Episode 56: What do we do with all of this STUFF?

Death comes to us all, as the saying goes, and while your hosts aren’t feeling particularly morbid at the moment, we certainly look around from time to time at all of the tools and paints and supplies on our workbenches; the closets and shelves full of un-built kits; the stacks (and stacks and stacks) of books; our displays of the figures, vignettes, and dioramas we’ve built and collected from friends and artists we admire, and the odd piece of militaria we’ve acquired and think, “Who’s going to take care of all of this STUFF when we’re gone?”

And we bet you’ve asked this question, too.

As a maker and as a collector, our pal and repeat Small Subjects guest Joe Berton certainly has. What’s more, he has helped clear out the collections of quite a few of those we’ve lost who shared our passions—including some pretty epic ones. In this episode, we asked him to help us think about preparing for the inevitable, in part because we don’t know anyone who’s more expert in this regard, but also because, Joe being Joe, he brings plenty of laughs and quite a few memorable anecdotes to what could have been a somewhat dark discussion (but isn’t, we promise!).

Above: Joe adding to his collection in Marrakech, 2020. Below: A small (small, small) part of his collection at left, and a tiny (tiny, tiny) part of Shep Paine’s collection at right, including the Grenadier Guard uniform mentioned in this episode.

To wrap things up, although the day jobs have been a bear for both of us lately, we have been spending time at our workbenches in Utah and Chicago getting something done. Below: Barry’s review build of the new 1/35 French H39 kit (provided courtesy of Scott Gentry of the Plastic Posse Podcast and Tamiya USA).

And here’s Jim’s finished diorama of the troublesome 1/16th-scale Gecko Models Universal Carrier (say what you will, at least he finished it).

Episode 55: Artificial Intelligence and Modeling: A Talk with Jake McKee

Your hosts have been wrestling for some time about how to approach the topic of Artificial Intelligence and its possible impacts on our hobby. As Barry says, there’s no stopping the progress of the technology, and Jim adds that it’s as likely to lead to great things (helping scientists cure cancer, say, or slow the warming of our planet) as disturbing ones (putting teachers out of a job, or journalists, or, as touched on some with Joan Biediger in Episode 47, artists).

Jake McKee came to our rescue with an email outlining his thoughts on A.I. that prompted us to invite him on the show for a wide-ranging conversation that begins to grapple with these issues. Based in the tech hub of Austin, Texas, Jake is a consultant in the digital realm, a photographer, a devoted modeler, and a blogger (with both a tech blog and a modeling blog). In the past, he’s done digital marketing for Lego, and he’s also worked at Apple. He’s been thinking about A.I. a lot, and he certainly helped us formulate our thoughts, and consider the possibilities.

Below: An A.I.-animated Airfix carabinier recently posted on the Napoleonic War Scale Models and Dioramas Facebook group, which is mentioned in our chat, and some examples of Jake’s imaginative modeling.

Episode 54: Barry & Jim's Adventures (and Frustrations) with the 1/16th Universal Carrier Kit

In Episode 52, when Jim expressed interest in the new 1/16th-scale Gecko Models Universal Carrier kit, Barry suggested a “buddy build,” with each of them tackling the beast—something he now regrets. (That started with cleaning up two lengths of track, each with 165 to 167 links, and connecting them with some 668 tiny pins, crazy-making work they discussed at the end of Episode 53, after Jim chatted with Francois Verlinden.)

This episode is devoted to their ongoing frustrations with the build (and, for Jim, some fun, too). Although Barry initially suggested the idea, he later worried that no one would be interested in talk about a kit few if any of the listeners might build. But Jim thought it wound up being about more than the build, focusing on how your hosts each approach modeling and the inherent and inevitable problem-solving.

Or, as the pod’s most dedicated listener and volunteer Quality Control Editor Joan Biediger said, “I loved the episode—the back and forth about what works and what doesn’t. Also you each have different approaches to certain things. I have no interest in that particular kit, but I found the episode quite enjoyable anyway. I think because it was about solving problems, talking about things that go wrong and how to deal with it makes it interesting at least to me.  It’s pretty good when you can hold the audience on a kit that said audience isn’t really interested in, lol.”

So, here you have it. Below are pictures of Barry’s progress.

Barry notes: “Here are some pics of my build.  The one with the too-loose tracks has 165 links. I removed one link and it looks pretty good. I strengthened the flimsy front bogie with some brass rod.  Also attached is a pic that shows my fake air cleaner that can be seen through the screen.”

Now, some pics from Jim’s work bench. He’s been off from school since mid-December, returning Jan. 27, so he’s had a lot more time to build, paint—and screw things up.  

A few more things: Jim wrongly mentioned a meme about cliches in dioramas, like the pointing/shouting sergeant in his scene, when in fact it was a very amusing post by our Aussie pal Jamie Stokes on Planet Figure. Read it and chuckle!

