SoupDoctor

Be warned. The landing gear are a bit too long, so if you install them as provided in the kit, the nose of the airplane will sit too high. Subsequently, if you shorten the the landing gear, be warned that the angle at which the pre-flattened tires sit on the ground will be off.

Don't forget eBay, too. You can find practically anything there without the hoops that Chuck referred to. Steve

What a great idea! Best of luck. Steve

Will do, Ron. Thanks! Steve

Ron, although I like the idea of an “Ace of Aces” competition similar to what Gil suggested, I’d suggest keeping the concept simple to start, with just a non-competition display of prior best-of winners. That way there’s no effect on the contest and categories, and there's literally no risk to the organization (save for an empty table if no one brings their models). We could then talk to those modelers and see if they'd be interested in a more prestigious contest. Promoting the idea would require only an announcement in the Journal and via the web site, and maybe a mailing to prior years’ best-of winners who live near the Nats location. Steve

A few days ago a member of my club said this in an online conversation: “Lots of nationals winners are only seen once if they win an award.” Isn’t that shame? Think of all the outstanding models we’ve seen over the years at the Nats…seen only once. I wonder if the E-board can encourage the clubs that host the Nats to invite prior Best Of winners to display their models at future conventions. I suspect some members would be eager to share their models again, or might be enticed with a small token of the club’s appreciation (e.g., a year’s free membership, gift card to an online retailer, etc.). Is this a good idea? Would convention attendees like to see the best models from prior years’ conventions? Steve

I received my issue a few days ago. Kudos to the editor for putting a photo of the model that won Best Junior Model on the cover.

I agree with Ralph, too. If it were my convention I'd have the following on the banquet invitations: "Professional casual attire is greatly appreciated by not required." Steve

Rod, I don’t think this thread is negative at all, maybe just a bit realistic. Given the huge number of aftermarket companies and products on the market, and the many releases from mainstream manufacturers, I think the hobby is a long way off from dying. That’s my OPTIMISTIC view of our hobby! That said, you’re right about lip service being paid to recruiting young people — hell, anyone — into the hobby. The task of executing any of the ideas we’ve listed here rests on our local chapters. The best thing any of us can do is to take these ideas to our chapters and execute on them. Individually, any one of us could approach your neighborhood library and offer to host a model building class. Etc. I’m glad you started this thread. Steve

Recruiting children into the hobby is going to be an insurmountable task. I understand the desire given how many of us came into the hobby in our early years, but my gut tells me that the forces we’re fighting are much stronger than any outreach we can implement. (It’s shocking, if not disturbing, to see the level of addiction that kids have to video games and mobile devices these days.) There may be some hope if, and only if, we take a very targeted approach. Look at yourself and your modeling friends. What do you share beyond your interest in scale modeling? It’s probably a deeper interest in aviation, military history, cars, etc. Our chances for success might be improved if we target children and teens who are also interested in these areas. A few ideas: High school ROTC students Civil Air Patrol cadets Attendees at car shows Attendees at air shows Visitors at local nautical museums Vistors at small or regional military museums Attendees at re-enacting events These people (children and parents alike) are more likely to engage in the hobby than random kids at a mall or other public venue. On a side note, does IPMS track the average age of its members? Steve

So quickly compiled and posted! Thank you. Steve

Is this it? Victory and Contempt Steve

Thanks everyone for your interest in the virtual convention! My report is now online, with some insight into the idea and what the future may hold. Linkage Steve

Mark, you get the medal for most ambitious and most productive! Glad to see you indulged these last few days! Steve

Well done! Steve

Let the virtual convention begin! Linkage

Mark, sure, feel free to share your projects here, even if it's a link to another thread or article. (Saves you thing time of copying and pasting.) Pedro, I got your email and will include your photos over the weekend. Pete, happy to include your photos or stories as well. Thanks to all!

Hi Pete, Sure, we can do it here. I'm eager to see how we all spend our time this weekend. Steve

Welp, the IPMS Nats begins this week, and quite a few of us aren’t going. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the weekend. A week ago I offered an alternative for those of us who can’t be at the convention in person, so I’ll extend the idea here and see if we can’t drum up some interest. I’m calling it a “virtual convention,” and it involves simply dedicating one or two full days to the hobby as compensation for not going. Read the article here. If you’re interesting in joining us in this experiment, share your story here or send me pictures of your WIPs, your visit to your LHS, or your meetup with friends. I’ll follow-up with an article that will make at least one or two Nats attendees jealous. So...who's in? And as I state in a disclaimer in my article, this is NOT a suggestion that you not the Nats. There are many compelling reasons to attend in person, as well as to enter the contest. If you can go, you should go. Steven Brown scalemodelsoup@gmail.com

Sounds like a wonderful way to share the hobby with aviation enthusiasts!

I work in the software industry, and our lead developer believes in building and releasing what he refers to as “MVP” — Minimum Viable Product — as a way to test the market for new features. If we find that our customers are using them, we refine and enhance them. This allows us to mitigate the risk of investing a great deal of time and money in functionality that might go unused. We can take the same approach here by asking, “How can we test the interest in a display-only category without disrupting what we already have in place?” What is our MVP in terms of display models? The answer, I think, is we encourage the sponsors of the next two Nats to set aside a few tables for display-only models, allow only conventipn registrants to put models on those tables, and then follow-up with counting the models vis-a-vis those in the contest itself to assess the interest and impact. Super easy, no fuss, no risk to the convention financials at all. Steve

Another idea that might (might) encourage participation in the contest is an editorial in the Journal from the Chief Judge explaining the spirit of the contest and showing pictures of 8-10 registrants who entered the contest with a quote from each explaining why the entered. I doubt you'd find anyone who says something like, "I want to prove that I'm a better modeler than everyone else." I think it's important to show the membership that a large number of the modelers who enter the contest do so just for the fun of it. Steve

The counterpoint is encouraging display only. The reality is that there are some among us who don't like to "compete". Why force them to enter the contest if they aren't interested in the competition? Mike I hear you, Mike. I should tell you that I’m probably the least competitive member of IPMS, and I’m a sloppy modeler — can’t build a model that has perfect alignment to save my life — so I have zero expectations of winning anything. Nonetheless, I always enter contests for all the reasons I outlined on my blog. If I win (and I’ve been fortunate to have placed a few times, probably because the judges were drunk or tired by the time they got to my model), it’s gravy. Just because your model is on the contest table doesn't mean you're "competing." It's like any of the hundreds of 5K, 10K, or marathons held around the country. There are only a few people who are "competing." The rest of the runners are in the event just for the experience. Steven Brown Scale Model Soup

Pardon me while I jump on my soapbox yet again, but I think the organization should be encouraging attendees to enter the contest. Yes, the people and vendors are a big part of it, but ultimately I attend the Nats to see models, and the more, the better. I’d love to see that 58 percent entry rate increase to 75 percent over the next few years. Would that be a desirable goal? As I like to say, “The contest is not about competition." Oxymoronic, but true. Steven Brown Scale Model Soup

Brian, there’s another option to manage the high cost of a hotel. You can always stay “off base,” at a nearby hotel instead. I’ve done that several times, which saved me $50-75/night. Although it’s convenient to be on-site, a 20 minute drive to and from the venue is not unreasonable. I understand that convention organizers have to sell a certain number of rooms to book the venue, but at the end of the day each of us is a customer as much as we are a member. For those with a limited budget, the savings can mean the difference between attending or not attending a convention.