CatsTheme Contest

Gordon was so kind as to document all the entries and associated information about the entries for the CATS THEME CONTEST on his blog. Have a look here:

http://gmobile17.blogspot.com/2005/12/cats-theme-contest-reference.html#links

Happy Holidays

Have a Happy Holiday Season and we'll see you all in the New Year!

~Bob for the BPMS

Region 1 Update, 12/23/2005

Holiday Greetings one and all,

This will be the final update and Year End, Rear End Review for the year 2005, except if any news coming in between now and then.

To start, I hope everyone has sent in your charter renewals by this time. Time is dwindling to get this accomplished, and if you need help, let me know ASAP. Remember, chapters that have not renewed on time WILL be dropped from the insurance, so to ensure smooth, uninterrupted coverage, act now. Operators are standing by!!

Attached is the list of approved events for the coming year. If your chapters event isn't listed, and it's been approved, please contact me and I'll correct it right away. If your chapters event isn't on it, and it hasn't been approved yet, what are you waiting for? In my last update, I mentioned the fact that we see a good number of events really close together. If you'll note the current list, you'll see no less than six events planned for the month of April. This is the reason I've asked every chapter to look at their dates and try to spread things out. Six events in a month isn't cool, with the remainder of the year being quite sparse in terms of events. I know there are still events that need to be approved for the fall, and expect the usual suspects to come forward. But the bottom line is all six April events will suffer due to the tightness of the scheduling. I'll go on record as saying there will not be six events in the month of April for 07. I will not approve that many again. So I say to all chapters, do what you must to get these dates spread out somewhat. And please, don't leave it to me to mandate changes, lets all work together to get this situation sorted out with a high quality event schedule set for 07. Every chapter will benefit!!

As mentioned in an earlier Update, there will be a number of Constitutional amendments on tap in the coming year. Some are general housekeeping measure, while others may effect the way IPMS is operated. Look for a complete list after the first of the year, then vote on them during the time allotted. The future of our Society will be governed by how these are voted on. Check the web site for more information.

On a personal note, I'll be undergoing surgery on my right wrist for Carpal Tunnel on 16 January. The doctor has told me there will be a 3-4 week recovery period, and after that, I should be as good as new. Working a keyboard will be effected, so if you find you need the services of the RC, please call me, rather than send an e mail. 203 323 6442 I hope to get rehabbed and back on track as soon as possible. Then I can start thinking about having my left wrist done as well. It really sucks trying to build, and dropping tools and such on a regular basis.

Plus my hands falling asleep doesn't help!!

That about brings us to the end of this update. I hope of you and your families have a great Christmas and Holiday season, and you find good amounts of plastic, resin and brass in your stockings. Until next time, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!!
and as always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.

Semper Fi
Doug

IPMS/USA Region 1 Approved 2006 Event Dates

1 April 2006 RepLIcon
IPMS Long Island

2 April 2006 Valleycon
IPMS Wings and Wheels

2 April 2006 MASSCAR
IPMS MASSCAR

9 April 2006 Buffcon
IPMS Niagara Frontier

22 April 2006 Can-Amcon
IPMS Champlain Valley

29 April 2006 Downeastcon
IPMS Maine

19/20 May 2006 Noreastcon
IPMS Wings and Wheels, Patriot, Bay Colony and Granite State

15 October 2006 Granitecon
IPMS Granite State

22 October 2006 Syrcon
IPMS Syracuse

As of 23 December 2005

Model of the Year Competition

Model of the Year Competition: This is the final throw down to see who reigns supreme in each category. The three models with the highest vote counts by different modelers gets to compete. It's a one time contest that will be taking place during the January, 2006 meeting that the members vote on. Here’s the list:

Air

Hugh A. – P-47D, 4Q

Frank C. – Mirage III 5-P, 2Q

Nestor M. – DC-6, 1Q

Armor

Jimmy T. – Marder III, 2Q

Frank T. – M4 Sherman, 2Q

John I. – M60, 1Q

Figure

Kay C. – Lara Croft, 2Q

Russ H. – Motorcyclist. 4Q

John I. – German Tanker, 1Q

Sea

Adrian D. – USS Indianapolis, 2Q

Charlie N. – U Boat, 1Q

Phil B. – Monitor, 3Q

Sci - Fi

Jeff E. – Civet Grav Tank, 2Q

Ray K. – Republic Star Destryer, 4Q

Bobby P. – Desert Zaku. 4Q

Misc

Bobby P. – Godzilla SD, 1Q

Russ H. – Dr. Zira, 3Q

Petey S. - Lego Fort, 4Q

Cats Theme Contest, December 2005

CATS THEME CONTEST: Sponsored by Adrian, Russ, and Jeff. We had quite an incredible turnout for this one. And the winners were:

Gold: Jimmy T, Tiger I
Silver: Ray K, Tiger I
Bronze: Kevin B, Sabre Cat

HM: Frank C, F-5E
Frank T, Hellcat F-6F/3N
Ralph R, Hellcat F-6F/3N
Maria R, F8F Bearcat
Dan M, Leopard

Special Theme Awards

Coolest Cat: Bobby P, Catwoman

Craziest Cat: Russ H, Catapult

BPMS Annual Contest Winners: 2005

The AWARDS CEREMONY was during the December "Holiday Dinner" Meeting. It was a good year for competition. Here are your winners:

AIR
1st: Hugh A.
2nd: Frank C.
3rd: Nestor M.
HM: Adrian D., Charlie N., Ralph R.

ARMOR
1st: Jimmy T.
2nd: Dan M.
3rd: Frank T.
Tie: Kevin B.
HM: John., Ray K.

FIGURE
1st: Kay C.
2nd: Russ H.
3rd: John I.

SEA
1st: Phil B.
2nd: Charlie N.
3rd: Adrian D.
HM: Petey S.

SCI FI
1st: Jeffrey E.
2nd: Ray K.
3rd: Bobby P.
HM: Gordon C.

Misc
1st: Bobby P.
2nd: Russ H.
3rd: Petey S.
HM: Dan M.

MOST POPULAR ENTRY
1Q: Charlie N. - U Boat
2Q: Adrian D. -USS Indianapolis
3Q: Kay C. - Felcia
4Q: Hugh A. - P-47 D

TOP GUN AWARD 2005: Kay C.

Dragon kits and PE sets for sale!!!!!

Season’s Greeting!

Dear fellow hobbyist,

I am an IPMS member who running an online hobby shop, only specializing on Dragon/DML plastic kits and Voyager & KMY PE sets. I import them directly from the Far East so some of them are not available in the US.

You are sincerely invited to take a look to my little shop at www.FarEastHobby.com and I will highly appreciate that if you could tell your club members about my shop (they may be looking for something which is not available in their nearby hobby shop, or even in the US). To thank you, I will free ship any order $100 or above. Furthermore, you can take an additional 10% off on every order $200 or above from my low-already prices.

As a hobbyist myself, I understand that you are expecting No Inflated Postage, Mint-in-Box kits, Easy to Order and Fast Shipment. You can expect all these from my little www.FarEastHobby.com !

Any question please feel free to drop me a line at webmaster@FarEastHobby.com

Thank you in advance and Happy Modeling!

