2026 IPMS Nats Update from the RC1

Attention IPMS Northeast Region,

 

Pre-registration for the IPMS USA 2026 Nationals (August 5–8) closes on June 30. After this date, registration will be available only in person at the convention.

 

This year’s Nationals in Fort Wayne, Indiana will be the last held within close proximity to the Northeast for several years. The 2027 Nationals are scheduled for Huntsville, Alabama (July 14–17), with additional southern locations expected before 2030.

 

If you have never attended an IPMS USA Nationals, this is a great opportunity. You’ll experience an unmatched level of craftsmanship, with thousands of outstanding and creative models on display—something you won’t find anywhere else.

 

Feedback from over 100 attendees from last year’s Virginia Nationals showed that participants returned home energized and inspired in their modeling.

 

For more information, visit: IPMS USA 2026 Nationals

 

Mark Norman

IPMS Northeast Region Coordinator

June 23, 2026 BPMS ZOOM Mini Meeting Report

Featured Discussion: Glue, paint, thinner, pigments, Liquid Gravity, whatever - tell us what you do to prevent spills, protect your work bench from spills and contain/clean up spills.  

Ten people attended. Turnout was good for last Friday's Vertical Flight theme contest. Of the 37 models on the tables, 30 were for the contest. Photos are on the BPMS Facebook page. Winners' names will appear in the next Bulletin. 

Lou reports Airfix's 1/24 Bf 109 G5/G6 and 1/48 Sepicat Jaguar GR.1/GR.1A (new kit) are available. 

Even though the official opening date is 7/10/26, a group went to Wiseguys Hobbies at their new location in Plainview, LI, where Bobby found that trash bags full of cheap kits in busted-up boxes constitute an offer that can't be refused. 

Frank C shared photos of the IPMS Region 1 Noreastcon 53, held in Henretta, NY on 6/13/26. There were around 700 entries, lots of Gundam, Spacecraft and Cars. Julio was there, too. And he placed. Congrats, Julio. A link to his show photos is on the BPMS Facebook page. 

Michael C's problems painting polyethylene got us to talk about options to prepare soft plastic for painting.  

We saw Simon's 3D printed 1/18 scale LA-7, Gil's 3D printed 1/10 scale Alita Battle Angel and motorcycle, and Frank C's Phantom II. 

 

Hugh was pleased to acquire a 3D printed Wright R2600 engine and Frank C was glad to find reasonably priced Gunzie Aqueous Paints. 

This week's tool was a hollow punch set. Gil uses them on wine bottle foil to make reflectors for headlights, which he fills with UV curing resin. A 3/16" disk approximates a 1/25 scale auto headlight. With the demise of MV Lenses a few years ago, punches may be the best way to make lights for vehicles.

Tips on spill prevention and control - Use a Forstner bit to drill shallow holes in a 2x4 to hold bottles in an upright position. Don't have tools? Find a centerpiece tealight holder at a home decor store. Citadel, among others, have anti-spill paint pods. Look online. Or, if you're the DIY type, tape the bottle to an old jar lid with double faced tape. Many people use kraft paper, newspaper, or a silicone mat to protect their work surface. Spills are easily removed from tempered glass or metal work surfaces. Using pipettes or a syringe to load an airbrush is safer than pouring directly from a bottle. 

The next meeting is Tuesday, 6/30/26, at 7:30. Invites to follow. Hope you can join us. 

 

~Russ 

A list of the BPMS Theme Contests over the years

1997 – Science Fiction
1998 – The 50s
1998 – To the Rescue
1999 – Israel
1999 – Conceptual
2000 – On Patrol
2000 – The Marines
2001 – Humor
2001 – Diorama
2002 – Space
2002 – “Old Model”
2003 – Things With Teeth
2003 - A Moment in Time
2004 – Adversaries
2004 – US Military
2005 - In the Movies
2005 - Cats
2006 – Worn, Weathered, and Working
2006 – Star Wars / Star Trek Anniversaries
2007 – Vintage 1965
2007 – We Mean Business
2008 – Warsaw Pact
2008 – NASA
2009 – A Mad, Mad, Mad Theme Contest
2009 – Size Matters
2010 – Naval Aviation
2010 – Things That Sting
2011 – Classic Monogram
2011 – The Twilight Zone
2012 – That 70s Theme
2012 – End of the World
2013 - Television
2013 - Sloppy Seconds 
2014 - Asian Invasion 
2014 - Western European Tour 1944 - 1945 
2015 - Modeling With the Stars 
2015 - New Kids on the Block 
2016 - Basic Black
2016 - Island Hopping 
2017 - Star Wars 40th Anniversary 
2017 - Peaceful Plastic 
2018 - WWII - 1946 
2018 - Rivets!
2019 - NASA: 50th Anniversary of the Moon-landing 
2019 - D-Day to The Battle of the Bulge - 75th Anniversary
2020  (no themes due to COVID-19)

