IPMS August 2001

the model, using fingers and spit to get them in the right place. That 9s probably why I complain so much about decals - I 9ve been doing it the wrong way for five decades (or so some people have told me). Then again, I 9m still happy with the way my models turn out.


Did I miss the memos? I just found out a short time ago that Special Hobby just issued a new 1/48th scale kit of the H-21 helicopter. No advance warning - just a comment on one of the online boards.


It totally took me by surprise. I 9ve got to have it, except I have two Fonderie kits. And then there is the new Hasegawa BMW 327.


I bought one about a month or so ago packaged with an Fw 190. That bothered me a bit, as I don 9t need an Fw 190. Now it 9s packaged as a separate entity (expletive deleted).


Perhaps if I stayed current on current model magazines this might not be an issue with me, but... Anyone want a Fonderie Miniatures H-21 helicopter? It 9s still in the shrink wrap and I 9ll sell it for any reasonable offer.


Oh, and an Fw 190, in the box, minus a BMW. One of our members, Richard Urban, passed away last fall. Richard was one of our quiet ones.


He was always at the meetings and our spring show, often in attendance with his grandchildren. Keith was contacted by Mrs. Urban, offering to donate his hobby stuff to IPMS Seattle, to do anything to benefit the club, as it was the only outside group that Richard belonged to.


After the last meeting, Keith and I picked up his books, magazines, and modeling tools. All his kits and build-ups went to family members. He even had numerous photo albums of model con- tests, dating back quite a number of years.


Both of us are currently sifting through what we received and we 9ll talk about what we 9ll do with it at the next meeting. That 9s it (for now). We 9ll see you at the meeting, Terry SEATTLE CHAPTER CONTACTS President: Vice President: Treasurer: Editor: Terry Moore M.


Keith Laird Spencer Tom Robert Allen 3612 - 201st Pl. S.W. 1825 South 330th St.


F-201 318 N.E. 81st St. 12534 NE 128th Way #E3 Lynnwood, WA 98036 Federal Way, WA 98003 Seattle,WA 98115 Kirkland, WA 98034 Ph: 425-774-6343 Ph: 206-491-0096 Ph: 206-522-8414 Ph: 425-823-4658 tall11@verizon.net airboss78@comcast.net slt1298@seanet.com baclightning@yahoo.com IPMS Seattle Web Site (Webmasters, Norm Filer & Tracy White): http://www.ipms-seattle.org Public Disclaimers, Information, and Appeals for Help This is the official publication of the Seattle Chapter, IPMS-USA.


As such, it serves as the voice for our Chapter, and depends largely upon the generous contributions of our members for articles, comments, club news, and anything else involving plastic scale mod eling and associated subjects. Our meetings are generally held on the second Saturday of each month, (see below for actual meeting dates) , at the North Bellevue Community/Senior Center, 4063-148th Ave NE , in Bellevue. See the back page for a map.


Our meetings begin at 10:00 AM, except as noted, and usually last for two to three hours. Our meetings are very informal, and are open to any interested modeler, rega rdless of interests. Modelers are encouraged to bring their models to the meetings.


Subscriptions to the newsletter are included with the Chapter du es. Dues are $24 a year, and may be paid to Spencer Tom, our Treasurer. (See address above).


We also highly recommend our members join and suppo rt IPMS- USA, the national organization. See below for form. Any of the members listed above will gladly assist you with further informa tion about the Chapter or Society.


The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual writers, and do not constitute the official pos ition of the Chapter or IPMS-USA. You are encouraged to submit any material for this newsletter to the editor. He will gladly work with you and see that your material is put into print and included in the newsletter, no matter your level of writing experience or computer expertis e.


The newsletter is currently being edited using a PC, and PageMaker 6.5. Any Word or WordPerfect document for the PC would be suitable for publica tion. Articles can also be submitted via e-mail, to the editor 9s address above.


Deadline for submission of articles is generally twelve days p rior to the next meeting - earlier would be appreciated! Please call me at 425-823-4658 if you have any questions. If you use or reprint the material contained in the newsletter, we would appreciate attribution both to the author and the sour ce document.


Our newsletter is prepared with one thing in mind; this is information for our members, and all fellow modelers, and is prepared and printed in the newsletter in order to expand the skills and knowledge of those fellow modelers. IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 2 Upcoming Meeting Dates The IPMS Seattle 2008 meeting schedule is as follows. All meetings are from 10 AM to 1 PM , except as indicated.


To avoid conflicts with other groups using our meeting facility, we must NOT be in the building before our scheduled start times, and MUST be finished and have the room restored to its proper layout by our scheduled finish time. We suggest that you keep this information in a readily accessable place. January 12 February 9 March 8 April 12 IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 3 The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-44 , by Rick Atkinson reviewed by Wesley Moore This book is Volume 2 of the author 9s cLiberation Trilogy, d the story of the US Army in the Liberation of Europe in World War II.


The first volume, An Army at Dawn , tells the story of the Army in North Africa (and I reviewed it here some time ago). Hopefully the last volume, on Normandy and so forth, will be out before too long. If you only read one book about the campaign in Sicily and Italy, it should be this one.


And it probably WILL be the only one, because this campaign was overshadowed by things happening elsewhere. The popular consciousness is only dimly aware that the race between Patton and Montgomery in the George C. Scott movie took place in Sicily (and it pretty much happened that way!), and knows little of the rest of the effort, in spite of the fact that Ernie Pyle and Bill Mauldin did their best work in Italy.


