Thoughts on the Indy National

Hi everyone.  Well, we’re back from the Indy, O Scale National (combined with the annual Fall O Scale Meet held every year in Indy) and while it was a financial sucess for us, I think I speak for alot of the vendors that this was not one of the best shows they have ever attended.

Please, these are just MY opinions, not anything I would attribute to anyone else.

While the venue was nice, one of the two rooms was VERY poorly lit. (The room we were in.)  That is something that show management should have realized and done something about.  They did bring in some big work lights on poles, but it didn’t help much.

My big issue was that there was no one there that was not a vendor.  Thursday and Friday, our sales were pretty good, but we didn’t sell anything to the public, because they weren’t there.  We (the vendors) were just selling to one another, which always happens to a certain extent, but this was extreme.

I think we were all hoping that Saturday would be the “big” day, since the public would be off and able to come to the show.  Instead, Saturday was dismal.  There were times when I counter less than 30 people in the room and 90% of those were vendors.  Many of the vendors just packed up and left.  The rooms were a ghost town by 3PM when the show was scheduled to close.

I realize that show management has little control over attendence, but I think they need to do a much better job of promoting the show.

I don’t mean to be so negative, but I just don’t have anything positive to report, other than it was great to see the usual crowd that travels the show circuit.

Dave

Big brother does it again...

With all of the great builders who make our kits, I have to give props to the undisputed master, the guys amazing. brother Dave. Enjoy.

getting ready for the Indy O scale show

I’m looking forward to getting back into show season. The Indy show was one of our first shows and we have been back every year. We wont be taking the layout this year it need a serious refurb but we will have a new “First street” display.

We have been doing this a long time now. we will go into our 8th year this Nov. We have learned a lot about cardstock engineering and i hope the newer kits reflect that. As we go forward I want to introduse new techniques to make our kits even more dimensional. new ways to brace models. New ways to splice and wrap. etc. etc. Brother dave has started working with thinner papers. wrapping them around cardboard and he’s getting great results. I want to go back and update a few textures and of course lots of new kits. I have a killer lighthouse, some north eastern style shop buildings a couple of new factories. The list keeps growing. (I havent forgotten about Chama)

More soon

Thom

OK, I admit it I'm procrastinating

I have to announce a winner in our contest and I will. The fact is it’s almost an impossible task. Every entry is worthy but If I just say everyone wins, well that kind of waters down the value of a compitition, (is compitition appropriate in an art form ?) (I’m not sure it is..) So here’s what were going to do.

Evereyone who entered will have a new kit named in their honor. (You will all be asked what kind of kit that should be) Each one of you will also recieve That kit in advance of it’s official release (in any scale you request) I will reproduce your entry as a kit if you wish. Otherwise one of the many kits that are now in development will be renamed in your honor.

With that said there is a “Grand winner” That not only showed great use of our materials but excellent craftsmanship and a considerable amount of  paper engineering.

The winner is………………………………………..Jim Gore for his “Diamond bar”

Once again I have to be clear how hard this decision was to make. My brother and I both felt that all of the models are fantastic. The sheer creativity of Larry Bradstreets “Slippery Oil” and Wes Morland’s “Miller welding”, The excellent charecter and depth defying effectivness of Marc Whitten and Lyn Zelmers’ “Warehouse flats”

We are eternally thankful to have modelers like you as a part of the Clever model’s community.

Thom and Dave