Here’s a link to Arnhem Jim’s blog, which also got a nod (the specific carrier Jim is building, T248395, can be seen here). Barry mentioned Martin Kovac’s excellent Night Shift modeling videos, and those can be seen on his YouTube channel here, and Rob Riviezzo’s helpful article about his own experience building the kit (his Rob Riv’s Modeling Insanity blog can be found on Facebook here).

Finally, the boys talk once again about the DSPIAE electric reciprocating sanding pen. They’re both digging it—it’s been especially useful for cleaning up this weird Gecko plastic—and Jim has since bought the company’s electric sharpening/grinding pen, too. You’ve got to have the right tool for the job, always!

Episode 53: Francois Verlinden

In this episode, we chat with one of the legends of the hobby: Francois Verlinden, who is alive and well at age 78. He retired to Palm Beach, Florida, after the company that bore his name closed in 2016, but he is occasionally painting again “just for fun”—including some of those Warhammer minis the kids love!

Verlinden is the last of “the Four Horsemen,” which, according to another, Bob Letterman, “was a term used by some of the guys back in the day to describe the four of us: Shep Paine, Lewis Pruneau, Francois Verlinden, and me… Some believed we, collectively or individually, helped popularize the then-new world of the diorama,” especially among armor modelers. (Below: Shep, Lewis, and Francois at Mastercon in 1990, from this article Bob wrote about his involvement with Verlinden Productions.)

Some of the signage and memorabilia from VP, which was based in St. Charles, Missouri, along with some of the “superdioramas” built by Letterman and Pruneau, recently went on auction at the same house in Beloit, Wisconsin, that conducted last summer’s auction of the Ralph Koebbeman collection (including other pieces by Pruneau and Letterman and several classic Shep boxes, a subject on Episode 36 and in this blog post). That, combined with our pal and former podcast guest Greg Cihlar putting us in touch and patiently coordinating logistics, made this a great time to catch up with Francois, whose name at the peak of the company’s production adorned some 2,700 products in those little green camouflage boxes, as well as a library full of books and periodicals.

Francois charts his history with the hobby from discovering models at age 11, to opening a shop in his native Lier, Belgium, and from finishing kits that he set in dioramas that eventually connected him to Tamiya and Italeri, to producing some of those accessories that populated all his dioramas, as well as buildings and other scenery, figures, and the first widely distributed aftermarket parts to enhance existing kits.

Francois did not sculpt or build the masters for the majority of what VP produced—an output that, he says, at one point required ninety tons of resin. His story is as much about being a visionary, if accidental, businessman as it is that of a painter and builder whose work inspired many others. The hallmarks of the “Verlinden way,” he notes with a chuckle: Filling his scenes with “lots of stuff” and drybrushing, as seen in the photos below, including, at the bottom, some of his recent work.

Indie manufacturers today may find it hard to believe, but there was a time when this small hobby could fund living relatively large. Francois laughs about his fondness for sports cars, and says he is grateful for all of the opportunities the hobby brought him. And he is glad so many modelers remember his name.

This episode ends with your hosts chatting about their current “buddy build” of the Gecko 1/16th Universal Carrier Mk. II. That phrase was new to Jim before Barry used it, and Barry now denies he suggested this project, although the evidence is there at the end of our last episode. (Warning: Building two 167-link lengths of track with five clean-up points per link may be making your hosts a bit loopier than usual. Below: Barry’s efforts as of this taping at left, and Jim’s at right.)

Finally, for once, Jim turns Barry on to a new and very useful tool (it’s usually the other way around): the DSPIAE electric reciprocating sanding pen. Those damn links were too small even for this wonderfully compact new toy, but it has already proven it has dozens of other uses!

Thanks as always for listening, and happy modeling in 2025!

Episode 52: Barry & Jim Recall Some of Their Earliest Kits and Figures

As they wait for some of the exciting interviews they’ve lined up for upcoming episodes to fall into place, your hosts turn in this one to expanding on their own answers to one of their favorite questions for guests—How did you get your start in this small-sized pursuit of ours? They dive into some of their earliest modeling experiences, and talk about some of the kits and figures they loved tackling as kids.

Above, Barry notes: “This was my first ‘serious’ model: Tamiya Marder II, built when I was 13.” Below: Jim fondly recalls snapping together all of the Aurora “Prehistoric Scenes” kits, and even enhancing some with some Testors enamels, circa age 9 or 10.

Above: Young Barry built the Monogram Lee and was much impressed with Shep’s diorama for the tip sheet.

Above: After seeing Shep’s classic Monogram diorama of the downed Devastator in Sports Illustrated, a 13-year-old Jim became fascinated with clear casting resin. One of his first figures was the Airfix French line infantryman he assembled and put in a clear block as a paperweight (he only has this because he gave it to his stepdad as a gift, and it came back when Harry died). He said it was his first Historex figure during the taping, but looking at it now, it’s definitely Airfix.

Below, Barry notes: “These are the first figures I ever entered in a serious show (SCAHMS 2004): Metal Modeles 54mm Chasseur D’Afrique and Amati 1/10 Highlander Officer, 1760. I can’t remember which one I got a bronze for.”

