For years the only way you could get an AH/MH-6 Little Bird in 1/48th scale was to buy a Hasegawa Hughes 500 and a CMK conversion set. This was expensive and sometimes hard to find. Now, thanks to ICM, we can build both kits out of the box. This review is about the MH-6J.

When I built my Werner’s Wings MH-47E conversion from the Trumpeter CH-47D I found out something that almost made me shelf the model, the landing gear was crap. Not in that it lacked detail but in the fact that it fell apart. The metal was brittle to the point of breaking up into multiple pieces as I tried to assemble it. I tried pinning the metal, but it just shattered more. I finally won but I don’t know how. I would have killed to have this set.

Digger Dave Goldfinch joins us for some brief travel talk, from recent events to what’s ahead, including the 2026 IPMS National Convention in Fort Wayne. There’s a full-on side quest too: a road trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, plus essential Americana stops like Waffle House and Buc-ee’s. 

Look for National Convention show content along with another listener submitted topic "Shop Talk" episode. In addition we will have a Model Show Spotlight in August as well, so stay tuned.

Come find us at the Nationals, say hi at the table, and if you like the show, subscribe, share it with a modeling buddy, and leave a quick review so more builders can find us.  

Model Paint Solutions
Your source for Harder & Steenbeck Airbrushes, Mixing supplies, and great advice!

SQUADRON
Adding to the stash since 1968

Model Podcasts
Please check out the other pods in the modelsphere!

KitMasx
Custom Canopy Masks for the Scale Modeler.

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

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Trumpeter has picked two great subjects for their August sees another set of two new releases from Trumpeter. We have colours, decals & built-up kits & CADs showing features of them both in our preview...Read on... »

HI ! Here another project I been working on for a couple of years, now is the AVROCAR PROGRAM , not much people know that this program started by selling the ideal to create a flying saucer for the USAF and US ARMY , when US military officials visited the AVRO CF-105 ARROW program in MALTON ONTARIO , One of the main AVRO enginer 'Mr JOHN FROST' offer to US OFFCIAL to visit a secret test lab , where AVRO CANADA was working on VTOL project call Y1.. when they saw it the US OFFICIAL came back with an offer to subsadize the program , this project was call PROJECT 1794 SILVER BUG ..While working on the program , AVRO build a smaller version of the propose propulsion VIPER ENGINE , this version was call the AVROCAR , If you like to view more pics just follow these links: AVRO Y1 ( project US OFFICIAL saw at AVRO CANADA MALTON ,PLANT ) https://photos.app.goo.gl/ERhUtBqwV9pthSRx7 AVRO PROJECT 1794 (FLYING SAUCER project propose to US OFFCIAL) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qy86TXs2uK4S1rCh6 VIPER ENGINE TEST SITE (IN PROGRESS) https://photos.app.goo.gl/a4U68zGFD4hUm1m88 AVROCAR VZ-9 PROTOTYPE 1 in is original airframe with the GROUND EFFECT JIG TEST site https://photos.app.goo.gl/BBQgQQuk8v2JQBPVA AVROCAR VZ-9 PROTOTYPE 2 in is last test airframe before cancellation on is test site at AVRO CANADA plant https://photos.app.goo.gl/CQR663YQcvpAuh4x5 CAE AVROCAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR ( IN PROGRESS) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qy86TXs2uK4S1rCh6 Since this is an ongoing project they will be more to see later on , and I plan to upgarde it with completed and new projects Enjoy Jmarc

HI ! Here another project I have done in the past , if you like to view more pics of the project , just visit this GOGLE link : https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Md8WHC7JX9ZrfTb8 Enjoy ! Jmarc

Recently I airbrushed some Testers Fluorescent Orange paint and had something strange happen. While the paint went on well, as soon as I started spraying, gossamer strands were floating in the air all around me. At first I thought the moving air had stirred up some old cobwebs, but I noticed that they had a slight tint of color similar to what I was spraying. They didn't seem to be emanating from where I was spraying, they just sort of "appeared" all around me. They settled on things and did, indeed, look like cobwebs but were easily brushed away and did not leave any residue. Have I unleashed some portal to hell or can someone give me a more scientific explanation.

