Surgicon 29. 5 April 2025 From Tonkin to Saigon. The Vietnam War.

[Rhino]

The IPMS Plastic Surgeons present Surgicon 29!

Surgicon

ipms-plasticsurgeons.com

5 April 2025 in the sprawling metropolis of Nevada (Ne-VAY-da) Iowa. The show theme is "From Tonkin to Saigon." Any subject related to the Vietnam War. A very broad theme indeed!

"Rhino, Nevada? Really? There's nothing in Nevada except a processed food plant."
Ah, doubting sir. The voluminous Gates Memorial Hall is on the Nevada schools property. It's big enough it has a stage!

AND! "The Hobby Shop" in Ames, Iowa is a scant 18 miles away! Bought my first airplane model here in 1971! Good old Mike Ruff has partnered with our Club to support our 29th show. We will certainly support Mike in return!

There are good places to eat in Ames as well. Hickory Park BBQ of note. I must sorrowfully report that the Taco Time, a favorite of my youth, is closed. (sob, sniff, sob.)

Then just 23 miles away in Boone, Iowa is Sidetrack Hobbies. Principally a model railroading hobby shop. This sounds like a lot of distance to go to an actual hobby shop, but go to a contest in any big city. Tell me how far you had to drive to visit the LHS, if there even was one still in business?

The Chuck Sterns Award and plaque for this years Don Barry awards arrived today from K2 Awards in Virginia. This bust was one of the last things Don finished before his 15 August, 2023 death. We thought it a fitting tribute to our Big Buddy.

Our awards this year, and for years to come will be the little Challenge Coin type. These, like the venue, don't cost the Club very much.
Challenge coins are kind of a standard among IPMS Region 14 Chapters. "Best Of" and Judges Grand awards are NOT coins!
Come and share the fun!

 

[moon puppy]

Good luck with the show!

 

[Rhino]

Good luck with the show!

For us, getting there is half the battle. Nevada is an hour and 15 minutes of fast driving in fair weather, from home.

 

[moon puppy]

For us, getting there is half the battle. Nevada is an hour and 15 minutes of fast driving in fair weather, from home.

Hell I drive that long for a good lunch.

 

[Rhino]

Hell I drive that long for a good lunch.

Some good lunches are worth the drive!

 

[Rhino]

Raffle donations, except for a couple of big, sealed kits out in the shed got sorted and verified tonight. Bagging clear parts and decal sheets.
I make sure the contents are complete. The 1/250 scale Ching Dynasty Chinese armored cruiser kit is missing her instructions. Scalemates didn't list any.
Oh Saul............................

 

[Rhino]

Fwriends! Amerwicans! Countweemen! Wend me your eaws! (I'll clean them and give them back, when I'm done.)

I know that today is April Fools Day. I swear on my Mother's Grave this is no joke, as much as I wish it was.

Monday, 31 March, 2025 at or about 2030 hrs. Raymond William Powers took his Trip Up to Heaven.

Memorial services will begin Saturday, 5 April 2025 at 1200 hrs. Graveside services are scheduled for 1400 hrs.
https://www.ilesfuneralhomes.com/about-us/convenient-locations/iles-norwalk-chapel/
Now, this service IS happening on the same day as Surgicon 29. Ray and Jackie have family and friends coming from a long ways off.
The Memorial services will not be rescheduled around the model contest.

Teresa and I will be choosing to honor our friend and bring what cheer we may to Ray's People over contest fun and frivolity with our Model People. Duty and Honor supersede model fun at this time.

The plan is to launch Boattail 712 from NAS White Oak (R) 0700 5 April, deliver our raffle booty and awards, goof off for a couple of hours and then return from Nevada to Norwalk for the funeral services. I have little expectation of returning to the Surgicon show after Ray's proceedings.

For this reason, please forgive scanty contest pictures and commentary on this thread.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Sorry to hear about Ray. It is always hard when our good friends go on the long journey. As we get older and that journey gets closer, we tend to get a little wiser and become more aware of what is really important.

 

[Rhino]

After a couple of false starts (I forgot to print my comments for Ray's Memorial, then we forgot to load the Chuck Sterns and Don Barry awards) 712 headed north with a bone in her teeth, 0740 hrs. We ran to Ankeny, refueled, got Kwik Star breakfast sandwiches for free and continued on to Nevada arriving 0900 hrs. exactly. This venue is a pain to find the first time. Thank you Google maps!

Now that being said, the Gates Memorial Hall Auditorium is HUGE and well lighted compared to spaces Surgicon has occupied before!
Vendors and contestants are finding their way as well!

Frank Miller and Kevin Nelson. These are the men that agreed to judge and award the Chuck Sterns Award and Don Barry awards respectively, in my absence. In a raffle quick-draw, Kevin won the Academy 1/600 scale RMS Titanic model kit!

Frank built the awful Mirage 1/72 kit of the North American C-140 Jetstar into this beauty in SEA camo. I was pretty sure he would not award the Chuck award to himself, but he would have been justified! The Mirage kit is a turd on wheels!

