A hobby can feel timeless right up until the moment it changes under your hands. We start with the real-world catch up: Wonderfest, the sprint toward the IPMS Nationals in Fort Wayne, and the listener mail that reminds us why this community is so strong. Along the way we share show intel, a clever “Squadron Catalog Challenge” idea, and what one contest recap teaches about entry growth, online registration, and the tricky problem of judging without shutting viewers out of the model room.

Then the conversation turns into something bigger: the technology shift hitting scale modeling right now. AI and 3D printing are colliding in ways that were barely on the radar a year ago, and we wrestle with the messy middle ground of AI-generated images in hobby spaces, credit, and why clear labeling protects trust. From there we jump to the most jaw-dropping bench-adjacent find: a prototype Optivisor-style headset that snaps into focus wherever your fingertips are, instantly, at multiple working distances. If you build small, scribe fine lines, or just want your eyes to stop fighting you, this is the kind of tool that can change everything.

We also get practical with paint prep and process: mixing, note taking, storing formulas, and whether you should batch-mix custom colors or mix fresh for each session. Finally, we talk model show features we want to see more of, including keeping tables accessible during judging, bringing seminars back, and the promise of exhibition-style formats that make it easier to meet the builder and learn face to face. If you care about the future of plastic model kits, scale modeling tools, and better model shows, hit play, then subscribe, share the show with a modeling friend, and leave a review.

The self-focus eyewear mentioned by Kentucky Dave in this Episode...
Vivifocal

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Mike and Kentucky Dave thank each and everyone of you for participating on this journey with us.  

HI ! Here another project I have done in the past , but this time as a challenge from a friend , if you like to view more pics, I have set-up an GOOGLE page for it , Just follow this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WT66f6uXkUP4kB8VA Enjoy ! Jmarc

After taking almost 4 months on my last build I thought I'd "whip one out" to get back in the groove. Since our current club build theme is any kit manufactured after 1990, I grabbed this 2006 issued Classic Airframes 1/48 F-5A Freedom Fighter from the stash and built it OOTB in 11 days. This is a good kit, but NOT a Tamigawavellogram shake-n-bake type of build. The model has a very nicely appointed resin interior, but is short on locating pins and the fit has to be tweaked to get the best results. Both of the tail planes and all of the pylons, drop tanks, ordnance, and even the tires had to be drilled and pinned for security. The very thin wing made drilling the holes in the underside a real adventure when trying to go as deep as possible without drilling all the way through! I used True Color lacquer/enamel paints for the Vietnam era SEA paint scheme, masking it off using Silly Putty ropes at the edges of the patterns and tape to fill in the rest. I found the colors to be good, but looking at it now I'd go back and either slightly lighten the Medium Green or add a little black to darken the Dark Green to get slightly more contrast. I did some (but not all) of the panel lines in pencil where they could be easily seen on the lighter camo colors. I used the kit decals which generally went on with very few problems. All in all this was a fun little build that went smoothly even if it required a bit more re-engineering than a lot of other kits. It's was also good to get one done and on the shelf so quickly. Critiques, comments, and questions welcome as always! Cheers! Gil

Eduard's new exciting prospect of a modern, new-tool P-51B in 32nd scale packed with extras & 3D-printed parts is finally with us for pre-order. Kit contents, markings & CADs in our preview...Read on... »

After a few productive days, my Shipyards were able to launch ten new ships for my navies. The first four are from a box set of four ships in one kit from Airfix, all in 1/600 scale. These are crude by today's standards but I did the best I could with them. After all, the three British destroyers were the only ones of those type that were available back then. First up is the HMS Cossack, the largest of the three British destroyers. I had lost one of the anchors so I left them off until I can find some suitable replacements: The second ship is the HMS Hotspur, one I knew very little about until I looked it up, Yes, the B turret gun is broken here, I saw it too late, but fixed it afterward: The last British destroyer is the HMS Cambletown, one I had never expected to have in my Navy since no one had ever kitted one in either 1/700 or 1/600, but here it is. This is another 'Holy Grail" kit I've wanted for many years, even one as crude as this one: This last Airfix ship is the German Narvik-class destroyer. The instructions claim it is the Z-28, but based on the next four German destroyers I built; it is more of a hybrid with features from different makes of Z-class destroyers Here it is built anyway: Now for some actual versions of German Z-class destroyers, these are in 1/700 scale. Three are form Trumpeter, the fourth is Dragon. First is the German Z-7, one of the earlier makes of this ship: Next is the German Z-28; the actual Z-28: Followed by the German Z-31. This one is the Dragon kit: The last one is the German Z-43, one of the latest marks of this ship: Finally we get to the USS Springfield, a light missile cruiser by Revell in 1/500 scale: The final ship we launched is a Japanese assault carrier I got in a Distressed kit Auction. It had no box; everything was in ziplock bags so I decided to build it before major pieces got lost. This is the 1/700 scale JMSDF Assault carrier Shimokita: And that completes this news bulletin from the shipyards, thanks all for watching the parade of ships heading out to their shakedown cruises. Comments are always welcome. By the way, completing these ten ships allowed me to break another milestone: I now have reached the grand total number of 1905 completed models of all genres and categories. Not that anyone's counting that is.......

