Here we are, the first of December -again- and everyone's flush with
cash (or at least a collection of credit cards that are suffering from
overuse), simultaneously dreading the arrival of all those bills in January
that cause mail carriers to risk hernias! Since the object of the Christmas
season (other than the real reason) is to lavish money and gifts on those
you care about, supporting the national economy in the process, here's
a few more items that may encourage you to open your wallet. Either that
or act as suggestions to your loved ones as to what you'd like them to
buy you.
As you all know, there are many levels of modelbuilding. Everything from
box stock kit builders (known frequently as box shakers) to scratchbuilders
who will use literally any material from leftover parts to resin to sheet
styrene and sheet acrylic to do the job. No method is right or wrong and
it's probably safe to say that those who limit themselves to box stock
kits (with perhaps some aftermarket superdetailing) are in the majority.
You also don't have the problem of where to find the requisite raw material
for your next project as those who prefer major conversions or scratchbuilding
have to.
All too frequently, the only readily available source for sheet styrene
are the selections offered by Plastruct and Evergreen at your local hobby
shop. Again, nothing wrong with it and I've certainly bought my share
of both products. Howsomever, when all you need is plain sheet styrene
in varying thicknesses and/or sizes, there's no assurance you can find
the appropriate item at the hobby shop. Thicknesses generally stop at
.125" and it's fairly hard to find sheets any larger than 6"x
9" or 8" x 10" with two sheets to the package being the
norm. Price also becomes a factor if you happen to need seven or eight
packages.
But it just so happens that there is a solution for those of us who
need substantial amounts or larger pieces of sheet styrene. That solution
is a website called MIKE'S
CUSTOM PLASTIC. Operated by Michael Oulie, he offers very reasonable
prices and free custom sizing from just a few square inches all the way
up to 4' x 8'.
So how cheap is cheap? Well, here's a few examples: .080" costs
you $0.012 per square inch (that's 1.2 cents per square inch), meaning
a 12" x 12" piece will set you back a spectacular $1.73 plus
postage.
The thinner the plastic, the cheaper the price. Need .020"? It's
priced at $0.0030 per square inch (less than a third of a cent per square
inch), which translates to a truly expensive $0.43 cents for a 12"
x 12" inch sheet.
For those of you who require .010", the price is practically a
giveaway at only $0.0021 per square inch (barely more than one fifth of
a cent per square inch). That price means that a 12" x 12" sheet
is only going to set you back $0.30 plus shipping. In all cases, Virginia
residents need to add 4.5% sales tax.
What's the quality of the styrene? Every bit as good as you would expect.
I've used several pieces and have been totally satisfied with it. Matter
of fact, I incorporated his styrene into an architectural mass model I
was building and couldn't tell the difference between Mike's styrene and
the white styrene I bought locally from a plastics distributor in 4' x
8' sheets, other than the fact that Mike's styrene was cheaper.
I could go on, but why don't you check his website for full particulars?
Incidentally, he also accepts credit cards and check cards through PayPal.
Two of the latest releases from POLAR
LIGHTS couldn't be more opposite as far as subjects are concerned.
On one hand you have Homer Simpson's car that's known as The Homer, while
on the other you have their new 1/1000th scale USS Enterprise NCC-1701
from Star Trek.
 Taking
The Homer first, this little puppy is going to very popular with just
about anyone who is hooked on The Simpsons TV show. Strangely enough,
I'm probably one of the few people in this country who has never seen
a complete episode. Not only does it not interest me, I can't understand
why it appeals to so many. However, you can't argue with success, so let's
take a look at the POLAR LIGHTS kit.
The kit comes in a brightly colored (just what you'd expect for Homer
Simpson) 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 10" flip top box that is literally
crammed to the gills with parts. It also has a clear window in the top
that allows you to see the pre-painted figure of Homer. This is a level
one snap kit that can be built with absolutely no painting. If you want
to do a little detailing, the instructions do suggest colors for the tail
lights, driving lamps and the steering wheel cover.
So what's inside the box? Some 50 lime green, brown and chrome parts
that are all contained within seven bags. Homer is housed in his own clear
vacuformed package. Instructions are very clear and take the form of a
four-section fold-out sheet with English on one side and French on the
other. No one should have any problem getting The Homer built.
All of the moldings are clean and crisp with little if any flash. If
you're careful with the sprue cutters, you shouldn't have any rough areas
where you've removed parts from their gates. You will want to be careful
when applying the 'decals' because they're not the usual waterslide decals.
They're self-adhesive stickers. Be sure that you have them lined up exactly
where you want them.
In case you're wondering why I haven't mentioned the scale of The Homer,
it's because none is given. Being part of an animated TV show, there are
no dimensions to base scale on. If you assume that the approximately 3"
tall Homer Simpson figure included in the kit is around 6 feet tall in
'real life', then the kit would be 1/24th scale. Considering the overall
size of The Homer, that's probably pretty close.
All in all, it's an appealing kit…even if you don't watch The
Simpsons every week…and a fun change of pace from all thos serious
models we're constantly obsessed with. The Homer is a perfect companion
to the earlier Scooby-Doo Van and Jetsons Spaceship that POLAR LIGHTS
also gave us. Heck, I may even break down and build one myself.
