Does everyone think maybe it was a case of over kill for that area.They did have a show back in april at that hotel.I was very disappointed I wasn't able to attend this year do to other obligations.I like the fact that its in My home state,but maybe try this at a different location within Ct.Reenergize the show

I think that venue is great, nice hotel, local restaurants. just having a little time to breath till next fall should do the trick, but that's just my opinion. Only time will tell.

Just returned. It was my first Armorcon so I have no frame of reference from previous years. Was at Roanoke earlier this year and our IPMS club show was last weekend and to the last 3 AMPS Nationals so I am not a newbie. Yes, the vendors were few in number but there was a great deal of inventory to choose from and some good buys to be had. Picked up the Tamiya Israeli M51 and Tiger Models AMX 30B Bernnus $40 each. I asked about the vendors, and from what I was able to gather they ran into some bad luck. One of the scheduled vendors sold the business and the new owners did not come. One of the other vendors had some kind of family emergency or some other unforeseen last minute issue that came up. Was I disappointed that there weren't more vendors? Sure but there was still plenty to satisfy me. As for the built kits and contestants there were somewhere between 170-200 kits entered. The folks I talked to were very nice and I even met a few Armorcon posters and was able to make some connections. A great show? Probably not, but certainly not a bad one either.

I for will be making the trip next year for sure and will have a least 2 or 3 models I will be entering.Will just have to get spread word out earlier for next years show

I do think the fact that three shows located at the same venue within one calendar year contributed to what some feel was a surmountable to a bad show. In actuality, the final tally was around the same number as last years ArmoCon in regards to entrants. There is a clear difference between the annual ArmorCon show and the Nationals of course. Certainly the fact that the Naitonal were in the same place only a few months ago is enough to understand the difference between 200 or so models on display and the 617 =/- at the Nats.


The vendor room was indeed light. One vendor that was traditionally there, sold their business recently. One of the largest that was there at the Nats was unable to attend due to family obligations in the UK. However, the attending vendors collectively had a tremendous amount of kits and product.

For me personally, ArmorCon is one of those personal indulgence shows. Being around 2 hours or so away...depending on traffic I enjoy going for at least two day to hang out with friends, find a couple models to buy, try my luck at the raffle, participate in judging and provide a seminar ...or two. We hang out, shoot the proverbial 'poo', look at models, spend money, go out to eat together and have fun! There are too many upsides to the weekend not to attend.

AMPS, but more specifically the local chapter, put on a fine show as usual. Over coming the "flooded market" of three shows this year is a huge feat! I am fully confident the next ArmorCon will be just as fun as it always is.

Huge round of applause out to those Armorama Brethren that won awards for their entries! Outstanding number of incredible builds on the tables! Hope to see you all next year my friends!!

Gotta agree with TRM. Three shows in one calendar year is some kind of feat for the gang that puts on this show, and IMO they didnt disappoint me. Yes, vendors were fewer than normal, and I greatly missed them all.

Red Frog is gone from the east coast and will not likely return, leaving a fairly large gap. For those who know, Red frog took up an entire WALL of the vendor area, as well as having a corner, so that was a BIG hit. Micro world games was also not present, and I BELIEVE they will be back next year with paint and supply needs as well as kits and reading material. Few others missing? yea, but I still saw plenty of plastic flying out of the vendor room. Vendors come to make a profit, and it does cost to get there so having three shows in a row, probably hurt the bottom line, but in the end, I for one was glad to see old faces and new, friends and family alike.

I completely understand "after nationals nap time" and I didnt bring anything for the tables to show, because frankly I worked all my stuff up for Nats and have been doing other stuff for a change. Its all good, and I think a year from now we will find ourselves back in CT, enjoying the deals and squeals, hitting the raffle table hard, and keeping anyone willing to do a shift busy judging (although the one shift off was a nice thing on Friday, the models came flooding right in on Sat as predicted).

Lou R, I am personally sorry you didnt enjoy yourself. I am also personally POSITIVE that it was not for lack of effort on the part of this crew who puts on Armorcon. They work hard to put on a great show, and their seminars were ABOVE PAR, and thats despite some last minute shifting. If I could, Id pay your way to next years show, thats how confident I am in that it will be a great time to make a day trip or two (my family makes a weekend out of it).

