rbeach84

I would hope it would be relatively straight forward to set an appropriate 'cadence' to the slide show presentation, since the amount of time allowed for the banquet is "known". Regarding entry into the banquet hall is more the function of the concession staff than anything else. If it is set to start at 'x' time, then the staff is geared to that and it is *not* flexible. Each NATS has a 'lessons learned' document. As such, I'd suspect much actual documented experience is there for the 'taking' and for analysis by a working group, best by those with direct experience running and organizing the 'banquet/awards ceremony' part of the conventions, in cohots with other stakeholders such as those from the 'end user' side of the events. Due to the constraints, time, financial and otherwise, that are involved, this is not something that comes off well if attempted as 'AD HOC' in any way. Keeping to the set schedule is probably key since that little Schedule sheet we all get is what is expected. In short, the Schedule should be 'the last word'. Whenever a deviation becomes likely, it should be treated very seriously and with a plan in place (such as those folks that had to retrieve their models early, there was a process in place to support them) to deal with an 'unplanned deviation in a planned manner'. Although ancedotal, awards placement, in which I personally participated for the first time, seemed to take longer than an hour, but not longer than two, so that is close. It was pretty well organized with perhaps the only critique I'd offer being the 'lists' seemed to not quite match the categories as they were physically arranged, so you couldn't just walk the aisles and have the list syncronized to same. It got done, but wasn't as smooth as I'd wish to see it. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details! Regardless of all the discussion here, the NATS did happen without any serious disaster or train wrecks happening, which is a testament to all the attendees and volunteers (yes, a major event pulled off by *volunteers*) who for the most part were very cooperative and supportive. After all, it was supposed to be fun! Kind Regards, Robert

I must agree with the other comments, congrats on "slaying the dragon" so nicely! Kind regards, Robert

Seeing this just makes it more sad it is OOP... R/ Robert

Nice job, Gil! Glad to see you're still whacking away at that stash... Cheers! Robert Beach

Many thanks and congrats to the whole 'club', Mike! Having worked the four conventions here in Tidewater (aka 'Virginia Beach'), I really appreciate how you "guys" did an outstanding job. I also appreciated the opportunity to help the vendors Wednesday morning, it kept me busy and it was fun! Seeing a lot of old friends, meeting new ones and taking in a whole lot of great models really helped to recharge the creative 'juices'. And isn't that the whole point? I look forward to seeing you all again in 2025 (six year rule!) In the meantime, have a 'Naked River' Moonpie Stout for me! Regards, Robert Beach

Hank, CAD is probably a less useful tool than a vector graphics editor. One option (assuming you don't need to pass the artwork to anyone as a graphics file) is to use the open source drawing tool in OpenOffice (available from "http://www.openoffice.org/".) The learning curve for the 'Draw' component isn't too steep and can result in some marvelous graphics. Also, it can integrate with any fonts you might install as well as decompile font characters so you can treat them as graphics. The advantage of vector based graphics is they can be output to any scale without distortion (aka the 'jaggies') or pixelation effects. An example of this level of work can be found on the IPMS/Hampton Roads Scale Modelers website: http://hamptonroadsscalemodelers.com/star-wars-a-wing-decals-of-the-studio-model/ That aside, one trick for designs that incorporate white areas is to apply a border color compatiable with the intended application background color so when printed and closely trimmed, the white areas will be sharply defined without having to trim the boundary exactly. For the ship's numbers example, the white shadow can be outlined with a light gray color. Then, when trimming for application, you can either cut at the white/gray boundary or just trim so the gray will outline the white area (almost like a mask) while blending into the hull color. I always recommend test print runs on regular paper to 1) check the color results since printed doesn't always match what you see on screen and 2) to allow for a 'proof' to allow inset of a sized bit of decal paper into a full page of paper (use thin "Scotch" type tape on the back to hold the decal paper in place... and not too much) so you don't use any more decal paper than necessary. This technique may not work if your printer has a 'loop back' feed path however, unless you are able to secure the seams thoroughly so they don't "peel". Hope this of some use! Regards, Robert

Sweetness! Regards, Robert

That is one sweet bit of plastic, Gil! Outstanding work, pal. Making me want to crack open that Mercator again... Congrats! Regards, Robert

I've even used the good ol' open source, OpenOffice DRAW program to create decal artwork. Mastering the graphics part of the process is the hardest piece but it isn't that bad, just takes a bit of practice. One recent project was to create accurate decals for the old MPC Star Wars A-Wing model. I shared the graphics file on our chapter website: http://hamptonroadsscalemodelers.com/star-wars-a-wing-decals-of-the-studio-model/ Because DRAW creates vector graphics, scaling up or down has no impact on the appearance of the artwork (though the printer's capabilities will!) Only problem with DRAW for my purposes is the output isn't portable into other graphics programs, at least not directly. The best I can do is a PDF... but since OpenOffice is available for anyone to download, I can share my work natively which gives the best result for other hobbyists. I need to check out your sites Richard! Cheers! Robert

Welcome aboard, Bob! Attractive automotive models... thanks for sharing 'em. Regards, Rob(ert)

Gee! After all that effort tracking down FM Cougar kits... well, whatta you gonna do? Cry over spilt milk? '^P Robert

Sweet! Good going, Gil! Regards, Robert

Chris, again with the public outreach "thang", wouldn't it also be better to have some publicly accessible content to 'hook folks' a bit? Restricting content to membership only on one hand does increase the 'value' of a Society membership. However, on the other hand it also makes it invisible to prospective members! The old 'test drive' theory; FineScale Modeler does it on their website, if looking for an example... If we had permanent content archived as "member only" and "general audience" 'libraries', fully searchable, then we'd have something. If it also consisted of organized, balanced coverage, then even better. Sort of like my FSM back issues DVD... yes, my precious! R/ Robert

But no cat! R/ Robert

How about this for a stereotype: Of course, it's pretty much true... ha! R/ Robert