The Walk-Thru of the 2023 International Paper Modeler's Convention (IPMC); the 25th

[smithdr]

Ready for next year!
Dan

[rmks2000]

Ready for next year!
Dan

And another victim has been initiated to our cult BWAAHAHA!

[THE DC]

Originally Posted by rmks2000

And another victim has been initiated to our cult BWAAHAHA!

Just don't tell them the initiation ritual, and scare them off...






We do supply the rubber gloves...

[THE DC]

As I start the walk-thru next, please keep in mind that the goal of this is not merely to recite my observations and relate my interviews, but to be accurate and inclusive.

If any authors, designers, or builders, or con participants, have additional comments, please share your thoughts and additions to the content tat is related.

Since build hints and tools recommended will be part of each stop on the tour, anyone with questions about the related ideas is encouraged to ask. Either the interviewee or another skilled contributor might elaborate upon the process or recommended tool kit.

Finally, I took a large amount of photos that have been an organizational challenge this year. Some of these are of very detailed, and very skilled, builds. Feel free to open commentary, or ask questions, about those pics and descriptions represented.

This is my Thread, but it is our experience! Contribute and enquire. The richness of the conclusion will come from the weaving of different thoughts, observations, and inquiries of all involved.

And…here we go…

[smithdr]

Originally Posted by rmks2000

And another victim has been initiated to our cult BWAAHAHA!

The Taco Bell Cult. I'm ready.



Merry Christmas, Bob...Dan

[THE DC]

Saturday is the traditional opening of the events. After a quick series of instructions, passing out of the name tags, and other pertinent guidance, the doors open. The exhibitors gather to their assigned tables and set up early, providing that they had not set up the night before. Most of the craftsmen have well planned out storage systems that permit the speedy extraction and set up of their fragile kits. Many have done this exercise for many years. They have the process down pat. If you ever attend a future convention, much may be learned from them about storing and transporting fragile kits.

Even with this care, repairs are quickly made to damaged kits. Emergency glue bottles appear randomly during the set-up.

The convention is divided into three exhibition rooms. The first one traditionally provides space for exhibitors at the registration table. Sometimes there are specialty exhibits; memorials to respected builders, participants, or designers who have passed on. Sometimes a table is prepared for orientation to the craft and instruction, with simple kits to start on.

Sometimes the room contains the items exhibited for the evening’s fundraiser-auction; sometimes these are displayed in the second room. This year they occupied the far wall of the first room; visible upon entry to it.

The first room typically homes some of the oldest and experienced exhibitors, but there is no certain formula here. Jack, a very experienced and skilled builder (whom you will meet later) was in this room last year, while he was in the second room this year. Though Steve Brown has attended every IPMC ever presented, he was in the second room this year. The second room traditionally is mostly made up of exhibitors. The third room typically is decided between a seller of paper models, Peter, who takes up an entire wall with his fairly priced offerings, and the other walls are typically exhibits. A small table is typically also offered in that room for beginning exhibitors, who may rent a space at a table for exhibiting a single model. The cost to display a model of this “open” table is a $10 fee per model. This table typically rests at the end of the room, between the seller of paper model kits on the right and the remaining exhibitors on the left.

The day’s events concludes with a common dinner, that the is sometimes held off site, as it has been over the last several years. The dinner usually happens a couple of hours after the exhibition halls close up, permitting the exhibitors a chance to store their work safely.

[THE DC]

A rough week! Between illness, and as some of you know, my work can be unpredictably demanding!

Moving on with the Thread though...

[THE DC]

First Room

There were three rooms. The first room was a typical conference room. The visitors entered in a door on one wall, toured the room, and then exited on a door farther down the same wall [picture 1].

Some years, this first room hosts a table to commemorate people or past events; usually bestowed with photographs or information plaques. The display often celebrates recognizable artists, recently passing members, or other significant issues of interest to the members. This year, there was no memorial table or space allocated for such, as had been in year’s past. There was a photograph of the first convention held, over 27 years ago, on the sign in table [picture 3].

The exhibiting artists were placed in a horseshoe, or bracket-shape, ring of tables, with a portion of each table dedicated to each exhibitor. Beyond the exhibition tables, an auction-fundraiser table comprised the other side of the room from whence you entered. A few donated kits were placed for inspection, for those intending to attend the fundraiser-auction at the dinner that concludes the official events.

The first table, upon entering the first room, is the registration table [picture 2]. Participants get their name badges there, if they are exhibitors, and if visitors, the table is used to check in and provide orientation to the event. The registration table doubles as the convention director’s display table; Peter Ansoff. He organizes the event, greets guests and visitors, and shares his work at the table.

