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00:00:19.977Welcome to Plastic Model Mojo, a podcast dedicated to scale modeling, as well as the news and events around the hobby.
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00:00:28.894Let's join Mike and Kentucky Dave as they strive to be informative, entertaining and help you keep your modeling mojo alive.
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00:00:43.225All right folks, kentucky.
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00:00:46.512Dave, it's episode 135 of Plastic Model Mojo.
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00:00:48.125How are you doing tonight, my friend?
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00:00:53.792I'm not doing too bad if the weather around here would not stop trying to kill us.
00:00:53.792 -->
00:00:57.926I'm telling you, I'm ready to see some green man.
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00:01:02.226Yeah, green and the sun I take brown at this point.
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00:01:03.079Yeah well, true enough.
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00:01:04.180I take Brown at this point.
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00:01:05.361Yeah, well, true enough.
00:01:05.361 -->
00:01:12.725The weather in Kentucky this year has been nothing short of horrid For Kentucky.
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00:01:28.135For Kentucky, yes, no, for anywhere else up north this would be a pretty mild winter, Although I understand we have had like four more inches of snow than Minneapolis has had this year, which is just crazy.
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00:01:29.316That is crazy.
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00:01:31.537It's probably been warmer down here, though.
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00:01:46.653Yes, when it's not been snowing, it's been single-digit cold, and then, when it finally does get warm, it pours huge amounts of rain, and I am just ready for it to be over.
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00:01:50.748So we have some escapism, yes.
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00:01:53.487Known as our hobbies, and fortunately they're indoors.
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00:01:59.391Yes, so my model sphere has benefited, but not as much as you would think.
00:01:59.391 -->
00:02:04.144Simply because of having to deal with all of the weather-related stuff, that driveway isn't going to shovel itself.
00:02:04.144 -->
00:02:08.068Simply because of having to deal with all of the weather-related stuff, that driveway isn't going to shovel itself.
00:02:08.068 -->
00:02:10.650Those cars aren't going to defrost themselves.
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00:02:25.324But I have made it to the bench and have been making progress on projects and the show season's coming up, so I'm getting prepared for show season.
00:02:25.324 -->
00:02:29.854In fact, when we're done recording this, I'll be packing the vehicle up for tomorrow's trip to Columbus.
00:02:29.854 -->
00:02:32.328I'm looking forward to what's coming up.
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00:02:42.426Man, I am thrilled, I'm jazzed, a little bit panicked about the Moosaroo, but we'll get her done, and so that's my model sphere.
00:02:42.426 -->
00:02:43.109How about yours?
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00:02:45.586We're running down a dream man.
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00:02:46.449This is all great.
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00:02:50.228I'm trying to find a cadence for this year.
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00:02:50.427Man.
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00:03:01.800Here we're the latter part of first quarter and you know we got some stuff we're doing changing a few things around and trying some new stuff and just trying to keep it fresh and all that for everybody.
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00:03:13.584But you know we launched the website and just today I had the scope meeting with our web guys for the phase two, so hopefully we'll get a quote back from that in a week or so and figure out what we're going to do.
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00:03:16.844That's it, my model sphere other than bench time.
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00:03:17.948We'll get to that.
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00:03:19.009I've been doing pretty good.
00:03:19.551 -->
00:03:23.669Good Well, I assume you have a modeling fluid.
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00:03:24.692I do.
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00:03:26.324What do we have?
00:03:26.324 -->
00:03:29.629I have Pilsner Urkel from the Czech Republic.
00:03:30.402 -->
00:03:30.944Oh, good choice.
00:03:30.944 -->
00:03:33.106God, you never go wrong with that one.
00:03:33.680 -->
00:03:36.229Well, I went wrong because I started drinking it too early.
00:03:36.229 -->
00:03:39.090I'm going to have to pause at some point and go retrieve another one.
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00:03:42.007That's perfectly acceptable.
00:03:42.007 -->
00:03:43.009What about you?
00:03:43.009 -->
00:03:45.064Well, I've got one.
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00:03:48.286It's a repeat, it's Ace Pear Cider.
00:03:48.286 -->
00:04:07.407Oh, your favorite, one of my two favorite beers slash ciders, along with Gumball Head, and In the Mood for One had to happen to have it available, so that I know is going to get me through the episode and we'll talk about it again at the end.
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00:04:13.830All right, Well, the mailbag's always got something in it and we might as well get into that.
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00:04:14.812You got it.
00:04:14.812 -->
00:04:16.665Well, I missed one last week.
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00:04:19.228It came in, should have come in.
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00:04:20.120I wouldn't.
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00:04:39.312I wouldn't say it came in under the wire, but it was one of the last emails we got ahead of the last episode and for some reason I missed it and it was from Rock Roszak at Detail and Scale, and I've already talked to him about that and told him I'd lead off with this one this episode, and he and Bert are about to rip through the P-51 series.
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00:04:49.915Yes, and just in time with Arma's P-51 series and Edward's P-51 series, it's a good time to be a Mustang modeler.
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00:05:00.963Well, part one of a four-part anthology I guess has just been released and it's going to be the early Allison engine P-51s and variants.
00:05:00.963 -->
00:05:17.113So I guess all the experimentals and prototypes NA-73X, xp-51, p-51, a-36a, p-51a and the Mustangs Mark I, ia and II Are those the British ones, yep, and then an F-6A, which I don't know what it is, and an F-6P.
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00:05:17.439That's.
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00:05:20.283The F-6 is the reconnaissance weapon.
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00:05:24.867Ah okay, as you know, they digitally publish as well as publish books.
00:05:24.867 -->
00:05:52.663And Rock is the guy who really convinced me that getting a tablet and going digital was the way to go for a lot of this stuff, and he was 100% right.
00:05:52.663 -->
00:06:13.333He reached out because Google has its own book format and they had not published in that format up to now volume one book to kind of beta test to make sure everything looked right and to see if there were any glitches and if the conversion to that specific format worked.
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00:06:14.033And it did.
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00:06:26.040And so I got to read that P-51 book and wow, okay, I would like to flatter myself that I knew a fair amount about the P-51.
00:06:27.141 -->
00:06:34.175It is amazing how much information was in there, stuff that I had no idea.
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00:06:50.040I learned a ton, and the pictures are fantastic and the ability to blow them up to get in as close on the detail as you could want it's absolutely wonderful.
00:06:50.040 -->
00:07:05.874So now you will have Kindle versions, you'll have the Google Book versions, the Apple versions, so no matter what book reader you use, you'll be able to access the detail and scale library.
00:07:05.874 -->
00:07:12.432And I'm telling you, if you're a P-51 fan, this series is going to be great.
00:07:13.079 -->
00:07:18.312Well, the detail chapter covers all aspects of the aircraft with more than 125 detail photographs.
00:07:18.312 -->
00:07:22.490They've used an extensive use of period color photographs.
00:07:22.490 -->
00:07:33.824There's a modeler section, like in all the detail scale books, and in total 245 photographs, in total, 126 in color, seven color profiles and 10 scale drawings.
00:07:33.824 -->
00:07:37.863And, like you said, amazon, apple, google and Kobo, which I'm not familiar with.
00:07:38.687 -->
00:07:44.632Yeah $14.99 via electronic version and $21.99 for print edition.
00:07:44.632 -->
00:07:49.511Check it out at wwwdetailandscalecom.
00:07:49.511 -->
00:07:51.024So Rock, there you go.
00:07:51.024 -->
00:07:52.504Man Can't wait for Volume 2.
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00:07:54.545Highly recommended man.
00:07:54.545 -->
00:07:57.848Well, speaking of new products, how about new old products?
00:07:57.848 -->
00:08:01.187Okay, Highly desirable new old products.
00:08:01.187 -->
00:08:04.408All right, the Dixie Flyer, Warren Dickinson, is hitting us up again with some information.
00:08:04.408 -->
00:08:04.850Yes, he did us a solid.
00:08:04.850 -->
00:08:06.660All right, the Dixie Flyer, Warren Dickinson is hitting us up again with some information.
00:08:07.259 -->
00:08:09.187Yes, he did us a solid.
00:08:09.468 -->
00:08:09.889He did.
00:08:09.889 -->
00:08:21.512He reached out to Aviology and said what's up with these no decal availabilities on these Japanese tailcoats, and they informed him that they were indeed going to redo them and reissue them.
00:08:21.512 -->
00:08:25.050So currently there are four sets.
00:08:25.050 -->
00:08:31.713Each One of you know yellow, red, black and white tail codes in both 72nd and 48th scale.
00:08:31.713 -->
00:08:34.950So, folks, if you want those tail codes, you better grab them.
00:08:35.899 -->
00:08:40.072And I can tell you that Mike and I's order has been placed.
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00:08:42.904Aviology Publishing.
00:08:42.904 -->
00:08:45.027Now they're up in Canada, if I'm not mistaken.
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00:08:49.650Yes, they are Aviologycom, I'm thinking is the correct web address.
00:08:49.900 -->
00:08:50.684I believe it is.
00:08:51.322 -->
00:08:54.907Now we'll put it in the show notes, because it's a complex spelling.
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00:09:06.866Yes, well, our Texan friend, jake McKee, and past guest of a couple times, has written in regarding throwing stuff away and the inability to do so, or at least muster up the courage to do it.
00:09:07.299 -->
00:09:08.505I've got that problem man.
00:09:10.120 -->
00:09:15.147He said for years his mother would send him small and sometimes large boxes of stuff she couldn't stand to throw away.
00:09:15.147 -->
00:09:23.448He says he didn't know the stuff still existed, which ended up leading to the don't want to throw it away problem just being shifted to him.
00:09:23.639 -->
00:09:28.186Yeah, I was going to say that that was a mom's revenge.
00:09:28.648 -->
00:09:29.309I think so.
00:09:29.309 -->
00:09:30.041So you know.
00:09:30.041 -->
00:09:35.693He opens these boxes and finds his Boy Scout uniform and his fourth grade glasses and his kindergarten artwork.
00:09:35.693 -->
00:09:40.892He's found that help toss stuff is just to take a picture of it, because that's going to last forever.
00:09:41.640 -->
00:09:42.739That's not a bad idea.
00:09:42.980 -->
00:09:44.009And just get rid of it after that.
00:09:44.009 -->
00:09:44.474That's not a bad idea.
00:09:44.474 -->
00:09:45.200And just get rid of it after that.
00:09:46.020 -->
00:09:47.748That is not a bad idea.
00:09:48.721 -->
00:09:49.547So there you go, Dave.
00:09:50.311 -->
00:09:50.894I like that.
00:09:51.100 -->
00:09:58.006You start taking pictures and get one of them 30 cubic yard dumpsters out in your driveway and start chucking it.
00:09:58.860 -->
00:10:01.288Well, I've been chucking it a little bit at a time.
00:10:01.288 -->
00:10:08.274So you know, I'm trying to make sure that every time the garbage goes out on Sunday night that it's full.
00:10:08.274 -->
00:10:11.749So I'm making slow progress.
00:10:12.600 -->
00:10:14.404We're kind of always doing that around here.
00:10:14.404 -->
00:10:18.567I tell you, one time I made a game out of it.
00:10:18.567 -->
00:10:25.466I don't know where I got this tip, but I made this grid with 100 squares on it and it was get rid of 100 things.
00:10:25.466 -->
00:10:28.849Now they don't have to be significant, Right?
00:10:28.849 -->
00:10:33.753I mean they could be crap out of your junk drawer in your kitchen or whatever, but that's something Right.
00:10:33.753 -->
00:10:43.413Broken wooden spoon Exactly Ballpoint pens with the clips broken off, the pocket clip and all that jazz.
00:10:43.413 -->
00:10:51.349But anyway, you fill that out as you go and you can see the progress and when you're all done, you've thrown out a hundred things you didn't need.
00:10:52.620 -->
00:10:53.566That's a great idea.
00:10:54.620 -->
00:10:56.206Well, from Finland is next Dave.
00:10:56.206 -->
00:11:08.544All right, our listener, philae Yervanen has written in and he appreciated the story about the uh, the air cap not being tight with Dr Miller.
00:11:09.067 -->
00:11:09.347Yeah.
00:11:10.100 -->
00:11:11.446And he's wondering if we have any other.
00:11:11.446 -->
00:11:12.690Oh, crap stories.
00:11:13.581 -->
00:11:15.609Oh, we got tons of oh crap stories.
00:11:15.919 -->
00:11:17.366We've done one, maybe two.
00:11:17.366 -->
00:11:18.625I have to go back to the back catalog.
00:11:18.625 -->
00:11:22.971I know we, early on our first year we did a goose, gaffes and blunders episode.
00:11:23.211 -->
00:11:23.451Yes.
00:11:23.451 -->
00:11:46.509So if you haven't gone back and listened to the early catalog, that would be a reason to go back and actually listen to those early episodes, because Mike and I tell some stories of some serious modeling mistakes in Goose and some of them are a little bit funny.
00:11:47.221 -->
00:11:48.586And we got some from listeners too.
00:11:49.039 -->
00:11:52.308And some of them are only funny in retrospect, that's right?
00:11:53.030 -->
00:11:55.567Well, he's taking his task here a little bit, dave.
00:11:55.567 -->
00:12:01.744Okay, His plan for getting better this year is to learn to spray shiny 2k clear coats on car bodies.
00:12:02.466 -->
00:12:06.964Good, that is a wonderful, wonderful plan for getting better.
00:12:07.183 -->
00:12:08.565And, of course, yes, what's ours?
00:12:08.565 -->
00:12:12.989Okay, which I think, if I'm not mistaken.
00:12:12.989 -->
00:12:18.354I wish I hadn't deleted that text stream, but I think that is one of our topics for the next.
00:12:18.354 -->
00:12:20.956It is the next Shop Talk.
00:12:22.100 -->
00:12:22.341Yes it is.
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00:12:29.628So, philae, we're going're gonna take that to heart and it's something we've talked about offline we've well, on on the show too we've.
00:12:29.628 -->
00:12:31.780Yeah, that had been a mantra for a long time.
00:12:31.780 -->
00:12:37.341We've kind of gotten away from it with all the changes in the podcast and stuff and it's time to get back to that.
00:12:37.341 -->
00:12:39.385Yep, I completely agree.
00:12:39.385 -->
00:12:41.029Well, he's.
00:12:41.029 -->
00:12:50.672He reminded me that I'd mentioned shiny paint jobs was not an interest of mine about modeling cars and suggested making an old, rotten car model and using military weathering techniques.
00:12:50.672 -->
00:12:52.895Yeah, that's an idea.
00:12:52.895 -->
00:12:54.879Maybe, I don't know.
00:12:54.879 -->
00:13:01.139Yeah, I've kind of got a prejudice against derelicts, though we won't get into that tonight.
00:13:01.259 -->
00:13:03.201We won't get into that tonight.
00:13:03.201 -->
00:13:12.711You could do one of the number of military cars, either German or American, and you don't have to make it derelict.
00:13:12.711 -->
00:13:16.797But those were all flat-coated.
00:13:16.919 -->
00:13:18.892Wouldn't that kind of be a genre change?
00:13:18.892 -->
00:13:20.200Yeah, that would be.
00:13:20.200 -->
00:13:21.245I mean it's still 35th.
