Salisbury contest updates from Sam Morgan

[Herk]

For those going to Salisbury, you NEED to read the note from Sam Morgan.  He explains many of the aspects of the show that are somewhat different that other meets we have participated.
For Warned is For Armed

Regards,
Steve

[lgriffin]

Received the following e-mail from Sam Morgan with updates about the October 17 Salisbury contest.

Cheers,

Lee G.

-------------- Begin Sam Morgan message -------------------------

Our convention/contest is just two weeks away. Here's the latest update -- what to expect when you get here.

As I said before, we have been blessed with plenty of vendors ( we are completely sold out of space and tables) and enough sponsorship support from various individuals and IPMS chapters in Regions II and XII that we are lowering our registration fee! We have decided to charge the same flat rate for IPMS members entering the contest as those modelers just bringing their models for display -- $10! Have your cards ready and please fill out all of the registration forms BEFORE you come to the registration tables. Those without current IPMS memberships will be charged the same as before -- $13, but this will also be a flat rate -- they can also enter as many models as they wish. Again, this would not have been possible without the overwhelming response we have had from all of you and we want to return the favor in kind. Plus, you'll have more money to spend at the vendor tables. Thank you all!

Please remind everyone that not only will this be a contest, it will also be a scale model expo. We know that there are many scale modelers "out there" who are turned off by competition. We don't want these modelers to feel excluded so we are asking you to get the word to anyone who may just want to come, participate and display their models instead of entering the contest. They can pay a flat fee of $10 and display as many models as they like. I have attached our convention brochure again for reference.

We're hoping to have a few members of the Carolina Garrison (501st Legion) (www.carolinagarrison.net) in attendance to really add a true taste of science fiction to our event. We have added an airbrush contest. The winner will walk away with a brand new Paasche Talon airbrush. If you haven't cleaned your airbrush in a while, bring it (or them) with you as we will have a couple of ultrasonic cleaners on hand for your convenience.

We have also been blessed with an abundance of items from manufacturers all over the world for our raffle. Just for starters, prizes include two Iwata Revolution airbrush Hobby Master sets (one siphon fed and one gravity fed); a Skyraider kit, a P-51D kit, and four books (two each) on constructing them from Zoukei-Mura; new kits from Roden, Aoshima, Tamiya, Polar Lights, and Hobby Link of Japan; a complete rotary-tool set from Shop Basics; Opti-Visors; resin sets from Plus Model; and, piles of kits, books, magazines, decals and more, donated by Arm/Air members, and members from other chapters as well.

If you've never experienced one of our raffles, you're in for a real treat. Our raffle takes place at one o'clock sharp. (That should give everyone a chance to grab a bite to eat and get seated before the feeding frenzy starts.) If your ticket is pulled, you have a choice of anything on the tables. That's right! We don't stick you with something you don't want or don't need and we keep going until there's nothing left on the tables. All we ask is that you make your decision(s) as quickly as possible and return to your seat. (Stragglers will be shot down.)

JUDGING Again, this is very important -- I would like for each chapter contact to send me a short list of their members who are planning to come who are also qualified to judge. By that I mean scale modelers who have won in competition before and/or have either judged at IPMS- or AMPS-sponsored events. We don't do cattle calls for judges at our contests. Also, we don't do splits. Never have; probably never will. Whether there are only two or twenty-two entries in a category makes no difference. It's up to the judges to use their keen abilities and experience to pick the best of the lot. It's our opinion that a person would rather win against stiff competition rather than being handed an award for beating out two or three other competitors. Our judging criteria is slightly different from most IPMS-sponsored contests. We don't kick a model completely out of competition just because it might have a slight alignment problem. Our teams of judges base their decisions mainly upon craftsmanship, accuracy, realism (attention to detail), construction, and finish.

We don't have any out-of-the-box categories, either. The explanation is all right there on page three of our contest information, so I won't labor the point here.

