Model Shows and I.P.M.S. Regionals

Tanker - Builder

Member since
June 2014
From: New Braunfels , Texas

Model Shows and I.P.M.S. Regionals

Posted by Tanker - Builder on Sunday, August 19, 2018 11:46 AM

So ;

You've never been to one before ? Sad . Why ? well you are in for a treat whatever you like .Thing is , You will find with the vendors , you didn't bring enough cash or your Credit/Debit budget crashes . It Will ! You won't mind believe me !

That's part of the fun ! Now as far as food and drinks . Some venues have that inside the building . Some have restaurants close by . Find out before you go . Some places I've been , you had to darned near tailgate !

Judging . Do volunteer for that . You will bring home a wealth of ideas and knowledge you maybe didn't have before ! It is a real Good learning curve .

Be prepared to be , shocked , miffed and overall , overwhelmed by what you see on those tables . Some of thos builders even put stuff in or on their models you didn't even know existed !

Any modeler there will be glad to talk about his or her models . As to raffles . Buy any and all tickets you can afford and sign up for I.P.M.S. membership there , if you haven't done so. Sometimes they give away goodies for joining .That's how I got my " Dicker Max "- Self propelled gun. I don't usually build Armor , But this even got Fruil-Model tracks it was so great a model in my Armor experience !

And those raffles . Can you say a 1/350 Rodney ? I can't afford to buy it , But for $ 15.00 bucks worth of tickets one of them won it for me ! When I left I had traded , bought and won about five times what I got there with . Exhausted and Overjoyed at the talent I saw and builders I met it would've been worth twice the entry price !

This is my experience always --- T.B.

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BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Member since
January 2013

Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Sunday, August 19, 2018 9:20 PM

The only model show in my easy driving area is located in Cicero, NY which is held every October. Went to my first one 2 years ago (last year I didn’t go due to sudden death in the family on that show weekend).

I plan on going this October and this time armed with a little more $$$. I did buy a couple raffle tickets at my first show and walked away with a Sherman tank kit. Not much to show as far as kits entered in contests then. Vendors were mostly local LHS and shops in outlying areas - no major sponsors like Tamiya, Eduard, etc...

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keavdog

Member since
April 2003
From: USA

Posted by keavdog on Sunday, August 19, 2018 9:24 PM

Agree TB. I've been to two IPMS nationals and the work on the tables is 99% museum quality models. So impressive. The vendors and seminars are fantastic.

Thanks,

John

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Tanker - Builder

Member since
June 2014
From: New Braunfels , Texas

Posted by Tanker - Builder on Monday, August 20, 2018 5:59 AM

John;

One thing I learned too . If you like going down Memory Boulevard the vendors will certainly get you there . The best part was the comments on what I entered and then meeting the modelers that made a big dent in their classes .

Ours is always in a place where parking is expensive and the food is a fair distance away . It's all good though .

If I go to any it has to be within driving and cheap motel distance . being on S.S. has kinked my wanderlust Big Time !

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the Baron

Member since
September 2006
From: Bethlehem PA

Posted by the Baron on Monday, August 20, 2018 1:18 PM

Yeah, it's good to get out to a show. Particularly today, with the Internet and more or less instant contact around the globe, 24/7, it's even more important to get out and interact live with other modelers, to see finished models, to talk with vendors. Same goes for going to a club. If you have a club in your area, and if there are any shows, you should make an effort to get to them. Virtual does not replace live.

The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.

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fox

Member since
January 2007
From: Narvon, Pa.

Posted by fox on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 8:05 PM

You all have said all that I was going to say. I have always come home with more models than I brought thanks to the raffles. One time I won a piece of armor that I wasn't really interested in. As they handed it to me, I heard a voice behind me ask if I would consider trading it. The trade went well and I went home with a Tamiya 1/48 Dornier DO335A PFEIL to add to the stash. It's on the que to build sometime next year, if all goes well.

Have made loads of new friends at every show and met up with old ones. Always go to Mosquitocon, Penncon and Maraudercon plus any others that my schedule permits. Took my Nephew to Mosquitocon and now he wants to go with me to all shows.

Jim Captain

Main WIP:

On the Bench: Artesania Latina (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II

I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.

