Do you know what your model is going to look like before you start the build?  Many of the models I have built I knew what they were going to look like because I was either copying what someone else had built or the box art on the kit package.  Copying is not what I am talking about.  What I am talking about is having at least a vague idea in your mind what your finished model is going to look like.  It is taking the next step from copying to creating a specific look to what you are making.  Visualization of a model before it is built is an act of the imagination.  It requires actually seeing, in your mind’s eye the model completed in all of its varying colors and textures.

Some of the models I have built emerged as I built them.  I may have some vague color schemes in mind but once I start applying the paint the final model emerges. I have spoken to a number of figure modelers about this process.  The master level painters often have a very specific idea of what they are trying to approximate before they start.  Other master painters just start painting and the work unfolds as they paint.  They just keep adding layers of paint until a look emerges that resonates with them and the model.  Maybe different genres of models use different processes.  Master level armor modelers have a photograph that starts as their base conception of the work and they then go from that point and visualize what the end project is going to look like.  Aircraft modelers often follow a similar process where they start with the base look of the aircraft and then start a weathering process that adds age and life to the plane.  I have heard car modelers discuss their desire to make their car look like a “brute” of power.  For me, it often has to do with the textures of clothing or the color and tones of the skin.

There have been several models I have built where as soon as I saw the model I knew what it was going to look like.  The model inspired in me a vision of what I was supposed to do with it even before I had purchased the model.  The model below was one such model.  The main character is sitting behind a wall and her uniform is worn and ripped in places after a long day of combat.  Her head is slightly drooped and resting on her hand.  She is weary and alert at the same time.  A simple back-story went through my mind.  After a day of fighting was completed, the character is weary but uncertain if she is safe.  The wall acts as a cover to guard her in her repose.  I imagined this scene taking place at sunset and the warm rays of the setting sun illuminated one side of her while her body and the wall cast a shadow from the rays of the sun.  The warm light is nourishing for her and is supportive of her rest.  It is also symbolic of the end of her conflict.  The colors of the wall behind her are a calming green with shades of red peeking through which emphasizes the current calm of the setting punctuated by the struggles of the day.  I had hoped that this back-story would not necessarily be known to the viewer but would be felt by the viewer.  They would experience the calm she was experiencing as well as the tension that was an aftermath of the day.

Master modelers of armor, aircraft, and cars have told me similar stories.  They both paint and build with a back-story kind of vision in their mind.  Sometimes the back story is not as elaborate as the one I described above but one in which a certain feeling is evoked.  The colors selected, of course, have a historical context but can be shaded in a manner that communicates the back-story of the piece.  Knowing the vision can guide the modeler in their approach to their piece and can help the modeler know when they have achieved the “look” they are aiming for.  After-all, how do you really know if you have weathered, highlighted, or shadowed enough?  How does the modeler take a model and shift it from looking like a toy to looking like the “real thing” or one that has a visual effect on the viewer?

Visualization is more than knowing the back story.  It is actually seeing the results of the back story in your imagination.  Visualization often starts with research and studying photographs or artwork.  I try different ideas out in my mind before I settle on the final look.  As I continue to grow in my modeling skills I need to push for the vision, at least a general vision, before I start a piece.  I need to learn how to better let the vision guide my paint selection and the strokes of my brush.  Sometimes the model guides during the painting process.  As I apply the shadows and highlights the image of what the model needs to look like becomes more clear and the model guides me through the process.  This idea seems more suited to figure models maybe than other genres of models.  Yet, there is a general composition of color and texture that develops during the finishing of an armor piece that is very similar to figure.  I imagine, for example, if I were completing a PBY Catalina I would, at some point, start seeing the Catalina at different ages of its service and the effects of the South Pacific sun or wear and tear from regular maintenance.  This would be a similar process to what I am describing. 

Visualization requires experience and practice.  There is a basic understanding of not only what things look like but how combining different colors of paint can influence the shading on the model.  It requires an understanding of the multiple colors and textures of weathering processes and how to reproduce them in a smaller scale.  One of our club members shared with me an experience where they put a nail in a glass of water and then photographed it each day to gain a better understanding of the progression of rust and have a photographic record of that progression. 

I am afraid that I am still prone to copying more than visualizing a finished piece.  During the building process I often visualize portions of the model before I start but not the complete model.  One of the reasons it takes me so long to complete a model is the time it takes to figure out the process necessary to obtain the finished look.  This is the same if I am copying or visualizing the piece.  I am working on a piece presently in which the figure is wearing a chintz dress uniform tunic.  How does chintz look compared to cotton and how does it look different than a shiny piece of latex or plastic?  How would I reproduce that look and what variations in shading are necessary to demonstrate the sheen and volumes of the garment? These are the questions I ask myself before I lay down the paint.  I would like to “know” better what it is going to look like before I start instead of just guessing.  Visualization and being able to reproduce the visualized end result are skills that often mark the difference between the Master modeler and the intermediate modeler.  Knowing what the model is going to look like before you start is a step in the development of modeling skills.

