FineScale Modeler

from mercury to the moon

I still believe we landed on the moon, and I hope you do too. I saw it on a grainy black-and-white TV screen 50 years ago. It was a simpler time when science was mostly believed and astronauts were heroes.It was a time when we marveled at the brain power that could not only put a tiny capsule into orbit around earth, but break it free and send it rocketing toward our neighbor, the moon. Some crazy smart machines, known as computers (big enough to fill whole rooms), could calculate how to aim that little capsule to circle the moon and have the ride-along lunar module descend to the surface.This was wonder, awe, and history in its most pure form.I loved outer space, rockets, and astronauts. It was the unknown,…

off the sprue: what are your apollo 11 memories?

EditorMark Savagemsavage@Kalmbach.comI remember the whole family watching that scratchy black and white image. Was hard to see Armstong’s footstep clearly. Actually, I thought the descent of the lunar lander was more suspenseful, just waiting for it to touch down safely. And the excitement in Walter Cronkite’s voice still resonates in my ears!Senior EditorAaron Skinneraskinner@FineScale.comI missed seeing the moon landing by about five months, so for me the space program was all about the space shuttle. We visited the Kennedy Space Center in 1978 as the Enterprise was being tested. And I was lucky enough to see STS-59 climb into the clouds in April 1994 — the entire room shook!Digital EditorElizabeth Nashenash@FineScale.comAll I know is that this moon landing thingamabob must have been important — after all, it made an appearance…

finescale modeler

Editor Mark SavageArt Director Tom DannemanEDITORIALSenior Editor Aaron SkinnerDigital Editor Elizabeth NashEditorial Associate Monica FreitagARTSenior Graphic Designer Scott KrallGraphic Designer Samantha PrimuthIllustrator Kellie JaegerPhotographer William ZubackProduction Coordinator Cindy BarderREGULAR CONTRIBUTING MODELERSPaul Boyer, Andy Cooper, Raúl Corral, Chris Cortez, Frank Cuden, Chuck Davis, Jonas Dahlberg, Walt Fink, Tom Foti, Phillip Gore, James Green, Ted Horn, Joe Hudson, Mark Karolus, Rick Lawler, Ulf Lundberg, Chris Oglesby, Bill Plunk, John Plzak, Darren Roberts, Chuck Sawyer, Mike Scharf, Cookie Sewell, Bob Steinbrunn, Karel Sutt, Matthew Walker, Jim Wechsler, Adam Wilder, Jim ZeskeKALMBACH MEDIAChief Executive Officer Dan HickeySenior Vice President, Finance Christine MetcalfSenior Vice President, Consumer Marketing Nicole McGuireVice President, Content Stephen C. GeorgeVice President, Operations Brian J. SchmidtVice President, Human Resources Sarah A. HornerSenior Director, Advertising Sales and Events David T. ShermanAdvertising Sales Director…

reader tips

Opposite of dust magnetIt seems I always have trouble with lint and dust getting on my new spray painting jobs, particularly a problem with glossy car model finishes. Recently I made a discovery though. If you wipe off your model with a dry Swiffer pad before painting it will stop dust from being attracted to the plastic, keeping the model more dust free. Give it a try!– Dennis RosskoCarrollton, TexasQuick airbrush cleaningThere’s no need to break down your airbrush after each use. I discovered a product called Dentek Slim Brush that’s used for deep cleaning tight spots between your teeth. They are available from Amazon, Target and Walmart, to name a few spots.These brushes can be inserted into the paint cup and all the way into the airbrush’s tip. I…

scale talk

A diorama making wavesJust picked up the April issue and decided to “give it a shot” as the dioramas article suggests. Here is my build of Tamiya’s 1/700 scale British E-class destroyer. I built the kit as a test bed for (and to help overcome my fear of) weathering the ship and for building an ocean going base with waves. The ship is out of the box with light weathering and washes. The rigging is copper wire rolled straight with a file.The base is Styrofoam carved to fit the boat, and then a layer of paper towel and multiple coats of white glue and Mod Podge. The waves are cotton balls and white glue pushed into place with a paintbrush. All the techniques I gleaned from various FSM articles over…

q&a

Aftermarket info spotIs there an easy way to figure Q out what upgrades are available for a model? Is there such as thing as a one-stop shop? My stash has a selection of Star Trek kits that should have plenty of options.– Nate BottingHamilton, Ontario, CanadaIt’s hard to answer your question A because many places have bits and pieces of information like this That said, I find Scalemates.com to be reasonably comprehensive. It’s a user-contributed database that keeps up with new and old kits. Plus, it’s constantly updated with new releases and is a great way to manage your stash and keep track of items you may need or want.– Aaron Skinner…