patd

I think the convention staff did a fine job. Good communication and explanations of what was to be expected. I went for the Hyatt (a whole 600 feet away 😉 ) They were set up automatically for a Tuesday arrival and a Sunday departure, earlier and later check-in / out in times than the Embassy plus free parking. Interestingly at 1PM CST a couple of the hotels still had rooms available. Pat D

Agreed! If the communication aspect of the convention chair is any indication of how the convention will go, we are in good hands indeed. I think it speaks well of the convention chair and his team with the way the Embassy room openings and relocation of the Hilton rooms for the RNC "grab" was handled. Pat D

Brett, we also had some wobbly tables in the aircraft category. Leaning against tables looking closely at an aircraft or elbows resting on the tables being used to steady a camera had them moving slightly. One had to be careful as the tables were really packed with entries.

I am glad that we got to hear the side of the story from one who was accused of wrongdoing. To have people exonerated from any perceived wrongdoing then 2 weeks later totally reverse the ruling certainly makes the powers that be look confused. I am a senior National judge for going on 20 years and can also state that it is HEAVILY emphasized at the mandatory judges meeting by the head judge that if you see ANY perceived impropriety report it IMMEDIATELY do not wait to the next day or next week or whatever. If there is a problem the judges will be interviewed and if necessary the category will be rejudged. Thats why we have Check Judges to spot these problems. Once those judging sheets go to the tally team it is pretty well carved in stone. It is also called out in the judges meeting for judges to stay in the area as they may be needed to judge another category or be asked about a problem that the check judges have found. At the total end of judging the head category will release the judges and or have the team leaders stand by for "Best Of" nominations depending on how that class does things. I sincerely hope that the powers that be can do a hard reset on all of this out of the megaphone of social media. The judging system works, true not everyone wins a trophy but as it is set up it works. I think if the rules laid out in the judges meeting were followed this would have been handled THAT night by the appropriate checks and balances and not in the podcast / social media spotlight in hindsight. Pat Donahue IPMS 5261

Tangential to this conversation, but I have felt for a long time that if the IPMS membership wants to give out more trophies then raise the entry fee slightly and buy more trophy packages hence more splits equals more trophies. If you have 30 models in a category with 1,2,3 obviously only 3 will win but do a split to 15 and you have doubled the 1,2,3 chances-ASSUMMING one can do a meaningful split-not an easy task in many cases. 1/72 axis inline =probably no problem. 1/48 civil, sport and air racing= not so sure. Having said THAT as a member of the splits team I might regret it.😜 I also have doubts how an GSB can work on a scale of the Nationals, right now judges are volunteering to do 3 hours of judging on a Friday night however will they also be sanguine about doing 3 or 4 sessions lasting 3 to 4 hours over the 3 days of the convention? 3000 models is a lot to look at and I think our current winnowing out process works well in the 1,2,3 awards. I quite agree going GSB vs, 123 is not going to stop people complaining about the judging that will be with us till the end of all contests. It is good to remember that EVEN if you do everything right you may still not win--ask Drew Brees!

"Most of the NCC may have quit, but it wasn't because they're "not getting their way" anymore. It's because they've been spit on by the current Eboard. It's because despite offering some compromises to the Eboard they've had that hand slapped away and been handed edicts instead. It's because they've essentially been told their experience and knowledge is no longer needed or wanted AND that their years of past service to IPMS (in some case DECADES of service) doesn't count for anything with this current Eboard. They're not getting mad and quitting because they're in a snit. They're washing their hands of a situation where they no longer have any say." ^THIS^ There is a lot of corporate memory among the senior judging people: How the split methodology works, `How to assemble the judging teams, How to handle Q/C problems, How the paper work trail to Eileen Persichetti works, to name a few. 20 years ago, the A/C judges were judging until the early morning hours, now with the exception of the Best A/C the judges are finished by 10 P.M. or so. All this has happened while the conventions have become more and more successful, and with larger model turn outs (IIRC 800+ A/C alone in San Marcos) so they have to be doing something right. If the EBoard does not get a handle on this and enough of the senior people go then a lot of the knowledge as to how and why the conventions work as well as they do is going to go with them. I wish that a reset could be done and this could have been handled out of the social media environment. I have been judging since 2005 and IMO judging have improved by a factor of magnitude. Yes there have been Q/C problems and as Jim alluded to above if we had to the category was re-judged and Q/C'ed again. 6 judges moved a probably 300 models Thursday night setting up splits and putting misplaced models into the correct spots nothing was broken to my knowledge. One of the secrets why the A/C judges finish early-all the splits are done and waiting for the judges to get to work after the judges meet at 6P.M. A lot of good people volunteer their time and effort in all the categories to make these things work seemly are being told now that they have been doing it all wrong. I think this is a slap in the face to those who have worked really hard to make the conventions successful. Pat Donahue IPMS 5261

