Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the banquet room of the Continental Restaurant
788 S. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
** NOTE! Due to the nature of our use of the banquet room, our meetings MAY be postponed on short notice. In those cases, the default reschedule date will the Friday immediately following the scheduled date (if Friday evening is available); club members will be notified via phone and/or email.
BE SURE TO CHECK THIS WEBSITE FOR LAST-MINUTE UPDATES THE DAY OF THE MEETING!
NEW starting 2024 – dual-track meeting themes! We’ll have 2 themes for each meeting, one ‘This Month In History’ (TMIH), and one ‘Random Subjects’ (RS).
2026 Meeting Schedule
January 7
- TMIH – “Don’t step on my blue suede shoes!” 40th anniversary of the first inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Jan 23, 1986).
- RS – Nostalgia nite. Build something you built as a kid.
Program – Modern paints and thinners. Mike Hanlon will discuss polyurethane paints such as Valleho and AK 3rd Gen Acrylics, as well as Acrylic Hybrids such as Tamiya, Gunze Sangyo and AK Real colors and the types of thinners needed for them.
February 4
- TMIH – 35th anniversary of the end of Desert Storm (Feb 21, 1991).
- RS – Red Alert!
Program – 2026 Nationals Club Build Status Check. Members will discuss progress of the model(s) they’re preparing for the club build.
March 4
- TMIH – 80th anniversary of Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech (Mar. 5, 1946).
- RS – Shelf of doom night. Finish one of your old unfinished models.
Program – TBD
April 8 ** NOTE! The April meeting will be held on the 2nd Wednesday!
- TMIH – 40th anniversary of La Belle discotheque bombing by Libyan agents in West Berlin (Apr. 5, 1986)
- RS – Antiaircraft nite.
Program – 2026 Nationals Club Build Display Planning. We will be discussing signage and other aspects of the display of the club models at the show in Ft. Wayne.
May 6
- TMIH – Dunkirk nite. Evacuation began May 26th, 1940 (completed June 4)
- RS – You can’t be serious night. Anything NOT based in reality.
Program – 2026 Nationals Club Build Status Check. Members will bring the model(s) they’ve prepared for the club build. This SHOULD be the final status check, as all models should be complete by this meeting!
June 3
- TMIH – TBD
- RS – TBD
Program – TBD
July 1
- TMIH – TBD
- RS – TBD
Program – TBD
August 12 ** NOTE! The August meeting will be held on the 2nd Wednesday!
- TMIH – TBD
- RS – TBD
Program – TBD
September 2
- TMIH – Magic Nite – 100th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini (Oct. 31, 1926)
- RS – TBD
Program – TBD
October 7
- TMIH – TBD
- RS – TBD
Program – TBD
November 4
- TMIH – TBD
- RS – TBD
Program – TBD
December 2
Annual holiday party – Continental Restaurant, 7PM
2025 Meeting Schedule
January 3 ** NOTE! The January meeting will be held on Friday!
- TMIH – First aerial bombings by Zeppelins (Jan. 19, 1915). Can include any WWI subject.
- RS – Crazy Colors Nite. Anything wild or gaudy (no gray or olive drab, etc.).
Program – 2026 Nats Club Build Kickoff. Members will discuss their kit selection for the club build.
February 7 ** NOTE! The February meeting has been weather-delayed to Friday!
- TMIH – First Japanese attack on US mainland (Feb. 23, 1942). Anything involved in the raid (Japanese submarines, American patrol ships and aircraft, coastal artillery, anything from the movie 1941…).
- RS – It’s Freezing Nite (since it’s still February…). Anything related to cold (Kee Bird, Glacier Girl, icebreakers, reefers, figures from the Frozen movies…)
Program – Roundtable: Airbrush tools. Focus is on WHAT you use, not so much how you use it. This is intended more as a buyer’s guide than a techniques discussion. What airbrush(es) do you use and why? What do you use for an air supply?
March 5
- TMIH – Knute Rockney dies in plane crash (March 31, 1931). Twenties and thirties UNARMED transport, to include aircraft, trucks, cars, trains, etc.
- RS – Cargo Nite. Anything that transports stuff (Cargo planes, converted tanks, trucks, RR rolling stock, milchkuhe, etc.)
Program – Lighting models. Dave Kopielski has built several models that incorporate fiberoptics and LED lighting. He will discuss the supplies he uses ad how he installs lighting in his models.
April 2
- TMIH – Birth of the Buddha, 563 BC (Apr. 8, 563BC). Anything reincarnated (e.g. anything rebuilt from a wreck or boneyard, or something built for one purpose and reconfigured for something else, etc.).
