FHall

I put clear over my aircraft models all the time without issue. I also test decals for the chance of them breaking up using Super Film. But the Hooters decal used every decal on the sheet so I can't do any testing. I think I'll be OK from the aswers I've received here

Ron Bell, Thanks

I am finishing an Alan Kulwicki Hooters car. The car is painted with Tamiya paints. I have applied decals from an unknown aftermarket maker and probably can't replace the decal sheet. But now that the decals are on I see Tamiya has a note on the spray can cap reading to not apply on decals. Does anyone have advice for me on what will be safe to overcoat the decals?

I jacked an F-105 for tire changes many times. The main gear door had a small door you opened to expose the axle. Then you plugged in an adapter which was in turn used to lift the axle. The tire was inside under the wing, but first you removed a retaining spanner then the axle nut. An old grease ring came off, then the wheel/tire as a single item. Reverse the process to mount the new tire. To change a nose tire you put a collar around the oleo to keep it from extending, then jacked it on a spot on the bottom of the fuselage. The axle was unbolted allowing the tire/wheel set to taken off and the new assembly slid on, then replaced. Both main or nose tire changes were no more than a 20 minute jobs AFTER you took a tow vehicle to supply and come back with the new tire

To comment on some of Gil's recent posts, Region 1 has offered a bid, albeit 30 years ago under my admin. Bids then, as now, were hard to secure and we felt a NE bid could be attractive to a lot of people who do like to go different places. They put together a wonderful bid and everything looked good, but even then the costs associated with hosting our convention were roughly 50% higher and rooms were higher still than other good bids. The profit split between host chapter and IPMS/USA has been at 50% each since I can remember, so I'm guessing at least 35 years. I am not so sure Gil's concept of a subsidized convention is so radical at all, and the national could fund doing so by changing the ratio from 50/50 to 60/40 since they are now handling registrations to attend (not contest). That may not be popular with the host chapter, but they need to realize a big chunk of the work has been taken off their shoulders. I think changing the ratio would require a constitutional amendment but it could be done. There is already a convention fund so that would not need an amendment to direct the money into it. I prefer to go to different locations too, but it appears we are rapidly gaining a solid group of regular bidders so it could come to that unfortunately. A final comment, regardless of some opinions out there, contest results show a regional bias ONLY because most entries are from a regional area. The judges certainly have been fair and totally unbiased since I started judging and that's close to 20 times now in a 25 year period.

Gil and Nick raise good points. I like Gil's rationale that if you waited for the convention to come near you, you were going once every 3 years on average, so save money and still go once every 3 years. Unrecognized by many, there have been multiple years recently when only 1 bid - thankfully a viable bid- was presented. There are wonderful places in the US I'd love to see the convention land, but facility costs and manpower foreclude them. It has already become common for multiple chapters to join forces on bids. Finding affordable space is a huge consideration. For comparison, I attend another national event annually, but in March 2016 it has been placed in NYC at the Garden. Room rates run about $320 per night. I'd venture to say such a location would not see many IPMSers interested in attending. There is a reason sites like Virginia Beach/Hampton; Columbus; Phoenix; Atlanta; and Omaha are becoming regular rotational hosts. The current era conventions are a long way from my 1st in Salt Lake in 1980 with 287 attendees, 508 models, and very limited vendors. As Nick points out a lot of potential hosts can no longer find suitable venues.

While the discussion is good, everybody has truly missed the point. IPMS/USA does not assign the convention to any site. It all has to start at the local level and a chapter that wants to host. With the size of a national today, it comes down to 2 main factors: space and manpower. Either or both quickly kill interest from many chapters. We use roughly 25-30,000 sq feet of space for both the contest and vendors, so any site needs from 50,000 to 60,000 sq feet of space. To hold the convention you also need probably 60 people helping and that might be a lowball estimate. How many cities have that space, how many chapters have that manpower? So, the number of groups and potential sites becomes limited. But it goes where it goes because a chapter in that area has both space and people to hold it. To say the organization has any bias to location is simply not true.

Pete, speaking as a former national officer, so I have some background. I live very close to Omaha, but I'd have gone to either site in 2017. I've been to nationals hosted by each group multiple times and they both have done a wonderful job. But after listening to both bids as they are presented in an open meeting. I truly felt the Omaha bid presentation was superior. Omaha had been working on their bid for over a year while the bid from Phoenix was put together in the last few months , and many details were not solidified. But I am sure if Phoenix had gotten the bid they would have done a great job, again ! Car pool, put multiple drivers in a car or van and drive straight through. I've done it to Phoenix once and Atlanta twice.

Yes, and parts are not interchangeable from new to old. Old one had a flat tip nozzle and straight feed. New ones have a "flower" type nozzle and angled feed. Those old ones are about as basic as it gets but I could do anything I needed with it as well as what the guys with state of the art airbrushes could do.

Does anyone have an old 1970s-1980s design Badger 200 that works but they've just set aside for a newer airbrush. Contact me if you'd be willing to sell it.