I think the room block reservations were handled as fairly as possible. As Nick said with the amount of enthusiast crowd we have all wanting to stay at the same place not everyone can be guaranteed a room. I got lucky and went on at 00:00:15 and got in but was prepared to go down the road a bit to find a place to get my head down if necessary. As an aside if the 'Nats are held in smaller towns with a smaller hotel near or co-joined to the convention center this may be something we will face more in the future, especially as most of us wish to stay at the convention hotel. I think the convention hotel had a total of 285 rooms and the IPMS has basically taken over the hotel with a 260-room block. I would imagine it will be harder and harder to have conventions like ours in big cities due to the space required and the cost factor. I was told by a friend who is most familiar with these things that it would be unfeasible to hold an IPMS convention in a city like New Orleans due to the cost and space constraints for example. Hopefully everyone will be able to obtain a room

Nicely done! With that gun pod and the weapon loads it screams Marine. Love the crisp color demarcation on the intake lips, weathering and panel wash. My compliments. Pat D

Brian, if you see this please contact me via a P/M Thanks! Pat Donahue IPMS 5261

For Highlamder: Alas poor OOB! I knew him well, David. A category of infinite problems, of most excellent confusion It hath borne me on the contest table a thousand times; and now, How grand in my imagination it is. Apologies to Sir William Pat D

With all due respect I think if more IPMS members READ the rules carefully and the preamble to the rules defining BKB much of this self-inflicted confusion and frustration would go away. The rules are written in the King's English and are pretty cut and dried, trying to parse the meaning and find loopholes that are not there is a waste of time. If anything, the new BKB rules are much clearer than the OOB rules ever were. Basically, if it ain't there or on the instruction sheet you can't add it. Provisions were made for certain cases like some armor or motorcycle models where non-plastic media is used to support the structure or are needed to assemble it (screws & bolts, metal chassis). No offence intended to anyone, but this is not that hard to build and compete within these rules if one desires to do so. Pat D

For 30 years this has been an ongoing debate and I seriously doubt that any change could come anywhere near to being agreed upon by the membership. How many would actually vote? How long would we debate it? Seems the 30-year debate on OOB showed that. Could we even come to a consensus? I rather doubt it. It would be our version of the 100 years' war. I think going to the membership on this would be like herding cats. Pat D

Rocky , I think you are O.K. with BMF from the BKB basic guidelines: A. Finish. All painting/finishing techniques are allowed. Insignia, markings, and instrument panels may be hand-painted instead of using decals. Weathering is permitted. I think using BMF can be considered a finishing technique.

True, it would be a long drive home after finding out you built a model for a non-existent category Yikes!

I understand what you are saying Ed, all I am pointing out is that the rules say: "kit" which I agree is an unassembled item. Kits with various other materials included (e.g. cast-resin or 3D-resin detailing accessories, etched-metal detailing frets, turned-metal detailing parts, and other similar detailing parts) will not be permitted. My hope is that all this is clarified before too long, I shelved an OOB (BKB) kit because the kit had P/E which in effect eliminated one of my entries, with the way I read the rules, the 'Nats will soon be here in 5 months and some of us build more slowly. Also, as one who works with the split teams in A/C the more clarification the better when we have to decide if an entry is eligible under the BKB rules. I fear some will show up at the contest still thinking OOB rules are still valid, true, ignorance of the rules is no excuse, but I do hope contestants do look at the new rules before starting a build, as to not show up for a disappointment. Best, Pat

You may have a point here, David. I am just quoting the rules and in the beginning of the rule change where the reasons for BKB are laid out we have this: ● Second, to compete at a more basic level, knowing that basic modeling skills are the only difference-maker - not what variety of detailing materials is supplied by the kit manufacturer, nor by after-market detailing sets, nor by using more advanced re-building or scratch-building skills. IF the NCC defines 'KIT" as the unbuilt model in the box OR if it means the completed "KIT" on the table then we have an answer with regard to not using extra goodies in the box. If I may be precise, the definition of a kit from Merriam-Webster a set of parts to be assembled or worked So when the rules say a kit I take it to be the unassembled contents of a kit box not the completed item on the contest table Kits with various other materials included (e.g. cast-resin or 3D-resin detailing accessories, etched-metal detailing frets, turned-metal detailing parts, and other similar detailing parts) will not be permitted. Perhaps someone from the NCC can elaborate on this matter? On a more personal level when we do the splits: if the instructions show P/E then will the vetting/judging teams will have to ascertain if only the plastic parts were used, or will there be a disclaimer on the entry sheet? Interestingly some highly detailed kits are available for BKB on the aircraft end, the Tamiya P-38 and F-14 come to mind, no etch or resin included. Weekend kits in most case would also qualify, and they have decal seat belts to boot. Pat