If truth be told, it was almost meant to be overshadowed. The invasion of Sicily was the last part of the drive to open the Mediterranean to reasonably safe ship- ping. That left about half a million men who could not all be returned to Britain for the invasion of NW Europe (although most of the landing craft to carry them anywhere were).


What to do? Capturing Rome seemed like a good idea, so the invasion at Salerno took place, while the British crossed at cthe Toe. d After an almost successful German counter-attack at Salerno, things bogged down, with a front line across the cBoot, d leaving the Germans with most of it (including Rome).


The Italians did join the Allies, but that was definitely a mixed blessing. Italy turned out to be a wretched place to have a war. Rome is at the same latitude as Chicago, and that famous cMediterranean climate d does not apply in the winter in the mountains.


There was little terrain suitable for tanks, so it was the closest thing to WWI on the Western Front: cWe were always attacking up hill, and when we got to the top, the Krauts were shooting down at us from the next, higher mountain! d I was left with two strong impressions: One, the quality of the Allied generalship was lacking. They never had a clear goal for the entire effort.


They never got the knack of simultaneous attacks across the whole front. They achieved total surprise at Anzio, but with a force too small to do anything besides dig in. And worst of all, they repeatedly let German units escape that should have been cin the bag.


d Which leads to the second impression: the German Army was brilliant at retreating. I do NOT mean that to be sarcastic. They dug in, in the most expert way.


If you pushed them out of their positions (always at great cost), they would counter-attack before you could consolidate. And when they HAD to retreat, they would scoot so fast you hardly saw their dust (think of Montgomery chasing Rommel post El Alamein). The Allies DID get to Rome- but on June 4, 1944, so their moment of glory was brief.


Post Rome, the battle slowed down even more: troops were siphoned off to invade Southern France, and there was, of course, another damn German line. But the book stops there, so I 9ll just have wait for Volume III. Henry Holt & Co., 791 pp.


2008 IPMS Seattle Meeting Dates We will have meetings on the second Saturday of the month for all of this year. The two craft room days will be in Septem- ber and November instead of April and May. The specific dates are as follows: 1/12/08 2/9/08 3/8/08 4/12/08 4/19/08 (Spring show at Renton Commu- nity Center) 5/10/08 6/14/08 7/12/08 8/9/08 9/13/08 (Craft Room) 10/11/08 11/8/08 (Craft Room) 12/13/08 All of the dates except for the Spring Show will be at our usual location of North Bellevue Community/Senior Center, 4063- 148th Ave NE, Bellevue.


IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 4 IPMS Seattle Spitfire Contest by Robert Allen photos by Dan Carey, Norm Filer, and Tim Nelson At the December IPMS Seattle Meeting, modelers filled the tables with two dozen 1/72 nd scale Spitfires. In our April newslet- ter, Jacob Russell announced the rules for the contest 3 any 1/72 nd scale Spitfire, in any markings, with any accessories, would be eligible, with the proviso that the model had to be built in 2007. To sweeten the pot, Jacob arranged for prizes from Model Aircraft Monthly and Skyway Model Shop, to go to the winners elected by their peers.


Among the 24 entries were not only aircraft in the more familiar British and American markings, but also from Egypt, Yugoslavia, and Belgium. There were even one or two cwhat ifs? d.


It wouldn 9t have been IPMS Seattle any other way& The Grand Prize winner, and recipient of a year 9s subscription from Model Aircraft Monthly , was John Frazier 9s immaculate USAAF Spit Mk.V. First Place went to Djordje Nikolic 9s Yugoslavian Spit, with its finely detailed engine. Second Place was earned by Charlie Sorensen 9s imaginative rendering of a damaged Egyptian Spitfire being ferried to a repair depot.


Third Place went to Jon Fincher 9s Spitfire F.22 racer. The First, Second, and Third Place finishers received prizes from Skyway Model Shop. Thanks to all those who participated, and especially to Jacob for organizing the event, and to the sponsors for providing the prizes.


We hope to make this an annual event, with a different subject each year. This year 9s winner, John Frazier, has earned the right to choose next year 9s subject, and will be announcing his decision in the near future. IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 5 Opposite page: John Frazier 9s Grand Prize winner; an overall view of the entries.


This page, clockwise from top left: Spitfires from Djordje Nikolic; Jon Fincher; Jacob Russell; Jim Schubert; and Charlie Sorensen. IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 6 Trumpeter 1/72 nd Scale BTR-80 by Will Perry The BTR-80 is a contemporary Russian armored personnel carrier. It can carry up to ten equipped soldiers and provide some light fire support along the way, thanks to its turreted 14.5mm and 7.62mm machine guns.


With eight powered wheels and amphibious capabilities, this is a most capable and flexible way to transport troops to and around the battlefield. The vehicle has been in Russian service since the late 880s and has been exported to 28 countries around the globe: in total, over five hundred BTR-80s have been pro- duced. For such a prolific vehicle, there doesn 9t seem to be that much reference material around.


Wikipedia references one old Concord title and there are a couple of Russian language monographs. There are a few short articles scattered about the web for example http:// www.armyrecognition.com/Russe/ vehicules_a_roues/BTR-80/ BTR_80_ru