Welcome to the NorEastCon 2009 homepage!

NorEastCon 2009, the IPMS Region 1 Convention, was presented on April 24-25, 2009 by IPMS Niagara Frontier. This website will continue to be the official source of information for the convention. The show flyer is still available here.

WEBSITE UPDATE (5/15/09):

Video clips from the Jeff Herne Weathering Seminar are now available on the Show Photo Album page.

WEBSITE UPDATE (5/13/09):

Video clips from the Blind Build contest are now available on the Show Photo Album page - highly amusing, especially if you were there!

WEBSITE UPDATE:

The photo gallery of award-winning models from Noreastcon 2009 is now posted on the Show Photo Album page - enjoy!

Chairman's post-show comments:

Well, NOREASTCON 2009, the IPMS Region I convention, is "in the books" and from all sources it appears we had a very successful and, maybe most importantly, fun show! The "Blind Build" was a "hoot" - pics and results will be getting posted to this website soon.

As we all know, it takes a lot of people and their efforts to add up to a successful show and I want to thank those people now. Thanks to our entrants, attendees and vendors because without these groups there simply is no model show! We had 400+ models of unusually high quality and 50 packed vendor tables. From conversations I had in the vendor room both sellers and buyers were very happy with the results!

Might I add that Katie Miodonski, widow of our friend/past Prez was in attendance at the banquet and it was wonderful for her to see so many of the banquet attendees wearing gaudy Hawaiian print shirts - the kind of show attire much preferred by Mike! It made all of us happy and proud too! I'm sure Mike was looking down enjoying it too!:):):)

For the first time, IPMS Niagara Frontier had 100% trophy package sponsorship! This was a great show of support from local IPMS and AMPS clubs. In addition, we had extensive support from hobby shops, local businesses and some very generous individual members and non-members alike. A huge thanks to all of you and I mean HUGE!

We had our best stocked raffle table since "The Mother of All Raffles" in 1999. Our tables were stocked because of hard work on the part of our raffle committee and the great generosity of our raffle donators.

The seminars were well attended and thanks go to our presenters: Jeff Herne, Jim Johnston, Danny Egan, Jim Mesko and the Geriatric Pilots Association.

A special thanks to the McKinley's/Clarion Hotel staff (Gabrielle and John) for all their hard work and for their almost instant response to any issue or problem we might have had.

Thanks to all of our judges and my special thanks to CJ Tony Bartozek and guest/stand-in CJ Frank Ciccarella.

All of the above thanks are "thanks" from all of IPMS Niagara Frontier. I want to add some "thank you's" from me personally, as show chair, for "my guys". IPMS Niagara Frontier membership ALWAYS comes through for our shows but never like this! We had close to 100% membership involvement and support in working the show - it was great to see and made me awfully happy as the show chair. Great job guys and some of our gals too! Someone was always there ready to do what was needed to be done to make it a better show - just fantastic!!! For those of you reading this who don't know that NOREASTCON was our 2nd show of April - on April 5th, IPMS Niagara Frontier did our 27th annual BuffCon show (the flyer said BuffCon26 but it actually was our 27th; long story, don't ask:).) BuffCon was a huge success too - same club, same hard-working club members, same show committee, same success...

Finally, the show committee for both BuffCon and NOREASTCON - these ARE the guys who made the show happen. I'll list their names so say thanks the next time you see one of these guys at a show. I don't have the words to express my appreciation to them but they know how I feel about their efforts... bottomline, I belong to a great club of friends! Isn't "friends" what it's all about?

Show Committee Members:
Tony Bartozek
Frank Blonski
Bill Borkowski
Tom Brown
Frank Ciccarella
Tom Faith
Tony Gliszczynski
Justen "Sammy Jason Jeremy Jimmy" Hanna
Paul Hines
Earl Hochdanner
Dan Marafino
Mike Miodonski
Chuck Nichter
Larry Osolkowski
Bob Raithel, Jr.
Bill Sauer
Dick Schulenberg
Dave Schwab
Andre Thierault

A Big BIG Thanks to everyone, see you at BuffCon 27 in 2010!

My Best Regards,
Bob Collignon, NOREASTCON 2009 Show Chair

LATEST NEWS UPDATE:

Well we have 6 days until NOREASTCON 2009 and we're still at it trying to make the best show we can...

