noelsmith

Has Model Cars Magazine gone under? Heard nothing about it recently.

Seen AMPS and Jaxcon mentioned a number of times in this thread. What are they? Guess they are big Stateside modelling events. Please relieve this Old Englander of his ignorance.

Rick, Dry transfer sheets are rub down transfers. The backing sheet is for protection only. They are designed to transfer individual letters of numbers onto another surface after alignment and pressure applied with a stylus to the front of the sheet. They can be applied to clear decal sheet, after which they can be used as waterside transfers (decals) that we are all used to when cut out. Hope this helps.

Telford awards GSB but is based on 123 in each category. The Model Engineer and Modelling Exhibition as was, awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, and this was done on a points system. So multiples of each medal could be awarded in each class, the criteria being to reach or exceed a certain number of points in order to gain recognition for that award. In my personal view this is better than the 123 system in recognising how good a model is without having to split hairs in reaching a decision.

Gil has summed up the PR problems in his last paragraph, but there is another. Many people outside the society still have the notion that we are just aircraft modellers. Why this still persists after fifty odd years is anyone's guess!

Getting back on topic, having won scratch built awards at Telford, I would consider myself a competent model maker rather than an artist. So, no I will not be changing my mind about being called an artist. I also enjoy drawing and painting pictures, so in that context I would consider myself an artist. In a previous life I drafted engineering drawings but would not class that as art though. Like I said before , model making has artistic leanings and good model makers have to have developed building and finishing skills along the way. Can my Scratch Built Car models be classed as art as opposed to models built from kits? Maybe miniature engineering in plastic perhaps?

LOL We all have our personal perception of whether modelling is an art form. Mine will not change, nor will Dak's or possibly anyone else's and my head is now beginning to hurt! Noel

Dak, We will have to agree to differ about whether modelling from kits is art per we or not. Perhaps we modellers may be better described as artisans rather than artists. Churchill was a painter, and his work sells well well at auctions. But as for Churchill just dabbling in politics? As a Brit my point of view is very different from your peception, so let's just leave it at that.

Not sure about whether model making from kits is art per se, although it has leanings towards art and craft generally. When one paints or draws a picture, does sculpture, they are more likely to be recognised as actual art due to the creativity and skill of the person. I would be inclined to think of our hobby as being more a craft activity than actual art Part of the PR problem is how plastic modellers are perceived generally by the uninitiated from outside the hobby. You can almost read their thoughts when you mention your hobby, 'Oh! So you still stick Airfix kits together?'

Whoops! My last post has a typo I overlooked to correct. The word reflecting was spelt incorrectly in second paragraph. As I said before IPMS has to remain an all subject society. It has to accept that it's base is the enthusiast modeller of all genres along with the future challenges. The kids pocket money market has long gone and if my grandkids are anything to go by, computer games are their thing now, whereas in the old days of the 50s 60s and 70s plastic kits were the thing! At Telford and your Nationals the diversity of classes and sub sections within will remain much the same for the foreseeable future apart from the odd change here and there. We have to accept that some classes will be much more well supported than others that reflects the trends in the hobby within and outside of IPMS and in the market place generally

Rusty, , I could not agree with you more. I too have served on the UK committee way back wnen in the 70's, and also judge at Telford now. It is exactly the same over here as the number of classes at Telford is determined by supply and demand ref!effing the main subject interests in plastic modelling generally. All the best.

As IPMS is a society for all genres with a big leaning towards the aircraft modeller that reflects the main plastic modelling interest catered for by manufactureres. I build classic car models, but even at Telford the number of classes for car models is diminutive compared to the number and range of aircraft classes. A couple of years back the scratch build cars class was dropped due to low entry levels, so my models now have to compete against detailed kits. I will still partake though to support the competition generally. Sometimes I wish that there were a number of model car clubs here in the UK like you enjoy in the States. Apart from special interest groups within IPMS UK there is nothing else that I am aware of. Not to say that car modelling is not popular in the UK. Far from it judging by the frightfully expensive kits that Hiroboy and Grand Prix Models sell, not counting the plastic auto kits more generally available. IPMS has to be all things to all modellers unlike specialist modelling groups, and therein lies its strength and it's weakness,. It's strength is that it caters for al!. But it's weakness is its leanings toward certain subjects dictated by the main interests of modellers generally!

There are many local independent model clubs around, that include a number of IPMS members. So why are the others in th clubs not joining IPMS? Basically because they are happy how their local club is run and see no reason to change. I can remember something that almost turned out to be a PR disaster for IPMS UK quite a number of years ago. The National Committee at that time dictated that all IPMS local meetings should just consist of members only. They failed to acknowledge at the time that many members were using independent model clubs as a regular meeting g place within those clubs. On the reverse, IPMS branches were being used in the same way by non members as a meeting place.. It caused many branches at the time to declare themselves as independent clubs and carry on as before whilst many IPMS UK branches just simply ignored the directive altogether.

John Walker has just given in my opinion one of the most succinct views about percption of IPMS in general, members and non members attitudes, and how competition is viewed both from outside and inside this organisation. Dak's last post about modelles not joining IPMS because they are cheap and lazy is a bit strong. He is missing the point as there are many an excellent modeller out beyond IPMS who make models purely for enjoyment to their own style and not have to be hide bound by any competition rules. Also, there are people out there that cannot afford the latest big kit that is released. On my retirement pension you can count me amongst those folk, but I still remain a member since I joined back in 1974.

If you want to see a fantastic model made from the little Airfix kit, have a look at the one Jim Baumann has built. It looks like one of those exquisite miniatures that the late Derek Hunniset used to make.