IPMS Gateway Regional 2025

Early yesterday morning (13 September), I drove to Affton Elks Lodge #2635, where IPMS Gateway Chapter was holding its 19th annual Gateway to the West Invitational. This year's event also served as the 2025 IPMS/USA Region 14 Contest.

Reaching the Elks lodge just before 7:00 a.m., I helped with completing the show's set up. The tables were put in place the day before, so it was a matter of helping vendors find their assigned tables and getting our admission, registration, contest, and raffle tables ready. Donuts and coffee were available for volunteers and vendors.

I manned the admission table, near the entrance, where attendees would pay for admission and for contest registration. Each attendees received a wristband (white for volunteers, green for vendors, red for attendees). Randy Kleeschulte joined me at admission to help with collecting money and making change, as well as asking attendees how they found out about the show and where they came from. The survey questions help with promotion efforts.

There was quite a crowd waiting to get in when the show officially opened at 9:00 a.m. Randy and I processed the attendees as efficiently as possible. There were long lines at the contest registration tables, as we had many contest entries.

Once things calmed down, I was able to register my six contest models. These included one I finished the night before, a 1:72 scale He 162A from a Frog kit issued in 1972. This made it eligible for the show's Special Category "The Golden Age: 1975." In celebration of IPMS Gateway's 50th anniversary this year, the category was open to any kit that was available in 1975.

I also entered three models in Military (Bren Gun Carrier, BMW R75 with Sidecar, and 6-Pounder Anti-Tank Gun) and two in Ships (Hatsuharu and HMS Repulse). The three Military entries were also eligible for the Special Category.

Everyone was having a great time, the vendors and raffle were doing good business, and I enjoyed seeing people I have not seen in person for months. At 11:00 a.m., the call was made for contest judges. I was among those who volunteered, and we each got a meal voucher from the Elks Lodge. I had a bowl of chili and a soda for lunch before judging started at noon.

I was put on a team to judge figures and basic kit build (also called out of the box). The three judges--Dave Roeder, Julian Durham, and I--efficiently judged the entries and recorded the top three models in each category we judged. We also made picks for the best in the respective classes.

Julie stopped by as judging was wrapping up. (She was at an event at Eliott Unitarian Universalist Chapel earlier that day.) We chatted briefly, then she left for home. 

Judging was done by around 2:30 p.m. and the category awards were placed by the respective entries. I didn't win anything, but that's fine. The competition was strong in the categories I entered.

The Raffle Grand Prizes were drawn and presented, then the major awards were handed out. After Mark Twain Hobby Club presented a special award in memory of a club member who died earlier this year, the Best of Class awards were presented. Following these, the Special Award and Best of Show awards were handed out.

We had a terrific show that day. By my count, we had 184 paid attendees, not counting volunteers and vendors. There were 23 vendors on 42 tables. The model contest had 399 entries from 89 entrants. This is believed to be an IPMS Gateway show record.

After packing my models and other things in my car, I helped with other volunteers to clean up the hall and put the tables and chairs back to their normal places. We got this done by around 3:30 p.m., after which I went home.

Around 90 minutes later, I picked up Julie and we went to 2nd Shift Brewing for the St. Louligans watch party for St. Louis CITY SC's match at CF Montreal. We had a good time, especially as CITY won 2-0. Yes, this was a great Saturday for Julie and me.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Affton Elks Lodge #2635: Lodge #2635 Welcome

IPMS Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

2nd Shift Brewing: 2nd Shift Brewing

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

2025 IPMS/USA National Convention (4)

Sunday morning (10 August), Julie and I got up, had breakfast, then checked out of the Embassy Suites in Hampton. We packed Julie's car and then we began the trip home to St. Louis. We first passed around Washington, D.C. before going through Baltimore. We drove around the harbor before heading northwest.

We stopped for the night in Washington, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. We had a good night at the hotel there before resuming our journey the next morning (11 August).

Our journey took us through Wheeling, West Virginia (where we passed through a tunnel in the mountains), then through Ohio, Indiana (including Indianapolis), and Illinois before we made it home early that night.

After getting home, I got my luggage out of the car, the held mail out of my mailbox, and then hugged and kisses Julie before she returned to her home. There was quite a lot of unpacking to do, including the items I got at the IPMS/USA National Convention. This was a great trip for Julie and me.

The next day (12 August), I was back at work, where I shared memories of that trip with my co-workers.

Later.