The best of British is the subject of the latest Panzerwrecks volumes. See what's inside no. 28 & how to get it at a discount for a short time in our preview...Read on... »

MiniArt's new 35th scale "German Infantry, Ardennes Offensive" features four figures & five sprues of weapons & equipment. See about the soldiers & the set in our preview...Read on... »

Abrams Squad is back in an all-new issue 45. We look at the contents with some images from inside in our preview...Read on... »

BSK Model under their SCENIX Studio brand has two very nice-looking digitally sculpted sets of children & their puppies, set in a bygone time but in a pose that could be seen on any street today. We look at "Child & Puppy" 1 & 2 in our preview...Read on... »

Here another space related project I been working on , its the JOHANES WINKLER HW-1 in 1/48 (SCRATCH) ! (JUN 08th) today ,I continue working on the structure !! If you like to view the complete WIP , just follow this Google link to my personal page: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rjsjms9BhTrbnhYDA If you like to view the other space related project I have done so far , just follow this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ov2R8HFSA26iDpms5 Enjoy ! Jmarc

The Dornier Do217 K-2 was developed from the K-1 model designed to carry the Fritz-X gliding bomb. Its wingspan was extended by 25 meters or 82 feet to carry the extra load of the Fritz-X bombs which weighed 1570 kg or 3461 lbs each. They also added an additional 1160 liter/306 gal. in the bomb bay. There were special bomb racks on the inner wings, between the nacelle and fuselage, designed to carry the massive bombs. The most famous use of the Fritz-X was the sinking of the Italian battleship Roma on September 9, 1943 by Major Bernhard Jope of III./KG100

Included in the kit is:

• Ten grey sprues

Three clear sprues

• One set of decals
• One instruction booklet

The instructions are pretty straight forward and the kit seems well detailed with fine panel lines and other fuselage detail.

MiniArt continues to expand on their 1/48th-scale accessories with this, their new set of German droptanks, bombs & rockets from the WWII era. See what's inside in our preview...Read on... »

Greetings my fellow ModelGeeks, and welcome to the MGPC Episode 125!  Nemo hosts this episode, with a full house.  We chat about the latest and greatest in everyone's model world and get caught up with what's happening in the hobby.  

The mail bag was full again with over 10 emails, which is awesome!  We really appreciate the emails and love hearing from you all.  Also, thanks again for the listener gallery submissions.  Please keep the emails and gallery pics coming and we can't wait to see your work, discuss them on the podcast, and present them on our website.

For the main topic, we talk about how our "Modeling Lens" has evolved and changed.  As youngsters building models, we all built as much as we could and didn't pay attention to accuracy, properly thinned paint, PSI, or weathering, etc.. we just built, and loved every minute of it.   Compare that with how we view modeling almost 40 years later, and there are some significant changes in how we view the hobby.  It's a great topic and we hope you all give it a listen.

Please feel free to interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, and email:  contact@modelgeekspodcast.com

Be sure to check out our website: www.modelgeekspodcast.com.

Make sure you check out our new group / community on Facebook, The ModelGeeks Model Shack

We also want to thank each of our sponsors for their support. We are very lucky to have their support. When you have the time, pay a visit to their web sites, and have a look at their fine products.

