Yesterday, we took a trip to Raleigh, NC for the IPMS/USA Region 12 Regional Contest. First, a few pictures. I have more, they just need to be tweaked before I post them. I'll put them up in a few batches.
An interesting chess set, based on the North African campaign of World War II. That's my thumb, I put it there to give you an idea of the size of the pieces.
One of my fellow IPMS/ Mid-Carolina Swamp Fox Modelers built this one, and took home a Second Place trophy. Well done...
This is a 1/72 scale Eduard "Strip Down" kit of the Piper L-4 Cub--it is largely made up of photoetched brass, and is maybe four inches in length.
One of the more interesting dioramas, this is a 1/700 scale ramp scene. Again, my thumb's there for scale...
Here's a close up of one of the hangars in that 1/700 scale ramp.
Here's a nicely done 1/48 scale Mirage III in Spanish colors.
During the show, I got to look at a lot of models--of memory serves, there were 425 models on the tables. For a Regional, that's a little on the low side of normal--I suppose two factors were at work, the price of gasoline and the fact that Wonderfest was being held in Louisville. There was also a smaller South Carolina Modeler's Association show going on in Simpsonville, SC. To give you an idea of just how crazy gas prices are, they are usually around a dime cheaper in SC, so I filled up just outside the Rock Hill area for $3.89 a gallon. On the return trip, we filled up for $3.75 in Dunn, NC. Prices in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas were fairly consistent at about $3.75, give or take a few cents.
The vendor's area was on the small side, but there were deals to be had. A member of the host Chapter had passed away, and the club was having an estate sale to help the family. One of the fixtures at shows throughout the area, "Hollywood" Mike Dunn was there with some new, some old, and some out of the ordinary. MidTenn Hobbies was there with a small selection of product, and the rest seemed to be folks selling off SIDNA. I managed to get a few kits to fill holes in my Italian Campaign armor collection (a Dragon Hornisse assault gun and an Academy M-10 Tank Destroyer, both in 1/35 scale), as well as an Academy 1/72 F-89J kit that will probably get knocked together here as soon as I can catch up. My wife managed to find not one, but two Revell Goodyear Blimp kits--one is missing the lighted sign sheets, but they're easy to do. She also picked up a 1969 issue of Revell's 1/32 scale F4F Wildcat kit for me as a nostalgia piece.
All in all, we had a good time--actually, I don't think I've ever been at a model show where we didn't manage to have a good time. Some were better than others, and this one ranks up towards the top. The trip up saw some moments--just because it is the Richard Childress Freeway doesn't mean that it is where he auditions drivers. By the way some cats were zipping in and out, you would think otherwise. Once clear of Kannapolis, things opened up. On the return trip, we circled around to I-95 and revisited the tail end of our trip home from the 2008 Virginia Beach IPMS Convention, complete with a visit to the gas station across from the hotel we stayed at on the trip and with snarky comments about South Carolina's tourist attraction trap, South of the Border. I remember going there as a kid when we would make the summer drive from Ft. Lauderdale to New Jersey, and the place looks somehow slimier than it did. Of course, back then you'd start seeing signs somewhere around Brunswick, GA and they'd become more frequent as you approached Dillon. Also, back in the day, the highway ran under a large Pedro figure that straddled the road...
And, we capped it off with a trip to Moe's and Cold Stone Creamery (Joey Bag of Donuts combo--chicken and black beans--and a Gotta Have It Chocolate Devotion, if you must know)...our first choice of Copper River Grill was being invaded by the Prom crowd last night.
(MINI-RANT MODE = ON)
As an aside, you guys out there going to Prom (or parents of young men attending their Prom)--wash your hair (a haircut wouldn't be out of the question, either!), get some good socks (and wear them!), get a shave, brush your teeth, take a shower (and use soap, please, and deodorant afterwards!) and wear some nice shoes instead of your beat-to-shit Chuck Taylors or (horror of horrors) flip-flops. Oh, yeah, leave the itchy woolen caps at the house, too--number one, it is mid-May and the mercury is settling out at 90 degrees during the day; and number two, they look disgusting (as in "when was the last time you washed that thing?"). I was amazed at the number of guys I saw who looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo in a rented tux, when their dates were looking very pretty, indeed. Oh, and if you do dress like a slob in a tux, don't wonder what happened when your dates ditch you for someone who knows about good hygiene.
A lot of that can also be said about the model contest attendees. While things have improved, there are still some modelers who are not acquainted with the wonders of what soap can do, both for the body and the wardrobe. If you want to stink like old cigarettes, sweat, and stale beer, fine, but don't be surprised when people give you a wide berth because of your BO...
(RANT MODE = OFF)
Sorry, I went off on a tangent for a while...
I should have more pictures ready for you in the next post. Until then, be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.
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