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Friday, June 20, 2008

Region 1 Update 6-17-08

Region 1 Update
8 June 2008

Hi and Howdy everyone,

Let me apologize for the lateness of this update. I had hoped to get it out before I left for Vegas, but we all know the line about the best laid plans… I returned home last night, or to be more precise, early this morning. Flying into JFK is always an adventure, but add some weather delays into the mix and it seems the airlines fall further into madness. I met my grandson for the first time, and am happy to say he’s a healthy and happy little guy. He said he’s ready to build some models with grandpa, but wants to wait until his motor skills are a little more developed. His logic was impeccable at such a young age!! (He’s just about a month old now!!) But I won’t bore y’all with any more of this, let’s get right down to the skinny.

The topic for this update is the link between submitting an Event Registration Form (ERF), and IPMS Insurance. A situation came up in another region where a chapter needed a certificate of insurance (CI) for an event, and asked for one the day before!! I know, our chapters here in Region 1 land are far too savvy for that, but I’ve been asked by DLC Dick to reinforce the correct procedures for obtaining a CI for an event. Nothing’s changed, so there are no surprises!! Before you apply for a CI from our esteemed IPMS Office Manager MJ, please take the time to submit and EFR, found on the IPMS web site. This needs to be filled out for each instance where a CI will be needed, IE coverage for chapter meeting sites, contests, mall shows, you get the idea, any event where you need insurance!! Then plan your timing accordingly. Give the process 60 days from the time of initial request to certificate arrival. In some cases it may be less than that, but don’t forget things take time, and this is an item that should appear very early in your event planning.

Getting the ERF in early also gives you more event advertising by having your event listed on the web site’s coming events page, and insertion in the Journal for a longer period of time. And while we’re on the subject of event advertising, don’t forget, each chapter is all able to receive a ¼ page event ad in the Journal. You’ll need to submit camera ready artwork, and to get more information contact the Journal staff at the address found in the latest Journal. It’s all part of the benefits of being an affiliated chapter of IPMS. As my old Gunny used to say, “Get some, Oo-Ra!!”

The nationals are coming in about two months, 6-9 August in Virginia Beach VA. I hope the current gas prices don’t discourage anyone from making the trip. It’s going to be an awesome event from what I’ve been hearing. I understand Cobra Company has dropped out as a vendor. The tables have already been sold to another vendor, and the vendor room is still full!! There are many things to do in tat part of Virginia, so I’m going a few days early to check out some battlefields, the USS Wisconsin, and the Mariners Museum, among other things. The tours are starting to fill in quickly, so if you haven’t made up your minds about which ones to do, don’t delay much longer.

Now that we’re about half way though the year, it may be a good time for everyone to review their fact sheets, and make any corrects needed. If you make any changes, send it along either to Dick or myself for updating. If it’s done now, you’ll be that much further along the rechartering curve. I have copies if you can’t find them, so ask if you need them.

I’ll send along an updated show schedule in the next update. I’m waiting for one to be confirmed before being added. Speaking of shows, I hear the Region 2 Regional will be held close to us, and hosted by our friends NJIPMS in 2009. I’ll pass along more information and add it to the calendar shortly. This is going to be a “must attend” event in 09, so I’ll pass along more info shortly, and add it to our next event calendar. I hope we as a region support those that support us when the sponsorship request arrives. There are many chapters in Region 2 that support our regional, and it’s most appropriate that we reciprocate. I’ll be sponsoring one as RC1, so at least consider it.

The Buffalo folks are working on the 2009 Noreastcon with their usual abandon!! Here’s the link to the show page. Check it early and often for the latest, greatest show info.
www.noreastcon2009.com

I understand some of the Region 5 chapters and their members have been taking a beating during the recent flooding. Let’s keep them in our thoughts and prayers while they undertake the difficult road to recovery in so many communities.

That’s the closing bell I hear in the background, so will end this mercifully!! As always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter!!

Semper Fi
Doug H.
RC-1

Bulletin: June, 2008

THE MINUTES
by Bobby the Blue
May was another great meeting with a turnout of 25 members, 2 guests bringing in 44 models for the contest and Phantom display.

MAY MEETING!!!
PARTS BOX NIGHT: We had a great selection of parts up for grabs, and grab many members did! Thanks to everyone who opened up their coffers of parts for the benefits of others!
PHIFTY YEARS OF PHABULOUS PHANTOMS: We had 33 Phantoms on display. Not too shabby! A beautiful display with a wonderful array of paint schemes.
Award Winners
Phancy Pheathers Phantom 1/48 F-4J, VF-31 Frank T.
Phaded Phantom 1/72 F-4S, VMFA 232 Ralph R.
Phully-Loaded Phantom 1/72 F-4D, USAF Frank C.

CONTEST NIGHT 2Q08: We had a rather light turnout for our second contest night of 2008 but the quality was top notch.
You can see pics from each meeting on Gordon’s blog:
http://gmobile17.blogspot.com/

On the agenda: June
PIZZA NIGHT: One of the oldest BPMS activities, and probably one of the favorites: PIZZA NIGHT! There are only a few rules about this, bring your appetite but not any guests. Please be sure your dues are in good standing, otherwise no grub.
WARSAW PACT THEME CONTEST
It’s here! The first theme contest night of 2008!

