Vendors sold out months early, a Star Trek 60th anniversary category on the awards table, and a full day of plastic modeling in one of the most visitor-friendly spots in north Alabama. We sit down with Tom Clark from the Huntsville Plastic Modelers Society to get the real details on their 49th annual show at the Huntsville JC’s building on Airport Road, including what to expect if you’re traveling in right after the IPMS Nationals.

We walk through the schedule step by step: when vendor setup starts, the registration window, how long judging runs, and when awards are handed out. Tom also explains how their electronic forms work, why the club prefers online paperwork, and how they keep things simple with classic IPMS 1-2-3 judging. If you’re searching for an IPMS USA model contest, a scale model show in Huntsville, or a plastic model event in Alabama with strong vendor support, this is the planning guide you want before you pack the car.

Then we get into the fun stuff: category options across aircraft, armor, automotive, dioramas, real space, sci-fi, ships, and a dedicated Gundam and giant robot section, plus a juniors category that makes it easy for younger builders to jump in. We also talk about the on-site food trucks, nearby restaurants, and why the venue is comfortable for a full-day hang. You’ll even hear what the club is previewing as they recruit volunteers for next year’s big Nationals workload.

Subscribe for more show spotlights, share this with a friend who builds, and leave a review with your best contest tip so more modelers can find the community.

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Your source for custom display bases, laser engraved airfield and carrier decks.

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This is the Hasagawa (HAI!) 1/48 Ki-44 Tojo kit. I built this just for my shelf mainly to get 1 model built before getting ready to go the Nats. This is a very nice kit with plenty of detail, so I built it OOTB except for some PE belts added to the kit seat. Since the finished cockpit could be added into the fuselage from the bottom and the fit was so good between the major components (the tail planes are just sitting in their slots here) I decided to take the unusual path of painting the wings and tail planes separately from the fuselage. I also decided to paint ALL of the markings, using no decals, cutting my own masks from tape using the decals as a guide. Painting things separately really simplified masking off around the tail plane roots as well as the leading edges of the wings. There's lots of little "buggers" here and there on this one, but they're due to my working fast and not showing as much care as needed if this was meant to be a contest model. Still, it's a very colorful scheme for my shelf and I've finally replaced the old Otaki Tojo that I built decades ago and had bit the dust some time ago. Comments, questions, and critiques welcome as always! Gil

MiniArt's new 35th scale "Luftwaffe Field Regiment - Ardennes 1944-45" features four figures & three sprues of weapons & equipment. See about the soldiers & the set in our preview...Read on... »

!930’s era Gangsters had a certain fascination to many people. I’m sure most people has seen the movie Bonny and Clyde. The figures in this set of three brings us back to that time period without having to rob banks, get into firefights with law enforcement, the risk of prison or worse!!

The Kit: 24054

From DXM Hobby’s Decal Manufacturer’s Notes

These decal sheets provide some very colorful markings for four of the U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Prowler squadrons. These include (a) VAQ-138 Yellowjackets CAG Bird 2024, (a) VAQ-138 Yellowjackets CAG Bird 2024, (b) VAQ-139 Cougars CAG Bird 2023, (c) VAQ-140 Patriots CAG Bird 2024, and (d) VAQ-131 Lancers CAG Bird 2024.

This 1/48th scale sheet is intended for use with either the Hasegawa, Meng, or Italeri kits.