Kit Lam (#43382)

www.FarEastHobby.com

15951 Via Paro, San Lorenzo, CA 94580-2443

This just in from Doug RC1

I receieved this just this morning from John Noack, IPMS 1st Vice Presdent. If anyone has any questions as to why we need to support our troops, the answer is within this e mail from Captain Wallace. Thanks to eveyone that has taken part in providing our troops overseas a small respite from the daily grind.

Semper Fi
Doug

Every once in a while something happens that makes an otherwise cruddy day into a much better one. The following email is a letter from a US Army Captain stationed in Iraq at Ft. Tall Afar. Captain Wallace wrote me a few weeks ago to ask if I could assist in getting some modeling kits and supplies to his troops - they had been recent victims of two suicide bombings along with all the "normal" stuff (if that's even an appropriate word) that happens in a combat zone. Anyway, I made some contacts inside and outside IPMS and, as you might expect, people opened their hearts, their wallets, their model stash, and their stockrooms. To those of you who were involved, or continue to support this activity - thank you very much indeed. If you've not been involved and would like to do so, please contact me here, or at jnoack@ipmsusa.org.

Let CAPT Wallace tell the rest of the story:


From:
To: John Noack
Subject: Happy Belated Thanksgiving Day!
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:52:13 +0300

Hello Mr. Noack and IPMS friends,

Just to update you on the clubs activities so far.

Thanksgiving Day was a slow day for us; almost a day off. Our friends in the Iraqi mess hall prepared a great, traditional meal complete with turkey and all the trimmings. Later that evening we were able to watch a little football on the Armed Forces Network (AFN) TV. The day before we received a logistics convoy with a truck load of mail and I'm happy to say that there were several boxes addressed to the Ft. Tall Afar Hobby Club. Me and a few other guys opened the boxes and inventoried them and found a lot of great kits, building supplies, paints, candy, snacks, magazines, books, and even Christmas decorations from just about every corner of our beloved USA. We ran out of room on our shelves and began stacking kits on a set of bunk beds. The hobby club was off to a great start.

It is hard to keep good news a secret here and later that day soldiers got wind that we had a stash of models and wanted to know if they could get a few. I was trying to hold off until we were better supplied with paints and such so they'd have what they needed. But then I thought, what the heck? This is a holiday, and almost like a day off, so we opened up the club "unofficially." Once the word was out, all sorts of guys came down to check out the hobby club. When the guys entered the room they were dumbfounded and awestruck. They wanted to know where all this stuff had come from.

I told them that everything in the room had been sent from people back home that supported their soldiers. Several seemed overwhelmed by the true display of support manifested by the stacks of kits. Then, once they recovered, they were looking through the kits, finding just the right one. It was beautiful! Now, we have guys throughout the fort, building models like crazy. We showed a few of them to the Iraqi soldiers and our interpreters and they are ready to start building too. So, it looks like a new country will learn the true joys of modeling thanks to the forces of democracy. Pretty neat, huh??

Model building here is not just a hobby; it's good therapy. Time and time again, guys have come up to me and told me how much they enjoy modeling. They say that when they are building models, they are no longer in Iraq, at least mentally, and they are actually able to relax. Sharing in the model building experience has also helped the various units here to develop closer working relationships and develop personal friendships. I can't find the words to express the gratitude for all the support that everyone in the IPMS community has shown us. It is truly moving.

In the future, I will try to add some pictures to the emails so you all can see our progress and all the wonderful projects that we have going on. Thanks to each and everyone of you for your wonderful support. You have deeply enriched our lives and have given us a great way to spend our free time. We are in your debt.

Many Thanks,

Dave Wallace

Region 1 Post-Thanksgiving Update and Antacid

Region 1
Post-Thanksgiving Update and Antacid

Greetings everyone,

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, and found the strength to push yourselves away from the table before your belly busted!! We had a nice day with 13 friends and family gathered around the table. First off, I need to apologize for the timing of this update. I had been hoping to have it in your hands two weeks ago, but am having problems with my home computer, and most still need to be resolved. Now, on to the update.

The first topic I’d like to cover is the Region 1 Mini-business meetings that were held this past fall. I’d really like to thank IPMS Syracuse and Bay Colony for allowing me the opportunity to host these get together’s at their events. Both were well attended, and provided a forum for me to spread the latest news, and hear what’s going on in and around the region. I’d also like to thank the many chapter reps that took time from their day to attend. It was really nice to see some faces I don’t normally see at the meeting at Noreastcon, and my plan is to continue these in the future. We covered quite a bit of ground during both meetings, and I’ll recap what we talked about.

The rechartering materials have been sent out to all chapters, and the emphasis this year is to get everything back to our DLC Jack Kennedy correctly in as short a time as practical. We’ll be seeing a change in leadership in IPMS, with Jack taking over the Presidency from Dave Morrisette, and my counterpart in Region 6 Dick Montgomery, assuming the duties of DLC. In order to make a smooth transition, all chapters are being urged to get their rechartering materials back quickly. As always, if your chapter hasn’t received the materials, or your having any difficulty please contact me right away so we can work to get you rechartered.

As I mentioned, the leadership in the Society is about to undergo change. Besides the change with Jack and Dick, John Noack will retain the position of 1st Vice President, and Ron Bell will also be staying as 2nd VP. New additions to the E Board will see John (JD) Corley in as Secretary, and Jim Woody in the Historian slot. Both are new to the board, and given their commitments to IPMS should be great additions to the board. All board members are fine gentlemen, and I look forward to working with all of them.

We can also expect to see numerous proposed amendments to the IPMS Constitution and By Laws in the coming year. Many will be “housekeeping” measures to update language, but some will undoubtedly serve to affect the membership as a whole. All proposals will be posted on the IPMS web site when properly reviewed by the appropriate committee, then will be voted upon in the coming year. I can’t comment on what proposals have been received as I haven’t seen them all, but will urge all IPMS members to vote on them during the voting period. The future of our Society rests on them.

Future Noreastcon’s were discussed briefly. The 06 version will see us in Marlboro Mass with our hosts IPMS Wings and Wheels, Granite State, Bay Colony, and Patriot chapters. John Nickerson gave us an update at the Baycon Meeting. The web site for the 06 event is now active, and you can get all your Noreastcon info at www.ipmsnoreastcon2006.com Planning for our great event is continuing, and John said we can expect another fine event. I’d also like to begin my yearly pleas for sponsorships at the show. Check the web site for information regarding how to sponsor. Future Noreastcon’s are in the planning stages, with 07, 08 and 09 being considered by potential hosts. I hope to be able to make an announcement for the 07 event in the not to distant future. I’ve been working with a group to put a bid together, and while I won’t mention the who, what, or where, just yet, I’ll whet everyone’s appetite by saying if everything works out, we’ll be in an area I don’t recall ever visiting for the Regional, and our hosts are working on a dynamite event. More details will follow, so stay tuned…

Back on the National front, IPMS 1st VP John Noack is working really hard on the Reviewers Corps project. John really beat the bushes at this years nationals in Atlanta lining up new manufactures that are willing to participate in this great program. If you haven’t heard of the Reviewers Corps, a brief explanation is it’s a program where IPMS members are given the opportunity to receive and review some of the best new modeling products on the market. If anyone is interested in participating as a reviewer, contact John at jnoack@ipmsusa.org for the entire scoop. It’s a very cool program. I’ve been a Corps member for a few years, and have had the opportunity to review some wonderful products. Current IPMS President Dave will assist John in this area after his term as President is over. Dave will bring a level of expertise to the program that is most welcome and will certainly benefit the Society greatly.

