Frontline Fieldtrip

Our trip to Frontline Model Kits & Hobbies in Staunton was a great success. Christian was nice enough to open early for us and stayed closed to the public so he could help us with anything we needed while we were free to browse and socialize. They provided donuts and coffee and he even gave us access to the areas normally off limits to the public. Those of us who attended had a great time and I believe we all found some stuff to take home with us.

If you’ve never been to Frontline you should really make a pilgrimage at some point. They claim to have the largest selection of scale model kits and hobby supplies in Virginia and if you can’t find something to take home with you I would be very surprised. Frontline is my “local” shop and I’ve been going there for years. The former owner, Jack, was a great guy who was very knowledgeable and kind. All my interactions with Christian assure me that the store is in very good hands and he’s going to carry that same torch. We are very lucky to have them as one of our sponsors.

If you’ve never been to Frontline you should really make a pilgrimage at some point. They claim to have the largest selection of scale model kits and hobby supplies in Virginia and if you can’t find something to take home with you I would be very surprised. Frontline is my “local” shop and I’ve been going there for years. The former owner, Jack, was a great guy who was very knowledgeable and kind. All my interactions with Christian assure me that the store is in very good hands and he’s going to carry that same torch. We are very lucky to have them as one of our sponsors.

After the shopping we stopped in at Baja Bean for lunch which was right across the street and had some fantastic Mexican food. We socialized a bit and discussed some upcoming events and plans for Penncon before heading our separate ways. I would personally like to see more trips like this in the future as it’s a great way to get to know each other and really helps to build that “club” feeling.

Left to Right: Chris, Ross, Christian, Scott, Chad

As a reminder, our next meeting is going to take place at the AMVETS in Stephen City on July 8th. We’ll have a bit more room than we had at Dan’s and there will be some space available to display some things if you want to do so. Bring your current project or that cool new kit you bought that you want to show off the contents of, etc. Our demonstration will be focused on 3D printing and 3D design and how it can be used in scale modeling. If this is something you’ve had questions about then be sure to bring them along.

Club Trip to Frontline Hobbies

Chris has proposed we take a trip to Frontline Hobbies in Staunton as a group. Anyone interested in joining us should reach out to Chris to get additional details and make travel arrangements. We are hoping to carpool as many folks as we can.

The trip is tentatively scheduled for June 25th but is subject to change. As details get finalized I’ll update this post.

Saturday, May 13

May’s meeting started with a discussion about the recent Model Classic contest held by NOVA IPMS in Fairfax, VA. A handful of our members participated and some won awards so we spoke a little about things we liked and didn’t like about the contest. Mark gave some additional background on specifics of IPMS judging and answered some of the questions that came up regarding the numerous categories and placement of models.

Moving on we went over some of the upcoming shows in the area and Chris followed up later in the day with this list:
     National Capitol Model Soldier Society Show – Springfield VA 30 Sep
     PennCon 2023 – Carlisle,PA 16 Sep
     PaxCon 2023 – Hollywood MD 07 Oct
     BunkerMania 2023 – New Florence PA 18 No
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After the discussions we headed to the back of Dan’s shop where he gave us a demonstration on casting parts in resin. We covered different types of rubber used for molds, methods and theory for making boxes and laying out parts, release agents, and the types of equipment needed. We were able to look at some past samples of his work and get an idea for the type of quality that can be achieved. Unfortunately I didn’t take any notes so I don’t have many specific details to share beyond this. I’ll work on getting photos and taking better notes for future posts.

Our next meeting is scheduled for June 10 at 11am and will be located at All Nations Model and Hobby Supply. June’s meeting will feature two presentations. Scot and Chris will go over masking techniques for “glass” and main-body work. Tom will give a demo on photo-etch.

Saturday, April 8

April’s meeting started out with Chris providing a little bit of background info on the club and then a round-table meet and greet. There were a lot of new folks in attendance so we went around the table introducing ourselves and giving a little bit of background on the types of models we build and what our focus is. It sounded like we have a pretty good mix with the main categories all represented.

For the day’s demonstration Scott brought along his airbrush and some car bodies that were in need of a new paint job. He showed us how to use salt to provide a chipping effect and give an exposed rust look. It was a very simple process that looked great in the end. On display Scott also had his junkyard diorama which showcased even more of his weathering techniques. If anyone is looking for tips on automotive weathering, Scott is definitely your guy.

Our next meeting is scheduled for May 13 at 11am and will be located at All Nations Model and Hobby Supply. Dan will be demonstrating resin casting techniques.