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IPMS/USA Membership Pro's & Con's. A discussion

Rhino

Super Moderator
Ok, Since we digressed in Another World, and our Members seem to have strong opinions on the subject, Let's discuss our thoughts, Shall we?

I am an IPMS/USA Member. I have been for a long time. I felt the $$ spent to support the National Organization well spent to promote our Hobby. Presently a 3-Year re-up is $86.00. Less than most of us pay to license our cars.
It is rare that I enter the National show.

I do like the Journal that comes in a full color format 4 times a year, but I find my last two are unread, still in the postal plastic wrapper. :hmmm

I choose to support IPMS USA in the hope that younger modelers may be inspired to create.
 
My issue is the inconsistency of judging and categories in shows. I wish they had more structured judging like AMPS. That's probably my only beef.
 
I've just started going to shows this year after being in the hobby for quite a while...so I can't necessarily say much as to the judging. I did attend a couple IPMS shows and one big AMPS show. I judged one of each for a good number of sessions to get some knowledge of how it works. I will say that some of the judges in each case rubbed me the wrong way a bit...but then again it could be just temperament.

I like the idea of the feedback you get with AMPS as opposed to just Bronze, Silver, and Gold with IPMS and no feedback. That being said, the feedback I received on a piece I thought I did pretty well with was VERY obscure- almost as if the guy couldn't be bothered with writing down anything useful-- but I will say that by judging, I learned quite a lot about what the majority look for and I have found it has improved my building a bit...I am not in it at all for the medals, I just really enjoy hanging with friends and learning.

I will say- and I know some feel that doing reviews is more work than fun- but I disagree. I choose what I want to build from the list that gets sent occasionally and for the 5 or 6 reviews I have done so far for IPMS, just the cost of one of them equals what I paid for membership ;) and I have also come across some things I wouldn't normally build- like that 1/24 Thunderbolt- and learned a lot from doing that as well. I also enjoy the journal- especially since I don't currently subscribe to anything else.
 
I can speak for our local IPMS show, one instance that stands out was a 1/32 scale Revell Hawker Tempest Mk.1b. The classic cool one with a car-door. This modeler had gone through and added nuts, bolts, plumbing, engine, cockpit & gun details, opened panels and added Rucker-esque detail. He truly built an impressive Tiffie! EXCEPT for 3 glaring flaws in basic construction. Gaps in the leading edge wing roots. Since judging begins with The Basics, in a class of 5 1/32 Aircraft, my Team could not award his magnificent effort. We had no way to offer input for this Entrant and I saw his face when he packed up after the show, I KNOW He was crestfallen. A little filler, a couple of swipes with the sanding stick, and a teeny spray of paint would have made the Old Revell Girl as flawless AND as detailed as any human can possibly build.

Not being as avid an Armor modeler as some, I have no interaction with AMPS contests.
Local IPMS Shows do not require IPMS/USA membership.
Our SurgiCon show is much like our meetings. Focus on the fun and camaraderie of the hobby. It's always a pleasure to meet Our Fellows. I continue to serve as announcer (Loud Mouth) by request for our show, even though I am not Club President any longer.

Our IPMS/USA Region 5 Representatives that stand out are the long-serving Kelly Quirk and just of late, the affable and humorous Jim Coatney. Both Men are fine modelers and assist with National contest guidelines.
 
Sounds great!

I will say my local two club meetings I attend are night and day. The AMPS group is informal and we meet in one guy's basement with builds and just sit and have one beer while we build and shoot the breeze...great fun. In the IPMS meetings, I am the youngest at 48 by a good 10-20 years...and these guys have known each other since Steve Zaloga started the group way back...they are likeable but it's been harder for me to get comfortable in those meetings. Also, the last meeting we had was a slideshow of a show some of them had gone to and they pretty much bashed every model in it...not my cuppa...but I'm trying to be open-minded...
 
If I'm not mistaken, those flows still could have one metal for the builder because they judge the model against itself, not others.
 
If I'm not mistaken, those flows still could have one metal for the builder because they judge the model against itself, not others.

Apparently, talk to text isn't working, neither is the proof reader. :rotf

So far, no one has explained to me a reason for me to become an IPMS member. Since I rarely compete any more and certainly wouldn't enter a nationals, a membership would amount to a magazine subscription. :idonno
 
If I'm not mistaken, those flows still could have one metal for the builder because they judge the model against itself, not others.

Apparently, talk to text isn't working, neither is the proof reader. :rotf

So far, no one has explained to me a reason for me to become an IPMS member. Since I rarely compete any more and certainly wouldn't enter a nationals, a membership would amount to a magazine subscription. :idonno

I am not sure if I could answer that for you...if I were to keep one only it would probably be AMPS because I enjoy those competitions a bit more...but even paying membership is not required for the meetings. I guess for me, I love doing reviews and need to be a paid member to be able to do them so that's why I'm paid up...
 
I belong just to support the hobby.

As to the contention you sometimes see at shows, that's a product of people that care too much about the same things. Puts me in mind of one of my airplane customers. Married his first wife because they both liked to fly, ended up getting a divorce because they argued too much about the right way to fly. Go figure...
 
Being a member of IPMS only supports IPMS. No one has shown what IPMS does for members. They provide coverage to clubs in case of accident at a show, but that's about it.
This site promotes the hobby by providing a place to share and learn in a pen light free environment and doesn't charge a dime.
Still not any facts why one should be a card carrying IPMS member. I AM a member of AMPS, but that's because I get discounts on products and entry fees at contests. Their magazine is just OK, I usually give it away.
 
Not being member of either, I can appreciate those who are involved with the groups in setting up shows and vendors we can pillage. Shows are hit and miss, depends on the attraction of vendors and the clubs themselves, I get that.
 
Being a member of IPMS only supports IPMS. No one has shown what IPMS does for members. They provide coverage to clubs in case of accident at a show, but that's about it.
This site promotes the hobby by providing a place to share and learn in a pen light free environment and doesn't charge a dime.
Still not any facts why one should be a card carrying IPMS member. I AM a member of AMPS, but that's because I get discounts on products and entry fees at contests. Their magazine is just OK, I usually give it away.

Well...IPMS sent me this to build for free...

ha43ff98_2019-01-07.jpg


I have a deadline of two months, but that's doable...I don't know how much the kit sells for yet, but I'll bet it's more than my $30 membership fee ;)
 
If I received a kit to do a review build, I would build it exactly out of the box and do no research. I "could" build a kit in a couple of months if I did that. Research would only come after the kit was built as a followup.

One of them there things I guess. I finally did just get an IPMS membership. I am planning on going to Chattanooga this year and have at least one kit to enter. As to the rest we will just wait and see how it really pans out.
 
A club is really what you put into it. If you just sit on sidelines and bitch that is all you will get out of it. Get in there and do some judging. Learn the rules and make them stick when you are judging. When you have people doing something you can't escape personalities. I have judged both AMPS and IPMS and there are always some who will want to judge according to their likes or to who is entered, but when you judge stand you ground and prove your point. Who knows you might even learn a few things along the way. You join a club because you like to be around some of the people in it anyway and that's what it is all about.

B)
 
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