Crazed Plastic Publication

This page is for the Crazed Plastic Publication of the Gateway IPMS (International Plastic Modeling Society). Many IPMS members have contributed to this publication and others like myself not only contributed articles but also served as editor of this modeling/information resource. I will show several articles that I and others have done and provide more information on it's research and development.  Most of these articles were before the major modeling magazines became the mainstay of model builders. [Add more detail here of the writers, illustrators and editors involved.]

IPMS GATEWAY - History of Crazed Plastic

by Mike Mackowski - July 1988

Back in the Dark Ages of Modeling (the mid-70's) there was very little reference material published for enthusiasts of  this hobby. Sure, there were magazines like Scale Modeler and the Quarterly and Update from IPMS, but either the material was too thin or too dull. So many modeling clubs and IPMS-chapters issued their own rags to get the word out, or just for the satisfaction of seeing their names in print.

I believe that the idea to put out our own publication was formed in the minds of club members Bill Drescher, Greg Kuklinski, and Ron Downey.  They all worked for McDonnell Douglas in 1978 and all had keen interests in airplanes.  I think the key element, however, was that they just happened to sit right next to each other at work.  This convenient arrangement allowed ideas to turn into action rather quickly, and so sometime in the middle of 1978, the first issue of Crazed Plastic was born.  (We're not too sure of the exact date, because there is no date on the magazine!)

The name was partly inspired by Pat Fowler's similar Dirty Plastic publication out of Phoenix, Arizona.  We liked the double meaning of the word 'crazed' and it fit in nicely with our concept of what modeling is all about (you've got to be a little bit crazy).  Also, we were inspired by the magazines other chapters published. There were lots of neat little home grown rags in the late 70's and early 80's.  There was the Flying Tiger from the Robert L. Scott chapter in Georgia and Replica Wrap-Up, a slickly produced professional looking publication IPMS-Space Park in Los Angeles did.  Bob Pukala predated us locally with his fine Phantom Flyer. Tom Kolk of the Washington, DC chapter still does ther quarterly Pri-Fly, while the always original Plastic Novelty Items was the work of the demented Sprue Stretchers.  Remember, FineScale Modeler did not appear until 1982 and during the seventies and early eighties there was little published strictly for scale modeler builders. Being the home of McDonnell Aircraft, and with many members employed at the company, we felt we has a 'duty' to share our information with the rest of the modeling community, and figured it could be an attractive way to sell subscriptions.  After all, the 'Color Chip Book' had already demonstrated our capability to get nice comments after putting out a quality publication. This resulted in many CP-articles featuring the latest F-18 or F-4 or F-15 paint scheme, and historical stuff on the Gemini program.

Bill Drescher was the first editor and was responsible for the first five issues. Mike Mackowski had always had an itch for publishing, so he took over and remained as editor for the next four years. Upon burning out after issue 23, Mackowski turned the editorship over to Garry Smith for two issues. Mike Eastman took over for issues 26 through 36, the final installment.  Two special reprint editions were published in conjunction with our conventions. After including the 'Color Chip Book' as a bonus freebie in the Multicon registration packet, we issued two Best of Crazed Plastic volumes for the 1982 Nationals and the '85 Regional conventions. These featured almost exclusively reprinted material, and was an easy way to please our attendees while expending little new effort. A similar publication was produced for the 1991 National Convention, which featured both reprinted CP-stuff and new material, including a chronology of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In addition to the many people who regularly contributed kit reviews and color schemes, several of them deserve special note. Early on, Ed Yarborough provided some great aircraft line drawings, particularly of the then-new F/A-18 Hornet. We had some really unique aircraft markings and related articles by Greg Kuklinksi and Ron Downey.  In addition to his work on the Gemini history series and as editor, Mike Eastman's whimsical cartoons and unique perspective on the hobby added a special touch to the pages of Crazed Plastic. Mike Burke also provided some wonderful sketches and line drawings.

At the beginning we typed everything by hand.  I stayed after work to use the typewriters, as I did not have a decent one at home.  Eventually the personal computer arrived, and I fell in love with the Macintosh.  Here was a machine that could do different fonts and easy type alignment. Such progress.  But it didn't start out that way.  Almost all the articles were produced on a regular typewriter until issue 22.  Drescher or I would do the typing and paste-up, unless we were lucky to have the contributor do up their own layout.  This was particularly helpful if it included a lot of drawings. And that's what we liked to have and prided ourselves on being able to deliver.  Lots of neat line drawings, usually of aircraft, with some unique markings or color scheme.  And of course, getting the word out on the latest markings or camouflage scheme for MCAIR planes.

Anyway, after the layout was done, guys like Drescher and Kuklinski and Downey would stay after work and run the copies.  Later we'd have collating parties where we'd sort them all and staple everything together.  Eventually, with issue 13, we sent them out to commercial quick-print shops and had them run in a magazine format.  The product was much better and we went into the subscription business. At one point we had over a hundred subscribers, including many in foreign countries.

