This is a bust of the character "Spike" from the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."  I purchased him from John of John's Models at one of our Sproo-Doo contests.   He was rendered in acrylic paint.  Highlights were used as a basecoat and successively darker colors were airbrushed into place.  Once the initial colors were laid in, acrylic paint was placed into a wet palette and more layers of nearly transparent paint were worked and blended into numerous shades of color.

I finished up with chalk pastels.  The hair was a little bit more difficult but I essentially followed the same sequence.

Vampires in the "Buffy" world were not as gory as vampires are often depicted.  Their skin was the skin of the "undead" but there was some color to it which made for some tricky rendering.

Become a Sproo-Doo Sponsor.  Model Contests do not support themselves by the entry fees of the participants or the silent auctions.  The Sproo-Doo contest costs approximately $1100 to put on the show.  The largest portion of the cost is for the purchase of medals.  Why post here?  Each week I plan to put the logo of a sponsor for the 2013 Sproo-Doo between now and the contest.  The Scratching Post and the CASM Website, this month, have had over 3600 internet hits, which is considerably higher than last month.  Posting your business here is a lot of exposure for $50.00 and, if you are seeing this, you will be supporting a hobby event that you like.  Sponsorship costs less than an average model but supports the gathering of modelers from all over the Southern United States for a day of modeling fun.  Click the picture to link to the Sponsorship Page and sign-up today.

For the past 12 years CASM has held a contest for all local and regional modelers to come and compete for trophies and medals. This year, we are holding our 13th Annual Sproo-Doo Model Show at Arkansas Health Center in Benton, AR on September 21st. We are using the GSB (Gold, Silver, Bronze) judging style where each entry is judged based on its own merit.  It is possible for every entry to receive a medal based on an honest appraisal of each model's quality.  For those of you who enjoy head-to-head competition, there are a number of modeling categories that receive a handsome "Best of" award in which the Gold Medal models compete against one another.  There can be only one! Contestants are also competing for a few special awards including Best of Division, Herman Hankin’s People’s Choice award, Best of Show Civilian, Best of Show Military, and many others.  There is always a lot of good fun and fellowship at our contests and the Arkansas Health Center is a beautiful location with a well-lit exhibition hall that really showcases your models.  So get building and we are looking forward to your attendance.  For more information, click the picture.

Star Trek Models, in general, and AMT Star Trek Model, specifically, require great modelling skills.  These are not shake'n bake model kits.  No part really fits at all and tending to seams obliterates detail.  Yet, they can be built into beautiful pieces.  Follow along with Brent as he shows us how to build this model of the AMT Romulan Bird of Prey by clicking on the picture above and following the link.

Ok, so I literally JUST got out of the car about 3 hours ago after returning home from the Armor Model Preservation Society International armor model show in Atlanta.  For those who are not familiar, AMPS as it's known deals strictly with armor models and to much lesser extent figures.  This is THE premiere armor model show in the US. I have been to the regional show in Atlanta several times along with Rusty and Ron.  I have done okay on the regional level but I was honestly very nervous about competing on the international stage. 
AMPS put on a tour of the armor collection at Ft. Benning on Thursday but I was unable to make it to that.  I showed up to the hotel Thursday afternoon. Registration started at 6pm on Thursday evening and went till Noon on Saturday.  From what we were told there were 431 models entered, all armor except for about a dozen figures.  The caliber of work is outstanding. AMPS uses the Gold/Silver/Bronze method of scoring and there are 4 levels of adult competition (beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Master) If you get a Gold in say Intermediate you're automatically bumped to Advanced.  This does not however apply to Master level. One has to win a judges best of show to earn Master level. 
I attended 5 seminars while I was there. AMPS goes to a lot of trouble to get the best presenters they can. I attended a scratchbuilding seminar by Scott Negro who is a master maker for Tiger Models. I also attended painting seminars / demos by Adam Wilder, Mike Rinaldi, Ian Hamilton and Rick Lawler. There is no limit to the amount of information that can be learned from just sitting, watching and asking questions of modelers of that level. 
Vendors were plentiful of course and I did make some purchases though I shopped wisely. 
At night guys would huddle up in the bar and lobby and talk models to the small hours of the morning. 
Saturday evening at 5 was the awards presentation.  It took some time to get through them.  I was nervous the whole time because there is ZERO indication of what a model gets before the presentation. The models are judged before they go into the display room, behind closed doors. 
I entered four pieces and I was fortunate enough that all four received a medal in the Advanced category. I could not have been more proud but I honestly was a nervous wreck. 

Next year the show is in Fredericksburg, VA.  For more information and pictures from the show, click the picture and follow the link. 

Hi,

We meet at 6:00 p.m. Monday, April 22, 2013, at the Business and Industry Center which is at 3303 East Roosevelt Road Little Rock, AR 72206 (where the old IMAX Theater was). Just check the monitor for the room number. You certainly don't have to, but you are strongly encouraged to bring a kit to work on. We are going to do a brief show and tell; then, go to work on our own current builds. We should be able to learn from each other as we work. The last several times this has worked very well. If you don't bring a model to work on that's fine, you are certainly welcomed and encouraged to help others.  Also, we are going to paint Seth's airplane.  Just a reminder about the Revell contest - doesn't cost anything and you can do something other than cars this year. All you have to do is send photographs so let's all participate. See revell.com.  Bring a friend, show and tell, something to work on and whatever tools/materials you will need to work with.  

The Sixth Annual Modeling Championship was held today.  A word of thanks is necessary to Ken Leslie and Dave Branson for hosting this contest.  There were a large number of very high quality models at the contest and a good time was had by all who attended.

The picture above shows Ken and Dave discussing serious matters.  The picture that follows is of Ken dressed as the Head Judge at the contest.

I was unable to take pictures of all of the entries but what follows will give you a good idea of most of the models at the contest.

CASM was well represented in entries and medals.  It was great to see old friends, current friends, and to make new friends at the contest.  Great job to Ken and Dave!

Contest season is here!  Order your CASM t-shirt by clicking the link and wear your CASM t-shirt with pride.  The truth is, some of the t-shirts you guys are wearing are starting to fade and some of the t-shirts must of shrunk in the wash (you know who I am talking about).   When we receive a total number of 25 shirts, we can place an order.  The order may be paid for through Paypal so why wait.  Order now! 

The top picture is on the front of your shirt while the back is covered by the bottom picture.  Very nice looking t-shirts.  The price is $25.00.

Click on the picture and see this beautiful F-16A completed by Mish Edwards.  A cool thing about this post is there is a link that will take you to a page that shows the steps of putting this bird together.  Nicely done Mish!

Is everyone getting their models completed?

The 6th Annual Arkansas Model Championship will be held this coming Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Jacksonville Community Center.  Doors open at 8:00 A.M. and registration of models ends at 12:00P.M.  The contest lasts from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  Model registration fee is $5.00 for the first model and $2.00 for each additional model with a maximum fee of $20.00.  Hope to see you all there!