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Announcement from Region 9 Coordinator Chris Bucholtz
July 11, 2008
IPMS's server has fallen and it can't get up! Oh wait ... it's getting up!
The IPMS Website's gone through some tough times this week. There was a bit of a technical issue that took out the chapter listings, the forum and a bunch of other stuff off-line. Don't sweat it, though: webmaster Bob Hester jumped on it like a fat kid jumps on a creamsicle and much of the functionality is already back. If you go to the website and you find that it won't do something you need to do, just e-mail me and I'll find a work-around for you.
Having a contest? Want Insurance? Listen up. The home office in Akron, Ohio (actually, it is there!) wants to clarify some issues about our IPMS liability insurance. To get coverage, an IPMS club must be the sponsor of any event. That means if you want to host a model show, make and take or any other type event, an IPMS group must be the host of said event. If you are co-hosting with another IPMS chapter there is not a problem, but anyone listed as a host on the flyer or website must be an IPMS chapter. Let's say your contest co-hosts an event with a museum. The insurance is not in effect. You might have to re-jigger the terminology ("the Skankus Valley Scale Modelers host the Wrong-Way Reigle Air Museum Contest and Swap Meet, Sponsored by the Wrong-Way Reigle Air Museum") to qualify. I know the Fremont Hornets' contest is co-hosted by the Newark Community Center; before you start barraging the area with flyers, please make sure that the terminology conforms to the insurance requirements.
Judges: IPMS/Dragon Lady wants you!
The Dragon Lady Contest on July 27 is a great show. Now, to make it even greater, I am asking chapter contacts to ask their club members to volunteer to judge ahead of time. We did this for the Kickoff Classic and the result was a great judge turnout that made short work of judging (except for that poor so-and-so, the head judge, but he's a kook anyhow). Please ask your members to volunteer; they can contact me directly, and I'll give the list to Dragon Lady kahuna Don Terbush. Remember it's more fun if you contact me than if I have to contact you.
August 9: The Regional. Fresno. Be there!
Because I won't, unfortunately. We okayed the date before realizing the dates of the nationals. No matter! If you can't schlep across the continent, you can certainly scamper down to Fresno. In addition to supporting the regional with your presence, please have your club consider supporting it with a trophy sponsorship. Contact Scott Gist about this at webmaster@kcscalemodelers.com, and be generous. The more we help our fellow clubs now, the more help we can expect when we host the regional event (and that means all of you!)
Chapter of the Year 2008
By the way, Dragon Lady was last year's CoY, and if we have challengers for the crown, the result is a better region and a more effective advocacy for our hobby. Big club or small club matters little, because the system is designed to even out the big club-little club differences between our various chapters. Essentially, the hardest-working club, regardless of its size, wins! Just by looking at the activities of various clubs, there should be a lot of contenders in 2007 as long as you chapter contacts submit an entry come next February. Here's how we score it:
1. Host a contest: four points.
2. Organize a public display: two points
3. Conduct a make-and-take: two points
4. Organize a charitable event (model drive, benefit, etc.): three points
5. Host a guest speaker: one point
6. Publish a monthly newsletter: 3 points
7. Produce a website: 3 points
8. Re-charter before Dec. 1: 5 points
9. Re-charter before Jan. 1: 3 points
10. Have a member gain R9 Qualified Judging Status: 1 point per member
For the 2007 award, Chapter contacts must track their clubs' performances and report their results to me no later than Feb. 15, 2008. Anything submitted after that date will be disregarded and disqualified. The reporting year goes from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The winning club's name is inscribed in perpetuity on the Hugh Silvas Region 9 Chapter of the Year Award; winners then get a chance at the IPMS National Chapter of the Year award.