I also mentioned that all chapters should consider nominations for our annual awards Region 1 Chapter of the Year, and Person of the Year. The deadline for submitting nominations for 05 will be 1 March 2006, and will be presented at Noreastcon, as always. We have fantastic chapters and individuals here in Region 1, and each chapter should consider submitting something for each award. While I hear what some are saying about not wanting to toot their own horns, I have to ask, who’s going to do it if not yourselves? I’ll need each nomination in writing by the 1 March date for consideration. Some regions have gone to a point system for determining Chapter of the Year, and I’ve been really hesitant to use such a system, as I prefer to receive nominations from the floor, so please make an attempt to get one in to me.

At Baycon, a member came to me and offered a suggestion to help promote the hobby, and the local chapter that needs to be passed along. It’s such a cool idea, and I’m sorry I forgot who mentioned it to me so I can’t give the credit that’s due to the person who mentioned it. I hope whoever it was will contact me with their mane, and I’ll pass it along to y’all. Anyway, we all go to places that have a waiting room. Doctor’s offices, auto repair establishments and the like are all good candidates to name a few. When you find the need to wait, bring a modeling magazine with you to read, then when you leave, leave the magazine there for others to read and expose them to our hobby. One other thing that can be dome is to leave a short blurb, along with contact information on your chapter.. in the magazine. There may be others that want to get involved with the hobby and your chapter who may not know what we as a Society have to offer. This is an excellent way to spread the word, and of course I’d recommend the Journal as the publication to leave, but of course I’m a bit biased in that regard!!

We talked a little about a new Region that is being proposed in the mid part of the country. Portions of regions 5, 6 and possibly 3 will make up what is being called Region 12. The alignment of all regions and chapters will be addressed after the new year is underway. I don’t foresee any major changes to our region at this time, but all will be looked at.

One topic for conversation that could be controversial is the scheduling of our shows. When we look at the calendar of events for Region1, we see clumps of shows clustered around certain times of the year, and long stretches of time with no events at all. I’m asking all chapters that host an event to look at the overall schedule, and consider possibly moving their event to give us a schedule that gives space to other events, doesn’t have more than one event on a particular weekend, spreads out our events over a longer period of time. At this point, any weekend that has two events do not effect one another due to distances involved, so that isn’t an issue. And while I understand the reasoning behind when our events have been held in the past, and the determining factors of weather, vacations and traditional dates for events, I feel we need to do a better job in spacing the events out. It this time, I’m asking for a voluntary look by all chapters, and I will not disapprove any event that doesn’t comply with this request. I’m just asking everyone to look at what I’m talking about, and see if another date will suit their needs as well as the dates currently in use. Like I said, this could prove to be quite controversial, and I hope like anything it doesn’t become so.

That just about covers both meetings. As I said before, I’m planning to make these regular features in our Region. I feel it’s very important to keep good lines of communication open between the chapters and myself, as my job is based on communication between the chapters and individuals that make up our region and the national board. Besides, I really like getting together with everyone to say hey, find out what’s happening, and pass along the latest greatest news. I had planned to add the schedule of approved events to this update, but given the fact I’ve gotten long winded again, (Sorry!!) I’ll forgo that until the next update.

So until next time, please enjoy the upcoming holidays, and while you’re at it, keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. They’re doing an exceptional job under the most difficult of circumstances. And as always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.

Semper Fi
Doug Hamilton
RC-1

Holiday Dinner Update!

The BPMS Holiday Dinner will be IN HOUSE ON DECEMBER 9th, 2005, a week early.

The dinner is $17 each, or $30 per couple.

No one gets to eat until their obligation is paid for.

Donations for relief

The American Red Cross is always a good place to make your charitable donations:

http://www.redcross.org/

Bulletin: November 2005

THE MINUTES

The October meeting was another quiet meeting due to the weather. Are we headed back to the days of foul weather every third Friday of the month again? We had plenty of people bringing in all sorts of goodies.

OCTOBER MEETING!!!

WORK IN PROGRESS NIGHT: This has become a very fun activity. People brought in all sorts of goodies and enlightened the group on some techniques and tricks. Thanks guys!

NOMINATIONS: As if!!! We’re not letting Vinny and Jimmy off that easily. They have another year to go, so the nominations went by in record time!

WEATHERED, WORN, AND WORKING: Frank C. thought it would be a good idea to have a Memorial Theme Contest with Captain Bart Holmes in mind. This will be discussed more during upcoming meetings.

On the agenda: November

CONTEST NIGHT: This is the final installment of the annual contest; your last chance to rack up votes for the year.

SUPER RAFFLE: An annual favorite. For each NEW model you’ve displayed you got credit for one Super Raffle ticket. If you didn’t fill out and submit the proper paperwork, then you won’t get what’s coming to you. If you have stuff you’d like to donate, bring it in and well add it to the haul. This is always a lot of fun to see who gets what and who needs a wheelbarrow to get it all out.

Our Current 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.

http://www.bbyosports.com/

THEME FOR DECEMBER, 2005

For December we have a CATS theme. Adrian, Russ, and Jeff have agreed to sponsor that one. Anything having to do with Cats will do. That includes any kind of cat in the name, etc. Panzers, Hellcats, Tomcats, and special paint schemes that depict leopard spots or tiger stripes are good too. If you have questions, ask the sponsors at the meetings. In an official memo from the sponsors:

Build any kit that is from the “CAT” family or has “CAT” in it’s name. Please do not dust off and bring a kit that has already won at another theme contest.

ONCE AGAIN...
NOVEMBER MEETING:

SUPER RAFFLE!!!
BRING IN ANYTHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO DONATE FOR THE RAFFLE ON THAT NIGHT.


CONTEST NIGHT:
THE FINAL QUARTERLY CONTEST NIGHT OF 2005.



>>>PLEASE NOTE!!!<<<

DECEMBER MEETING:
*Exact date to be announced*
(likely December 9th or 16th)

HOLIDAY DINNER WILL BE IN HOUSE AT THE BBSC. $17 per person, or
***new*** $30 per couple!

*** CATS THEME CONTEST ***
Build any kit that is from the “CAT” family or has “CAT” in it’s name. Please do not dust off and bring a kit that has already won at another theme contest.

IPMS/USA October E-mail Update

Hi everyone,
This just in from President Dave.

Semper Fi
Doug

Hi Fellow IPMSers:

Fall is passing and with that comes all the great fall contests and for many, more building time. There is also lots going on in IPMS.

First, both the election for officers is over and the proposed CBL amendment.

The election was unopposed and the winners are (obviously) President- Jack Kennedy, 1st VP- John Noack, 2nd VP- Ron Bell, Secretary- Jim Corley, HPD- Jim Woody and DLC- Dick Montgomery

The amendment passed which allows the residing E-board to change the charter renewal fees. The above mentioned board will have that decision to make during the 2007 recharter.