- RS – Race Nite. Any sort of racing vehicle.
Program – Building the McKinstry travelling trophy. Frank Ress will describe his experiences building the travelling trophy that’s awarded to the winner of the annual club participation contest. Similar to trophies like the Stanley Cup in hockey, each winner gets a plaque added to the trophy base and he gets to keep it for the year after his award.
May 7
- TMIH – Commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE day (May 7, 1945). Post-Normandy allied and German equipment.
- RS – What, me worry? Nite. Subjects that turned out to be more dangerous to their operators than the enemy (Me-163, CSS Hunley, Zeppelins, etc.)
Program – Using Mr. Surfacer for gap filling. Jim Batchelder will discuss how to use Mr. Surfacer to fill gaps and smooth surfaces.
June 4
- TMIH – Supreme Court strikes down bans on contraception (June 7, 1965). Screwy ideas (things that seemed nonsensical, or that were created to meet a government spec that ended up screwing the troops).
- RS – Does that really fly? Nite. Oddball designs that don’t look like normal airplanes, cars, etc.
Program – 2026 Nationals Club Build Status Check. Members will discuss progress of the model they’re preparing for the club build.
July 2
- TMIH – 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (July 30, 1975).
- RS – USMC
Program – Roundtable: Scribing panel lines and details. Discussion of tools and techniques used to scribe panel lines and other details.
August 6
- TMIH – 80th anniversary of the use of the Bomb (Aug. 6, 1945).
- RS – Strategic Air Command
Program – Roundtable: Applying decals. Discussion of materials and techniques used to apply decals and avoid silvering.
September 10 ** NOTE! DATE CHANGE! ** The September meeting has been postponed to the 2nd Wednesday!
- TMIH – 80th anniversary VJ Day (Sept. 2, 1945).
- RS – Paper Model Nite – everyone try your hand at something new!
Program – Roundtable: Applying decals. Discussion of materials and techniques used to apply decals and avoid silvering. (Held over, since discussion of EAA Fly-in at the August meeting absorbed the time allotted to the program last month.)
October 8 ** NOTE! The October meeting will be held on the 2nd Wednesday!
- TMIH – Halloween! 75th anniversary of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, Philadelphia (Oct. 31, 1950)
- RS – Orange; it’s not just for pumpkins!
Program – USS Enterprise collection. New member John Kauck will display and discuss his collection of 1/720 USS Enterprise and 1/72 carrier airwing 9 circa 1968.
November 5
- TMIH – 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking (Nov. 10, 1975).
- RS – First Responders/Rescue Nite.
Program -2026 Nationals Club Build Status Check. Members will discuss progress of the model(s) they’re preparing for the club build.
December 3
Annual holiday party – Continental Restaurant, 7PM
2024 Meeting Schedule
January 3
- TMIH – How I learned to love the bomb; 60th anniversary of the release of Dr. Strangelove (anything related to atomic weapons)
- RS – Mustang Nite; P-51’s, Ford Mustangs,… Visible horse, anyone?
No program.
February 7
- TMIH – Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the US attack on Truk Lagoon, Feb. 17-18 1944 (anything related to this pivotal battle of WWII)
- RS – Curtiss-Wright Nite; (anything C-W, or C, or W)
Program – Round Table; Glues and Adhesives. Members can bring in useful items and discuss.
March 6
- TMIH – Commemorating the date UN forces retook Seoul, South Korea for the final time March 14-15, 1951 (anything relating to the Korean War)
- RS – ‘Tween the Wars; (anything from 1919 to 1939)
Program – Round Table; Primers. Types, colors, and uses.
April 10 (Note: 2nd Wed. this month)
- TMIH – Norris Nite; Commemorating the first anniversary of the loss of our former King, Norris Graser, April 16, 2023 (combo of TMIH and RS this month – all Norris, all the way)
- RS – Norris Faves; anything Norris had a passion for, so dinos, movie monsters, F-16’s, P-47’s (if you can make the case your model was one the Tick would have liked, we’ll take it)
Program – Removing canopy seams and blemishes. Jim Batchelder will explain how he cleans up seams and blemishes on canopies.
May 1
- TMIH – Sub nite, commemorating the launch of the first US submarine, USS Holland, SS-1, May 17, 1897 (anything submarines)
- RS – 60’s Fighters Nite (any fighter that was flying in the 1960’s)
Program – Making custom decals. Dave Kopielski will explain how he makes custom decals (which he has made for several members, for his own models, and for sets that he sells mail order).
June 12 ** NOTE! The meeting originally scheduled for June 5 has been postponed!