Crazed Plastic Editors (CP magazine)
Bill Drescher           August 1978 to 1980                  Issues 1-5
Mike Mackowski   June 1980 to September 1984     Issues 6-23
Garry Smith            November 1984 to March 1985  Issues 24-25
Mike Eastman        September 1985 to July 1988      Issues 26-36

Final issue distributed to members at the July 1988 meeting, and mailed to subscribers. 

Requirements of being a Crazed Plastic Editor

by Michael Eastman - 1985

POSITION:  CRAZED PLASTIC EDITOR, (Voluntary Position)

HISTORY:  Crazed Plastic started approximately in the fall of 1978 with Bill Drescher taking the helm and steering a course for the future.  The GATEWAY Chapter was only two years old at the time.  The reasoning behind it at that time, as it is now, is to inform, educate, and entertain based on the IPMS National credo "By Modelers, For Modelers".  Bill carried it for the first couple of years, then Mike Mackowski took over and held the post for fourteen issues, the longest that anyone has held a particular post in our chapter. Bill would help out whenever asked.  Somewhere down the line I started writing articles for CP on a regular basis and helped Mike put several issues together.  Then came the time when Mike wanted to move on to other things.  Incidentally, he started and continues to publish the Scale Spacecraft Newsletter (SSN). [More information on the SSN follows in the next article.]  I provided information and articles for the SSN on an in-frequent basis.  Garry Smith our interim editor at this point (for two issues), until his job changed and there was a conflict in hours.  This is where I came in. I volunteered to be editor at issue number twenty-six.

Being editor, it takes quite a bit of time and devotion to consistently put out four issues a year. There's schedules to meet, material to work on and planning ahead to get what you want into an issue.  This isn't like starting an empire and living the life of ease comparable to good old Hef.  You will need some equipment to start off, but overall, most of what you need will be time. 

I - EQUIPMENT:  The most important piece of equipment would be a good dictionary.  Being editor, your major job will be to look for spelling errors, correct sentence structures and paste-up articles. 

From your own or from your contact's library, (or the specialists that I have listed in Part II) have several books on hand that can be used for references.  The books would deal with all aspects of modeling and would cover aircraft, armor, ships, cars and tips on modeling.  If you go the route of using the specialists for checking articles, then you don't have to keep an extensive library. 

Some drafting tools; pencils, ink pens (like Leroy or equivalent), drafting templates, scissors, X-Acto Knife with #11 blades, glue sticks, Zip-A-Tone lettering and gray tones, white-out, Chartpak strips, etc.  The zip is handed down from editor to editor.

Access to a Xerox (or a Kodak) copy machine.  Articles and drawings are always being reduced or changed in some way. 

A typewriter.  What I have been using lately is an IBM-PC to do the typing because it is so much faster and cleaner.  When I use a regular typewriter, I use an IBM Selectric III with a self correcting feature.  A Orator 96 element (10 characters per inch) and a Letter Gothic element (12 characters per inch) are the only two that are really necessary.  Sometimes I like to use a Script element (12 CPI) for emphasis.  See formatting in section III. [All of this is a moot point in this day and age - 35 years later.]

II - GATHERING ARTICLES:  There are two ways of going about getting your articles.  One way is to set up a group of sub-editors or specialists where each is responsible to come up with an article.  Each person is specialized, i.e. a/c, armor, cars, spacecraft, etc.  With just a few pages from each one of your people, you would have enough material for an issue of CP.  This is the ideal way to go.  Each sub-editor is responsible to come up with an article either written by himself or he can canvas the membership (or friends) for material in his specialty. 

The second method would be for the editor to talk to each of the club members to get articles.  This is what I do for the most part.  When I see some models at a contest, I ask whose it is then talk to the builder on writing an article.  I still check with the specialists for accuracy and possible follow-on articles.  This gives me more control (and headaches) over the timing and final outcome of the articles.

Here is a list of specialists and their fields:
Aircraft	Bob Delaney
Armor	Ron Foulks
Autos	Mark Zimmerman
Ships	John McGuire
Space and Science Fiction	Michael Eastman
Science Fiction	Bob Scott
Space	Mike Mackowski
Artwork, Aircraft, Space	Mike Burke

III - PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:  I put together a chart book to help keep track of the articles that are due and where they could be placed.  The chart book works more like a rough draft planner.  I make notes on whats required, where photos could go, what the cover could be and generally get a feel for what an issue would contain.  This book has helped in looking ahead and planning future articles.  There are also notes on what was promised, but not received.

Generally for the reviews, we ask for current books and kits that are available and/or new to the market. This gives the reader a report on what he would expect from this current kit or book.  The main articles can be on whatever people are working on.  There are fewer people willing to write lately.  In the past, we've run references on vehicles that they haven't made models of yet.  Not to worry.  Sooner or later, a model turns up.