We just received confirmation that master modeler Jeff Herne will be giving a seminar on wet and dry techniques using weathering pigments for armor, aircraft and ship modeling. Jeff's a great mnodeler and this should be a terrific seminar. Jeff's seminar will be from 4-5 pm on Friday the 24th. Don't miss it!

Here's a bit about Jeff's experience and background....

Jeff Herne is the owner and founder of Modeler’s Warehouse, the parent company that produces the Warpigs line of weathering pigments and washes. A professional modeler for the last 20 years, his work is featured in museums worldwide, and he’s done models for Fortune 500 companies and the defense industry. He served as the Director of the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum, Associate Editor of FineScale Modeler, and founder and editor of ModelX magazine. Jeff is married with 1 daughter and two Labrador retrievers, and currently lives in Ixonia, Wisconsin. When he’s not building models, he’s writing, playing guitar, or consulting in the video game industry (combat simulations).

Here is an update from our show chairman:

Hello Everyone! Bob Collignon 2009 Show chair here...

Let me open this update by saying we're gonna miss you HAMY! Secondly, IPMS Niagara Frontier and I want to thank all the Region 1, Region 2 and Canadian clubs for your support. I am VERY proud to announce that we have 100% trophy sponsorship for NOREASTCON - Bravo to everyone! We're proud of the trophies this year, especially the "best of's..." and the other higher level awards - let us know what you think!

We stand at 50+ vendor tables and are awaiting more confirmations. Our raffle has some spectacular items! All in all I feel confident we have a great show waiting to happen on the 24th of April. Though our announced start time is 3 PM we hope to actually open up around 12 noon on the 24th; most vendors should be in place by then.

Three requests for those of you and your club mates planning on attending:
1. If you or club members are planning on going to the banquet please get your reservations/registrations in sooner than later. We have to give the facility a final attendee number about 5 days before the event, +-10%.
2. We are having another "Blind Build" competition. We have room for 16 2-person teams - let me know if you want to reserve a spot. There will be special plaque awards.
3. If you are planning on attending the banquet, please remember your Hawaiian shirt in honor of our recently deceased past Prez Mike Miodonski.

Chapter Contacts please share this info with your club members and I hope I see LOTS of you at NOREASTCON.

Any questions can be directed to me at this email address - email is better than a phone call.

Best regards, Bob C

Here is a welcoming letter from our show chairman:

Dear Modeling Friends and Families,

My name is Bob Collignon and I’m the Show Chairman of the IPMS Region I Convention, NOREASTCON 2009. I’m writing to tell everyone about the great show that we, IPMS Niagara Frontier, are planning that we really want YOU, your family and friends to attend! IPMS Niagara Frontier is hoping to see faces from our own Region 1 and from our good friends in Region 2 and 4 plus our great modeling buddies from the North-Oh Canada !!!

Our show includes some great guests and seminars, a “Make and Take” for our Junior modelers, a “Blind Build” team competition during Happy Hour on Friday (many of us remember the hilarity of our 2003 “Blind Build”), hourly raffles starting Friday, a packed vendor room, lots of room for models, great looking awards and a family style NOREASTCON banquet! Don’t miss it! We’ve added two additional special aspects of the show; a special “entrant only” raffle for a $50 gift certificate to Niagara Hobby and Craft Mart and, most important, we will have donation bins for new kits, modeling supplies or cash, for our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please check back at this website often, as it is constantly being updated. Lots of detailed info is on the website including photos of the show location.

As all you experienced show planners surely know, a large model show needs lots of sponsorships and we still have some available. IPMS Niagara Frontier and the NOREASTCON 2009 show committee would appreciate all sponsorships that you and/or your club might be able to do! Sponsorship information is on the web site, as is a list of current Sponsors and available categories. A “hearty HUZZAH!!!” to all those clubs and individual members who have already sent us your generous sponsorship support!

If you have any questions, please write me at cjltd@roadrunner.com or bobdave@bobdave.com or phone (d) 716-875-0234 or (n) 716-837-2204. I hope to see lots of old friends and lots of soon to be friends at NOREASTCON 2009!

My best regards to all,
Bob Collignon, NOREASTCON 2009 Show Chairman
IPMS Niagara Frontier, Chapter Contact

PS: don’t forget a new model or modeling supply for our troops. God bless them all!

Check this site, or the IPMS Niagara Frontier website for updates.