Austin Scale Modelers Society Capitol Classic: PMM Show Spotlight

all right, kentucky day, we got another model show, spotlight. Yep, always happy to do this. You know this club sent in an email through listener mail and it was a very lengthy read. They wanted us to get the information out for them and I was thinking why don't we just get them on and let them tell their own story? It's always more fun anyway. Right? Absolutely.

Nothing I love better than hearing about different shows all across the US, canada, etc. And just everyone has its own special character.

Well, let's get right into it. Well, Dave, in keeping with our attempt to get these model show spotlights out as often as we can, we've got a new opportunity here for the coming month, and this time from Texas. Tonight, we are joined by Gordon Stevens and Tim Robb from the Austin Scale Modeling Society. Guys, how are you doing tonight?

Very well. Thank you very much for having us. We're honored.

We're very good.

You're very welcome. Well, let's go ahead and let you guys introduce yourselves, so everybody knows who we're talking to All right?

Well, I'll start off. I'm Tim. I'm serving a two-year sentence as president of Austin Scale Modelers and.

Gordon. Yeah, I'm Gordon Stevens, I'm a member of the club and yeah, that's about all I can say about that yes, Gordon does a lot.

He's too modest.

Well, tell us about your show. Let's get through the Ws, the when and where and all that good stuff. What you got coming up for us.

We're Saturday, november 9th 2024. We're in a new location this year. We're at the Williamson County Expo Center, which is in Taylor, texas, one county to the north of Austin Still easy driving distance and our times are 9 o'clock to 5 pm. The address is 5350 Bill Pickett Trail in Taylor.

Now, guys, I've got to ask, since this is in Texas, is it going to be a big contest, because I hear everything's bigger in Texas. Is it going to?

be a big contest, Because I hear everything's bigger in Texas. Well, I don't know how to answer that. Compared to East Coast contests, it is a relatively large contest. Here. We will typically have 450 to 500 models entered. Last year we had 77 vendor tables. This year, with the new venue, there's only room for 71. Usually they all sell out and there's a wait list. So it's a nice busy day all day long. Lots of good models to see we are. Austin is centrally located between San Antonio, Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the north, so we will see modelers from all three of those areas and happy to have them. And we see some from out of state pretty regularly every year and even a few from Monterey, Mexico.

Oh nice. How is your show conducted? Is it a classic IPMS 123? Do you have an open system? Gold, silver, bronze what judging system do you all happen to use?

We have a combination system. This year the figure guys in our group tell us they don't like the IPMS system, so we are not using that for figures. We're using the open style, or as they call it, the Chicago style system, and we'll just have an open division and a painter's division and that will be judged with gold, silver and bronze awards. The rest of the categories will have first, second and third place awards. Got you?

Mike and I just returned from MMSI in Chicago, so we got our first real glimpse in a long time at the figure, the Chicago style figure judging.

So have you done this before, or is this new this year?

No, this is our second year to do it. Okay, last year was the first. The other thing we're doing for the second time this year is on the Gundam, or Gunpla. We're using a points-based system. There are four categories there, so it's a little bit different system than the standard IPMS, but everything else is standard IPMS, with the first, second and third place award.

How did it go with the mix system last year? Did everybody seem to be happier with?

it? Yes, I think so, particularly the figure guys, gotcha, yeah, and so hopefully more figure guys will turn out this year. I know it was a little bit difficult to get out the word the first time we changed over.

Well, that's what we're here for is to help you get that word out.

Yeah, well, thank you very much. I know several that I've talked to this year and told them we were going that way. We're excited.

Well, is the gunplow judging this year that's going to be unique this year, or new this year? This is our second year. Okay, I misunderstood you there.

Okay, it's our second year with that. About three years ago we were putting our flyers around town for the show and we noticed very many shops that were selling model kits, but only gunpla, yeah, and we said we're missing the boat. There's a lot of modelers out there that are building gunpla and we're not reaching them. So we've expanded our categories and got information into those shops and we've been pretty successful. I think We've had a lot of new members in the last two years. At one point last year we were averaging four new members a meeting, which is a lot.

Yes, that is, and I would see to the pants estimate say, half of those new members coming in were Gundam builders.

Yep, it's wildly popular. In fact, if you talk to a number of hobby shop owners, brick and mortar retail guys, they'll tell you that's what's keeping them in business right now.

Yep, yeah, that's good. Well, we have, interestingly, when those guys get in the club, a lot of them after seeing the other ships and tanks and planes, they'll try some of it.

That has been our experience at our local club as well.

And we're also getting crossover the other way from. The guys who have never tried a Gundam before are doing it and we're finding out that it's fun. We're shaking this head, yes.

I've kind of jumped into the Gundam thing completely now, for the last five models that I've built were all Gundam. I'm enjoying it a lot.

That's great. Listen, I am a believer in jumping across genres, because you see a different set of challenges and you utilize a different set of skills. Definitely.

Yes, yes, we've got one fellow in our club who came to us as a school teacher and he builds paper models and he downloads paper model things from the Internet I can't tell you which sites because I can't remember but he has his class build the paper models too and it's a part of his teaching history in his history classes. And his paper models are not simple. He does all kinds of modifications and enhancements and scratch builds to them, just like we do with the plastic model kits, and his work is quite impressive. So, as you said, if it's modeling, it's good.

Now, do you all have food on site at the show or do you have stuff around the site? You said it's a new location.

Yeah, both, both this year. There will be a good snack bar at the location and also numerous restaurants within easy driving distance of the Williamson County Expo Center. I'm excited about that because last year we were at Travis County Expo Center and there's nothing very close there.