Having a few collections to complete I decided that Childs from the 1982 movie The Thing was desk on the table. He is part of the Childs/McReady controversy in that who was the Thing at the end... The kit came in 7 parts - the bust, base, gloved hand, whiskey bottle, and 3 appendages. The likeness is spot on and the casting as usual with Gillman is nearly flawless. With this piece, the Yagher, the sculptor, gives away two of his ideas of how things ended. Number one the base is created to look like a generator, which answers McReady's question :How's the generator," and Garry answers "It's gone, MacReady!" As a sidebar Garry was his last name. On the character list he was M.T. Garry. The Yagher also gives his opinion of whether Childs or McReady, neither or both were infected. From the front Child's portrait is spot on. But from the back you see his head is split open and all sort's of gooey things are emerging. As usual I start with the portrait. I don't get to do dark skin all that much so I was glad I picked up a number of Army Painter skin double triads (6 colors that all blend) . I started withe the darkest one, and then I really didn't like many of the companion colors as they seemed too desaturated. I had seen another painter use oranges to highlight the skin, so I turned to my set of rust paints. A few different layers and I was liking what I had so far. Turning to the back of the head I added various reds and oranges to make the wound. My thoughts on wounds and blood is that a little goes a long way. I went too far, so I got some Agrax Earthshade to darken down the crevices and ended my session there. Coming back to it the next day to see disaster struck. I had angled the bust face down at an angle so the wash would dry in all the recesses. What it did was to rundown the head and then gravity would take it around to the bottom which from that angle was the face. I now had this dark stripe running across the face and down to the chin where it dried. I tried lightly getting it off. It didn't really work that well. So I got out the paints and had Take 2 of doing the portrait. After getting it fixed, I sprayed it with a matte clear to protect the new paint (which I didn't do the first time). Tragedy struck again as the matte clear coat instantly frosted. I had heard that if you quickly spray it with a gloss, the frost goes away. The frost did go away - mostly. Disgusted, I chose to walk away rather than whip it off the wall. With everything that happened I was so disgusted that I forgot to take WIP pics, so all I have left is the finale shots. Thanks for looking.

Now available to purchase, we have details on Revell's new Hawker Hunter T.7 / T.7A kit. Art, colours, plastic "glimpses" & details in our preview...Read on... »

More information on Kotare's new Bf 109E-4 kit in 1/32nd scale. Three (of four) profiles & info on the "lucky 20" draw benefits are all in our preview...Read on... »

Reskit has issued a 3D printed cockpit for ICM’s 1/35th scale CH-54A or S-64E Tarhe. There are versions of this from Reskit primarily with and without 3D printed instruments like the ones I reviewed last in my Reskit F-111E review. This set does not include the printed instrument panels but does includes more than 30 3D printed parts. Also included are acetates for the instrument panels, decals and small printed sheet for magazines that can be added. These are all packaged in a well-padded box containing the parts and their supports and boxes.

The M24 Chaffee in British service is Gecko Model's newest release in 16th scale. We look at the built-up test kit, etch & decals in our preview...Read on... »

Agora Models

Agora Models is a UK company based in London, England that specializes in high-quality large-scale models. This is the third part of the review of Agora Models’ Jeep Willys SAS, describing assembly and finishing of the Jeep. Agora distributes the Jeep kit monthly in 12 Packs.

Summary

Agora’s Willys SAS Jeep is a fantastic kit that will please Jeep lovers and fans of large-scale modeling. Assembly of the big kit is straightforward with detailed, clear instructions. There are many tiny screws used in the build, which is the only challenging part of the assembly. Pre-finishing of the parts allows building the kit without additional painting steps and even less experienced modelers will find the build enjoyable.

Italeri goes down a scale with their new-tooled Macchi M.C. 202 Folgore. We look at colour choices, CADs & other details about the model in our preview...Read on... »

Hi ! Here another project I have built in the past , of course it's SCRATCH ..if you like to view more pics, Just follow this Google link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3nTShbbboiZmwKkC8 Enjoy ! Jmarc

Welcome to Episode 128 of The Modelgeeks Podcast! 

After a small bit of banter, we share what is on our bench and what we have picked up lately.  We then cover Mail Call (keep the cards & letters coming folks!).  Don’t forget Listener Spotlight.  

For our Patreon Giveaway, courtesy of LionHeart Hobby we have the Eduard 1/48 PBY-5A Catalina.

Our main topic is “Spitfires, Part 1b”.  El Prez opened up his references and leads a modeler’s discussion of the Spitfire Mk V and VI.  If you’d like to follow along with his notes you can download them here.

We would like to thank all our listeners out there for the continued support you have given the show. We hope to see you out and about as we hit the show circuit. If you happen to see us at a show come on over and say hello, we may even put you in front of the mic!

If you can't make it to the shows then you can still interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, and of course email at:

contact@modelgeekspodcast.com 

Also remember to surf over to the Geeks homepage at https://modelgeekspodcast.com.  Take a look at the Listener Gallery, and if you’d like to see your work there, send us your photos to contact@modelgeekspodcast.com.  File size and quantity is not an issue for us, but may be an issue for your email provider.  Feel free to send us a link to a sharing service if you use one, but please ensure the link expires at least 7 days after you send it.  We need a few days to get them published.  

