IPMS Nationals is the Holy Grail for all things miniature!
In mid July Madison, Wisconsin was overrun by a specific demographic - model builders. The International Plastic Modelers Society (IPMS) National Convention, or “NATS” for short, is the annual gathering of model enthusiasts from all over America. The event is almost a week long, and is the place to be to increase your “stash”, connect with other modelers, and of course see some of the most amazing projects completed during the year. The convention also includes many seminars, and concludes with judging and awards in a multitude of categories.
For those unfamiliar with AirCorps Library, the site was originally created as a resource for WWII restoration shops who are building in the “ultimate” 1:1 scale. However, over the past several years it’s become clear that more and more model builders are utilizing the information we provide for their kit modifications and scratch builds.
So what is AirCorps Library? In short, it is a digital collection of over half a million engineering drawings and 20 thousand technical manuals for WWII aircraft. Access to this data is membership based, and just $9 per month or $75 per year. Our members utilize this data in a variety of ways, anything from verifying and scaling a single dimension, to 3D modeling a part for 3D printing.
As an enthusiast of all things miniature, I was personally excited to attend NATS for the first time, and also learn more about this passionate group of builders. The goal was to better understand the hobbyist community, and find out what AirCorps Library could do to better serve this demographic.
Coming into NATS “cold turkey” was fascinating. In the world of warbird restorations that I normally live in, I am used to being in an extreme niche area. Warbirds are such a tiny sliver of aviation, that I assumed that it would be the same for model builders. It didn’t take me longer than a few minutes to discover that I had been greatly mistaken! From the discussions that I had with NATS attendees, and conversations with other vendors I realized that WWII aviation was a passion shared by almost every single person in attendance! I truly felt like I had found the holy grail of warbird enthusiasts.
Knowing what I know now, the AirCorps Library booth that I set up at NATS would look a lot different, but overall the week was a huge success in my mind. I realized that only a tiny percentage of aircraft model builders had ever heard of AirCorps Library and how it can help them with their projects. I came away from the week with a new sense of purpose, knowing that I now have a whole new demographic of users who can benefit from the work we are doing!
I met so many amazing people, and had the opportunity to record a short podcast with Mike and Dave of Plastic Model Mojo, and am working on booking a time slot on the Model Geeks Podcast as well. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Jeff Herne, the IPMS Madison event chairman for making me feel so welcome and helping me in a variety of ways, Peter Castle of Airscale UK for sending me his incredible 1/18 scale P-39 to display on my table, and everyone that I talked to who was as passionate about WWII aviation as myself!
The following video was played on a loop at the AirCorps Library booth during NATS. It features the work of several model builders who have utilizing AirCorps Library during the course of their projects!