2026 Plastic Surgeons Meetings and Other Model Fun!

[Rhino]

The 2025/26 school year has come to a close.
My Sp. Ed. teaching job at the school is ended. I thanked my homeroom students for teaching me so much and welcoming me to the their Whitter family. I'm sure these 5th graders taught me more than I did them!
I played a few final pranks on students before my departure, partially to cover how misty I got on my way out the door.
When asked if I was coming back next year, I replied "Everything is a negotiation. We'll see."

The Mona Lisa was presented Wednesday afternoon while I was on the the PM Bus run. By the accounts of the teaching staff, she was a HUGE hit with Mrs. Borgmeyer during her retirement ceremony! Everyone else had a good laugh as well. The "Mr. Rhino Mystique" is forever carved into the history of this fine group of educators.

The District cancelled the actual last day of school. A beloved teacher, Mrs. O'Meara, passed away after a long painful fight with cancer. God rest her. In order to allow all those that knew her to attend her services, school was cancelled. Not for a stupid demonstration, as we have seen in other parts of the country, but for dignity and honor. Had it been otherwise, Tara Paul may well have had a mutiny on her hands!

The final, sultry Thursday PM bus route was executed with safety and dispatch, as we came smokin' back to the Transportation Department 14 minutes ahead of schedule! I got the ol' "Dust Buggy" all the way up to a howlin' 64 MPH at one point!
For once, I didn't have to monkey with locking any gates!

Bus two-three is swept, swamped, mopped, squeegeed and washed. Standing tall, ready for a new school year.
My Sweetie and I are both off for the month of June. I am ready for a break.

I predict Runza's, singing, visits with my nerdy model friends, Club meetings, TLAR molds and castings, sleeping past day-break and going to the head whenever I please or feel the need.

 

[moon puppy]

Looking forward to what June travels will be.

 

[Rhino]

Looking forward to what June travels will be.

More model-related subjects, hopefully!

 

[Rhino]

4 June, 2026. An interesting day.
The anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Midway.
The anniversary of my Dad's sudden death.
Coffee pot: Crapped out. 1 1/2 cups of coffee is not enough for any modeling endeavor, even when a guy is on vacation. Attempting repairs, I scalded myself in a delicate spot. Sheyit!!
Coffeemakers are expendable appliances when you use water from a well. I should let the durn thang die, peacefully.

Contamination/old material produced the dreaded pink gooey bubble curse. This has happened more often in the last couple of years. I've made 100 or more molds since 2015 and never picked this much goo from my Masters. All 4 new molds had the same result. BLAST!!
Other activities went pretty well, by comparison.
Then, we actually made it to a Plastic Surgeons club meeting!
Behold and be amused!!

9 members braved thunderstorms and driving rain to arrive at this evening's gathering.

Roscoe brings an old favorite from his collection. Italeri's 1/35 M-7 Priest. Ross claims, and rightly so, that the vintage 1/35 Priest kit stands up well to more modern Armor model kits. Exrernal and iternal details abound with room for additional ammp and stowage to give it the lived-in war-machine feel! Having been released and re-boxed by Tamiya and Revell of Germany, and even re-released by Italeri in 2021. Academy/Airfix 2007 M-7 kits look strangely very similar, and even include "rubber-band" tracks.

Anyway, Ross built this kit long enough ago that he says it may have been his first go with Polly S acrylic OD green.
Given Ross' previous use of non-standard, petroleum-based thinners, I gave his model a compulsory sniff. No fumes remain.



Nate Stevens is continuing to plug away at the 1/25 scale miniature of the first vehicle his Kowboy Kustoms workshop produced. He says the AMT kit assembles a little like the real thing.

I've been building, in spite of my lack of club meeting attendance. If you have followed this thread, some of these models may look familiar to you. I cain't say how good it was to see some of my oldest friends and bang on about models, modeling and other subjects.
In other news, Ty Stevens will be tying the knot with his sweetheart Timmy (Timmy is a girl. Don't worry!) on 26 September, 2026.
Congratulations to the young bride and groom in advance. This blessed event means that the model show season is at an end for my 1/700 USS Entemedor and 1/350 USS Guitarro "Bottom Gun" builds, as their final show appearance would have been The Eastern Iowa Model and Vendor show.

Eastern Iowa Model and Vendor Show | IPMS/USA Home Page

ipmsusa.org

I had a plan to sell most of my car model kits at this show, but.........
Real Life is more important than models.

 

[moon puppy]

You've created a new genera, Ships in a Cube!