in the spring of 1944. The focal point is Tamiya’s M4A3 Sherman, detailed with VPs update set (0204), periscopes (0341), and Super Detail set (0263). The motorcycle and trailers are from Italeri, as are accessories from the Field Tool Shop and Jerry Can Set ‘The Sherman is well emplaced for its shelling mission. Groundwork was achieved with foam blocks and plaster. ul‘ee infantrymen share a bottle of wine and a joke during the break.MODELER'S SHOWCASE Span emadde: | Aldendie “Romero received awards for both mod Target model competion at Valadch Alejandro’s outstanding version of the VP 1/16 Willys Jeep. Mr, Romero did an excellent job with Tamiya’s 1:35 M60A3, detalled with the VP update set and dozer assemblySET Experience the Indescribable ... 132-36 North Main Street St. Charles, Missouri 63301 Phone (314) 916-0550 Fax (314) 916-0888MINIATURE WORLD MUSEUM & SCALE MODELER’S HALL OF FAME Located in historic St. Charles, Missour Just west of St. Louis, you'll find St. Charles, a river historical perspective. Beautiful sites, friendly peop le sloeer than that ofa big city. ty with a unique find a pace just a li Founded by French Canadian fur trader Louis Blanchette, St. Charl gre into a Hirving riverfront trading center for young America Thousands passe trough on their journey westward, replenishing sup plies before departing into a new territory. ? St. Charles is a souree of many historical encounters - Lewis & Clark Rendezcous, Missouri's frst State Capito, evigin ofthe Boonestck Tal, ‘and home to Daniel Boone. The people of St. Charles have labored Io ingly to preserve and share its treasured rer heritage. As a destin for over one mailion Hh year, St. Charles” history comes Experience the char tors since 1769, M Wioxs is destination unto itself yet St. Charles features rill those of all ages: gas-lt brick paved district lend t0 over 100 charming specialty, raf and antique shops. Dine a over 30 great restaurants and outdoor patios fine wines, elasscal piano, jazz, and blues. Other features include aldenrod Showboat and the Casino St. Charles. Main Steet runs adjacent to the Missouri River nenr its confluence toith the Mississipi ‘more attractor HOURS & ADMISSION FEES [Oct to March 31) "April t to Sept. 30 WED-SAT 10-5 | |TUE-SAT 10-6 SUN 2 SUN’ 2-5 MON -TUE Closed) | MON Closed ADULTS s+] SENIORS, s50 0 | CHILD w/ADULT $300 | Age 4 and Under FREE | ‘Age 14 and Over Fall Fare GROUPS, By quote | For tour information, contact Susan Letterman Phone (314) 281-5700 « Fax: (O14) 281-5750 Located in the heart of historic North Main Street, Moset is housed in a histore building whose cornerstone wes laid in 16. Though the building has undergone several transformations over he past 130 years, architects and city engineers were able to restore ie original luster during a two-year fenovation process using information from the city archives: In. 1994, retired Illinois businessman Ralph Koebbeman and Bob Letterman and Francois Verlinden, owners of The VLS Corporation, a sale model manufacturing and distrbuting compuny, combined their colle Hons and resources fo create livinvutt Worcts, To say iis the work ‘mont impressive collection of scale madels would be an understatement our slogan of “Expertence the Indescribable” means exactly that. Most tors who experienced the museum have sokk “How can T possibly describe this fo anyone ‘The most incredibly detailed miniature representations you can possibly imagine cover 8000 sqft. Monvents oF history from the dawn of time f0 the nuclear age are rected in tne dimension inthe most metiloxs otal, Scones that are long vanished sre now brought to lite ough the miracle of these miniature works of art Displays tange from individual Peces of ordnance to complete sections of cites destroyed by the wars of {he 20h century. The visitor will find the follow 1. BALLISTICS - Hundceds of incredi firearms, catapults, and crosehowrs sme g 1 exhibit areas: dletaied, functional miniature ‘assinall 3 postage stomp! 