Oh, look - We're Mainstream...!

[PaulBradley]

Anyone attend the IPMS/UK AGM?

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/m ... %26quot%3B;

[MerlinJones]

Interesting, though not surprising, that the CBK wasn't mentioned.

[JamesPerrin]

I spoke briefly to Gary at Huddersfield at there hadn't been much movement he suggested I contact Affie Bass to see the state of play. Too be honest it's been on my ToDo list but I haven't got that far as it's rather long. Affie is heading up the display and we had registered our interest with him ages ago, but seems have to been running silent.

Gary is mainly trying to drum up interest amongst the Overseas IPMSs.

As for a for a historic kit SIG... FFS!

[JamesPerrin]

No I did not go as it was at the other end of the country.

I do have a a network54 login but I don't seem to have been OK'd for HS forums, awaiting confirmation. If someone wishes to make friendly and informative reply be my guest.

[peebeep]

The same post is on the IPMS UK board, why not respond to it there? I'm puzzled that the CBK has not been mentioned or referred to, but maybe the British part of it is considered too restrictive? If you discuss it there you will automatically raise the SIG profile.

Brews, the IPMS AGM is usually held April/May. Branches and SIGs are invited to attend a less formal meeting whilst at SMW.

peebeep

[PaulBradley]

I am banned from Hyperscale, stemming from a joke in poor taste some 12 years ago now....

[beany]

I wish I'd known about this before Sunday as I spent all day at the Hendon show with Gary as his Japanese Aircraft SIG tables abutted the ATF tables. He did mention the poor turnout at the AGM - 23 people I think he said - something the IPMS need to analyse. Maybe they should poll the members as to why they did not attend - wrong/inconvenient location - wrong date etc. - which is why I didn't go to the AGM as it was the day before Hendon and the Midland Expo which I understand was quiet as well.

The SR-N4 and G for George dioramas I took to Hendon were still very, very popular, especially with the young children - mainly asking "what's that?" in the case of the hovercraft and "ah cool, look, that one is on fire Mum/Dad". I was really taken aback by the response to these two. Also, if I had a quid for every time the SR-N4 in particular was photographed... well, I'd have lots of quids wouldn't I?! So many average no-modelling people pick up on the Classic Box Art theme without being prompted so I certainly think there has to be a contribution along the same lines for the IPMS 50th display, and obviously we can offer many already built and well received examples as has already been mentioned.

It seems the only people not aware of the profile of the CBK is the IPMS so I for one will need to up my game at promoting it - maybe by attending more shows, although my time and financial resources are very stretched at the moment. We still have Farnborough to come for the CBK 2011 display, so I will go overboard there trumpeting our cause.

Now for an outrageous suggestion - how about we drop the "British" or extend it somehow to include other classic box art for the IPMS 50th display - if we don't I suspect some other thieving gits may get in on the act and do the same and steal our thunder? Is this too far off piste for CBK - it would just be for the 50th display - a one (well two) night affair at Telford. What do you guys think?

cheers
Al.

[MerlinJones]

The whole point of the CBK is that it's the classic BRITISH SIG and, to include all brands, all countries, would be to dilute the SIG and focus would be lost...
The Classic Kit SIG? No thanks.

That said, one idea I've had for a while re displays would be to include CBK contemporaries, showing off what other companies were producing at the time. This would be another tool to show off British kittery and my dilemma had been on how to show what was available, without making the old Airfix and FROG look sad and below par.
As a SIG, we've already referred to Revell and Heller and the FROG connections with Renwall and Hasegawa, for example and we know nostalgia pulls Joe Pubic. We've talked of including contemporary items before.

The IPMS-UK is well aware of the SIG. Unfortunately, I believe that there are some personalities who are not keen and who tend to favour their own SIG and/or Forum. C'est la vie....moving on...

Original ideas are few and far between and I'd noticed over recent years how other displays began to incorporate nostalgia-elements. I'll also expect to see more boxart displays and it won't be long before someone comes up with a Boxart SIG, alongside a FROG SIG and a Matchbox SIG, etc..
Obviously, after the CBK came the Airfix SIG and the Revell SIG, so it's not unrealistic to expect more.

[JamesPerrin]

People are confused enough thinking we're the Classic Box Art SIG, let's not add to it.

[jssel]

Do not, repeat, do not leave British out of CBK. Even in the States, I cut my modeling teeth on Airfix, Matchbox and Frog. Oh yes, Revell, Monogram Aurora were players but not like good old CBK's

[PaulBradley]

If we started to include other brands, and modern kits, others at other SIGs would start complaining that we are modelling outside of our area......

We are the ORIGINAL Classic kits SIG, the ORIGINAL Airfix modelling SIG and I see no reason to change that because a few don't seem to like/recognise/embrace our ideals. The fact that other people want to copy us is a compliment and we have every reason to be proud of what we've achieved.

[JohnRatzenberger]

I think we should stay with the CBK -- "Go home with the one that brung ya".

[MerlinJones]

As kids we did choose Airfix in preference to other brands when available.

Regards,
Bruce

[beany]

Just to clarify, I meant drop "British" in terms of SOME of the items we might build and displayed as a one-off for the two days of the Telford IPMS Anniversary weekend ONLY, not from the SIG name or any other such nonsense. For example, oh I don't know, say comparing Airfix builds with contemporaries of the time like Aurora or Monogram or, god forbid, even Revell, all from the early 60's period. So in other words I was suggesting what just about everyone else has suggested here since my original post.

[JamesPerrin]

OK fair point Al. But too clarify are you talking about what we put on our table at the 50th or what we contribute to the big IPMS(UK) display?

For the big display I don't think there is any reason we need to be tightly bound the SIGs remit however we should be careful not to step on anyone's toes. And after all people would expect us to provide some CBKs.

As for ourselves, there has to be a good reason for putting non CBKs on our table, the Bomber Command SIG wouldn't just add some US and Russian bombers 'cos they felt like it. It needs to be strongly themed and justifiable. It looks as though I've just had the same thought that Brews posted above that one idea could be comparison builds UK vs US. How much overlap of subjects outside of WWII and US jets and we may end up comparing different scales.