Below: Monogram’s Sturmpanzer kit and Shep Paine’s classic diorama for the tip sheet. It may or may not have been enhanced if the master had included a silhouette in the building, Coyote and Roadrunner-style, for where the commander broke through the ruin.

Jim also fondly recalled the old Tamiya kit of the Bren gun carrier, which Barry said wasn’t available in Utah, and mentioned that he’s been eying Gecko Models’ forthcoming 1/16th Universal Carrier. This prompted Barry to suggest they both build one when it’s available.

Challenge accepted!

Finally, the Monogram Merite figures (Jim painted the Prussian Guard Infantry, sadly long lost to some landfill, along with the mouse carcass he had to peel off it at Campbell’s Model Hobby Shop in Jersey City). And the boys suggested this site as a good resource for revisiting some of these old kits.

Episode 51: The MMSI's 49th Chicago Show with Joe Berton and Pat Vess

Above left: MMSI President Joe Berton with 2024 Best of Show winner Scott Primeau; right: Show Chair Pat Vess with Judging Chair Jim DeRogatis.

Enthused as ever after any fantastic modeling exhibit, your hosts devote this episode to talking about the 49th Chicago Show sponsored by the Military Miniatures Society of Illinois on Oct. 18-20. After 14 years serving as assistant to Head Judge Shep Paine, Jim has filled that role since Shep’s death in 2015, with Barry serving as his chief assistant. One of the most veteran members of the MMSI (and the subject of Episode 34), Joe Berton is the club’s president and primary storyteller, while Pat Vess (who appeared with Joe on Episode 16, and many other occasions when he just happened to phone in the middle of a taping) is the hardworking Show Chair. They talk about their highlights from the 2024 show and others in the past. We’ve included a few photos of exhibits they mentioned here, but many, many more can be found along with a full list of the awards on the club’s Web site here, with special thanks to Andy Gulden and Bob Sarnowski. Also watch for the final issue of the club journal The Scabbard for 2024, coming soon! (Email jimdero@jimdero.com if you aren’t already on the electronic mailing list; subscriptions are free.)

Above: Scott Primeau’s Best of Show. Below: The Queen Elizabeth flat by Noel Meyer.

Above: Two extraordinary WWI airplanes by Kreston Peckham (left) and Dave Peschke. Below: From the exhibits by Andy Gulden and Bill Horan.

Above: Joan Biediger gets a million-dollar trim from expert hair stylist and painter Gary Baker (photo by Pat Vess). Below: Barry brought home the kettle drummer figure from the Bill Ottinger display, lovingly arranged by Joe Berton, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the club.

Above: By the Rev. Bart Muller. Below: Two takes on “Where’s Jefferson” by Mike Pierce. Joe thought both makers benefited from pointers at the Sunday-morning post-judging session in 2023.

Above: Large-scale excellence: British Napoleonic field artillery by Bud Bowie and a massive 1/16th Sherman by Bob Sarnowski. Below: The two Shep Paine dioramas Joe acquired for the MMSI from collector Worth Linen: “The Elefant’s Dilemma” (pictured in its temporary home on Pat’s basement shelf) and “The Lady Be Good.”

Below: Marder III and bust of Marie Antoinette by Barry; Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas by Joe Berton and Jim’s latest box diorama “The Librarians.” All three showed their work for exhibition only.

Episode 50: Doug Cohen

For their 50th episode, your hosts talk with versatile Texas-based modeler, sculptor, and painter Doug Cohen, whose work stands out at any show he enters, as readily identifiable as his sense of humor. (The photo above, from his Facebook page, he captioned, “Doug with bacon.”)

Like all of our interview subjects, Doug has always been generous in sharing his knowledge and advising others about the methods that work for him, either in person, on the Net, or via the book published by his friends at Reaper Miniatures (seen above). Following is a representative sampling of his work, although with his impressive variety of interests and skills, it’s hard to call any of his pieces “representative.”

Above: An in-progress shot from Facebook of the recent John Brown diorama we discuss during our chat. Below: Doug does love his flags! (Photos by Bob Sarnowski)

Below: Doug also does fantasy…

And ordnance!

Finally, some relevant links from the chat that wraps up this 50th episode: More info on the annual MMSI Chicago Show, Oct. 18-19; Chris Meddings’s Model Philosopher Podcast (Barry and Marijn van Gils talk modeling and storytelling on Episode 8), and the 1/48 Tamiya Group Build sponsored by the Plastic Posse Podcast (The interior of Barry’s tiny tank-in-progress can be seen below).

Episode 49: Scott Primeau and More Tool Talk

In this episode, your hosts chat with Harris, Minnesota-based painter and sculptor Scott Primeau, a consistent gold-medal winner, Chicago medalist, and self-effacing talent whose attitude and ambition inspires both of us. Some examples of his work follow, many of which we discussed in our talk. You can find him on Facebook here.

Above: “Hey, Cowboy!”; “Stitches,” Best of Show Figures at the recent IPMS Nationals, and Scott’s spectacular Superman flat. Below: “Veiled Lady”; “The Babe,” and “Shadows.”