2021  (no themes due to COVID-19)
2022 - 70 Years of Aurora Models

2023 - Remember The Members

2023 - Legends

2024 - Invasion of Normandy / D-Day

2024 - Build Like an 11 Year Old 

2025 - Long Live The King

2025 - British Science Fiction Invasion

2026 - Vertical Take Off

2026 - Golden Age of American Sci-Fi Theme Contest 

 

 

2027 - TBA (Things That Bite & Sting) 

 

DECEMBER 2026: Golden Age of American Science Fiction Theme Contest

  Coming December 18, 2026...

 

 

  

Golden Age of American Science Fiction Theme Contest

 This September marks the 60^th anniversary of the premier of Star Trek. Next May marks the 50^th anniversary of Star Wars. December 2026 would be a perfect time to celebrate both iconic American science fiction franchises. With those two juggernauts around, we tend to forget about other great American properties, BUT NOT THIS TIME! The sponsors would like to celebrate what we consider to be the Golden Age of American Science Fiction. Other properties that will be included, but not limited to, will be: Battlestar Galactica, ALIEN, Buck Rogers, Blade Runner, X-Files, Babylon 5, Space: Above & Beyond, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Thing, The Terminator, Star Crash, Outland, Logan’s Run, The Omega Man, Planet of the Apes, Shock Waves, Flash Gordon, Weird Science, War of the Worlds, Fantastic Voyage, Seaquest, Lost In Space, Forbidden Planet, etc.

Any questions? Feel free to speak with the sponsors.   

Sponsors:

• Jeff Eng
• Vinny Rosati
• Bobby POkorny 

 

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting Report: June 9, 2026

Thirteen people attended. There's no Tuesday Zoom next week, the in-person meeting is Friday, 6/19/26, at the Community Center in Brooklyn. It's the Vertical Flight theme contest and Picnic Night. The contest is free; the picnic isn't (around $10 per). The meeting starts at 7:30 pm. Doors open around 5. Come early to help set up and hang out. See the club's blogspot for more details.

Simon reports AAA Hobbies in Magnolia, NJ continues to sell its remaining inventory at discounted prices, but he expects they'll close their doors soon.

We saw Erasmo's Twin Mustang, Vaughn's Eurocopter Tiger, Skycrane (with an expert's explanation of differences between the A and B cranes) and S-38 (with replacement struts made of stiff wires wrapped in paper), Kevin's Evel Knievel figure and Vanguard satellite, Gil's Lock & Load figure, Simon's Hiller X-18, Frank C's HH-53C and Russ' Huey Cobra. Acquisitions included: Etendard VP/IVM, Super Hornet, Bronco NOGS, Leopard 2A8, Sea Harrier, F-15 E Strike Eagle, and Vulcan B-2 (two of them, actually).

The tool was a cradle for an ultrasonic knife. Gil uses his ultrasonic often, and the cradle is a safe and convenient way to store it.

The featured topic, the first model I built, became a wide-ranging discussion on the kits we built, why they appealed to us, memorable mistakes, and the people who either encouraged us or thought we were wasting our time. And these are the models we remember building - Aurora Hellcat, Airfix Mig 15 , Revell Sherman tank, Hawk Project Vanguard satellite, Aurora "monster kits", Airfix Fokker Dr-1, F-86 Sabre, P-61 Black Widow, Aurora CH-54 A Skycrane, Aurora Demolition Demon, Tamiya Ford GPA, Strombecker Spacecraft, ITC US Navy Frogman, Lindberg Triceratops, Tamiya M-113, and Lindberg aircraft with build it yourself electric motors. A lot of these kits are still around, either as vintage kits or recent reissues or lurking in your stash. Go look. 

