Contest Announcement: 3rd Annual South Carolina Mega Show, 6/20/2020, Columbia

[lgriffin]

IPMS/Mid-Carolina Swamp Fox Modelers and AMPS Central South Carolina Wildcats are going to hold their 3rd annual Mega Show in Columbia on June 20, 2020.

South Carolina National Guard Armory
1225 Bluff Road, Columbia, SC, 29201

This year will combine two contests into one, AMPS and IPMS, and they have devised a contest format and judging system to accommodate both using AMPS judging methodology. If you plan to go, be sure to read contest co-chair Ralph Nardone's information below to understand the format.

This year's theme is "20/20 Vision: Reconnaissance Through Time."

https://scmegashow.com/

https://calendar.ipmsusa3.org/event/third-annual-south-carolina-scale-model-mega-show

Thanks,

Lee Griffin
Chapter Contact

Message from Ralph Nardone follows:
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Hello, all!

I wanted to touch base with all of you to let you know what's going on with the Mega Show being held at the South Carolina National Guard Armory on Saturday, 20 June 2020.

This year, we have combined the contests into one event.  No longer will there be an AMPS contest and IPMS contest with separate registration, judging, and administration.  This year it will be one unified contest.  This year, we took a look at several factors:

1.The popularity of "Display Only" at the National Convention in Chattanooga--the tables there were packed with models!  If you missed the Convention, you missed a great one!

2.The IPMS/USA survey on judging methods--it was nearly a dead heat, and the fact that half the respondents were in favor of Open Judging, we decided it was time.

3.Feedback from you, the R12 Chapter Contacts at the Regional show last year in Simpsonville--a good many of you indicated you liked the idea of Open Judging.

4.The perennial need of a Herculean effort to sign up judges before and during the show.

5.The desire for the host chapter personnel to actually enjoy a small bit of their own show.  We want to see the show move to a more social event, since it is supposed to be about the models, not the medals!

Based on the information we gathered, along with an unforeseen "happy accident", we will govern our show using an Open Judging method based on the AMPS system.  For those of you who have been trained and have used the AMPS system, there aren't a lot of changes to their basic system.  For those of you who have not been initiated into the AMPS system, we will have training available at the show.  By and large, if you understand the principles of modeling basics (addressing mold flaws, construction flaws, alignment issues, and finish flaws--"straight, square, plumb, fit, and finish" as I like to say), and can count to 10 in half-point increments, you can judge.  In addition to the basic judging method, we have implemented Skill Levels for the entrants--each entrant can self-select their skill level.

A few weeks ago, we posted the rules and category lists to our website:  https://scmegashow.com/our-contest/

A few things to note.  The entry fee ($15 for adults, $6 for Juniors) covers the entry of three models for judging.  Here's how that works:

•If an entrant brings a dozen Allied (USAAF, RAF, RAAF, etc.) P-51's, it will be up to the entrant to determine which one of the 12 models will be judged in Category XIX- Airplanes, prop, Allied--the other 11 will go in Category XVII, Display Only. 

•If an entrant has a dozen P-51's, but some are in Allied marking and others are in captured German markings, they can enter one of the Allied airplanes into XIX-Airplanes, prop, Allied; and one of the captured airplanes into XX-Airplanes, prop, Axis.  The remainder will, as in the previous example, go into XVII-Display Only.
•Likewise, of one of them is in civil markings, it can be entered in XXII-Airplanes, Civil/Sport, and the rest will operate as the previous examples.
As you can see, we're not limiting the number of models you can bring, we're merely asking you to tell us which of your models you want to have evaluated and limit that to one per category.   

Please read the rules, and if you have questions, please ASK.  We are more than happy to answer questions and address any issues you might uncover.  Entry forms are still being tweaked, look for them to be posted to the website in the next few weeks.

The show theme is "20/20 Vision: Reconnaissance Through Time", and a theme eligibility list is also posted on the Contest tab of the website.

Vendor tables are selling fast.  If you want to reserve a table, contact Tim Darrah at scmegashowvendors@gmail.com so he can send you a form and vendor contract.  But don't wait too long--past experience has shown that the tables sell quickly at this point in the show's cycle.

We are soliciting sponsorships.  Category (all the medals for one category) and Class awards (Best Armor, etc.) are $30 each.  Contact me for a list of open categories and classes--I will update the website from time to time, but contact me to be sure the category/class you want is still open.  You can contact me at this e-mail address, or at scmegashowinfo.com or scmegashowipms.com.

The National Guard museum adjacent to the Armory will be open as in years past, with free admission.

We have locked in two food vendors, and are attempting to secure a third.  You guys seemed to like having good food on premises, so we didn't want to disappoint.

An added attraction this year will be a new exhibit at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum downtown next to the South Carolina State Museum--it is about 10 minutes from the Armory, and we will provide maps to those who want to take a quick road trip during their lunch break.  The Relic Room is kicking off a Vietnam War exhibit this year, beginning on 28 March with the unveiling of a bespoke 1/72 scale diorama of Fire Support Base RIPCORD, circa June 1970.  The diorama is a project of the AMPS Central South Carolina Wildcats, with assistance from members of the IPMS/Mid-Carolina Swamp Fox Modelers and IPMS/Sumter Gamecocks.  I'm biased, as I have been up to my eyeballs in the project since its inception, but it is the finest 1/72 scale Fire Support Base diorama in the world!  The diorama will be in the atrium of the museum, and will be free to view.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone on 20 June at the Bluff Road Armory in Columbia, just across the street from Williams-Brice Stadium.

Cheers, all!

Ralph Nardone
Co-Chairman, South Carolina Scale Model Mega Show
President, IPMS/Mid-Carolina Swamp Fox Modelers