CHILLER THEATRE'S SPRING 2001 EXPO SHOW

(Page Four)

Tony Aranjo (from the Model Maniacs Magazine) had started his seminar at 1 pm. His talk was on Kit Painting and Styrene kits. It was in full swing by the time I dropped in.

One thing Tony discussed was the fact that he uses regular ole' windshield wiper fluid as a thinner for his acrylic paints. He said that this (primary) water and alcohol mixture was identical to the make-up of Polly-S' Acrylic Thinner, at a fraction of the price. (That's very good to know).

Tony also mentioned that by using a control medium (made by Aleene), the quick drying times of acrylic paints could be lengthened. Another helpful hint that Tony shared was the use of a product called Liquid Latex Rubber, by Mold Builder, as a masking medium.

Tony mentioned that he uses cyanoacylate (CA) glue to assemble his styrene kits. He also talked about the importance of obtaining and using reference material of actual subjects wherever possible, to help your model achieve a realistic look.

After Tony finished his seminar, Brad Frikkers, a representative from Smooth-On Inc. conducted a seminar on Molding and Casting Basics.

Brad spent quite a deal of time talking and demonstrating.

One of the things he talked about was how there are generally two different types of resins, Polyurethanes and Polyesters. The Polyurethane resin is more expensive than the Polyester type. However, the Polyester type is more toxic and acts more aggressively towards molds, burning them out quicker.

Brad also mentioned that all Urethane and Silicone (RTV) molds have a finite life expectancy. With a Urethane mold, a mold release agent needs to be applied before pouring the resin in. This release agent is not needed for a silicone mold.

The resin is created by combining two different types of liquids, a base and a catalyst. Gloves should be used when mixing and pouring these liquids, since these chemicals are quite harsh to one's skin.

Equal amounts of both the base and catalyst are mixed together and poured into the mold. (It is best to use paper cups that do not have a wax film for the mixing).

Their Smooth-Cast 300 is a fast setting resin, having a curing time of 10 minutes.

The catalyst has a very limited shelf life and should be used within a couple of months after being purchased. Once you open up the catalyst container, its shelf life goes down to a couple of weeks. The moisture in the air affects the catalyst in a negative way.

Brad showed some of the different types of filler that can be added to the resin base, to get a different look. Bronze and calcium carbonate (marble dust) are two powders that can be mixed in, yielding a different resulting look. Coloration and different types of small organic fillers can also be added.

An additional item discussed was pressure casting, which can be used to minimize air bubbles sometimes found in resin castings. One of the final items mentioned was the fact that room temperature has an effect on the resin curing process. The higher the room temperature, the faster the curing process will be. Conversely, the resin does not cure if the temperature is 50 degrees or lower.

(Smooth-On can be found on the web at: www.smooth-on.com).

After taking in this hour and a half talk, I decided to skip the final seminar scheduled. This one was on 1 to 1 scale casting, molding and sculpting. It was time to head down to the vendor’s rooms.

Although the two vendor's rooms were crowded, they were not as crowded as they had been during the previous October Show. It also appeared that there were more model vendors in attendance than at the previous show.

There did appear to be fewer kits for sale, though. This was probably due to the market that we are in. There just aren't that many new kits being currently released, whether it's styrene, resin or vinyl - (Vinyl what's that?)

Since I ended up picking up quite a few models, visiting the vendor area was worthwhile. My acquisitions included a Resin Rogue (X-men) figure, along with a B5 Shadow Ship.

I also picked up three Bandi Gundam kits. A Master Grade Zaku Mobile suit was purchased for myself, along with a H.G. Divider and Divider X for my two sons.

I next located the vendor selling that Green Arrow figure that Buc had told me about. It truly was a work of art. (It reminded me of something that I’d expect to see in a museum – the workmanship was that good). It also was truly sold out! (That’s one for my “gotta-have” list).

When checking out the other vendor's room I ran into Tom Parker, and admired his new Adam West Batman head, (for the Revell Batman kit).

At that point, it was just after 5 pm. Since the results of the contest were being announced, I made my way over to the Seminar room.

Most of the awards given out were a blur, with the exception of a couple: Mark V. took a first for his Mighty Joe Young entry, along with a second for his Lou Ferrigno Hulk. In addition, Tom took a third for his Bwain-zilla.

Another couple of awards that I remember was that mummy diorama, (by Rich Harbstreet). It received both the People's Best of Show, along with the Judges Best of the Show.

The presentation of awards was complete and we took one more quick look around the place before heading home.

This was the best Chiller Theatre Show that I've attended to date. I don't say this because of the contest nor because of the vendors.

The reason I enjoyed this show so much was because of the modeling seminars that took place. I spent over 3 hours attending three out of the five seminars. Those sessions were extremely helpful, informative and entertaining. (Plus, they were free - with the show's admission fee). I hope this is the beginning of a Chiller trend.

My one only regret was that I was unable to make it out to the tent that housed the visiting actors and actresses. With a number of the Babylon 5 cast on hand, I really wanted to drop in and speak with them, along with possibly getting some autographs. Ironically, I passed by Jerry Doyle - (Michael Garibaldi) - in the hallway.

With everything that this show has to offer, in order to take everything in you should really plan on attending two days. I'm going to try to do this at October's show.

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