No that is allowed: From the rules. As a general guideline, kit parts that are necessary to complete and support the overall structure of the completed model are allowed. However, other kit parts that provide enhanced surface-detailing to a completed model will not be allowed for a BKB entry. A. Examples of other material parts that will be allowed are: kit-supplied vacuum-formed windscreens/canopies/windows for Aircraft and Automotive models; kit-supplied rubber/vinyl tires and poly-caps to retain wheels and/or parts attached to pylons; metal gearboxes and/or metal-rod axles for Armor and Automotive models.

That is the way I see the rule written, Michael. If I use a new Tamiya Spitfire or Eduard Zero which includes P/E it is not eligible, but if I use a bare bones Eduard weekend kit with just plastic and decals I am in good shape for BKB. Pat

Ed, I do not understand this. The rules say if P/E etc. is INCLUDED the kit is ineligible for BKB. From the new BKB rules... Kits with various other materials included (e.g. cast-resin or 3D-resin detailing accessories, etched-metal detailing frets, turned-metal detailing parts, and other similar detailing parts) will not be permitted. I take the word "KIT" & "INCLUDED"" to mean what is in the box not what is in the completed model What am I missing here? Thanks, Pat

Agreed! If any glacial rate builders (like me!) want to get into this new category an early read would be helpful, before proceeding. I had a potential OOB model almost ready to paint but after reading the rules I had to shelve it as it is not eligible for BKB. It was an Arma FM-2 however it can still go into the general category, but I was specifically building it under OOB rules until I read the new rules which disqualified it for the new BKB category.

NO. I think such a kit will be disqualified. From the rules: . Kits with various other materials included (e.g. cast-resin or 3D-resin detailing accessories, etched-metal detailing frets, turned-metal detailing parts, and other similar detailing parts) will not be permitted. Note the word 'Included" so the kit is not eligible, even if you do not use those parts. IF you want to add a seat belt that in not included in the kit as a decal, it is not allowed. No paper or tape belts allowed any longer. Anything added like rigging or antenna MUST be shown in the instructions A. " ... and add rigging and antennas, if shown on the kit’s instructions. " ● Aircraft models aren’t required to have antennas, rigging wires, seatbelts, nor can they be added unless they’re included or noted in kit instructions. Persons wishing to enter BKB should take a good read if the new rules before proceeding down this path. For example, the new Tamiya Spitfire is not eligible (P/E included) but certain Eduard Weekend kits are as they have no P/E added or other non plastic materials. Some even include decal seat belts. BKB rules are much more restrictive than the OOB rules were. Pat D

Len, thank you and the team for all your hard work. I know this had to be difficult, we appreciate the team's efforts Pat D

Why not give the organizers the benefit of the doubt? They have been living with this nightmare since the beginning of the year. They realize the financial problems /health problems, etc. that this thing poses. Lots of moving parts here, contracts, etc. I am sure they are trying to come to a decision that will hurt the society the least. The organizers may be better off not saying anything right now until the organizers and hotel do their due diligence coping with this mess, I am sure there are legal matters involved. . What difference does it make if the Nationals are cancelled tomorrow or a month from now? I rather doubt that anyone here has his/her stuff packed up and in the car waiting to head to San Marcos. Is it going to affect your building schedule? If it is held, then you are still building to a completion date that you planned for. If your model is finished and you can't go there will be another Nationals, just keep the dust and cats away from your model. There are some here ( and on other sites) who have been advocating a cancellation since February, with some not so subtle "virtue signaling" thrown in. Others are anxious to get the show on the road. Fine, to each his/her own. Eventually we will know but we do not know right now, but other than posting and talking whether it is a go / no-go it is not going to affect your life to any great degree.

Just a short precaution, if you are going to the 'Nats be careful about using hand sanitizer and handling your models. Many of the alcohol / chemical based hand sanitizers do not react well with the finish coats we use on our models. Some of this stuff tends to linger on your skin....

Nick, perhaps you can answer a medical question about this virus. In the absence of a workable vaccine which does not appear near it seems the only way for a population to deal with this thing is by physical distancing or the hope(?) that a "herd immunity" will develop which certainly will take time and a human cost. I know this a tad off topic but I am curious, Is this assessment correct? Hoping to be able to see you in San Marcos... Stay safe, Pat D