00:13:21.245 -->
00:13:25.311Well, I've got an Airfix Monty's Humber in the stash.
00:13:25.921 -->
00:13:26.826Oh, there you go.
00:13:27.080 -->
00:13:27.985I should probably build that.
00:13:29.120 -->
00:13:30.544That checks several boxes.
00:13:30.544 -->
00:13:31.870It does.
00:13:34.480 -->
00:13:43.312Well, this one, I think, is going to segue eventually into some of our other comments, either maybe in the shout outs or possibly in your Facebook messengers.
00:13:43.312 -->
00:13:50.306But Andrew Armstrong from Centerpoint New York has written in and he recently renovated his workshops in a couple pictures.
00:13:50.306 -->
00:13:54.605Yeah, thank you, and he said it's worth doing.
00:13:54.605 -->
00:14:01.647Yes, he actually says his wife pushed him to spend a little money to make things better because he spent so much time down there.
00:14:01.647 -->
00:14:02.787It should be nicer, she says.
00:14:03.370 -->
00:14:04.639Yep, and she was right.
00:14:04.659 -->
00:14:05.888My wife has done the same thing.
00:14:05.888 -->
00:14:11.070Well, mine emphatically agreed yes when I asked her if I should get a spray booth.
00:14:13.706 -->
00:14:18.626Yeah Well, given your wife's degree, that's completely understandable.
00:14:19.349 -->
00:14:27.668And he went out for new skills outside his comfort zone and he's been working on an old AMT International Scout kit and he was the new thing.
00:14:27.668 -->
00:14:30.168There was the wood planks in the trunk bed of that vehicle.
00:14:30.168 -->
00:14:34.787Nice, and to do it, and just do something better than just one color.
00:14:35.347 -->
00:14:35.948There you go.
00:14:36.089 -->
00:14:38.193So there you go, man Learn something.
00:14:38.922 -->
00:14:45.082It doesn't have to be something big, it can be something little like that, it's still.
00:14:45.082 -->
00:14:55.443That's something that if you pull it off, you learn something new, you can be proud of what you accomplished, I mean, and you put another skill in your holster.
00:14:56.626 -->
00:15:04.345Well, finally for me, dave, on the email side of things, is from Duncan Young, on behalf of the Hamilton Club, the host of HeritageCon.
00:15:04.345 -->
00:15:09.572Now, we just had those folks on, those fine folks on, yes.
00:15:09.851 -->
00:15:27.447For our model show Spotlight, which was HeritageCon, and he wanted to thank us for promoting them over the years and even not just for the Spotlights from the shows coming up, but all the commentary we make about HeritageCon Hither and yon all throughout the modeling year.
00:15:27.447 -->
00:15:30.788So I guess we bring it up quite a bit because it's such a great thing.
00:15:31.068 -->
00:15:31.871Yeah, it is.
00:15:31.871 -->
00:15:47.732I mean, I've been to a lot of really great model shows IPMS Nationals, amps Nationals, et cetera, mmsi so I would like to think that I'm a little hard to impress.
00:15:47.732 -->
00:15:52.951I have been absolutely blown away by HeritageCon.
00:15:52.951 -->
00:16:01.323Those guys have not only do they do it great, it seems to get better every year and that's hard to pull off.
00:16:02.488 -->
00:16:03.761It is Well.
00:16:03.761 -->
00:16:04.826That's all for the email.
00:16:04.826 -->
00:16:07.201What's Facebook Messenger looking like, well?
00:16:07.481 -->
00:16:10.311Facebook Messenger has been very busy.
00:16:10.311 -->
00:16:25.591First there were a bunch of people, when they saw on the news that Kentucky was basically becoming one giant swimming pool, dm'd us to check and make sure we were alive and we were.
00:16:25.591 -->
00:16:39.592Luckily the worst rain was to the south of the Louisville-Lexington line, so the folks in southern and eastern Kentucky got hit worse, unluckily for them.
00:16:39.592 -->
00:16:50.796But Mike and I both survived and we appreciate every one of the listeners who, when they saw that on the news, thought of us and thought to ask.
00:16:52.341 -->
00:16:56.009Well, you go south and west of here and it just gets flatter.
00:16:56.009 -->
00:17:00.830Yes, floodplains get wider and it's a real mess.
00:17:01.500 -->
00:17:09.875And then when you get into eastern Kentucky and Appalachia, it's hills and valleys and all that rain runs into the valleys.
00:17:10.721 -->
00:17:12.186So they got it a couple months ago.
00:17:12.669 -->
00:17:17.251Yeah, our friend Paul Budzig DM'd in with a link to.
00:17:17.251 -->
00:17:27.615First, I want to thank everybody who heeded the call to post photos of their hobby room or hobby bench or hobby workspace.
00:17:27.615 -->
00:17:33.940First of all, I am envious of quite a number of your all's spaces.
00:17:33.940 -->
00:17:36.023I thought I had it good.
00:17:36.023 -->
00:17:41.473But man, some of you all have some palatial workspaces.
00:17:41.473 -->
00:17:50.983Almost all of you all keep it cleaner than mine, which is clearly a problem that I need to address and I'm working on it.
00:17:50.983 -->
00:18:07.576But Paul Budzig, our friend, he sent in a link that I'll post on the dojo to a hobbyist machinist's room video about their setup.
00:18:07.576 -->
00:18:21.093And you know it's a nice point that you can look not just at modelers' rooms but at other hobbyist's rooms woodworkers, machinists, watchmakers, etc.
00:18:21.093 -->
00:18:29.193By the way, I was impressed as heck that Paul Budzig's model room has two actual Gershner boxes.
00:18:29.193 -->
00:18:41.127That's some quality, not the cheap Harbor Freight ripoff that I have, but I'll post that link on the dojo.
00:18:44.080 -->
00:19:10.564Next is Ken Schaefer, and Ken, knowing my interests in World War II, the Dutch East Indies, et cetera, he wants to build one of the KLM DC-3s that was shot up fleeing the Dutch East Indies, and so he wrote in and asked for recommendations, for information, and I've got a couple.
00:19:11.385 -->
00:19:14.961I'll send him some more, but I've got a couple that I told him I would mention.
00:19:14.961 -->
00:19:37.554On the air One, there is a book on the air battle over Broome Australia, on the air battle over Broome Australia B-R-O-O-M-E, which has some great information about not only that DC-3, but a bunch of other aircraft that were fleeing the Dutch East Indies.
00:19:37.554 -->
00:19:47.012There is a two-volume set called Bloody Shambles by Shores and Cull, which has a lot of information.
00:19:47.012 -->
00:20:03.251I know for a fact that those markings are available in 72nd scale from a company called, of all things, dutch Decal, and I think they may actually be available from some other companies as well.
00:20:03.251 -->
00:20:14.074But, ken, I will send you some additional information because, yeah, that is an area of interest for both myself and Scott Skippy King.
00:20:14.074 -->
00:20:17.411So we have a lot of the info available.
00:20:17.771 -->
00:20:20.819Well, is there some I wouldn't say popular photography?
00:20:20.819 -->
00:20:24.281Is there some well-known photography of this aircraft that spawned the episode.
00:21:06.019 -->
00:21:25.250On the episode listener Eddie Turner and I don't know your geography, I apologize he asked an interesting question, which I think has been a wheel question before, which was if you were going to introduce somebody into the hobby for the first time, what kit would you give them to build?
00:21:25.250 -->
00:21:32.517And of course, my answer is the Airfix, the Tamiya Zero, the Tamiya 72nd, scale Zero.
00:21:32.517 -->
00:21:47.574Even though it's not a beginner kit or a snap kit, it is one that I think any beginner could build and get a really, really nice result out of.
00:21:47.574 -->
00:21:54.113So what one kit would you recommend to a brand new into the hobby person?
00:21:55.200 -->
00:22:04.942Well, since you're taking the 72nd scale aircraft, I guess I'll take the 35th scale armor line, and I think it probably changes as the years roll out.
00:22:04.942 -->
00:22:06.382And I think it probably changes as the years roll out.
00:22:06.382 -->
00:22:10.423I think today it would probably be one of the new Tamiya KVs.
00:22:10.423 -->
00:22:13.345I think that's probably a good place to go.
00:22:13.845 -->
00:22:19.186Yeah, yep, one color really a beast looking of a tank.
00:22:19.186 -->
00:22:22.568So you get something that looks like a tank.
00:22:23.469 -->
00:22:24.868And the parts count's reasonable.
00:22:25.390 -->
00:22:26.529Yeah, yeah.
00:22:26.529 -->
00:22:38.134Unfortunately, the rising part count part of this hobby sometimes can be a bit much, that's for sure, yeah, listener, scott Daniel wrote in.
00:22:38.174 -->
00:22:41.796We had talked about what are your plans for 2025.
00:22:41.796 -->
00:23:02.002So he wrote in and told us that two of the things he planned to do, number one was build the Airfix B Mark II bomber kit in 72nd scale.
00:23:02.002 -->
00:23:04.346And then he also planned to build the ARMA aircraft carrier deck.
00:23:04.346 -->
00:23:27.558And ARMA, on its blog, actually has where you can take their aircraft carrier deck and they suggest a way to cut it and build it to kind of make a multi-level effect like an elevator going down or part of an elevator, and so he said he wanted to attempt that and I thought those were both great projects.
00:23:27.700 -->
00:23:31.711From what I hear, the Airfix Lank builds up really well.
00:23:31.711 -->
00:23:44.166I recommended he take a look at the Bases by Bill carrier decks if he just wants a carrier deck, but he wants to do that particular project and you know what?
00:23:44.166 -->
00:23:50.123That is a really good thing for modelers.
00:23:50.123 -->
00:24:02.602If you draw inspiration, if you see some project that somebody does that you find very inspiring and say, hey, I want to try that, don't be afraid to go, do that.
00:24:02.602 -->
00:24:09.525You're not only as imitation the sincerest form of flattery.
00:24:09.525 -->
00:24:19.449But there's nothing wrong with doing a project that somebody else did and using their learning to assist in your learning.
00:24:19.449 -->
00:24:34.814Let's see, you mentioned already, but I also want to extend my thanks to Warren Dickinson for his heads up on those aviology decals, because we've kind of been waiting for a number of years for those to get reissued.
00:24:34.814 -->
00:24:37.875So thanks, warren, I appreciate it.
00:24:37.875 -->
00:24:40.356That's all I've got from the DM side.
00:24:40.356 -->
00:24:41.277Well, folks.
00:24:41.517 -->
00:24:45.798We appreciate all the emails and all the direct messages, so keep it coming.
00:24:45.798 -->
00:24:49.840We love this segment.
00:24:49.840 -->
00:24:57.566If you want to send an email, you can do it by sending it to plasticmodelmojo at gmailcom, or you can send us a direct message via the Facebook messenger system and look forward to hearing from you folks.
00:24:57.566 -->
00:25:09.852And again, if you do, we'd appreciate if you give us your geography, city and state, or your country and the city you're in Not too much information, but just enough to know what kind of reach we're getting and where folks are from.
00:25:09.852 -->
00:25:17.170We like to add that little detail to the commentary of this segment, so please, if you can remember that, we appreciate it.
00:25:36.892 -->
00:25:47.738Thank you If you would, when you're done listening to this episode, if you would rate the podcast on whatever podcast listening app you are using.
00:25:47.738 -->
00:25:49.066We would appreciate it.
00:25:49.066 -->
00:26:06.468Also, if you would tell a modeling friend who doesn't listen to the podcast about the podcast, help them, on their phone or other device, download an app for listening to podcasts and help them subscribe.
00:26:06.468 -->
00:26:17.351The best way for us to continue to grow and we do continue to grow is people who are current listeners recommending us to their friends.
00:26:17.351 -->
00:26:18.665So please do so.
00:26:19.559 -->
00:26:23.531Well, I'll also add that it's a lot easier now with the website for folks to listen off the website.
00:26:23.531 -->
00:26:30.608So, wwwplasticmodelmojocom you can find every episode we've ever dropped on the website.
00:26:30.990 -->
00:26:37.819Yep, if you've got a computer in your model room, all you got to do is you don't even have to pull out your phone or anything.
00:26:37.819 -->
00:26:40.189You can listen directly on your computer.
00:26:40.189 -->
00:26:41.484Just go to the website.
00:26:42.106 -->
00:26:42.568That's right.
00:26:42.568 -->
00:26:44.285Or you got a smart TV with a browser.
00:26:44.285 -->
00:26:45.689You can do it there too, that too.
00:26:45.689 -->
00:26:51.808Once you've done all that and you want some more podcast action, you can go to modelpodcastcom.
00:26:51.808 -->
00:26:53.767That's modelpodcastpluralcom.
00:26:53.767 -->
00:27:06.715It's a consortium website set up with the help of Stuart Clark from the Scale Model Podcast up in Canada, and Stu has done a great job just keeping all the banner links for all the other podcasts in the model sphere aggregated, so it's a one-stop shop.
00:27:06.715 -->
00:27:12.349You can go there and see what else is available, subscribe to all of them, listen to all of them, and we really encourage that.
00:27:12.349 -->
00:27:18.531In addition, we've also got a lot of friends who are creators out in the model sphere blogs and youtube friends.
00:27:18.531 -->
00:27:20.000We've got mr jeff groves.
00:27:20.000 -->
00:27:24.646The inside guy's got a great 72nd scale blog and he just started some huge batch build.
00:27:25.067 -->
00:27:26.528Yes, what was it?
00:27:26.528 -->
00:27:28.672The Oscars, the ARMA Oscars.
00:27:28.832 -->
00:27:30.534Oh yeah, he's got a bunch of ARMA Oscars.
00:27:30.534 -->
00:27:35.116Yes, stephen Lee, spru Pie with Fretz, great long and short form blog.
00:27:35.116 -->
00:27:37.097Also a lot of 72nd scale content.
00:27:37.097 -->
00:27:41.050Who are we going to actually get to see on our own turf next month?
00:27:41.050 -->
00:27:41.391Yes, next month?
00:27:41.411 -->
00:27:42.132Yes, we are.
00:27:42.132 -->
00:27:48.246He's coming to Louisville and we are going to show him Kentucky hospitality.
00:27:48.707 -->
00:27:51.896All right, evan McCallum, panzermeister, 36.
00:27:51.896 -->
00:27:54.268He just finished a nice little BT-2.
00:27:54.268 -->
00:28:03.127I'm really excited to see a video on his dust effects, because that is something that's always eluded me and I think he did a bang-up job on that model, did he he?
00:28:03.147 -->
00:28:03.989He did a bang-up job on that model, did he?
00:28:03.989 -->
00:28:08.634He knocked that one out as a quickie and just did an amazing job on it.
00:28:08.674 -->
00:28:10.036So looking forward to that.
00:28:10.036 -->
00:28:12.347Chris Wallace model airplane maker.
00:28:12.347 -->
00:28:17.672He's got a fun YouTube channel and blog and some cool keychains Mine broke, chris.
00:28:19.421 -->
00:28:20.866I'm going to get another one man.
00:28:21.180 -->
00:28:22.144I don't know what happened there.
00:28:22.539 -->
00:28:23.705Mine's fine Chris.
00:28:23.961 -->
00:28:25.185I must have got guy defective one.
