Excellent job!!!
That is a very beautiful paint job, well done there!
I’m blown away, that looks great.
you are an inspiration to the craft for sure.
Lon
very nice!! good job
WOW , very nice
Great job, David, it looks real!
Thanks for the pictures!
Frank
Wow! Absolutely incredible! Blows away alot of 1/72 birds I’ve seen!
Lee
A bit late here, but I have to say that that is one of the nicest shuttle builds I’ve seen in any scale. Groovy!
Fade to Black…
“impressive…most impressive.” -Darth Vader
I might have to check that kit out. I gave up on the idea of building a shuttle because the kits I remember from years ago weren’t worth bothering with. The last shuttle-like kit I attempted was the one from “Armageddon,” and it was more of the same.
Thanks again for the kind words. I’m surprised more folks haven’t built shuttles, but then again, most of the kits that are out leave a lot to be desired. Now that there are a bunch of aftermarket parts and decals for the space shuttle, I would expect some great work to be done.
For what it’s worth, I’ve only entered the Columbia in one contest, last fall’s Nordicon in Minneapolis. It didn’t place. The winners in its category were a Gundum, a V-2 and an “Icarus” from Planet of the Apes. I see why other “real space” modelers get discouraged when it comes to contests. It seems that more often than not, our stuff gets lumped in the “Space and Sci-Fi” category, as if something like the space shuttle actually belongs in the same category as a Gundam, or a piece of artillery (the V-2) or a vehicle from a sci-fi movie.
I don’t build for contests, but I have a tough time with any outfit that thinks it makes sense to stick something like a space shuttle in the same category as those other things. The shuttle is a real vehicle with real references you can look up. You can look it up to see if the modeler has accurately represented the flexible insulation seals between the SSME gimbal mounts and the aft fuselage SSME fairings. You can look it up to see if the modeler has accurately represented the elevon hinge panels. So that belongs in the same category as a made-up Japanese robot suit? Or a spacecraft (and only part of a spaceship at that) from a sci-fi movie made in the 1960s? Or a WWII artillery shell that just happened to be propelled by a rocket motor instead of gunpowder?
It just didn’t make sense to me and it kind of soured me on the whole deal. I’ve heard the argument that if there aren’t enough “real space” entries then they have to be lumped in with the sci-fi stuff, but when you do that, you set up a pretty stupid competition. What would happen if the guys who built Me-109s woke up one morning and were told that their airplanes were going to be judged in the same category as Pontiac GTOs? Or if the guys who spend months researching the proper markings for a piece of German armor were told that their work was going to be judged in the same category as sailing ships? This is the very same deal. There is NO WAY in any rational competition and judging system that a space shuttle should be in the same category as a Gundam, and any judge who thinks there is is just daft.
Yes, I know it’s largely about modeling skill and a badly puttied seam is a badly puttied seam, whether it’s on a Panther tank or a Gundam or a P-51. But if that were truly the case, why have categories in the first place?
Man that a bummer, you would think that they would at least put it in the same catagory as aircraft rather than sci-fi.
Sounds to me that the organizers didn’t think things out very well.
Lon
Well, from other modelers I’ve spoken to or corresponded with, this wasn’t an isolated event. It apparently happens with some frequency at IPMS contests.
Like I said, I’m well aware that “real space” isn’t the most popular category for folks to enter, at least in this day and age. Although it is probably one of the most active subjects for modelers online and the aftermarket and garage-kit manufacturers are producing some really fine stuff these days, it is still much easier to do a contest-worthy Sherman or F-16 or whatever than it is to do an accurate shuttle or Soyuz or Gemini capsule. And with a few exceptions, most of the judges are out of their element when it comes to judging this category. They may know the exact color of the cockpit of an Fw-190, but when it comes to what a surface covered with AFRSI should look like or what the inside of an SSME looks like after firing, they’re clueless. Like I said, there are exceptions, and there are some judges out there who can actually teach you some things about real space modeling and I appreciate their efforts.
It would be nice if more people built real space models so we wouldn’t have to have discussions like this. (Hint: There aren’t many entries in the category, so it’s easy pickin’s, guys…) But that said, it’s unfair to judge a shuttle or anything real in the same category as a Gundam, as in the example I gave. You’re comparing reality to fantasy.
I don’t mean to take anything away from the guy who built the Gundam or the other kits in this particular contest. The model was very well done, for something make-believe. If I build something sci-fi or of a fantasy nature, the Gundam would’ve been a worthy competitor. But I didn’t. I built a model of a real vehicle. You can compare what I built to the real thing and make your own judgment as to whether I did a good job or not.
