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Plastic Model Mojo
Plastic Model Mojo, a podcast dedicated to scale modeling, as well as the news and events around the hobby
Plastic Model Mojo
PMM Twelve Minute Modelsphere: May 2025
Precision masks, Derby talk, and exciting convention plans fill this episode as we welcome our newest sponsor! KIT MASX joins the Model Building Mojo team with their innovative solution to one of modeling's most frustrating challenges - canopy masking. Learn how this modeler-owned company is saving countless kits from the dreaded "shelf of doom" with over 400 precision-cut masking sets and a customer-first approach. New customers can use code MOJO15 for 15% off their first order!
May brings Kentucky Derby festivities to Mike & Dave's home state and birthday celebrations for Mike. We share our excitement for the upcoming AMPS National Convention in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania (May 15-17), where we'll have a table and look forward to connecting with listeners and fellow modelers. The popular off-site meet-and-greet organized by Mr. Schaefer returns on Friday evening, continuing a tradition that proved wildly successful last year in South Bend.
Looking ahead to upcoming content, we preview Episode 140's exploration of commercially available 3D-printed modeling products with modeler Brad Belsheim, and Episode 141's Shop Talk, hopefully featuring Evan McCallum discussing his recent European trip and the prestigious Moson Show in Hungary. We wrap up with exciting news about the explosive growth of the Model Building Mojo Dojo community, which has reached approximately 5,300 members and continues to add roughly 100 new participants every few weeks. The Dojo has evolved into exactly what we envisioned - a vibrant space for sharing completed projects, works-in-progress, technical questions, and modeling inspiration.
Join our community, subscribe to the podcast, and come say hello at AMPS if you're attending! We can't wait to meet you and talk about all things scale modeling.
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Mike and Kentucky Dave thank each and everyone of you for participating on this journey with us.
kev, tell everyone why you started kit mask well, manually masking canopy sucks and somebody had to step in to save those countless kits from the shelf of doom and now we've got over 400 sets and counting.
Janelle-KitMasx:We've got old kits, new kits, forgotten kits, you name it yeah, and if we don't have it, just ask yeah, people don't realize. We take custom requests and we even have a service that gets you canopy masks for free.
Kevin-KitMasx:We do.
Janelle-KitMasx:Our masks are precision cut. They fit well, they're easy to apply. Kevin cuts and tests every set.
Kevin-KitMasx:Several times.
Janelle-KitMasx:Yeah, precision is kind of his thing.
Kevin-KitMasx:And Janelle. She does everything else. She cares about each customer and is the heart of our business.
Janelle-KitMasx:If you ever reach out, you're talking directly to us. Real people, real modelers.
Kevin-KitMasx:And if you don't love your masks, we'll refund or replace them. No questions asked.
Janelle-KitMasx:Visit kitmasxcom, join the mailing list and treat yourself to easier, cleaner masking.
Kevin-KitMasx:Kitmask made by a modeler for modelers.
Janelle-KitMasx:Hey, what about me?
Mike:You're not a modeler, oh, all right. Kentucky, dave, it is Derby Month.
Kentucky Dave:Yes, it is, it's almost Derby Day.
Mike:Almost Derby Day. In fact, tomorrow is Oaks Day. Yes, it is, it's almost Derby Day. Almost Derby Day.
Kentucky Dave:In fact, tomorrow is Oaks Day.
Mike:Yes, it is. It's going to be a rainy day for families to take themselves out and get soaking wet in the infield at Churchill Downs.
Kentucky Dave:Well, we'll see what happens. We'll see. They've been predicting heavy rain for the last four days and we haven't had a bit of it, I mean we had it here today, oh did you, we had it here today, oh yeah.
Mike:Well, how are you doing? I'm good, dave, and, as folks just heard, we got a new sponsor. Kitmas has come on board to help us out.