Now, why did you all decide to move locations?

The Travis County Expo Center is undergoing remodeling. Oh okay, they told us they would be finished in time.

Government projects.

Yes, my work career. I bought building materials to sell in our local building supply chain here in Texas and projects often run late and we didn't trust that the center would be ready when promised, so we found a new location.

Sounds like a good call. I would say that was a wise move on your part.

We like what we see so far.

Yeah.

Of course we haven't had the show there yet, but we're very excited to have it.

And all the bondholders for the construction project didn't get that option. No, well, other than the kind of triad of different judging philosophies you have going on all at once, that's got to be pretty interesting to manage, but it sounds like you got that covered. Is your club show known for anything in particular that separates it from the other shows there in that region of Texas?

I would have to say no, that. It's very similar to the Dallas and the Fort Worth shows and to the Houston and the San Antonio shows, and we're delighted to see the same people at all of those shows several times in the year. I will jump in, though, and say that we're trying a few new categories this year that we think are going to be fun, and we've got one that we're doing in both the armor and aircraft, that we're calling Classic Kit, and we're asking people to enter a kit that was built, not built, the kit released prior to 1979.

Oh my.

And it's not an out-of-the-box build. Whatever you want to do to it, make the best model you can from that kit that was released prior to 1979. So we're excited to be offering that this year for the very first time. Also offered this year for the very first time is somebody at our club dreamed up a category called I've Improved. We're asking the modeler to bring a model that they built 10 plus years ago and enter it along with a newly built model from the same exact kit.

Oh, that's interesting.

Enter the two kits together and the judges will have to decide who improved most. That'll be interesting to judge that.

That'll be interesting to see. I'm really interested to see how that comes out.

I am too. It sounds fun, and as I've been sending messages to the other clubs around the state, I certainly have highlighted those three categories that we haven't had before. Is there a general theme to the show? Yes, our show this year is themed for the movies, and so the theme award will go to anything that came from a movie not a TV show but a movie. But we also have 16 different special awards, which there's a whole range of those things. I can't remember them all, but things like Best Air Defense Weapon, best Pickup Truck, best Century Series Fighter, best Star Trek model. That's just to name four. I can't remember all 16 right now, but those will all be judged by the person who sponsors the award, and they can judge in any way they want to judge it, including asking somebody else to judge it for them.

Well, it sounds like you have several things going on that, Dave, we're not accustomed to at many shows in our region, Frankly.

I wish we could get down to see it in person because, first of all, I suspect Austin's going to be a little warmer in November than Louisville is. You can count on it. In addition to that, I'm really interested. I love going to shows where they have different features. Mike and I just went up to MMSI being so figure-focused with a Chicago figure-style judging. It was really interesting for Mike and I to experience that, so I would love to see how yours comes off. Please do, when you hold the show, take plenty of photos and post them to the dojo we would like to see. For those of us who can't get to Austin in November, we would like to see what showed up and get to experience the show vicariously.

Well, I'm pretty sure we can promise to accommodate that request.

Thank you, gordon's, the photographer, all right, all right, gordon, we're counting on you If you guys want to put a little emphasis on this, most improved should you have several entries there. I would really like to see that because I think that's a really cool idea and I've I've not seen that done. In fact, I've mentioned on the show at least once that I have one of my older builds in my display case, that I'm kind of kicking around the idea of completely rebuilding the little vignette from a modern kit, modern figures and of course, my modern, my modern skills and just to see how they compare. And that was just for my own curiosity but to make this part of your show. I hope that goes over well and I'd really like to see the results of that We'll make sure we send pictures.

I'll definitely make sure to take some good pictures for you, Mike, for that.

Oh, thank you.

We'll have at least one entry, because I'm going to enter Good.

Well, I hope you win something. We'll see. Well, let's hit the W's again before we get out of here and make sure everybody knows when and where.

Okay, we've been talking about the 2024 Austin Scale Modeler Society Capital Classic. The 2024 Austin Scale Modeler Society Capital Classic this year Saturday, november 9, 9 am to 5 pm at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor Texas. That address is 5350 Bill Pickett Trail, taylor Texas, and you can find all that information on the Austin Scale Modelers website, wwwaustinsmsorg. But if you Google Austin Scale Modelers, it's the very first thing that pops up.

Well, gentlemen, it's been a pleasure talking to you this evening.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much, very, very honored that you have us. Thank you for stopping by.

We appreciate the opportunity and thank you for being listeners and we wish you all the success with your show. Amen, thank you very much. Thank you for stopping by.

We appreciate the opportunity and thank you for being listeners.

And we wish you all the success with your show. Amen, thank you very much. Thank you very much. Pictures to follow. All right, thank you. Well, dave, they said their show wasn't that outstanding for any reason compared to the other shows down there in Texas, but you know, I don't know. I think they do have some pretty neat things.

I think they do too. And you know what? I've known a couple of other shows that have used blended judging system. In fact, a number of IPMS chapters and AMP chapters that hold a joint show will use one judging system for some categories and some for the other, but three different systems. They're giving the people what they want. I think that's a great idea and it could coalesce in the future. Yes, it could. Yes, it could. It'd be interested to see how things develop down the road.

Well, I was sincere in my curiosity about the most improved idea. I thought that was a really cool idea. I do too. I'm real curious how that was going to turn out. So, guys, when you listen back on this, send us those pictures. I want to. I want to see and I'd like to see even the how the awards shook out. Yeah, me too. Well, dave, that's gonna be it for this spotlight. You got it all right, man, you take it easy, you too.