A Month Away - Modeling on the Road

Well, I know I've been off the radar for about a month.  During that month I've been traveling and attending several conventions.  I have also been collecting and doing some small steps on multiple modeling projects here, but not enough on any one to post a Part 2 of anything just yet.

First was of course the SPH&TS Convention in Palm Springs, CA.  A mad scramble was on to finish several customer's models in time for that.  Great presentations by Mike Bording on the Golden State and John Signor on SP's sugar beet cars and racks.  It was very good to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

Palm Springs Air Museum

Sunday after the convention ended, a friend and I went over to the Palm Springs Air Museum.  They have an amazing assortment of military models and full size aircraft stuffed-and-mounted, parked in their two large hangers, or out on the flight line.

Model of a early war Consolidated PBY flying boat patrol-bomber. - One of my all time top favorite aircraft!

They also had a PBY outside, unfortunately not in as good a shape as the on in San Diego Air & Space's nice display.  I walked around it and took some photos, but didn't get a nice over all view like the one above in the desert sun.

A P-40 (probably one destroyed at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th).. and its not so happy plane chief.

B-25s taking off from the U.S.S. Hornet during the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942.

One of the docents highly recommended that I take time to look over the five large models along the back wall of the hanger.  They are truly master pieces!

Here's the main display of the rear wall of the Pacific Hanger - All welded and brazed together models - Amazing!

Hand made welded model of the carrier and wildcats in roughly 1/72nd scale!

Bow of the battleship - Again hand welded and VERY impressive!

Midship of the Heavy Cruiser, with retrieving mesh for the float planes being drug along the port side.

The Fletcher Class Destroyer is amazing in the cut-away detailing of the hull with all the interior fittings!

Here we can see inside the bridge, CIC, and the No.2 5inch gun house.

Bow of the Destroyer, again, look at all the detailing.  This is truly "modeled with full interior"!

The model makers also did a cutaway of a US fleet boat submarine.

Here's the Conning Tower, Engine Room to the left, and crew quarters to the right.

The Museum has more finely detailed and painted models than I can post here.  I took about 10 times this many photos!

Early turbojet development with the P-59 and early Navy jets.

They have a F7F-3 on display with this really cool nose art.  There's also a very nice 1/48th model in one of the cases.  This is one of my other favorite aircraft, it came just a bit too late to see action in the Pacific during WW2.

F7F-3 Tigercat nose art

A scale model of a Tigercat

Racks upon racks of display cases filled to falling off with scale models...

Wow... look at all the British and Japanese model planes!

About this time I was reminding myself why I am sticking to trains.... with model airplanes the sky's the limit!  Better keep my modeling firmly grounded.

Grumman F6F Hellcat - most successful US Navy fighter of WW2 - definitely the finest multi-roll fighters of the war.

Grumman's earlier F4F Wildcat - Amazing to look at the "rough" finish and shaping of some of the steel parts on these birds, so very Function First built.

Ramp-side view of the two hangers - there was a PBY stored outside along with the Vietnam era aircraft.

Hmmm, not just planes at this museum!

A few classic automobiles as well

1000 lb iron bomb from WW2 - Not exactly "small" is it?

B-17G Miss Angela - It was very nice talking with all the docents at the museum.

To San Diego!

A quick trip to San Diego for a week - Didn't feel like a week, must have been too busy working on things!  Friday night I did a quick clinic for anyone interested in weathering, lumber loads, and modeling flatcars.  Brief examples were given of the techniques used to simulate wood using the OwlMtModels kits and I was happy to see a lively discussion about the operational use of flat cars and lumber traffic.

My photo replicating the Shasta Nos.328/329

I did update the Modeling the Shasta post with a staged shot from La Mesa Model Railroad Club of the 1949 Shasta as it appeared in the MR article.

But like most things in life, this was over all too soon and I was on the road again.

SP 2701 & SP 1005 bring up the rear of No.55, as they would appear on the Mococo Line heading to Oakland.

Back to Nevada!

I hurried home to NV again in time to catch the V&T Convention in Carson City and the Saturday excursion behind V&T 29 (2-8-0) and three steel coaches.

Here is the short video of the excursion departing Eastgate Siding.

Last shot I got of the evening as they headed down towards Carson City.

It was wonderful seeing all my friends at the V&T meet again after two years.  Last year's SPH&TS Convention 2015 conflicted with the V&T show.  The clinics were great, especially the last evening's modeling forum talks, where many modelers took the floor to talk about a project that they had done.

Daniel Botten's scratch built V&T passenger cars in HO - 3d printed and laser cut parts!

Between the clinics and talks at the V&T Convention and the SPH&TS convention as well, I was manning the OwlMtModels table.

Lumber Loads, Marker Kits & Lighting on SP 2701, and new flat car samples!

Back to Modeling Yet?

I plan to do a blog build post soon on building one of the OwlMtModels 3001 Lumber Load kits and installing it on a car in the near future.

PRR 475260, an F30A by Bowser, with removable OwlMtModels lumber load.

I know this is more of an update post and not focusing on any one thing.  Don't worry, I'll be back to modeling and writing blog posts again soon!

Jason