About Us
Abingdon IPMS prides itself on being a friendly club with a reputation for high standards of modelling and high levels of fun. We meet every fortnight, on a Tuesday evening, in the Christ Church Meeting Hall, Northcourt Road, Abingdon, OX14 1PL with members travelling from a variety of surrounding towns and villages. Club membership is currently around 30 and meetings are well attended throughout the year. There is quite a broad spectrum of interests within the club ranging from: military aircraft (not surprising given the RAF presence in the area), civilian aircraft, military, and civilian vehicles including motorcycles, maritime subjects, sci-fi and figures.
We are a very inclusive club and welcome members from all backgrounds and skill levels. Some members are only starting out in the hobby, many are enthusiastic modellers, and we have our ‘long-time’ members who are very skilled and only too happy to share their knowledge and experience. We make a special effort to ensure that newcomers, or anyone who shows an interest in modelling, is made very welcome. It must be a good sign that a very high proportion of newcomers return on a regular basis and become established members.
During lockdown we held weekly Zoom meetings to maintain contact and continue our love of the hobby. This worked very well, attracting a good number of members to the weekly calls. It also allowed some members who had moved away from the area to re-establish contact and participate in club activities again, including ‘virtual’ competitions. After the lifting of lockdown restrictions, it was decided to maintain the zoom meetings and we now have distant members from Exeter, France and Hong Kong joining the calls regularly to share their news and modelling updates.
A Demo night using our projector, we also have airbrush spraying demos, Weathering Demos just to mention a few!
Our Beginnings
The club was founded in 1979 by the late Tony Clements, a talented modeller who was National Champion on more than one occasion. Tony and a few enthusiastic modelling friends met weekly in each other’s houses until the first clubhouse was established, a portacabin in a church carpark! The club made two further moves before arriving at our current location where we have been happily based for the last ten years. Two of the original founding members are still very active members of the club today.
Our Club Year
Each year, to keep interest levels high, we fill the calendar with different events and themed evenings. We hold several demonstrations where volunteers take the time to share some aspect of their skills, or passion for a particular subject, to inspire others to try something new or different. This all helps to broaden everyone’s appreciation of the hobby. These evenings are very popular, and members never seem to run short of ideas or subjects for consideration. Recent examples include: dry brushing for beginners, colour theory, figure painting, modelling seascapes, and the ever popular air-brushing evenings, where everyone shares their latest tips and tricks.
All club activities, past and future, and our club diary, are maintained in our website: abingdonipms.co.uk
The Abingdon Model Show is held each year in the Larkmead School, Abingdon. It attracts a good number, and variety, of traders and many clubs take the opportunity to come and show their talents. We hold a competition which attracts a high standard of entries across a broad range of categories. Our shows are well attended by the public and, in recent years, we have gained several new members as a direct result of dropping in for a look. Feedback from attendees always makes mention of our show as having a very friendly atmosphere – we will do our best to maintain that reputation.
In addition, we hold four internal club competitions throughout the year with the membership selecting winners by voting. In October, members then make a final selection from the previous winners in the year to be the Branch Champion. Our Champion then has the honour of entering their winning model in Category 96 at Scale Model World, an event close to the heart of all in Abingdon IPMS.
A Typical Competition night, Lots of models to see, have a cuppa have a chat, mingle and even buy some more kits! All very friendly, in a spacious warm hall and very relaxed atmosphere. Does it get any better than this for a model club?
Scale Model World
A highlight of the year for many of us, is the annual pilgrimage to Telford. We have been attending SMW every year since 1979 at its various locations Stoneleigh, Peterborough, Donnington and now Telford. The club has enjoyed some notable successes at SMW over the years. Our members have won National Champion, Junior National Champion, a winner in the Branch Champions category and a winner of the Novices Trophy. Members have also collected medals in various competition categories.
Abingdon has also become part of the set-up crew for the SMW Competition area, a task we have enjoyed for the past eight years. It involves 7-9 club members working diligently on the Friday before the show from about 11:00, setting up tables, display cloths and arranging category sections. We have a 16:00 deadline to meet so that everything is ready for the arrival of competition entries. It can be tight, but we have never missed that deadline yet!
Club Outings
As a club we do enjoy getting about, meeting like-minded modellers and re-kindling acquaintances with friends – both old and new. Regular shows that we attend include Gloucester, Salisbury, Bristol (Avon), and Milton Keynes. In the past we have visited shows at Newbury, Wroughton and Stoke Mandeville (then RAF Halton). One year we displayed at the Wakefield show and had great fun sampling the excellent Yorkshire entertainment.
Excursions have not always been limited to the UK. A few years back a small group organised a visit to all five Normandy landing beaches and took in the superb museums. They then drove around the locations for the Battle of the Bulge, Malmedy to Bastogne. There are plans afoot for a few members go over to Holland and attend the Militracks gathering at Overloon for a weekend in May 2023. No doubt this will include some serious research around the local model shops, restaurants, and bars!
Looking to the Future
It is a delight to report that our club continues to grow. We attract new members each year, many from having attended our Model Show and some discovering our existence through finding our website when trying to locate a nearby club. Although these numbers are not large, they do keep the club in good health
Like many clubs, we would like to encourage a younger membership to ensure the longevity of the club. However, there are a huge variety of distractions available these days to demand their attentions with which we would find it very hard to compete. The majority of our members are over 50, although we do have a regular member who is only 19!! At a recent meeting it was suggested that we might find some new members within the local Air Training Cadets squadron; we will be taking this idea forward and are hopeful of some success. If anyone is in area and would like to pay us a visit, please do get in touch or check our website for details of meeting dates. You will be assured of a very friendly welcome and an enjoyable evening. We look forward to seeing some of you soon.