Thanks to our friends at Finescale Modeler, the word about IPMS went out via there mailing list and you can see the results below- 160 new members in about 2 days. This shows that we need to get the word out more often and if we do, then we can grow even more.

Last for me- remember all those naysayers asking "What's in IPMS for me?" Well, thanks to SAM Publications, you can save about $20 off the subscription to their magazines as an IPMS member. In other words, 75% of you membership fee is back if you go with the offer. If this works, we can look to other magazines and from there who knows. People have been trying to bury IPMS for years and the last year has shown just how viable we are- from our relationship with manufacturers leading to IPMS first reviews to then largest modeling convention in the world (Thanks again Atlanta!!!!!) to our ever growing web site, we are not even close to done. For the rest that just elect to attend our shows, I guess we'll just have to be content taking in their money for our clubs and contests.

Now, on to the updates and there is a LOT!!



John Noack- 1st Vice President


* Dave Morrissette has begun assisting me in industry liaison. Dave will focus on our IMMA relationship, review follow-ups with our suppliers, and new review sources, while I will maintain Reviewers Corps activities, Make-n-Take support, and the Supporting Our Troops program. More later...
* Several new suppliers of products for on-line reviews this time around. Please watch for these on the website. We've continued the multi-supplier reviews (build the basic kit but enhance it with aftermarket details) that allows us to feature multiple products simultaneously and give our members and guests to the website a chance to see the aftermarket stuff actually used on the kit.
* I'd like to take a moment to stress that our online reviews are unique; in just about every case you'll see a BUILD review, not just an in-box review.
* We've been working with Kalmbach Publications for some time trying to find ways we can continue to mutually support our hobby. If you look at FineScale Modeler's content,you'll see a lot of coverage of IPMS/USA events; sometimes even models you see at a contest become feature articles in FSM. Well, I'm pleased to tell you that last month we brokered an arrangement with the good folks at Kalmbach, allowing us to send out a one-time invitation letter to their electronic subscriber database. As a result of this initiative, we picked up over 150 new members in a 2-week period! (See MJ's section for the latest!) We will continue to explore other means and media to reach out to potential members. To those of you reading this who joined us after getting my e-letter, a warm welcome aboard. Please help us make this YOUR Society by getting involved as a chapter member and/or on an individual basis...and have fun, build something!


Ron Bell- 2nd Vice President

* Mailed out bid info for '08 to eastern chapters
* Finishing up first section of Convention How-To project
* Manning IPMS/USA table at Scale Model World
* Featured speaker at IPMS/UK annual banquet

Jack Kennedy- Director of Local Chapters


* Updating Dick Montgomery as to the progress of the charter renewals.
* As of today, 10/22/05, I have 21 renewals with two new chapters.

MJ Kinney- Office Manager


* V17J6 of the journal went in the mail a week earlier than usual and mailed to 4340 members. The post office advised us that there was no mail delivery to zip codes beginning with 369,393,394,395,396,700,701 and 704 because of hurricane Katrina. This involved 31 members - I have heard from 4 with alternate addresses and will send the journal to the other members once I hear from them regarding an address.
* To date this year we have 723 new members. 188 of these have joined since September 23rd when the FSM email was sent out. Of these 188, I estimate that 160 of these are as a result of the email. I have no way to track the exact number, only by the surge in email applications that came in 2-3 days !! We also realized several members that rejoined. This obviously was a great marketing tool for IPMS/USA.
* New member lists went out to the RC's this past week, so they can contact these members and extend our welcome to them.
* For those chapters that would like to avoid the rush - I am taking requests for event insurance coverage for 2006. I will request the insurance January 15, 2006 and should have the Certificates 2-3 weeks after that.
* As always, any questions or concerns are always welcome. And my wish to all for a wonderful Holiday.


Glen Broman- Director of Foreign Liaison


*
We are up to 12 active SIG's. Black Swamp Modelers, Captured Aircraft SIG, Commercial Aircraft SIG, CVN SIG, Fire Bomber SIG, Heavy Haulers, Racing and Record aircraft SIG, SF and Fantasy SIG, TWM: Two Wheeled Modelers, Vacuform and Resin kits SIG, WarWheels: The Armored Car – Wheeled Fighting Vehicle SIG, and the What If? SIG.
*
We are looking for a sponsor for the P-47 SIG and the Fleet Air Arm SIG. We have lost contact with both of them and are looking for a POC or someone interested in restarting them. The Seaplane SIG is currently dormant per the SIG leaders request. He hopes to restart it some time in the future.
*
All of the SIG information and POC's are listed on the IPMS USA web page thanks to Patrick Keenan and Bob Hester. Anyone interested in starting or joining a SIG can contact me at grbroman@aol.com.

Bob Hester- Webmaster

*
New Domain Server- A second server has been activated under the Domain Name ipmsusa2.org. With the addition of this server, our total storage capacity has increased to a total of 7GB (up from our original capacity of 1GB). All graphic-intensive features of the website will be relocated to this server. Associate Webmaster Dick Montgomery reports that all of the “Walkaround” features will be resident on this server by mid-November 2005, and “Event Gallery” entries will be added through the course of their normal rotation. We will be working to relocate all Kit and Product Reviews to this server as well. The net result for IPMS/USA is that we will be able to display a much greater volume of features, and leave them available for longer periods of time.
*
SIG Listings- At the request of the Director Foreign Liaison Glen Broman, a database-driven list and display system has been implemented to publish information for all IPMS-sanctioned Special Interest Groups. This system is maintained online in real time via web browser, currently by Mr. Broman and his designee, Mr. Patrick Keenan. The system displays a public listing of the groups by modeling category, with descriptions & contact information. The administrative functions are password-protected and access is limited to individuals assigned by the Internet Coordinator at the direction of the Director Foreign Liaison. Twelve (12) groups were initially included on the SIG List at the time of its activation on September 10, 2005. This page is linked from the “Member Services” main page and our “Groups and Contests” main menu.
*
2005 Convention DVD Promotion-At the direction of 1st Vice President John Noack, published a promotional feature for a series of DVD’s being produced by Dennis Koleber, from films he took at the 2005 National Convention. A promotional page was posted on the website throughout the month of September 2005; this page included a dynamic, database-driven survey form in which all viewers (not limited to IPMS/USA Members) could submit their name and Email address in order to receive product information from the publisher at such time the DVD’s are ready for production. 134 Viewers responded to the survey, and the data collected was transmitted to Mr. Koleber in MS-Excel and plain text formats. Mr. Koleber has informed us that he will be emailing each of the respondents the product and order information.
*
SAM IPMS/USA Promotion-At the direction of 1st Vice President John Noack, the Internet Coordinator published a promotional feature for SAM Publications, featuring their current special discount offer for IPMS/USA Members. The feature is currently linked from the Home Page of our website.
*
Dedicated National Contest Committee Area-At the request of NCC Chief Judge Aris Pappas, the Internet Coordinator is developing a new area on the website for NCC activities. The prototype is almost completed. When activated, the initial pages featured will include: “What’s New at the NCC”, “Contest Rules”, “Contest Categories”, “Competition Handbook”, and an “NCC Member Directory”. It is expected that additional pages and/or features will be added in the future.
*
IPMS/USA E-Books- A new “Value Added” feature is currently under development for our Membership. Due to the growing popularity of handheld PDA’s and SmartPhones, the Internet Coordinator has acquired authoring software which will enable the compilation of an “E-Book” library of IPMS/USA Subjects. The files require Palm E-Reader software (a basic version can be downloaded free of charge, a premium version may be purchased online for $9.95) and are compatible with Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds. PC-based versions of the E-Reader software are also available for both Microsoft and Macintosh systems. Access to the E-Books will be limited to current IPMS/USA Members only, requiring the standard Username/Password log-in. The first topics to be released will be 1) The IPMS/USA Constitution and By-Laws, 2) The IPMS/USA Competition Handbook, 3) The IPMS/USA 2006 National Contest Categories and Rules. We are targeting release of this feature for sometime in November 2005.