Greetings my fellow ModelGeeks, and welcome to the MGPC Episode 129!  Nemo hosts this episode, with a full house including D-RAN!!!  Welcome back again Darrin!!!  We chat about the latest and greatest in everyone's model world and get caught up with what's happening in the hobby.  

The mail bag was full again with over 15 emails, which is awesome!  We really appreciate the emails and love hearing from you all.  Also, thanks again for the listener gallery submissions.  Please keep the emails and gallery pics coming and we can't wait to see your work, discuss them on the podcast, and present them on our website.

For the main topic, we talk about Accuracy and Judging.  Should it play a part in the judging process?? Maybe... maybe not.   Organizations like AMPS have accuracy as part of their judging criteria whereas IPMS does not.   We give our thoughts and opinions on what we believe and dive into the details.  It's a great topic and we hope you all give it a listen.

Please feel free to interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, and email:  contact@modelgeekspodcast.com

Be sure to check out our website: www.modelgeekspodcast.com.

Make sure you check out our new group / community on Facebook, The ModelGeeks Model Shack

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

• Detail and Scale
• Furball Aero-Design
• Tamiya USA
• Bases by Bill
• LionHeart Hobby
• Hypersonic Models
• Matters of Scale
• Kotare Models
• Squadron

 
Also, if you're interested in the model shows, click the link below!
IPMS USA Events Page

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 Scale Model Podcasts.

Blogs:
The Kit Box
Sprue Pie with Frets
Model Airplane Maker 

Well, that's it for this episode.  Thanks again for all your support and we hope to see you all this year.  Just remember, be excellent to each other, and get out there and build something!  Take care everyone, out from the Geeks!

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Clayton from Workbench Hobbies has made a great review of Tamiya's new 35th scale US Light Tank M24 Chaffee European Theatre kit. We look at the kit contents & how it goes together in his review...Read on... »

So I finally wrapped this one up a short while ago, and it is my 6th completion for this year. I’m almost on track for an average of one a month at this rate! This is the Tamiya classic Krupp Protze, with only minimal changes made. I did add the missing steering linkage, and of course added stowage items in the cargo bed. I also cut off and repositioned the windshield, then made a Zeltbahn cover for it using tissue and thinned white glue. The base colors are Mr Hobby Gunze Aqueous, and most of the detail colors are AK 3rd Gen and Vallejo Model Color acrylics. The mud is AK Splatter Effect Dried Mud with some Mr Hobby Dried Earth pigments to alter the shade, and Humbrol Dust Wash airbrushed on. Markings are for 24th Panzer Division in the Summer of 1942 that are combination of decals from my spares and kit decals. Stowage is mostly out of my spares bins, along with a few small 3D items that I printed. Thanks for looking, comments and critiques are welcome.

Episode 243 we talk to talented figure modeller Mike the Kiwi about his passion for WW1 subjects and his book the highly regarded "Modelling & Painting WW1 Allied Figures"

To find out move about Mike, visit his Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/cw/MikeTheKiwi

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

First off, a note of thanks to Revell for providing this kit to IPMS/USA!

I have had the fortune to build just about every major manufacturer’s” Battle Penguin” since the mid-2015 period (excluding Tamiya’s, I am a 1/48 guy as I get older), and this new release from Revell Germany is a great example of the lower-cost, simpler variant with an excellent final result… it was a surprisingly easy build, and some features just stood out for me.

(For the uninitiated, the official name “Lightning II” in my opinion is a lazy way to come up with a title, (same for “Beast Mode”, yeah, right) and the aforementioned “Battle Penguin” is what most people I know who work on the jet call it… There is another name that is less flattering in “FA” (look it up); I personally think it looks like a horny toad sitting on the ground, but whatever). Enough…

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) provides resin and white metal parts for scale model aircraft, most of which are drop-in landing gear replacements. Their standard packaging is a card-backed blister pack that should protect the parts, though one gear leg in one set was slightly bent went I opened the package.