I agree (The Scenic Factory) with the others that as far as vendors it was just misfortune on timing, As with everyday things come up and its beyond the control of the organizers. I knew going in the lack of vendors was going to ruffle a few feathers. I had a great time as always just talking scenery and putting faces on names. As long as I break even on my travel expenses its a win for me because I like meeting people anyway. I usually do fine because I'm in my own department. Next year will rebound I'm sure and I may look into doing a diorama seminar or 2 to add some fresh topics. I think next year may just need a little earlier promotion,(a possible) guaranteed vendor list and seminars.

It was great seeing you and Scenic Factory at the show John! Thank you for being one of those "Anchor Vendors"! I only wish I had more time to sit and talk with your products! Looking forward to seeing you provide a seminar (or two) next year! Maybe we could collaborate something!

For alot if not most of us , the vendors are the reason we go ! I like looking at the contestants stuff, but Im there to buy models and supplies . And driving 2 hours for what was there Friday was very disappointing ! as far as the amount of kits that was there , Ive seen the place packed with kits ! Ive seen vendors in the contest room on occasion. Maybe it was due to lack of advertising or poor planning or the nationals but this year wasnt worth the 2 hour trip !!

Do any of the vendors do online business in addition to shows?

Well I think for most the show experience is what they come for. Vendors are 0art of this but entering, seeing seminars and of course friends is why these shows happen. If kits or deals are the only inteset, I might suggest finding local shows like mosquitocon and such....or eBay for kits. Armorcon is at the same location and at roughly the same time each year but they probably could start popping out flyers in June or something to get more exposure.

Yes...a few of the larger vendors like Scenic Factory and Microworld Games, LLC are online.

Got to agree with Todd that the "show experience" is what really does it for me. I regularly drive four or more hours to shows and while I may at times be disappointed by the vendors for what ever reason I never regret having gone. Being inspired by great builds and talking shop with those that have a similar interest is always a rewarding experience for me. As modelers, mot of us practice our craft in quiet solitude so its great to get out of the cave and hobnob with others.

Anyone going to post pictures of the entries. To me that's the sign of a good show!

The problem is that unless you have vendors footing the bill for the show, how are you going to afford to keep it going? I've been going to AMPS East then Armorcon for quite a while and Armorcon has seen quite a bit of a drop in vendors making there over the past 7 years or so. Not sure how they can afford to keep having the show year after year with the amount of vendors keep dropping like it does.

Shows are going have to change focus for what they are, or they are going to face not having them anymore.

While the vendors do contribute widely to offsetting the costs of the show, the entrants and attendees foot the bill as well. If everyone came to pay a couple bucks just to walk through a vendor room and not enter you would have a problem.

While in the last 3 years there are less vendors, the reasoning behind the past two show attendances being light is easily explained as they were anchors to the larger National venue. It takes time and money to set up to vend. It is not like just grabbing a packed trailer and drive up. There is inventory checks, fuel charges, room charges, food...not to mention most of the vendors, even the big ones, actually have "real life" jobs they need to try and work around.

I am a little curious as to what "focus" needs to change in order to keep these shows going. The staff works to find vendors willing to come up and work and there are the ones that automatically book each year. But they do not have control over several of the little sidesteps that popped up the past couple years. Not to mention, if a vendor does not meet a margin covering their costs, they are less likely to show up. While marketing the show better might be in order, more entrants and folks willing to drop some coins on some kits and whatnot make or break the show.

My son and I had a great day on Sat. We both got our models done in time to enter and had some great feedback from the judges. The seminar with Nicolas Moran was a highlight for us and we got some nice goodies from both the vendors, and the raffle.
Agreed with the others that the turn out was light on both entrants and vendors but we came to the same conclusion as others, i.e, three shows in one year.
Kudos to all the NMMA gang for putting this all together.

Well Most of the people I know were very diapointed . I do like going into the contestants room , but as I say I like buying my kits there . And Friday morning there was only 4-5 models in that room . And most of the people that I talked to said the same thing . In my area all of the local h s have closed except for one and hes a thief ! And yes I can buy on line but I prefer to hold the kit look at it rather then just look at a picture .I think there`s alot of room for improvement on all fronts . If alot of people are working on Friday , maybe have it on Sat and Sunday ? I just would hate to see the show go the way of the local hobby stores .And Yes I do go to Mosquito con too , there`s one locally. This is the opinion of most people I spoke to .