A small, single table had also been placed at the far north of the room, beyond the exhibitions and check in table. This table was dedicated to providing novice, or even an introductiory, builders to experience and learn the craft. Sometimes the table hosts an experienced builder to help guide new paper modelers; often it is empty.


Picture 1: View, upon entering the first room...

Picture 2: 1st room image...

Picture 3: Photograph from the 1st convention of the last 25, over 27 years ago...

[THE DC]

Peter is the organizer of the International Paper Modeler’s Convention and a skilled builder. Fortunately, I was able to catch him at his table. This can be difficult, when interviewing, as he has a number of duties and obligations in running the event. This year was different, as though the morning, when I spoke to him was slow, the activity was busiest in the later part of the day.

Peter is a pleasant fellow; very serious and clear when speaking. I had a chance to ask him the questions that I intended to follow with all artists that I interviewed; about his kits, about his techniques, about the tools he preferred or recommended, and about his feelings regarding attending the IMPC.

Peter has to drive between 20-30 minutes to get to what has become the long-term location of the IPMC (in Virginia); a long drive, but far better than when he use to have to attend in Ohio, before taking over management of the event. Peter told me that he’s been attending the IPMC for 23 years! Of those years, he attended 2 in the original location of Dayton, Ohio and the remaining 21 years in Virginia, when he took over managing the event.




Picture 1:
Selection of kits on Peter’s table

Picture 2:
Selection of kits on Peter’s table; Einstein, water system, Fireball XL-5, Space Shuttle, Big Ben, Barn Owl

Picture 3:
Selection of kits on Peter’s table; 34 Ambulance, 27 Rolls, 29 Roadster 1-24sc

Picture 4:
Selection of kits on Peter’s table; Steam Locamotive 1-24sc by Alcon S.L. out of Spain

[THE DC]

Peter’s favorite build was his combination of two different kits: a structure and an air transportation! The kits were of the Empire State Building and docked airship. The Empire State Building was a Fiddler’s Green kit (a company that sells a wide variety of kits online). Though the kits is described as an easy to build model, it has the definite potential for a more detailed, complicated build, so fine is the quality of the design.

The airship is one of the designs offered at the Currell website, where a large number of quality kits are offered for free to the public. Peter chose the Vickers Transoceanic Airship; a planned airship that never-was.

The Vickers Transoceanic Airship was planned to be developed and built after the initial success of the R-34 airship. England wanted to expand their world impact, both in mail delivery and passenger transport. The R-34 has been the first airship to successfully complete an east-west transatlantic flight, in the summer of 1919, and then returned successfully, demarcating another first event. Unfortunately, sometime after a 1920 exhibition of the larger, transoceanic design, the plans were scrapped. This may be partially due to the fate of the R-34; damaged badly in 1921 during a storm. Britain’s taste for such a risky investment may have been soured.

The Currell model of the Vicker’s airship is about 14” long; about 1/700 scale. That would have put it too large, in comparison with the other kit that Peter featured in is favorite exhibit. The other kit, the Empire State building, was not a clear scale, per the owner’s response to a query but the building model was . The actual Empire State Building, built in 1930-31, reached 1252 feet; 86 floors at the top of the steel frame, with the additional upper structure that included a dirigible docking mast. The docking feature was never employed, and years later the mast was modified to house a large antenna. The final completed, and modified structure, reached 103 stories, at 1454 feet. The modified building explains why there are two observation decks; one at 86 stories, and the other at 102 stories.

The Fidder’s Green kit consists of 33 pieces, on three standard sheets of paper. That would make the kit too small to match the scale of the Transoceanic Airship. The 1/700 scale airship didn’t match the 1/1600 scale Fiddler’s Green Empire State Building.

Peter enhanced the Empire by enlarging it through a rescaling of the 1/1600 kit, an advantage he noted, of the paper-model medium. If a kit is too small for a builder’s purpose, or even too large in fact, for any reason, there is flexibility to change the size by the builder, and pending the quality of the graphics used in developing a kit. Resizing has limitations, but wood or plastic kits do not afford this option.

He explained he his real purpose of the build was to illustrate how the Empire State Building could have been used, as an airship dock, had history gone different. He clarified that the Vickers was expected to have a length of 800 feet, similar to the length of the Hindenberg. He also liked that, had it been built, there would be “New York” and “London” painted upon the hull. This would make the visitation to the Empire State Building appear very appropriate. Other ships, such as the original Graf Zeppelin, would not have had the required fittings to moor there.

I just liked the combination of two of my passions; that building and airships in general!



Picture 1: Peter’s combined Fiddler’s Green and Currell kits…

Picture 2: The joining of the two kits at the hidden rod...

Picture 3: The Fiddler's Greene base that denotes the building location in the city...