Dave Morrissette
Presdient, IPMS/USA

Eye tutorial

Click on pic for larger version

This is from a gent in Hawaii, and a seller on ebay. On the hobby forums he's known as Masa. I hope his eye tutorial for figures helps you out. Just because it's animation, doesn't mean the same skills can't be used on other types.

A great resource for srcibing panel lines

I found this link in a hobby forum:

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/rescribingda_1.htm

Bulletin: October 2005

T H E
M I N U T E S

by Bobby the Blue

The September meeting was another quiet meeting. We had 26 members and one guest bringing in 13 models.

SEPTEMBER MEETING!!!

CAPTAIN BART HOLMES: A couple days before the September meeting we received word of Bart’s passing. Find a special write upby Frank Colucci here:

http://bpmsclub.blogspot.com/2005/09/bart-holmes-master-modeler-master.html

FAVORITE MODEL NIGHT: Several members brought in their favorite models, built and unbuilt. We got to hear some interesting tales on each. Thanks everyone!

HOLIDAY DINNER: We have a plan! Apparently the group would rather NOT go out for any kind of food, so we voted for the usual. We will be having the Holiday Dinner INHOUSE. It’ll be mostly cold platters. If you would like to contribute some other foods, please contact the officers so we may better coordinate. We usually have an abundance of desserts. That’s not a problem. But if anyone would like to pitch in something in the way of hot food, it would be greatly appreciated. This location can accommodate anything you can imagine.

PIZZA NIGHT 2006??? It’s been kicked around, and we might make it happen. In 2006 we might break tradition and replace PIZZA NIGHT with BBQ NIGHT! Imagine how many people will come out of the woodwork for that!

On the agenda: October

WORK IN PROGRESS NIGHT: This has become a very fun activity. Do you have some kits in progress on your workbench? Grab some and bring them to the next meeting. Be prepared to tell the group a couple words about your work. You can also show some tools and tricks you’re trying out. No limits on the fun!

NOMINATIONS: As if! !! We’re not letting Vinny and Jimmy off that easily. They have another year to go, but we’ll go through the motions anyway.

Our Current 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.

http://www.bbyosports.com/

THEME FOR DECEMBER, 2005

For December we have a CATS theme. Adrian, Russ, and Jeff have agreed to sponsor that one. Anything having to do with Cats will do. That includes any kind of cat in the name, etc. Panzers, Hellcats, Tomcats, and special paint schemes that depict leopard spots or tiger stripes are good too. If you have questions, ask the sponsors at the meetings. In an official memo from the sponsors:

Build any kit that is from the “CAT” family or has “CAT” in it’s name. Please do not dust off and bring a kit that has already won at another theme contest.

Norma Holmes thanks BPMS

This sent over from Frank C. Today:

Dear Modelers,

Thank you for your kind expression of sympathy in the flowers you sent. They were beautiful, and I thank you for it.

Bart enjoyed his many years in the club and felt badly when his poor eyesight prevented him from continuing to build ship models.

May your club continue for many years, and give you all a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Sincerely,

Norma Holmes.

BPMS News from Joe

This is right out of the BPMS Email box:

I was up at Hagerstown, MD for the region 2 show. BPMS member Hugh Alcock won 2 trophies. Sadly I didn't write what categories of praces. Former member Eric Reinert won 3 trophys. There were no other members of BPMS there. Joe Turner

A cool IPMS only offer

This just in from the RC1:

Just in from President Dave, an exciting new offer exclusively for IPMS members. SAM Publications is now offering 20% discounts to all IPMS/USA members on their magazines and other publications. This is an offer that only IPMS members can enjoy, and your membership will be verified to receive this benefit. To get more information on this fantastic deal, check the link below.

Please share this with the officers and members of your chapter. They'll want to get in on it too!!!!!!

http://www.ipmsusa.org/SAMpromo.htm

Semper Fi
Doug

RC1 Update: 09/30/2005

Greetings again,

This will be really short!!

The most common question I've been getting the past few days related to the mini-meetings planned for this fall. The answer is yes, there will be two mini-meetings this fall. The first will be held at Syrcon in Syracuse NY on 16 September for all the chapters in the western end of the region. The second one will be held at Baycon on 6 November for all the out-easterners. My sincere thanks to IPMS Syracuse and Bay Colony for allowing me to do these at their events. I hope each chapter in the region sends at least one rep to the meeting closest to them. Or send a rep to both, then compare notes. But do come on down!!

I'm happy to say that all the rechartering materials have gone out to all chapters, and should be in your hands by now.

Please, make it a point to fill it out, and get it back as soon as you can. As IPMS will have new officers in place at the first of the year, it's more imperative that this task accomplished with as much speed and accuracy as possible. It's hoped that all rechartering is complete before our next DLC Dick Montgomery takes office.

On a related note, please be sure to vote in the current IPMS National election. Make your voice heard. It's easy to do by checking into the IPMS web site and following the link.

On CBS News Tuesday night was a report on the on going battle relating to licensing fees charged the kit manufacturers by the defense contractors. In case you missed it, it can be viewed at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml

IPMS is playing a role in this issue, and we all need to keep the pressure on our elected officials to let them know how we feel about the issue. If they hear from enough of us, they'll have to take notice. As I've said before, contact your reps in Washington, and let them know, civilly of course, that we're tired of being ripped off!!

That's it for now. Hope to see a good number at the mini-meetings. And as always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.

Semper Fi
Doug

FYI: Scale Model Index

Bob G. sent me this link:

http://www.scalemodelindex.com/

You'll find anything you need there!

BART HOLMES – MASTER MODELER, MASTER MARINER

(click for larger version)

BART HOLMES – MASTER MODELER, MASTER MARINER
1918 – 2005

Bart Holmes passed away early on September 14 at the age of 87. He died peacefully at home, in his den, surrounded by the models, awards, pictures, certificates, and memorabilia that summarized his very full life.

Bart was one of the early members of the Brooklyn Plastic Modelers Society, one of the guys who first met in Bert Berg’s Clothes Horse dress shop on Kings Highway around 1973. He served a term as BPMS President at Marcy Studios and attended meetings when the Club enjoyed the hospitality of the Ryan Center at Floyd Bennett Field.

Bart was a skilled and prolific modeler who supplemented his love of ships with armor, aircraft, and dioramas. He built the history he loved so much with a modelers’ precision and an artist’s license, carefully posing warships in grimy dry-docks and military figures in realistic fortifications. His basement workshop was a friendly place full of tools, finished models, and always a new project underway.