We’ve talked about tools on the podcast before—those we can’t live without, as well as those we certainly would rather avoid—but the subject has a way of continuing to come up. (Hey, it’s an obsession for all modelers!) Our pal Jack Lynch of the MFCA recently wrote, “Listening to the podcast and I can’t help but notice that certain modeling techniques and tools seem to strike fear into your heart (particularly fire, heat and airbrushing). You should do a discussion of people’s modeling fears. The only way to get past them is to dive in and commit to conquering your fear. I would love to bring you to the house and walk you through some of the things that scare you!”

We like Jack’s idea a lot, and would love to take the tour and benefit from his tutorials. But in the mean time, we once again talk about the Infini cutting mats, Jim’s new fondness using his pasta maker to roll out two-part epoxy putty really, really thin, and, of course, Barry’s dreaded table saw.

Episode 48: Talking with Natalia Oracz

In this episode, your hosts chat with another of their favorite painters from the fantasy realm, and one who’s been on their wish list of guests for quite some time: Natalia Oracz.

Based just outside Warsaw, Poland, Natalia has a distinctive style; to see one of her pieces, you can instantly recognize many others. Although she is now a professional supporting herself on commissions, her enthusiasm for the art form is obvious, and she is happy to share her insights and her knowledge with others, teaching in person and online. (Late this August/early September, she will be making her first trip to the U.S. for a seminar at the Nova Open gaming and fantasy figures event near Washington D.C.)

We’ve included a brief sample of Natalia’s work below, but you can also find her on Instagram, via both her own page and the one she’s started for her new company Owlsome Creations; Facebook; Putty and Paint; Patreon, and YouTube.

Above: Two takes on “Cozy” from Creepytables, including that incredible “clear” tea mug! Below: “Akito”; “Hummingbird Lady”; “Legend of the Sword: Arthur and Merlin”; “Moth Fairy,” and the diorama “Moria.”

This episode wraps up with the boys talking about the Rocky Mountain Hobby Expo, which brought the Open System to the Utah/Colorado area for the first time this June, with Barry doing a helluva job as head judge, and Jim having a great time and a swell visit. (Mmm, fry sauce!) You can find tons of pictures on the event’s Faceook Group here.

Episode 47: Joan Biediger Talks About Algorithm As Art

Although Barry has been swamped working with the crew prepping the Rocky Mountain Hobby Expo in Utah on June 22, Jim pressured him to get this episode out NOW so they could talk with Joan about her extraordinary box diorama “Algorithm As Art,” a gold-medal winner at MFCA 2024. Jim calls it one of the most important boxes in the history of the form—for its imagination, its execution, the ideas it raises, and the discussions it prompts. (Be sure to read his piece about it here.)

You can visit Joan’s Artist Gallery on this site, but we’ll post a few photos of her piece here again so you can consider them while listening. (Middle shot by Penny Meyer.)

The three also talk about their May trip to the Philadelphia area and their work restoring three of Shep Paine’s box dioramas at the Brandywine River Museum (documented here), as well as their experiences at the MFCA’s 81st show. Thanks for listening and taking a look!

Above: Jim, Barry, and Joan hard at work on Shep’s “To a Fair Wind… and Victory!” at the Brandywine River Museum. (Photo by Joe Berton.)

Episode 46: Getting the Scoop on Verko's Vault

Set to open later this year just south of the Las Vegas Strip, spanning 25,000 square feet with some 16,000 miniatures and counting, your hosts have been hustling to get the scoop on Verko’s Vault for some time. In this episode, they finally got the full run-down on the exciting plans for what will be one of the largest museums of miniatures yet opened to the public, courtesy of two of the driving forces, artists Penny Meyer (a previous guest on the podcast way back on Episode Four) and David Higgins, while the visionary and patron Gary Sparks hovered enigmatically but benevolently in the background. (Photos courtesy of our pal Penny.)

Above: Gary, Penny, and David. Below: Exterior of the museum building, and construction underway in April 2024.

Below: A small fraction of Gary’s collection, currently at his home, soon to move into the museum.

Education is a big part of the mission of Verko’s Vault, and it has already begun holding classes taught by world-class miniatures artists such as Michael Kontraros and Fabrizio Rusto Russo. Upcoming: our last guest Erik Swinson, and much, much more. Scan the QR codes to follow all of the doings on social media.

Below: Gary with his new 1:1 Balrog from Queen Studios, unboxed and soon to be on display in the Vault.

Rounding out this episode, we have another of Jim’s ongoing Questions for Barry, this one involving how to effectively fade colors with an airbrush. Too often, Jim has mistaken his Grex and Badger brushes for glorified spray cans, if not exactly with the disastrous impact seen below, than certainly with lesser results than he might achieve. As always, Barry offers some wisdom, and highly recommends this video.

