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About IPMS (UK)
What is the IPMS (UK)?
...
The International Plastic Modellers' Society was founded in
Great Britain in 1963, by modellers, for the benefit of
modellers. It was originally founded as the British Plastic
Modellers' Society, but soon expanded into a truly
International body with many branches across the world.
Society members build anything from basic kits to
complicated scratchbuilt models using plastic as the primary
medium.
'IPMS (UK)' is the commonly used trading name of a newly
formed company 'limited by guarantee', which change of
status was designed to provide protection for members from
the burden of unlimited liability in the event of any major
claim being made against the Society, and which limits the
liability in such circumstances of any member to the sum of
£1.00 only.
There are presently over 60 local IPMS Branches scattered
about Great Britain. Although members may be scattered far
and wide, they try to meet regularly. Some Branches hold
their meetings in village halls or scout huts, others prefer
the social atmosphere of a back room at the local pub.
Wherever they meet, the branch meeting gives everyone a
superb opportunity to learn or contribute as much (or as
little) as they wish. The IPMS has no class, age, sex,
colour or creed barriers to overcome, nor does it lay down
any minimum modelling standards for entry. All you need to
qualify for membership is to have an interest in model
making as a hobby. Newcomers are important to us and are
always welcome to visit and join a Branch. The contact point
is normally the Branch Secretary who will help you to get to
know the other Branch members and tell you more about the
Society. If you are interested in the hobby of model making,
you will enjoy the friendliness, enthusiasm and
encouragement of like-minded people.
What does the IPMS
have to offer? ...
Special Interest Groups ~ Like minded modellers get together ...
Technical Assistance Service (TAS) ~ Ask the questions, someone may have the answers?
Decal and Instruction Sheet Banks ~ Just two of the Member Services ...
IPMS (UK) Members' Magazine
And the biggest and best model show in the World ... Scale Modelworld
What are Special
Interest Groups (SIG's)? ...
A few years ago, IPMS (UK)
sanctioned the formation of Special
Interest Groups (SIG's)
within the membership. These SIG's are formed and run by
IPMS members and have the official backing of the Society
and are allowed use of the IPMS name and logo. The idea was
for members who have common interests in particular areas to
be able to contact and meet other like-minded members, and
so encouraging the exchange of information, and accumulation
of expertise. To this end, SIG's exist for not only many
areas of aviation, but also cars, ships, armour, figures,
science fiction, and so on. Many modellers will have
interests in one or two particular subjects above most
others, so this aspect is what SIG's set out to cover.
However, many modellers will also appreciate that their
interest in a subject goes above and beyond the modelling
aspect - it will quite probably include historical research,
photography, etc., all of which is most welcome in a SIG.
All SIG members are encouraged to join IPMS so that they can
gain full benefits of membership of the society. There are
now over 50 SIGs within the IPMS (UK) covering all aspects
of the hobby. Further details about the SIG's can be found
on this website.
Membership
of IPMS (UK) costs 20 GBP per year, 19 GBP if you pay by
direct debit. Overseas model-makers who have no access to an
International, National or Local IPMS organisation can join
IPMS (UK) as an "Overseas Member".
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