Growing up as the son of a former Navy diver on Staten Island, Bart always wanted to go to sea. He left home at 16 as a merchant seaman and went on to a wartime commission at the U.S. Maritime Service Officer Candidate School at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut. With ongoing study, he earned a string of demanding sea qualifications equal to any advanced academic degree. Bart Holmes literally navigated around the world and truly loved his life at sea. Bart was an expert on the naval battles of World War One and Two.

In the Second World War, Bart sailed tankers and Liberty Ships across the Atlantic and the Pacific. He was torpedoed by German U-Boats three times and returned each time to another convoy or solo run. He was nearly shot by Japanese holdouts in the final days of World War II. After the war, he remained with the United Fruit Company sailing cargo to Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia and was part of the commercial sealift to supply US forces in Vietnam.

Bart attained his long-time goal to captain his own ship shortly before his retirement in the early 1970s. It was aboard ship that he started model building, first in wood before the advent of plastic kits.

Bart was a vocal patriot and a lifelong Staten Islander. Beneath the bluster of a crotchety sea captain, he was a remarkably intelligent, sensitive, funny man. He read constantly, adored animals, and laughed hard and easily.

Bart Holmes is survived by his wonderful, dedicated wife of 54 years, Norma. He is remembered as a loyal and caring friend.

Bulletin: September 2005

T H E
M I N U T E S

by Bobby the Blue

The August meeting was a quiet but fun meeting. We had 23 members and one guest bringing in 26 models.

AUGUST MEETING!!!

CONTEST NIGHT 3RD QTR 2005 : This was the third installment of the annual contest. Many great works were presented and the competition was fierce. We’ll have to wait for November for the results!

SLIDE SHOW: Russ and Adrian had their pics from the Nationals. With the use of a couple laptop computers and we had some cool showings of models from the IPMS Nationals. Thanks guys!

On the agenda: September

FAVORITE MODEL NIGHT: No one remembers whose idea this was, but everyone agrees it’s brilliant! Bring in a kit from your collection that you LOVE! Built, unbuilt, both, doesn’t matter! Just bring it in and be prepared to tell the group a few words on why this is YOUR FAVORITE MODEL!

SWAP MEET: Bring in your goodies to sell and to trade, and don’t forget to bring some dollars to spend. You never know what will turn up!

HOLIDAY DINNER: Do we have a plan yet? If not, we better get started on one!

Our Current 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.

http://www.bbyosports.com/

THEME FOR DECEMBER, 2005

For December we have a CATS theme. Adrian, Russ, and Jeff have agreed to sponsor that one. Anything having to do with Cats will do. That includes any kind of cat in the name, etc. Panzers, Hellcats, Tomcats, and special paint schemes that depict leopard spots or tiger stripes are good too. If you have questions, ask the sponsors at the meetings. More details in another section of the Bulletin.

OTHER THEMES

Do you want to sponsor a theme in 2006? Some concepts we’ve kicked around are: Experimental, Take One for the Team, and Things That Suck. Contact the officers if you want to sponsor any of those or anything else for December. Also the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars is coming up. Right when all the kits are re-issued!

Region 1 Update: 09/14/2005

Greetings all,

Time for more news that chews!! I have some updated information to share, a few announcements, and other assorted items you may find interesting.

At long last, the results have been released from Atlanta. They can be viewed at:
http://www.ipmsusa2005.org/winner.cfm

When I went through them I noticed a good number of Region 1 people listed as winners, including a number of juniors. Congratulations to all the winners. With the high quality of work on display, everyone that was able to bring home some hardware really earned it. Bravo Zulu!!!

Chairman Paul Cotcher also offers an explanation as to the delay in getting the results posted. Check the IPMS web site discussion boards under the Atlanta Nationals section for further information. I think the problems encountered this year has shown that some standardization in the registration process from year to year needs to be adapted. I know these issues are being looked at in an effort to keep this from happening again in the future.

Every chapter should be receiving the rechartering packages from Jack shortly. I believe they'll be going out near the end of the month. If your chapter doesn't receive one by the middle of October, please let me know, and I'll get you the stuff you need promptly. And if you have any questions or need clarification on anything, just ask!! The important thing is to get your stuff back to Jack as quickly as you can.

The Constitutional amendment to allow the E Board to set the rechartering fee based on the cost of doing business received enough votes to make it a valid vote. Thanks to all that voted either on the web, or with paper ballot. The results was a positive vote on the proposal, so in the future the rechartering fee will be set by the E Board. I'm positive the cost will be going up, given it hasn't risen in a thousand years!!

At the tail end of this update is a listing of all Region 1 approved events, including what I have for 06. One thing I've noticed is that we have a bunch of events clustered around certain times of the year. When planning your event, please look at the schedule and see if it would be advantageous to move your event into a time frame further away from the surrounding events. I realize weather in the region plays an important in scheduling an event here in the Northeast, But I think if we can get a little more dispersion of events everyone will benefit. It's only a suggestion, and I'll ask all the chapters to at least consider it.

This fall the Region 1 Mini-business meetings will be back on the calendar. Two are scheduled to allow every chapter to send a rep to at least one. When I started these a couple of years ago, I only did one in the eastern end of the region. This year the meetings will be atSyrcon on October 16th for the Wild Western end of the region, and Baycon on November 6th for all the out-easterners. I'd like to thank the hosts IPMS Syracuse and IPMS Bay Colony for allowing me to set these up. The topics we'll discuss are whatever y'all bring to the table. They'll be very informal, and hopefully enlightening, but either way, we'll have some fun. Please plan to send a chapter rep to either or both meetings. These don't replace the formal meeting at Noreastcon, but are merely augments.

Speaking of Noreastcon!! John Nickerson, and the rest of the 06 Committee are hard at work getting everything ready for next May. While I haven't received an update from them, (It's way too early for that!!!) I have it on good authority they're on top of it. I know of one group that's looking into putting a bid together for 07, and have nothing for cooking for 08 and beyond. If your chapter is considering a future bid, let me know. I'll get you the sets of guidelines needed for putting a bid together.

I think that's the skinny, for now. If any more news comes my way, I'll pass it along. As always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter. See everyone at Syrcon and Baycon.

Semper Fi
Doug

Approved Region 1 Event Dates
(If I missed yours, and it's approved please let me know!!!)
Please check with the hosts for further information

September 18 2005, Rocon- IPMS Rochester NY
September 25 2005, IPMS Cape Cod Mass
October 9 2005, Model Festival - IPMS Stratford CT
October 16 2005, Granitecon - IPMS Granite State NH
October 16 2005, Syrcon - IPMS Syracuse NY & Region 1 Mini-meeting Western
October 22 2005, IPMS HVHMG/Mid Hudson NY
November 6 2005 Baycon - IPMS Bay Colony Mass & Region 1 Mini-meeting Eastern
November 12 2005 IPMS LIARS NY
April 1 2006, RepLIcon - IPMS Long Island NY
April 2 2006 IPMS MASSCAR
April 2 2006, Valleycon - IPMS Wings and Wheels Mass
April 9 2006, Buffcon - IPMS Buffalo NY
April 22 2006, CamAmcon - IPMS Champlain Valley NY
April 29 2006, Downeastcon - IPMS Maine
May 19-20 2006 Noreastcon - IPMS Wings and Wheels, Bay Colony, Granite State, & Patriot. Marlbough Mass
October 16 2006 Syrcon - IPMS Syracuse

Bulletin: August 2005

The Minutes!!!
by Bobby P.