Episode 45: Talking with Erik Swinson and previewing MFCA 2024

In this episode, your hosts talk with Virginia Beach-based professional miniatures painter Erik Swinson, one of the most stunning talents on the scene today. Erik is generous in sharing his talents in painting videos on YouTube, and we’ve got a small sampling of his work below (starting with Baine Bloodhoof, the piece with which we start our discussion). You can see much more of his work by following him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch.

And… Erik in miniature, sculpted by Joaquin Palacios!

The boys also catch up with friends of the show Jack Lynch (Episode 18) and Dennis Levy (Episode 15) for a preview of the annual Miniature Figure Collectors of America Show outside Philadelphia on May 3 & 4, including a class with Calvin Tan (Episode 23). Much more info about the show can be found on the MFCA’s web site, and we hope to see you there!

Finally, Barry has some news about the first Rocky Mountain Hobby Expo, which will take place on June 22 near Salt Lake City in Utah at 7602 Airport Rd, West Jordan. Visit the Expo’s Web site here, and it would be great to see you there, too!

Episode 44: Can We Bring More Abstraction to Miniatures, and Considering 3D Printing vs. Scratchbuilding

On this episode, your hosts tackle two big ideas they’ve been thinking and talking about a lot lately. First up: The notion of throwing away all the “rules” and thinking more abstractly. This has been on Barry’s mind a lot, and he was struggling to articulate what he meant when he saw the piece above by Rich Bruna and exclaimed, “That’s exactly what I was talking about!” As was the piece below by Gary Baker, which we’ve talked about and featured on this blog before. (Gary also appeared on Episode 37.)

As a box diorama maker, Barry’s been pondering the abstraction/surrealism/expressionism (choose one or all of those terms) seen in the work of some pioneering filmmakers—those who didn’t try to capture the world we see but one that only existed on their screens. He’s wondering about the possibilities of incorporating those sorts of visions into modeling, specifically citing the 1928 French film The Passion of Joan of Arc directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Jim adds Metropolis (directed by Fritz Lang, 1927), and F. W. Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu as good examples of abandoning realism in favor of a style that was, either by design or the limitations of the medium at the time, much more impressionistic.

The boys cite some inspiring miniaturists who’ve been mined these sorts of ideas with great imagination, including Kostas Kariotelis (below is his piece “Mephisopheles,” photographed by Penny Meyer) and the late, great Fletcher Clement. (Download the issue of The Scabbard that paid tribute to Fletcher here.) The podcast also praises Ingvild Eiring for her unique vision, which was highlighted on Episode 33, and can be seen in the piece below, “Eminently Severe in the Work of Violence.”

Your hosts’ own tentative first steps toward some measure of abstraction are perhaps best seen in Barry’s 2022 box diorama “Beyond the Seventh Moon” and Jim’s recent attempt to offer his take on the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage.

The boys feel like they’ve only begun to scratch the surface on this topic, but as always, they’re eager to hear from listeners about what they think. Leave them a message to air on the show here.

While Barry’s been pondering abstraction, Jim’s been elbows-deep in white styrene, enjoying the joys of scratchbuilding as he attempts a WWI Zeppelin gondola in 1/32nd for his next box diorama. He’s convinced that, although things could be a lot easier if he could simply 3D print one, he wouldn’t have nearly as much fun as he’s having with his big box of Evergreen and Plastruct pieces (below, with his gondola in progress).

As Barry points out, there is no stopping the forward march of technology—it’s happening whether we like it or not—but Jim is no Luddite. He readily grants that there are some fantastic uses of 3D printing, like the toy garbage truck he used for another recent box. He’s just reluctant to spend the hundred or more hours it would take him to master computer design for 3D printing; he’s in front of the computer enough, and it’s too much like work! In the end, it’s partly about using the right tool for the job, and partly about using the tools you enjoy using.

A topic only briefly raised on this episode: How will AI, another of those technological developments that can’t be stopped, change modeling? Is the day coming when Jim can say, “AI, make a design for a WWI L Class Zeppelin gondola circa 1915 for me to 3D Print?” Some may find that notion unsettling, or at least a big step away from the kind of thinking outside the artistic box that was the topic of the first half of this episode. But Barry is optimistic about all of this (and unusually so): One thing he says about technological innovations is that they can remind us what we value about being human and about art.

Episode 43: Jon Harbuck

In this episode, your hosts chat with Alabama-based modeler Jon Harbuck, an attorney, a true Southern gentleman, and a favorite for the powerful storytelling in his work. Jon is an active member of the Atlanta Military Figures Society—which hosts its annual show this year at the Hilton Hotel Atlanta Northeast on February 9 to 11—and the Artists Preservation Group, and he’s a familiar and friendly face at many figures shows as an exhibitor and a judge. Below are some of Jon’s pieces discussed during their talk.

Above: One of Jon’s most celebrated pieces, the soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Memorial (further immortalized in the film Glory) come to life. Below: Several of Jon’s moving pieces on the tragedy of WWI: “The Dead Stretcher Bearer”; “My Boy Jack”; “The Sons of William”; the flats box “Gassed,” and Jon’s first box diorama, “The Dug-Out.”

