Ft. Crook IPMS

06/19/2026

A beautiful view of Lake Wehrspann, from just outside of the NRD building, our meeting spot.
Last night's weather was wonderful after the meeting.......

06/19/2026

We also had a great presentation on figure painting during last night's meeting!

06/19/2026

The entries into the "We See You" contest

06/19/2026

"We See You" June model contest from yesterday. The winners are the following....
3rd place - RF-80
2nd place - LFG Roland C.II
1st place - PBY-5 Catalina

06/19/2026

Better late than never, I guess?.......

Here are the pictures from last month's same kit group build contest (Hasegawa 1/72 P-40N)

Credit to Allen Jones for the pictures.

06/15/2026

IPMS Ft Crook June meeting!
Wednesday, June 17th, 2026
Natural Resources District (NRD) Headquarters Building, Chalco Hills Recreation Area/Wehrspann Lake (8901 S. 154th Street, Omaha, NE 68138-3621)
Start time 6:30 PM (because some of us are too lazy to do this at 6:30 AM)
We will have our standard programming of news in the modeling world, events with IPMS Ft Crook and IPMS Region 14, new member introductions and members completed and in-progress works.

This month's contest : "We See You!" - anything used for spying or reconnaissance.

Hope to see you there!

05/26/2026

Modeling is dying!........ Yeah, right......

The model kit industry isn't just surviving—it's in the middle of a...

05/20/2026

Does anyone want this?
One way to gage support for a new kit......

Does anyone want a new tool B-1B model kit?
Modelcollect wants to know. They want to know before they pull the trigger on actual production because saying that you want a particular kit is much different from actually paying for it, and nobody wants to foot the bill for an expensive flop. But, there are advantages to releasing a new tool B-1B kit.
The only other 1/72 B-1 kits are the Airfix and Monogram kits. Both kits were released more than 40 years ago, and are based on the pre-production B-1A version. The last re-boxing was of the Monogram kit that was released in a Revell boxing in 2007. In order to get a updated B-1B in 1/72 scale is to get the Monogram kit and buy a series of update kits that could cost more than the kit itself. The average price of a second-hand Monogram B-1B kit on Ebay averages above $100, Barracuda Cast has a series on B-1B update sets for the Monogram kit that adds up to $137 without shipping, so about $255-$260 depending on shipping costs. The average price for Modelcollect's B-52 and B-2 kits are running anywhere between $140-$150, depending on from whom you are buying from. A new B-1B kit would more than likely be priced slightly above that, but well below $200....and that's the downside, price. Us 1/72 modelers are notoriously cheap (one reason why we stick with 1/72 scale) and even I bite my hand when it comes to buying a kit above $100.
But Modelcollect wants to know if the support is there. According to them, the design is ready to go, but they want to know if modelers are willing to buy.
So, Modelcollect did a "GoFundMe", but with a twist.
They are asking those who wants to buy a new tool B-1B kit to pay one dollar as a pledge of support. If they meet $1000, they will go ahead with putting the kit into production. The money isn't a donation, it's a non-refundable pledge of support. You can support the project in the weblink down below if you choose.
One note* I noticed that on their website that they have a pre-order for the B-1B, but no release date, I guess that they are just waiting for the support campaign finish line.

B-1 Lancer 1/72 Scale Model – Purchase Intention Pledge Rules   Project Overview We are considering the development of a highly detailed 1/72 scale B-1 Lancer plastic model kit. Before moving …

05/20/2026

A change of tactics on designing model kits?

Last year, I left a post giving props to Litaki's response to criticisms about their 1/72 J-22 Orao kit. Among the issues were detail and construction issues with the fuselage and "un-inspired" choice of the "things under wings". Instead of ignoring those issues, they re-designed the assembly of the fuselage and added more weapons to the kit. The upgraded kit was released in a different boxing as the J-22M Orao.
Yesterday, Revell announced that they were planning on releasing a new tool 1/35 scale early version of the Harrier (GR.1?), but this announcement is different in a few aspects.
First, the kit is in the planning stage, and from the way in which this kit was announced, they seem to be dedicated to actually getting this kit to the market.
Second, they are planning to release monthly updates on the progress of the kit.
Third, they are actually asking for modeler input during the development of the kit.
These are drastic changes in the way in which a model kit is produced. As it normally goes for new tool kits, the kit is announced and normally ends in one of three ways..... the kit is released on time or slightly delayed, the kit is seriously delayed by several years (or in the case of Trumpeter 10-15 years...... and we are still waiting for that 1/72 MiG-19 that was announced almost 20 years ago), or the kit is dropped with little or no announcement.
Even though it isn't the proper scale for me, I am very interested on how this project comes out, and to what extent that they use modeler's input on the development of the kit.

On the other hand, ModelCollect is also doing something different to gage the support of a future B-1B kit..... but that well be a separate post.

Join us here at 18:00 CEST ( 17:00 BST) on Tuesday 19th May, we'll be revealing our latest new tool model kit release. Why not take a look at our other produ...

05/19/2026

So, more info has come out about Dragon’s decision on ending model kit manufacturing. It was announced that some of their mounds were sold to ZimiModal, and will be re-released under the name of DRAMi Model.
No word on when the first kits will be released.