- TMIH – Commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944 (anything involved in the invasion of Fortress Europe)
- RS – Chopper Nite (Rotary wing aircraft, motorcycles… George Washington’s wooden teeth?)
Program – Using superglue to fill seams and joints. Mike Hanlon will show how to use superglue as a filler. This will be an audience participation program, so bring an unfinished model to try out the techniques Mike uses. Mike suggests that filling sink marks will be the best try-it-yourself subjects, so perhaps try to focus on these defects in a kit. Mike will supply materials for the audience.
July 3
- TMIH – Commemorating the 110th anniversary of the start of WWI; Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, July 28, 1914 (anything WWI)
- RS – Post-war Bomber Nite (any sub-sonic post-WWII bomber)
Program – Round Table; Seams and Joints. Filling and sanding materials and techniques.
August 7
- TMIH – Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Tonkin Gulf incident, Aug. 2, 1964 (anything Vietnam War related)
- RS – Sword Nite (Sword models, Daggers, Sabres, Scimitars, etc.)
Program – Round Table; Nationals Review. Club members who attended the Madison contest will comment on the show.
September 4
- TMIH – Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the completion of the first ’round-the-world flight, Sept. 28, 1924 (anything related to record flights)
- RS – North American Nite (anything NAA corporation)
Program – Round Table; Finishing Natural Metals and Rust. Materials and techniques.
October 4 (Friday) ** NOTE! The meeting originally scheduled for Oct. 2 has been postponed!
- TMIH – Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Oct. 23-26, 1944 (anything involved in the Leyte Gulf operation)
- RS – Bipes and Tripes Nite (anything with 2 or 3 wings)
Program – Round Table; Weathering Models. Materials and techniques.
November 6
- TMIH – Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the passage of the first public train through the Chunnel, Nov. 14, 1994 (anything England or France)
- RS – Messerschmitt Nite (anything Bf/Me)
Program -Round Table; Using Non-plastic Materials. Materials and techniques for inclusion of non-plastic components in your models.
December 4
Annual holiday party – Continental Restaurant, 7PM
2023 Meeting Schedule
Jan. 20 – Open theme – bring anything you’ve been working on lately!
Program: Dave Kopielski will demo model masking techniques using Kapton tape.
Feb. 3 – Bad models – something you’d never build again!
No Program
Mar. 17 – Big model night – bring your biggest model.
No Program
Apr. 14 – Sci-fi and Fantasy night – Movies and TV.
No Program
May 12 – Old kit builds – Lindberg, Aurora, Hawk, Pyro, etc.,
or modern incarnations (e.g. Atlantis, Moebius, Glencoe, Phoenix)
No Program
Jun. 16 – Norris Nite – Remember our longtime president with a model
he inspired, helped you build, or where you used one of his
decals. Or just tell a story about Norris.
No Program
Jul. 7 – Small air force vehicles and aircraft (i.e., not USAF, USSR, China, etc.)
No Program
Aug. meeting will be held JULY 28! – WW I; any operational vehicle, ship, or aircraft
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held the Cardinal Room on the 1st floor near the Dunton entrance!
No Program
Sep. 1 – 50s era aircraft
Program – Charlie Scardon will show how to improve gun barrels using brass replacements
Oct. 20 – P&W night; anything powered by a Pratt and Whitney engine
Program – Steve Kumamoto will explain how to build vacuform models
Nov. 24 – Operation Torch anniversary;
anything from the Allied invasion of North Africa
Program – Bring your favorite tool; tell us about the modeling tool(s) that really make your day
Dec. 16 – (Saturday) – Holiday party at the Continental restaurant
Annual holiday party
2022 Meeting Schedule
Jan. 14 – I built it in 2021
Anything you built (or started, or worked on… – some of us have a hard time finishing anything)
Feb. 25 – Twin boom night
P-38, P-61, C-119, etc.
Mar. 25 – USCG night
Anything US Coast Guard – ships, planes, helicopters
Apr. 15 – Miscellaneous
This was originally ‘Jugs’ night, but that got postponed to October… So it became whatever anyone wanted to bring in.
May 20 – “Something I shoulda finished a long time ago” night
What have you got that’s been sitting around for a long time waiting for you to do something with it? Let’s see it!
Jun. 24 – Missiles & drones
Anything without a pilot in the seat.
Jul. 8 – Movies and TV
Anything seen on the big or small screen.
Aug. 19 – Armor & artillery
Stuff on tracks and wheels, wings get a rest this month.
Sep. 23 – Ships
Stuff on the water, wings get another rest this month.