While Jon was still on the line, the boys also talked about the piece seen below by modeler Tomas Upskas, which generated some controversy online (and, really, what doesn’t?).

Heading toward wrapping things up, Barry discussed his recent work trip to Las Vegas, which was extended so he and Joan could attend the painting class taught by Matteo Di Diomede at Verko’s Vault, the exciting new miniatures museum that your hosts will be talking about on the pod soon. Below: The crew at the museum’s inaugural class, with many more overseen by previous guest Penny Meyer planned for coming days.

Finally, following up on our chat about miniatures and the movies, the show got a great Telbee message from Raphael Shelton about the actor Peter Cushing’s pursuits in the hobby. (We love to hear from listeners and include their voices in the show, so drop us a line!) Raphael sent us several images, as well as this link to a fun video.

Episode 42: Barry & Jim Yakking About Current Projects, Various & Sundry

In this episode, your hosts talk about what’s been happening at their work benches, and (as usual) a few other things, including a movie they’d been eagerly anticipating but which, alas, let Jim down.

First up: Having succeeded in bringing home “A King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet Sees the Ghost of His Father),” Shep Paine’s classic 1982 box diorama, after a rather harrowing train ride from Chicago to Salt Lake City, Barry brings us up to date on his restoration work, replacing the original automotive light bulbs with LEDs.

Above: After thoroughly cleaning them to remove the lead rot, Barry mounted new LEDs in Shep’s original bayonet sockets to handle the lighting.

Those old incandescent bulbs generated a lot of heat: Shep’s small theatrical gel on the bulb illuminating the ghost had melted. Note the two-way mirror at right, essential to pulling off what Dennis Levy would call “the gag.”

Gaining access to the fireplace to replace those bulbs was no easy task, but persistence, patience. and rubbing alcohol to soften Shep’s wood glue finally paid off.

Barry built a new panel at the back of the box to accommodate the protruding shafts for the new dimmers. Shep’s old rheostats had some serious rot, and were hard to access inside the box.

Above: While waiting for his framing guy to finish his work (Jim has been building his own frames for his last few boxes, but he wanted something a bit more elaborate for the piece he’s calling “dans les coulisses”), he started a fun project based on the 1966 sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage and Moebius Models’ 1/32nd scale Proteus submarine kit… and he had a bit of a decal and airbrush disaster. Barry talked him down and, as usual, offered a lot of helpful advice.

Above: Step one was, as always, mocking up the box and playing with sight lines and measurements. The sub was soon thereafter cut in half.

Round two of airbrushing, pre-gloss coat, and playing with some lighting for the interior of the sub. This one has been fun… when it hasn’t been frustrating! Meanwhile, Jim has been deep in the research for a more ambitious box depicting a WWI zeppelin raid on London, he extends many thanks for the help from folks in the Small Subjects/boxdioramas.com community, including Per Olav Lund, Scale Model Critique Group on Facebook, Rev. Bart Muller, Michael Scarborough, Jamie Stokes, Mark Matz, Matt Flegal, and Tony Bell.

Finally, although they keep swearing they’re done with this subject, your hosts had to revisit it one more time because of an especially eloquent and well-reasoned commentary by Stephen Lee entitled “IPMS/USA vs. The Golden Age of Scale Modeling.” Read it here; honest, it’s worth your time.

Thanks as always for listening, and we wish all of you a happy holiday! (Below: Storyboard for a sadly deleted scene from that movie. Maybe this would have made it better!)

Episode 41: Bob Sarnowski and the 2023 MMSI Chicago Show

Above: Bob Sarnowski (left) shooting photos at the MMSI 2023 Chicago Show, with frequent Small Subjects phone-in guest and Show Chair Pat Vess. (Photo by Felix Gonzales)

Veteran MMSI member Bob Sarnowski has been on your hosts’ list of folks they’ve wanted to interview for some time. Not only has he been an expert painter whose work has inspired us for years, he has long been the MMSI’s ace show photographer. And even with those accomplishments, he’s constantly expanding his skills—most recently, building ordnance (something he hasn’t done since he was a teen) and learning the new challenge of 3D printing. Plus, Bob is just one of the nicest guys in the hobby, as well one of the most self-effacing and quietest. We considered ourselves lucky to get him to open up and talk about himself!

Below: A sampling of Bob’s work. From the top: 101st Airborne, 54mm; Chinese boxer, 75mm; the confederate bust Bob talked about sculpting (we think it’s a heck of a piece and we’d love to see more Bob originals!); Freebooter; Guards Officer; the Poste-Militaire Samurai in 90mm; Sgt. Patrick Masterson of the 87th Regiment of Foot; a German Albatross; an Israeli Super-Sherman, and a Whippet.

Above: The exhibit space at the MMSI Chicago Show at the height of the action on Saturday (photo by Felix Gonzales). For many more photos by Bob, check out the MMSI Web site and download the special show issue of the club journal The Scabbard.

