Dick Montgomery

My T-Shirt at the next banquet will be one of those faux tuxedo T's.

Thanks gents. It's no award winner but it was great fun! In fact, I've got another P-40 in the works....stupid convention energy!...gets me all hyped up.

Attending the convention always serves as a motivation to try new techniques, start a long-delayed project, or just get back to the workbench and enjoy the hobby. Upon arriving home from Columbia (enjoyed it very much, and thanks to the Conv.Host Team for allowing our Bid team (from Tex) to shadow them throughout the convention) I was back at the workbench in under 12 hours. Here ya go....... a P-40N by Mauve with Cutting Edge decals.

Ralph has certainly been to far more conventions than I, but I have been witness to more "behavior" issues. None of these issues reached a degree at which "Security" had to be summoned. All of these issues were eventually resolved to the satisfaction of the Society and/or the host chapter. And no, I won't share any of these issues......think of it as being in compliance with HR standards in a private enterprise. The point is, such issues are so rare, or are handled and defused rapidly, and, if required, addressed with that person after the convention to preclude a repeat performance. I've found that conventioneers are, almost without exception, reasonable people, who behave appropriately, and have no interest in behaviors that could be described as less than acceptable. To quote a biology teacher friend of mine..... "It's a rare bird that craps in its own nest." That doesn't mean folks can't be twitchy from time to time, but civility is usually met with civility. Now, lay hands on my model and you better be a judge or there will be words! (Of course, my models are generally of such quality that you could drop them on the floor and the judges would never know the difference.)

What is Professional? In my area people wear cowboy hats and jeans to weddings, quinceaneras, funerals, job interviews, and all manner of events. In Hawaii, many of the staff at a hotel are wearing shorts and Hawaiian shirts. This is a non-issue. I have yet to see a person attending an IPMS banquet wearing attire that can be considered inappropriate. Other than the occasional jerk who might wear a shirt printed with a profanity, we are talking about folks who dress appropriately for the occasion and comfortably. As stated previously, if a person is wearing attire that violates the local set of standards then there are ways to handle that situation. The expectation that modelers are going to wear coats and ties to a banquet is unreasonable. The inclusion of such a preference stated in convention literature is a waste of space. I need to go wash my jeans now.....I have a formal luncheon to attend in a few hours.

I believe that the membership has a good handle on attire (and behavior) that is appropriate to the moment. No apologies here to the hosts, but I'll wear what I wish to wear. I also think that everyone else in the room can wear what they wish to wear. I can say this without too much concern about seeing someone wearing (or not wearing) something that is clearly inappropriate for any meeting of any size in which there will be a mixed population, including young people. Every organization has a unique population that behaves in a way that is designed to be controversial and "attention seeking". There are two basic paths forward with these folks. First, ignore them. The benefits to those in attendance are self-evident. Secondly, if the behavior reaches that level at which it is actually in violation on any kind of community standard and is serious enough to actually warrant a response from the host (or convention center staff) just ask Security to handle the situation.

A job well done! Congrats to those adults who are providing tangible leadership to the Juniors.

No worries Sarge. You said, "the bottom line is that a weathered aircraft vs a non-weathered aircraft are different and really should be in their own category." I do not think there is a need for such a distinction. Here's why............the judges do not look for accuracy per se, but they do look at the quality and skill level of the technique being applied. Take a model that is factory fresh. When judging it the judges look for how well the paint was applied, glue stains, decal silvering, alignment of various bits, etc. Take a model that represents a very weathered subjects.... the judges look for how well the paint was applied, and the fact that it is weathered or clean is irrelevant. Is the paint consistent? (whether it be dirty or clean) is there overspray (again clean or weathered makes no difference). and, of course, glue stains are not limited to clean or dirty subjects. It is the technique and skill level that is being judged, not the choice the modeler made to make it dirty or clean. No need for separate categories.