Mike:Yes, and they've been wonderful to work with Really excited about that and they have been wonderful to work with. I'm so glad to have met them face-to-face at HeritageCon. That was wonderful because they sure you know they're in Canada too, but they came a lot further than we did. Yes, they did, and I hope it was worthwhile for them and I hope things keep moving in the right direction and hopefully we're going to scratch each other's back and make that a reality for both of us with their coming on to support kind of our peripheral, our shorts they're going to be the primary sponsor of this thing 12-Minute Model Sphere and our model show shout-outs and probably our vendor spotlights when we get around to doing a few of those again.
Kentucky Dave:Good.
Kevin-KitMasx:Well, good.
Mike:Well, on the vein of Kitmas, we want to announce that they're putting out A discount code for new customers, which is really great. They're offering 15% off the first order for new customers and the discount code is MOJO15. Oh, I love that.
Kentucky Dave:I love that.
Mike:That'll become a regular in their ad going forward. So folks don't forget. But if you've never used kit masks before and you're into aircraft and you dig canopy masks like Kentucky, dave does. Yes, absolutely.
Kentucky Dave:And I do too. Now I can't imagine kit mask before and you're into aircraft and you dig canopy masks like Kentucky Dave does.
Mike:Yes, absolutely, and I do too. Now I can't imagine, you know, honestly, I think the E-16 was the first successful canopy mask I've ever had.
Kentucky Dave:I completely understand, yes, and I built a lot of planes as a kid. Nothing changed.
Mike:Nothing changed my game as much as using pre-cut kit masks as far as canopies go. So Mojo 15, folks all strung together, Mojo 15.
Kentucky Dave:Well, mike, I got to tell the folks that I'm kind of flattered that of today, of all days, you would choose to spend your time recording a TMM with me, because this is kind of a special day, isn't it?
Mike:Yes, folks, it is my birthday, may 1st.
Kentucky Dave:Well, congratulations, as Neil deGrasse Tyson would say, congratulations on making another circuit of the sun.
Mike:Well, it's not quite as fun as it used to be, Dave.
Kentucky Dave:Yeah, I know, because when you were 12 years old, you got wrapped presents and there were model kits and you were excited and you grabbed them and you immediately went down and started building them.
Mike:Well, that and my homies Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro used to hold up, hold some banger parades for me, and that's kind of gone by the wayside now.
Kentucky Dave:Well, but we're kind of happy about that.
Mike:Let's be perfectly honest, I miss the parades man.
Kentucky Dave:I hope you had a good day and I'm glad you're on here this evening recording a TMM with me.
Mike:Well, you're welcome and thank you for the birthday wishes. Well, dave, it's May, we got a new month and we always start this off by where we've been and where we're going. I'm not sure we went anywhere in April, did we?
Kentucky Dave:No, I don't think we did. Obviously, heritage Con was at the end of March and we did not go anywhere in April. But to our yards to cut constantly, go anywhere in April.
Mike:But to our yards to cut constantly, because temperatures came up and we got rain and the grass is growing and here we are.
Kentucky Dave:Yeah, but at least we've got something coming up in May.
Mike:We do. We've got a big one coming up in May. Why don't you lay into that a little?
Kentucky Dave:bit. We are going to AMPS in Camp Hill, pennsylvania May 15th through 17th. It is the AMPS National Convention. As listeners will remember, mike and I went to the national last year in South Bend, indiana, and had a great time, and so we decided immediately I don't even think we had left South Bend when you and I both decided, oh yes, we got to go to Amps again.
Mike:Yeah, it's got to be on the regular again, like it used to be back in the day.
Kentucky Dave:Back in the day when you and I were doing those drives to Harv DeGrasse. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. You know a lot of our friends and listeners have already contacted us, told us they're going to be there, looking forward to seeing us. We're going to have a table. We're going to hopefully get a lot of socializing in with everybody because, again, that's one of the best things about contests you love to look at the really awesome models and be inspired, but the best thing is getting to see and talk to people that you may have interacted with only over the internets.