00:28:25.185 -->
00:28:26.182Not your fault, chris.
00:28:26.423 -->
00:28:35.209I'm sure I can probably tell where those were made yeah, but uh, I'll have you know that I use mine every day, chris, and it's holding up beautifully.
00:28:35.388 -->
00:28:40.386So maybe that might be operator error might be operator error for keychain.
00:28:40.386 -->
00:28:41.209That's pretty sad.
00:28:41.209 -->
00:28:42.692Yes, hopefully not.
00:28:42.692 -->
00:28:55.107And finally, we've mentioned him already, paul Budzik Scale Model Workshop over on Patreon and he's dropped a couple pretty recently, one on primer painting with spray guns and one on his A20.
00:28:55.769 -->
00:28:55.970Yep.
00:28:56.530 -->
00:28:57.993Glad to see that one moving forward.
00:28:57.993 -->
00:29:01.327Just some great stuff and always learn something from Paul's videos.
00:29:01.327 -->
00:29:08.001Oh, absolutely, you will too learn something from Paul's videos?
00:29:08.021 -->
00:29:08.603Oh, absolutely, you will too.
00:29:08.603 -->
00:29:20.041Yes, if you are a listener and you are not a member of IPMS USA, ipms Canada or your national IPMS chapter, whatever country you're in, please consider joining your national IPMS chapter.
00:29:20.041 -->
00:29:30.385It's a modeling organization run by a group of volunteers who give up some of their time to make your modeling experience better.
00:29:30.385 -->
00:29:54.317Amps is a great group of guys who are super talented and devoted to the art of modeling armor-related subjects, so go take a look at them as well.
00:29:54.336 -->
00:29:56.698All right, dave, let's hear from Model Paint Solutions.
00:29:58.560 -->
00:29:59.988It sounds like a good idea.
00:30:11.000 -->
00:30:13.429Plastic Model Mojo is brought to you by Model Paint Solutions, your source for harder and steam back airbrushes.
00:30:13.429 -->
00:30:16.660David, union power tools and laboratory grade mixing, measuring and storage tools for use with all your model paints, be they acrylic enamels or lacquers.
00:30:16.660 -->
00:30:20.946Check them out at wwwmodelpaintsolutionscom.
00:30:21.007 -->
00:30:37.574Dave our special segment tonight is a little different, Something kind of in the vein of say oh, the high school teacher Chris Collins, yes, that we did back in episode one, oh five.
00:30:37.574 -->
00:30:49.386And Tonight we got our friend Mark Copeland, who we know through our modeling travels and show attendance and through Steve Hustad no, Steve, through Mark.
00:30:49.386 -->
00:30:49.827Actually.
00:30:49.827 -->
00:31:01.976Mark is the Director of Educational Travel for the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, which is a really cool job he's found himself in in the last 18 months, couple of years, I think.
00:31:02.200 -->
00:31:06.531He did something right for karma to come back that hard on him.
00:31:07.380 -->
00:31:17.432Well, as folks will hear in this conversation, he's lived the Air Force historian life for a long time and all that hobby interest and personal interest has really paid off for him.
00:31:17.432 -->
00:31:31.691It was adjacent to his other career, sort of yeah, he was in the airline industry, but anyway, I think folks are going to find this interesting and maybe some folks will be inspired to take one of these trips through the 8th Air Force Museum.
00:31:31.691 -->
00:31:33.686So let's have a listen.
00:31:33.686 -->
00:31:46.493Well, dave, tonight we've got a great friend of the podcast over the last few years, mr Mark Copeland.
00:31:46.493 -->
00:31:47.964How are you doing tonight, mark?
00:31:48.540 -->
00:31:49.182I'm terrific.
00:31:49.182 -->
00:31:53.809Thanks for having me on here and hello to everybody from chilly Minnesota.
00:31:55.344 -->
00:32:01.913Well, Mark is from chilly Minnesota and I guess the first thing you did for the podcast, Mark, was get us introduced to Steve Hustad.
00:32:02.420 -->
00:32:03.324Oh, I'm really sorry.
00:32:03.324 -->
00:32:04.208I'm really sorry.
00:32:04.881 -->
00:32:05.502Please forgive me.
00:32:05.522 -->
00:32:06.365No no.
00:32:07.700 -->
00:32:10.643The biggest favor you could possibly have done Well.
00:32:10.703 -->
00:32:11.900I couldn't agree more Seriously.
00:32:12.382 -->
00:32:18.012I didn't know him at all and Dave was too too deep down the idol worship to even approach him about coming on the show.
00:32:18.019 -->
00:32:19.807So hey, I talked to him.
00:32:19.807 -->
00:32:22.866I said like five words to him in 2006.
00:32:23.428 -->
00:32:24.371Yeah, nice model.
00:32:24.371 -->
00:32:24.932How'd you do?
00:32:24.951 -->
00:32:25.861that no.
00:32:25.861 -->
00:32:28.028I really like your model.
00:32:28.460 -->
00:32:30.126Well, we're not here to talk about Steve.
00:32:30.126 -->
00:32:31.739We'll have him on, I'm sure again.
00:32:32.121 -->
00:32:48.136I got to say that he was the one who introduced me to the podcast and I can say from both of us and probably the whole Plastic Model Mojo community what a great job you guys do and what you've done to kind of unite the scale modeling community throughout the world.
00:32:48.136 -->
00:32:50.117And you've really just made it.
00:32:50.117 -->
00:32:58.308Plastic Model Mojo is kind of like a really dependable friend that I see every two weeks and it's always a joy to listen to you guys.
00:32:58.980 -->
00:33:00.184We'll wrap it up right there.
00:33:00.184 -->
00:33:00.948Thanks for being here.
00:33:04.305 -->
00:33:05.588The check is in the mail.
00:33:07.961 -->
00:33:08.902Oh no, steve.
00:33:08.902 -->
00:33:15.012Like I said, steve introduced me to you guys and I've been a faithful listener pretty much ever since you started the thing up.
00:33:15.773 -->
00:33:16.601Well great Cool.
00:33:16.601 -->
00:33:18.526We want to start this off kind of.
00:33:18.526 -->
00:33:20.491You mentioned the scale modeling community.
00:33:20.491 -->
00:33:24.270You're in the club up there in the Twin City areas.
00:33:24.270 -->
00:33:26.767Tell us a little bit about your model clubbing.
00:33:27.690 -->
00:33:34.839Sure, well, I joined the Twin City Aerohistorians, a IPMS club that was formed in December of 1966.
00:33:34.839 -->
00:33:37.728I joined it in 1977.
00:33:37.728 -->
00:33:39.163My first meeting.
00:33:39.163 -->
00:33:47.105My dad had to drive me to the meeting because I didn't have my driver's license and that was a long time ago.
00:33:47.105 -->
00:33:49.148But it's a group of gentlemen.
00:33:49.148 -->
00:33:54.306We not only do modeling but we also are aviation history enthusiasts.
00:33:54.306 -->
00:34:03.509There's several authors, published authors, writers, photographers, anybody that has a love of historic aviation, and we've expanded it.
00:34:03.509 -->
00:34:06.461Really we weren't a snobby airplane club.
00:34:06.461 -->
00:34:10.190We allow everything into our into it as an IPMS organization.
00:34:10.711 -->
00:34:16.431But there's a, there's a group of probably I think we were around 75 members, I think someplace in there.
00:34:16.431 -->
00:34:29.940We meet every second Saturday of the month at a place called South St Paul airport Fleming field is probably better known and we meet there one o'clock on the second Saturday, like I mentioned, and it's just a great bunch of guys.
00:34:29.940 -->
00:34:32.025I think you had mentioned something, dave.
00:34:32.025 -->
00:34:39.730I kind of went yeah, I understand that these gentlemen there's a lot of them that are truly my best friends in the world.
00:34:39.730 -->
00:34:48.766If I had to really depend on someone or trust someone, it's going to be one of my modeling buddies and it's just a great club.
00:34:48.766 -->
00:34:53.503And Steve Husted, as you mentioned, is the vice president.
00:34:53.503 -->
00:34:58.728And then they were hard up and I've been the president for the last four years and very proud to serve.
00:34:58.927 -->
00:35:01.639So in other words, the meeting where they held the election.
00:35:01.639 -->
00:35:03.045You missed that meeting.
00:35:03.405 -->
00:35:04.309Yeah, exactly.
00:35:05.460 -->
00:35:07.949Because that's how it works at almost every club.
00:35:08.380 -->
00:35:08.802That's right.
00:35:08.802 -->
00:35:13.387I was on tour at the time over in England and, yeah, I came back and they elected me again.
00:35:14.221 -->
00:35:21.114Now you're a man after my own heart in that you build 72nd scale aircraft models.
00:35:21.114 -->
00:35:21.961You're correct.
00:35:21.961 -->
00:35:24.864Yeah yeah, mostly World War II.
00:35:25.586 -->
00:35:26.650Predominantly Dave.
00:35:26.650 -->
00:35:33.237Yeah, I guess I'd really kind of classify myself from 1914 to 1945.
00:35:33.237 -->
00:35:35.927And I kind of draw the line there.
00:35:35.927 -->
00:35:39.340They stopped making airplanes, as far as I'm concerned, after 1945.
00:35:39.340 -->
00:35:41.260So no, I'm teasing.
00:35:42.182 -->
00:35:44.510Once those jet things started flying.
00:35:44.510 -->
00:35:51.572Yeah, yeah, if it doesn't spray oil and have a prop out the front, it's not an airplane, right?
00:35:51.820 -->
00:35:55.268Well, aren't we living in just an incredible time in modeling?
00:35:55.268 -->
00:35:58.561Right now, it's just raining new releases.
00:35:58.561 -->
00:35:59.605It's just incredible.
00:35:59.905 -->
00:36:00.286It is.
00:36:00.286 -->
00:36:03.572It is especially for those of us in 70.
00:36:03.572 -->
00:36:11.693It's true in all scales, but for those of us in 72nd scale, right now, this is the golden time.
00:36:11.693 -->
00:36:19.188You can't keep up, yeah, which means we have to build faster, and Steve wanted me to remind you that you need to build faster.
00:36:19.650 -->
00:36:20.351Oh, don't we all.
00:36:20.679 -->
00:36:23.172He tells me that every day too Right faster.
00:36:23.193 -->
00:36:23.833Oh don't we all?
00:36:23.853 -->
00:36:28.675He tells me that every day too Well, if you started in the club in 66.
00:36:29.434 -->
00:36:34.117Oh yeah, the club started in 66 and I I came along 10 years after I would.
00:36:34.117 -->
00:36:34.677I was only.
00:36:34.677 -->
00:36:37.737I was only six years old in 1966.
00:36:37.737 -->
00:36:40.418However, the following year, at seven, is when I began modeling.
00:36:44.199 -->
00:36:45.923Okay, that's about when I started getting introduced to it.
00:36:45.923 -->
00:36:47.206Yeah, it was about seven as well.
00:36:47.748 -->
00:36:48.809That's yeah, my uh.
00:36:48.809 -->
00:37:12.083My dad took me to hardware Hank on 98th and Nicollet in Bloomington, minnesota and I picked up a powder blue box, four star monogram, one 48 scale, a six M five zero and we sat down and we built it together and I always tease him that when he comes over and sees my, my collection and my models and this and that I always tease him, it's all your fault.
00:37:12.123 -->
00:37:23.146You're the one who started it now let me ask you steve and I were actually discussing this uh, we both have the first model we remember building.
00:37:23.146 -->
00:37:30.376We've gone out and located it and bought it again so that you have it for nostalgia purposes.
00:37:30.376 -->
00:37:33.686Have you gone out and located that first model?
00:37:33.686 -->
00:37:35.490And you've got it, of course, of course.
00:37:35.490 -->
00:37:41.570Okay, do me a favor when we're done recording, go on the Dojo.
00:37:41.570 -->
00:37:43.635Oh, that's true, that's right, it's probably packed up.
00:37:43.635 -->
00:37:43.670Yeah, in dojo.
00:37:43.594 -->
00:37:46.652Oh that's true, that's right, it's probably packed up, yeah, in the middle of a move right now.
00:37:46.733 -->
00:37:53.090Yes, Okay, well, when you get access to it, please post a picture of it on the dojo.
00:37:53.391 -->
00:37:53.972I sure will.
00:37:53.972 -->
00:37:54.733I sure will.
00:37:54.733 -->
00:37:58.304I've got some other you know kind of models that had something to do in your life.
00:37:58.304 -->
00:38:13.518Yeah, that had something to do in your life the Revell 172nd scale B17, peggy D43, and the Lindbergh B17 that had the clear globe stand that used to sit on my dresser.
00:38:13.518 -->
00:38:37.684And then I think I was kind of, you know, in that time period, build a model and then get some white thumbtacks and some monofilament fish line and then my ceiling was covered with all my uh, with all my models and uh, I would stare every night and just look up and and you know, my favorite one was right above my bed and that was the, the Revell 172nd scale B-17.
00:38:37.684 -->
00:38:47.179And I know that we'll talk about that a little bit later, but I used to sit there and dream about what it would be like to be on one of those and be involved with 8th Air Force.
00:38:47.179 -->
00:38:53.713And now I work as the director of educational travel for the National Museum at the mighty 8th Air Force in Savannah.
00:38:53.713 -->
00:38:55.327So dreams do come true.
00:38:55.820 -->
00:39:02.193Yeah, we wanted to establish the modeling connection up front, just so everybody out there listening would know you were in fact one of us.
00:39:08.760 -->
00:39:10.443But your current employment is why we wanted to have you on to talk about.
00:39:10.503 -->
00:39:10.985Yeah well, thanks, guys.
00:39:10.985 -->
00:39:11.445That's nice of you.
00:39:11.445 -->
00:39:18.003Now you're in minnesota, but the museum itself is located in savannah, georgia yeah actually uh, pooler.
00:39:18.003 -->
00:39:20.367How did you get hooked up with them?
00:39:20.367 -->
00:39:22.871How did you end up doing work for them?
00:39:23.193 -->
00:39:24.114It's a really good question.
00:39:24.114 -->
00:39:37.994Well, my interest in the 8th Air Force started way, way, way, way, way, way back and I spent about 32 and a half years in the airline industry working for various regional partners with Northwest and Delta Airlines.
00:39:37.994 -->
00:39:50.992So I had the opportunity at my feet like you, dave to travel, and I really took advantage of that and I started going to England back when I first became an airline employee.
00:39:50.992 -->
00:39:56.454In fact, the next tour that I take out in May that's going to be number 56.
00:39:56.454 -->
00:39:58.846Oh, wow, that's my 56th time to England.
00:39:58.846 -->
00:40:21.987Yeah, so I went up and around in East Anglia and made a lot of great friends, and the person that really really influenced my interest in the 8th Air Force came actually not from meeting him in person, it was through his book, and I'm sure all the listeners will be very familiar with the author, roger Freeman, and the book the Mighty Eight, and then countless books after that.
00:40:21.987 -->
00:40:41.940I think Roger wrote roughly 60 titles on the Eighth Air Force and World War II aviation history and I became active in the Eighth Air Force Historical Society here in Minnesota and then I went to the national reunions and I became really involved with it then and then I, like I said, I had the opportunity to travel.