I know a lot of this rambling sounds like sour grapes. It isn’t. I’m just trying to point out that there is a categorization system in these contests that A) creates an applies-to-oranges competition, B) the folks in charge really don’t seem to care and C) when the results discourage real space modelers and they stop showing up at contests, everyone wonders why.
Very nice build with the Shuttle. Nicest I’ve seen.
Hey dhanners:
I feel for you, I’d had the same thing back in 1983’s Las Vegas model show, a IPMS Judge said that the subject I did was not accurate, and he never had been in the presence of the subject but I have been working on the subject (F-16’s) for years and used the Technical Manuals for referances to the mods on the kit,
but they rather pat the other IPMS members on the back for their entries and blew off the rest, and I’ve seen better done models from non-members at that show and they never got any awards, but if you where an IPMS member you got one, so after that experience I vowed never to display anything in any shows, but I’ll display them in Museums, and other display areas but never in the model shows any more, but you might want to see if you could do some of your builds for local NASA’s Museums or any museums, you will be surprised who’ll display them for you,
KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK AND DON’T BE DISCOURAGED BY THE BOZO’s
Dennis,
I concur completely with your assessment! A couple years ago, after completing a seven month restoration of an old pre-built Aurora Chinook diorama http://modeling.gunsagogo.org/, I entered it in a local IPMS event near Ft. Bragg, that centered on Military Rotarywing Aviation. I didn’t even get an Honorable Mention, but watched IPMS members take the entire show, some with kits that were basically “out of the box” (none were in diorama form with no, or very little, interior detail)!!
It was like some self glorification event, where the members all complimented other members, while basically ignoring those without a membership card. Heck, there was one fellow who brought one of the old 1/32 G model Cobra’s, who had working main & tail rotors, beautiful instrument lighting, and even a hint of Turbine Exhaust smell (how he done that, I have no idea)… they looked, and told him how nice it was (as they did mine), but quickly returned to the Members table to issue awards. The one good part about that experience, several of the non-member spectators voiced their disapproval and walked out of the show upon the announcement of the awards, but the members hardly took note, because they were too busy patting each other on the back. Talk about a Bad Taste left in the mouth!!!
Fortunately, my esteem and determination is not deterred by IPMS, nor do I desire their blessings, anymore.
Take care,
Frank
Hey Frank,
Well I feel that I got the last laugh, I was approached by the Curatior of the Lowery AFB Heritage Museum a few years later and was tasked to overhaul their entire model display in 1/72 scale and then got an IPMS award for my time and I never have been a member, also when I moved to Lincoln NE their chapter there is more balanced they’ll give awards out to the best in their shows even if that person had never been a member, I think thats why IPMS is in business is to promote not to degrade the modeler (members or non-members) not to pat each of their fellow chapter members on the back, I wish there where an IPMS website to complain about the IPMS’s misgivings to non-members at shows
If you want to talk to the IPMS President of the Lincoln chapter
call this # 1-800-228-4277 (Duncan Aviation) ask for Scott Walsh
Thanks Dennis,
I have never really aspired to compete, but enjoy seeing others appreciate the handiwork, and I guess that’s why I entered my project at the show. I’m sure the crust of IPMS is honorable, but the one exposure I had to it seemed tainted, but as I said, those events didn’t quell my motivation, so all in all, there was no harm done. I guess it’s the old; “One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch” adage.
I have kits and artwork displayed at the US Army Aviation Museum at Ft. Rucker, where they are viewed and appreciated by thousands each year. The ACH-47 project was purchased by the Flight Engineer who christened the actual aircraft, “Birth Control”, as they were deployed to Vietnam, and has become the center piece of their Unit’s annual Reunion’s, which to me, is the highest award possible.
Take care and thanks for the conversation! [:)]
Frank
Frank–
That Chinook is one of the finer models I’ve seen anywhere – especially considering the kit you started with. Great job.
David Hanners
Hey Frank;
I Agree with you and like I said I’ll never show anything in any of their shows again, but what I found was a Fair & Balanced group but the odds are still against them 2 to 1 so far in my book, but I’m very glad you are able to show the show stopper with honors, and I think that’s the best award of all too, because not only a limited few people can see your master piece only in 2 or 3 days but an unlimited number of people for indefinate time period and that’s what counts and who cares how’s it judged, it’s awsome that you found a home for your work to be displayed to every one every day,
good luck and keep them coming-- and that means the both of you: Frank & dhanners
Great job wish mine would have turned out like that LOL