2023 IPMS/USA National Convention (5)

After an overnight drive from San Marcos, I arrived in Austin early on that Sunday (6 August). Finding a parking lot, I pulled in and followed the USA vs Sweden FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 match on my phone. Sweden won on penalty kicks, sending the Americans home. I hated to see that, but with the way they played in the tournament, it didn't surprise me.

Just after 7 am, I drove down South Congress Avenue to Jo's Coffee. I had a cold coffee drink and a pastry, which I enjoyed on one of the tables there. It was nice to sit there and have breakfast with the neighborhood stirring. After the meal, I walked by the one side of the building where Jo's motto "i love you so much" was painted on the wall. I snapped a selfie of myself next to that writing and sent it to Julie. She loved that picture.

I then drove down Congress towards the State Capitol. 

After driving by the Capitol, I drove to the northwest towards the University of Texas campus. There, I parked and walked to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum. Some 20 years before, I visited the "LBJ" Library on an earlier visit to Austin. There were a handful of other visitors when I came to visit.

The museum had been extensively renovated since my last visit, with many interactive exhibits. It looked at the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. I was born 2.5 months into the Johnson Presidency, so this museum had great resonance to my life.

They also had a gallery on Johnson's wife, Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson, and replicas of Lyndon Johnson's Oval Office and Lady Bird's White House office. Also displayed was a limousine used by President Johnson. After touring the museum, I bought a few items in the shop before leaving.

For lunch, I went to Sam's BBQ in Central East Austin. I enjoyed a delicious lunch of brisket and chicken with sides. It's a small place, but well regarded.

I then spent the afternoon driving around Austin, stopping to browse at a few shops. I also topped up the fuel in the rental car, so I would return it at the same full fuel setting as I had picked it up the previous Wednesday.

Late that afternoon, I drove to Austin Bergstrom International Airport, first going to the Enterprise Facility there to return my car. Taking my luggage out, I then walked into the terminal to check in to my Southwest flight to Houston. I arrived at the terminal finding out that this flight was delayed leaving Austin and that I would not make the connecting flight to St. Louis. I enquired at the Southwest counter. They agreed with me and changed me to a later flight out to Dallas.

I passed through the security checkpoint and found my way to the gate for the flight that night to Dallas. After waiting for some 2.5 hours, I boarded the flight and arrived at Love Field. There, I made my way to the gate for the flight to St. Louis. After boarding it and having settled into the seat, the flight attendants said the flight had been cancelled due to crew fatigue issues.

The other passengers and I went back to the terminal and were told the next flight to St. Louis would be about 6 hours from then. This was just past midnight in Dallas. I settled into a seat in the terminal and waited until the flight would board.

After being half asleep for a few hours, I freshened up in the men's room and boarded the flight to St. Louis. This went off without a hitch and I arrived at St. Louis Lambert International Airport in the middle of Monday morning (7 August).

After getting my checked back from baggage claim, I waited for The Parking Spot 3 shuttle bus to arrive. It came and I boarded the bus to take me to my car. After dropping off a few other passengers, the bus arrived at my car. I got out with my baggage, loaded up my car, and drove out of the lot and back home. I had taken this day off from work to unwind, and considering the travel adventure coming home from Austin, it was a wise decision. I came home, unpacked, and relaxed before returning to work the next day.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Jo's Coffee: Jo's Coffee (joscoffee.com)

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum: LBJ Presidential Library (lbjlibrary.org)

Sam's BBQ: Sam's Bar-B-Que and Catering (samsbbq.com)

Austin Bergstrom International Airport: Airport (AUS) | AustinTexas.gov

Enterprise: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip

Dallas Love Field: Dallas Love Field Airport | Home (dallas-lovefield.com)

St. Louis Lambert International Airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (flystl.com)

The Parking Spot: Airport Parking & Reservations | The Parking Spot

2023 IPMS/USA National Convention (4)

Early Saturday morning (5 August), after waking up and getting groomed and dressed, I packed up my bags and departed from the Airbnb rental house I had stayed in since the previous Wednesday. I left the homeowners a brief note thanking them for their hospitality.

Packing up the car, I then drove to the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center for the final day of the 2023 IPMS/USA National Convention. I attended the National Business Meeting, where the Society's Executive Board (E-Board) presented their reports on the state of the group. Overall, IPMS/USA is in particularly good shape.