Links to Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center: Hotel Amenities - Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center

2025 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)

The final day of the 2025 IPMS/USA National Convention was a Saturday (9) August. After a late night helping with the contest judging, I was up early. After breakfast at the Embassy Suites, I walked over to the Hampton Roads Convention Center for the National Business Meeting. I had attended this meeting a few times before as a spectator, but this time I was a participant in my role as Director of Local Chapters (DLC). When my turn came, I stood up from the front table and briefly gave my report, which supplemented the items projected on the screen. 

After the rest of the IPMS/USA e-board made their reports and the 2026 IPMS/USA National Convention chairman made his report, the floor was opened for questions. A few were made, but none came my way. This was followed the sole bid for the 2027 National Convention, which came from Huntsville, Alabama. The e-board then met in private to discuss this bid. We unanimously approved the bid, which would be announced at the banquet that night. 

I spent time browsing among the models in the contest room and the vendors in the vendor room. I also spent a bit of time talking with someone wanting to bring his independent modeling group in Texas and some time with Julie. I returned to my room at the Embassy Suites to prepare for the night's events.

Early that night, I was back at the Convention Center for a happy hour prior to the banquet. After a beer and some conversation, I and the other guests entered the banquet hall. I had a seat at a table towards the front of the hall, along with other e-board members. During the dinner, the results of the model contest were projected onto screens in the hall. This was a first for an IPMS/USA National Convention and is meant to reduce the time for the awards ceremony. I noted that my IPMS/Gateway mate Rick Keasey won six awards: Two First Places, a Second, and three Thirds. I was so happy for him.

After the dinner, we had several speakers. First was Convention Chairman Tom Jett, who thanked everyone who helped out with this year's event.

Then, 2026 National Convention Chairman John Figueroa spoke. He invited everyone to Fort Wayne, Indiana for that gathering.

IPMS/USA President Phil Peterson then announced publicly that Huntsville will be the 2027 National Convention hosts.

The National Achievement Awards were announced next...by me. I announced the winners for the Regional Coordinator, Chapter, Member, Newsletter, and Website of the Year for 2024. Peterson presented the awards to those recipients who were present and accepted the awards on behalf of those who were not there. (They would receive those awards later.) The Junior class winners were then announced, followed by the Theme and Best of Awards.

Around 8:30 p.m., nearly two hours after the banquet began, the show was over. I made my way to the contest room to get my models and to say thanks and congratulations to some people I know. I personally congratulated Keasey on his wins. They included his First-Place honors for his F-4G Wild Weasel and KV-1.

I then retired to my room at the Embassy Suites, where Julie and I called it a night. We would leave Hampton the next morning and start the trip home. More on that trip in my next post.

Later.

Links to Websites Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA:  IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

Hampton Roads Convention Center: Home - Hampton Roads Convention Center : Hampton Roads Convention Center

Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center: Hotel Amenities - Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center

2025 IPMS/USA National Convention (2)

Day three of the Convention (8 August) got going early. I hosted a breakfast meeting of the IPMS/USA  Regional Coordinators (RCs) at First Watch approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the Hampton Roads Convention Center. Five of the RCs present in Hampton attended the meeting. We had a great discussion of various regional matters, including communications between chapters, RCs, and myself. All six of us had a productive time with this meeting.

After the breakfast, I returned to the Convention Center and the Convention. I admired models in the contest room and shopped among the vendors. Late that afternoon, I took in a seminar by Dana Bell on US Air Force colors and markings from 1947 to 1959. As usual with Bell, it was most interesting.

Early that night, I joined about 200 others in the Judges' Meeting. The head judge, Phil Perry, went over the procedures for judging the contest. He also honored judges for their milestones (3,10, 20, and 30-year judges).

After that, I stayed with the other aircraft judges to learn the judging team assignments and the first categories we would judge. I heard my name called as leader of a team and learned the names of my two teammates. We also received our category assignment. Before leading the auditorium for the contest room, Julie--who had just gotten back in Hampton after visiting relatives in Maryland--said hello. She asked me to check with the hotel as she wasn't listed as a guest. I said I would do so as soon as I could.

My team and the other teams arrived in the contest room just after 6 p.m. where we checked in with the contest clerks and then headed to the category. Ours was an Out of the Box (OOB) category of single engine prop driven small aircraft. There were 28 entries, and our team first checked which entries were multiple entries from entrants. (IPMS/USA has a "no sweeps" contest rule, in which one can only win one prize in a category no matter how many entries that person had in that category.) After separating the multiple entries, we examined them to determine the best of that person's entries. Following this, we could look at the individual entries. The three of us looked over each model to make sure basic construction was performed before doing into the model's finish.