The July meeting was a quiet but fun meeting. We had 24 members and two guests bringing in only 14 models.

JULY MEETING!!!

PHOTO ETCHED PARTS CLINIC : Hosted by Jimmy and Kevin. The two really went into detail on every aspect of these tricky parts. Thanks a lot guys for all the great tips and tricks you provided the group!

NEW MEMBER: Gordon Cheung was voted into the club . He found the club through an online message board. He brought in a GunPla WIP and some tasty cannolis! Welcome to the fold!

On the agenda: AUGUST

CONTEST NIGHT 3RD QTR 2005 : This is the third installment of the annual contest. You may bring in any model that hasn’t already been in a quarterly contest; that means you can bring in your entry from the last theme contest as long as it hasn’t been to a quarterly contest yet. Be sure to fill out your paperwork so people know to vote for you.

IPMS NATIONALS REVIEW : Hosted by Adrian and Russ. They were both at teh Nat's and took many pics, so they will let us know what the rest of us missed!

Our Current 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.

http://www.bbyosports.com/

THEME FOR DECEMBER, 2005

For December we have a CATS theme. Adrian, Russ, and Jeff have agreed to sponsor that one. Anything having to do with Cats will do. That includes any kind of cat in the name, etc. Panzers, Hellcats, Tomcats, and special paint schemes that depict leopard spots or tiger stripes are good too. If you have questions, ask the sponsors at the meetings. More details to come.

Bulletin: July 2005

June meeting, aka Pizza Night tends to bring members out of the woodwork. We had 23 members and one guest bringing in 26 models for a great theme contest night.

JUNE MEETING!!!

PIZZA NIGHT: More than 10 pies met their end at the meeting. Your humble narrator is responsible for consuming 9 slices alone. A new personal best, or is that really a new low? Either way, members always have fun on pizza night!

IN THE MOVIES: After months of anticipation, we finally had our theme contest. Ted and Phil sponsored “In The Movies” theme for the June meeting. About every interpretation of the theme was on display on the tables. The winners were:

HONORABLE MENTION
FRANK T: PANTHER
KEVIN B: FRANKENSTEIN
ISRAEL A: ROTJ DIORAMA
RUSS H: DR. ZIRA
RAY K: “SHERMAN TANK”
BOBBY P: EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS
JOHN M: JAMES BOND DIORAMA

THIRD PLACE
KEVIN B: GAMORREAN GUARD

SECOND PLACE

VINNY R: PT-109

FIRST PLACE
FRANK C: BLUE THUNDER

Congrats to the winners! Thanks to everyone who participated. An extra special thanks to the sponsors, without whom there would be no theme contest. Thanks to Ed D. for creating the beautiful awards. THANK YOU ALL!

On the agenda: JULY

PHOTO ETCHED PARTS CLINIC: Hosted by Jimmy, Adrian and Kevin. We can expect some educational in’s and out’s on working with photoetched parts. If anyone else would like to assist, just come to the meeting prepared to jump in!

From RC-1: G-III model

Hi all,

I received this today from Bobby Magina of Bay Colony. If you know anyone that may want to check into this, please pass it their way.

Thanks

Semper Fi
Doug

My name is Eileen Davie, and as I told you on the message I left on your work phone, I am contacting you via email to discern whether you might point me in the right direction for a specialized model maker.

I work for Phoenix Air (www.phoenixair.com) and one of the factions of the company's business is air ambulance. We are looking at getting a cutaway model of the Gulfstream III the company recently purchased to enable us to display it at trade shows, etc. The reason it needs to be cutaway is because we want to be able to show it in different air ambulance configurations (complete with model Spectrum stretchers), etc.

What we desire is a model approximately 2-1/2 feet long. The propellers do not need to turn and we won't need landing gear or anything like that.

Would you have some ideas on who or what company to contact? I'm sure your depth of contacts is much deeper than mine. The closest I've come to modeling is when I watched my brother when I was very young.

I appreciate anything you might be able to add to my scant knowledge.

Best regards,

Eileen Davie
Phoenix Air Group, Inc.
Cartersville, Georgia
770-387-2000

A special offer from Flex-I-File

Dear IPMS Members,

As a member of the West Michigan IPMS in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I would like to introduce myself and my Company. My name is Fred L. Shassberger and I have had a great time running Creations Unlimited Hobby Products located in Grand Rapids for over forty years.

We are the manufacturer of "Flex-I-File", "Flex-Pad", "Touch-N-Flow" and other products. If you want to erase parting lines and seams use our tools. If you want to change your models into museum quality pieces, then use our products.

Creations Unlimited Hobby Products would like to extend a 10% discount to all IPMS Members. All you need to do is go to our website at:

www.flex-i-file.com

Upon checkout, you will need to type in this Code number: 11268528 to receive your 10% discount automatically.

I am looking forward to hearing from all of the IPMS members.

Happy Modeling and Good Luck.

Yours Truly,

Fred L. Shassberger

P.S. If you have a modeling related web site, please feel free to add a link to www.flex-i-file.com.

RC-1: Update 7/1/05

Hi everyone,

This just in from President Dave, the latest news from the home office!!!

I'd just like to add the nationals start in about two weeks!! There'll be more news after the show.

Please share this with the officers and members of your chapter. Thanks!!!!!

Semper Fi
Doug

Hi Everyone:

• Less than a month until the greatest show in modeling, the IPMS/USA Atlanta Nationals and to say the least, it is going to be a really big show. The seminar schedule is up, the vendors are plentiful and DragonCon is right next door. There are new product announcements coming as well as kits available there first. Even if you can't make the entire show, it is worth a day just to buy browse and shop. Paul Cotcher and his crew have worked their tails off so stop by an tell them it is appreciated (it definitely is by the E-board)

• On another note, we have a constitutional amendment out for vote. Easiest 2 minutes you can spend is to vote on the IPMS web page. We need about 650 votes to make it a legal election and we are well on our way. I can tell you that next year, you can expect many amendments which are in the development stage at this time and getting the necessary signatures.

• Following this and at the same time the Nationals are occurring, there will be a vote for 2006-2007 officers. We have a single slate running but it is still your right to get out there and write in someone if you like.

• That's it for me. If you want the nuts and bolts of the IPMS system, we will have it at the business meeting which is Sat at 9 AM in Atlanta. We'll post minutes after that.

John Noack- 1st Vice President

• Continuing to monitor the status of the Congressional amendment to limit licensing fees on military models. Check the website for updates and contact information.

• Reviews continue at a healthy pace, including our first multi-supplier review incorporating the Trumpeter USS Lexington with a host of aftermarket suppliers' products being used to upgrade and enhance the kit - watch for it at this year's National Contest. Similar mega-reviews are underway by other reviewers.

• I will be meeting with new and existing industry contacts at the convention (and at DragonCon) to enlist their support for product reviews and Make and Take.