This meeting was followed up by bid presentations from two groups hoping to host the 2025 National Convention. First up was Hampton, Virginia, which gave a most confident bid. (Hampton had hosted four previous National Conventions, most recently in 2014.)  This bid outlined the venue, expected dates of the convention, spaces for contest and vendor rooms, hotels at or near the convention venue, and planned tours. After they fielded some questions from the floor, Hampton yielded to the other bid presentation. This was from Lakeland, Florida, and they also covered the same items as the previous bid. However, this was Lakeland's first bid for the Nationals and their presentation lacked the polish of Hampton's. The IPMS/USA E-Board would meet in private later that day to vote on the 2025 National Convention Host.

I went through the contest and vendor rooms a few more times to admire some more models and to do some late shopping. That afternoon, I attended a seminar on "Creating Great Dioramas," as the presenters offered their ideas on how to create dioramas that really stand out.

This seminar was followed by the meeting of the National Contest Committee. They discussed this year's contest and any suggested changes in rules and categories.

Soon after this meeting, the vendors began to pack up to close the show. I made a last visit to the vendor and contest rooms before they were closed. There was an early evening social hour in the Conference Center hallway outside of the banquet room. Besides the drinks and conversation, there was a mariachi band to entertain us.

While some attendees went to dine at the closing night banquet, I settled for a snack from the hotel front desk. I went to one of the seminar rooms, where a video hookup to the banquet room was set up. Quite a few other attendees were there waiting for the post-banquet presentations to be made.

The presentations began with Convention Chairman Len Pilhofer battling laryngitis to thank all who attended and put on the Convention. He also said that there were 3110 contest entries (second highest in IPMS/USA National Convention history), 963 registrants, and 625 guests (day pay attendees).

Pilhofer was followed by IPMS/USA President David Lockhart, who gave thanks to the Convention hosts and presented lifetime memberships to two notables. 

Director of Local Chapters John Figueroa then presented the Regional Coordinator of the Year Award to Region 6's Sean Glaspell, and the awards for Webmaster, Newsletter Editor, Chapter, and Member of the Year.

Second Vice President Joe Bonnani spoke briefly before introducing 2024 National Convention Chairman Jeff Hearne, who invited all to Madison, Wisconsin next year. The 2025 National Convention host was revealed as Hampton, Virginia (just as I figured).

After these speeches, it was time for the contest awards to be announced. Bill Devins and Aris Pappas took turns announcing the results, which they have been doing for many years. The category and sponsor slide was shown first, followed by the Third Place, Second Place, and First Place models. This enabled us to know which model took what award. 

My IPMS/Gateway clubmate Rick Keasey won four awards in this year's contest. His Puma armored car took a First in Armor: Basic Kit Build. He placed Second in Armor: Dioramas for his Normandy Counter Attack diorama. In Figures, Keasey took Third for his bust Revolutionary War Soldier and Second for his bust Badass 1970.

After the individual category awards were announced, the special awards were presented. These culminated in the Most Popular Award (the shadowbox Rendezvous over Bougainville) and the Judges' Grand Award (Renault FB Caterpillar Crawler).  

That concluded this Convention. Everyone headed to the contest room to pack up their models, congratulate those who won contest awards, and say their goodbyes. After I made by last circuit of the Conference Center, I took my packed model to my rental car and began the late-night drive to Austin.

To be continued...

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Airbnb: Find homes on Airbnb

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

2023 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)

Early on Day Three of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) Convention (4 August), I came to the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center for the annual Regional Coordinator (RC) breakfast. The meeting in the Embassy Suites' restaurant included three IPMS/USA executive board (e-board) members: President David Lockhart, Treasurer Mike Oberholtzer, and Director of Local Chapters (DLC) John Figueroa. Besides I, the Region 14 Coordinator, there were five other RCs in attendance: Mark Norman (RC-1), James Corley (RC-3), Allyson Kebschull (RC-4), Jeff Herne (RC-5), and Sean Glaspell (RC-6). Both Norman and Kebschull are new to their respective positions.

In this meeting, the Wild Apricot registration system was discussed. It was emphasized that we RCs were to be proficient in its use to better perform our duties. The RCs also discussed Regional Conventions and how to set forth definitive guidelines to help Regions and their chapters in organizing these shows. The meeting also talked about difficulties some RCs have had in getting nominations within their Regions for annual awards (Chapter, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and Member of the Year).  It was a most productive meeting and great to see these other RCs that I normally only know of from emails.