About 8 p.m., the judges took a break for snacks. They had meat, cheese, and crackers, fruit, cookies, water, and soft drinks in a side room for us. After enjoying these refreshments, my team got back to the category to narrow down the field. It was tough as these remaining contenders were all very well done. Finally, around 9:30, we were able to agree on the top three for category awards.

We signed the contest sheet, and I turned it in to the clerk, who gave us one for another category. This one--large scale prop vintage kits--was much easier, as there were only four entries in the category. It took us about 20 minutes at most to judge this category.

After turning in the sheet, I hung around for a while in case any judging teams needed me to finish other categories. However, I was not needed, and I was released from further judging. I returned to my hotel room at the Embassy Suites around 10:30 p.m., where Julie was waiting, and went to bed. 

More on the Convention in the next post. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

First Watch: First Watch | Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch Near You

Hampton Roads Convention Center: Home - Hampton Roads Convention Center : Hampton Roads Convention Center

Embassy Suites: Embassy Suites by Hilton - Spacious Two-Room Suite Hotels

2025 IPMS/USA National Convention (1)

Having spent nearly a week unpacking, getting back to work, and dealing with high heat around St. Louis lately, I can now start to tell you about my recent vacation.

It was a Monday morning (4 August) when Julie and I set off for Hampton, Virginia. She picked me up at the house, I packed my luggage, and we set off. We were going to Hampton for the annual National Convention of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA).

The weather was good on the eastbound route and Julie and I had wonderful conversations as we made our way towards Virginia. We stopped in Huntington, West Virginia for the night before resuming the trip the next morning.

Late Tuesday afternoon (5 August), Julie and I arrived in Hampton. We checked in to the Embassy Suites next to the Hampton Roads Convention Center, the IPMS/USA National Convention venue. As I am IPMS/USA's Director of Local Chapters (DLC), I was booked in a room at the Embassy Suites. The room Julie and I stayed at was a very nice suite.

That night, Julie and I went to a cinema in nearby Newport News to see "The Naked Gun." This is the new version starring Liam Neeson. We loved it! This movie was an absolute hoot. (This is coming from a guy who thought the original with Leslie Nielson was terrific.)

The Convention opened on Wednesday morning (6 August). Julie left for a couple of days to visit relatives in Maryland. I helped out right away volunteering to help with contest registration. It was a long line for the first three hours of the convention with registrants checking in their contest models. I particularly helped with those registrants who forgot to print off their contest entry forms from the online registration, or who could not register online for some reason. It was slow at times helping some attendees with registering their models online, but our team of volunteers got it done.

After my shift ended, I made a first visit to the vendor room to buy raffle tickets and to see the vendors. Many of these vendors are people and organizations that I have known for some years now and it was great to see them again here in Hampton.

Later that afternoon, I went back to get my convention packet and to register my models. I had one model I had just completed, a 1:600 scale HMS Repulse that I entered in ships.

I also brought four models for the Tiger Meet display-only area. Three of them--an Indian MiG-21, a Chinese J-8, and a Chinese J-10--were placed on the Asian Air Arms Special Interest Group (SIG) table. (I arranged this display on behalf of this SIG, which I belong to.) A fourth model--a 1:48 A6M2 Zero--was placed in a display paying tribute to Tamiya chairman Shunsaku Tamiya, who died the month before. He was also commemorated at Tamiya's vendor stand.

I returned to my room late that afternoon, where I inspected the contents of the Convention packet. In addition to my name tag, I got a t-shirt and some stickers, pins, and a decal sheet.

That night, I hosted a social for IPMS/USA chapter leaders at the Convention Center. It was a very nice and relaxed happy hour, meeting several chapter officers and having conversations with them.

More on the Convention in my next post. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center: Hotel Amenities - Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center

Hampton Roads Convention Center: Home - Hampton Roads Convention Center : Hampton Roads Convention Center

Asian Air Arms Special Interest Group: Home | asianairarms

Tamiya: Tamiya USA

Very Hot Days and Nights, with a CITY Match Included

Weather has been very hot here lately, with temperatures topping 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) and heat indices topping 100 degrees F (38 degrees C).  I tried to stay inside as much as possible, but yesterday afternoon (26 July) I braved the heat and humidity to pick up Julie from her apartment and head downtown to the St. Louis CITY SC match.

After parking, we walked to the Schlafly Tap Room for the St. Louligans party. Julie and I got dinner from the Cluck Oink Moo Sliders food truck. She got two Chicken Salad Sliders with fries, while I selected two Bacon Blue Sliders with fries. They were most tasty. I washed my meal down with a Schlafly Summer Lager.

