FLEACON 20 13 April 2024 IPMS Alexander Lippisch.

[Rhino]

Fleacon 20 | IPMS/USA Home Page

Please join the Alexander Lippisch Chapter for their 20th annual show and contest. The event will be held at the Berndes Center kin Monticello, Iowa. We use an open judging format for judging all categories, and a contest format for judging the "Best of" and special awards. IPMS rules apply for...

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Who wants to come and play with the Cool Kids in Monticello next weekend?
IPMS Alexander Lippisch has come a long way from their humble beginnings in 2004. The Berndes Center at the Jones County fairgrounds is a voluminous gymnasium. Well lit and roomy!

Sometime ago, Hobbytown USA in Cedar rapids had Guillow's balsa wood gliders for free at this show.
Kevin Nelson and I took our free gliders outside in the Monticello spring air and played airplanes together. I'm looking forward to doing so again.
tlarmodels.com will supply the necessary aircraft this time. The price will be very similar to the defunct Hobbytown USA.

 

[moon puppy]

Man your show schedule is packed. I'll be in Ohio next week, only an 8 hour drive.

Have a good show.

 

[Rhino]

"The Best Grandson in the WHOLE World" Russell will be attending his first model show in Monticello this weekend.

 

[Rhino]

It begins Thursday night. Checking past Fleacon posts to make sure previous entries aren't repeated and choosing finished models to debut.
The Fartin' Fleas limit entries to be judged to six. You can bring as many as you want, but they will only judge and award (maybe!) six completed models at their contest.
Of note, the Airfix 1/72 DH.88 Comet with TLAR cockpit, 1/700 1863 US Revenue Cutter Caleb Cushing and the TLAR Models 1/700 "Big Butt-crack" Gaffney SC water tower are making their first show appearances.
Sallying forth into Friday evening rush-hour traffic, boldly go the shocking pink Plastic Surgeons. Callsign: Boat-tail 712.

Not too early Saturday morning, with grandson Russell "The Muscle" along we arrive at Darrell's Tummy Heaven in Monticello (Monty-sello) for breakfast. Sally's On Broadway in Springville doesn't serve Saturday morning breakfast. Only Sundays. We decide to give the crew at Darrell's a chance to redeem themselves after the lousy service last year.

They did not disappoint us! Hot plentiful breakfast arrived in good order at a reasonable price. My coffee cup did not go dry this visit. Russell may have underestimated the portion sizes at Tummy Heaven. This was our day to spoil "The Best Grandson in the whole World" and we DID!
Monticello weather was fair enough for my feet to be very happy for the first time this year!!

Registration, Raffle and Canteen. The Fartin' Flea club is renowned for their impressive raffle offerings and usually have a few kits for sale at a reasonable price as well. The ladies running the canteen don't offer much variety, but the food is hot, sodas are cold and cheerfully served!
A nice feature of the Jones County Fairgrounds Berndes (Burn-dees) center.

About the contested space. Models and vendors. Teresa takes Russell in hand to show him around, introduce him to our many model friends and school him in her raffle harvesting wiles.

Paper Models! A skill I do not possess as of yet. Pretty cool!


IPMS Alexander Lippisch club Display. Just a few models shown here.
See the new Airfix 1/35 Ferret? See the smiling young man in the photo? That is none other than Mr. Steve Allen. He built a model of his Canadian Army armored scout car! The exact one, complete with tea cup and tea cooker! How awesome is that?!
Steve has been a long-time Flea. His 1/32 WWI aircraft are meticulous and impressive as well!

Blackhawk club display table. We never have enough space for a Club Display table of previous winners and projects. Maybe we will next year. Inspiration can come from almost anywhere!

 

[moon puppy]

Thanks for the report Chris.

 

[Rhino]

How about some model entries?


The Autocross Beetle was very interesting! The '59 Cadillac Party Wagon is an eye-catcher and dazzles the eye simultaneously. It almost hurts to looks at this unique finish!

I will comment that this appears to be a 1/48 Esci F-8E conversion and acknowledge the clean build of an old tool airplane model. The AJ tail code says USS Nimitz to me. Maybe the 1980 movie "The Final Countdown" RF-8?
I hesitate to comment that RF-8G Photo Crusaders carried no 20mm cannons. The "Supersonic Hooligans" of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis were VFP-62 airplanes, rather than VFP-63 and operated from a Naval Air Station, rather than an aircraft carrier deck. That US Navy steam catapult tracks look a little less "prominent" than this one.

Wes Wedeward's Panzer III was here! I stood up for our Joachim Lotz at our show about how many model show MC's butcher his name.
Perhaps there is a reason? Printing is HARD without a keyboard.
IPMS Alexander Lippisch judges hard at work! 42 Modelers entered 170 models.

Dave Lentell's "Thomas the TIE Fighter. What fun!!