I went to Mosquitocon once too Lou, it was a 5 and a half hour drive I took with my family. I have two small children and one at the time was in a stroller. We were met quite rudely and invited to leave basically without even getting in.

As for Friday, there were 70 kits brought in which I can see being somewhat low. Like you said, people work.... I am fairly certain they made up for it Saturday. I try to go to all of the Armorcons, and no doubt the vendor area was missing a few key players that were sorely missed. ( I was waiting anxiously for some Mission models primers). Next year Ill be there for sure, and I fully anticipate that the vendor area will be more full.

My US$0.02, your mileage may vary..

I was only available Sat and left Vt at 5:30am to be there and drove home that night.

The entries were of as high a quality as previous years and by day's end Sat were about equal to previous years, but only one sci-fi entry. I have enjoyed seeing sci-fi armor in the past.

I believe there is a rule buried in the AMPS bylaws about not entering a kit AFTER it has medaled at a National show, so there may be some truth to the idea that kept down entries. I left a sci-fi piece from the Nats at home for that same reason, but I also like to bring new things to shows and retire kits after they make the rounds of the few shows I go to.

I had good luck with the judges for my entry, but others I know did not and got judges sheets without comments and with seemingly VERY low scores. But that's a table captain and ACJ issue. The shifts I judged were staffed with knowledgeable and friendly folks who picked over some very high quality builds and scored them fairly.

The vendors were a mixed bag for sure. I did see kits I was interested in and at good prices, but came home with just my raffle winnings. I also saw a steady stream of folks heading to the parking lot with kits. The lack of vendors with finishing supplies was a drawback for me. But I did find some relatively obscure aftermarket from Boomers Books for a friend, so I count that a win.

Several of my 'local' friends were not able to make it, but I did meet up with a bunch of the northern Vt folks. I wish we had an armorama 'secret handshake' or a meeting time/place prearranged. I did a terrible job of seeking out other armorama folks and left without connecting any new faces to screen names.

TL;DR?
Still liked it.

Mike

Well, for me it was my first time at armorcon. I came with a group of our club members and it was a four hour drive. I had been with the same group in April for the nationals and enjoyed myself immensely.
My last time at an amps national it was in Aberdeen,tells you how long ago that was.
I got to see some people I met at other shows and also make some new friends. While the vendor side may have been small, there was plenty of good deals to be had. I was initially disappointed upon seeing the vendor room, but after going through and taking the time to talk to more people, I just decided to take advantage of a good time.
In my opinion, which I know doesn't count for much, the guys running the show did a great job. I even got to meet some of the guys from here on armorama.
My fellow club members have been trying to get me out to more shows and I have the luck of having a wife who is supportive of my hobby. I will be back to armorcon next year regardless of the vendor room simply for the comraderie of the people who are just as addicted to plastic as me.
Todd, it was great meeting you and getting to hang out a little! Wasn't nearly long enough to pick your brain about your airbrush work.
John, it was great meeting you also and getting to judge with you at the tables. If all goes well I will see you again at the nationals!

Ed, thank you, it was great getting to meet you as well! The whole meet and greet part of this show is why I always come back! As for the brain picking my friend...my door is always open. I may not know everything, but whatever I can help with, I will! I have to remember to bring an alarm with me next time I do a seminar. I did one Fri. and one Sat...both ran over almost an hour! LOL I am surprised everyone let me rail-on like that for so long!

It's a rule. It cost me a gold medal but I was honest about getting a bronze at Nationals (I corrected the problems that were pointed out then). I know it was a gold medal and that's good enough for me.

I had a great time with my friends and met new people. Ed Spaide won best Sherman AND best USMC award I give in honor of my dad for his Iwo kit. Ed, you owe us a photo feature.

Matt, Mike Del and Georg all did a helluva job.

To all the guys I had met before, it was great to see you guys again, Edward Spaide, Todd, and Mike D. it was nice to meet you guys! Lou, Anthony and Edward Krott, I hope to meet you next time, anyone going to the nats in Ohio?

I said it before...but always it is always great to see old friends and make new ones at the shows!

Count me in for Dayton John...room is booked!