Ron Bell- 2nd Vice President

• Atlanta keeps chugging on saying that they're going to be the biggest ever. They've had to expand their hotel block and things are pointing in the right direction.

• I'm still waiting for the OC bid.

• We did get the check from Phoenix. The show made approximately $4800. Financial report will be published soon. It is available for the OC bid.

Jack Kennedy- Director of Local Chapters

• We have chartered 202 chapters. That is up from 200 last year. We lost a five and got seven new chapters.

• We have instituted using National Contest Rules for regionals.

• In the next few months we will be reviewing the possibility of forming a region 12 that will break R-5 into two regions to make it easier for the RC to have access to the chapters

MJ Kinney- Office Manger

• V17J4 of the journal was sent out to 4,368 members - this number is down from the last journal by 69 members. There were 279 members that had not renewed their memberships as they expired with this issue. To date (6/24/05) we have 327 new members this year.

• We are 6 weeks into voting on the amendment ballot and have 340 votes as of 6/24/05. We need to have 640 votes, either yes or no, to make this official. We urge everyone to either vote on line, mail their ballot found in the journal or drop a ballot in the box at the National Convention. We will have ballots at the National table at the convention.

• The E-Board will be staffing the National table at the Convention along with your Office Manager. You are welcome to renew your membership at that time, encourage a modeler to join, or just stop by to say hello. We will have golf shirts, t-shirts, hats, decals, lapel pins and a new item "IPMS patches" for sale.

• Any chapters needing insurance for their fall show should be thinking about getting the necessary information in so that the insurance coverage can be secured from the insurance company in a timely fashion

Glen Broman- Director of Foreign Liaison

• Here's the June update: We have a new SIG: WarWheels, the new SIG for Armored car/Wheeled fighting vehicles. They have a great web page and a very motivated and enthusiastic SIG leader, Patrick Keenan. The contact information is at http://www.warwheels.net.

David Von Almen- Journal Editor

• The Journal editor is now using the assistance of Paul Bradley and Chris Bucholtz to proof read. These two volunteers are already fast at work.

That's it for now, if you have any questions, please direct them to the RC's or me at dmorrissette@comcast.net

See you in Atlanta!!

Dave Morrissette
President, IPMS/US

Sympathies

On behalf of the BPMS, we offer condolences to
Frank T. and his family for the loss of his Mother and to
Scott M. and his family for the loss of his Father.

RC-1: Correction! 06/21/05

Good Morning,

Just a quick correction. In the Update, I mentioned that the rechartering fee would rise to $25.00 upon passage of the amendment before the body. This was in error.

The correct information should read the amendment will give the Executive Board the authority to review the rechartering fee, and set it at a level consistent to the operating needs of the Society.

(Thanks Fred!!!!)

Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Semper Fi

Doug

RC1 Update: June 18, 2005

Greetings,

Time for another quicky Region 1 Update.

The big news is the upcoming IPMS Nationals in Atlanta. We're about a month out, so I hope everyone that is going is busy firming up their plans, or working feverishly trying to get that model complete, From what I've been able to gather, this is going to be one of the best events yet. The available vendor tables are sold out, and a waiting list exists for tables, should they become available. The main and secondary hotels are also sold out. I know there are plenty of other hotels in the area, so no one should have to sleep in your car, unless you want to!! I'm looking forward to it, and hope to see a good number of Region 1 folks there. Make sure you look me up to say hey!!

Two Region 1 events have been posted on the IPMS web site in the events section. A good number of pictures from Noreastcon have been posted, compliments of our hosts this year, IPMS Rochester. They really capture the event, and the good time we all had. The second set is from a recent Make and Take hosted by IPMS North Shore. From the looks on the happy faces of the kids, this was a very successful event. These guys ran a great program, and it shows.

Also on the IPMS web site are two things everyone should know about, and participate in. One is the balloting for the constitutional amendment now before the body. It relates to increasing the rechartering fee to $25.00 per year. It's felt that the current fee of $10.00 is too low to cover the costs of the insurance, and the operating costs related to rechartering all the chapters every year. This is the first proposed increase in a hundred years, so everyone should consider a yes vote. Rechartering at $25.00 is still a great deal. The second item is the bio's for the candidates in the upcoming national election. While there is only one candidate for each office, I recommend reading the bios to check out the candidates. I think each one is very qualified for the office they seek, and as an RC, will be happy to work with all them. My predecessor, Jack Kennedy is running for President this time around. I think Jack will make an excellent President of IPMS/USA. As I mentioned, the rest of the slate is also very good, and I know many of them. I'll add here that the election doesn't start until July, but encourage everyone to vote early and often!! Voting for both can be done through the web site.

Now that the summer is nearly here, and modeling will be taking a back seat in many of our lives until fall, I hope everyone has a fun filled, and safe summer. The next update will come to you after the National event, or if breaking news comes my way.

Please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.


Semper Fi
Doug

A Mini Kit Review by Frank

MINI REVIEW BY FRANK T.

M4 SHERMAN (EARLY PRODUCTION)
TAMIYA 48TH SCALE

Every once in a while, for a change of pace, I build something in the armor category. Most often it is a wheeled vehicle of some kind because I don’t like dealing with tracks. If they are the old vinyl one piece “rubber band” tracks, I have trouble getting them on without bending or breaking some part of the model’s suspension. I haven’t used any of the great looking modern “build them up yourself” tracks because they seem too difficult for me as well as costing more than I want to spend.

Tamiya caught my attention when they released a group of 48th scale tanks, among which is the Sherman. I thought a 48th scale vehicle would look good on my shelf along with my 48th scale WWII aircraft. The fit of the parts is very good. There are somewhat fewer parts than in a 35th scale kit, so the main build goes very quickly. The tools are molded on the hull, but they have good definition and I found painting them to be no problem.

The suspension parts go together easily and Tamiya has engineered the kit so that it is easy to get the suspension system arranged symmetrically with all the road wheels sitting on the ground. This helps a great deal with the track installation.

The tracks, which I thought would be a problem, turned out to be easy to build. They are made of plastic, not vinyl. For each side of the vehicle there is a long run of track, top and bottom, along with two short runs which reach from the bottom run to the drive and return wheels. Then you get individual pieces to fit between the short runs and the top run to complete the track. Each of the short pieces fits nicely (almost a snap fit) into its neighboring piece. To summarize, building the tracks was no more of a problem than any other aspect of building the kit. Put the track part into place, a drop of crazy glue and add the next piece.

I will have to leave it to the experts as to whether or not this is an authentic representation of an early Sherman, although I will say that it looks good to me and reflects the pictures I saw in the “Sherman in Action” book by Squadron. It was a satisfying build and I look forward to modeling the Tiger I (early production) which is available in this series.

Frank's Sherman from the May Meeting.

Find more pics >HERE<

Pics from the May 2005 Meeting

I've had these sitting on my Hobbyfanatics Gallery for nearly a month and only now got the chance to post them for your viewing pleasure! Click on the thumbs to see a larger version.

Adrian tells us about his Indy.

New member, Hugh, tells us about his aircraft.

Jimmy Tells us about his Marder.

Jeff's Grav Tank.


A member digs through some parts for Parts Box Night.


Andrew's model aircraft.



Click here to see many more May pics on the BAXOJAYZ Gallery on Hobbyfanatics.