Telford England’s Scale ModelWorld is the largest scale modeling show in the world. It’s massive and an unqualified success, and has been for years.
So it makes sense to follow its lead.
That was the thinking of many IPMS/USA (International Plastic Modelers’ Society) officials as it sanctioned the Tiger Meet at this year’s national convention and show in Madison, Wis.
The Tiger Meet was a display-only addition to the larger IPMS modeling contest and retail extravaganza inside Madison’s Monona Terrace Convention Center.
But why display-only versus competition?
According to Phil Peterson, IPMS/USA president, it was aimed especially at SIGS (Special Interest Groups) to stir more interest in a wide variety of modeling subjects. “It brings more models out for viewing,” he said.
At Telford, more models are simply displayed compared to the numbers entered in the national competition.
“A lot of modelers have told us they are intimidated to enter their builds [in contests] because they don’t think they are good enough,” Peterson said. “Personally, I think too much emphasis has been placed in our shows and other types of shows on making the perfect model. Building models is a hobby and is supposed to be fun.”
And that’s why so many of the groups and modelers who displayed at the Tiger Meet decided to participate.
Evan Jones, a Canadian car and motorcycle modeler, said he and other car modelers decided to each bring 5-10 of their builds to show and discuss. Calling themselves the Competition Auto Modelers, the group only displayed race cars and noted they may pick another theme if a display-only area is offered at next year’s IPMS/USA show.
“I’d rather show and tell about my builds than compete,” Jones said while his buddy John Tinay of Grand Rapids, Michigan, worked on assembling a 1/43 scale Cosworth engine next to him. Both prefer 1/43 scale for its ease of display and transport to shows. They said Tiger Meet visitors were shocked at the detail and had many questions about the cars’ high-gloss finishes. Of course, they were happy to explain.
“I enjoy passing along my ideas and techniques,” Jones said, adding that he would bring a model to work on for the next such event as people engage more if you’re working on something.
But there were more than just car modelers at Tiger Meet. In fact, a number of clubs from around the Midwest brought displays, and a few groups looked at the meet as a way to introduce their brand of modeling to a wider audience, something Don Schmitz, a Tiger Meet coordinator, said was a goal.
“We wanted to give modelers a chance to meet others who shared their interests and give them a chance to talk,” Schmitz said. “Modelers names aren’t hidden [in the display-only area], so you can track down the modeler who built the model that impresses you and ask them how they did it and maybe make a few new friends along the way.”
Peter Schauble, a member of Gunpla Milwaukee, a 40-member club that specializes in building Gundam models, was eager to talk up the anime-inspired figures. He eagerly pointed visitors to the tables where he and Sergio Barrientos were displaying their builds. With base kits starting at around $15 U.S., Gundam kits provide easy entry into the plastic-modeling hobby.
Schauble and Barrientos said that a low entry price and the fact the kits are snap-fit make Gundam models appealing to younger and new modelers, not to mention parents who might have to buy them. Plus, the kits are cast in multi-colored plastic, so a beginner need not paint the model. For the experts who move up to the $300 kits, painting is encouraged as the detail and builds become more involved.
“You can make a nice-looking kit, and it’s all snap-fit — no glue,” Schauble said, but he encourages even newcomers to scribe panel lines on the parts to make them appear crisper and more “realistic.”
Barrientos added, “I know some modelers don’t think it’s a model because you snap-fit and don’t have to paint.” But he notes that it starts a modeler thinking on ways to make improvements.
“It’s all about finding ways to be inspired.”
Paul Boyer, former senior editor at FineScale Modeler, brought 95 Vietnam-era 1/72 scale aircraft to display. For him, it’s about showing the breadth and depth of modeling a certain subject. Many of his builds are already in museums, including the Experimental Aircraft Association museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“I enjoy talking with the people and explaining the builds and hope I give people a few good ideas,” Boyer said.
Meet organizer Schmitz said the group’s goal was to “create a friendly atmosphere where modelers could show their work and talk directly with each other.”
They hit the mark especially, with a large display of paper models at the far end of the Tiger Meet room.
There you’d find Greg Perry, an avid Iowa-based paper modeler, and John Clancy, a Menomonee Falls-Wisconsin paper-modeling expert. Both were all too happy to show off their work and explain their modeling niche.
First, they were quick to point out that paper models require mostly glue and patience, but little paint. And they said there is no end to the variety of models available either for free download from websites or as little as $7 to $15 in stores. They consider paper models a bargain that allows them to create display-worthy replicas.
For instance, Perry brought a large paper model of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Italy. Another paper model replicated France's Mont St. Michel, a tidal island in Normandy famous for its village built along winding streets leading up to the large cathedral atop the island’s highest point. But he also showed a variety of commercial vehicles too, noting that most need to have their wheels painted, or darkened with dry markers.
“I just wanted to show that paper models exist,” said Clancy, who has been making paper models for 22 years.
“If you can dream it, somewhere, someone has created it.”
Other groups also brought models that fit a theme.
Chris Cortez, president of Milwaukee’s IPMS/USA R.I. Bong Chapter, said his group’s theme was 1966, the year the chapter was formed, giving its members a broad category to model. They brought more than 20 models to display, from TV’s Batman and Lost in Space to classic cars and military vehicles.
Cortez said he hopes the Tiger Meet and other display-only areas that IPMS/USA shows have featured in recent years will be beneficial for those who think they have enough trophies or who just want to display and participate more.
“It can showcase aspects of the hobby that may not be as commonly represented in the regular show area,” he said. “Second, it can show modelers other sides of the hobby they might not know as much about, like Gundam, dollhouses, or paper models.”
Others see display-only areas like this year’s Tiger Meet as a way to give back to the hobby that they have enjoyed for years.
Jim Kampmann, former president of the RPM car modeling club near Minneapolis, Minnesota, said that not displaying in contest areas allows him to judge car models, his specialty.
Further, Kampmann said he wants to encourage people to simply enjoy modeling and show their work.
“It’s my release from work,” he said, now a retired architect. “When I sit down, it’s just me and my workbench. It’s very relaxing.”
In his opinion, having an area at an IPMS show where modelers can talk and share ideas fulfills that modeling spirit at the center of the hobby.
“The backbone of the hobby is people, and we learn ideas from each other,” Kampmann said. “And that’s what it’s all about.”
Mark Savage is the former executive editor of FineScale Modeler and Scale Auto magazines.
Note: A previous version of this story attributed the Mont St. Michel paper model to Greg Perry.