The superb DBMK 1/32 Sea Fury kit was released earlier in 2026 and these sets from SAC are direct copies of that kit’s landing gear, including the main gear legs and various attached and associated parts. The early set, 32199, depicts the original Sea Fury landing gear that featured the Hawker standard landing gear leg, while the late leg, as depicted in set 32198, had an extra oleo section to better cope with shearing forces in cross-wind landings, and to help damp bouncing on landing.

First off, a note of thanks to Revell for providing this kit to IPMS USA!

I have had the fortune to build just about every major manufacturer’s” Battle Penguin” since the mid-2015 period (excluding Tamiya’s, I am a 1/48 guy as I get older), and this new release from Revell Germany is a great example of the lower-cost, simpler variant with an excellent final result… it was a surprisingly easy build, and some features just stood out for me.

(For the uninitiated, the official name “Lightning II” in my opinion is a lazy way to come up with a title, (same for “Beast Mode”, yeah, right) and the aforementioned “Battle Penguin” is what most people I know who work on the jet call it… There is another name that is less flattering in “FA” (look it up); I personally think it looks like a horny toad sitting on the ground, but whatever). Enough…

Originally published in 2007, the revised edition was recently issued in 2026. The book's content is well sequenced, beginning with the battlecruiser's design history, the careers of the 3 famous battlecruisers HMS Renown, HMS Repulse and HMS Hood, a comprehensive review of all the well known scale models of these famous ships produced to date, a well photographed model showcase in various scales, five WW2 camouflage schemes for the 3 ships, a summary of modifications and refits for each ship documented by photos, line drawings and a selected reference.

The fastest way to lose your modeling mojo is not a bad kit, it is a workspace that fights you every step of the build. With the IPMS Nationals in Fort Wayne around the corner, we keep things “Mojo Light” but pack in a ton of practical shop talk driven by listener messages, real bench mishaps, and the kind of small changes that add up to better results.

We start with what life looks like when guests are arriving, the yard needs attention, and the hobby room is mid-revamp. Then we share a true walkaway moment at the bench: a full waste-solvent spill, dead digital calipers, and the mad scramble to clean up safely. That leads to a bigger conversation modelers often ignore until it bites us, indoor air quality. We talk VOCs, why fumes can linger after you stop spraying, what an air quality monitor can reveal, and how extraction, respirators, and even dedicated VOC filtration can make your hobby room healthier.

From there, we dig into fun “what if” questions for history and research nerds, the missing records and photos we wish we could recover, and the extinct military subjects we would save for a museum. We also tackle a classic scale modeling debate: historical accuracy versus artistic license, and why the best-looking builds often balance accuracy, scale fidelity, and a tasteful finish.

If you enjoy scale modeling workflow tips, hobby room organization ideas, airbrush ventilation talk, and Nationals energy, you will feel right at home. Subscribe, share the show with a modeling buddy, and leave a review so more builders can find us.

Model Paint Solutions
Your source for Harder & Steenbeck Airbrushes, Mixing supplies, and great advice!

SQUADRON
Adding to the stash since 1968

Model Podcasts
Please check out the other pods in the modelsphere!

KitMasx
Custom Canopy Masks for the Scale Modeler.

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

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Give us your Feedback!
Rate the Show!

Support the Show!
Patreon
Buy Me a Beer
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Bump Riffs Graciously Provided by Ed Baroth
Ad Reads Generously Provided by Bob "The Voice of Bob" Bair

Mike and Kentucky Dave thank each and everyone of you for participating on this journey with us.  

Beyond The Box Art® — Episode 34

Scale Model Podcast — Episode 162

IPMS UK & USA Presidents - TOGETHER

Hiya Benchmates — Episode 34 has landed, and this is one we've genuinely been looking forward to for a very long time.

For only the second time, Beyond The Box Art® joins forces with our great friends at The Scale Model Podcast for another special transatlantic collaboration, bringing together voices from both sides of the Atlantic for what has become a truly landmark episode.

