IPMS Region 12 Regional Contest
The 2023 IPMS Region 12 Regional Contest is proudly being hosted by Charlotte Scale Modelers and Gaston County Model Builders. Our clubs are dedicating this event to the memory of recently departed members Jim Kiker, Larry Moore and Jim Sullivan.
Our main contest theme “All Things Recce” is a nod to our dear friend Jim Kiker who was an RF-4C Phantom pilot and backseater who had a passion for all things recce.
As many of the Charlotte Scale Modelers will be acting as contest judges, our club members will not be actual contestants but will only have our own works on display.
Our contest has well over 80 categories and a number of ‘Best Of’ awards to include a ‘Best in Show’ award as determined by the contest judges. Judging is never easy but we strive to be fair and to recognize the best entries impartially and in accordance with IPMS rules.
Most importantly we just want all of our guests to enjoy themselves, make some new friends, visit the vendors, maybe learn some new skills and be inspired by the contest entries.
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2023 IPMS Region 12 Regional Contest on November 4, 2023.
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Including a copy of the recent IPMS Email Blast sent out by IPMS on behalf of Charlotte Scale Modeler & Gaston County Model Builders. We very much appreciate the assistance of IPMS-USA.
International Plastic Modeler Society
IPMS Region 12
Charlotte Scale Modelers and Gaston County Model Builders
INVITES YOU!
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To the 2023 IPMS Region 12 Regional Contest hosted by on Saturday, November 4, 2023.
The venue is at the Gaston County Citizens Resource Center, 1303 Dallas-Cherryville Hwy, Dallas NC 28034. Some of you might have attended the successful Regional Contest held there in 2017. Doors open at 9:00 AM. This event is also open to the general public, and you do not have to be an IPMS member to enter a model.
We very much hope you'll mark us down on your calendars and come out to participate in what we hope will be a great show. Our primary goal has been to put on an event where everyone has a good time, see old friends, maybe make some new friends, and be inspired by the works of other modelers.
We will also be providing additional spaces for those who only want to display their work and not compete in the contest. A great way to share your craft and provide that inspiration to other builders.
There are 87 categories including 14 for teens and pre-teens.
Our contest flyer, list of specific categories, contest rules, and other documents can be found on our website http://www.charlottescalemodelers.com.
As you will see our main theme is "All Things RECCE", which can encompass anything reconnaissance or exploration, land, sea, air, or space, and even Sci-Fi. Additional themes are "All Things Great & Small", simply put we'll judge the best very large-scale model and the very small-scale model. Lastly, we have the "Last Decade of Real Cars - 1960-1969".
There will of course be numerous vendors on hand who will be most pleased to see you and we will have the obligatory raffle going on throughout the day.
As with any contest we'd love to have contest category trophy sponsors. We haven't set a fee, we're only asking for a donation in whatever amount a club or individual can afford. Contact any of us listed below if interested.
We will be posting updated information about the contest, judging rules, sponsors, vendors, raffles, registration, and model entry forms as needed.
There are numerous local amenities including area hotels for those wanting to spend the night.
We hope you all can make the trip to see us in November.
Christopher Fish Dave Maher
Charlotte Scale Modelers Charlotte Scale Modelers
mailto:mrfishs@hotmail.com mailto:dad4204@aol.com




We have added the Aircraft & Armor Galleries for the Region 12 Contest. Automotive, Ships, and everything else will follow soon.
Charlotte Scale Modelers and Gaston County Model Builders would like to thank all of the vendors that participated in our show;
Karl Coggins
Tim Treadway & Rufus Hambright @One True Scale
Jose Rodriguez & Frank Rincon @Custom Dioramics
Steve Iverson @CultTVMan
Mike Starling @Hayes Hobby House
Dave Newland
Jonathan Strickland @Fundekals
Mike Ramp
Kelly Cottle
Karen Coker
Matthew Cottrell @Plastic Model Movers
Robert Waudby
Bob Armstrong
Thomas Smith
Joseph Peasy
Thank you to Brandon Lowe @Squadron Mail Order for their generous donation to our raffle. We're most grateful!
We had reservations for four other sellers who unfortunately had last-minute conflicts;
Gary Remy
Russ Meyers
Andrew Cain
Steve Gordon
Had a great time. Certainly not without its challenges for the host. I appreciate all the hard work and effort put into the event and hope the issues faced by all can be ironed out prior to the next event. Putting the leg extensions on the tables was a really great idea and saved alot of backs i'm sure.😊 The idea of the CSM crew not participating in the contest itself speaks volumes to the length thay went to appear impartial, kudos to you guys and gals for that!! Great selection of vendors to shop from who were more than willing to accomadate those wanting to wheel and deal. Fantastic raffle as well. Perhaps an upgrade to the PA system and maybe some food and beverage vendors could be looked at in the future??. This was my first regional event and I was absolutely overwhelmed and astounded by the craftsmanship and pure artistry displayed; and yes I mean works of art by any definition. Congratulations to all the contestants who participated. Without your hard work and dedication to the hobby events like this would not occur. Congratulations to all of those who took home the "hardware" !! Thanks to ALL those from CSM and GCSM who worked so hard to make this event happen. I look forward to seeing some of those photos of the event and some of the winners work to put a name and face to each subject.
Thanks CSM and GCSM for hosting this event! Will the awards results be posted up once y'all catch your breath?
Was really excited to go, but when I got there there was absolutely zero parking. To make matters worse, seemingly multiple vendors had decided it was better to park across spots, which meant there was less parking then their should have been. When someone in front of me tried to park on the grass, they were told by someone else who was parked on the grass and selling coffee they could not park there. Hopefully next year there is not this problem.
I'm really looking forward to this show. This is my 1st time attending the event, and I'm excited to check it out!
Jeff Kessler
A quick update on the upcoming contest. Due to an error on my part in preparing the categories, I neglected to have a 'Miscellaneous Other' category. This has now been corrected. It is Category 88 Miscellaneous (All Other Subjects, All Scales). Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.
Christopher Fish
CSM
Looking forward to the show, I will be setting up on Friday evening as previous instructions. See you all soon. Jose, Custom Dioramics.
As we are about two months out from our Regional Contest, I thought I would welcome all those planning to attend in advance.
Foremost our intent has been to put on an event where everyone will have fun, maybe make a new friend or two and share in a hobby that so many of us love.
Although this is an IPMS Contest and all that that entails, we also want folks to know that we will have lots of space dedicated just for models on display.
In addition to numerous vendors that will be on hand (we’ll publish a list as we draw closer to the contest date), we’ll also have an ongoing raffle with multiple drawings every hour.
Although we have on paper a judging corps in place, it’s possible that we may still need to reach out for additional judges. Consider doing so if you’re able. It’s a job that might not garner a lot of love but very necessary, nonetheless.
There will be a Region 12 business meeting at 1130 hosted by Tim Kirkland. The actual meeting room is still TBD.
The venue site has more than adequate parking and handicap access. There are numerous nearby amenities to grab a bite.
Please remember to police up after yourselves and dispose of trash in the proper receptacles. We want to leave the facility as we found it and maybe they’ll even let us come back some day.
So in advance, on behalf of both Charlotte Scale Modelers and Gaston County Model Builders, we welcome you to the IPMS Region 12 Regional Contest.
See you in November.
Christopher Fish
CSM