00:40:41.940 -->
00:40:54.568So I not only went to England but I started going to several bomb group and fighter group reunions and getting to know these gentlemen and really making some great connections and really, you know, touching history.
00:40:55.099 -->
00:41:08.597So, in anticipation of, you know, what they felt was going to be a rise probably meteoric rise in the interest in the 8th Air Force history, the museum reached out to me back in about 2021.
00:41:08.597 -->
00:41:20.067And they said we would really like to do something in regards to bringing educational travel tours to England and giving people the opportunity to experience this thing.
00:41:20.067 -->
00:41:30.972And the reason why is that we're going to be hopefully a historical tsunami is going to be kind of hitting the museum because of the Apple TV miniseries Masters of the Air.
00:41:30.972 -->
00:41:34.791So they reached out and they said can you help us build a dream trip?
00:41:34.791 -->
00:41:39.706And I kind of said, okay, what do you want to do?
00:41:39.706 -->
00:41:41.949And they said that's up to you.
00:41:42.610 -->
00:41:45.295So I sat down and I kind of made two lists.
00:41:45.295 -->
00:41:52.009I made a list of well, this is just a phone call, this is an email, this is you got to do this, you have to do this.
00:41:52.009 -->
00:41:56.063And then I made another list of the things that I'd really like to do.
00:41:56.063 -->
00:42:05.114I really gave it a lot of thought in terms of the things that really would immerse a tour participant into the history of the 8th Air Force, and I made a list and I called it.
00:42:05.114 -->
00:42:14.606These are the things I'd really like to do, but there's probably no way that we're going to get a chance to do them, but I'm going to try anyway list, and so I kind of went to work on that.
00:42:15.027 -->
00:42:17.211So I put this whole thing together.
00:42:17.211 -->
00:42:29.235I did research on transportation, hotel properties, restaurants, a tour itinerary and you know kind of the logics of that, and then reached out to several friends that I had over in England.
00:42:29.235 -->
00:42:39.202I took a 68 page prospectus down to the museum and I gave it to the folks that were involved on the project and said this is what I would do.
00:42:39.202 -->
00:42:48.632And so I was asked to run a tour, kind of a kind of a preseason game, if you will, or a test tour, and that was in the fall of 2022.
00:42:49.253 -->
00:43:04.474And I took about 25 people over and we we did the tour and it was designed not to be perfect but we got got a lot of great feedback, mostly positive, or you know things in terms of, you know, did we stay too long in this place?
00:43:04.474 -->
00:43:05.742Or how was the food here?
00:43:05.742 -->
00:43:06.965Did you like the hotels?
00:43:06.965 -->
00:43:07.949And blah, blah, blah, blah blah.
00:43:07.949 -->
00:43:20.445And we took all that and really honed it in and we made the tour, and so at that time, they gave me the opportunity to join the team in Savannah.
00:43:20.445 -->
00:43:41.472At the time, I had a full-time job and working as a OCC flight duty director in the airline industry and they threw that in front of me and I just said I'd like to stay in Minnesota if I could, and they allowed me to do that and, yeah, they hired me in February of 2023.
00:43:42.039 -->
00:43:44.827Was your first tour limited to England only.
00:43:45.248 -->
00:43:45.949Yes, correct.
00:43:46.150 -->
00:43:46.411Yes.
00:43:46.672 -->
00:43:46.911Uh-huh.
00:43:46.911 -->
00:44:03.670Last year we expanded it and we took a trip over to Normandy and once again we did some things that were really kind of off the beaten path and got a chance to really explore, you know, that beautiful portion of France and of the rich history that's there.
00:44:04.159 -->
00:44:06.489Well, what are some of the highlights for the England tours?
00:44:06.920 -->
00:44:09.068I can get you to Hannitz in London really easy.
00:44:13.626 -->
00:44:15.831Yeah, we may have to do that sometime, Mark.
00:44:16.682 -->
00:44:27.425Well, we fly our folks into Heathrow, you have a private car that meets you, I meet you at Heathrow and then a private car takes you out to the hotel and then really to start off the tour.
00:44:27.425 -->
00:44:41.594This is one of the things that I never thought we would be able to do, but I got us into a place called Wickham Abbey, and Wickham Abbey during World War II was the headquarters for 8th Air Force and also RAF Bomber Command.
00:44:41.594 -->
00:45:01.072They were co-located at this property west of London and this is where everything happened with the 8th Air Force All the target planning, all the bomb assessments, everything was done, or you know in terms of, you know, everything was signed off, you know, and put into place at that very historic place.
00:45:01.072 -->
00:45:17.710Well, now it's a very, very exclusive, very expensive private girls' school, but I got us into the Abbey and you actually get a chance to walk into the very office where Ira Aker and Jimmy Doodle ran the 8th Air Force.
00:45:17.710 -->
00:45:21.949It's an incredible feeling and then one of the stops that we do along the way.
00:45:21.949 -->
00:45:25.842It's kind of where 8th Air Force Fighter Command started.
00:45:25.842 -->
00:45:40.648Right now it's a British military base that also is very hard to get onto and we take our folks to Debden and I think our listeners will recognize that it was the home of the 4th Fighter Group and we actually get a chance to go on the base.
00:45:40.648 -->
00:45:43.304We get a chance to, you know, do a short tour.
00:45:43.304 -->
00:46:12.570It's, like I said, an active army base, but they allow us to actually go out onto the wartime runways and our motor coach literally drives down the runways where one spitfires, p-47s and P-51s of the famous fourth fighter group flew, and you're there, and then I'll take you to, you know, various spots along the way where you know this is where this pilot's aircraft was, or this is where this happened, and so forth and so on.
00:46:12.590 -->
00:46:14.175Throughout the tour we do five B-17 bases.
00:46:14.175 -->
00:46:22.690We do Framlingham, which is the home of the 390th, the 100th at Thorpe Abbots, we do the 389th at Heffel at Thorpe Abbots.
00:46:22.690 -->
00:46:32.702We do the 389th at Heffel, and we also do the 453rd at Old Buckingham where Jimmy Stewart flew.
00:46:32.702 -->
00:46:35.492And then we take you over to Bodisham, where the 361st Fighter Group was at, and then we go into Cambridge.
00:46:35.492 -->
00:46:48.764We have a special wreath laying ceremony just for our group at Mattingly Cemetery, where the graves of 3,811 servicemen and women rest today, and then we go to Basingbourne, which is also a tough place to get onto.
00:46:48.764 -->
00:47:00.525That was for the 91st Bomb Group, the Memphis Bell and the first group to make it over, and also a group where the highest number of losses were obtained in the 8th.
00:47:01.168 -->
00:47:03.954We go to Duxford and then we go into London.
00:47:03.954 -->
00:47:15.726We stay at a very posh hotel in central London and we do things along the lines of we go to the Churchill War Room, so that's fine, we can go down and take the 28-pound tour.
00:47:15.726 -->
00:47:27.286But we actually make it special for our guests and we, through some connections and a dear friend that works or is now retired there, we're allowed to go in and they do a behind the glass tour.
00:47:27.286 -->
00:47:37.195So we actually go inside the cabinet room and you literally stand right at Winston Churchill's very chair that he sat in during World War II.
00:47:37.195 -->
00:47:39.217It's an incredible experience.
00:47:39.217 -->
00:47:49.512And then, to finish it off, we go to St Paul's Cathedral and most of the time it works out, but we make great friends there.
00:47:49.532 -->
00:47:53.063And in St Paul's Cathedral, behind the high altar is the American Chapel.
00:47:53.724 -->
00:48:06.963It was dedicated by then-sitting Vice President Nixon and Queen Elizabeth II in 1958, but even more so that's where the American Roll of Honor is kept, and the American Roll of Honor.
00:48:06.963 -->
00:48:16.494For those who don't know is this enormous book that was commissioned and was presented to the cathedral by General Dwight D Eisenhower in 1946.
00:48:16.494 -->
00:48:23.673It contains all the names of the American war dead that were killed in action in defense of Britain.
00:48:23.673 -->
00:48:38.333So it's contained in this big case with a glass top and we've made very good friends with the vergers and the vicars there and they understand what it really means to our tour participants and the significance of it.
00:48:38.840 -->
00:48:52.251Every day since it was commissioned and put out in 1958, one of the vergers comes out, unlocks the glass top and they turn a page and what they do is they wait for our group to show up.
00:48:52.251 -->
00:48:58.849And this last tour they gave us the true honor of.
00:48:58.849 -->
00:49:19.094Each of our tour participants got a chance to turn the page in the American Roll of Honor and it kind of almost chokes me up now just thinking about it, because it was such a remarkable experience and you just have to leave people with that feeling like they've walked the airfields and the museums and seen all this stuff.
00:49:19.094 -->
00:49:31.402But looking at that book and all those names, it really brings it home to what the cost was for our freedom and in honor of the 26,000 8th Air Force veterans and the 28,000 prisoners of war.
00:49:31.402 -->
00:49:36.211The 26,000 never came home and it's quite a remarkable feeling.
00:49:36.211 -->
00:49:38.320So that's a long answer.
00:49:39.181 -->
00:49:39.762That's all right.
00:49:39.762 -->
00:49:40.762That's all right Now.
00:49:40.762 -->
00:49:57.697I assume that most of these folks who go on the tour are either very, very elderly, actual previous members of the 8th Air Force or the US military during World War II, or their children.
00:49:57.697 -->
00:50:06.474I would assume that that's the core group of people who would be interested in those types of things.
00:50:06.820 -->
00:50:10.992All our participants are interested in history and also having a good time.
00:50:10.992 -->
00:50:16.052We live very, very well in four and five-star hotels.
00:50:16.052 -->
00:50:17.885We eat and drink very well.
00:50:17.885 -->
00:50:33.871You are definitely pampered, but, you're right, most of the folks are—not most of the folks, but a good majority of the people had a father, maybe a grandfather, in some cases a great-grandfather, an uncle, a cousin, etc.
00:50:33.871 -->
00:50:46.373Or they knew their old band teacher in school was a B-17 ball turret gunner, or this guy in the church choir that he knew was a P-51 pilot.
00:50:46.373 -->
00:50:57.007You know, we have all kinds of different stories and what I can say is we really try our very, very best and so far we've succeeded on every occasion.
00:50:57.829 -->
00:51:12.465At the peak of the 8th Air Force in its full strength, there were 40 heavy bombardment groups in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Division, 40 of them, 15 fighter groups, two reconnaissance groups and each of them had their own individual airfield.
00:51:13.487 -->
00:51:20.105Well, even though the tour is, you know, very extensive, you know we cover a lot of ground and see a lot of things.
00:51:20.644 -->
00:51:29.541It's impossible we can't get to every airbase, but on our last tour I had a woman whose father was a pilot at Sudbury in the 486th Bomb Group.
00:51:29.983 -->
00:51:44.032Another woman whose father was a co-pilot in the 452nd Bomb Group at Diefen Green and also was a POW, and a gentleman whose father was a tail gunner in the 44th Bomb Group at Shipton.
00:51:44.032 -->
00:52:11.411And those are not stops on our regular tour, but we have latitude and some time to give some free time and so forth, and I've got a lot of very dear, close friends and I managed to make it work out to where each one of those aforementioned folks I had a friend or I've even rented a car myself and driven folks out so they can go out and see where their dad served.
00:52:11.411 -->
00:52:17.911I mean, that's such a neat experience for them and for me, frankly, that you can make that happen.
00:52:17.911 -->
00:52:30.056So that's one of the things I really am very proud of is that we'll try and personalize it for one of our tour participants who had a relative and have a desire to go see that former air base.
00:52:30.780 -->
00:52:40.199I know some former US World War II bases are now currently either US bases or they're British bases.
00:52:40.199 -->
00:52:45.469Yeah, but aren't the vast majority of them decommissioned?
00:52:45.469 -->
00:52:46.813Yes, they are.
00:52:48.420 -->
00:52:49.907Every air base has something.
00:52:49.907 -->
00:52:52.385I've gone to.
00:52:52.385 -->
00:53:02.922I just spoke to a gentleman the day before yesterday whose father flew at a place called Kim Bolton in the 379th Bomb Group, first Air Division, very, very famous group.
00:53:02.922 -->
00:53:09.646And I've been out to the air base a number of times and virtually there's virtually nothing there.
00:53:09.646 -->
00:53:21.556But there's a memorial and it's a beautiful memorial and you know what, sometimes you don't need to see something but you can just feel the history when you're standing on that hallowed ground.
00:53:21.556 -->
00:53:31.068And it was you know, it was you know.
00:53:31.108 -->
00:53:38.130But we kind of take folks to places where there is something to see, where you know, aforementioned Masters of the Air featured the 100th Bomb Group.
00:53:38.130 -->
00:53:47.481Well, the 100th Bomb Group has the 100th Memorial Museum at the base and it's housed in the former control tower, restored and it's a fantastic museum.
00:53:47.481 -->
00:53:51.891And all those aforementioned bases, all of them have some sort of a museum.
00:53:51.891 -->
00:54:10.188But yeah, most of them there's either something along that line they have a physical museum there or there might not be a thing, but usually there's a piece of granite to commemorate what happened during that time and a lot of them are occupied.
00:54:10.188 -->
00:54:17.766I can say Debden, basingbourne, molesworth, there's a few other over and more towards Norwich.
00:54:17.766 -->
00:54:23.128That are active military bases and yeah, they're tough to get on, but where there's a will there's a way.
00:54:24.612 -->
00:54:26.065Well, spring and summer are coming.
00:54:26.065 -->
00:54:27.744I imagine that's your peak season.
00:54:28.527 -->
00:54:29.289Yeah, we've got an op.
00:54:29.289 -->
00:54:51.030We've got a tour in may, actually a special tour too, because, um, we've made very good friends at the Cambridge American cemetery at Mattingly and I've I've jigged the itinerary around and we are going to have VIP seating on Memorial Day for their annual Memorial Day commemoration and, believe me, the Cambridge American Cemetery does it right.
00:54:51.030 -->
00:54:56.833It's a very emotional ceremony and I know our tour participants are going to really enjoy that.
00:54:56.833 -->
00:55:00.469And then we've got a couple of other tours coming up in October.
00:55:00.469 -->
00:55:03.367One that's a shorter tour of the 8th Air Force.
00:55:03.367 -->
00:55:13.704You basically get a chance to do everything, but we combine it back to back with another offering going over to Normandy, and we call this one the Easy 8.
00:55:13.704 -->
00:55:18.340That's the 9th through the 16th of October, and then we take a break in the middle of it.
00:55:18.340 -->
00:55:25.726And if you wanted to do the entire tour and really really do it right, and if you wanted to do the entire tour and really, really do it right, you'd have a day to yourself.
00:55:25.726 -->
00:55:29.407And then the following day we begin a tour to go to Normandy.
00:55:29.887 -->
00:55:44.157But we actually started in England and what we got a chance to do is we take the folks down to Southwick House in Portsmouth and that is the place where Eisenhower did the final planning stages of the Normandy invasion.
00:55:44.157 -->
00:55:56.976And we go into the actual manor house where they have the map room and they have the original floor to ceiling map that was used in 1944 to plan the invasion and we have a great, great lecture.