This time, however, we're making a little bit of history...

Feature Discussion — The First Public IPMS Presidents Round Table

For the first time ever, the Presidents of IPMS UK, IPMS USA, and IPMS Canada come together publicly for one conversation.

Joining Brownie, Balders, Dan & Shane are Terry Miesle and Geoff Heyland, plus:

• Ian Middleton — President, IPMS UK
• • John Noack — President, IPMS USA

Together they discuss the future of IPMS, attracting new generations of modellers, supporting clubs and shows, the challenges facing modelling organisations around the world, and why the hobby remains as relevant today as ever.

Rather than a formal interview, this is a genuine round-table discussion between friends who all share the same goal — ensuring scale modelling continues to thrive for many years to come.

There are thoughtful discussions, plenty of laughs, a healthy amount of good-natured banter, and more than a few moments where international diplomacy is tested over plastic kits.

Stash Inflation Report

The team's wallets once again take a considerable battering as they round up the latest kit announcements, aftermarket releases and modelling temptations from around the world.

Aircraft, armour, naval subjects, Gunpla and everything in between all come under the spotlight, with plenty of opportunities to add "just one more kit" to the stash.

As always, expect a few questionable purchasing decisions, several enabling comments, and at least one declaration that "I definitely don't need another one..."

(We all know how that ends.)

This episode is more than simply another podcast.

It's a celebration of what can happen when modelling communities work together rather than apart, proving that while our accents, club badges and favourite subjects may differ, we're all united by exactly the same passion for scale modelling.

We sincerely hope this becomes the first of many annual conversations bringing together IPMS organisations from around the world.

So grab a brew, pull up a chair at the bench, and join us for a truly international conversation celebrating our hobby.

Beyond The Box Art® Episode 34 & The Scale Model Podcast Episode 162 starts NOW!

Brownie & the Beyond The Box Art® Team

Models. Modellers. Meaning.

Contact

Email: info@beyondtheboxart.com

Website: www.beyondtheboxart.com

Show Sponsors

AMMO by Mig Jiménez — www.ammo.es

Fischkopp Model Company — https://www.fischkoppcompany.de/

Guideline Publications — https://www.guidelinepublications.co.uk/

Phase Hangar Resin Accessories — https://phasehangarresin.com/

The Scale Modellers Supply — https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/

Useful Links

Pondstones — https://pondstones.sumupstore.com

MachModels — https://www.youtube.com/@machmodels

48 in 48 event information — https://48-48.org

Models for Heroes — https://modelsforheroes.org.uk

Eduard — https://www.eduard.com/

Airfix — www.airfix.com

Revell — www.revell.com

IPMS UK — www.ipmsuk.org

Scale Modelling Now — http://www.scalemodellingnow.com

Inside The Armour — https://www.insidethearmour.com/

Red Beach One Studios — https://www.facebook.com/RedBeachOneStudios/

MiniArt has another kit loaded with ammo & crates for your Allied armor. 1/35th scale 7.5 cm shells with ammo boxes to complement your dioramas in our preview...Read on... »

The non-profit UK based group known as the Great War Aviation Society publishes their journal, Cross & Cockade International, four times a year. Issues are available in English as printed [Softbound, A4 (8.27” x 11.69”), 80 pages plus centerfold] as well as digital copies (or both). A new magazine, Contact!, is now available in both print and digital download. The Society also provides a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front. The Great War Aviation Society also hosts a lecture series available through Zoom. If interested, you will need to register early as the call is limited in attendance. The Great War Aviation Society also is on Facebook and on X [Twitter].

Hasegawa first released their 1/48 A-7E in 1987 with various boxing still available today. To date it is the most accurate offering in shape and features. Where it is lacking and showing its age is in the cockpit assembly. ResKit have come to the rescue with a finely detailed 3D printed cockpit assembly which is an almost drop-in fit. Refer to the pictures that accompany this review to see the amazing level of detail on the ejection seat alone.