The Ship Model Forum

Depending on when you’re reading this, you’re either working hard to finish your entries for the San Marcos National Convention or recovering from the 105 degree weather. With the 2023 Nats about to enter the history books, it's time to start thinking about the 2024 Nats in Madison Wisconsin. Madison has a great venue with lots of space, and they’re pulling out all the stops to make this a must-attend show.
Modelers that have ventured across the pond to the Scale ModelWorld show in Telford, England (essentially the IPMS UK Nationals) have long raved about the “SIG Area” - a huge collection of model displays put on by clubs and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) from across Europe that is equal parts model show and tailgate party. The models here are for display only, and group members staff the tables to talk about their interests and the models they’ve brought. It's a chance to see new stuff, talk directly to the people doing the work, and make a few new friends.
Over the years there has been a lot of talk about trying this at the US Nats, and the folks at Mad City IPMS are taking the plunge with a distinctly American take on this idea that we’re calling a Tiger Meet. The name is inspired by the NATO Tiger Meets, where fighter squadrons from NATO countries gather to share information, show off their gaudy tiger-striped aircraft, and do a bit of socializing - it seems like a good blueprint for what we want this to be.
Display tables with chairs will be set up in a prominent space, with lots of ready access to food and drinks and space to sit and socialize. Since there aren’t many active SIGs here in the states, Madison is opening the doors to all modeling related groups. While IPMS Chapters are encouraged to participate, your “group” doesn’t have to be IPMS affiliated or even formally organized; it can be a social media group, a podcast and its followers, or even a single modeler with lots of models to show, and you can display just about anything modeling related (but selling things from your table is not allowed). A few ideas - feel free to think of others:

1. Traditional SIG displays - models from a particular subject area - e.g USAF aircraft, US Civil War, Gundams, etc.
2. Club Displays - IPMS Chapters and non-IPMS organizations.
3. Group and challenge builds - including builds organized by IPMS Chapters and groups on social media. Feel free to promote these on the 2024 Nationals facebook group.
4. Demonstrations of modeling techniques, e.g. 3D printing, weathering, scratchbuilding, electronics, natural metal finishes

Display tables will be available to all registered convention attendees, at no-additional charge, one-table-to-a-customer, on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you have a really big group that is interested in having multiple tables let us know and we’ll see what we can do. While the space and tables will be available for the whole 4 days of the show, we only ask that groups be at their tables on Wednesday and Thursday. You’re free to have your display going and the tables staffed on Friday and Saturday, we just expect some of you will want time to look at models in the contest room and shop the vendors.
Not all of the group members at the display tables have to be registered for the convention, or even IPMS/USA members, but they must pay for a day pass to enter the venue. Registered Convention attendees are free to move models to the National Contest room Friday morning to be judged that evening.
How many display tables are available will depend on the response to this announcement. The venue can provide additional space, but we’re only going to do that if there are groups to fill the space. If your group is interested (or just has questions about the whole thing) please send email to Don Schmitz and Chris Cortez at clubs.nats2024@gmail.com, and let us know who you and your group are, what you’re going to display (and how many models you expect to bring), and how certain you are that you can make it to the Nats. At this point this isn’t binding, we’re just looking for a rough idea of how many groups are interested. We’ll send more details out by the end of the summer.

Looking forward to hearing from you!
Don Schmitz and Chris Cortez - 2024 Nationals Tiger Meet Guys