Not everyone lives close enough to come over and play with the "Cool Kids".
Since many of our M/A members cannot attend in person, I offer my humble impressions and overview, shall I?
Boat-tail 712 departs Starbase 0711 this A.M. We try to leave earlier, but my Sweetie and I find our mornings move more slowly as we age.
Arrived American Legion Post 396 0820.
Registration crew is operating as expected. I was entrant #2. Stalwart Plastic Surgeons treasurer, George Stevens slips the bounds of his recent illness to fill his role at the registration table! It was a pleasure to have George in our midst once again.
Just after this picture was taken, an old, disheveled (drunk) Post 396 member wandered up and accused us of breaking Federal Law by moving tables out of the closet where the small arms locker is and began chewing our Aimee Lotz out about how much of the post we had rented and violating our rental contract. We'll call him "Al" for our purposes here. "Rude, ignorant, stinky, village idiot" is too long.
He walked past 10 men and picked on the smallest woman he could find.
Just about the time our hackles rose, right before we tossed this old feather merchant Bully SOB where he truly belongs, The USS Forrestal CPO's daughter let this bully have his due. He sorely underestimated the opponent he chose.
Aimee pointed out, emphatically and in short order that he didn't have a copy of the contract, that we had, in fact, rented the entire post, including the galley and that securing the small arms is the responsibility of the Post and not the customer!
I am a member of American Legion Post 572 PEKOMY. No guest or civilian in MY post would EVER be treated with such disregard and complete rudeness. As for this Post's small arms; Their M1 Garand rifles are filthy and in need of lubrication. After some TLC and removal of that awful white stain on the stock, they operate as good as new.
"Al" meandered off, chagrined. Listing and trailing smoke from his hindquarters.
Webmistress Aimee Lotz, for the WIN!
In any case, back to the fun of our contest.
Raffle/Galley
Vendors included Larry Clausen, Bill Kruger, Ralph Fredlund, Kent Kirkpatrick and Mark Johnson.
Contest space! The usual 4 corner view. 44 entrants fielded 250 models.
I don't know what Ross Petra said to Kevin Nelson, but Kevin surely seemed to be enjoying himself! It was good to see Kevin in such good spirits! He had a pretty serious surgery (not plastic) not long ago and is mending steadily!
Models that caught my eye;
Winston Vermilyea's 1/32 YAK-28 Brewer. (3rd.) Ray Smiths' 1/48 CW-21B Demon, (1st) and 1/72 JU-86R (you don't see that one every day!) 1st place!
Clay Pennington's 1/32 Republic P-47H conversion from the Trump. P-47D Thunderbolt. First place award! Really outstanding!
Clay also built the old Williams Brothers 1/32 Seversky P-35A. This kind of job on a vintage, old tool, airplane model kit earned him this years Chuck Sterns award! A truly stunning model!
Bill Wedeward's "Starting my run, out of the Sun" (2nd) and FW190 (2nd) The 1/72 TA-152 is the FroG kit!
Larry Clausen's MASH bell helicopter. (3rd)
Science fiction and shiny Cars! Tom Piper's 1969 Dodge Daytona; Best NASCAR 1950-1980.
Robert Jutson's 1/24 Porsche 944 Turbo. 1st place and Best Automotive Finish awards, His Renault Police van earned a 2nd place award.
I led the Armor judging team this year. I insisted on picking my team and Head Judge "Sheriff" Nate Stevens wisely allowed me to do so.
Mike Rasmussen, Carlton Burger, joined by Colton Routh Judged 6 of 7 categories of Armor.
"Drive by shooting" first. What model catches your eye? Is it interesting/ believable?
Look closely at construction; tracks, alignment, fit, running gear touching the ground and each other. Pieces broken off?
Gaps, seams?
Paint job, fingerprints, decals?
Then weathering as a final deciding factor. Did the vehicle have a crash in a flour factory and then get caught in rust-rain? Are the tracks and running gear packed solid with scale mud/dirt?
Larry Lahs 1/35 M-114A1E1 CSC 3/68 Armored recon track (1st place) Keith Brusten's big StuG III (2nd) Kevin Nelson's Tamiya 1/35 M8 Greyhound (3rd) An old friend of mine served in the Tropical Lightning division and drove a 114.
During the work of judging, I didn't take ,many pictures. Here are a few more stand-outs;