00:55:56.976 -->
00:56:08.231That's one thing we do on our tours is I bring in a lot of really good guest lecturers or guest historians you know, very, very knowledgeable about the subject, and then, following that, we go into this place.
00:56:08.231 -->
00:56:15.233That was the room where the final decisions were made in regards to the invasion Wing.
00:56:15.233 -->
00:56:30.322Commander Stagg, the chief meteorologist, gave the weather report to Eisenhower and his staff and said you know it's not perfect, the seas are going to be rough, but this is about your best opportunity that you're going to have until the latter portion of June.
00:56:30.322 -->
00:56:33.268And it was said that Eisenhower cleared the room.
00:56:33.268 -->
00:56:36.943He just had his immediate staff in this area.
00:56:36.943 -->
00:56:45.943He got up, he looked out of the back window of Southwick House, he stood there for a minute and he turned around and he said gentlemen, let's go.
00:56:45.943 -->
00:56:50.255And that's the room where the decision was made.
00:56:50.596 -->
00:57:09.407And we have a champagne reception to start off our tour and then we head over and we actually do the channel, which is quite, really remarkable, and we put our bus on a train and we start moving and about 20 minutes later we're in France and we go to all five beaches.
00:57:09.407 -->
00:57:12.240Once again, we like champagne, for some reason.
00:57:12.240 -->
00:57:14.985We have a champagne reception at Braycore Manor.
00:57:15.628 -->
00:57:35.070And for those who know 506, easy and Band of Brothers if I could refer to the miniseries the second episode, day of Days we parachute into Normandy with Dick Winters and later in the episode he's assigned to take out these German guns that are pounding Utah Beach and he basically did this ad hoc.
00:57:35.070 -->
00:57:37.701You know, make it up as you go assault.
00:57:37.701 -->
00:57:49.331And we actually go and meet Charles Duvalier, the owner of Braycore Manor, and he invites us into his Chateau area and then he explains, you know kind of what happened there.
00:57:49.331 -->
00:57:58.869We go to all the beaches, like I said, and do some things that we've got a really good French tour guide that grew up in Normandy by the name of Dominique Francois.
00:57:58.869 -->
00:58:03.228He's written about seven or eight titles on the Normandy campaign.
00:58:09.742 -->
00:58:14.534And he's our guide and also an excellent translator because my French isn't so much.
00:58:14.594 -->
00:58:16.559So now, how many people are on a normal tour?
00:58:16.559 -->
00:58:18.565We, you know we'll go small about anywhere from around eight to 12.
00:58:18.565 -->
00:58:20.469Up to last year, I took 32 to France.
00:58:21.010 -->
00:58:21.411Gotcha.
00:58:21.760 -->
00:58:23.887For the modeling community that I also should add.
00:58:23.887 -->
00:58:58.063We have a mighty eighth tour that starts on the 27th of October, goes for 11 days and it ends on Thursday, november the 6th, and, funny enough I don't know how this happened it's such a coincidence the following day I will show you how to get up to Telford, and the next two days is modeling heaven at the largest scale model show in the world, and I'll, I'll, I'll, help you, help you out and help you get up there, because that's where I'm going and, uh, telford's the, uh, the, the greatest thing in the world.
00:58:58.063 -->
00:59:05.981I mean, it's once you go over there, short of swimming, I'll never miss one.
00:59:06.001 -->
00:59:06.302It's incredible.
00:59:06.302 -->
00:59:13.675Well, this new job of yours and these tours is kind of the pinnacle of a long history that you've had with the 8th Air Force.
00:59:13.675 -->
00:59:15.807I know you've sent a little resume.
00:59:15.807 -->
00:59:18.170We knew what you were up to before we started.
00:59:18.170 -->
00:59:23.360We've talked to you a lot about this on our joint traveling, modeling adventures.
00:59:23.360 -->
00:59:40.882But I'm looking at this thing, mark, and since about 1996 you seem to have been the lowly px manager for the eighth air force, historical society all the way up to national president yeah, yeah, I've had a really great life so you've?
00:59:41.643 -->
00:59:44.349you've been doing that for 20 years, looks like.
00:59:44.851 -->
00:59:45.652Oh, easy yeah.
00:59:46.440 -->
00:59:51.353Well, on the record, with the historical side, I'm sure you've been doing it longer than that on your own.
00:59:51.353 -->
00:59:56.072What honed you in and got you interested in the 8th Air Force in particular?
00:59:56.760 -->
00:59:57.706They gave us everything.
00:59:57.706 -->
01:00:02.871They gave us our freedom and what their courage and endeavor.
01:00:02.871 -->
01:00:09.251To me they saved the world, and you know the gentleman that I've had the pleasure of knowing in the past.
01:00:09.251 -->
01:00:23.730They've taught me a lot of things about love of country, about integrity, about respect and kindness and also about, you know, the self-fortitude that it took to do what they did.
01:00:24.170 -->
01:00:46.353And I guess what really, like I said earlier, really spawned on was my great friendship with Roger Freeman and we were close enough to where, in 2005, in October of 2005, he passed away of cancer and I was given the privilege to come across by the request of his family and I gave his eulogy.
01:00:46.353 -->
01:01:15.188And that was a pretty important thing in my life and I think about him every day and I guess to me just the fact that when you can go out and, like I said, you had the luxury of travel and you got a chance to meet these extraordinary gentlemen and that just really really kept the whole thing going and I just wanted more and I guess it was just a way that I could give back for what they gave me and all the people in the free world.
01:01:15.188 -->
01:01:27.235They gave us, like I said, our liberty and our freedom and whatever I could do to contribute back, will never ever pay the debt that we all owe them for what they did some 80 years ago.
01:01:27.981 -->
01:01:40.175Now, given your long association with the society and with the 8th Air Force and with the museum, I'm sure you've met many, many veterans.
01:01:41.219 -->
01:01:41.481Oh yeah.
01:01:41.942 -->
01:01:58.175Yeah, I know we could spend hours and hours talking, but pick out a couple of memorable individuals, tell a couple stories about a couple of these amazing men.
01:01:58.920 -->
01:02:01.742Oh boy, yeah, you're right, we could go for hours.
01:02:01.742 -->
01:02:07.244Like I said, I've had an incredibly blessed life on getting a chance to meet some of these guys.
01:02:07.244 -->
01:02:20.092I know that we have a shared love of August 1st 1943 and the tidal wave mission at Ploieste and I got a chance to meet several veterans from that campaign.
01:02:20.092 -->
01:02:23.253I know that you had met Phil Ardrey down near Neck of the Woods.
01:02:23.253 -->
01:02:26.096I knew old Phil and then I would do.
01:02:26.096 -->
01:02:29.378Let me think relating to Ploesti, where do I start?
01:02:29.378 -->
01:02:36.480Oh, I know, yeah, just because you could do it, I'd make arrangements with his secretary and General.
01:02:36.599 -->
01:02:45.510Ramsey Potts, who led or was part of the contingent of leading the 93rd Bomb Group on August 1st, was part of the contingent of leading the 93rd Bomb Group on August 1st.
01:02:45.510 -->
01:02:59.242He went on excuse me to go into the 389th Bomb Group, the 453rd, and he was great friends with Jimmy Stewart and he went all the way up into 2nd Air Division and into command.
01:02:59.242 -->
01:03:01.186Very, very, really really brilliant, brilliant pilot and also a great leader.
01:03:01.186 -->
01:03:46.844Well, after the war he studied law and actually had a law practice in Washington DC and I would jump on an early flight to Reagan and make arrangements with the secretary and I did this probably about four or five times through the years and I would just jump on a jet and fly to Reagan and of course as an airline employee you know what I paid and then got out to grab the Metro and head uptown and I'd go to his office and I'd meet General Potts and we would just have lunch and talk for about an hour and a half or so and I'd say thank you very much and I'd take the Metro back, jump on a flight and fly back home and the whole day probably costs 25, 30 bucks but I got.
01:03:46.844 -->
01:03:49.009But I but I got a chance to meet.
01:03:49.009 -->
01:03:51.822You know one of those guys from from Ploesti.
01:03:51.822 -->
01:03:57.061And then there's a dear friend of mine out in South Dakota by the name of Blaine Duxbury.
01:03:57.061 -->
01:03:58.123That's he.
01:03:58.123 -->
01:04:06.039If there's anybody that really, really knows the aircraft of Ploesti, it's Blaine.
01:04:06.079 -->
01:04:08.423And we we just decided, since nobody was going to recognize it or do anything.
01:04:08.423 -->
01:04:19.831You have to remember what is the single one-day military action, the most decorated military action in our country's history.
01:04:19.831 -->
01:04:23.449No, it wasn't at Valley Forge or Gettysburg or anything like that.
01:04:23.449 -->
01:04:25.804It was August 1st 1943.
01:04:25.804 -->
01:04:33.047There were five Medal of Honor winners, as you know, that were that participated in that raid, three that were awarded posthumously.
01:04:33.047 -->
01:04:37.663So we just decided that somebody had to do something and I knew.
01:04:37.663 -->
01:04:42.568I knew I had connections and Blaine had connections, and just the two of us.
01:04:42.789 -->
01:05:06.981We organized a 70th anniversary commemoration of the Ploesti raid and we did it in Dayton Ohio and of course we went to the National Museum of the Mighty Air Force, of the US Air Force, where they have the only real surviving B-24D B-24D.
01:05:06.981 -->
01:05:11.735We thought it would be worthy if we could maybe get like four or five guys, because they're in their late 80s or just creeping into their 90s, and we actually managed to get 12.
01:05:11.735 -->
01:05:30.880We had 12 Ploesti vets, including Mary Gerstead Jacobs, who was the only sibling of John Gerstead of the 93rd Bomb Group, who was one of the Medal of Honor winners that was awarded posthumously and that was the first time that she ever came to honor her brother.
01:05:30.880 -->
01:05:36.947And that weekend was just unbelievable, just the history.
01:05:36.947 -->
01:05:50.711And we conducted a lot of symposiums and things along that line and really kind of immersed in it, of course commemorated August 1st, the 70th anniversary of that raid, another one I do a lot of.
01:05:51.132 -->
01:06:11.840I still do a lot of consulting work for the Military Gallery over in England who publishes all the late Robert Taylor, richard Taylor, the late Gerald Coulson, anthony Saunders and a host of other artists and I used to consult in regards to being their chief kind of history guy, if you will.
01:06:11.840 -->
01:06:24.673So, as an example, robert Taylor was going to do an 8th Air Force piece and he wanted to do a particular subject in particular of a certain mission, or he wanted to feature a certain aircraft.
01:06:24.673 -->
01:06:37.273So I would give him information and as a modeler, you kind of knew what this airplane looked like at this particular time and you made sure that the accuracy was, you know, very pertinent.
01:06:37.273 -->
01:06:49.592And then in turn, what I would get a chance to do is they didn't remit me or pay me basically in money, but I got a very nice aviation art collection and then what.
01:06:49.632 -->
01:06:59.581I also did was I went over several times to England for these gallery events and my job would be to stay at the hotel with the veterans.
01:06:59.581 -->
01:07:30.806And all of a sudden, I was sitting there with five the surviving dam buster crewmen and six battle of Britain pilots and making sure that they were on time and that they were driven, and I got a chance to meet these incredible men you know not only the REF guys, luftwaffe veterans, et cetera, et cetera, through the connections, and then I also got a chance to bring over some Americans to these different events and that was some great memories.
01:07:30.806 -->
01:07:38.512So, yeah, and then, probably of any vet that I was probably the closest to, was Colonel Don Blakeslee.
01:07:38.512 -->
01:07:55.534Colonel Blakeslee and I were very close until he passed in around I think 2008 is when he left us but we were great friends and I spent many, many, many a time down at his place near Homestead Air Force Base south of Miami.
01:07:55.900 -->
01:08:18.529And for those who don't know Colonel Blakeslee was, he was the commander of the 4th Fighter Group and started flying with the Royal Canadian Air Force, then went to the Eagle Squadron and then flew of the 4th Fighter Group and started flying with the Royal Canadian Air Force, then went to the Eagle Squadron and then flew with the 4th and in all I think he flew just what I can figure out just over 1,300 hours of combat time, which has never been done by another American pilot.
01:08:18.529 -->
01:08:21.729And Colonel Dion and I, we were good buds.
01:08:22.940 -->
01:08:26.291Well, they didn't call it the Blake's to WAFA for nothing, that's right.
01:08:26.430 -->
01:08:26.671Yeah.
01:08:28.824 -->
01:08:45.895Well, that's got to be wonderful, of course, and now you know there are fewer and fewer of them remaining, given that most of these guys who are still around are pretty 100-year-old or pretty darn close.
01:08:47.280 -->
01:09:03.907On one of our tours in 2023, we did an 80th anniversary of the Black Week period of the 8th Air Force October 8th through the 14th of 1943, when the 8th Air Force lost 138 heavy bombers in that six-day period.
01:09:04.600 -->
01:09:05.341And I had the chance.
01:09:05.341 -->
01:09:25.868I got a call many of your listeners might know the name of John Lucky Luckadoo from the 100th Bomb Group and John was 101, and he called me up and said I want you to save a spot for me, for my daughter and my son-in-law, and we want to go on your Black Week tour in October for my daughter and my son-in-law and we want to go on your Black Week tour in October.
01:09:25.868 -->
01:09:28.932And I kind of sat there for a second and I said what could go wrong with that?
01:09:28.932 -->
01:09:45.046But by golly we did it and for 12 days I took a 101-year-old gentleman and he got a chance to go back to Thorpe Abbots and fulfill a lifelong dream to show his daughter where he served during World War II and fulfill a lifelong dream to show his daughter where he served during World War II.
01:09:45.046 -->
01:09:48.269And that was just a remarkable experience and lucky.
01:09:48.269 -->
01:09:52.832You'll be 103 on March 16th.
01:09:53.573 -->
01:10:13.345Wow, that has to be for having lived through that awful week, no-transcript, 80, you know, 70, 80 years later, whatever it was, and to visit those places, I mean.
01:10:14.047 -->
01:10:14.711I can't imagine.
01:10:14.711 -->
01:10:45.345Yeah, it was really something and we really kept his visit kind of private, we didn't advertise it on social media and I got to recommend in that regards to John Luckadoo, if your listeners really want to take a really good historical ride in 2000, no 2020 during the lockdown pandemic, lockdown, john and an excellent writer by the name of Kevin Maurer wrote the story of his World War II exploits and it's a book called Damn Lucky.
01:10:46.108 -->
01:10:48.351And it's just unbelievable.
01:10:48.592 -->
01:10:53.868And he tells a story about his time in the 100th bomb group and he's very truthful.
01:10:53.868 -->
01:11:06.550And I remember John and I were on, we went up on top of the tower and I mean he scampered up the stairs like like he was on fire and we were coming down and I said let's just do this right.
01:11:06.550 -->
01:11:13.559And I had one of the docents kind of on the front in case he went forward and I was in back of him in case he went backwards.
01:11:13.559 -->
01:11:48.854And we walked down and and all of a sudden he, uh, he stood on the tower and he stood at the, at the corner, just just staring out at the field and I knew exactly what was going on and all of a sudden he, he was back in 1943 and he just stood there and stood there and I didn't, I didn't say anything, but I managed to take my phone and I took some pictures and I'll I'll post that on the dojo of the last 100th bomb group veterans standing on the control tower at Thorpe Abbots, because there's only four of them left.