While chatting about the show, Barry was very kind in not giving his partner much guff about being awarded the Chicago Medal (along with fellow recipient Rusty Nail), especially after all of the jokes Jim has made about Barry’s MFCA Grand Master Wizard Award. Below: Jim accepts the medal from MMSI President Joe Berton and Pat Vess; his latest box diorama “Garbage Day,” which won a gold medal at the show, and Jim and Barry with Joe in front of the display of Shep’s box dioramas.

Finally: Food for thought (and fodder for another episode or ten!), the piece Gary Baker said was inspired by Barry (photo by Penny Meyer).

Episode 40: Barry and Jim on their Favorites (and their Failures)

Your hosts aren’t at all sure that anybody will be interested in this rather self-indulgent episode, but hey, we were just responding to a request from one of our loyal listeners, Jamie Stokes in Australia, who left a voice mail for us on Telbee (and everyone is welcome to do the same by clicking here!). Said Jamie:

“Realistically speaking, what we are doing as miniaturists is creating a tangible legacy of our hobby that will outlive us, no doubt. Knowing that—and Shep Paine being the most current example of a legacy outliving the creator—I’m curious if any of us could describe just two of our favorite models that would encapsulate our life as a miniaturist or our favorite one/most meaningful miniature, with the proviso being we get to choose our favorite as the miniaturist who made it and then our significant other—spouse, wife, husband, whatever—gets to choose the other one for their own reason. Love to hear the feedback on that from the fellow listeners as well.”

Well, Jamie, with our proviso being that we await the feedback from our listeners, your hosts chose not one but two of their own favorites, then asked their spouses. And, being the sort of chaps we are, we also chose some pieces of our own that we think failed, or that we liked the least. We’re perversely cynical and self-critical like that, don’t you know.

We had some fun having this chat—we always do!—and, hey, it seemed like a good one after 40 (forty!) episodes. Plus, we wanted to make Jamie happy. We hope you’ll enjoy listening, and we hope to see many of you at the MMSI Chicago Show on Oct. 20-21. Onward!

The first of Barry’s own favorites: “Box #3” (54mm, 2014).

One of Jim’s own favorites: “Il Cenacolo: Milano, 1798” (54mm, 2014).

Barry’s “NYC, 1977” (54mm, 2013)—also Jim’s favorite by his podcast partner/brother in box diorama-making.

“Initial Reconnaissance, 1787” (54mm, 2022), also Barry’s favorite by Jim.

Joan Biediger’s favorite by her husband: “Recruitment of the Young Guard” (100mm, 2012).

Carmél’s favorite by Jim: “The Whole World Is Watching: Chicago 1968” (75mm, 2017).

Barry’s not happy with his box “Thursday Evening” (70mm, 2015), but Jim likes it a lot.

Jim’s choices for his failures: “Retreat from Moscow”  (2010, 1/35th & 54mm), because the mirror for the French “ghosts” just isn’t positioned right. The mirrors worked much better in “The Cutting-Out Expedition”
(2013, 54mm), but Jim isn’t happy at all with the sculpting/Historex conversions. (Then again, what does he know? Marijn Van Gils included it in is his fantastic book Dioramas F.A.Q. Storytelling, Composition and Planning.)

Episode 39: Marijn Van Gils Has Some Thoughts About Judging

When your hosts last spoke to Belgian modeler (and sometimes bassist) Marijn Van Gils on Episode 19, we focused on his modeling career and his always-inspiring thoughts on creativity. One of our favorite people and artists in this pursuit, as well as one of the deepest thinkers, when Marijn reached out and said he had some thoughts about judging at figure and modeling shows after our recent comments about IPMS Nationals—and, well, every other time we’ve broached the subject—we said, “Sure, you know we wanna hear anything you’ve got to say!” Hence, another illuminating chat with Marijn.

We also share some thoughts about what first-time attendees might expect at the upcoming MMSI Chicago Show on Oct. 20-21 (click the link to register your exhibits or book your room!), prompted by a voice mail from one of our loyal listeners, Grant Mayberry. Hope we helped, Grant! (And you know we love hearing from you; leave us a message here about anything, any time.)

Above: An example of using fabric and small cardboard-box risers to create an attractive display with numerous miniatures. This is the work of Christos Panagiotopoulos at MFCA 2023 (photo by Jim DeRogatis).

Above: A guide for how judges may weight various elements when scoring models or figures—and it’s ONLY a guide!—originally developed by Shep Paine when he began championing the Open System. The language explaining this system is a constant work in progress, and it’s ever-evolving and improving, but you can get a sense of the basics of the system in use at MMSI, MFCA, Atlanta, World Expo, and other shows as it’s laid out on this page of the MMSI’s web site.

Marijn mentioned in our earlier chat that the next ship diorama he’s working on is the Battle of Trafalgar. Above: Some of what he’s been up to of late. And you thought you needed a new OptiVISOR!

