Westlake Publishing Forums

Now that the dust has settled and the various forums have recieved their usual dose of NG convention photos, I thought I'd finally contribute a little more of my experience in Seattle.
Some moments are about seeing the sights, some moments are about the people who make a convention ( my reason for travelling )

   regards to all    Mario ( Australia )

   http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_seattle_20121.html

Mario,

The people, indeed, are the true reason to go to conventions like the one in Seattle.

And of the best of those is you, my friend.

I remember well the first narrow gauge convention you attended.

By the end of the show, everyone there knew who you were.

You are a class act and a great person to know.

And I truly appreciate all the great photos you continue to add to the internet for our enjoyment.

Darryl Huffman

Star, Idaho

Quote from: darrylhuffman on October 05, 2012, 02:07:13 AM
Mario,

The people, indeed, are the true reason to go to conventions like the one in Seattle.

And of the best of those is you, my friend.

I remember well the first narrow gauge convention you attended.

By the end of the show, everyone there knew who you were.

You are a class act and a great person to know.

And I truly appreciate all the great photos you continue to add to the internet for our enjoyment.

Darryl Huffman

Star, Idaho

  Steady , Darryl , you don't want to go mad here with your praise because Mario's not used to it and it might go to his head .

  Still , he's alright ... for an Aussie !

  Nick

 

Mario - We didn't get our beer together because I was staying in a hotel 30 miles from the convention center (bad decision).

Darryl - We said hello outside the elevator but I did head over to your table in the vendor room many times.  We didn't talk because you were always busy with paying customers!

I hope you both are planning to do Pasadena.  Maybe I should book early and get a hotel within walking distance.

Regards, Don

Great pics!

Don,

I shouldn't speak for Mario but I think Mario is not planning to attend more conventions but is concentrating on women and dancing in South America.

As for Pasadena, I reserved my room as soon as they were available.

The convention hotel rates are much lower than surrounding hotels.

See you there.

Next year it's supposed to be in Pasadena, right? That's close enough I might be able to attend... or at least come up for one day. So I have some questions for those of you who have been to these conventions before:

1. How far in advance would I typically need to register for the convention? How about for the hotel (if I were able to stay longer than a day)?

2. If I could only come up for a day, would it be possible to enter a model in the contest and come on the day of the contest?

Ray.
Book a hotel / motel ASAP.  You can always cancelled a few days before hand.  I book accomodation 12 months in advance.
Typically you can register on the day for the convention.  
Contest Models need to be entered early and remain for a few days for voting.

Don.   Good to meet you at last.  I'm sure we'll catch up one day.


Darryl.    Very kind of you.  Thankyou for the comments.  Please disregard those by that Pommey Bloke.

There never seems to be much in depth discussion on forums regarding some of the fine contest models at conventions.  
Those little Japanese HOn30 ?? locos were brilliant. I tracked down the modeler and mentioned how good they were.

Due to other interests, that was probably my last NG convention in the USA.  
Probably spend more time visiting individual modelers in the future.
Next year I planned Vancouver and then  stay with Lex Parker in Canada and visit a number of modelers in the area and maybe try to see / annoy  the Sundance Central Guys in Tampa.

I was hoping to visit Europe in 2013, but music & dancing in South America is booked.  Hard choice to make I know.

Very much looking forward to the Australian NG convention, as I know there is some nice modeling going on behind the scenes around the country.

cheers all       Mario

Ray,

If you want to win a contest you need to enter the contest early as the voting is done by the attendees, not judges.

Contest entries can be entered on Wed, Thurs, and Fri.

Saturday before noon is when you pick up your models and the awards are given on Saturday night.

If you have never been to a narrow gauge convention you have no idea what you are missing.

Each is spectacular and the new stuff shown by vendors each year is staggering.

Over the past decade I have found the NG Convention contest increasingly disappointing and the majority of voters lacking in sophistication and knowledge. Personally I think the whole idea of a model "contest" is counterproductive. Is the point of art to be competitive? Music? Life? Competition often may an unpleasant fact of life; I see no reason to impose it upon modelers.

Unless you have a deep seated need to win what may be a meaningless prize, I would suggest members of this forum who attend the Pasadena convention forget about competition and, instead, display their models on a separate non-competitive table, perhaps even in the contest room itself. The point would be to lead by example, not to win a shiny plaque. If you compare most of what you see at a NG Convention contest with the models you see on this forum you, too, may find many convention models uninspiring.

Maybe I'm a minority of one, but I don't care if I ever go to another NG Convention, especially as the common denominator there has lowered dramatically in the past twenty years and the event itself has become banal, repetitive, and incestuous. My only reason to show up in Pasadena will be to hang out with as many of you guys as possible. I have spoken to Marc about devoting an afternoon and evening during the convention to a private gathering of forum members and other top modelers so we can share ideas, admire models, and sit down together to a great dinner.

I live about 45 miles from Pasadena and, if no closer venue is available, we could meet at my house.

Think about it, okay?

Russ

QuoteUnless you have a deep seated need to win what may be a meaningless prize, I would suggest members of this forum who attend the Pasadena convention forget about competition and, instead, display their models on a separate non-competitive table, perhaps even in the contest room itself. The point would be to lead by example, not to win a shiny plaque. If you compare most of what you see at a NG Convention contest with the models you see on this forum you, too, may find many convention models uninspiring.

Maybe I'm a minority of one, but I don't care if I ever go to another NG Convention, especially as the common denominator there has lowered dramatically in the past twenty years and the event itself has become banal, repetitive, and incestuous. My only reason to show up in Pasadena will be to hang out with as many of you guys as possible. I have spoken to Marc about devoting an afternoon and evening during the convention to a private gathering of forum members and other top modelers so we can share ideas, admire models, and sit down together to a great dinner.

I live about 45 miles from Pasadena and, if no closer venue is available, we could meet at my house.

Think about it, okay?

I agree with Russ.
The awards I won are all sitting meaningless on top of a cupboard collecting dust. I built for my own pleasure and not for recognition.
How can you otherwise be authentic ?  In that respect I think similar to Jean Bernard André. Follow your heart.

Can someone give me details of the convention in Pasadena, like hotel/car rental/ etc so I can book early.
I intend to come for a couple of days.

Jacq

hi russ i will fly over for the lunch can we go to hooters.
regards kim

Damn you Russ.   
Organising a special get together , dinner, talking modeling, rubbering shoulders with the Terrapin mob....


               http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_southern_california_tngs.html



      It's enough to make one buy a plane ticket.........  for a quick trip across the pond...... 

    "M"

Mario, if you bring Kim along, I'll find the closest Hooters! If Jacq flies out, we might also see Nicko the Sicko and a few others. I'd better start stocking up on beer and cognac! -- Russ

Nicko !!!!!..      Forget it !!!!!     I'll stay home 

I haven't seen Kim Marsh for a few years..... 

BTW...   I left the closet a couple of years ago....   great to be back  in the open