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About Us

Updated December 14, 2023

FIRST & ONLY Four-Time
IPMS/USA National Chapter of the Year
Seven-Time IPMS/USA Region I Chapter of the Year

IPMS - Niagara Frontier is a group of people from the Western New York area who enjoy the hobby of scale model building. We have about 60 members with 30+ attending each monthly meeting. Our club meets at 7:00pm on the third Tuesday of every month at the Williamsville Youth & Recreation Center at 5005 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville, NY 14221.

A typical meeting starts with a short session related to club business. This is followed by "Show & Tell" - many members bring in their current work in progress to share experiences with other members. There is usually at least one model-related demonstration by a club member at each meeting. We have special "Auction Nights" during the year where members bring in their extra kits and they are auctioned off. Great deals can be had during these special nights. Meetings are free to the public. If you are in the Western New York area we would love to have you drop in to one of our meetings and say hello. We welcome modelers of all skill levels - from beginner to expert.

Our annual "BuffCon" event held each year in April continues to be one of the largest shows in this part of the country.

As a community-oriented club we also gather toys each Christmas for the "Toys-for-Tots" program and are proud of our support of this worthwhile program.


2022 - 2024 Officers

President - Mike Butry
First Vice President - Dan Price
Second Vice President - Larry Osolkowski
Secretary - Al Germann
Treasurer - Tom Faith
Newsletter Editor - Larry Osolkowski
Internet Coordinator - Larry Osolkowski
Chief Judge - Justin Sczepczenski
Executive Board Members - Bill Borkowski, Maryann Germann, Jim Greenfield, Randy Richardson, Justin Sczepczenski, Steve Weller
Chapter Contact - Dick Schulenberg


A Message from former Chapter Contact Bob Collignon: Become a "Traveling Tony"

Modeling is inherently a singular activity, sitting for hours under bright lights working on the next "masterpiece". If you're a normal human being, eventually you feel the need to be with someone who understands your addiction. Eventually, you need to finish the "masterpiece". Eventually you need to kick some butt with your "masterpiece" at the next competition. Eventually! Speaking from a personal perspective, working alone gets kind of old, which leads me to my point

Become a "Traveling Tony"!! Start getting to more shows WITH other club members. Travel in groups. Start competing with your "masterpiece". The show aspect opens up an entirely different perspective to the hobby. It becomes a lot more fun because it is not singular any more. I have to tell you, the rides to the shows and back and food stops on the way are usually my most favorite times. I've heard the best, most useful hints and tips, and the most candid and accurate model reviews during these times. The humor is fast and furious.


Each month's meeting has a "Show & Tell" session giving each member an opportunity to show off their latest model either finished or in progress. We usually have at least two table's worth. Here are a few of the models on the tables from recent meetings:

Jason Ignatjew brought in his 1971 Camaro Pro-Mod painted in One Coat "Candy Green". Jason relates that 95% of the model is scratchbuilt and fully modified. This model won "Best Automotive" at RoCon in 2015, "1st Place Automotive" at BuffCon in 2015 and "Best of The Masters" at RoCon in 2016.

Tom Faith displayed his Testor's RSO (Ost) in 1/35th scale. Tom scratchbuilt the cargo box out of scale lumber, used Fruil tracks, replaced the kit windows and used photoetch details by Aber. He used paints by Floquil and Tamiya with washes from Army Painter. Tom's inspiration was that his wife saw it on on Pinterest and thought it was "cute".

Mark Gadek showed us his Trumpeter 1/32 ME 262, finished with Tamiya and Model Master acrylics and metallizer. Mark added Eduard photo etch, and detailed the radio compartment, gun bay and wheel wells. He used acrylic washes, and the mottling was sprayed through cut-outs in card stock. Mark says the kit had pretty good fit, and he considers this model his best and favorite build.

Paul Hines showed us a wooden ship kit he's completed, a Bluejacket Shipcrafter's "Seguin Tugboat" in 1/48th scale. Paul says it's the oldest operating steam tugboat and he's fully detailed the deck house. He's used Floquil paints for the final finish and acrylics for weathering.

Cindy Klukowski displayed one of her projects that won an award at the 2016 RoCon 36 show: the Cabin In The Woods (1st place).

Our meetings are always well attended, with a lot to see and plenty of socializing.

We hope to see YOU at one of our meetings!!!

 

Copyright ©2023 IPMS Niagara Frontier

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