Sorta like a bad HOA run by Karen.
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Not sure if this can help or not but you can try to reach out to the podcasts (Plastic Model Mojo, On the Bench) they both help shows advertise. Maybe that can help a little.
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Yea, except there are no HOA rules that apply to the scale modeling community. Some club or chapter of an organized society may have a codex of rules they want to follow for hosting their own shows, but those rules are not somehow magically applicable across the entire scale modeling community. If you donât like the rules or procedures some other group is using, thatâs fine. You do you.
However, what is wrong is to try to force some other group that has no formal organizational link to your group to do what you want them to do, and if they donât (or wonât) then to actively campaign and sabotage their efforts with the specific intention of preventing them from being successful.
When you get down to it, you choose to live in a community with an HOA, so âKarenâ may be an unpleasant neighbor, but you decided to live there knowing the rules upfront. Itâs an entirely different thing when âKarenâ leaves her own neighborhood to spread rumors and take measures to prevent others from living their own lives in their own other neighborhoods.
Weâve done all that we can do to extend invitations to âKarenâ to come to our neighborhood, and if she wants to stay at home, thatâs fine. While sheâs there, though, it would be nice if she would stop throwing rotten eggs over the fence at us.
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Sounds like your club and theirs need to meet for a rumble in the parking lot after the mall closes! If you do, post some vids hereâŚ
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LOL!
I believe that in the end, weâll prevail through sheer will-power and perseverance. The tired old guard still talks a good game, but they donât have the energy and enthusiasm to match us model show for model show.
Their mean-spiritedness has driven away a number of enthusiastic and motivated modelers as well as having kept a number of others from joining them and is a reason why there are so many âsociety unaffiliatedâ scale modelers out there.
(For those not familiar with the general scale modeling community in South Carolina, there was a major doctrinal âschismâ a couple of decades ago when large numbers of scale car model enthusiasts split away from the clubs chartered in that âother societyâ and formed their own multi-chapter organization, SCMA - South Carolina Scale Modelers Association. For many years they hosted their own shows that were almost exclusively civil automotive centric. So, what has been happening with us is nothing new. The âold guardâ has driven away lots and lots of scale modelers in the region because of their attitudes and genre / rules chauvinism. Unfortunately, the SCMA has faded from the scene as many of their members have âaged outâ and / or literally âmoved out.â)
Weâll get this rescheduled SIDNA sale out of the way in the next couple of months (so that we do right by our raffle donors and supporters), and then weâll likely be right back with another full-on show for 2026 or 2027. In the meantime, those other clubs in the region will continue to pi$$ and moan about the âkids walking across their lawnâ (to stick with the HOA metaphor) while being very unlikely to muster the energy to host their own shows.
Demand will grow and patronage will follow. There is a large community of scale modelers who want something different from participation and patronage in model shows and exhibitions, and I feel that if we donât give up, weâll eventually help that community to coalesce around something different and self-sustaining.
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Reminds me of the split in the Methodist Church. Old VS New and the rule changes that go with that.
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Spot on Tom!
Spot on âŚ
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Any thoughts about opening up side branches for other subjects than armor?
âAMPS focuses on armor modelling but we also build models of âŚâ?
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We actually do exactly that. All of our shows for the past several years have been open to all modeling genres, not just armor. We experimented with a couple of different ways to do this, but for several years weâve settled on one which we believe gives the best results for each modeler.
We use the AMPS national data-base registration and scoring system, but weâve been given permission to organize our shows to add additional classes (what AMPS calls their categories). There are actually a couple of other AMPS chapters that are now doing this, but I believe we were the first to do this.
What we do is basically have a âclassâ for each modeling genre (armor, aircraft, nautical, civil automotive, sci fi, figures, dioramas, vignettes, and miscellaneous, and junior-all genres). We have modified the AMPS standard 10-point tally / judiging sheets to accommodate all other genres and use the armor, figure, vignette and diorama sheets, as is. We use the same G-S-B point breaks between skill levels, so the awards are essentially based on the same demonstrated skills for each of the standard skill levels.
We do Best Of class awards using the same comparative judging process that AMPS uses. We also add Best Basic and Intermediate awards to the Best Junior. The class Best Of genre awards usually go to advanced skill level modelers, but because overall patronage is usually fairly small (thus limiting the overall numbers of entries), we do not limit eligible entries for the Best Of judging to only advanced. We usually select the top 5 scoring models in each class regardless of skill levels. Since the judging is straight forward comparative, model to model, the scores are then ignored (only used to select the pool to be judged), and the judges pick the best model from the pool. Sometimes this means an intermediate or even a basic skill level model will win a genre Best Of award. (Best Basic, Intermediate and Junior go the highest scoring models for each group of skill levels unless there are tie high-scores, then a comparative process is used.)
The Judges Best of Show is then selected from the Best Of genre winners (excluding Best Basic, Intermediate and Junior unless one of those models is also a genre Best Of).
We do the judging using teams of 3-4 judges and if there are four, the lowest score is discarded. Each judge adds at least one written comment for each model judged. We actually judge âon the tableâ with the judging teams moving from display space to space. (The details are a bit more complicated than that, but donât need to be explained here to understand whatâs going on.) We also begin judging as soon as registration opens and the models are on the tables.
So, although weâre an AMPS chapter, we have pioneered a process using the AMPS national registration and scoring system to actually run an all-genres scale model show which produces the exact same types of written scores and comments.