As you probably already know by now, our club philosophy is slightly different from a lot of chapters. As a result, we have always approached our contests a little differently than most. We have tried many category and award set-ups since our first contest way back in 1974. The way we look at it is that this ain't no 4-H or Cub Scout contest. We're not into "touchy-feely, let's-give-everybody-an-award and we'll all go home happy" events. This is competition at its best, ladies and gentlemen -- at its finest (hopefully). Winner take all. And no damn "no sweeps" rule bullshit either! There will NOT be a no-sweeps rule in our contests (never have-- never will). We know this might upset some folks, but it is our belief now, as it always has been, that this is a scale model competition. You don't win by handicapping someone else because he just happens to build the best models in a particular category or scale. You win by doing your homework, honing your skills and beating the other guy with a better model. We judge the models -- not the modelers. Everybody knows what's at stake before they walk into the room and lay their cards (models) on the table. As Dave Lockhart used to say, "You pays yo' money; you takes yo' chances!" If you don't care for this competitive philosophy, then that's why we have a section for display-only.

FOOD Come hungry. We will have food at the convention site -- great breakfast biscuits and coffee in the morning and burgers, hot dogs, nachos, and more for lunch -- all for less than what you'd usually pay for at any of the fast food restaurants.

PARKING There should be plenty of parking available in the two lots on each side of the First Ministry Center. You can also park along the sides of surrounding streets only in places that are marked. If it isn't raining, you can also park behind the facility in a huge grassy area that can be accessed only from Ellis Street. (That's the street directly behind the center.) There is also overflow parking beside and behind the First Baptist Church, which is just across the street from the First Ministry Center. Keep in mind that Council Street is a one-way street if you have to travel on it to get into and around the convention site. Modelers will only be able to enter from the Fulton Street side of the building. The back side is reserved for vendors only.

To give our attendees something to do while the judges are busy, we are pleased to have a military historian on hand who will give a special presentation beginning at 3 o'clock. Mike Wenger, author, historian, and scale modeler from Carey, North Carolina, will be on hand to present a special program on Luftwaffe uniforms and flight gear. The thrust of the presentation will be two-fold: (A) Historical ­ to describe the equipment in use by the Luftwaffe during WWII; and (B) Modeling ­ to generate ideas regarding how Luftwaffe figures (with aircraft/standalone) might be painted. Here are just a few of the many items he'll have on display: uniforms (officer tunic, flight blouse, breeches, boots, peaked hat, and side cap); flight gear/clothing (flight helmets, jackets, survival gear, navigation gear, and more). So, if you'd like to see (and photograph) authentic Luftwaffe articles, here's a great opportunity.

There is one more thing we ask. One of the things that has disturbed many of us over the years is the gradual "graying" of the people who participate in our beloved hobby. Let's face it -- we're not getting any younger! If we don't put forth the efforts to try to bring more people into our hobby, there's a good chance it'll pass away as we do. We have got to find ways to entice not just kids, but anyone, regardless of how old they are, who would like to be involved in one of the best hobbies with which a person could ever become involved. As a way to help generate some interest, we will have plenty of novice categories. One in particular (category 23), is for anyone 18 and older who has never entered a model contest. We'd like to see those categories filled to the brim by as many young people as possible. However, that won't happen unless you get the word out to your various modeling communities, especially to those modelers who are also parents. It will be up to the parents of these young people to provide a way for them to get here. Please encourage them to come, participate and have some fun with us.

Time is running short. Please forward this to the other members of your various chapters and to anyone else whom you think might wish to attend, including the various independent car clubs in our respective regions. You're all invited to come share in the fun and remember some of the good times we shared over the years with some of the wonderful people (like Dave Lockhart, Bill Love and Don Harris) now long gone, who once graced us with their skill, their abilities, their friendship, and their humor -- who made us all better scale modelers. All of us here hope to see all of you that day. Call or e-mail me if you have any questions or need more info. Until then, flog that plastic; make some dust.

May the force be with you!

Sam Morgan
Chapter Contact, IPMS Arm/Air