Mike:That's true, and I look forward to seeing everybody. And in fact Mr Schaefer is organizing another meet and greet offsite on Friday. So that was fun last year, it's going to be fun again. He did the one in San Marcos too.
Kentucky Dave:Yes, he did, and the one at South Bend last year was particularly particularly good. He did a really good one.
Mike:We kind of overwhelmed that place.
Kentucky Dave:Yes, we did Well, but I don't think they complained. I mean, I think they probably made out pretty darn well out of the thing.
Mike:Well they did. I think late arrivers didn't quite get the same thing out of it as the others did, but hopefully that's been under advisement since then and it's going to be fun. We'll see what happens and whatever happens happens and we appreciate that getting set up on our behalf because it's a lot of fun.
Kentucky Dave:Well, in addition to that, we've got to record two episodes don't we?
Mike:We do. We've got two coming up, dave. All right, in May we've got episode 140 and episode 141. And episode 140 is going to deal with just kind of a general discussion on the 3D print landscape Now, not in the sense of designing and printing yourself, but the stuff that's offered for sale the 3D printing Kits, full models, accessories and a little bit on how to deal with those, the idiosyncrasies of them, the appeal and what would be the antithesis of appeal the appeal and the fact that you still have to be careful.
Kentucky Dave:It's a very young industry, and so there are companies popping up every day and you never know what you're going to get.
Mike:That's right. Pig in a poke, pig in a poke. So that is episode 140. And then, as we've been doing, the other feature episode of the month is going to be a shop talk, and the last one was really good. We got a lot of good feedback on the last shop talk with Mr Inch High Guy. Yep, episode 141 is going on. The last shop talk with, uh, mr inch high guy yep, episode 141 is going to be a shop talk. It's a little uncertain right now but uh, we're hoping to have evan mccallum, mr panzer meister, 36, on for the shop talk in the third chair and hopefully it's gonna be talking about his experience in his recent european trip with his, his friend Michael, and their attendance to the Moshean show in Hungary. So, looking forward to that because we covered that a little bit last year.
Kentucky Dave:Yes, we did, and with Adam Coleman. Yeah, you and I got to get a little bit of sight behind the scenes because Evan was DMing us and sending us pictures from the show and from his trip to Europe. So I'm really kind of looking forward to sitting down and talking with him at length about what it was like.
Mike:So, Evan, if you're listening, been where it's at of late man.
Kentucky Dave:I am telling you, ever since a couple of weeks before HeritageCon, the dojo has really just taken off. We're adding about 100 or more new members every three to three and a half weeks.
Mike:We're up right at 5,300 members and you're slicing that thin. You must be paying attention, I am.
Kentucky Dave:I'm looking at that because all of a sudden it has just taken off and you're slicing that thin. You must be paying attention. A wide variety of stuff, everything from completed models to in progress, to you know interesting questions about, you know particular aspects of a project or a future project. Lots of great photos, old photos getting posted with interesting items in them, and it's just. It's exactly what I think you and I wanted it to be a community of like-minded modelers who are enjoying the hobby and they're sharing the hobby with the other members of the community and also using it as a resource. I know Inch and Jim have posted some book reviews. I've posted one or two as well, and it's becoming so much more and I've got to say I enjoy. I try and be on there a couple of times a day and I'm just enjoying the heck out of it.
Mike:Well, it's a lot of fun. I'm on there in fits and starts, I'll have several good days in a row and it kind of mirrors, my workbench activity.
Kentucky Dave:Yes, mine too.
Mike:If I'm not posting, I'm not building. So folks help, keep me honest.
Kentucky Dave:Yep, yep, absolutely. So help keep me honest Yep, Yep, absolutely.
Mike:Well, folks, that's May. We got some good stuff coming and we really hope you tag along and enjoy it with us, and we look forward to seeing everybody who's going to be at the AMPS convention middle of the month. And, dave, we'll see you soon, man, see you soon, can't wait.
