Hey man,I am starting to get the shakes because of no recent updates here. What gives?
Smoke candles are ree-dik-you-luss!! But.it is only fitting that those awesome PE boxes get something nice to go in them.
J

Jerry, thanks for checking in buddy.

The ol' harsh, 1:1 scale world has been intruding into my model building time over the last few weeks.

I don't want to bore you with the details, nothing bad, just a lot of ankle-biters. Most of it revolves around taking care of stuff...

I have been up to my 4th point of contact in the last two weeks with planning and coordination for two pending AMPS shows, as well as our club's annual Christmas party. On top of that, the AMPS "cardinals" are decisively engaged in a matter of judging "doctrine," so all my distractions have not been entirely on the home front.

Hopefully, I'll get back to the workbench before too much dust gathers on the Churchill. I do think that I'm not going to make my deadline to get the entire project done in time for the 2015 AMPS International Convention in Auburn, IN. Oh well, there's always 2016... These things can't be rushed.

Maybe if you can make the February AMPS show in Atlanta, GA, we'll have a chance to catch up. I you do think you might, let me know. You can RON here at the hacienda on the drive down, and we could convoy to Hot'lanta.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Very nicely done Mike. Almost a shame to put paint over it!

Thanks, Pete!

Well, you know, just like Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are made for walking," these models are made for paintin'!

Hope to see ya in Atlanta or Auburn.

Happy modeling, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Fröhliche Weihnacht, and Joyeux Noel, and a Happy New Year, ya'all!

Hi Mike,

I've been following along in the back ground, awesome work. Your attention to detail is super, this will be another cracking vehicle and a bench mark for folks to learn from and aspire to.

Excellent stuff.

Cheers

Al

Thanks, Al!

I hope to get back working on this soon. I appreciate you sticking it out.

Hi Mike!

It's a master piece. And we have a master class about soldering as a bonus.

Thanks!

Marco

Mind officially blown.

To all of my Armorama friends, both real-world and “virtual:”

It with a heavy heart and much sadness that I must say to you all that as of today I can no longer, in good conscious, remain a member and active participant here on Armorama or any other KitMaker Net site.

For many years, I have enjoyed my time here on Armorama. I have spent countless hours sharing my own builds and works with you, my friends. Over many hundreds of hours, I have tried to repay the debt I owe to modeling by sharing my techniques and methods while also answering questions. My intent has always been to try to help others to achieve their own modeling goals and to realize their own modeling potential. Through it all, I have tried to remain civil and respectful – To disagree without being disagreeable and to always be tactful. I think that in the main, I was able to do these things.

I have especially enjoyed viewing and commenting on the works that you, my friends, have taken the time to share. It is this interaction and social contact with you that I will miss the most.

Unfortunately, two recent incidents here by one of the official staff members have made Armorama a place where I cannot remain. Many of you may be aware of these two threads started by staff member Kevin Brandt, aka: SgtRam:

Armorama::Armor/AFV::Ode to Rivet Counters

Track_Link::General and Site News::Just Curious

Although I was willing to overlook the first of these threads as a momentary lapse of judgement and civility, when Brandt pursued the targets of his vicious personal attack to another forum, I could no longer rationalize nor passively accept and condone his behaviors and actions.

As an official member of the staff here on Armorama, Brandt holds a position of responsibility and represents both the site and its publisher. His behaviors are no longer the acts of a lone, anonymous internet voice; they become an extension of Armorama and its publisher. It does not matter that he (or anyone else) performs his functions here as a volunteer. As a staff member, he, his actions and his behaviors are inseparable from Armorama.

I sent PMs and emails to some of the staff and the publisher to protest Brandt’s behaviors and to ask that the publisher, Jim Starkweather, aka: staff_jim, take responsibility for Brandt’s actions. Unfortunately, my protests fell on deaf ears.

You may read Starkweather’s open reply here:

Armorama::Site Talk::staff_jim post

We are all judged, to some extent, by the company we keep, and at the time of my protest, it was my intention to simply cease any participation on any threads or topics that Brandt started or posted to. That intention, however, has shown itself to be impractical. I cannot separate the staff member from the site.

The real issue here is one of personal and corporate responsibility and civility. As long as the publisher refuses to take responsibility for his staff members, or as long as Brandt refuses to accept and show remorse for his own actions, Armorama is a site that condones and supports such behaviors.

To remain here, to continue to participate and contribute to this site’s content, is to effectively lend my own support and endorsement to what Brandt did and said. My personal ethic will not allow me to do so.

I suppose the possibility remains that the publisher, Jim Starkweather, and or staff member, Kevin Brandt, will do the right thing. It is possible that one day they might take responsibility for Brandt’s behavior and demonstrate some remorse by publically apologizing to Kurt Laughlin and Christophe Jacquemont for Brandt’s aggressive and viscous personal attacks on them. Accepting responsibility and apologizing would do much to restore this site’s reputation and establish some reasonable boundaries for civil behavior by all.

However, unless and until that day happens, I am afraid that I must bid you, my friends, farewell and…

Happy modeling!

Mike Roof, aka: SdAufKla

Sorry to see you go Mike. Sucks that childish crap needs to ruin a good thing

I'm out of the loop on all the shenanigans going on around here lately and maybe I'm better off.

In any event, selfishly I was really enjoying your Churchill build so hopefully you can finish it or show us progress somewhere else.

I too will pull The Pin!
Sorry to have seen it come to this.
I hope that you find a better modeling home.
Dan

Mike,
Having just recently found and started to follow your builds I am disheartened to hear that you will leave.

I read through all the post that were in those links, and found them to be unprofessional and immature to the most part as well as some of the replies.

But I would hate to lose your great contributions over someone else's poor behavior.

Cheers Rob.

It is definately a shame that I will no longer be able to follow on with your wonderful build nor read any input from you on or in any other topics, including my own.

I know you thought long and hard before coming to your decision and a decision you do not take lightly.

Thank you for the thorough and complete explanation as to why you felt you needed to call it a day Mike and I respect your choice to no longer participate.

You have a been a huge help and a wonderful mentor to me and I thank you for everything you have done, not only for myself but for many here on this particular site and outside of it.

I am however lucky to have you as our AMPS chapter President and personal friend as well as shopper in the HobbyTown that I run, helping us stay in business... Many sadly do not have that option.

Anyone who has ever met you at the many competitions nationwide, both AMPS and IPMS can only agree with me when I say you are a huge and irreplaceable asset to the modeling community nationwide and those who have read your articles both here and in the press can only have benefitted greatly from your enormous generosity and sharing of your personal time here, at home and your years of model building experience in order to help us become better modelers and hone our evolving skills.

Like it or not by some, this site has now lost a good and gracious man, a Master level AMPS modeler and someone who had everybodies best interests at heart here.

Take care Mike.

Keith.