Any Of You Ipmsusa Members?

[Supertom]

Hey how many of you US Whiffers are IPMS members?  I think the Brits are having way too much fun and we should start a US Whiffer SIG with tables and all...

Then we could have pictures of us picking our noses, looking at our belly button fuzz, etc. at the tables...

If there's enough of us I'd like to approach IPMS with a SIG setup and maybe get a display at one of the Nats or Regionals.

[Martin H]

no offence Tom, But about bloody time        

Ive been waiting for some time for one of u guys over the over side of the pond to get going on forming a SIG

Come on you yanks get your finger out and give tom some support...u never know u may just enjoy partakeing of an event as a group.

[jcf]

According to the IPMS-USA site they already officially endorse a What-if? SIG:
Link: IPMS-USA SIGs
What If? SIG
Modeling What Might Have Been
Contact: Glen Broman grbroman@aol.com

Evidently Broman was/is(?) affiliated with IPMS Fort Crook in Omaha, Nebraska.
Anybody know him or have any info?

Cheers, Jon...IPMS-Seattle member, can't be bothered to renew IPMS-USA membership.

[Jennings]

The problem with SIGs in IPMS USA is that there is no venue for a display or really even much of a gathering like there is at UK shows.  US model shows are about the contest, period.  There is no such thing as a club or SIG display table (or at least there never has been).  US nationals, and 99% of smaller shows, consist of a vendor area and a contest area.  That's one reason I've virtually stopped attending US shows.  It's just not that much fun anymore.  People get vicious about the contest part of it.

By and large, SIGs in the US are simply online communities, so I don't see anything to be gained by the Balkanization of this forum by splitting off US Wiffers separately.

I'm happy with this forum and its widely diverse (geographically and in other ways) membership.

Just my $.02 worth..

J

[philp]

Already talked to Glen (he roams here too) about a table at Nats this year.  He is all for it but won't be able to make the contest.
Not sure if we have to pay for a table or what.  I will probably contact the Nats group and see what they say.  If we can get enough support for a SIG table there, I will support it.

Display tables have been catching on at least at the Nats starting back with the Phoenix show in 2004.
I personally think it is because more people are seeing those great tables the UK groups have.  
And if we get a Regional back here in Salt Lake, I will push for this here.

So, who else is going to OC and wants to put some kits on the table and spend some time behind fielding questions?

[Shasper]

Guess I'm a ex at the moment, havent paid my membership dues since I got out of the family deal w/ Shas sr.


Shas B)

[cthulhu77]

Keep on going back and forth about joining...some of the members are quite a lot of fun, but man...are there some real dogt*rds out there !  I just can't bring myself to be that much of a jmn.

   

[Daryl J.]

Scooterman brings UK What-if kits to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinneville.   It's fun to see that stuff under the Spruce Goose.

I think there is potential at least on the West Coast.   Seattle will likely have a bunch of whiffery available at their next show as they are giving a special award.


Scooterman?  Terry?



It'll be tight to get anything done off my bench in time for Seattle this year, unfortunately.
Gotta love young twins!  B)
Daryl J.

[Martin H]

if i recall, the 2007 US Nationals is in Longbeach, and is being run by leigh's chapter. And i think he has already sorted out display space for a US what if sig display.  Ill check with him to see if the plan is still on track.

If the west coast boys can pull it off this year, theres no reason why any of u near to next years venue cant sort out something simler.

[Daryl J.]

The 'Schneider '49' that Seattle put on was brilliant in concept, imagination, and execution.   I loved seeing it and regretted being banned from all organic solvents at the time by my Dr.   Preliminary kit components are still in the closet awaiting assembly.

Something of that degree on the National level would be fantastic IMHO.


Daryl J.

[Brian da Basher]

It would be delightful to see various SIG display tables start to get popular with IPMS-US. As it stands now, that "win-at-all-costs" competition mentality is a real turn off. Seeing What-If and other SIG displays gain popularlity might convince me to put a crowbar in my wallet and ante up the membership dues.

Brian da Basher

[Daryl J.]

Brian,

There is definately potential.  If Disney thinks the market is adequate to dub Hayao Miyazaki anime into English using very expensive people to do the voice-overs, the world of what-if is ripe for the picking.

The kit that generated the single-most attention from both modelers and passers by last year at the Region 7 Recon was a what-if  Me-109 officer extraction pack seen once or twice on this website.   Everyone seemed to note it.

Like Jennings, I like the excellence rather than the competition.   Perhaps this is  a refreshing change?!!?


Daryl J.

PS:  If one hasn't already seen it, check out Terry Moore's Bat Outta Hell on www.internetmodeler.com

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I will consider re-joining IPMS when Butt Lights* are banned.  











*any small hand held illumination device that is used by someone to inspect the models on display

[Leigh]

We have a display table at this year's Nat's if we want it. I sorted that out last summer as it is my chapter hosting them, but I kinda let it slide 'cos I can't fill it up myself.

As pointed out the U.S. Nats are not like scalemodel world at Telford, basically models are dumped on a table in a big room and walked away from. We could man the table but we would pretty much be the only people in the room, people don't come to display and sit behind their work and chat etc, they come more to compete, when I was granted the table it was pretty much thought that we'd dump our models, walk away, and just leave a contact number on the table for anyone interested. So given that I didn't really follow through on it. Personally I'm gonna be involved in all kinds of other stuff with the Nats that week and don't know how much I'd be around.

Given all that, I figured I'd just load up my stuff on the "Hypothetical" competiton tables, not that I think I've got a chance of winning but to show how many WIF's are out there.

From what I surmise most of the socialising that happens at the Nats is not at the display tables, but in the vendor's room, seminars, tours and the bar.

If you want a table you've got it, but I'm gonna have to have about another 40 models comitted to make it worthwhile. Or you can just come and load up the hypothetical tables.

I'll be there all week and would love to hook up with you guys.

[Shasper]

If you guys get something goin for OC this year, I'll talk to the Ceylonese military command about arranging for a couple of MiG-28s to be present, provided that they are kept away from prying CIA & wee little ones hands


Shas B)