01:11:49.335 -->
01:11:49.716That's it.
01:11:49.716 -->
01:11:54.676There's only four 100th Bomb Group veterans left living right now.
01:11:54.676 -->
01:11:57.253And I was there, you know, to see it.
01:11:57.253 -->
01:11:59.045And that was just something.
01:11:59.045 -->
01:12:11.134And you know, I didn't say anything to him or whatever, and he just kind of turned around and I said you're right, john, and he goes, yep, and just we walked off and that was it.
01:12:11.134 -->
01:12:13.069But yeah, that was.
01:12:13.069 -->
01:12:14.271That was a remarkable honor.
01:12:14.993 -->
01:12:16.637Yeah, that's gotta be amazing.
01:12:16.637 -->
01:12:20.507So how many tours do you have coming up this year?
01:12:21.189 -->
01:12:32.470We've got one planned in May and then we have, uh, uh, as I mentioned, the long tour, which is 16 days, going to England and to Normandy, and then we split that.
01:12:32.470 -->
01:12:34.177We can split it in half and you can.
01:12:34.177 -->
01:12:40.514You can do the front portion of uh, which is a shortened date, the Air Force tour, and then the D-Day tour is after that.
01:12:40.514 -->
01:12:48.436The whole, the whole tour is 16 days in total, and then we have a complete separate day tour which is starting on the 11th.
01:12:48.436 -->
01:12:49.890I'm sorry, try to do that again.
01:12:49.890 -->
01:12:53.932It starts on October 27th and then goes to November 6th.
01:12:53.932 -->
01:12:58.470That's an 11-day tour, and then after that I'm going to Telford.
01:12:59.051 -->
01:13:01.997And anybody that wants to come along, please, please do.
01:13:01.997 -->
01:13:13.578And then I'm also developing kind of interestingly enough, I'm developing a tour that nobody's ever done Aforementioned there were 28,000 8th Air Force prisoners of war during World War II.
01:13:13.578 -->
01:13:17.335What I'm developing right now is a trip to go to Berlin.
01:13:17.335 -->
01:13:24.789Then the group would go from Berlin up to Rostock and we would visit the site where Stalag Luft 1 was.
01:13:24.789 -->
01:13:41.006At the following day we would go out to Peenemunde where the vengeance weapons were developed by the Germans, and then we'll go back to Berlin and kind of do all the sites in and around Berlin, not only World War II but also Cold War, you know, the wall, checkpoint Charlie, et cetera.
01:13:41.546 -->
01:13:54.670And then we'll take a drive off and we're going to go out to Kolditz Castle and then also the following day we're going to drive over to Zagin in Poland and visit Stalingrad 3.
01:13:54.670 -->
01:13:57.777Of course that's the place where the Great Escape happened.
01:13:57.777 -->
01:14:08.652And then from there we're going to go down to Dresden and spend a couple of days in Dresden and then finish off the tour in Nuremberg and we'll see the sights of Nuremberg.
01:14:08.652 -->
01:14:15.180And the final thing that I want to put together is visiting the Hall of Justice where the Nuremberg war trials were held.
01:14:15.180 -->
01:14:20.048So that'll be a really remarkable trip that's going to be in the spring.
01:14:20.048 -->
01:14:24.256And then I have another German trip that's going to be in the fall of 2026.
01:14:24.877 -->
01:14:25.219Okay.
01:14:25.219 -->
01:14:26.511So you've already started.
01:14:26.511 -->
01:14:32.925You've got all of 2025 planned and you're actually starting working on 2026.
01:14:33.364 -->
01:14:34.087And 27,.
01:14:34.087 -->
01:14:38.591Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely yeah, and all this information can be found on our website.
01:14:38.591 -->
01:14:42.292If you don't mind me doing a shameless plug, no, I was just about to ask, actually.
01:14:43.126 -->
01:14:44.752Just about to ask, so I will.
01:14:44.885 -->
01:14:48.435So if our listeners would like to know just how to get on one of these tours.
01:14:48.564 -->
01:14:50.833Well, I can tell you just how to do that.
01:14:50.833 -->
01:14:54.635No, now I have to send you guys a check in the mail.
01:14:54.635 -->
01:15:00.373No, it's actually on our website, it's on wwwmighty8thorg.
01:15:00.373 -->
01:15:04.255And then you just go to the educational travel tab.
01:15:04.255 -->
01:15:15.368It tells you all the details, a more detailed itinerary, the hotel properties that we have, what we kind of do loosely on a day-by-day basis, and you know, we understand that.
01:15:15.368 -->
01:15:19.636You know, you and I or anybody as far as that might be interested in this.
01:15:19.655 -->
01:15:24.956It'd be fun to take your spouse and I can say that we do give a lot of free time.
01:15:24.956 -->
01:15:26.971We give you a free day in London.
01:15:26.971 -->
01:15:33.106We give you a free day in London.
01:15:33.106 -->
01:15:37.438So if your wife has to go to Harrods and go look at $1,200 pairs of shoes, we'll give you that opportunity and the hotel in central London.
01:15:37.438 -->
01:15:49.182We're really close to the theater district, so if you want to go catch a show, it's just a couple minutes away and you're right in the heart of central London and, like I said, it's a nice place to live right in the heart of central London.
01:15:51.435 -->
01:15:53.324And, like I said, it's a nice place to live.
01:15:53.324 -->
01:15:58.493Well, for those of us who may have a little tough time getting to Europe anytime soon, tell us about the museum itself in Georgia.
01:15:58.514 -->
01:15:59.034Oh, certainly.
01:15:59.034 -->
01:16:03.831Well, the museum has been open since 1996, and thanks for asking about that, dave.
01:16:03.831 -->
01:16:07.515The museum is called the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.
01:16:07.515 -->
01:16:09.765It's actually located in Pooler, georgia.
01:16:09.765 -->
01:16:35.061It's open six out of seven days of the week, and so forth, and we have a beautiful, beautiful museum that tells the story of the buildup of World War II, where you actually kind of go in and it's kind of a well, I don't want to allay it to like a Disneyland, you know, type of a show or something along that line.
01:16:35.442 -->
01:16:37.103An interactive experience.
01:16:37.965 -->
01:16:45.431Exactly, and then you walk out into the combat gallery and that is where the city of Savannah is and that is our B-17.
01:16:45.431 -->
01:16:55.287It is probably in the world, I would have to say, as a non-flyable example of a B-17, it is probably in the world, I would have to say, as a non-flyable example of a B-17, it certainly has.
01:16:55.287 -->
01:17:01.127It's probably close to the most complete aircraft, not only internally but externally.
01:17:01.127 -->
01:17:16.259All the turrets work ball turret, top turret, the chin turret, all of them operate and it's a remarkable, you know, aircraft that you can get right up very, very close to and for for anybody that wants to go on a tour or visit the museum.
01:17:16.259 -->
01:17:18.488You can reach out to me and I can.
01:17:18.488 -->
01:17:18.909I know.
01:17:18.909 -->
01:17:27.412I know some folks and I recently folks that you that you've had on the show, like Bob Bob Bear and Harvey Lowe.
01:17:27.412 -->
01:17:37.327They were down in Savannah and I got a chance to give them, make arrangements to make a VIP tour and both of them got a chance to get inside the fort, which was really nice.
01:17:38.269 -->
01:17:42.337So the museum is, is the museum itself expanding.
01:17:43.105 -->
01:17:44.127Yeah, thanks for asking.
01:17:44.127 -->
01:17:57.666Yeah, we just went on a major capital campaign project and we're actually putting on a very, very large extension and kind of doing a complete facelift of the museum, which will take actually a couple of years to do.
01:17:57.666 -->
01:18:07.154I've seen all the architectural plans and the drawings and what they're going to do and you know, the museum is good right now but it's going to be so, so much better in the next couple of years.
01:18:07.154 -->
01:18:09.944So, yeah, we're really excited about that, but it's going to be so, so much better in the next couple of years.
01:18:09.944 -->
01:18:11.811So, yeah, we're really excited about that.
01:18:12.645 -->
01:18:14.166Well, looking forward to it, I've got to.
01:18:14.166 -->
01:18:18.317Maybe I can convince the wife to make a vacation trip to Savannah.
01:18:18.564 -->
01:18:19.791Savannah's a beautiful city.
01:18:20.707 -->
01:18:26.037And we've never been, and you know, as long as I don't tell her we're going there to see a museum.
01:18:26.037 -->
01:18:31.511Oh honey, while we're down here, why don't we do?
01:18:31.573 -->
01:18:35.823it like your Niagara Falls trip, dave, where you didn't even go to the falls, you went to Buffalo.
01:18:36.487 -->
01:18:39.994I went to the Buffalo Naval History Museum while she went to the fall.
01:18:40.395 -->
01:18:41.037That's awesome.
01:18:42.126 -->
01:18:59.318Mark, let's bring this home now and all this aviation history or your new career track with as the director of Educational Travel with the National Museum of the 98th, how does all this job and your interest in World War II aviation influence your modeling topics?
01:18:59.759 -->
01:19:01.671Oh yeah, that's a great question.
01:19:01.671 -->
01:19:25.587I think I could answer it in this regard, mike, I think anybody that builds, especially military or historic things, or shall we say real life things, we all strive to take something and create a 3D miniature of an aircraft in my particular interest, and so forth.
01:19:25.587 -->
01:19:40.167All of us, I think, want to obviously strive for accuracy and to achieve, you know, a real life, you know, miniature, reproduction of something that was real, a real aircraft In my regard.
01:19:40.167 -->
01:19:46.939I guess I purchased many, as an example, the new Edward P-51s.
01:19:48.608 -->
01:19:49.792I was going to mention that.
01:19:50.454 -->
01:19:58.175I think now I think I'm pretty much to the point where I have just as many P-51s as Doolittle had in 1944.
01:19:58.175 -->
01:20:05.114It's a remarkable kit and I have a list, a short list, of aircraft that I want to build.
01:20:05.114 -->
01:20:07.567Not only are they beautiful, beautiful airplanes.
01:20:07.567 -->
01:20:09.829But let's go back to Don Blakeslee.
01:20:09.829 -->
01:20:19.831That's the first one I'm going to do is WDC P-51D5 that Colonel Don flew and just in tribute to my friend and I guess you know.
01:20:19.850 -->
01:20:55.007The other thing is is when, when you can go and you can, you can literally, as, like Colonel Blakeslee on our visit to Debton, I will take, take our tour participants to the exact spot where his hard stand was, and you can, and you can stand there, or I'll take you to the hard stand where the Memphis bell was parked, or you know this and that and when, when you actually stand there at that place where that airplane was and and the where that was and where that pilot flew, it's a whole different experience in terms of history.
01:20:55.007 -->
01:21:09.430But then when you sit down with the model bench and you sit back and you say I'm going to build a P-51 of Colonel Don Blakeslee and not only was he a great friend of mine personally, but just to stand at that very place where that aircraft was at.
01:21:09.430 -->
01:21:11.975That's, that's to me such it makes.
01:21:11.975 -->
01:21:13.176It makes the build.
01:21:13.176 -->
01:21:15.380It just means so much more, I guess.
01:21:15.380 -->
01:21:16.161Does that make sense?
01:21:16.604 -->
01:21:21.244Yeah, it gives you an extra connection, oh, completely yeah, completely.
01:21:21.444 -->
01:21:40.256And when that model's done and you put it on your shelf or bring it to your local club or what may have you Maybe people won't totally understand you know what it was, but you know to say that I stood at that very place where this airplane you know was parked or where it was serviced and things along that line.
01:21:42.649 -->
01:21:47.378Or we take our motor coach and our bus driver kind of knows the deal.
01:21:47.378 -->
01:21:57.036When we're driving, when we're at Debton and we go down the main east-west runway, he tries to get the bus up to about maybe 80 or 85 miles an hour.
01:21:57.036 -->
01:21:59.029We try and get it off the ground.
01:21:59.029 -->
01:22:13.744But you're rolling down this runway where you know the 4th Fighter Group flew and the Eagle Squadrons and before that it was a Principal Bas and 12 group in the battle of Britain, and it's just like this is unreal and you get that sensation.
01:22:13.744 -->
01:22:24.695And, like I said, when you bring that back to the model table it just makes the whole experience so much more, you know, interesting and it to me it just makes the hobby, you know, that much more enjoyable.
01:22:25.204 -->
01:22:26.667I can relate completely.
01:22:26.926 -->
01:22:34.095Well, Mark, we want to thank you for agreeing to come on the show and talk to us about the tours and your historical endeavors.
01:22:34.095 -->
01:22:35.476It's all been great.
01:22:35.476 -->
01:22:38.480It's been great getting to know you and Steve over the last couple of years.
01:22:50.125 -->
01:22:51.811Well, that has been not only, like I said earlier in the program.
01:22:51.811 -->
01:22:53.506At the beginning, you know, like I said, you guys just kill it every two weeks and I look forward to it.
01:22:53.506 -->
01:23:03.926But I never, ever in a million years, thought that an email to you guys about my friend steve, my best friend steve houstead and then now, where it would, where it would turn out to be that I've really gained two really good friends out of it, so that's, that's what this hobby does, doesn't it?
01:23:04.367 -->
01:23:05.087yes, it does.
01:23:05.087 -->
01:23:11.150That is what this podcast has done for Mike and I Do me a favor.
01:23:11.150 -->
01:23:18.274When you have tours upcoming, please post those on the dojo.
01:23:18.274 -->
01:23:21.837Let the listeners have the opportunity.
01:23:21.837 -->
01:23:27.881I'm sure that most of our listeners this is their first time hearing about any of this, first time hearing about any of this.
01:23:27.881 -->
01:23:47.538If they would like the opportunity to actually experience it, please post the information on the dojo about upcoming tours so that people, if they're interested, can go ahead and contact you, contact the museum and arrange to get on the tour.
01:23:48.484 -->
01:23:51.073I think that's a terrific idea, dave, and I certainly will.
01:23:51.073 -->
01:23:53.271Thanks for suggesting it.
01:23:53.271 -->
01:24:10.257And yeah, and if anybody is interested in participating in one of these things, maybe to close, I guess it's something that I think we all know in the back of our mind, and it's not to get all philosophical or sappy or what may have you, but it's really true.
01:24:10.257 -->
01:24:20.493We only have so much time on this earth and the time that we have is finite, and all of us have the bucket list and the list of boy.
01:24:20.493 -->
01:24:29.935One of these days I'd really like to do this, and it's up to us, as human beings, to eliminate as many of those things as we can before the end.
01:24:29.935 -->
01:24:33.027And, as I say, there's no ATMs in heaven.
01:24:33.847 -->
01:24:46.666And you know what, enjoy life and experience something, and most of our tour participants they come back and it really is, especially for people that had relatives in the 8th Air Force.
01:24:46.666 -->
01:25:04.354It's really a life-changing experience and if anybody wants any further information on the educational travel page, there's my contact information, my email and my telephone number and either call me or email me anytime and I'd be happy to provide any information that I can for you.