Theme Alert: WARSAW PACT
Heads up! The next theme contest will be THE WARSAW PACT!!! Get your Soviet kits out of the closet and build them. The sponsors will have some strict guidelines for this theme contest. This will be for the June meeting. And now a word from our sponsors:

WARSAW PACT THEME CONTEST
DATE: JUNE 20, 2008
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance of socialist states in Central and East Europe. The Warsaw Pact served to counter the potential threat from the NATO alliance. The Alliance began on May 14, 1955 and ended July 1, 1991. The members of the alliance were Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union.

The Theme Contest is the Warsaw Pact 1955 to 1991. You can build kits from any of the Warsaw Pact members, used in that time period. You can build armor, vehicles, ships, figures, aircraft, helicopters, or anything you can come up with. All we ask is that all entries should be new built kits. Any old off the shelf models should be display only.
Sponsored by Comrades: Jimmy T, Jeff E, James M

Our Location: Bergen Beach Sports Complex

From Belt Pkwy: Take exit 11N - Flatbush Avenue North. Go North on Flatbush Avenue and make a right onto Avenue U (Kings Plaza). Continue on Avenue U to Bergen Avenue; Make a right onto Bergen Avenue. Go straight on Bergen Avenue 3 blocks. Sports Complex on left.

Other Themes
With the first theme contest upon us, we have to look to December. Vinny presented the great idea of a 50th Anniversary Theme for NASA. Would you like to join in and sponsor this theme? Some other concepts we’ve kicked around are: Take One for the Team, New York, Alternate Realities, Things That Sweep / Swing, Go Big, Go Small, Extreme Modeling, and Things That Sting. There’s an anniversary for the Air Force and thirty years for Battlestar Galactica. There’s also an anniversary for Tet Offensive. Also, long time member Dave Cockrum passed away in late 2006. Years ago he was a part sponsor of a Humor In Modeling Theme Contest. We recently lost Art Gerber who was the IPMS Head Judge for Armor. Armor Theme, perhaps? Contact the officers if you want to help sponsor any of these contests.

ACTIVITIES: President Jimmy decided it was time for some discussions groups, as we kept it light last year. So here’s what we have coming up: July: Metal Finishes, panel to be determined. August: Resin Casting hosted by Matt. If you would like to organize a panel, join one, or have in idea for any activity, feel free to contact any of the officers.

Meeting Date: June 20th, 2008

June Theme Contest: The Warsaw Pact

Theme Alert: WARSAW PACT

Heads up! The next theme contest will be THE WARSAW PACT!!! Get your Soviet kits out of the closet and build them. The sponsors will have some strict guidelines for this theme contest. This will be for the June meeting. And now a word from our sponsors:

WARSAW PACT THEME CONTEST
DATE: JUNE 20, 2008

The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance of socialist states in Central and East Europe. The Warsaw Pact served to counter the potential threat from the NATO alliance. The Alliance began on May 14, 1955 and ended July 1, 1991. The members of the alliance were Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union.

The Theme Contest is the Warsaw Pact 1955 to 1991. You can build kits from any of the Warsaw Pact members, used in that time period. You can build armor, vehicles, ships, figures, aircraft, helicopters, or anything you can come up with. All we ask is that all entries should be new built kits. Any old off the shelf models should be display only.

Sponsored by Comrades: Jimmy T, Jeff E, James M


Here's some background from Answers.com:
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was created by the Soviet Union on 14 May 1955 as a political‐military alliance of European Communist states to counter the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), particularly the entry of West Germany into NATO in 1955. Officially called the Warsaw Treaty Organization, the original eight members were Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. However, unlike NATO, the Warsaw Pact was a multinational rather than a multilateral military defense organization.

Following Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprising in October 1956, Moscow reduced the influence of the pact's governing body, the multinational Political Consultative Council (PCC), and
tightened its own central control. In the subsequent strains, some southern‐tier nations withdrew: Albania, which supported China in the Sino‐ Soviet split, stopped military cooperation in 1961 and left the pact in 1968 (following the invasion of
Czechoslovakia by the pact's forces). Romania excluded Soviet troops and refused to participate in military exercises after 1965.

The Soviet Union controlled the alliance, provided 80 percent of the manpower, and bore more than 90 percent of the pact's defense expenditures for forces, which in the early 1980s reached 5.4 million troops. The USSR alone had nuclear weapons and strategic forces, and all nuclear warheads were in Soviet custody.

With declining economies, the shift in Soviet policy under reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, and the increasing independence of the East European nations, the Warsaw Pact lost cohesion in the 1980s. In 1987–88, the pact's doctrine was changed from offensive defense to one that emphasized nonoffensive defense. Following a Soviet proposal in 1987, NATO and the Warsaw Pact agreed in 1990 to substantial reduction of forces.

In 1990, responding to popular demand and the ending of the Cold War, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia demanded the removal of Soviet troops and refused to participate in future military exercises. East Germany left the pact that year with German unification. The military structure was officially ended by the PCC in March 1991; the political organization was terminated in July 1991.

Pics from May Meeting