Price of this "car for the common man"? A mere $11.99.
The other member of this POLAR LIGHTS pair…also carrying an $11.99
price tag…is the long awaited snap kit of the Star Trek USS Enterprise.
Besides being rated a level 2 kit, it's also a 3-in-1 kit, meaning that
you can build three different versions of NCC-1701. However, depending
on how you look at it, you can actually produce seven different starships.
If that sounds a little confusing, let me explain.
 Through
the use of alternate parts, you can duplicate an Enterprise from the production
TV series, as she appeared in the first pilot titled "The Cage",
or configured as in the second pilot that was titled "Where No Man
Has Gone Before". By changing decals, a mirror universe version …as
seen in the episode "Mirror, Mirror"… can be created.
And just in case you don't want another Enterprise, additional decals
allow you to replicate three other Constellation class starships. USS
Constellation -NCC 1017, USS Exeter - NCC 1672 and USS Defiant - NCC 1764.
Simply put, that's quite a lot of choices, particularly for a snap kit
in the relatively small scale of 1/1000th …which makes the finished
starship only 11" long. That scale also explains the 6 1/2"
x 4" x 9 1/2" clamshell box that it comes in.
Still, inside the box are three bags of parts (two in gray styrene and
the other for clear parts), along with another bag of decals. Parts number
exceed 50.
Quality of the moldings is everything you would expect from POLAR LIGHTS
and the kit is really very nicely done and well engineered. If there's
a negative to the kit, though I'm not sure you can call it that due to
the limitations of the 1/1000th scale, it's that there are no panel lines.
Frankly, panel lines in that scale would be totally invisible unless they
were a yard wide. Purists who insist on replicating the Aztec pattern
on the saucer will have to do it from scratch, though I wonder about the
wisdom of trying it. After all, when you have a saucer that's only five
inches across, the chances of creating an Aztec pattern that is appropriately
subtle is going to fall somewhere between slim and none…and slim
just left town.
Personally, I'd take advantage of the opportunity to create a large
number of Constellation class starships in the correct markings and all
to a constant scale that can be displayed on a single shelf in a relatively
small space. I suspect that's what POLAR LIGHTS had in mind because, while
two sheets of decals are actually self-adhesive stickers, they also included
a very nice waterslide decal sheet for benefit of the more experienced
modeler.
All in all, this 1/1000th Enterprise is a very nice beginning to what
we can only hope will be a continuing series of Star Trek ships in a constant
scale. And there's reason to hope. POLAR LIGHTS has already announced
another 1/1000th scale kit that should be available in January…a
Klingon D-7 Battle Cruiser. Incidentally, if you're still whining that
you wish they'd made them in a bigger scale, a 1/350th scale NX-01 Enterprise
(the one that Scott Bakula commands as Captain Jonathan Archer) has been
announced for availability this month. At somewhere around 24 inches in
length, it will definitely be big enough.
 Those
of you whose interests lie in the truly exotic, sometimes flat out weird,
aircraft of the Third Reich, have a real treat in store for you. Midland
Press, distributed in North America by SPECIALTY
PRESS has released a new book titled Luftwaffe Secret Projects: Ground
Attack & Special Purpose Aircraft by Dieter Herwig and Heinz Rode.
With 272 pages, along with 110 color and 150 b&w illustrations in
a hardbound volume, this book will fascinate anyone interested in the
more -uh- unique design concepts of Hitler's Germany. While a lot of the
designs were literally decades ahead of their time and technologically
impractical to produce, many would have seen combat against the Allies
if the war had lasted another year or two. It's not beyond the realm of
possibility that Germany might have been able to force a negotiated peace
and save their homeland from destruction. No one knows what might have
been, but the designs in this book provide plenty of fodder for speculation.
 There
isn't enough room in this column (Or time either. It's that dreaded deadline
again!) to describe the book in depth. However, you will find a large
number of flying wing, delta wing and swept wing designs. Jet and piston
engines combined on a single aircraft, an Arado Ar-234 with a search radar
mounted in a dome above the fuselage, more Mistel concepts than you ever
knew existed, small single-seat jets designed to ram enemy aircraft while
the pilot ejected and on and on and on. Anyone whose interests lie with
WW-II Luftwaffe aircraft would consider this book a perfect gift to find
under the tree come Christmas morning. And the price? Just $54.95. And
before you yelp at the word 'just', the amount of information contained
on exotic concepts contained in a single book makes that description entirely
accurate.
Available from your better bookstores and hobby shops, you can also
order it directly from the Specialty Press website. Prefer snail mail?
Their address is 39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056. Be aware
that orders directly from Specialty Press require a $4.95 shipping and
handling fee.
That, folks, is it for this month and this year…with one small
exception. Don't forget that my CD-ROM, "Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Gallery" is also available for immediate shipment and gift giving.
It was the subject of some shameless self-promotion in the October issue
of Scaleworld. Somewhere in the next issue of Internet Modeler should
be an objective review of the disc by our fearless leader and publisher.
So for now, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad
and I'll see y'all next year.
| 
|