01:25:05.645 -->
01:25:12.019And Mike and I can both testify that Mark is a boon traveling companion, that's right.
01:25:13.926 -->
01:25:16.051Look forward to the next time we're on the same trip.
01:25:16.493 -->
01:25:20.530Yes, exactly Amen to that, Sooner than later as far as I'm concerned.
01:25:21.372 -->
01:25:21.734Amen.
01:25:21.994 -->
01:25:23.605That's it, Guys.
01:25:23.605 -->
01:25:24.469Thank you so much.
01:25:25.311 -->
01:25:27.452Thank you, mark, and we look forward to the next time we see you.
01:25:28.176 -->
01:25:29.381Absolutely All right.
01:25:29.403 -->
01:25:40.984right, you guys take care take it easy, all right, thank you man, that sounds like so much fun, oh it, it does, I've got.
01:25:41.365 -->
01:25:48.092If I can't get to europe, and right now that clearly that's gonna be tough, tough haul for me.
01:25:48.092 -->
01:25:55.402I at least want to go down to the museum of the 8th Air Mighty 8th down in Georgia.
01:25:55.402 -->
01:26:00.216That just sounds like so much fun and can't wait to do that.
01:26:00.216 -->
01:26:02.632And Mark always love talking with Mark.
01:26:02.632 -->
01:26:04.974He's just such a fun person.
01:26:04.974 -->
01:26:07.634He has such a bright outlook on life.
01:26:08.104 -->
01:26:10.953Well, and he's certainly enthusiastic about the 8th Air Force.
01:26:11.293 -->
01:26:11.975Yes, he is.
01:26:11.975 -->
01:26:13.649That was a lot of fun.
01:26:13.649 -->
01:26:17.586Yeah, get building those P-51s, mark and the.
01:26:17.626 -->
01:26:18.430B-17s.
01:26:18.810 -->
01:26:19.032Yes.
01:26:24.284 -->
01:26:34.520Bases by Bill is back with quality display bases that enhance any model, From US and Japanese wooden carrier decks to custom-sized cherry hardwood bases.
01:26:34.520 -->
01:26:40.037Bases by Bill display bases are available for any type of model and for any size.
01:26:40.037 -->
01:26:41.489Oh and have you heard?
01:26:41.489 -->
01:26:46.837Bases by Bill is now a US reseller for one-man army high-definition paint masks.
01:26:46.837 -->
01:26:51.386These masks bring amazing detail to your model, even maintenance stencils.
01:26:51.386 -->
01:26:53.613They have to be seen to be believed.
01:26:53.613 -->
01:26:57.444And all one man army products include free shipping.
01:26:57.444 -->
01:27:04.153Check basesbybillcom to see the products bases by bill for all your model display needs.
01:27:10.139 -->
01:27:12.001Well, I got a box from Bases by Bill.
01:27:12.001 -->
01:27:16.154It's got the fruits of our experimentation in it.
01:27:16.755 -->
01:27:17.896Oh, great, great.
01:27:17.896 -->
01:27:18.478I can't wait.
01:27:18.478 -->
01:27:28.497When we get done with this, you'll have to take a couple of photographs and send them to me, yeah, so folks will get enlightened about that a little later down the road.
01:27:28.664 -->
01:27:39.953We're not quite there yet on either of the projects that are represented in that package, but Christian thanks for sending that out and Bill and company thanks for working on it for us.
01:27:39.953 -->
01:27:40.595We appreciate it.
01:27:40.855 -->
01:27:42.099Yes, absolutely.
01:27:42.926 -->
01:27:49.815Well, dave, it's the Benchtop Halftime Reports and I hope you've got something to report, man, I do.
01:27:49.815 -->
01:27:53.536It's you can't go over to on the Moose through.
01:27:53.925 -->
01:27:54.886No, I, I, I.
01:27:54.886 -->
01:28:02.171I can't post pictures of it cause it's top secret, but I am making progress on the Moose through the.
01:28:02.171 -->
01:28:09.037The model, by Sunday night should be in in its final paint.
01:28:09.037 -->
01:28:10.298Then all right.
01:28:10.298 -->
01:28:21.485Then it's weathering and then I've got to knock out that, that base real quick because the diorama or vignette component is the one I don't want to.
01:28:21.485 -->
01:28:22.567Don't want to.
01:28:22.567 -->
01:28:26.552It's going to be very simple, so I think I can knock it out pretty quick.
01:28:26.552 -->
01:28:30.779But yeah, I'm enjoying it.
01:28:30.779 -->
01:28:31.761It's a fun kit.
01:28:31.761 -->
01:28:38.899I appreciate the guys in Hamilton doing this and I'm not going to go 0 for 2, I promise.
01:28:40.146 -->
01:28:43.675Anything else In the hobby room I have been moving.
01:28:45.606 -->
01:28:48.034I put up shelving, as I mentioned last time.
01:28:48.034 -->
01:28:56.837I've been moving kits and stuff like that, and then I've been moving out some of my library into my pool room.
01:28:56.837 -->
01:29:02.337By pool room I mean table pool, not outside the billiard room.
01:29:02.337 -->
01:29:04.453Yeah, the billiard room, thank you.
01:29:04.453 -->
01:29:16.770And I found the only problem with moving books is you look at them and it's like oh, I didn't remember I had that, or ooh, that's a cool.
01:29:16.770 -->
01:29:19.394And next thing you know you're standing there.
01:29:19.394 -->
01:29:24.693Instead of moving books, you're standing there leafing through something.
01:29:25.675 -->
01:29:27.016Yes, guilty.
01:29:27.497 -->
01:29:29.085Yeah, not good, that's not good.
01:29:29.085 -->
01:29:29.886So it slows me down.
01:29:29.886 -->
01:29:29.885It robs yeah, not good, that's not good.
01:29:29.885 -->
01:29:31.872So it slows me down.
01:29:31.872 -->
01:29:33.612It robs me of hobby time.
01:29:33.612 -->
01:29:40.296So I've got to get better about that, but I am making some progress.
01:29:41.027 -->
01:29:41.529How about you?
01:29:41.529 -->
01:29:43.831Kv85 is moving along.
01:29:43.831 -->
01:29:44.833Yes, it is.
01:29:44.833 -->
01:29:46.853It's about to pick up pace a little bit.
01:29:46.853 -->
01:29:48.386It's about to pick up pace a little bit.
01:29:48.386 -->
01:30:08.578The hurdle of the last few days has been the last of the primary hull welds on it which I've done in the epoxy putty, and there were six, yeah, six in total, and I tell you I can say we talked about this in a recent past episode.
01:30:08.578 -->
01:30:12.233I don't know if it was the last one or not, but it was certainly recent couple.
01:30:12.233 -->
01:30:17.197Was there anything from the E16 project that was actually going to carry over into armor?
01:30:17.197 -->
01:30:21.612And, yes, I can say something has.
01:30:22.447 -->
01:30:44.418I got to point where I was handling that E16 float plane pretty gingerly and then if there was work I'd just done and I knew I was at risk of fouling that by working on some other area of the plane before that was set up or cooked off or whatever I would just not do it.
01:30:44.418 -->
01:30:44.960I would wait.
01:30:44.960 -->
01:30:49.029And I saw with these welds that that was going to happen If I just handled this thing.
01:30:49.029 -->
01:30:49.332I was going to happen.
01:30:49.332 -->
01:30:58.073If I just handled this thing, I was going to keep getting my fingers in the ones I'd already done because they were the, they were exposed, and so it took me three sessions to march through this thing.
01:30:58.073 -->
01:31:04.903Yeah, I'd do these two, then wait, then do these two and wait, and then do the last two, and wait, and they're all done.
01:31:04.944 -->
01:31:09.716So I'm moving on to the fenders next well, or let me ask you are you like?
01:31:09.716 -->
01:31:20.747Are you like uncle, night shift and doing weld seams is now your favorite part of building a model tank no, I wouldn't say that.
01:31:20.847 -->
01:31:23.476I would say four of the six weren't bad.
01:31:23.476 -->
01:31:25.382Yeah, no, there was eight.
01:31:25.382 -->
01:31:31.572Actually there's two near the nose, two in the the middle and two on the rear Four in the middle and two on the rear.
01:31:31.572 -->
01:31:37.217The four in the middle around those turret bulges gave me a lot of trouble.
01:31:37.217 -->
01:31:38.711That was not my favorite.
01:31:38.805 -->
01:31:39.951I was glad when those were done.
01:31:39.951 -->
01:31:49.524It was just a matter of you didn't have a corner to pack the putty into, because that bulge is round, because the that bulge is round.
01:31:49.524 -->
01:31:57.261So you had a a round surface coming down and stubbing into a flat surface, so that that angle was really shallow down where the weld seam was.
01:31:57.261 -->
01:31:59.432So I did his trick, though.
01:31:59.432 -->
01:32:06.332I went back and I ended up scribing a a groove to pack the putty into so I get a little more tooth for it to hold onto.
01:32:06.332 -->
01:32:07.368It just kept.
01:32:07.368 -->
01:32:09.395It kept going away on me, yeah.
01:32:09.395 -->
01:32:12.793But I got there in the end and I think they look pretty good.
01:32:13.375 -->
01:32:16.573Good, and the fenders are proven problematic.
01:32:16.573 -->
01:32:19.451What's exactly wrong with them?
01:32:19.451 -->
01:32:20.533They're fine.
01:32:20.533 -->
01:32:26.793They're nice and thin for injection molded tank fenders, so there's really no need to replace them.
01:32:26.793 -->
01:32:29.935I've thinned the fronts and rear exposed ends a little bit.
01:32:29.935 -->
01:32:32.788But they've got a detail.
01:32:32.788 -->
01:32:46.552That kind of friction fits up into the underside of those turret blisters on the hull sides and when you get those in there it forces a twist into the fenders, hmm, and I'm not sure where it's binding up.
01:32:46.552 -->
01:32:52.310So I got to figure out what's causing that, to do that, and it's just going to be a lot of file.
01:32:52.350 -->
01:32:54.376Fit sand, fit sand, fit sand.
01:32:54.376 -->
01:32:55.216Oh there it is.
01:32:55.216 -->
01:32:55.979Now glue it on.
01:32:55.979 -->
01:33:00.355So that's going to be hopefully this weekend I'll have those on.
01:33:00.355 -->
01:33:06.287One of them's not bad, the other one's kind of terrible, so I'm a little worried about it.
01:33:06.287 -->
01:33:08.511I think I'll get it, but not fun.
01:33:09.110 -->
01:33:16.921Yeah, well, you know, that can actually be a lot of modeling zen when you're working on something like that.
01:33:16.921 -->
01:33:30.943You sand a little off, you test fit, you go okay, and then you take it off and you sand a little bit and you can kind of get in a groove doing that, and you can kind of get in a groove doing that.
01:33:38.265 -->
01:33:41.409And I'll be honest with you in some respects, I find that very relaxing, as long as you can get it eventually to actually fit.
01:33:41.409 -->
01:33:43.132Well, once you get the Moosaroo thing done, you got to tear into those.
01:33:43.172 -->
01:33:44.555The SAM has to finish up.
01:33:44.555 -->
01:33:48.359And then I've got to tear into those F8Fs, which shouldn't be bad.
01:33:48.359 -->
01:33:49.320Those are simple.
01:33:49.320 -->
01:33:57.654Those are the Hobby Boss reduced parts kits, so they should not be very hard.
01:33:57.654 -->
01:34:02.016And these things are going to be basically markings mules anyway.
01:34:02.016 -->
01:34:04.088So I'm not, I'm not.
01:34:04.088 -->
01:34:07.618There's going to be no super detailing or anything like that.
01:34:08.407 -->
01:34:16.837You know I had an idea, oh Lord you know, on your Moose Roo obligations years.
01:34:16.837 -->
01:34:21.990You also have this September's collection or group build for the Nationals.
01:34:21.990 -->
01:34:24.271Yes, you keep beating your head against.
01:34:24.271 -->
01:34:33.663Yeah, I propose for 2026 that the September's group bill for the nationals be whatever.
01:34:33.663 -->
01:34:42.136The Moose through is no community within a community and it's just stuff you guys have been building for the prior year and don't make it something different.
01:34:42.516 -->
01:34:43.158Something different.
01:34:43.158 -->
01:34:45.774Well, we, you know that would be nice.
01:34:45.774 -->
01:34:46.030I'll talk to to the doctor, dr.
01:34:46.030 -->
01:34:47.631You know that would be nice.
01:34:47.631 -->
01:35:00.908I'll talk to the doctor, dr Gelbacher, who's in charge of those things, and see if for that year we can fit in something that I've already got something built that fits in the collection, in fact the one coming up.
01:35:00.908 -->
01:35:05.417I've already got one item that fits in the collection.
01:35:06.364 -->
01:35:08.068I mean because these things are going to burn up your.
01:35:08.769 -->
01:35:09.449Yeah, I know.
01:35:09.570 -->
01:35:10.391Spring and summer.
01:35:11.293 -->
01:35:13.256I know, yeah, well, that's the other thing.
01:35:13.256 -->
01:35:14.458I didn't get the dark time.
01:35:14.498 -->
01:35:17.073You, you, you've got like three months to build something you want to build.
01:35:17.333 -->
01:35:18.930Right, I've got to build faster.
01:35:18.930 -->
01:35:43.779I have to build faster there is no just trying to help you out.
01:35:43.798 -->
01:35:49.802Well, that's all I've got app for your Apple or Android device for easy shopping from just about anywhere.
01:35:49.802 -->
01:35:56.304Squadron adding to the stash since 1968.
01:35:57.886 -->
01:36:01.136Mike, new stuff is coming out at a rapid pace.
01:36:01.136 -->
01:36:04.734In fact, I'm finding it hard to keep up with it all.
01:36:04.734 -->
01:36:09.996So do you have some faves and yawns for what's coming out?
01:36:10.784 -->
01:36:19.909You know, I don't know if that's universal across all scales and genres, but I got a few things All right, honestly they're faves.
01:36:19.909 -->
01:36:24.358But there's like this overarching theme that kind of bums me out a little bit.
01:36:24.798 -->
01:36:25.159Okay.
01:36:26.005 -->
01:36:31.318Yeah, 3D print seems to be propagating faster than maybe I would care for.
01:36:31.318 -->
01:36:33.951I'm kind of developing a love-hate with it.
01:36:34.512 -->
01:36:34.793Yeah.
01:36:35.364 -->
01:36:41.716And you know I've got three faves here tonight and two of them are 3D print things.
01:36:42.337 -->
01:36:42.636Yeah.
01:36:42.837 -->
01:36:43.479But they're cool.
01:36:43.479 -->
01:36:53.618Yeah, b&l Models, a company out of Vietnam, has got a Type 65 twin anti-aircraft gun.
01:36:54.279 -->
01:36:54.600Okay.
01:36:56.148 -->
01:36:58.713Vietnam War era gun.
01:36:58.713 -->
01:36:59.957They've got the ground version.
01:36:59.957 -->
01:37:01.970They've also got that one or two off.
01:37:01.970 -->
01:37:06.773They built on T-34 chassis Right A conversion for that.
01:37:06.773 -->
01:37:08.569So interesting subjects.