After the meeting, I walked over to the Conference Center to browse among the contest entries and the vendors. Early that afternoon, I attended a seminar given by Spanish master modeler Mig Jimenez on finishing armor models. Jimenez has his own line of modeling finishing products and tools, AMMO by Mig Jimenez. The presentation included step by step photos of how to add weathering effects to military vehicle models. He also showed pictures of actual vehicles during the current Ukraine War that he used to base the effects upon. I really enjoyed Jimenez' presentation and found his approach (look at actual subjects rather than other models, and to make your scale modeling fun) most refreshing.

After Jimenez' talk, I bought the AMMO Jet Engines Colors & Weathering Set from one of the vendors, SprayGunner. That vendor is one I have bought from previously and find their service most efficient.

Later in the afternoon, I sat in on another seminar, the Scale Model Podcast Roundup. This featured hosts from five podcasts: Plastic Model Mojo, Plastic Posse Podcast, Model Geeks Podcast, Small Subjects, and The Sprue Cutters Union. They discussed how they got into podcasting and their approaches to their podcasts. The hosts fielded questions from the audience on these matters. I have listened to a few episodes of Plastic Model Mojo (co-hosted by my friend David Knights), but now I will have to check out these other podcasts.

Early that night, I joined about 225 other registrants at the Judges' Meeting. Mark Persichetti, in his final year as Chairman of the IPMS/USA National Contest Committee, briefed us on judging procedures and etiquette. I was one of the aircraft judges and was working on my fifth contest as a full judge (not counting my first year as an On-the-Job Trainee, or OJT). 

Certificates were presented to judges for 3, 10, 20, and 30-year milestones, then we made our way to the contest room. The only people in that room were judges and the recording team. I joined other aircraft judges in part of the contest room where we were formed into three-person teams and assigned a contest category. After hearing my name called, I found my teammates and we received the contest form for the first category: 137, 1/32 Aircraft; Jet Powered. We looked over the entries in that category--including six from one entrant--finding any flaws in fit and finish. The IPMS/USA contest has a no-sweeps rule; no matter how many entries one has in a category, he or she can only win one prize (First, Second, or Third). We would find multiple entries by an entrant and determine the best of these before going to the individual entries. After just over an hour, we agreed on the three award winners in that category. We retired to a side room for a quick snack of cookies and soda before resuming our work.

The contest sheet for that category was turned in to the aircraft record keepers, and we received a second category to judge: 103B, Biplanes; Large--1/32. These required meticulous checking, dealing with two sets of wings, struts, rigging, and other details. We were able to reach a decision on the top three in this category after about 90 minutes of work.

We turned in the contest sheet and were told there were no other aircraft categories to be judges. Our group was dismissed with thanks. After hanging around the contest room for a few minutes to see if any other class needed judges, I headed out of the Conference Center around 9:20 pm. After stopping by a Whataburger to get a belated dinner to go, I headed back to the rental house to eat before retiring for the night.

To be continued...

 Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

AMMO by Mig Jimenez: AMMO by Mig Jimenez

SprayGunner: Paint Spray Gun, Airbrush Paint Kit, Compressors (spraygunner.com)

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

Whataburger: Whataburger | Order Online with Curbside and Delivery

2023 IPMS/USA National Convention (2)

Early on Thursday, 3 August--Day Two of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) National Convention--I woke up early at my rental room in San Marcos, Texas. After getting dressed, I drove to a Panera Bread near the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center to get some breakfast. Then, I headed to the Embassy Suites, where a chartered bus awaited some 40 Convention attendees--myself included. The bus left just after 8:00 AM and headed to Fredericksburg, Texas, approximately 90 minutes away through the Texas Hill Country.

The bus arrived at its destination, the National Museum of the Pacific War (NMPW), where our group was to tour. This museum preserves the history of World War II in East Asia and the Pacific. The NMPW is located in Fredericksburg because that was the hometown of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet during World War II.

We began the tour with a short video presentation giving an overview of the Pacific War. After that, we began to make our way through the museum, which houses many interpretive exhibits, artifacts, and videos related to the roots of the war and its beginning in East Asia.

One exhibit of note is HA-19, one of five Japanese two-man submarines used in the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. This submarine was captured intact and was later displayed around the country to raise war bonds.

