IPMS Philippines - Bert Anido

This year, IPMS Philippines Bert Anido is celebrating its 40th anniversary and it is determined to celebrate it in the grandest way possible.  It was decided to celebrate its anniversary along with the holding of the 6th National Scale Modeling Competition at the Atrium area of SM Megamall from November 23 to November 29.  The number of sponsors has increased to 36, the largest number so far.  This would be the first time an online registration was introduced and a special tabulation system will be implemented in response to the need for improved scoring based on the past Nationals.

On November 23 (Ingress) - With the help of encoders from Open Axcss Solutions which provided the encoding, Club members were in high spirits as entries started coming in as early as 10 am and by closing time, the number has swelled to over 300.  There were so many entries coming in that there were barely enough registration forms to process them and registration had to be deferred for the next day.

For this year, the exhibit area has increased to include the lobby of Mega A (facing EDSA).  Club volunteers once again buckled down to work setting up the display cases and sorting out the entries.  Their morale increased the more despite the fatigue of working till the break of dawn when members of Mechapinoy joined in to help during the ingress.

November 24 – More entries kept coming in and by the end of the day, the number of entries has swelled to over 680 entries, the largest ever in the history of the Nationals.  Throngs of people once again gathered in the Atrium to ogle the latest batch of entries on display.  This year’s Nationals showcased the latest among the Club’s recent major group builds that served as the centerpiece of the Nationals:  The 1/35 scale Dora Railway Gun and the Thunder Run Diorama (also in 1/35 scale), by far the biggest model projects conducted since the Gambier Bay Group Build of 2004.

In addition, a special exhibit was also put up showcasing the history of scale modeling in the Philippines.  Several members contributed some of their old model kits, instructions and even catalogs and paints to show that the hobby of scale modeling has been around for a very long time.

Another special attraction was the holding of a model photo contest sponsored by Epson, who is also sponsoring this year’s People’s Choice Award to the most popular entry in the Nationals.  They generously lent an additional printer to the Club for printing scoring sheets and other essential documentation.  Shutterbugs roamed about taking pictures of what they felt was the best subject for their picture and had them printed at a nearby Epson kiosk and displayed as entries for the photo contest.

November 23 – 29. This was the beginning of the judging of some of the categories implementing the elimination or cut system and the introduction of a more efficient tabulation system.  The ships, armor and sci-fi categories were the first to be judged and the new system helped make the tasks of the judges much easier than before.

Judging was very meticulous this time around.  Every detail is examined to determine the best among the best.  It was very tedious work but eventually, the winners had been already determined by Thursday.

As the day in Megamall wore down on the 25th, a small fire broke out at the Penshoppe store near the exhibit area Tuesday evening.  Luckily it was immediately contained and it the exhibit area was spared though the lobby had to be momentarily cleared to make way for firefighters.  Despite the incident, it did not deter the general public from visiting the Nationals nor did IPMS Philippines Bert Anido back down.  Needless to say, it was business as usual and the show went on.

The Nationals got an added boost when members of the UP Oblation Band performed before the crowd a variety of melodies.  In addition, representatives from Trumpeter, Mr. Jackson Xiao, Export Manager and Mr. Gao Yue of the R & D Department, graced the event were awed by the immensity of the exhibit area compared to the previous Nationals they have seen in the past.  They gamely signed autographs on Trumpeter kits of satisfied patrons.

November 28.  The climactic event in the Nationals was the Fellowship Dinner held at the clubhouse in the exclusive Wack Wack Village in Mandaluyong City.  The food and drinks were provided by “Little” John Melchor and Hory “Hardright” Aycardo.  Yours truly prepared a couple of Powerpoint presentations featuring the pictorial history of the Club and the biography of the Club’s founder, the late Bert Anido.  “Cousin” Vinny Ibarra regaled the assembled guests with his witty Top Ten lists.  Willie “Experten” Delos Santos, Byron “Hunter” Lee and  EG “Bull” Ruiz, the pillars of the Club, addressed the assembly, offering thanks and acknowledgements for the people who have helped made the Nationals and 40th anniversary celebrations possible.  On hand were some of the original founding members of the Club as well as representatives from Trumpeter Models who were the guests of honor.  It was also here that the latest test shots from Trumpeter were presented and to be displayed the following day at the Nationals.

The exciting and fun-filled part of the Fellowship Dinner was the raffling of prizes courtesy of the sponsors of this year’s Nationals:  Trumpeter, Tamiya, Dragon and Eduard provided model kits for prizes, SAM Publications provided reference materials and a year’s subscription for the winners and United Laboratories gave out free food supplements and multivitamins to everyone.  After the raffle prizes had been given out, and the party was over, an impromptu swap meet ensued as winners traded prizes until everyone was satisfied.

November 29.  The moment of truth had arrived – the announcement of winners.   Operators from Open Axcss Solutions once again took up the cudgels of tabulating the scores and determining the winners.  When the winners were announced, some familiar faces took to the stage once more to claim their awards such as Jim “Bigman” Gonzales (aircraft), Joseph “Bubbles” Carunungan (armor), Jon “Junior” Bersabal (ships), Michael “Tikhboy” Avendano (helicopters) and Fritz Nualla (armor and sci-fi.mechas).  At the same time, new faces have shown their potential to excel:  Tim “Buccaneer” Maceren (helicopter and armor), Luis “Xacto” Cacho (sci-fi - vehicles) and Edgar “Sweetooth” Pornicula (cars) have stamped their class in their respective categories. (For a complete list of winners, refer to List of Winners).  The Dora Self-Propelled Gun got the nod for the Epson People’s Choice Award and the prize won was an Epson Picture Mate printer which was donated to the Club.

By the time the exhibit area was dismantled, everybody went home for a well-deserved rest.  Although the 6th Nationals was considered the biggest event ever hosted by the Club, nobody is resting on their laurels.  The new challenge now is to equal or surpass this event when the 7th Nationals comes along.

Nevertheless, when it comes to IPMS Philippines Bert Anido, the best is yet to come.

Dinner meeting with IPMS Philippines officers…

IPMS Philippines Bert Anido and erstwhile major sponsor Lil’s Hobby Center recently visited Canada and Japan, respectively.

IPMS Philippines BA President Frank Ching visited the IPMS Vancouver 38th Annual Fall Model Show & Swap Meet. While in the show, he met incoming IPMS Vancouver President Peter Hickey, as well as outgoing President Warwick Wright.

Meanwhile, Shakespeare Chan of Lil’s Hobby Center visited Tamiya’s Shizuoka Facility, and also checked out Trumpeter’s newest offering, the 1:16 King Tiger, featuring the option to use a clear-molded canopy and upper hull.