01:37:08.569 -->
01:37:16.711I know they're my cup of tea so I don't have to worry about too much 3D print encroaching on my modeling enjoyment, but look pretty cool.
01:37:16.711 -->
01:37:18.569Yeah, what's your first one?
01:37:19.065 -->
01:37:20.511My first one is a fave.
01:37:20.511 -->
01:37:23.675It's our friend ClearProp, out of the Ukraine.
01:37:23.675 -->
01:37:28.146They have announced a new tool, mig-19.
01:37:28.146 -->
01:37:28.907Announced a new tool, mig-19.
01:37:28.907 -->
01:37:44.574And for anybody who is a fan of Russian-slash-Soviet aircraft, particularly from 1945 to the fall of the Soviet Union, the MiG-19 was a big hole.
01:37:44.574 -->
01:37:55.980It was a major aircraft, the equivalent of our F-100, super Sabre about the same time period, etc.
01:37:55.980 -->
01:38:01.122And there have been a couple of kits over the years, but no good kits.
01:38:01.122 -->
01:38:17.917And, given Clear Prop's talents and the kits they currently produce, I have zero doubt that this is going to be a fantastic kit and, like I said, it's going to fill a big hole.
01:38:17.917 -->
01:38:23.814And it looks like they're doing a couple of different versions the classic day fighter version.
01:38:23.814 -->
01:38:26.807They're going to do the night fighter version.
01:38:26.807 -->
01:38:28.411I'm happy to see it.
01:38:28.430 -->
01:38:33.269It's right up your alley man yep, it is go ahead ss models.
01:38:33.810 -->
01:38:35.132Okay, yeah, they're god.
01:38:35.153 -->
01:38:43.814They are releasing everything in its brother I and it started out not so great, but some of the stuff folks have been I've been seeing online.
01:38:43.814 -->
01:38:45.085I've gotten some nice stuff.
01:38:45.085 -->
01:38:53.429I know ian up in canada right a couple and he's had fun with them yeah but this is one that's a 3d print.
01:38:53.429 -->
01:39:01.372It's all 3d print, but this one's a 3d print and it's one where the overall quality would really make it or break it.
01:39:01.372 -->
01:39:06.166It's the aft deck, catapult and gantry for the japanese ship fusso.
01:39:06.166 -->
01:39:09.470Oh yes, I saw In 172nd scale.
01:39:09.911 -->
01:39:12.293Yep you got to order that man.
01:39:12.293 -->
01:39:17.600But man, that's a lot of coin to throw down on something that might show up and be just a screaming turd man.
01:39:17.965 -->
01:39:23.829Yes, not just a turd, a screaming turd, that's right.
01:39:23.829 -->
01:39:27.212Yeah, yeah, well, hopefully, okay, yeah well, hopefully, okay.
01:39:27.212 -->
01:39:34.880If there's some listener out there who has seen this thing in the flesh, tell us.
01:39:35.279 -->
01:39:36.520Or any of the other catapults.
01:39:36.520 -->
01:39:37.881They've got two or three others.
01:39:51.125 -->
01:39:57.698Yes, please tell us, because if it's halfway decent, mike is going to go sell his blood or do something like that to raise the money to buy probably all of these.
01:39:57.698 -->
01:40:02.976So please, any listener out there, let us know.
01:40:04.065 -->
01:40:08.453I mean, I've been at this long enough to have cut my teeth on some really crappy resin disappointments.
01:40:09.707 -->
01:40:11.873You don't want to spend money on bad models.
01:40:13.985 -->
01:40:17.297I'm easy to have pause on stuff like this.
01:40:17.297 -->
01:40:20.369Exactly, exactly you got another one, my friend.
01:40:20.409 -->
01:40:24.073Yes, I do, and you and I are both going to like this.
01:40:24.073 -->
01:40:28.230There's a company called Yahoo Models, yeah, y-a-h-u.
01:40:28.230 -->
01:40:47.231There's a company called Yahoo Models, y-a-h-u, and they make instrument panels that are absolutely gorgeous, pre-danned, pre-colored dial faces and everything, complete instrument panels that you can just drop into a kit and they are fantastic.
01:40:47.231 -->
01:41:05.310They are unbelievably inexpensive, in fact, to the point where whenever I place an order with like Hannitz and I want to fill out an order, I'll just buy a bunch of those things because they're ridiculously cheap, they don't add to the postage, et cetera, etc.
01:41:05.310 -->
01:41:20.391But they have announced a instrument panel and interior for the iar 80 81 oh, now I gotta get one yes, that's my point I'll.
01:41:20.452 -->
01:41:22.658When I find one, I'll be buying two.
01:41:22.658 -->
01:41:30.238Actually, I'll probably be buying three or four, because there are more iar 80 kits coming, that kit might have a nice one already in it.
01:41:30.238 -->
01:41:36.136Oh, I suspect it does, but these things are just so, they're photorealistic.
01:41:36.136 -->
01:41:38.885I mean, they are truly fantastic.
01:41:38.885 -->
01:41:51.253So if any kit, if I'm building any kit and Yahoo makes a panel for it, I will use it, just simply because it saves you time and effort.
01:41:51.253 -->
01:41:53.738Well, cool you got another one.
01:41:55.020 -->
01:41:55.260I do.
01:41:55.260 -->
01:41:57.613I was talking about this one earlier man to you.
01:41:57.632 -->
01:42:16.614Okay, while we were supposed to be at work, mike MiniArt has added the final version of the Stug-Off G from the Alcat factory in their 72nd scale Stug line and probably going to get one of these the pig snout, yeah, but it's also got the remote MG on top and the close defense weapon.
01:42:16.614 -->
01:42:21.395It's like the Sturmgeschütz reached its pinnacle at the end of the war.
01:42:21.395 -->
01:42:33.309Well, while they were starting to shortcut some of their other mainstays in their armor construction, and that's it's my favorite long-barreled version of the Sturmgeschütz and I don't know.
01:42:33.309 -->
01:42:37.171The images on the modeling news look pretty good.
01:42:37.171 -->
01:42:50.162I think those kits are pretty nice and it's a little bitty thing, but I don't know Warming up to that scale and some of the armor subjects a little bit and I think I'm going to get this one.
01:42:57.904 -->
01:43:00.207Well, good, I've got one last, which is a yawn, and it's not one that I've seen, it's one I've been told about.
01:43:00.207 -->
01:43:19.630Our friend of the show, jim Bates, tells me that he has seen an actual kit of this, and I forget who the manufacturer is, but it is a 48 scale vacuform and 3D print Russian TU-95 Bear.
01:43:19.630 -->
01:43:21.332What scale?
01:43:21.332 -->
01:43:22.73348.
01:43:23.212 -->
01:43:25.716That's got some long droopy wings on it.
01:43:25.916 -->
01:43:27.976Yeah, that's just.
01:43:27.976 -->
01:43:36.613I mean, a TU-95 in 72nd scale is a big airplane, Every bit as big as a B-52.
01:43:36.613 -->
01:43:48.355I just cannot imagine doing a vacuform and 3D print 48 scale TU-95.
01:43:49.265 -->
01:43:49.945That's the only way you're going to get it.
01:43:49.945 -->
01:43:50.810Yeah, that is the only way you're going to get it.
01:43:50.925 -->
01:44:04.775Yeah, that is the only way you're going to get it, and I'm sure there are 48 scale guys out there who are probably like yay, that's good, I'm glad for you, but that's going to be a yawn for me.
01:44:04.935 -->
01:44:05.917Well, that's all I got.
01:44:05.917 -->
01:44:06.989I don't have any yawns.
01:44:06.989 -->
01:44:13.957I could but I've beat the drums that they would fall under to death, so we're not going to do that.
01:44:14.458 -->
01:44:23.394All right, I almost feel silly asking but how was your Pilsner or Cal?
01:44:24.476 -->
01:44:24.997It's good.
01:44:26.166 -->
01:44:27.172Yeah, of course it is.
01:44:27.324 -->
01:44:28.889It's a mass market Czech beer.
01:44:28.889 -->
01:44:32.337I really would like to know what they think about this beer in the Czech Republic.
01:44:33.024 -->
01:44:35.310Yes, if we got a listener in the Czech Republic.
01:44:35.310 -->
01:44:43.314Tell us what do you all think of Pilsner or Kel, because we really love it over here in the States.
01:44:43.453 -->
01:44:44.155I think it's good.
01:44:44.155 -->
01:44:53.199I always feel a little slighted with the 330 milliliter bottles, which works out to about 11.2 ounces versus 12.
01:44:53.865 -->
01:44:55.934Well, that's why you have two of them.
01:44:56.425 -->
01:44:58.391Well, you're losing a couple of swigs per bottle.
01:44:59.014 -->
01:44:59.454Yeah, I know.
01:45:00.365 -->
01:45:01.930That's one way to get a light beer, I guess.
01:45:01.930 -->
01:45:04.377There you go, there you go.
01:45:04.377 -->
01:45:06.710Same to you, man.
01:45:06.710 -->
01:45:13.594I'm sure you're enjoying the pear cider, having flashback memories to the IPMS Nationals in Oklahoma City.
01:45:14.154 -->
01:45:15.819Yes, I am, it's good.
01:45:15.819 -->
01:45:17.426In fact, that's one of the things.
01:45:17.426 -->
01:45:34.257That's pretty unusual is, when I first experienced this at the 2003 Oklahoma City Nationals, it was on tap and I can say, out of a can it is every bit as good as on tap.
01:45:34.257 -->
01:45:37.948There's no real noticeable degradation.
01:45:37.948 -->
01:45:52.000It's a fantastic light drink and it's only basically 5% alcohol by volume, and so it's very drinkable, very light.
01:45:52.000 -->
01:45:54.561Nothing bad to say about it.
01:45:54.561 -->
01:45:57.430It's one of my two go-to refreshments.
01:45:57.430 -->
01:46:05.082We now truly are at the end of the episode.
01:46:05.082 -->
01:46:06.225Do you have any shout out?
01:46:06.225 -->
01:46:09.841I've just got one, so go first I've got two.
01:46:09.981 -->
01:46:12.591So if you got more than one uh, we can alternate.
01:46:12.591 -->
01:46:17.627I'll go first and you can do yours and I'll finish up uh one last time.
01:46:17.627 -->
01:46:19.416The hamilton crew for being such pros.
01:46:19.416 -->
01:46:26.341When we had them on for the show spotlight they were really well prepared and you know it's not their first rodeo, obviously, with heritage com.
01:46:26.341 -->
01:46:30.195It's not their first rodeo with uh coming on and pitching the show with us.
01:46:30.195 -->
01:46:43.810It's at least their third time, maybe their fourth, and they just showed up ready to go and had all their information and it was a really smooth conversation and easy at it and I really appreciate that because the show Spotlights we like doing them.
01:46:43.925 -->
01:46:51.837So don't think this is a complaint, folks, but it's an interesting one for us to do because we never know what we're going to get coming from the other side.
01:46:51.837 -->
01:46:54.431Right, and sometimes it's been a challenge.
01:46:54.431 -->
01:46:56.091We've always managed to get through it.
01:46:56.091 -->
01:46:57.054You just never know.
01:46:57.054 -->
01:47:01.394Are they going to be prepared, are they going to have any kind of good equipment or not?
01:47:01.394 -->
01:47:04.471Or you just don't know how good is their internet connection going to be.
01:47:04.492 -->
01:47:06.547Right, or are they going to be nervous?
01:47:06.547 -->
01:47:07.448I mean the guys at.
01:47:07.448 -->
01:47:14.539Hamilton because they've done this so many times now, really kind of have it down.
01:47:14.539 -->
01:47:25.939They come across very professionally and that's just something that really comes with doing it multiple years, multiple places, etc.
01:47:27.167 -->
01:47:29.795So that was an easy one yes, and yours.
01:47:30.104 -->
01:47:57.265Well, I've got to shout out that Arma Hobby has a blog and they had a recent post by a female aviation historian by the name of Dr Victoria Taylor, who is semi-well-known on Twitter, slash X under the handle Spitfire Philly.
01:47:57.265 -->
01:48:05.037She is a recent doctoral graduate in oh gosh, was it Hull?
01:48:05.037 -->
01:48:16.536I cannot remember the name of the school in England that she got her doctorate from, but she's a young, attractive World War II aviation historian.
01:48:16.536 -->
01:49:40.859She's been on a number of TV shows, youtube series, she's done some excellent written work and she apparently and I'd love to know how this collaboration came about ARMA has a really nice blog where a special set of markings for some hurricanes, one of which Arma boxes with those decals, and these were presentation aircraft paid for by a Scottish lady a Scottish lady and by lady I mean the title lady who had three sons who had all died in air crashes, the last of the three actually in World War II combat and she donated at first a short Sterling bomber and then she donated four hurricane fighters, paid for them out of her personal fortune, and they were dedicated to her three sons and the fourth one to their Soviet allies.
01:49:41.064 -->
01:49:57.720This is back when the Soviets and Britain were fighting together against Hitler and were fighting together against Hitler, and at least one of those aircraft armored in their Hurricane II-B kit actually has that set of markings.
01:49:57.720 -->
01:50:19.779And so she did a really great article that not only discussed the markings but also discussed the history behind it and who this person was, and you really got a sense of what this poor woman experienced losing all three of her sons.
01:50:19.779 -->
01:50:21.591It was a really great article.
01:50:21.591 -->
01:50:26.070So congratulations to Dr Taylor, congratulations to ARMA.
01:50:26.070 -->
01:50:31.815That was a very good tie together and hopefully they'll do more in the future.
01:50:31.815 -->
01:50:32.957So you got one more.
01:50:33.559 -->
01:50:33.859I do.
01:50:33.859 -->
01:50:37.934We'd be remiss not to shout out our contributors to Plastic Model Mojo.
01:50:37.934 -->
01:50:45.872I was going to say Folks like Lynn Young, Don Gilman and Uni Korte from Finland, so we got another one from Finland.
01:50:46.373 -->
01:50:49.747All right, you love the Finns Folks.
01:50:49.827 -->
01:50:50.850We really appreciate this.
01:50:50.850 -->
01:51:00.979It's really flattering to know that you're getting enough out of this podcast and our adjacent content over on Facebook to want to help us out along the road.
01:51:00.979 -->
01:51:02.310So much appreciated.
01:51:02.310 -->
01:51:15.900If you'd like to be like these fine folks, you can go to wwwplasticmodelmojocom and there's a support tab at the end of the menu bar or in the show notes of this episode to get to all the avenues that you can support the show if you so desire.
01:51:15.900 -->
01:51:20.997We don't want to charge anybody for anything, but we appreciate the support we're getting anyway.
01:51:20.997 -->
01:51:22.349It's very, very flattering.
01:51:22.349 -->
01:51:23.231So thank you very much.
01:51:23.793 -->
01:51:24.926Amen, mike.
01:51:24.926 -->
01:51:26.833That brings us to the end.
01:51:26.833 -->
01:51:31.617I need to get off of here and get packed up and ready to go to Columbus.
01:51:31.617 -->
01:51:35.010So, as we say, so many kits, dave.
01:51:35.386 -->
01:51:36.511So little time, mike.
01:51:36.511 -->
01:51:40.274Well, you have fun in Columbus buddy, all right, all right.
