FineScale Modeler March/April 2023

The inaugural Build a Model Month (BAMM) is in the books. The virtual model contest garnered 3,811 photos with some coming in the last seconds before entries closed at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30. In all, 209 modelers contributed more than 750 models. They came from all over the world, including Serbia, England, and the Philippenes, and the quality of the work on display was out-standing. Fellow FSM editor Tim Kidwell and I looked at every model in the competition, and I can tell you that the pair of us, along with our fellow category judges, had a tough time narrowing the winners down to a single model in each genre. You can see the top entries on the website, and the grand prize winner will be featured in the May/June…

The voice of the future Hello! I loved your article about the future of scale modeling in the January/February 2023 FSM. As a 17-year-old modeler, it’s interesting to hear about how our hobby is doing. I guess, a few years ago, I was one of those kids they were talking about. Four years later and I’m as invested in the hobby as I was when I started, if not more so. I’m a host of the The Micro Machines Podcast and am very active in the modeling community; I even table captained during a regional show! All in all, modeling was an amazing decision, and I’m so grateful for all the people who have helped me. – Ezra Talavera Truth Or Consequences, N.M. Ed.: Thanks, Ezra. Your enthusiasm reinforces our confidence in the future…

The biggest model car show in the South! Big excitement in Smyrna, Georgia, as it hosted the 2022 ACME Southern Nationals NNL last November. With nearly 600 models on display from 115 entrants, the event celebrated the cars and popular culture of the 1980s and ‘90s with its Radwood theme. FSM contributor Tom Valenta photographed select models from the show. Check out the wide variety of most-excellent car, truck, and motorcycle models by visiting FineScale.com/show-galleries. Anyone can build Gundam model kits Gundam model kits need not intimidate new model builders, and are, in fact, a great entry point into the hobby. Applying just a few well-known modeling techniques will get you up and running with Gunpla in no time. Visit FineScale.com/how-to and let Gunpla World Cup finalist and regional gold winner Nico Suratos…

AIRCRAFT 1/32 SCALE 1/48 SCALE 1/72 SCALE 1/144 SCALE SHIPS 1/350 SCALE ARMOR 1/35 SCALE ARMOR DETAIL SETS 1/35 SCALE AUTOS 1/16 SCALE 1/24 SCALE…

For a long time, I have wanted to try my hand at building a vehicle with heavy wear. After seeing photos of weathered Iraqi armored personnel carriers during the Gulf War, I had my subject — a BMP-1. But a kit suitable for my plans was not in my stash. A bit of a search later and two kits would become one. As a base for my Iraqi BMP-1, I chose S-model’s excellent offering that includes photo-etched metal parts. Primarily intended for wargaming, it is well detailed, but the wheels and tracks are molded together. I replaced those with individual wheels and tracks from an Ace Model BMP-1. Building it as abandoned was a natural choice, since there are relatively few suitable crew figures in this scale. I imagined the crew leaving…

Nowadays, my eyes pretty much demand that I work in 1/48 scale and larger. But they’re open — pun unintentional — to an occasional 1/72 scale build, so they agreed to an F-4J Phantom II as one of the last additions to my 1/72 scale carrier air wing collection. I had planned a basic out-of-the-box project with a unique ordnance load using an ESCI kit that has been around for nearly 40 years. It still builds into a nice Rhino with recessed panel lines, good fits, and sharp trailing edges. While the F-4 is more often thought of as a MiG-killing dogfighter, during the Vietnam War, especially Operation Linebacker in late 1972, it established itself as one of America’s premier bomb haulers. The specific Phantom I modeled is an F-4J, BuNo.…