Amusing Hobby's 1/48 Me-262 paper variant that NO man should ever have flown. She would have been a wobblin' Gobblin in the yaw axis with that teensie rudder. Lose an engine and spin all the way to Earth. Winston fixed his 1/32 A-20G nose gear,and some helicopters arrived.

I like me an LOH (Loach) The next whirly-gig, I had never seen before. This is an AMP Models 1/48 Bendix Model J "Whirlaway" 2-seater. A 1946 contender for US Navy helicopter contracts. I enjoy seeing models like this one. It proves the unusual model has appeal! I don't hate Mustang or FW-190 models, I just like to see something besides the "Bread and Butter" model kits get built. and built well!

Have you ever Seen a 1/24 scale 1971 Daytona Charger? NO?! That's because nobody ever, has because there never was a 1971 Daytona Charger or Superbird. Frank Miller mated a scratch-built nose and 1970 wing to a 1971 Charger kit. The idea was that he would Master and TLAR Models would mold, cast and market his '71 Daytona Charger conversion set. Sometimes a guy gets excited about a new mod, and the test-fit becomes the installation. Yep, my friend built the Master! You never build the Master, ding-a-ling.
AND!! Mark Johnson's Datsun 240Z. Nice!


"If I had money, I'll tell ya what I'd do, I'd go up to Windsor, buy me a Mercury or two. Crazy 'bout a Mercury..........."
1968 Canadian M-100 Mercury pick-up! 390-4V would have made her agile, indeed!

Nate Stevens Fine Molds 1/72 Japanese army super heavy tank O-I is no end of interesting!

A few Armor builds. Registration was no where near finished when we left for Ray Powers' memorial service.

 

[Rhino]

Bill Hounsom! YAY! Richard Sliwka made the long ride from Nebraska. That is Doug Kolkman's giant IJN Submarine. Who says size doesn't matter?!


Nate McCoy's 2025 Don Barry award winner.


2025 Chuck Sterns award winner.
50 Entrants made the drive to Nevada and 250 entries were made.
A moment of silence was observed about the Contested Space in honor of Raymond William Powers jr.'s graveside service at 1400 hrs. today.

Frank generously collected our raffle wins in our absence. He did a fine job. We will get another chance to have fun with Frank and Cynda next weekend at the Monticello show. Raffle ticket buyers might have been glad Teresa was not there today.

We arrived at the Norwalk Iles Chapel noon-ish. The service was bittersweet as one might expect. Our friend/Dad/Uncle/Grampa/Great Grampa at peace, having left this Earth. Ray's casket was arranged with a few of his models nearby. We offered the sympathies and condolences of the IPMS Plastic Surgeons membership.

In addition to my offering the sympathies and condolences of IPMS Plastic Surgeons and lengthy comments, Ray's friend Lee told a story about how funny Ray was.
It seems Raymond arrived at Lee's house one evening with a bottle of vodka. He went to the fridge to find orange juice, but there was only a jug of prune juice. Lee said they had quite a time with vodka/prune that night.
Take a guess what Ray called a libation made from these two fluids?
A "Pile Driver"! Pfoof!

A fellow from the Des Moines Gun club came to comment on what a great guy, hard worker and fine marksman he knew Ray to be.
During a stock M-1 match, this gentleman found Ray shooting with a barrel on his M-1 marked MG (Match Grade) not Stock, see?
He asked Ray what the MG on the barrel stood for. Ray replied "Mexican National Guard" in true laconic Ray-Ray fashion. (He bought his M-1 Garand out of the Montgomery Ward catalog for $19.95. ) Ray used to joke that the M-1 Garand rifle came from the South Korean Army. "Never fired. Only dropped once."

This gentleman continued on to state that if the members of the Gun club had known Ray had a camouflaged WWII German "butt-plug" in his house, they would never have let that go.

Colton suggests an award in his Grampa Ray's honor might be the "Ray Powers jr. Award for Best Green". This seems like a great idea, and it furthers our oldest club joke about "I have my doubts about that green, Ross" I think Ray would approve. We'll suggest this to club for a vote at the next meeting.

The graveside service was windy and cold, but without rain. Rather than sharing libations with Ray's boys at the local bar, I wisked Teresa home to shake off the chill. On our way home, she reads to me:

"Every marriage has one person that throws things out, and a garbage-loving, chaos-goblin who says "But I was saving that!"
"Whatever are you trying to suggest, my Darling?"
"Nothing, I'm just reading it."
"Uh-HUH."
"You always say everything is a modeling supply."
"I always say Model supplies are everywhere, if you just look."

You can guess how our exchange continued from there. Cute li'l Thrower-Outer.

At the end of the Memorial, The Powers family presented me with the object of my "German butt-plug" story that got much laughter.
Mike said "I'm sure Dad would want you to have this."
I am honored.
It came with a nice, new dish towel too!
Fair winds and following seas, my friend.
I'll see you on the other side.

That's all I have to say 'bout that.

 

[moon puppy]

Nice report Chris. Hard day for you all I know.

 

[Rhino]

It was this old song that played in my internal jukebox yesterday.