Next Aces Symposium: August 31
The Northern California Friends of the Aces are holding their next fighter aces symposium, this one with P-40 aces, at the Aerospace Museum of California on August 31. Barry Bauer is the curator there, and a scale modeler, and Phil Schasker, the president of the NCFA, is a friend, which has resulted in model displays at four different aces events now. This next one is scheduled to feature Bob Aschenbrenner, Jim Morehead, Joel Paris, Sammy Pierce and Lynn Jones. If you want to be part of the display, let me know; I'm already working on Jim Morehead's P-40E, and anyone else with an ace's P-40 is invited to attend and display. If you tell me whose plane you're bringing ahead of time, I'll make up a little display card for it. I'd love to see participation from the local clubs up in the Sacramento area; members of the Bay Area clubs schlepped up for the last one, and it was a very fun and exciting experience.
Also, if you want more of a head start, the next symposium after that will be November 9 at the Hiller Museum in San Carlos, California. This will be all about Fighting 17 and Fighting 18 (VF-17 and VF-18), scheduled to feature Bob Coats, Billy Watts, Jim Pearce, Tilly Pool, Ted Crosby and Bill Hardy. So, if you ever felt like building a Hellcat, your excuse has arrived. For more information about the models (or markings and stuff), holler at me; for more information about the symposia in general holler at the Northern California Friends of the Aces at NCF@hot-shot.com.
Unbearable Narcissism: RC with a Blog Hey!
If you want a day-to-day, blow-by-blow account of how an RC wrestles a model into submission (or vice versa), check out my blog at http://obscureco.wordpress.com/. Currently, there's the latest on the FM-2 that is kicking my butt, plus historical tidbits and tips and general airplane modeling junk.
I've gotta know! I've GOTTA KNOW!!!
In order for you to get your contests dates approved and to get them listed through official IPMS channels I've got to know. Really! Any events you are scheduling should be cleared with me before you do anything else. This is the most important thing I coordinate in this job ; we can't have contests stepping on each other. There just aren't enough modelers to go around if we stack contests on each other. So please; let me know!
Contest Calendar
Here's what's coming up:
July 27, 2008: IPMS/Dragon Lady presents its annual contest at the Plaza Room, 210 Julie Drive, in Yuba City, CA. The theme will be "Speed." For more details, contact Don Terbush at (530) 674-8194 or e-mail him at donaldterbush@yahoo.com, or visit theclub website at www.myspace.com/ipmsdragonlady.
August 9, 2008: Kings County Scale Modelers host the 2008 Far West Region 9 Contest at the VFW Hall, 3538 North Blythe in Fresno, CA. For more details, contact Scott Gist at (559) 816-6226 or e-mail him at webmaster@kcscalemodelers.com or visit the club website at www.kcscalemodelers.com.
September 20, 2008: The Oregon Historical Modelers Society presents The Evergreen Air & Space Museum Show and Contest at the Evergreen Air & Space Museum, 500 NE Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, Oregon. For more details, contact Brian Yee at (503) 309-6137 or e-mail him at byee1959@gmail.com, or visit the club website at www.geocities.com/oregonshow.
October 11, 2008: IPMS/Orange County hosts OrangeCon 2008, the Region 8 Regional, at the Pavillion of the University Conference Center, California State University Fullerton in Fullerton, CA. For more details, contact Nat Richards at (949) 631-7142 or e-mail him at ocipms@aol.com, or visit the club website at www.ocipms.org.
October 18, 2008: The Fremont Hornets present the Tri-City Classic V at the Newark Community Center, 35501 Cedar Blvd. Newark, CA. The event theme is "The French Connection." For more information, contact Chris Bucholtz at (510) 769-8316 or e-mail him at bucholtzc@aol.com, or visit the club website at http://www.ipmsfremonthornets.org-a.googlepages.com/home.
November 1, 2008: The Antelope Valley Group presents Desert Classic XII at Antelope Valley College, 3041 West Avenue K in Lancaster, CA. For more details contact Mike Valdez at (661) 304-4941 or e-mail him at mikevaldez151@msn.com or visit the club website at www.avg-ipms.org.
Gotta go now; I have to post to my blog about the 101 subjects Tamiya really ought to be doing.
--Chris
(P.S. That last bit was a joke. As Jodie Peeler said, Tamiya is actually an acronym for, "They Ain't Making It, You A**holes.")
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