• Detail and Scale
• Furball Aero-Design
• Tamiya USA
• Bases by Bill
• LionHeart Hobby
• Hypersonic Models
• Matters of Scale
• Kotare Models
• Squadron

 
Also, if you're interested in the model shows, click the link below!
IPMS USA Events Page

We are very fortunate to be able to join the scale modeling podcast community and are in the company of several other really GREAT podcasts. Hopefully, someday we’ll earn our wings and be able to keep up with those guys!  Please check them all out at Scale Model Podcasts.

Blogs:
The Kit Box
Sprue Pie with Frets
Model Airplane Maker 

Well, that's it for this episode.  Thanks again for all your support and we hope to see you all this year.  Just remember, be excellent to each other, and get out there and build something!  Take care everyone, out from the Geeks!

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HI !! Here another project I have done in the past , of course this is an SCRATCH , sIf yopu like to view more pics of it, just follow this link : https://photos.app.goo.gl/SYdDSYh4YW4gaRqe8 Enjoy Jmarc

The boys have a chat with Peter from ACTSMS looking towards ScaleACT in November.

Dave is going to be starting the Tamiya P-38 so different schemes are discussed.

This 1/25 scale aerial platform is still in the process of being built but it is in the latter stages. Much scratch building involved. Here's a summary of how it has been done so far. There are a few more to come to show the build to date. In the next submittal I'll go over some of the build details and how they were done.

It's that time again when Clayton Ockerby from Workbench Hobbies treats us to his top ten of upcoming releases that caught his eye this past month in his video preview...Read on... »

Daffy, Donald, Howard even - MiniArt gives us a new kit featuring the duck & geese family to father your modelling nest. But no foul play here; see our poultry offerings in our preview...Read on... »

Air Power and the Arab World, 1909–1955 Volume 12: Palestine War, 12 July - 14 October 1948 (Middle East @ War #67) continues the story of the men and machines of the first half-century of military aviation in the Arab world, focusing this time on the critical period between 12 July and 14 October 1948 — from the final days of the ‘Ten Days’ fighting through the Second UN Truce. While part of an ongoing series, this volume also stands alone as a history of the period covered.

You can feel when a Nationals is being built with real intention and Fort Wayne is making that case early. We sit down with John Figueroa, chair of the 2026 IPMS USA National Convention, and treasurer Dave Mason to get the behind-the-scenes look at what’s coming to the Grand Wayne Convention Center in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 5 through 8. The big headline: they’re not doing this with one club grinding for four days. They’ve assembled 11 clubs across Region 4 to share the workload, share the payoff, and still have time to enjoy the convention like everyone else.

We dig into the attendee essentials: a vendor room on the scale you expect from IPMS Nationals (about 426 vendor tables with only a few left), plus a seminar schedule that runs from beginner to advanced. Expect practical topics like scale model photography and lighting, CAD, Silhouette and Cricut paint masks, and weathering for dioramas, along with subject-focused sessions and special interest group guidance. If you come to Nationals to learn new techniques, this lineup is designed to keep you moving from room to room.

Then we get into the “why” behind their choices. John explains a deliberate push to welcome more genres, so automotive, ships, sci-fi, and Gundam builders feel just as at home as aircraft and armor modelers. That shows up in theme awards, custom decal sheets, and a raffle they treat as one of the three core pillars of the show, with plans that even let you check results online. We also talk logistics that matter: online pre-registration is open, it’s $55, pre-registration closes June 30, and on-site registration jumps to $65. Finally, Fort Wayne adds a unique capstone: an awards ceremony in the restored Embassy Theatre connected by skywalk.

Subscribe, share this with a modeling buddy, and leave a review so more builders can find the road to Fort Wayne.

2026 IPMS National Convention - Fort Wayne, IN

2026 IPMS National Convention Facebook Page

Model Paint Solutions
Your source for Harder & Steenbeck Airbrushes, Mixing supplies, and great advice!

SQUADRON
Adding to the stash since 1968

Model Podcasts
Please check out the other pods in the modelsphere!

KitMasx
Custom Canopy Masks for the Scale Modeler

Bases By Bill
Your source for custom display bases, laser engraved airfield and carrier decks.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Give us your Feedback!
Rate the Show!

Support the Show!
Patreon
Buy Me a Beer
Paypal

Bump Riffs Graciously Provided by Ed Baroth
Ad Reads Generously Provided by Bob "The Voice of Bob" Bair

Mike and Kentucky Dave thank each and everyone of you for participating on this journey with us.