JUNE 07 MEETING NOTES
We had a very good turn out for an early summer meeting. A beautiful day outside
with the following members attending: Mike J., Mark J., Chip, Don B., Gary, Curtis,
Merrill, Jacques, Dave N., Kyle, Scott, Chris, Jim, Wayne and Rick.
Chip gave a treasurer’s report on the status of our coffers. After paying for the
award to the TCAH for the upcoming Nordicon Chip stated that the MMFS has $250 remaining.
Wayne has been a busy person and has been in contact with a printer about getting club
shirts made. He stated that he needed a logo (a high resolution image on CD would
work) to be able to get a quote on the price. Wayne was given a copy of the agreed upon
MMFS logo (that needs to be changed on our web page) and he will look into what we will be
able to get.
In the May meeting it was brought up that one of our meetings could be a field trip to the
Minneapolis Institute of Art. Looking at some of the classic artwork from Europe
would help inspire and understand some of the techniques that could be useful in painting
miniatures. It was decided that instead of a regular Friday evening meeting we would
meet Saturday. Due to the fact that many members also attend the TCAH meeting on
Saturday it was decided to arrange our field trip meeting on the 3rd Saturday.
August18, 2007 is the tentative date to meet at the MIA at 1:00 pm.
Members were encouraged to attend the ceremony for the dedication of the World War II
memorial at the State Capital grounds on July 9th.
Gary brought in a blast from the past with a news article from the Winnipeg newspaper.
Back in the 1980s many of the MMFS members would travel to Winnipeg, Canada for their
annual show. At one time the Winnipeg’s club had held their miniature show in
the local art museum. >From a June 1988 news clipping Gary read that the Winnipeg
club had such influence that the Governor of Manitoba made a proclamation that the day of
the Winnipeg club’s show was to be official declared as ‘Model Day’.
At the time members attending were Gary, Brent Olson and John Treadwell.
Gary also described the Maritime Convention held in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It was a 3-day
event celebrating maritime technology and history. There is also a model ship event that
Gary describes is ‘TH E’ event for shipbuilders in the Midwest. Though the
entries in total were small (about 30 ships) the craftsmanship and artistry is the best in
the nation. Most ships are scratch-built with incredible detail. The area that
Gary entered was the category of plastic models. He mentioned that his techniques of
rendering wood were so convincing that many viewing his work couldn’t believe they
were made of plastic. Gary mentioned that at this event model entries must be
accompanied with a research document that states the history of the vessel modeled along
with construction records. A bit different from most model competitions. For
his efforts Gary brought home a certificate for his Mayflower and a silver for his French
Cerbert.
DEMO
Mark Jacques had a wonderful demonstration on applying heavy mud to vehicles. At one
time Mark used to use Gunze Sangyo surfacer material for his heavy mud. Now Mark
uses a system he came up with using scrap plastic. He grinds the plastic with sandpaper
and using the fine shavings applies them to the surface of the vehicle. He adheres
the shavings using dirty thinner. When dry mark then uses paint to finish the job.
An amazing simple yet effective technique. Inexpensive too. Thanks for the
great demo Mark.
PHOTOS
01. Kyle Nelson brought in this Italian M13/40 Italian tank from World War II. It is the
Tamiya kit out-of-the-box.
02. This is the DML Panther G late by Mark Jacques. The camouflage loops on the
turret are very effectively done. A fantastic finish that Mark will explain later in his
demo.
03. Another view of the same Panther by Mark.
04. The headless French Marine by Chris Barrett. Apparently this poor fellow had a battle
with one of Chris’ cats just as he was getting it ready to bring to the meeting.
Maybe we will see it again next month with the head surgically reattached.
05. Scott and his amazing Babe Ruth. He is all sculpted and primed ready to paint.
We can’t wait to see the final results.
06. One of two items that Wayne brought in is this Japanese Elf bust. Looks pretty
good so far even though Wayne states it is in progress.
07. Another in progress item is this 1/35th scale Fall of Berlin diorama. The base
is pretty much done Wayne states and he needs to work on the figures.
08. Here is our esteemed demonstrator for July Mark Jacques. Mark gets his material
ready as Jacques Duquette tries to cast a curse spell over the desk.
09. The bare bottom of a Sherman waiting Mark’s technique.
10. Here are the plastic shavings placed onto the hull.
11. Dirty thinner is now applied to adhere the shavings.
12. Paint now added to give the correct color.
13. The final results on a Stuart tank. What an amazing technique mark!
JULY MEETING UPDATE
Our next meeting is July 13, 2007. Yes, it is a Friday the 13 so anyone named Jason
can stay away. Chip has informed us that he will not be able to attend the July or
August meetings so anyone turning in dues will have to give them to either Chris, Jim or
Mike B.
Club shirt update
Finalize August field trip
Upcoming shows
Scott and his mystery demonstration is scheduled
We will be looking forward to seeing you all at Fleming Field in South St. Paul July 13,
2007 at 7:30 pm for another meeting of the MMFS (Applebees afterwards?)
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