 
The next meeting is Friday, 6/19/26 at the Community Center, 2303 Bergen Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234. Picnic Night and Vertical Flight. Until then, keep cool. 

 

~Russ

 

  

June 19, 2026 BPMS Inhouse Meeting

Welcome to JUNE! We're looking at a fully loaded meeting with food and a contest!

STRAIGHT UP! It's finally here! The JUNE BPMS Theme Contest is upon us! Vertical Take Off Theme Contest, sponsored by Frank, Angelo and Joe, should be a really fun contest with unique awards! Looking forward to seeing the variety of entries. 

SUMMER PICNIC NIGHT: Since the picnic went well last year it's on again for June, 2026.  Summer weather pairs perfectly with a couple giant hero sandwiches! Feel free to bring sides, snacks, desserts, etc. We'll provide soft drinks and coffee. 

Meeting Date: JUNE 19, 2026
Members start showing up by 5PM to set up.
Feel free to come early and hang-out!

BPMS BULLETIN IN PDF FORMAT

Bert Berg's skyraider model on display in Hanger B at FBF

Frank D found a home for it! Founding member Bert Berg's Skyraider model on display in Hanger B at Floyd Bennett Field (photo by Russ)

 

BPMS Zoom Mini Meeting: June 2, 2026

Featured Discussion: Using AI in the hobby.

 

Thirteen people attended.

This coming Saturday, 6/6/26, Frank D will host a tour at Floyd Bennett Field's Hanger B at 10 am. If you're interested, let Bobby know by Friday. 

The June theme contest, Vertical Flight, is Friday, 6/19/26, at the Community Center in Brooklyn. It's also Picnic Night.

Lou reports Great Wall's 1/72 Me-323 D-1 Gigant and 1/48 Fw-189 A-2, Takom's 1/35 US Army 1/4-ton Armored Truck (aka Jeep) and Ryefield's 1/35 M-109 A-7 and Tiger 1 (maybe Tiger 2? Sorry, I don't recall) with full interior and clear hull & turret are available.  

We saw Vaughn's S-38 (the kit's resin struts caused him no end of problems. Simon suggested some options), S-64  Skycrane, and Eurocopter HAP Tigre, Hugh's Kawanishi N1K2 "George", Michael C's large-scale 3D printed AT-ST Walker, Kevin's Regan (from The Exorcist) and Evel Knievel, Simon's Hiller X-18, Gil's Battle Angel Alita on a motorcycle, Russ' Huey Cobra and Bobby's VF-1 Valkyrie Gerwalk. Just one acquisition, 1/144 JMSDF P-1. 

Last week's tool was the endoscope. This week's tool was a lot smaller, an otoscope; a Bluetooth enabled camera designed to inspect ears. Around $5 on AliExpress. It's similar to the paintbrush camera Micro Mark offered a while ago. Maybe ship builders could use it for rigging/tying knots?

We had a very informative session on artificial intelligence (AI). Hugh shared made to order images generated by AI for contest materials for his club. He had less luck getting an accurate document about the history of a Squadron he served in, back in the day. Lee uploaded reference photos and kit instructions to Google Drive and had Claude AI look at the information and make suggestions to improve his vintage Convair Pogo kit. It gave him a panel scribing guide. Claude also handles simpler tasks, like tips on painting. When he's going to be a vendor, Gil uses AI to check prices. As we talked, Frank C. asked Google Gemini for 1/144 markings for a Zairian C-130. He didn't get what he expected but, by the next day, he was a lot closer to what he wanted. You can ask him about it at next Tuesday's Zoom. Meeting starts at 7:30 pm. Invites to follow. Hope to see you there. And/or at Hanger B this Saturday. 

 

~Russ

 

Schedule Of Events: 2025

January

Kit Sale Night

Declare Model Pledge

February

Show Us Your Tool

Contest Night 1Q26

March

Decal Swap Night

Green Model Night

April

Work In Progress Night

May

Parts Box Night

Contest Night 2Q26

June

Vertical Take Off Theme Contest

Summer Picnic Night

July

Theme night

August

Pizza Night

Contest Night 3Q26

September

Swap Night

Theme Night / Clinic

TBA

October

Model Pledge Night

Nominations

November

Contest Night: 4Q26

Super Raffle

December

TBA Theme Contest

Holiday Dinner / Desserts