CASM uses the Open System of judging in their model contests.  This means we judge every model that is entered and awards medals based on the merit of the individual build.  In this way novice, intermediate, and master level modelers all receive an award based on the quality of their build.  The awards are Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals pictured above.  If you are new to modeling; just recently joined a model club; enjoy modeling and wonder how “good” your model is; or are learning the “art of modeling” this is the contest for you because you will receive an honest appraisal of your modeling skills and receive an award based on that appraisal.  Not everybody scores high enough to earn a medal but most do.  If you are a modeler who wants to know if you are the best of the best we have a category for you.  In most of the model categories we have a “best of” award that pits all of the Gold Medal winners against one another and the one we consider to be the best receives the “Best of” award for that category.  The picture below shows a sample of those awards from 2009. 

We have other specialized awards as well.  The picture below shows the specialized award trophies awarded at the 2009 Sproo-Doo.

So, if you have hesitated attending other contests in the past because you did not think your modeling skills were good enough to place first, second, or third then this is the contest for you because you stand a strong chance of receiving a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal.  Examine the description of the medal classes below.

Bronze Medal: The Bronze Medal reflects the modeler’s avoidance of any significant errors on the model.  The model has no glaring flaws in finish or construction as seen from a casual viewing distance (about three feet).  Basic craftsmanship is good, but realism or attention to details may be lacking.  In general, the model demonstrates the modeler’s grasp of the basics: seams are taken care of; model is well aligned; paint work is good but not perfect; decals are good but not perfect; and weathering may be less than well-rendered.

Silver Medal:  The Silver Medal Reflects a model exhibiting very few minor errors in construction and a better grasp of finishing techniques.  The model has a higher level of craftsmanship in all areas: very few flaws; finishes are realistic; basic techniques have been used to improve appearance (exposed edges are realistically thinned, gun barrels or exhaust stacks are drilled out, etc.).  The Silver medal is awarded to those models that demonstrate the modeler has mastered the basics but also has a command of more advanced techniques as well.

Gold Medal:  The Gold Medal represents an exceptional level of craftsmanship with practically no flaws or omissions of basic techniques; a near perfect finish; and exhibits the use of “best practices” for assembly and finish.  A Gold Medal model is close to perfect but a small error will not eliminate a model from a Gold Medal.

CASM encourages modelers of all skill levels to come to our contest to receive an honest appraisal of their work and receive an award consistent with their modeling abilities.  If you are one of those people who are just learning and do not think your model is “good” enough for you to enter a contest, then this is the contest for you.  If you are a modeler who wants to prove you are the best, then this is the contest for you.  If you just want to display your model, let the chips fall where they do, and just gather and talk with fellow modelers, this contest is for you.  If you enjoy talking with fellow modelers and want to learn and see how others do their craft then come to the 13th Annual Sproo-Doo contest on September 21st.

The theme of this year’s Sproo-Doo is “Lucky 13.”  Why “Lucky 13?”  Well, it is 2013 and this happens to be the 13th annual Sproo-Doo.  Given the number “13” is associated with bad luck, we chose to associate it with good luck.  Thus, the theme is “Lucky 13.”  Do you know why 13 has such an unlucky reputation?  On Friday the 13th the King of France, with the support of the Pope, launched an assault on all of the Templar knights in France.  On the night of Friday the 13th thousands of knights were captured, arrested, put into prison, tortured, and eventually burned at the stake.  Their alleged crime was heresy.  Their true crime was they had two much money and land holdings and the King of France wanted it for himself.  To qualify for the theme award, either have “13” displayed on your model or display a model that is associated with 13.  Some examples might include vehicles built in 1913, vehicles/ figures that became prominent in 2013, 13 models from the same category, or something in which this is the 13th anniversary.  The more fun you have with this the better it will be.  Enter the “Lucky 13” theme category at the 13th Annual Sproo-Doo Contest on September 13, 2013!

 We lovers of tanks may not think a lot about how and why tanks came to be; we’re just happy that they are.  To us, those hulking hunks of tracked steel are things of beauty, just as aircraft or ships are for others.  Some appreciation of how the concept of the tank came about can only add to our affection for them, however, and knowing a bit about this might even help non-treadheads understand us and our obsession.

     The “modern” tank was developed, first by the British, to be a mechanism for breaking the bloody stalemate on the Western Front during the First World War.  Barbed wire and machine guns had made infantry assaults suicidal; the hope was that the mobility, armored protection, and firepower tanks could bring to the battlefield would turn the tide and bring victory to the Allies.

     Lack of numbers, the technical limitations of the first tanks, and the way tanks were employed early on kept them from being the decisive weapon they were meant to be in World War I, but change was in the air.  A few visionaries saw the potential for armored warfare to change things drastically in the future, in the same way others realized what air power might be capable of in wars to come.

     While the military establishments of the victorious powers in the Great War quickly forgot or chose to ignore lessons learned from the employment of armor, several individuals in defeated Germany eagerly studied those lessons and just as eagerly absorbed the theories of armored warfare put forth by the few lonely souls in the West who could see past the way armies had “always done things.”