Episode 38: Dave Youngquist and Barry's trip to Texas for IPMS Nats

Our odd little hobby/art form would be nowhere without trusted, reliable, and friendly retailers, and Dave Youngquist of the ace online hobby shop Last Cavalry tops your hosts’ lists of go-to sites on the Web. But Dave isn’t just a salesman—he’s a world-class figure painter (special interest: WWI) who’s also painted toy soldiers professionally for W. Britain. When it comes to techniques and the very best products for the jobs at hand, he’s a fount of information who’s always happy to share his knowledge, in person, or on his YouTube channel. We talked to him from his home in Royal Oak, Michigan, and Jim even got a chance to geek out a bit about another shared passion—garage-rock drumming!

Below: A small sample of Dave’s incredible work.

Rounding out this episode, Barry came back from this year’s IPMS Nationals in San Marcos, Texas, having once again shared good times with friends from across the country and around the world, as well as hauling home some awards—although as we cannot say enough: IT’S NOT ABOUT THAT! Below: Barry’s prize-winning scratch figure and French tank, and Joan Biediger’s first (prize-winning) Maschinen Krieger!

Above: Barry thought the IPMS Alamo Squadron did a great job of hosting the contest (although we prefer the word “show”), and he loved the regional flavor of the belt-buckle awards.

Jim loved this caricature of Small Subjects’ hosts, presented to Barry at the podcast panel, although like everyone who’s seen it and met Barry in person, he wonders why his co-host looks to be 12 years old.

Finally, what would IPMS be without a pointless, unnecessary, shoot-yourself-in-the-foot controversy? Coming on the heels of the national president’s recent editorial about “freeloaders,” the photo above went viral, portraying as it does a judge using his flashlight to examine the BOTTOM of a tank held high above his head in the never-ending search for flaws to narrow down dozens of entries to first, second, and third prizes. This prompted approximately a bazillion posts online discussing IMPS judging and whether it’s proper for a judge to ever man-handle models that way. In the end, even said IPMS president decided it was not, and announced, in the group’s typically bureaucratic and self-important language, that “the IPMS/USA Executive Board has reached an agreement that for all future IPMS/USA National Contests models will not be picked up or otherwise touched directly during the judging process for evaluation. The Board has directed the National Contest Committee to revise the rules and guidelines of the National Model Contest to ensure that this direction is clearly understood by both contestants and judges and strictly self-enforced by the judging corps.”

Duh! Common sense wins the day, better late than never. Or do all of you finish parts of pieces that will never normally be seen, and invite judges to inspect them?

The last time we talked about IPMS, Brad James, president of the MFCA, sent an email that can be paraphrased as, essentially, Why the hell do you care? Let IPMS be IPMS, and ignore them if you don’t like it.

Fair enough, except for the fact that your hosts believe the hobby is small enough, and boasts so many artists whose interests embrace both plastic modeling and the (to be a bit pompous) “art of connoisseur figures,” that the clubs that remain and try to forward this endeavor all have much more in common than divides them. We can all learn from one another, especially when there are better ways to do things—like, um, judging under the open system. We need to remember that the opportunity to gather with friends with shared passions is what this is all supposed to be about—and that will always be reason enough to care.

Episode 37: Gary Baker, hair, and Historex

In this episode, your hosts have a fascinating chat with British native, now San Diego-based painter and modeler Gary Baker. In addition to being big fans of his work, and agreeing that he’s one of the finest gents we’ve met in the hobby in recent years, we were eager to hear Gary’s thoughts about sculpting and painting hair—he’s a professional stylist and the creative director at UNITE Hair—and he made us think even more about how much character hair adds to a figure, as well as paying attention to the fine distinctions in hair styles in different eras. We’re used to focusing on uniforms and equipment and the way such change, even within the span of one conflict, but Gary got us going even deeper. To illustrate, here are some photos Barry found of radically different hair styles just within the Napoleonic period. (That’s a British surgeon in 1811, French General Lasalle, and some guy Joaquin Phoenix is playing in a new movie that Jim for one is eager to see, even though he doesn’t like Joaquin as the joker.)

Above: examples of Gary’s work in 1:1 scale (the second photo is one of his “hair sculptures” that he shared with Barry). Below: Some outstanding examples of Gary’s painting in much smaller scales.

Gary seems to have been born to teach! Below left, he’s educating hair stylists in Paris; at right, a recent meeting of the group of San Diego miniatures painters he’s been organizing and encouraging.

Changing subjects, how did your hosts get hooked on Historex? Barry’s eyes opened when he checked this book by Philip Stearns out from the library in Utah. Jim’s mind was blown when he first saw a picture of Shep Paine’s “A Whiff of Grapeshot” in a modeling magazine.

Below: An unfinished Shep Historex piece—the only one he left behind—based on a famous print of the death of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. Jim took Shep’s pieces, which were assembled and base-coated, and mounted them on a base to give a sense of where he was going with this aborted project. Look at the animation of that white plastic!

Clearly, Barry and Jim are excited about the Historex group build that sprung from the enthusiasm of their listeners. (Join the fun and follow along in the Facebook group here!) Below: Barry’s horse-in-progress (for going on 15 years now) and Jim’s vignette in the works. Hopefully, you’ll see both at the MMSI’s Chicago Show on Oct. 20-21.