Nick Filippone

This feckless conversation has not been worth commenting on again until, once more, the integrity of the judging corps is irresponsibly, recklessly and erroneously impugned! The pros and cons of show/no show can continue to be debated ad nauseum, but it has nothing to do with the honesty of our judges. To even suggest otherwise, however obliquely, safely ensconced behind one’s keyboard, reveals a lamentable dearth of intestinal fortitude even as it does this Society a great disservice in that it undermines the confidence of our members and entrants in the fairness of our contests. Those of you who want to call we judges dishonest should screw up whatever modicum of courage you have- if any - and do it to our faces! Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

Ed, I will be out of town until next week. I will put the parts in the mail then. ( Notice I took care not to say “ I will put the bombs in the mail” in case someone like the FBI has not read this entire thread! Regards, Nick

A blob of glue is sloppy modeling, lousy craftsmanship, pure and simple! It is what eliminates an entry loooong before accuracy is even thought about in the judging process. Nick Filippone, Seniors National Judge

Nice work, Len. Nick

Mr. Ellickson, Based on Mr. McMurtrey’s calculations, which I think are correct, I have 2 bombs from my spares box which I believe will be a close match. Now, they are old and will require some cleanup. But you are quite welcome to them. If interested, please private message me with your address. Regards, Nick Filippone

Or, if no black decal paper, print again on white or clear and paint it black- with apologies to The Rolling Stones. Nick

Ok, this is gonna sound crazy, but hear me out. And I concede I have never tried it. Since the markings you are trying to make are symmetrical in all axes, in theory, you could find some printed source for them and copy them on a copier where you can adjust the size. Then copy them on to the back or carrier paper side of white decal paper. Cut them out and you will have the white outline you need in white decal. Then, copy them again on the back of black decal paper and cut out the black only. Apply as a two part decal. Did that make any sense? Nick

Since when did abdominal laparotomy sponges become a household item? 😳 Does the Health Department know about this? 😀 Nick Filippone

According to Len Pilhofer’s post on this thread on Monday at 1:52 P.M., there were 260 rooms in our block. Nick

Ok, Rusty. I give up. Having been called “obtuse and sanctimonious “ in a post by Dak without he having been threatened, how is what I have said not to be tolerated. It is my impression that what you call trolling is something or something coming from someone you simply do not agree with. His remarks that insult our rules and our judging staff I see as trolling and offensive. If you want to be respected as a disciplinarian, then that discipline must be applied evenhandedly. Nick

You do not have to look at the builders name to avoid sweeps. That is done by looking at the entry numbers. And you can usually see the entry number without moving the model. I have looked at names if there is no entry number filled out-rarely. It is not a total failure. Some people will always violate the rules. But it is a good faith effort to enforce objectivity. Anyway, the contest entrants demand it. I can only imagine the outcry when every builders name is revealed. Just because some people ignore the rules does not mean that the rules are bad. Have you ever actually judged? Because this idea suggests that you haven’t. My thought is that you should give more thought to these posts. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

I started precisely at 4 P.M. EDT. Initially, by trying to book the room from Tuesday the 28th to Sunday the 2cd, the website said there were no rooms available at the Convention rate. So, I simply booked the room from 29 July to 2 August without a problem. Then, I got on the phone immediately with the hotel and they added on the 28th to the reservation for the Convention room rate. Easy-Peasy! Good work, Len! Nick

I had not ( but I should have) thought of that. It makes perfect sense. Thank you for that explanation. It again points out the ongoing endeavour of the NCC to keep things as fair as possible. Nick

I know someone who made a reservation at the non- convention rate but was told it would be switched to the convention rate when the block opens. But the word from the horse’s mouth ( the show chairperson) is that the block is not yet open and the therefore there will be rooms available when it does. This would appear odd except to anyone who has either tried to make reservations under these circumstances before or has been responsible for having to deal with a hotel as a show administrator. Nick

I was able to book a room - single king only- outside of the block and not for the convention rate. ( I only this in case I don’t get a room when the block opens. I will cancel it if and when I do.) I had tried twice before with two different reservation staff and could not book a room in the block. While anything is possible, my friends who have booked a room also did not get the convention rate either and are doing what I did. It will all get sorted out soon. What frequently creates confusion is that the line reservation staff, because a block of rooms has been set aside, but is not open, sees that there are no rooms available at all because the opening of the block is out of their control and, additionally, they may not even know the block exists. To them, looking at their computer, it appears the hotel is full! We at IPMS NENY have experienced this problem a couple of times when we have held Regionals. Smaller scale, same confusion. It is always a mistake to assume every member of an organization or business is equally well informed about operations. Nick