Iowa Hawkeye Modelers Mike DeFelice built the old Revell 1/310 USS Forrest Sherman into an accurate replica of his Dad's ship, USS Morton.
I would never have guessed this was a mod of the Revell kit. Mike did a really fine job putting a polish on this vintage (recently re-issued) turd!
Bravo Zulu, Michael!

More to come after I clear my Big Cutter molds!

 

[Rhino]

A Chibi-Gundam? Larry T. Lah's Tiny Darth Vader TIE fighter was cute!

Russell emulated his Gramma quite well in the raffle. (1st pile) We stopped to chat with Virgil and Olivia Stansbury and Virgil asked Russell what kind of model he was in to. Russell said (Sob, sniff) He was in to (Big sigh, sniffle-sniffle) CAR MODELS. (BOO-HOO-hoo hoo!! wipe nose)
Where did I possibly go wrong?!?

Virgil promptly handed Russell both of his AMT 1/16 '57 Chevy convertible kits. One has a scratch in the windscreen, the other has a hole in the hood, but Virgil assures Russell he can make at least 1 really GRAND '57 Belair Convertible from both kits. He was strolling by the raffle and a Ferrari winner handed him the Tamiya Ferrari Medosa, as a gift. (2nd pile) One of the Blackhawk guys gave him a Revell 1/24 PT Cruiser promo model.
Evidently, Modelers are suckers for grandsons. I lknow I am!

Virgil Stansbury is a great guy and he has my eternal admiration for generosity to our grandson at his first show, with the club he will likely join if he really does build.

Awards: The Fleas did awards by modeler this year. Gold/Silver/Bronze challenge coin awards were presented for all awarded models when the modeler stepped forward. Quicker time-wise, but kind of confusing, really.

President Chanel had a P/A failure and soldiered on nonetheless. Evidently, speaking into a bottle of water is some comfort when the mic and amp go tits-up. Bill Kruger handed out the awards in a flurry. An old, bald guy in a pink scrub shirt snuck up on Bill and startled him. "You scared the shit out of me!" I am too old to be agile. I have to settle for being stealthy!
The Plastic Surgeons in attendance did well.
After our contest, President Nathan Stevens shall be known as "Sheriff Stevens" since he wore his cowboy hat for our entire contest.

Sheriff Stevens' awards: DML M1A1 Abrams: Gold. Airfix Female tank, Fujimi Ki-43 Oscar, Fujimi Ju-87 B Stuka and Monogram "Days of Thunder" Lumina: Silver. Monogram 1/72 P-51B Mustang: Bronze.

Ross Petra's Awards: 1/35 DML 15cm sIG 33, and DML 1/35 Panzerjager I: Gold. DML 1/35 Sdkfz 234/1 Armored car: Silver
Ross' 1/35 Panzerjager I was also chosen Best of Armor.

Joachim (Jimmy) Lotz awards: 1/48 (?) Humber armored car, Tamiya 1/35 JGSDF Light Utility Truck, 1/35 Type 90 JGSDF Tank and 1/72 T-90 tank: Gold. 1/700 Virginia-class submarine USS Iowa SSN-797: Silver

Chris Rhiner aka Dr. Terrence Dactyl: TLAR Models Ron's Bunnies, 1/350 "Three Mile Limit", 1/700 US Revenue cutter Caleb Cushing 1863, 1/700 Calypso and Francois Frog, 1/700 Gaffney Peachoid "Big Butt-crack" water tower: Gold. Airfix 1/72 DH.88 Comet with TLAR cockpit set: Bronze. (The Comet has a couple of flaws and one major omission. No pitot tube.)
Clean sweep! 6/6.


Raffle wins and 1 purchase.

The weather was great. The Fartin' Fleas were as fun and friendly as a man can wish for. Russell had a really good time and wants to start his big '57 as soon as I can round up tools and paint for him. Teresa won some nice prizes. I even gave an Italeri 1/24 Ferrari kit raffle prize to a lady that deserved a Ferrari of her very own. We celebrated by going to Sally's on Broadway in Springville for buffet supper!

Later on that night we went to Pitcher's Bar in Marion, IA to practice Teresa's karaoke hobby and regaled our many friends there with "Green Eyed Lady", "The Way You Love Me", "White Rabbit", "On The Cover of the Rolling Stone" "Coal Miner's Daughter", "Deja Voodoo" and other favorites.
Both Hobbies! Same weekend! We were well worn on our Sunday RTB.
Calling this a win!
Thanks for looking in!
Heap Big Blizzard come next weekend! Hunker down and make models!!

 

[moon puppy]

Sounds like Russell has his dance card full for a while. He could build a pristine '57 and a rotted out one with those kits!

 

[Rhino]

I can fix the icky windscreen. Time will tell.