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2022 SC Scale Model Mega Show

SdAufKla

SdAufKla

Active member
I want to let everyone know that this SC Scale Model Mega Show is scheduled and on track for Saturday, 18 June 2022 at the SC Army NG Armory on Bluff Road, Columbia, SC.

We’ve been assured by the armory that there will not be a repeat of last year’s a/c fiasco. For this year, we’ve also refined our judging processes (last year was a totally new show format for us, so we, admittedly, had a few kinks), so we expect things to run much more smoothly and quicker this year.

Please don’t be fooled by this year’s show poster design. As always, the SC Mega Show is an ALL GENRES SCALE MODELING event. If it’s a scale model, it’s welcome. There’s room for all!

Entrants are assigned an individual display area to organize and exhibit as many models as they can fit in it. Each entrant may select a single piece of work for the juried judging. Individual awards are based on skill levels and the judges written scores. Field awards are made by gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Additional judging and awards are made for the Best Of categories and Show Themes. We also offer a special award for the Best Overall Individual Exhibit (which includes all of the work on display by that modeler).

At the end of the show, all the written score and comment sheets are returned to all entrants. We want our show entrants to know exactly what the judges saw and thought about their work with the intent of taking that feedback to improve their skills, craft and art.

We have sold out over half of our available vendor tables, and expect, as in years past, to completely sell out before the show. If anyone is considering vending, I’d highly encourage you to contact our Vendor Coordinator ASAP to reserve your space.

Finally, we ask everyone who is considering entering and exhibiting to please read all the rules.

Complete and up to date info on the show can be found on the show website:

2022 SC Scale Model Mega Show

Hope to see ya there!
 
Hey Mike! How about cranking that A/C up today, so it's nice and cool for Saturday? :bigrin: See you there! :good:
 
We had a good time, found some bargains and met some new folks. Other than a knucklehead decision on the lunch venue, it was a good day.

How many models were entered?
:vgood:
 
Not our largest show ever with regards to total entries, but also certainly not our smallest, either:

Over 185 models on exhibition (counting several collections or groupings as single models -so individual model count was somewhere well over 200).

41 entrants (modelers) and models registered for judging.

F-86 Sabre was the winner of the Best Aircraft, "Atomic Age" Theme Award, and Judges' Best of Show.

63 total vendor tables with over 20 different vendors. (I forget the exact number of individual vendors).

We're NOT pleased at all about the continuing issues with the AC system at the armory. They had assured us that there would be no repeat of last year's fiasco, and to be honest, this year was not nearly so bad. Still their system was only working at just over half capacity, so not pleasant conditions down on the vendor end of the venue.

We're still processing the experience, but I can say with a VERY HIGH degree of certainty that we will be taking steps under our own control to be sure that, if we host a show for 2023, that this AC issue will not impact our event or patrons. Once was bad, but we were willing to give 'em another chance. Twice in a row, though, is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

On a more positive note, we were very encouraged by the increase in the numbers of "non-mainstream" modeling entries this year. Hopefully the word will continue to spread in the communities of "under-served" modelers who build subjects in these genres. Maybe next time we'll also see more of the "mainstream" genre modelers return to the event once they realize that the new exhibition type format is not some sort of heretical, satanical ritual, and there are still many opportunities to "compete," if competition is what motivates them (all of the best in category, best theme, judges BoS, and best display awards are still in play for those modelers).
 
I'm sure record high gas prices had an effect on attendance as well. Thanks again for all the effort that went into bringing it off.
 
We sort of think the same and hope that the economy improves for next year. There was also an IPMS show in Maietta, GA on the same day. Nothing we can do about that, though, since we're not an IPMS chapter their event deconfliction rules don't apply.

Another major improvement this year was in the timing of our judging and awards ceremony. This year we were wrapped up with everything by around 4 pm. Judging went much quicker and smoother since we had our process for the new format down better and our judging team leaders understood the system. Last year was our first trying to fit the AMPS-style, individual model scoring and feedback judging into an all-genres model show (not just armor), and we had some growing pains that slowed us way down. This year we had the bugs worked out, and everybody involved was more familiar with what had to happen.

Again, we hope that word spreads about how quickly the judging went this year. We know some folks were upset over how long things took last year. However, corrective actions have been taken and improvements have been made. In the end, judging still revolves around the number of folks who are willing to step up and volunteer to help out with it. This year we also got a few more volunteers, so that was also a contributor to the speed that we got things done.
 
centaur567 said:
If the a/c is still an issue, why not hold the event at cooler times of the year? Gary S.
Click to expand...
That is one of the courses of action that we're looking at, for sure.

However, in our geographic region, moving our show date up to earlier in the year puts us in conflict with the Atlanta AMPS / AMMFS show scheduled for mid-Feb and the AMPS International Convention that is usually scheduled for a six-week window starting in the end of Mach and running through the beginning of May. Events scheduled too close together on the calendar greatly impacts the vendors who often must choose between which shows they will work. Giving vendors about a month to recover from one show before your show and then giving them another month to get ready for their next show is HIGHLY desirable to keep the number of vendors up.

Later in the Summer creates a conflict with the IPMS Nationals always scheduled for August, and mid-Summer is when everyone is traveling on family vacations. Mid-June is about as late into the summer as you can reasonably schedule a show and hope for any attendance.

Autumn in the SC region is the "traditional" model show "season" starting in September and running through early November. There are simply too many shows already scheduled or planned for those months. Most of these are IPMS shows, and they will deconflict with each other, but not with us, leaving us with the potential for serious conflict with another show that's in very close proximity. Needless to say, this kills vendors and patrons for both shows.

Having said that, though, next year, 2023 does offer a potential window in the second half of March that we're looking at. This is just one of the options, though.

Another is a total venue change. This is very difficult to do for many reasons: costs and size being the two main variables. Our show has grown to a point where we need a certain minimum amount of space, and venues that have that much space and which are still affordable are very few. Another issue with larger commercial venues is their restrictions on outside food and drink. Some of the venues in our area will not even allow us to bring in a cooler of water bottles for our own show crew, much less allow our show patrons to bring in their own food and drink. (And this really impacts the vendors bad.)

Moving up to a larger venue is possible (and something we had hoped to do if our co-hosting partners had stuck with us), but as could be seen
this year, our patronage simply cannot pay for any of the larger venues.

We do have some other venue options, but - aside from the AC issue - none are quite as optimal with regards to space, on-site available tables, and acceptance of outside food and drink as the Bluff Road NG Armory.
 
My $0.35 worth...

Contact the Adjutant General's office and express your displeasure with the A/C issue. Most armory's HVAC is geared to the number of troops that are there on drill weekend. However, if the unit makes the armory available to outside organizations they need to make certain that the environment is acceptable.

I am fairly certain that the SCANG has engineering units and those units have HVAC troops that can tackle this problem as a "summer camp" project. When I was in the Virgin Islands NG we had Red Horse (USAF) units come in and grade and pave the roads in our new St Croix armory.
 
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