On Saturday April 20th 2009 Silicon Valley Scale Modelers (SVSM http://www.svsm.org/) hosted their annual Kickoff Classic Exposition ‘09 model contest and show at the Santa Clara Convention Center. With over 550 models entered by 132 modelers, the energy was high and the models were fantastic.
SVSM is associated with the International Plastic Modeler’s Society (IPMS) and if you are not familiar with IMPS it is an international Model club devoted to plastic model building with hundreds of local chapters throughout the world. I am associated with the local IMPS Ontario, CA chapter that meets at the Ontario Police Department. The beauty of IMPS is that it is not devoted to one type of genre but most anything that could be built out of plastic kits such as, but not limited to, tanks, Sci-fi, Gundam, airplanes, ships, figures, cars and submarines.
Our local Ontario IMPS http://www.ipms-ontario.org/ chapter decided to get a small group together and drive up to Santa Clara and support their club. The kits at the show were amazing! One of the highlights of the show was when a gentleman named Jim Lundt who brought 122 seaplane models to display at the show. The centerpiece of his collection was a 1/72 scale Hughes Aircraft Hercules “Spruce Goose” with a scale Howard Hughes standing on the aircraft.
A modeler even brought in a large scale Yamato. No, not THAT Yamato…well sort of not that Yamato, but the original WWII configuration before it was redeveloped for the space journey. My favorite was the light up Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde figure kit, it great what a couple of lights will do to improve a kit!
Rows and rows of tables filled up the convention center floor and if it was not kit entries on those tables it was model kits and their dealers surrounded by the punters trying to get a deal on that old Revell or Hawk kit. I picked up quite a few deals including MPC classic X-Wing fighter kit, the Aurora Godzilla reissue kit, Academy’s 1/72 Catalina PBY Pearl Harbor, and Monograms classic P-47D in 1/48. I also won an awesome 1/32 scale Dragon Sherman tank at the raffle contest.
We had a blast, and although your truly did not win any awards, one member from our group walked away with best of show. Job well done and I am looking forward to Kickoff Classic ’10.
©2009 article and pictures Leonardo Flores and CollectionDX.
SVSM is associated with the International Plastic Modeler’s Society (IPMS) and if you are not familiar with IMPS it is an international Model club devoted to plastic model building with hundreds of local chapters throughout the world. I am associated with the local IMPS Ontario, CA chapter that meets at the Ontario Police Department. The beauty of IMPS is that it is not devoted to one type of genre but most anything that could be built out of plastic kits such as, but not limited to, tanks, Sci-fi, Gundam, airplanes, ships, figures, cars and submarines.
Our local Ontario IMPS http://www.ipms-ontario.org/ chapter decided to get a small group together and drive up to Santa Clara and support their club. The kits at the show were amazing! One of the highlights of the show was when a gentleman named Jim Lundt who brought 122 seaplane models to display at the show. The centerpiece of his collection was a 1/72 scale Hughes Aircraft Hercules “Spruce Goose” with a scale Howard Hughes standing on the aircraft.
A modeler even brought in a large scale Yamato. No, not THAT Yamato…well sort of not that Yamato, but the original WWII configuration before it was redeveloped for the space journey. My favorite was the light up Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde figure kit, it great what a couple of lights will do to improve a kit!
Rows and rows of tables filled up the convention center floor and if it was not kit entries on those tables it was model kits and their dealers surrounded by the punters trying to get a deal on that old Revell or Hawk kit. I picked up quite a few deals including MPC classic X-Wing fighter kit, the Aurora Godzilla reissue kit, Academy’s 1/72 Catalina PBY Pearl Harbor, and Monograms classic P-47D in 1/48. I also won an awesome 1/32 scale Dragon Sherman tank at the raffle contest.
We had a blast, and although your truly did not win any awards, one member from our group walked away with best of show. Job well done and I am looking forward to Kickoff Classic ’10.
©2009 article and pictures Leonardo Flores and CollectionDX.