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the Baron

Member since
September 2006
From: Bethlehem PA

Posted by the Baron on Wednesday, August 22, 2018 2:24 PM

fox

You all have said all that I was going to say. I have always come home with more models than I brought thanks to the raffles. One time I won a piece of armor that I wasn't really interested in. As they handed it to me, I heard a voice behind me ask if I would consider trading it. The trade went well and I went home with a Tamiya 1/48 Dornier DO335A PFEIL to add to the stash. It's on the que to build sometime next year, if all goes well.

Have made loads of new friends at every show and met up with old ones. Always go to Mosquitocon, Penncon and Maraudercon plus any others that my schedule permits. Took my Nephew to Mosquitocon and now he wants to go with me to all shows.

Jim

Roger that, Jim! I look forward to meeting up in person at the next MosquitoCon!

The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.

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fox

Member since
January 2007
From: Narvon, Pa.

Posted by fox on Thursday, August 23, 2018 7:46 PM

I'll be looking for you.

Jim Captain

Main WIP:

On the Bench: Artesania Latina (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II

I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.

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ajlafleche

Member since
December 2002
From: Massachusetts

Posted by ajlafleche on Monday, August 27, 2018 9:17 AM

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

The only model show in my easy driving area is located in Cicero, NY which is held every October. Went to my first one 2 years ago (last year I didn’t go due to sudden death in the family on that show weekend).

I plan on going this October and this time armed with a little more $$$. I did buy a couple raffle tickets at my first show and walked away with a Sherman tank kit. Not much to show as far as kits entered in contests then. Vendors were mostly local LHS and shops in outlying areas - no major sponsors like Tamiya, Eduard, etc...

You are about 2 and a half hours from our show, Valleycon in Chicoee MA at the end of March. Consider making the run. It's a straight shot down the Thruway to the Mass Pike. We have over 60 vendor tales (about 35 individual/businesses). No, the big boys don't come out except for IPMS Nationals. Automotive and aircraft are judges on traditional 1-2-3/best of what's in each class wins, while the rest are judges usig the open system. Each entry is awarded points on its own merit. There may be several or no awards at the gold/silver/bronze level. We stock our raffle with several hundred dollars of kits from either Sqadron or Sprue Brothers Black Friday sales as well as a couple hundred from a wholesaler through a member. The vendors are always generous with donations. There are no stash remnants in the raffle.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

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BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Member since
January 2013

Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Thursday, August 30, 2018 4:59 PM

ajlafleche

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

The only model show in my easy driving area is located in Cicero, NY which is held every October. Went to my first one 2 years ago (last year I didn’t go due to sudden death in the family on that show weekend).

I plan on going this October and this time armed with a little more $$$. I did buy a couple raffle tickets at my first show and walked away with a Sherman tank kit. Not much to show as far as kits entered in contests then. Vendors were mostly local LHS and shops in outlying areas - no major sponsors like Tamiya, Eduard, etc...

You are about 2 and a half hours from our show, Valleycon in Chicoee MA at the end of March. Consider making the run. It's a straight shot down the Thruway to the Mass Pike. We have over 60 vendor tales (about 35 individual/businesses). No, the big boys don't come out except for IPMS Nationals. Automotive and aircraft are judges on traditional 1-2-3/best of what's in each class wins, while the rest are judges usig the open system. Each entry is awarded points on its own merit. There may be several or no awards at the gold/silver/bronze level. We stock our raffle with several hundred dollars of kits from either Sqadron or Sprue Brothers Black Friday sales as well as a couple hundred from a wholesaler through a member. The vendors are always generous with donations. There are no stash remnants in the raffle.

Looks like I’m planning the trip come March 2019. Thank you for the heads up.

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BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Member since
January 2013

Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Thursday, August 30, 2018 9:57 PM

I bookmarked the Massachusetts IPMS chapter to keep tabs for next year's show.

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modelcrazy

Member since
July 2014

Posted by modelcrazy on Thursday, August 30, 2018 10:08 PM

Nationals are held too far from me. I can't afford to plane ticket or hotel stay. They are never held in the North West. I do go the the regionals when I can though.

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.