One thing that we do differently is based on the limited numbers of judges that we have. This is that we ONLY judge ONE model entered by each participant. Each entrant is given an individual display space (with a chair to sit behind his or her space). He can display as many models as he wishes in this space, arranging them in any manner he wants. The models displayed do not have to be all the same genre or scale. We encourage themed displays, so we have a special award for "Best Display.â We ask each entrant to self-select his or her best model for formal judging, and that model is the one that gets the judges attention.
Modeler-exhibitors are free to sit behind their display space to answer questions about their work. For groups / clubs, we will register all of the participants together and assign them all adjacent display spaces. Within their collective space, the club or group can also organize and arrange the models as they wish - themes, group builds, etc. - put out promotional materials and meeting flyers, etc.
The intended effect is to create an exhibition that is more of a social event rather than competition while providing each entrant with skill level appropriate feedback to help him or her improve their skills, ability, craft and art.
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Ah! A socialist agenda!!! Actually, it makes a lot of since. If the âother groupâ is focused only on armor, your group is bound to grow. There are a lot of wingy things fans out there.
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I think it is the other way around. The other group could not tolerate the existence of
AMPS and alienated their own demographic and now AMPS are catering also for those wayward souls, effectively pulling the rug out from under the feet of that other society.
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This sounds like a really excellent system Mike. Me being a 30 year AMPS member itâs nice to see someone take the AMPS system and make it all inclusive. Also, itâs a friendly exhibition with appreciation at itâs theme. Iâve experienced the âother clubâsâ contests too many times, I donât go anymore. Theirs is a cut throat âwhoâs got the biggest d!ckâ contest, and itâs unappealing.
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My stash is about 50% armor and 50% other so your group would be more appealing, as a modeler.
My wingy percentage is the fastest growing part of my stash. Like a bad rash that is spreading.
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Actually, the issue is not an AMPS one. We are an AMPS chapter, and our earliest shows were all armor. Because we have a number of members who also build other genres (and at the time, we were also members of a chapter of that other society), we soon added a parallel all-other genres show to our AMPS show. We hosted and operated both shows and allowed registration into both or either. We paid for everything for both shows, to include all the awards, etc. We did the registration and judging on the AMPS side using the normal AMPS systems, and the parallel show was operated like one of that other societyâs shows (which many of us had run as members of that group).
This parallel show organization was well received, but required too many resources (especially people, and we never got enough volunteers). We were always - year after year - inviting the other society club to join us using the two parallel show format (âtwo shows under one roofâ), and eventually they finally accepted. Unfortunately, they were not such good planners and stewards of their own resources (especially managing their own part of the show budget). After the last time we did a show together was when they made the accusations I noted in an earlier post.
Thatâs when we went to an all-genres show using the AMPS systems modified as described above.
Itâs actually the âwingy thingâ chauvinists who pretty much control all of the chapters of that other society in our region who are the worst opponents of what we are doing.
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Indeed. Our experiments have, at least to our satisfaction, proven that the AMPS system is flexible and can be applied to an all-genres format show while still providing the best advantages of that system - skill-level appropriate written scoring and comments that can help the modeler advance his skills, abilities and craft.
In order to do this, an AMPS chapter needs a number of people who have worked at the AMPS nationals as ACJs, TCs and Field Judges. The chapter also needs a couple of members who understand the registration and scoring systems (so experience registering entrants as well as entering scores and producing the awards reports). You also need someone who can go online and setup show files (which requires special password permissions). Thereâs a certain amount of in-depth knowledge of the AMPS system (in particular the computer d-base management) thatâs required before you understand enough about how to modify that system to accommodate an all-genres event. However, if your chapter has ever hosted a stand-alone AMPS show (regional or local), then you already have the foundational skills to do all of this.
Youâll also need to modify and produce your own versions of the registration forms and tally (score) sheets. This is probably the easiest part of the whole show setup since basic modeling is basic modeling. The standard AMPS armor score sheet is easily modified to judge other models according to the same basic construction and finishing skills. Ten points is ten points, by .5 point increments. The rules for the research bonus half-point are easily changed to accommodate any genre.
Unfortunately for us, as with so many other similar groups, COVID nearly destroyed our AMPS chapter. Shortly before it hit, we lost our meeting location which meant moving. The new location and its available dates were not convenient for many members, so we were losing members at the same time that public gatherings were prohibited. This also forced us to cancel two shows in a row. After COVID, we were left searching again for a meeting place and ultimately a new show venue (for complicated reasons not germane here).
The bottom line is that our club that once had around 20 active members with a few more who were more âoccasionalâ has dropped down to about half that number. Running a show with only about a dozen folks is really difficult, especially judging. So, weâve found ourselves in a new cycle of rebuilding the club and our shows. We lost about 5-6 years of growth on both fronts. Weâre gaining ground, but it will no doubt take a number of years to get back to where we once were at.
Having active opposition definitely makes things more challenging.
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Refer back the first post. This event has officially been rescheduled to Saturday, 04 APR â26.
Iâve edited the details in the first post with all of the new information. If you think you might like to vend at this sale (even to just unload some of your unwanted stash!), there are still tables available. Contact us at the info listed in the first post!
Hope to see you there!
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It is said that a picture says more than a thousand words âŚ
I doubt that I would even get a visa âŚ
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LOL! Sorry! I tried to delete the â@â reply, but gave up and just left it addressed to you. You are, of course, still invited, but I do appreciate the RSVP regrets!
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Truly appreciated and I have no doubt whatsoever that I would have enjoyed the visit.
I might even have tried on some judging
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