Well I did it,.... I finally attended an IPMS model contest again. Being the first model contest that I've attended in over 10 years, I was excited to see how the hobby has evolved.
I should step back and first say that my trip to the contest started 2 weeks prior to the event. I am in the process of remodeling my basement and made a decision to sell about 1/4 or more of my hobby stash. My wife said I should just throw them out as I will never make any money on them, adding that it would not be worth the effort. I thought I would never know unless I try, so I reached out to the IMPS Eddie Rickenbacker point of contact to secure one of the 3x8 foot tables. I was very lucky that I was able to get one of the two remaining tables.
Though always being a car modeler, I had plenty of armor and aircraft in my stash too. So, prior to the event I began separating which kits I was parting with, building a spreadsheet with prices, packing boxes, etc.. The selected models totalled around 130 kits of every brand, scale, and modeling subject with a regular new retail value just under $1,750. Many were vintage kits and no longer in production while some were re-released kits as well as newer kits; here are some of them:
In the meantime, I decided to compete in the contest portion of the show and selected seven models to bring. So now I was selecting and packing unbuilts to sell while simultaneously picking and packing kits to show. Part of the competition requires the modeler to select what class (subject and scale) my kits were to compete in.
Next was to prepare ahead of time the entry sheet for each kit (a word fillable soft copy was available on the contest web site). I am really not expecting to win anything but rather show my skills and perhaps develop new friends and learn something from them in the process.
So, here I was picking models to sell, packing, creating spreadsheets and pricing the kits. While taking some breaks I was working on selecting the kits to enter, writing the entry sheets which also require a narrative explaining what I did to the entry out of the box, special modifications, features, etc. And lastly figuring how to pack and transport those kits on an hour drive to the show without damaging them. Nobody ever said that competitive modeling is easy (or cheap).
The night before the IPMS Model show in Columbus, Ohio; my son, Jarrod (special needs) insisted he go with me to the show and vendor table. Considering he is a fulltime wheelchair rider, I had to change my travel plans to both accomodate Jarrod and his home health aide, Danyelle, as well as the contest kits, and the inventory to sell.
The morning came early (0600) as we had to get everyone up and ready. The reason for the early wake-up was to be there to set-up in the vendor area before it opens. Being pro-active, I loaded my boxes of kits to sell and the larger individual boxes the night before in our family wheelchair van. I loaded my contest entries last as at 7:30 we were heading out the door (Danyelle, Jarrod, and I).
Once on the road, we stopped at a fast food drive through for breakfast and headed to downtown Columbus. Being I had never been to this venue I found that my phones GPS worked perfectly and got us there with no drama. The show was in a school with the vendor area in a large gym and the contest section in a joint cafeteria / auditorium.
When I rented the table two weeks earlier, they instructed me to park by the east entrance of the complex as it was reserved for vendor access to move inventory from our cars to our tables, it was also handicapped accessible. Everything was clearly marked as far as the venue, where to park, the various areas of the show, etc. Walking in we were greeted by IPMS members who gave us our vendor badges and assisted us with unloading and transporting our kits (that was a nice and unexpected service).
Here it is, 08:30 in the morning, unpacking my items for sale and breaking them down by subject and price points on the vendor table. Right away I found out that Danyelle and Jarrod were my greatest assets. I could not unpack fast enough before people were surrounding my table and buying kits (so much for that waste of time). If it was not for them doing the selling while I was finishing the unpacking, I most likely would've lost out on many of my large volume sales. The vendor area was supose to open at 09:00 but it was busy when we entered the building at 08:30, so by 09:00 half of my inventory was sold. Once my sale models were displayed I entrusted Danyelle and Jarrod to manage remaining sales at the vendor table (which they enjoyed very, very much).
The contest area opened at 09:00. This allowed me time to go to the contest registration desk, pay my $15.00 to enter 5 or more kits, and then bring my kits from the van to the contest area. The contest area was clearly marked and the classes or categories well defined. There were 11 categories for youth and teens and 7 main categories with 58 sub-categories accross those 7 for all adults. Basically, they had a category and space for any kind of model anyone would want to bring. They did not have it divided into skill levels such as novice, adult, and master class; instead it was one (adult/master) class with 7 main and 58 sub-categories.
I set my contest entries up and immediately began walking around the contest display to get some photos. Since I was early, I found that I had to go back into the contest area later to ensure I got photos of many of the wonderful builds before 12:00, when it was closed for the judging.
Throughout this cycle of running around between my vendor table and the contest area I was met by many friends (new and old) from the modeling community. It was really nice to see them again to catch up on not only modeling, but life in general. I also ran into my daughter-in-laws dad, Dennis, whom I did not even know had any interest in scale modeling. In just about any area of the show I could locate someone I knew and that was very refreshing. I also found several former employees and co-workers from where I retired. Heck, I did not even know they were scale modelers either. This whole interaction with these P-E-O-P-L-E made the show a huge success for me; I enjoyed thier time immensely.... Outside of the time with my son, this was the highlight of the show.
During my final trip for photos i could see that every table and category was well represented with quality builds, every one of them a potential winner. Now it was time to go back to the vendor table and see how my two sellers were doing.
When I got to my table I saw that between Jarrod and Danyelle they sold over half of the remaining inventory using the prices on my spreadsheet. They both indicated they were still having lots of fun so I stepped out to get them lunch and drinks.
When I returned I was still taking photos of the event to include the vendor area, now a little less crowded as people went to lunch:
There were raffle tables where anyone could buy tickets that would enter them into drawings pulled every hour for new models, hobby products, etc; and a silent auction area where anyone could write in thier bids to buy various built kits (nicely done) of most any modeling subject.
Before I knew it my table was down to just under 20 kits. In the end I kept a couple, gave away a couple to friends, and then donated the remaining 15-19 to the IPMS chapter for future give aways / raffles / and veterans donations. Once again, I was so please with Danyelle and Jarrod's efforts I rewarded them with a nice cut from the sales.
When the show was over and the awards were handed out I got two first place awards, one second, and one best German vehicle overall show award.
Another nice thing about selling what you brought to the show is that you dont have anything to re-pack into the van except the built contest kits. I have close to 70 photos of contest entrants that I am going to add in separate replies to this thread.
The trip home consisted of a traffic jam
and a very nice dinner with my son and Danyelle.
As I mentioned up front, there was a decision of selling, or disgarding part of my stash. My decision to sell them versus toss them earned the three of us $1,208.00 . That is also much better than selling them in bulk to an on-line buyer. They were only offering $400.00 and I had to pay for the shipping. Danyelle got $200, Jarrod $200, so everyone was very happy and full from dinner.
I cannot state how enjoyable it was to see many old friends, make new ones, and just fellowship with fellow modelers in general. If you have not taken the time to attend a ligitimate IPMS or other sanctioned modeling event, I suggest you give it a try. There are many options there for showing, buying, bidding, or entering raffels. You may even find you have more friends there than you would've thought, even new ones.... Overall, it was a very nice ending to a really enjoyable day.
Contest entriy photos in the next posting....
v/r,
Ben