     World War II came about as a direct result of a desire for revenge.  Germany had been humiliated and punished at the conclusion of the war of 1914-1918.  The worst aspect of defeat for some Germans was that their nation had been compelled to accept sole blame for the bloody slaughter of those years.  Foremost among those bitter Germans was Adolf Hitler. Upon seeing a demonstration of armor prior to the Second World War, Hitler is said to have exclaimed, “This is what I need!  This is what I have to have!”  Whether or not the quote is authentic, there can be no doubt that Hitler gave his support to the development of what would become the Third Reich’s famous panzer divisions.

     Perhaps the purest example of what would come to be known as “Blitzkrieg” (lightning war) was the German defeat of the French army and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the summer of 1940.  War proceeding at the pace of 25 miles per hour may not seem particularly rapid today, but in the early years of World War II, a front line that shifted 50 miles or more in a day was truly astonishing—and terrifying for those who were being pushed back or bypassed by enemy armor.

     The revolutionary theory of warfare as practiced by the Germans in 1940 involved using tanks as a mass of mobile power to find and penetrate a weak point in an enemy’s defenses.  Once that initial object was achieved, the tanks would “roll up” the enemy’s front line, enveloping his forces and creating havoc in rear areas.  Dive bombers, serving as mobile artillery, would race ahead to take out enemy formations and strong points.  Motorized infantry would pour through the gap tanks had created, consolidate territorial gains, and protect the penetration’s flanks.

This year’s version of Sproo-Doo is fast approaching and everyone is doing their best to finish the project they are working on for the show and we are down to less than two months.


Those not working on a modeling project for the competition are working on some aspect of the show, and Brianna is doing her best to stay after them and keep them in line to make sure everything is ready to go on September 21.

Through Cliff Bullock’s efforts this year’s show will undoubtedly have the most sponsors ever, and probably the largest number of auction and raffle prizes, including a couple of compressor and airbrush packages from our friends at Iwata-Medea. But there will be one thing missing this year, for the first time in a while – VENDORS.

Since last year’s show, a search has been ongoing for new vendors. At first the idea was to try and find someone to fill the temporary gap being left by the absence of John’s Models, as he celebrates his retirement with a hike down the Appalachian Trail. Then we got the news that a couple of the other vendors from last year have closed up shop. Over the past 12 years, those behind the show have brought in several big time vendors. People like CRM Hobbies from St. Louis, Sprue Brothers out of Kansas City, Tiger Model Designs from Florida, Top Shelf Models of Owasso, Oklahoma and several others.

So far the search has failed to bear any fruit. Those running the show have done all they can to find new vendors, but they just are not out there. Shops and individual vendors have fallen victim to the still sluggish economy and to the ever-fluctuating price of gas to travel to shows. However, there is more to the loss of vendors than just the economy. Modelers have to carry the burden for these losses too, and through the years this has been evident at our shows.

We all look for the best deal, and that leads many of us to the internet and then to the mailbox as we place our orders with Hobby Link Japan, or Lucky Models, or any number of other vendors, both in the US and overseas. But we also have to consider how many of our vendors through the years have left our show without even breaking even. I realize we cannot all be expected to purchase multiple kits, tools, books and after market accessories from every vendor that comes to our show. We also cannot expect vendors to make a four to ten hour drive and then barely make enough to cover the cost of gasoline as they attend our show year after year.

One of our major problems is that, like it or not, location is everything and our location is not good. Oh, I do not mean the venue for the show, I can only recall one venue that I can say was less than adequate, I mean Little Rock itself. Those coming from beyond our borders do not perceive our home as an easy trip, except perhaps those in Memphis, Oklahoma City and Kansas City. Modelers and vendors from other towns with IPMS Organizations within an eight-hour drive of here have to spend a considerable part of their trek on two-lane state highways going through small towns and speed traps on their way. This never stopped me when I wanted to go to a model show, and I have attended plenty of shows over the years.

For our show to be successful, to continue to grow, we must find a way to bring in more modelers to our show. If we cannot do so then we will face this same problem every year. We have to find a way to change the view our fellow modelers and potential vendors look at the drive to our shows. Modelers come to shows to compete and see how their work stands up to that of other modelers, to measure their skills and efforts. Vendors come to shows to sell their wares and of course check out the competition and the entries. However, vendors also need to know there will be potential customers beyond their usual market to make trips to shows like ours worth their while. Bringing in modelers from outside of our club means increased revenue from show registrations and entry fees, the sale of raffle tickets, participation in the silent auctions, and from the tables sold to vendors and traders.

It is time for CASM to refocus our efforts from vendors to modelers. Each year those attending go away happy, people do not claim, “home cooking,” unfair judging or stacked categories. They praise the competition and the hospitality we provide. We need to find a way to let others know what other modelers have to say about our show and our club.

I wish this could have been about a possible fix; unfortunately, I have none to offer. This is going to take a team effort just like the contest does every year. This club did not grow from four original members to the near forty it has today because of one person’s efforts and we need to remember that as we try to find an answer to bringing in more entrants and modelers.