IV - FORMATTING:  When I receive a review, 85% to 90% of the time it has to be re-typed in the correct format.  I have been using the computer for this little task.  Some guys have computers already and have their articles copy ready. [I still have these on 5-inch floppy disks written in Multimate.]  All typing, whether by typewriter or computer has to be reduced by 77% (unless your computer can reduce the print to this scale.)  The articles will be in columns that are 3-1/2 inches wide after reduction and that will leave about 1-1/2 inches left between columns and the borders.  The typewriter is used to make the titles, figures and labels (full scale), and for notes or explanations on drawing (reduced by 65% to 70% by copier).  The contents is typed with the Orator element and kept full scale.  Without the computer, I would use the IBM Selectric III.

With the Letter Gothic element, type a line with 52 characters horizontally and the column containing the lines spaced at 6 lines per inch (LPI).  If I'm using a computer, I default on the size of the print.  This gives me a 10 pitch lettering.  The line is then typed 43-46 character per inch (CPI) and the column contains lines spaced at the (default on the computer) 6 lines per inch vertically.  Reduced down, all of this looks comfortable and contains most of the information on a single page.  Look at some older issue to see how it has changed and which type appeals to you.  You are the editor and you can set up different rules (within reason of course).

Once I have a clean printout, I reduce it by 77%.  This copy then is the paste-up.  I cut it to fit on the page and then glue it on a blue-tic copy sheet with a glue stick.  Allowances are made for drawings, photos and any form of illustrations.  Don't forget the title.  The titles vary in size and shape, and I use the Zip-A-Tone lettering unless the author is artistic and did one himself.  All of this is glued to blue-tic copy paper.  It is like graph paper with light blue lines on it to center your work.

The front cover title, contents page, and review pages all use titles that are common in all issues.  I make several copies off of the original titles and select one, then cut and paste.  The remaining ones will be used for future issues.

Any blank sections like corners or bottoms of pages where articles were not long enough, are where a cartoon or drawing can be used for fillers. [I had several that I made.  Check out the Drawings and Sketches section of the blog.]

The second to last thing I do, is to number the pages.  The last thing is to type the contents.  With the pages numbered, you're sure of getting the contents correct.

 V - SUBMITTING IT TO THE PRINTER:  When it's all done, I submit the original pate-up to our printer, Speedy Print on Natural Bridge Road.  I make one copy for myself just in case something might happen to the originals.  Submit CP no later than one week before the general meeting.  Any later, and the printer cannot guarantee getting the job done.  We get 200 copies printed on 11 X 17 size paper, printed on both sides, with staples in the center fold.  The covers are of 60 pound paper and the interior pages are ten pound paper.  I pick up the finished product and get two copies of the bill.  One copy goes to Mike Mackowski, and another copy (with original bill) goes to our treasurer, Mr. Drescher.  Now all you have to do is to hand out the copies to paid up members at the general meeting.  Subscriptions are handled separately by someone else, but lately done at the same general meeting where there are the best chances of finding willing hands to help do the envelope stuffing.

FAREWELL CRAZED PLASTIC!!

This was a farewell article done by Mike Mackowski in our last issue, CP #36. Very well written and sad at the same time.  It also has an announcement of the discontinuing of his publication Scale Spacecraft Newsletter (SSN). 

Gemini-Titan

What was surprising to me is that a few articles or drawings that I did close to forty years ago are appearing on the Internet and on the Pinterest web site recently. Had I known, I would have published more.  The Gemini-Titan two page article from Crazed Plastic #22 has appeared several times.  For more details on how this short article was researched, sketched then finalized, visit the page under Gemini Drawings and Sketches.

Crazed Plastic # 22 Issue contained the Gemini-Titan Booster article. The front cover of the robot is also my artwork and further details will be forthcoming in its development under the Drawings and Sketches Page of this blog.

Long duration Exposure Facility (LDEF)

A few days ago Drew Ex Machina posted on Facebook of a beautiful picture of the LDEF just before it was picked up by the shuttle. Many of the readers did not know what it was or why it was there.

I responded with photos of my article that I had done in Crazed Plastic #25 and #26. This was published in July 1985.

I did an article on it for our Gateway IPMS 'Crazed Plastic' model publication way back in July 1985. I can't believe that was 34 years ago.

And a few months later, I put together a part two article with further detail that we did not have room for in the previous issue. Many of the Space Shuttle articles were later put into Mike Mackowski's Space In Miniature (SIM) #3 publication with the exception of these articles. The only source would be the Crazed Plastic Publications. 

If you would like more on the space shuttle and some of it's cargo, you can purchase Mike Mackowski's SIM # 3 at http://spaceinminiature.com/books/sim3.html . 

One of the many sources of information was my direct link to the McDonnell Douglas Advanced Technology Today Publication. One such issue, Volume VI Number 3 dated September 1984 dealt with one of MDAC's experiments on board. 

X-15

Second only to the Gemini would be the X-15 that I love to research and draw.  It showed up in Crazed Plastic #31 pictured below. The front cover was of the X-20 and drawn by my good friend Mike Burke. 

The X-15 article was short and basic and was to have more written at a later date.  X-20 Part II article was published in #35 for the X-20 Landing Gear. Further articles never came about as the publication stopped at #36. More on this in my pages on "Crazed Plastic That Could Have Been - The Missed Articles."