http://www.FineScale.com 7Your voice in FSM
SCALE TALK
Apollo 11 memories ...
I enjoyed reading the Apollo 11 memories
of the FineScale editorial staff so permit me
to share mine. A bunch of us guys were sit-
ting in a dry rice paddy eating a noon meal
from green tin cans when my RTO nudged
me to say that on the battalion radio net
they were reporting NASA had landed
men on the moon. Unbelievable, I thought,
if they can land a man on the moon why
can’t they rocket me out of here.- Dan Kirby
Arlington, Va.
... sitting on a runway
Great FSM! Your editorial question, “What
are your Apollo 11 memories?” stirred mine.
I was in the runup area for Runway 32
in Omaha, Neb., at the flight engineer’s
panel on a 727 — and we didn’t need a
runup. Taxiing out, we were listening to the
moon landing on the ADF, and the captain
said, “I’m not going anywhere until we hear
the outcome” so he pulled over and set the
brakes. We only had to wait five minutes or
so, which was probably good because I’m
sure a delay for that wouldn’t have been
welcomed by the company schedulers. He
then made an informative announcement to
our passengers and we took off for Chicago.- Walt Fink
Woodstock, Ill.
Old issue keeps on giving!
After my wife complained about my new
order of model kits from Squadron, I went
to my collection of kits and started looking
through them. Some I discarded simply
because of missing or broken parts, bad
paint jobs, and other issues, but some were
partially completed and ready to have work
continued on them.
One kit I opened was the HobbyBoss
M4 high–speed tractor. The work was well
under way and looked good.
To my surprise, inside the box was an
issue of FineScale Modeler dated April 2008
opened to the page that has a review of the
kit. I obviously was using the review to
guide me in the build.
Surprises on many levels, including an
11-year–old issue of FSM to reread!
Ironically, the kit’s selling price has gone
up one dollar a year! Thank you for a great
modeling magazine that keeps on giving!- Charles Palia
Lisle, Ill.
A7V replica in Germany
I enjoyed Great War Scale Modeling very
much. There is one omission in the building
of the A7V story on page 54.
It is true that only one original A7V
exists in Australia, but a complete replica
exists at the Deutsches Panzermuseum in
Munster, Germany. I have been there and
seen it. The museum is the German army
armor museum and is very nice. There is
also a museum at Koblenz which is very
good. I also have visited Bovington in
England and the French museum at
Saumur, which is in two locations in the
city. It has been a long time since I was
there, but I found out about the second
location by accident in conversation withsome French army officers. The second
location was in an old railroad station. Both
locations are impressive.
I was allowed into the second location
alone with no supervision. That was my best
museum experience ever. I would love to go
back, but at 87 that’s unlikely. I am a little
slow on building these days, but true to
form my stash is still expanding.- Bob Caswell
Watertown, N.Y.
FSM and modeling = happiness
Just wanted to drop a note and say how I
enjoy your work and the pure enjoyment of
FSM. I get a number of periodicals that
discuss world issues and challenges, but
the publication that gives me the most
pleasure is FSM. It’s all about a hobby that
I enjoy doing and I enjoy seeing what
others accomplish.
I was fortunate to spend a career as a U.S.
Army armor officer and commanded a num-
ber of tank units. I can still hear the chatter
of the radio and smell the engine exhaust.
Now in semi–retirement, I got back to
the hobby and enjoy researching and build-
ing Allied tanks, as a small way of preserv-
ing the legacy of those veterans. I have a
grown son who is a U.S. Air Force pilot and
two younger boys who love dad’s collection.
Fingers crossed, I hope to keep building for
a few more years! We are a military family
and my wife is still serving!- Bart Howard
Lago, Patria, Italy
In the July issue
we asked our
staff members
for their Apollo 11
memories. Here
are a few from
FSM readers too!
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07
Repainting a toy figure
Q
I recently bought a toy figure
to use in a current project. I
believe it is made of soft vinyl. I plan
to modify and repaint it. Should I
remove the paint already on it, and
if so what should I use to do that?
What primer and type of paint
would work best? Some of the figure
also needs to be painted with metal-
lics.
- Brian Alexander,
Chesapeake Va.
A
Without seeing the figure it’s
difficult to give a definitive
answer. If it’s possible to remove the
existing paint, it’s best to do that.
Either way, priming is crucial; not
only will it cover the remaining paint,
but the plasticizers in soft plastic can
prevent paint from sticking. Look for
a primer that is designed to cover
plastic (like that made to paint out-
door plastic furniture, http://www.
rustoleum.com/product–catalog/con-
sumer–brands/specialty/plastic–
primer–spray/) as it should cover the
soft vinyl. Once that is on, you
should be able to paint the figure as
normal. – Aaron SkinnerQ&A
Bart offers these beauties, a 1/45 scale M4A3EB
(top) from the Korean War, and a 1/35 M4A
late model Sherman as it was in Europe in- Both are Tamiya models built straight
from the box and sprayed with Tamiya acrylics.