PMM Twelve Minute Modelsphere: April 2025

All right, dave spring has sprung?

Yes, it has, and so have the tornado watches and warnings that come with it.

For those of us, here in Kentucky, along with the daffodils and all the trees that are blooming and all the pollen. Yeah, my car is a different color right now.

Yeah, mine too, mine too.

Well, folks, welcome to the April installment of the 12-Minute Model. Sphere and Dave, as we always do, let's get this rolling man. Let's talk about where we've been.

Well, where we've been is heaven on earth or near as you can get, but it's not the US Nationals. We went to Heritage Con and we kind of did it in an expanded way this year. We went up to Detroit and met several friends and then hit Michigan Toy Soldier. Then we went over to the museum and went to the show and got them. I had a great time. I mean it was just the best time.

Yeah, I tell you, for, uh, we do it at Nats too, but we just seem to get more rest.

Yes, well, that's it, because Nats is more spread out.

Right.

You know we do get more rest, whereas when we do Heritage Con we are trying to pack a lot into a very short, very small time period.

So a lot of eating too late, right, too big, too late.

Right Getting up and finding a good breakfast. Yeah, I always like that part, me too. Too big, too late, right Getting up and finding a good breakfast.

Yeah, I always liked that part.

Me too. Me too, I'm a big breakfast guy. The other thing is, I don't know what it is, but Heritage Con I always find deals. It's the right mix of vendors. It's the right size of vendors. It's the right mix of vendors, it's the right size of vendors. I never have trouble spending money at Heritage Con, which may be a bad thing, I know. You know we'll consult my budgetary betters later, but Heritage Con's got a great thing going.

Well, I think it's probably a combination of being early in the year, the museum is the venue and then just the size of the thing. The room's just electric for most of the day and it's just man. We were busy, busy running our mouths, busy shopping, busy looking at models, busy talking to people.

And it is amazing the number of listeners who were there and who came by the table when we were sitting down or caught us when we were walking around the vendor area or the contest area. That amps me up so much, that jazzes me up so much, getting to interact with listeners and hear what they're doing, what they brought, how their modeling experience is going. We keep saying the social aspects of shows are the best part, and it's absolutely true.

Well, I've got to take a little respite, but I think you're actually going somewhere.

Yes, I am. This coming weekend is the show at Indy which, as you remember, I know is the first show that you and I ever got a table at and recorded segments. I'm going and Skippy's going and we're going to meet Jeff Inch High Groves there and we're going to meet Jeff Inch High Groves there and, you know, not going to have a table but going to go up, going to experience the show, going to show the flag Hope, to meet a lot of listeners and get some good coverage for the dojo, for the show.

Well, I hope so. The Roscoe Turner Show and Club is a really good show in our region. I can't make it, but I'm just not gonna be able to swing that.

Yeah, no, I I understand. I didn't think I was going to be able to either, until some serendipity came in and helped me out, so I'm going to be able to make the show.

I'll see as many of you out there who are listening as show up Well, take a lot of candids and photos of listeners man.

I will do so.

Dave, we've got two episodes in the month of April and I think we've done some good planning.

Yeah.

And we've got a couple of good ones. First up, Dave's going to be episode 138, and that's going to be our Shop Talk feature episode for the month and we're going to have Mr Jeff Groves, the Inch High Guy, in the third chair for that.

Yep, and I think we've got some really good topics lined up.

Well, we can preview those. We're going to discuss some of the kind of contemporary avant-garde weathering and terrain products. We've had some experiences, both good and bad, with those over the last year or so, yeah. And then we're going to kind of discuss the current state of model shows, particularly well in America for the most part United States particularly the ones as we experienced them you, jeff and I, more or less in our region and we can talk a little bit of some of the other stuff we go to, but how that's kind of going. And then the third topic is going to be coming from Steve Anderson's Guided Journal for Modelers Making the Most of your Hobby, and we're going to talk about our thoughts on bases in general and that's a good one, that one.

I think there will be a lot of productive discussion on.

Then in 139, at the end of the month, past guest Jake McKee is coming back and we're going to be talking about project planning, design planning and researching for a project. It's going to be kind of using his current project as the kind of the reference point and he's doing something really interesting. He's building a Red Cross Clubmobile, which is a truck conversion used to provide coffee and donuts and stuff to the troops in Bivouac, and just a really interesting project.

Yes, and I really, as you and I were talking, I really like those subjects, the stuff that's not the sharp end of the spear, armor or half track or even artillery piece, you know, the stuff in the rear echelon which really, let's face it, there was a lot more of. I mean, there are 10 soldiers supporting every one at the front. So there was a lot of that stuff and it doesn't get the recognition that it should.

Well, we'll provide a link to that in the show notes to this 12-minute model sphere so folks can brush up ahead of time if they want to look through that. But really looking forward to that one, that's going to be good Dave.

Yep, me too.

Well, the dojo keeps growing and keeps getting more interesting, and I don't know what's going on in the water. It's the springtime or what, but things have been kind of running a little white hot on there as far as folks joining.

Yep, we've added over a hundred new members in less than three weeks. The corresponding activity on the dojo has gone up significantly. We're getting more postings every day. We're getting more postings every day and again, the mix of what we're getting is, to me, just fantastic, because you're getting some in-progress stuff, you're getting book reviews, you're getting links to interesting YouTube videos, you're getting finished models You're getting inquiries about can somebody answer this question for me? And it's a great mix. And boy the people. Again we got the best listeners in the world. There's no question in my mind, and the encouragement and the willingness to help other people out is just what makes the community a really fun place to be. I mean, I'm basically visiting several times a day now, and even then it's hard to keep up sometimes. So keep it up guys. Please keep up what you're doing, keep posting. You go to shows. Please post show photos and give us a show report, particularly for the shows that we can't attend, because it's the next best thing to being there.

Absolutely, and I really liked the in-progress stuff and questions. I think it's all been really good lately and I can't believe the number of folks have joined in such a short time and we'll see how long it continues.

Man, Yep Guys if you're out there and you know modeling friends, please, please invite your modeling friends to join the dojo using the Facebook invite feature.

Well, Dave, in closing of the 12-Minute Model Sphere, I want to remind folks in the show notes of this episode and I think I figured out how to put it in all, even the past episodes, We've got a couple of new links where you can give us some feedback from the show. There's a feedback link and there's also one where you can rate the podcast and we'd appreciate folks checking those out. And if you've got something you want to say, you can tell us there. It'll send an email type message and you also do a voice recording. And then, of course, there's the star rating with the other link. We appreciate the five stars. All that helps us out and understand what folks want and what folks like. So please look for those. It'll help you provide that kind of feedback without having to be tied to some feature or lack of feature that's not in your regular podcast player.

Yep, and please visit the website and also send us suggestions for what you'd like us to talk about. Please send suggestions or input telling us what you like in the show, what you don't like in the show. We're about making this something you all want to listen to, so, please, your input is vital for that.

All right, Dave, we probably ought to wrap it up, and I will see you in episode 138.

Yes, yes, I'm looking forward.