Oct.14 – Jugs
P-47 Thunderbolts. Postponed from May. Probably a few new builds (and likely a few old ones, as well).
Nov. 25 – Jets
Wings, put no props – though I guess turboprops would technically be on-theme. Yeah, day after Thanksgiving, but it was the only Friday available from the library in November. And December is meeting-less, holiday party instead.
Dec. 10 – No meeting
Annual holiday party.
Meeting History – Past Years
2021 Meeting Schedule
Jul. 24 (Saturday) – No theme or program
No theme or program – just bring anything you’ve been doing for the last year or so to while away the time during the pandemic
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held Saturday, 12 – 2 PM in conference room “I”
Aug. 14 (Saturday) – No theme or program
No theme or program again – just bring anything you’d like
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held Saturday, 10 AM – 12 PM in conference room “I”
Sept. 25 (Saturday) – No theme or program
No theme or program again – just bring anything you’d like
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM in conference room “H”
Oct. 22 ( Friday!) – No theme or program
Planned discussion of suggestions for meeting themes starting January, 2022. Bring anything you’d like.
*** NOTE: Meetings will resume in Hendricksen Room, time change 7:00-8:30
Nov. 19 – No theme or program
Bring anything you’d like.
*** NOTE: Meeting time change 7:00-8:30
Dec. TBA – Christmas Party
2020 Meeting Schedule
Jan. 3 – Airliners and private planes
Civilian aircraft
Feb. 7 – Brushfire Wars
Little wars in forgotten corners of the globe
Mar. 27 – Twin booms
(CANCELLED – click for details)
Lightnings, Black Widows, C-82’s or -119’s, like that
Apr 10 – Gulf wars DS and OIF
(CANCELLED – click for details)
Modern Mideast conflicts – Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, etc.
May 15 – Dirty Rotten Commie Pink-o Rat night
(CANCELLED – click for details)
The “bad” guys – Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba, etc. (not PC, but all in good fun -and besides, they had some nice hardware, too)
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held in the Cardinal Room on the first floor near the Dunton entrance
Jun. 5 – USCG nite
(CANCELLED – click for details)
Coast Guard ships, planes, etc.
Jul. 3 – Trainer nite
(CANCELLED – click for details)
T-anything; Texans, Trojans, Tiger Moths, Stearmans, …
Aug. 14 – BIG model nite
(CANCELLED – click for details)
The bigger the better – what have you got?
Sept. TBA – FockeWulf nite
(CANCELLED – click for details)
FW-anything (190’s, 200’s, 189’s, etc.)
Oct. TBA – Movie and TV nite
(CANCELLED – click for details)
Anything related to the film industries
Nov. TBA – Mustang nite
(CANCELLED – click for details)
P-51’s and variants
Dec. TBA – Christmas Party
(CANCELLED – click for details)
2019 Meeting Schedule
Jan. 11 – Yellow Wings
Between the WWs aircraft
Feb. 8 – 1943 the year
Anything from 1943 (you’d have to ask Steve K., why this year? It was his idea…)
Mar. 15 – Thunderbolts (again)
No retreads – new builds only
Apr 19 – Utility and Liaison Aircraft
Non-combat military aircraft
May 3 – Dinosaur Night
Since nobody in McK ever builds these, the Tick decided to throw a curve and see who can connect
Jun. 14 – D-Day, 75th Anniversary
Builds of the planes, ships, armor, etc. that were involved in the invasion
Jul. 19 – South American Aircraft
Western hemisphere subjects, Panama and countries north don’t count
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held in conference room “I”
Aug. 30 – Oldies Night
Lindberg, Aurora, Hawk, Frog, and other kits from the past
Sept. 6 – CANCELLED
Oct. 25 – Small Combatants of WWII, the other guys
The smaller players in the last great war
Nov. 22 – 50’s PARANOIA
Bad sci-fi subjects? Duck and cover? Make up a reason and build it.
Dec. TBA – Christmas Party
2018 Meeting Schedule
Jan. 19 – Missiles
Missiles and rockets (nothing Estes)
Feb. 16 – CBI WWII
China/Burma/India Theater, WWII
Mar. 16 – Viet Nam War
Any subject related to the war in Viet Nam
Apr 20 – Army Aviation
Anything related to army aviation
May 25 – MTO WWII
European Theater of Operations, WWII
Jun. 15 – Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain, all combatants
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held in conference room “I”
Jul. 20 – Air Force and Navy 1950’s
The early jet age for the USAF and USN
*** NOTE: Meeting will be held in conference room “I”
IPMS - Capt. James J. McKinstry Chapter 
The Tick approves