Make sure you check out our group / community on Facebook:

The ModelGeeks Model Shack

Get on there and feel free to share your work! We want to see what’s on your bench. 

We also want to thank each of our sponsors for their support. We are very lucky to have them. When you have the time, pay a visit to their web sites, and have a look at their fine products.

Please visit our Sponsors and see what new items they have:

• Furball Aero-Design
• Detail & Scale
• Tamiya USA
• Bases By Bill
• Hypersonic Models
• LionHeart Hobby
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• Kotare Models
• Squadron

We are very fortunate to be able to join the scale modeling podcast community and are in the company of several other really GREAT podcasts. Hopefully, someday we’ll earn our wings and be able to keep up with those guys!  Please check them all out at https://modelpodcasts.com.  It’s a consortium website created by Stuart Clark of the Scale Model Podcast.

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• The Kit Box 
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• Model Airplane Maker 
• Inch High Guy
• Scale Model Projects

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Following the base and paint modifications, the rest of the build is finishing the model and taking the pictures.

To finish the build, you need to finishing the left arm and leg; these are built the same way of the previous right arm and right leg. I did paint and modify most of the cylinders in the arm and leg as per the previous sections. Once these are attached, we need to build the torso.

The torso is constructed from the inside out with plates being added. The connections of the “hydraulic” lines also occurs. The parts are precut and glued in place and I used the recommended super glue here sparsely. These are attached to the head and shoulder section. The plate sections are heavy plastic or metal. The process continues with the back and cylinders being added. Follow the instructions and read them thoroughly and you should be good as fit is precise and great.

Following the base and paint modifications, the rest of the build is finishing the model and taking the pictures.

To finish the build, you need to finishing the left arm and leg; these are built the same way of the previous right arm and right leg. I did paint and modify most of the cylinders in the arm and leg as per the previous sections. Once these are attached, we need to build the torso.

The torso is constructed from the inside out with plates being added. The connections of the “hydraulic” lines also occurs. The parts are precut and glued in place and I used the recommended super glue here sparsely. These are attached to the head and shoulder section. The plate sections are heavy plastic or metal. The process continues with the back and cylinders being added. Follow the instructions and read them thoroughly and you should be good as fit is precise and great.

Thanks to Casemate Publishers USA and IPMS/USA for the review copy!

For too long, the Royal Navy's numerous heavy cruisers have been ignored by model ship companies. This timely update shows this mistake is being corrected, a boon for ship modelers. This heavily illustrated paperback is a useful and powerful single resource for building accurate models of the 13 County class heavy cruisers.

Casemate Publishers brings back Seaforth's ShipCraft 19, County Class Cruisers in Britain's Royal Navy before, during and after World War 2 by Les Brown. Les Brown is a well-known and accomplished British warship aficionado and model builder, with a long history of British warship subjects, typically destroyers and smaller warships. He is also a luminary in the Small Warships Group of the IPMS.

The Images of War series is a great series for modelers and those interested in history because the story told in amazing photographs that are usually not available anywhere else. Philip Jowett has authored several books within this series, and one of the amazing aspects of these books is that no matter the author, the books all feel a part of the series rather than disparate writing styles under the same banner.

Following the familiar Pen & Sword Images of War series is the story of Partisans & Guerrillas of World War Two - Poland, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Italy, France, covering 248 pages with 300 black and white photographs. Each chapter starts with a brief history of the topic covered, followed by a lot of photographs to complement the text. This book is composed of the following:

Episode 242

In this episode the boys talk to the guys from South Australian Plastic Modellers Association (SAPMA) about their up coming model show. [47:00]

We then hear from the Patriot Scale Modellers and their up coming PATCON show [1.10:00]

We have a flood of emails this episode sparking some good conversations [20.00]

All that plus the Patreon wheel of fortune.

Don't forget to support the sponsor of our show Scott from the Scale Modellers Supply.

https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/

Leave us a message, comment or even ask a question, we would love to hear from you! Write to Onthebench64@gmail.com.

If you would like to support our show please go to www.patreon.com/onthebench

Roden has sent news of two of their new releases: the Short Sunderland Mk III/V in 1/144th scale, plus the Borgward B3000 Maultier – this one in 72nd scale. We have a look at them both in our preview...Read on... »