Dakimbrell

Good luck. I can't even see 1/72. 🤪 Dak

Just got done with the Trumpeter kit in 1/35th. Alpine figures and one from Tamiya looking out the hatch. Dak

I was looking at the contest categories for Las Vegas and noted there are 13 in the aircraft categories 10, in the military vehicles and 3 in automotive. I found it odd the aircraft are scattered through the categories, while the tanks and cars are grouped together. Not that it makes any real difference, I guess. Carnage Hall, indeed! Dak

Looking at this again, I have to say I don’t think it is true. First, it is extremely rare, but not impossible, for a newbie to win the top awards at a National. It’s all in the work and what else is on the table on a particular day. Second, there is no code to crack beyond work and dedication. Less experienced modelers are not normally super model builders. They have to gain that experience working with kits, coming to clubs, and contests to learn what categories best fit their interests and skills. Why would anyone assume a novice would automatically beat out an experienced modeler?

This is my basic perception, too. As I have said, today’s kits make it much easier to build a very competitive entry with and OOB model. From the day they started OOB, the rules have been continually modified to accommodate various aspects. Rigging, drilled out guns and exhausts. Replacing decals, and on and on. IPMS members enjoy pushing the rules to the absolute limit. This puts some—who played by the rules—at a disadvantage when someone pushes a bit a gets a dispensation at the contest. If you want out OOB, then make it EXACTLY that. No additions or substitutions of

Over the years, I have seen a number of builders who did well at local contests, where they were the wunderkind, go to regionals and nationals only to get their...hat...handed to them. Insulted, and embarrassed they never come back. That is good because we don't want or need them. They spoil it for the rest of us. While an early win is a sure way to get them hooked---Las Vegas learned that long ago---it also creates unreasonable expectations. As Wall Street says---past performance is no guaranty of future performance. If you want to win, you have to play. I have entered many contests and

Gil, Why? Most of us, the membership majority, are adults. They know what is going on, or at least should. All the current set up does is make more work for everyone for no real gain. In this photo you can see it replaced the kit string for the tow cable with a homemade wire cable. It is hardly a big thing and if I said nothing about it, it would probably go unnoticed. Yet, it totally excludes the model from OOB and forces it to compete with the "honchos". Wouldn't it be more "fair" to make the "honchos" compete separately? Personally, I don't think there really are "honchos". I

This is the MiniArt 1/35th kit. If you are looking for a lot of nice detail, I recommend this kit. The bonnet louvres re molded open and the suspension springs are hollow. Dak

What is the current purpose OOB categories? Dak

Of course, the same argument continues. That doesn’t mean it is invalid or unwanted. Nothing changes if no one debates the merits. Things change and periodically you have to revisit the same argument to see if the original concept is still valid. Dak

Masks aren't a big deal for me. I have several different ones I switch out plus some disposable ones for emergencies. My favorite is the WWI German lozenge pattern. The PRC flag also gets a lot of looks, too. My local club went to a mask mandate early on and keep a contact list. No problems. Dak

I find it amusing that last summer----before they cancelled the national---I was saying they should require people to wear masks. People told me I was stupid and crazy. I got my second shop Monday, But I still wear a mask and will keep doing so. Dak

Just remember the phrase "easy walk to the strip" is relative. In August, in Las Vegas, it is like walking from Benghazi to Tobruk.🙂 See everyone there. Dak

I think when they started trying to charge for the flyer they totally screwed up. Why pay for the flyer when you can go on line and see what’s new for free? Well, that lasted about two months before they started sending them out again for free, but I bet they lost a lot of old, loyal customers from that. Dak

I still find it odd that when you go to the web page, it still says closed for renovation. Dak