This museum means a lot to me, since both my father and maternal grandfather served in the US Armed Forces in the Pacific Theater of World War II. My father Harold Delaney was in the Army Air Forces as a radio technician in New Guinea, while my grandfather Harold Koenig was in the Navy on the crew of an escort aircraft carrier in the Southwest Pacific.

Exhibits look at both the war's campaigns and at the home front. Maps help visitors follow the course of the war, along with such artifacts as newspapers and magazines, uniforms, weapons, and personal effects of the troops fighting in the Pacific.

From Pearl Harbor to the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945, one gets a sense of what World War II in East Asia and the Pacific was like, certainly to a primarily American audience.

After touring the inside of the museum and shopping in the gift shop, we walked outside to see various exhibits. There was a submarine conning tower in front of the museum, and several artillery pieces nearby. The US Presidents who served in the war--from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George H.W. Bush--were recognized in the outdoor area, and there are plaques commemorating individual service personnel, ships, and units involved in the war against Japan.

There is also a Japanese Peace Garden donated to the museum in 1976. It was most serene to walk on the grounds of this garden and to pray for peace among all peoples.

Near the NMPW, along Fredericksburg's main street, is the Admiral Nimitz Gallery. I did not go inside, due to lack of time, but it tells the story of German migration to Texas and to the Nimitz family. This gallery is housed in what was a hotel that Admiral Nimitz's grandfather had run in the mid to late 19th century. A bronze statue of Admiral Nimitz is located near this gallery.

Around 3:15 PM, our group reboarded the bus for the trip back to San Marcos. It waa wonderful experience visiting the museum for the first time. I highly recommend visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War.

Arriving back at the Embassy Suites around 4:45 PM, I went into the Conference Center to check the drawn raffle ticket numbers. (Mine didn't come up.) I also saw more model entries in the contest room and browsed among the vendors. I headed to the lounge where I had a beer and shared some snacks with some members of the IPMS/Plastic Surgeons chapter from Des Moines, Iowa who were at the Convention.

Following this happy hour, I got dinner and then headed back to the rental home to rest up and prepare for Day Three of the Convention.

To be continued...

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

Panera Bread: Panera Bread at , MO | Panera Bread

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

National Museum of the Pacific War: National Museum of the Pacific War (pacificwarmuseum.org)

Fredericksburg, Texas: Things to do in Fredericksburg, Texas | Attractions & Nightlife (visitfredericksburgtx.com)

IPMS/Plastic Surgeons: IPMS Plastic Surgeons (ipms-plasticsurgeons.com)

   

2023 IPMS/USA National Convention, Part 1

My vacation this year took me to the 2023 National Convention of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). This year's convention was held in San Marcos, Texas on 2-5 August. 

My trip started early on Wednesday, 2 August by driving to The Parking Spot 3, just west of St. Louis Lambert International Airport. I parked my car at the long-term lot just after 3:00 AM, then took a shuttle bus to the terminal to check in for my flight on Southwest Airlines. 

Just after 5:00 AM my Southwest flight departed St. Louis for Dallas Love Field. After landing there and changing planes, I caught another Southwest flight to Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Both flights went smoothly.

After arriving in Austin, I grabbed an iced turbo from Jo's Coffee in the terminal. This drink sure energized me after the early flights. Then, I was off to get my checked bag from baggage claim before walking over to the car rental center.

Arriving at the Enterprise counter, I checked in and had my reservation confirmed. After submitting my driver's license and credit card, I was directed to pick up my rental car (a Toyota Corolla). I checked out my car, put my luggage inside it, then drove off for San Marcos.

I arrived at the convention venue, the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center, around 10:15 AM. I entered the conference center and found the pre-registration check in line. I checked in and received my packet and the convention t-shirt. In this area, I chatted with a few people I know.

 

I walked over to the contest registration area to enter my one model in the contest. It was a 1:72 scale Alpha Jet I did a few years back. Having filled in the contest forms before I left home, my time in registration was short and I found the category table in the contest room to place my model.

I walked around the contest area to see the models placed there so far in the show. There were some, but many more would go in there by the time contest registration ended late Friday afternoon. Then, I waited for the three vendor rooms to open. Once open, I began to browse among the approximately 72 vendors present at this convention. One of the vendors, Tamiya, had a limited-edition t-shirt for the first 300 registrants who signed up for their email list. I was among those fortunate people who signed up and got the t-shirt. I also bought some tickets for the convention's raffle of model kits.