1. Sarge, why are you calling me out when you are arguing with a comment made by another person? 2. I understand that the post to which you are referring does not address "modern" aircraft. 3. Let's return to your original statement, that being that no modern aircraft that flies will show signs of weathering. 4. That statement has been shown to be false in the two pictures that were posted. I don't really thing that you would continue to suggest that your statement is valid and true in the face of those two images, and I don't think you meant that statement to be taken literally, or at least I hope not. The proof is in the pic, so to speak. I think your argument revolves around what is sometimes called the "Accuracy vs. Authenticity" debate among modelers. In generic terms, those who are identified as "rivet-counters" follow Accuracy as the ultimate goal of modeling. I am not among those persons. I favor the "Authenticity" view that modelers, through an approach based on skills, techniques, and artistry, strive to "represent" a real-life object through their modeling. If you are a rivet-counter then knock yourself out and count away, but do not expect others to agree with you. Those that favor the "Authentic" view certainly will not agree with you. That disagreement does not mean that they do not understand your point of view, they simply disagree with it. If you are a supporter of the "Authenticity" view than do not expect rivet counters to agree with you. That disagreement does not mean they do not understand your point of view. Beyond that, I would ask if you've ever judged at an IPMS convention (not a local show, but the Big Dog). If you have then you've sat in on the What Do Judges Look For training session, and you've served a stretch of time as an OJT. I doubt that you would make the same argument about OOB if you had "time served".

Buh-Bye Sarge. Come back soon.

The "doodle" is a work of art!

With respect, please note the quote from the above post which says, "Like i said no one flies weathered aircraft." Then please scroll up to the actual, real image of a weathered F-14 in flight." I understand the issue that you are putting forward.....you are not the first to articulate it. It is the Accuracy vs Authenticity issue. You are also discussing judging issues and, it appears, blaming IPMS for the quality, or lack thereof, of LOCAL judges. IPMS does not control the quality of judging at local shows. That is the responsibility of the local club not only for IPMS chapters but also for Open Contests, GSB contests, AMPS contests, and contests which reply on selections made by attendees. As for taking 6 months off from the forum, any forum participant is free to come and go as they wish (except those few who have been invited to "go and stay gone" by the moderators for stepping over the forum rules line. I hoping no one is looking at your comments as "inappropriate" or a rules violation, because that is, in no way, what your posts have been doing. But at the same time your view appears to be laced with comments that clearly are not true (see the quotes above) and therefore, discredit your post in general. Don't like weathering? Ok.... don't model weathered aircraft...........but know that such aircraft have taken flight throughout the history of aviation and did not fall out of the sky. There is documentation of this fact in the form of many images, such as the F-14 image above. One more image showing weathering:

Quoting a previous post...." They should know that modern day weathered aircraft in real life DOESN'T EXIST.".... Please note the weathering and stains on the wings.

Steve, That's an excellent list of potential markets. One thing that most of those listed facilities/groups have in common is that they are "local". It is a "local" effort that must be made in order to attract modelers to the hobby be they young or older. Some clubs do that well, others make no effort in that regard. My local chapter, "IPMS Alamo Squadron", conducts an MnT at a local car show and we give a discount ticket to the parent so that the MnT model can be entered in our annual show, in a special MnT category, at no charge. We also conduct ABCs (Adult Build Course) for the adults and we often gain membership through the ABC. I'm not a fan of MnT, as they are usually conducted. I think that the level of engagement for most MnTs is very low. We hope to increase that level of engagement by our invitation to our MnT participants to come to our local contest. We think that the exposure to vendors, seminars, and the contest is a better "modeler magnet" than just the standard MnT in which the young one spends 10 minutes snapping parts together and then walks off with the finished product. Thanks for sharing your thoughts...seeing "best practices" of others is a great way to share successful methodology.

Tim, Congratulations to your daughter for taking some items to the Nats. Although there is no indication in your post that she took home any hardware, that really isn't the point. If she received some satisfaction from entering her work then that is a valuable lesson for her to take away. Personal enjoyment and satisfaction is the goal (imho). Can you upload some images of her work?

Ola Chris! Que tal? Please consider coming to San Antonio, Tx on Feb 18 for a model event called "ModelFiesta". We are very happy to see our associates from Monterrey visit us each year and I think you'll have a great time!

That's very good! Thanks for sharing!

No harm in trying Revell. They have a good track record in supplying lost of damaged parts.

D'oh! Didn't even see your email addy there. I've sent an introductory email to you and Ben.

Bill, Ben of the Austin club, just emailed me and said that he accidentally deleted your contact info. Can you please ping him again?

Hi Bill, There is a model club in Austin that you might reach out to...I can give you some names and email addresses. Let me know if that would help and I'll contact you through the "private message" feature on this forum and give you some names.

Thanks Kevin. I try to keep the weathering to a point where it looks authentic. It's actually quite easy to get some weathering to show, and much more fun to do, in my view, as an aircraft that is pristine. At least, I can pass off some scratches and dings as weathering......

Thanks. Hasegawa made it easy.

Gracias Mark. You might see it at a local show in the next few months.

Dibs on 1st! (No, Dibs is on 2nd, Nodibs is on first)