After dinner, we walked towards the St. Louligans tent, where Julie and I enjoyed being with two puppies from Metro East Humane Society. We also played the game of Plinko. I went first and did pretty well, but others (including Julie) did much better. It was all good fun, though, as the money raised by playing Plinko also went to Metro East Humane Society.

After the party, we joined with the other supporters to chant and dance before marking to Energizer Park for the match. It was a short march this time, due to the heat. Julie and I got our drinks and found out way to the Supporter Section. There was a giveaway of bucket hats that night and we found them most handy.

St. Louis Blues great Chris Pronger brought out the match ball, then came to the supporter section to wave a flag and hit the big drum before the match.

Then, CITY SC played Minnesota United FC. CITY had the run of play in the first half, scoring off a penalty kick to lead 1-0 at halftime. Minnesota United took charge in the second half, scoring twice off of penalty kicks for a 2-1 win. Disappointing for sure.

Julie and I walked back to my car and I took her home. We'll meet up this Wednesday night, when CITY hosts the Premier League's Aston Villa in a friendly. That should be fun.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

Schlafly Tap Room: Schlafly

Cluck Oink Moo Sliders: Facebook

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer

Metro East Humane Society: Home | MEHS

Energizer Park: Energizer Park | St. Louis CITY SC

This Weekend: Show Me Space Sci-Fi and Pride St. Louis

Yesterday morning (28 June), my IPMS/Gateway mates Scott Wadyko and Bill Wagner picked me up at home and we drove to Bonne Terre, Missouri. That was the town hosting Show Me Space Sci-Fi, a conference hosted by The Space Museum and Grissom Center. The museum asked Gateway to run a science-fiction (sci-fi) model contest, and we agreed. Our club had seven members attending the event.

I joined with Regina Morris to staff the model registration desk. (Regina's husband, Marion Morris, ran the contest.) This was the first time Show Me Space had a model contest, and it went well. This contest drew 33 entries from 8 attendees. This included me with a Roswell UFO that I built some years ago with Soviet markings. It was for Gateway's Same Kit Contest back then.

This event also had displays of science-fiction movie and TV robots and props. Several cosplayers were also in attendance. There were also tours of the museum. The contest judging in the early afternoon went smoothly and quickly.

The scene then shifted to the Civic Auditorium at Bonne Terre City Hall, which was a few blocks from the Grissom Center. Earl Mullins, the museum's director, served as master of ceremonies. Three speakers followed, beginning with former astronaut Dr. Tom Jones, who spoke of his own and his colleagues' experiences on Space Shuttle Missions, which he compiled for his book "Space Shuttle Stories."

The other two speakers were Dan Monroe, host of the YouTube channel Movies, Music & Monsters, which looked at sci-fi movies and TV from the 1950s to the 1980s. Last to speak was Lancer Winkel, professor of digital animation at Missouri Western State University, who spoke on The Allure of Space & Science Fiction," explaining how sci-fi stories and spaceflight have influenced human outlooks on their present and future.

After Mullins presented awards to the top cosplayers, Marion Morris announced the contest results. Awards were presented to the top three models in each category, plus three special awards (Best of Show, People's Choice, and Curator's Choice) were announced. Overall, it was a fun time and a nice way for Gateway to reach out to the sci-fi modeling audience.

Late this morning, I was in downtown St. Louis for the annual Pride STL Parade. I joined with other Enterprise Mobility workers--mostly from corporate headquarters in Clayton--in showing support for the LGBTQ+ community. I chatted with a few colleagues I knew and helped with decorating a stakebed truck that would be in the parade.

We stepped off around 12:30 p.m., going west on Market Street from 10th Street to 15th Street. It was not as hot as it has been in past Pridefest parades, so that was most welcome after the excessive heat we had in this area last week. 

After the parade, I helped make sure the supplies were reloaded into a box truck. Noticing St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page nearby, I introduced myself to him and we chatted briefly. It was my first time meeting Dr. Page. Then, I walked back east to the Stadium West Garage, where I parked my car, and headed home.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter

The Space Museum and Grissom Center: The Space Museum and Grissom Center

Dr. Tom Jones: TOM JONES – ASTRONAUT SPEAKER

Dan Monroe: Dan Monroe | Movies, Music & Monsters | Sci-Fi, Hollywood Props & Pop Culture

Lance Winkel: Lance Winkel

Pride St. Louis: Pride St. Louis

Enterprise Mobility: Introducing Enterprise Mobility