After spending the afternoon browsing among the contest entries and the vendors, it was time for me to leave the convention. I stopped by In-N-Out Burger for dinner before driving to the rental room approximately 10 minutes from the Conference Center. I had booked this place on Airbnb.

Arriving at the three-store residence, I entered the security code to unlock the door and made my way to the top floor, where my bedroom and bathroom were located. This accommodation was most suitable for me. After this long day, I went to bed. Day One in San Marcos was over.

To be continued...

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

The Parking Spot: St. Louis Airport Parking | The Parking Spot

St. Louis Lambert International Airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (flystl.com)

Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip

Dallas Love Field: Dallas Love Field Airport | Home (dallas-lovefield.com)

Austin Bergstrom International Airport: Airport (AUS) | AustinTexas.gov

Jo's Coffee: Jo's Coffee (joscoffee.com)

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

Tamiya: Tamiya USA

In-N-Out Burger: In-N-Out Burger

Airbnb: Find homes on Airbnb

Garden Visit and Soccer: My Weekend with Julie

Friday night (30 June), after a long and hot day of work, I drove to Julie's house in Florissant. There, I met her friends Mike and Sandy, who were in town for a weekend trip. Julie drove the four of us to the Missouri Botanical Garden for Chihuly Nights, an evening version of the Chihuly in the Garden exhibition currently at the Garden. This display has blown glass sculptures of artist Dale Chihuly placed among natural settings.

It rained slightly as the four of us entered the garden. After a brief stop in the gift shop, where Julie and Sandy bought umbrellas, we began our tour of the garden. Seeing these glass sculptures among the Garden's natural scenery was a real visual feast.

After we spent a wonderful time at the Garden, the four of us got into Julie's car and we returned to her home. There, we had a light dinner and conversation before I left for the night.

The next afternoon, I drove back to Julie's house to pick her up to go to that night's St. Louis CITY SC match against Colorado Rapids at CITYPARK. The drive to Downtown West St. Louis took longer than expected, though, due to a storm that had just blown through Metro St. Louis. (There was concern the match would be delayed due to the weather, but word came by 4:30 pm that it would go on time.) We had to get off I-170 at Olive as the Interstate Highway was closed. We drove east on Olive, seeing the results of the storm in downed trees and buildings without electrical power. After turning onto Skinker, Julie and I got on Forest Park Parkway and exited at 22nd Street. We found a curbside parking spot about three blocks northwest of CITYPARK, then walked towards the St. Louligans Street Party near Schlafly Tap Room. Julie and I arrived in time for the march into the stadium with the supporter groups.

The marchers entered CITYPARK through the Northwest Gate as usual. While Julie freshened up, I used the CITY app on my phone to order some popcorn from The Block, one of the dining concession stands. Not more than two minutes after placing the order, I picked up the popcorn in a reusuable souvenir box. (It was my first time using the app to get food at the stadium.)  After buying a bottle of Budweiser from another kiosk, I met up with Julie and we walked to our standing place in the North End.

We found a place high up in the section and under the roof, in case it started to rain again. It turned out there was no need to worry, as the weather was good the rest of the night.

After the teams came out on the pitch and the coin toss was held, the match was underway. CITY kicked off to the north, and we were able to see the action coming right for us. It didn't take long for things to get really interesting, as defender Tim Parker headed in a pass the fourth minute to score for CITY. Jared Stroud added a second tally seven minutes later.

CITY went on cruise control the rest of the way, as they ran out 2-0 winners. Roman Burki made three saves in posting his fifth shoutout of the season. (This past week, both Burker and Parker were named to the MLS All-Star team that will face Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington on 19 July.) The win gave CITY sole possession of first place in the MLS Western Conference. 

After watching CITY's players and coaches acknowledge the supporters, Julie and I walked out of CITYPARK and back to my car. Driving her home, we went west to I-270, rather than take the chance of I-170 still being closed. After dropping off Julie with hugs and kisses, I headed home a bit tired but most happy.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

CITYPARK: CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

The Block: The Block (theblockrestaurant.com)

Budweiser: Budweiser American-Style Lager | King of Beers since 1876 | Budweiser

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer