Chris Bucholtz

ALAMEDA, CA

IPMS/Silicon Valley Scale Modelers

 IPMS member #33768 

 

     Chris Bucholtz has been building models for over 30 years. His first model was an Aurora kit of Godzilla built when he was six, but during the last 20 years he’s focused almost exclusively on 1:72 scale subjects. His collection of kits has almost 1100 1:72 planes, and his aviation library has more than 600 books in it. Chris isn’t satisfied on just collecting books; his own book on the Tuskegee Airmen will be published by Osprey Publishing in January and he has unit histories of the 362nd Fighter Group and the Fourth Fighter Group in the works.

     Chris served six years in the U.S. Navy as a Bosun’s Mate, including four years aboard U.S.S. Gray (FF-1054), and started attending Silicon Valley Scale Modelers club meetings while still in uniform. Since then, he’s been the treasurer of the William “Bill” Campbell chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., the Regional Coordinator for IPMS Region 9, the chairman of the 1998 IPMS/USA Nationals, and the managing editor of the IPMS/USA Journal. Before that, Chris edited his local chapter’s newsletter, “The Styrene Sheet,” for 13 years.

     Chris and partner Bill Ferrante started Obscureco Aircraft, making resin detail parts, in 1998, so part of his modeling time is devoted to scratchbuilding masters for new products. He gave a seminar on this topic at the 2004 Nationals in Phoenix.

     When not modeling, Chris plays the bass guitar and tends to a 120,000-item collection of baseball cards and memorabilia. He’s a technology journalist by trade, most recently working as editor of Semiconductor Manufacturing Magazine. Chris and his wife Elizabeth live in Alameda, California.

 

Below here are Some models 

Mr. Bucholtz has created.

 

 

The Tamiya P-47D in the markings of Chuck Mann of the 378th FS, 362nd FG. Chris is writing a book on this fighter group and plans to build many of its Thuderbolts.

 

Academy's P-51B finished in the markings of William Whisner of the 352nd FG.

 

Academy's P-38J dressed in decals originally by Eagle Editions, but reduced to 1:72 by David Newman. The markings are those of Jack Ilfrey of the 20th Fighter Group.

 

Built from the old Monogram kit, this F7F-2P Tigercat flew photo missions over Korea in 1952.

 

Planes need support equipment! This GMC CCKW-353 2 1/2 ton truck was built from the Academy kit and given markings typical of the 362nd Fighter Group.

 

Chris combined parts from the Academy and Hasegawa kits with details from Eduard, Verlinden and Aires and added a jumble of decals taken from various AeroMaster and SuperScale railroad sheets to create the Hellcat Alex Vraciu used to destroy six Japanese dive bombers during the "Marianas Turkey Shoot."

 

Ken Skeen destroyed a MiG-15 flying this F-84E Thunderjet during the Korean War. The kit came from Tamiya; the decals for "Benny-San" came from AeroMaster.

 

Hasegawa's Beaufighter Mk. VI was modified into an early Mk. X and finished as a plane from No. 455 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force.

 

MPM's XF-85 Goblin received a scratchbuilt canopy and windscreen as well as home-made cockpit details. Chris uses Testors metallizers for his natural metal finishes.

 

This Yakovlev UT-1 was built from the Neomega resin kit.

 

A true oddity for Chris: a 1:48 model! This Hasegawa P-47D was built for the pilot, Col. Joe Laughlin, on the occasion of his 85th birthday. Laughlin was the CO of the 362nd Fighter Group.

 

This "Tsetse" Mosquito Mk. XVIII was converted from a Tamiya Mk. VI kit and features a 57mm cannon in the nose. The cannon barrel was modified from a turned aluminum barrel for a 1:72 Soviet anti-tank gun.