jcorley

I will be doing a full length P-6 in 1/72, I've already printed the master and sent it to the caster. At 18 hours, it might not be practical to print them. I am worried about sagging over the long term, especially if the modeler chooses to mount the plane in the launching position. I also have the option of laser cutting the sheet steel out of plastic. As everything is designed, I can print the whole thing in sections. I tried that, but it wasn't something I would have been happy spending a hundred on, so I didn't proceed. The 1/48th is available, but Gil got an early prototype that was completely 3D printed. For production, I have made the pedestal, lower "box", deck and cradle as cast resin parts. The other small bits are still 3D printed. The 1/32 one awaits the arrival of my Elegoo Jupiter printer, it will be able to print the masters, and it will be produced the same way. If somebody really wants a full length one, email me at nautilusmodels@gmail.com and we can talk. James@Nautilus

Except, in the end, they didn't....

I think it fits the intent, but Ed will have the final say.

I got this email yesterday: Dear Region Coordinators 5 officers of the Spartanburg Scale Modelers decided that due to my personal health issues and other Extenuating circumstances beyond our control it was decided to cancel the Sparta Con April 16 2022. This is something We take seriously and not lightly. We have no future plans to hold a convention in the near future. We Remain Spartanburg Scale Modelers Tim Kirkland President 29144

Out of the Box is defunct at the National level; we'll see if it dies out locally. The new category is Basic Kit Build. No extras allowed, even if in the box. The analogy given was think of it like this: Eduard Weekend edition is OK, Profi-Pack (or above) is not.

The way things usually go, only 200 would vote, and if approved there'd still be howls of outrage at Omaha that it wasn't advertised enough by the same guys who CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO VOTE! 4000 members, 500 votes for officers, or roughly 12.5% ... which isn't enough to pass an amendment under the old CBL. (10% now)

BMF is treated no differently than paint, when applied as a finished surface. I think the only way BMF would result in movement to a regular category would be as the use as a structural element, such as insulation batting or blast bags on a ship. But that's just my guess.

It sounds like a Basic Kit Build to me.

Are you aware of the Eduard Bunny Fighter Club? It gets you a 15% discount. And buy $250 gets you free FedEx shipping, usually 3-4 days. I go in with some of the local guys to get to the 250 easier sometimes.

I would say BKB based on your statement. You only used the plastic that came in the kit box, correct?

I did that once. I built an extra Aurora AH-56 Cheyenne for the Ancient Kit category/award one year, only to read in the Journal a couple of months before the show that the NCC killed it! At least I read the rules and knew with a little notice.

Good luck with that. Some don't even bother to read the category cards on the tables!

Your take would be true, had they not "renamed" the category. Try so see it this way. (It's what I inferred): OOB is gone, kaput, forever dead and buried (well, there might be an OOB zombie category with enoughbacklash)

Will we get to see it next weekend?

Think of it like this: New Eduard Super Duper USS Arizona = regular category Old Banner USS Arizona = BKB (Same plastic, more "goodies") Is that the right comparison, Ed?

Ralph, Omaha bid for 21 & 22 at the same time.

From the minutes: "The board is open to proposals from all areas of the US to host the 2024 IPMS/USA National Convention. Hosting proposals can be put forth by individual chapters or regional "teams" with members from multiple chapters in key roles." Does this mean there are no bidders? What exactly does it mean?

WRT Disappointed Bidders, do what Omaha did: prepare a bid with dates in TWO years.

When I clicked on the registration link at 1040CST, the "Go to Reg" text was not linked to the registration page yet, even after Ihit F5 to refresh. Not really an issue, I think WA jumped the gun, and probably should have gone directly to registration page.

This may be more of a wild apricot issue than an Omaha issue but I just got this email (see image below). When I click on the Register button, it took me to the profile page on IPMSUSA rather than the Omaha page. Also the registration link is not active yet.

Heck, Highlander Why not Albuquerque? We haven't been there in 30 years or so.

To expand on Ron's comment, these centers often rely on room bookings and food sales to underwrite the Convention space. IPMS doesn't offer the "density" to be affordable for most convention centers to be interested in our business. We aren't profitable enough for them to care, especially in the first tier market, and often in the second tier market as well. Most members are unaware that the annual budget for the Nationals is well in excess of $100K when the "hidden" costs are broken out. Omaha is unusual in that the center was built in the middle of nowhere (if you went to the 2011 show, you'll remember the only thing nearby was the Cabellas! The area has since been developed.) And the attached hotels are actually too small for our needs. Other conventions have had to deal with the attached hotels not offering enough rooms at the show rate, forcing attendees to stay at other places, thus the host chapter looses those room nights raising their hosting costs. IPMS manages to sell out multiple room blocks every year, so we are lucky that way. A third factor is the infamous "cheap bastard syndrome": there are guys who will stay at the cheapest possible hotel, often across town, just to save money for the vendor room and complain about the drug deals in the hotel parking lots. Las Vegas was a bonanza for them. Not only did they not help the host chapter by staying in the Rio nor registering for the show, rather there were suddenly lots of new "cousins" buying the family GA week pass, at least while I was at the GA desk on Wednesday and Thursday. Omaha needs to be aware that there will be many similar "cousins" trying to get the $15 family pass. Define what a family is on the signage. The fourth factor is the food. These centers have "restaurants" which rely on weekend food sales to provide the profit margins of the entire convention center. The $50+ rubber chicken dinner doesn't go over well with most of the members wo go. We don't know what the banquet cost will be this summer, but people that drive to the show often begin their drive back other vendor room winds down, especially if they haven't entered anything in the contest. All of this needs to be considered by any group looking to place a bid. It isn't as easy as Micky & Judy made it look in their movies.

New Orleans is very expensive, Ed. I've explored Mobile but manpower is a huge obstacle to overcome here on the gulf coast. We have two clubs here in the Panhandle and 2 around Nola, with nothing in between. A better option would be somewhere close, but then there is a lack of available space and manpower.

Mike, FYI your tip (click on the guy I the upper right) worked when I went back in this morning. It didn't work the first time for whatever reason, but I was on my tablet yesterday and PC today.

We are in the middle of the holidays and at the end of the chapter rechartering period (but it always drags out) Marie is just one person, please bear with us as she deals with all of this.