Modeling clubs

Recon:

Model clubs are great, they bring together ALL elements of our hobby, and I do mean ALL elements. I started attending not-so-local meetings not long after attending my first contest, and found that there ARE others out there who share the same hobby as me. I did not have the luxory of living in a big city with shops and groups of interested modelers. I only had the occassional magazine I could find and eventually Squadron mail Order.

Anyway, clubs are a healthy part of our continued existance. Not everyone agrees, and by no means are they intersted in what the other people are doing. In larger clubs, sub groups form, clinics are held and a lot of discussion goes on. I was at the startup of a non-IPMS club in central California and we did a lot of neat things in a short amount of time.  I have learned a lot from other members over the years, and I have held clinics on things that I enjoy.

Simply showing up to a meeting and sitting in back is not enough...enjoyment comes from INVOLVMENT. Get involved in the discussion. BRING YOUR KIT! I cannot tell you how many new members are afraid to bring kits because they think we will laugh at them! We ALL started, and ALL of us were there once.  You will learn a lot in a short amount of time simply by bringing your current project, your airbrush if you have one and any and all questions you have. Bring some paper, you will get a LOT of responses.

If you are not sure about where your club meets, look it up on the IPMS USA website http://www.ipmsusa.org by your region of the country. If there is not a club, go to any local hobby shops and ask for anyone that may be meeting. All modeling concepts are similar and we learn from other modelers constantly ( I have learned tons from German WWII guys and have never built a German tank in my life).

There are clubs out there, maybe not where you expect.  Attend a couple of meetings, BRING YOUR KIT, and prepare to enjoy yourself!

Back when I was in 4-H, I belonged to their modeling club.  Then I went off to college and time got real scarce, plus they started holding the meetings at (often not so local) hobby shops because of  budget cuts by the county eliminating the administrative building for our use.  I'm trying to get my sister to get involved but you know the saying about leading a horse to water.....

I'm currently a member of 2 modeling clubs and enjoy it greatly.

First, I'm the President of the Pensacola Modeleers IPMS/USA. We have about 12 or 14 members and our biggest event is our annual model show and competition. We generally hold one "regular" meeting each month - where we take care of club business, hold quarterly informal model contests, have show & tell sessions, and just talk about modeling - and one "building" meeting each month - where we actually work on models, usually "order in" some pizza or other food, and again, just talk about modeling. Members of the club also hold "Make-N-Take" model building classes for kids, model demos and the local museum and other venues, participate in fund raisers, assist the local Boy Scouts with their annual arts & crafts get together, and several other local events.

My other club has only recently formed and is dedicated to armor modeling. We meet once each month to show off our in-work or completed models, exchange information on new models, modeling products, or books, ask a ton of questions about each other's techniques, and just talk about modeling.

In general, modeling clubs are simply an opportunity for people with similar interests to get together and have a good time. If you get the chance, join one and try it out. If it's not for you, you can always back out gracefully.

I also belong to a model club of sorts. We meet twice a month in the back of the LHS. As mentioned before all we really do is bring a kit and some tools and build and talk. Sometimes we stay for 2 hrs sometimes 4 depending on what we have going on.

The great thing about it is. Everyone has a little different interest. Someone is building armor, another Aircraft, and recently we had a 2 new guys show up one does ships the other does cars.

Funny thing about it is we feed off on another. The Aircraft guy may show up with a tank or ship one week and vice versa. He may get razzed a little bit but only in fun.

One thing that is constant though, we all have the same problems. How to fill a seem? What may be the best masking technique?

It is interesting to see different techniques on how to solve the common problems. You may learn something or teach something.  

I'm with an IPMS chapter club, which are separate entities from the National IPMS group.  we meet every thrid Monday of the month or so nad have a general meeting.  We have a sort of goverment, with a prez, 2VP's, treasurer ( we have dues and run a show along with several other events, and we do charity work like Toys for Tots).  people can bring in models theyve finished or are working on to talk about, we can talk about issues in the hobby, help out each other or something like if anyone gets seriously ill, we plan out events and help out other groups/events, and of course just talk and check out each others work....

I used to belong to IPMS McKinstrey, and then IPMS Lakes Region—but the travel time for me were getting to be too much (an hour to an hour and a half, each way, on a week night), and time was always a problem. I'm thinking of wandering up to the Bong chapter in Milwaukee, WI—travel time's about the same, and the drive may be easier. I sure wish there was one nearby!

I enjoyed them—mostly good people, only the occasional munchkin (that's a gaming epithet for an unpleasant person), and great inspiration, technique sharing, and general support. Some of the pleasantest people I've ever met.

Politics, of course, always rears its hideous head, as does overzealous competition. A good club will be careful to decapitate the first, and throttle back the second. Either can have a devastating effect on the group, as well as on individuals. My experience with the overcompetitiveness has resulted in a resolve never to enter, participate in, or support in any way, another modeling contest. Our whole society is vastly overcompetitive. Extending this to a hobby that is supposed to be relaxing is counterproductive. It's especially ironic, considering how generally supportive scale modelers are—the first thing I noticed when I came back were the group build forums. Online group modeling, what a concept! 

If you wish to master a skill, do not compete with others. Compete with yourself. You will not always win, but you will always improve. </soapbox>

Bottom line: a good modeling group is a joy and a treasure. If you've got one, be glad and support it!

I have a membership with IPMS/USA and that keeps me in touch with other modelers. I do not have a local club here. Not enough interest to keep one going. The local Hobbytown is trying to get an informal club to meet one night a month. The nearest clubs are 2 hours in two different directions. I was in the Seattle/IPMS when I lived there. Big club with lots of people to learn from. I guess I am my own club!