2. WHEELS - Dozens of authentically represented model cars, tracks, cio ing engines depict man's use of whesled vehicles and 3. PRE-WORLD WAR IL Dioramas depicting wars pefacing the nuclear ‘age, from medieval knights to World War 4. WORLD WARII = The most popular era for mexleers has earned the Jangest section ofthe mcetim ant nels everything from malrond gars to armor collections and diorama scenes showing entire towns, 5. MODERN WARS - Viet Nam, the Gulf Wor, and Arab-Toracli conflicts are represented in indvidal pecs and authentic dioramas 6. WILD BLUE YONDER - Aircraft galore adorn this section, from the ear Test age of light tothe moat high-tech airplanes of the Future 7. ANCHORS AWEIGH -Seale ships and naval artillery abound in one of the museum's larger sections, Irom ancent Romans to World War Il ba Aesips 8. FIELD ARTILLERY - Miniature working artillery pioes from pre-hist zy through the American Civil War, some of which took years to produce 9. MILITARY FASHIONS - Fxguistely painted solders from pre-history to today's warriors from nations long gone to Desert Storm and beyand. 10. UNIFORM REFERENCE - Hundreds of picoes of military uniforms ‘and gear from which the infinitely detailed miniatures are oned, 1. LEGENDS - The mos fascinating exhibits our shadow’ box tunnel where threedimensional frames paintings use effects sch as ight and holograms to delight the viewerUS MARINE CORPS LAVs - PART Ill COMMAND & CONTROL (C&C) By Barry D.Smith (Our third look at one of the many faces of the LAV .od on the higfor their machine hind cl th an M60 7.62mm machin ler using the vehicle. TherThese high mand officerTAMIYA's D250 in 1/48 Scale by Gordon Stronach n Tamiya is an ened for drybrushing. A final drybrushing gear, props, and canop rly falls together. lumber was used to me! tas provide weathering, The plane was _ airbrushed Acromaster indsereen with Bare Wy cockpit assemb . Alter ¢ ed, Sidewalls and cockpit 2 e nt gauge Metaliz ush painted dark blue . es. The rest of ith raw umber. The basec the plane was then assembled. Landinghe kit d, Testors Flat was spra to dry for two days. A light decals had dried ight out id scuf with a mixture Simple groundwork pebbles were attad base acrylic craft paint.The completed cockpit - washed, drybrushed, and detai painted. Note how the wash exceeds the cockpit area, and won't show after final assembly. Below : Prior to weathering - yuk! Wineglasses on the table are cut from clear sprue. The figures in this in a relaxed DML's Luft 5g was adopted from the parts box foam Using acrylic craft pa ss were sprinkled directly onto the f own for the earth and a dark green fc and drybrushed. VP's Trees & Hedger ‘With litte fuss, an effective scene is with a as an adhesi rms the base rated ~ simple but effectRight : “Look here, Fellas !", John Gauerke. Below : “Scorched Earth”, Greg Cihlar, Silver Medal.VAMPIRE Greg Cihlar - GoldSdKfz 234/3 by Troy Jordan. ‘A magnificently painted and weathered JU-188 by Kelly Quirk got him the Gold. “Grooming the Cats”, Mike McFadden, Bronze, Korean War Theme Award.Top : Greg Stewart's Norwegian NM-116, a silver medal winner. Rig 1n Norman's “Hey ! Don't Fix ‘Em, I Just Ride “Em” rode away with a bronze medal. Below : Mike McFadden’s splendid Israeli M109E took the gold in 1/35 fully tracked vehicles.Below : A 1:35 scale Sturmtiger diorama won Silver for Greg Pierce. Left : Duane Pfister converted VP's to an armored variant and won silver. Below ; Panzer IB, Dan Norman, Silver Medal.Detail from “Under New Management” by Greg Pierce - Silver Above and Below “Eastern Front” - Paul Marshal - Gold.Available now at better Hobby Shops everywhere Verlinden Catalog No.14 over 1000 Products on 96 Full color Pages