Trackpad (Gary) got this all rolling way back in the Spring when he mentioned the CapCon IPMS show being held on September 26, 2015 in Ottawa, Canada. He planned to enter several models and before long, mgunns (Mark) advised that he and his wife would be driving over from his home in western Wisconsin to see the show. Then Lance and Lindsay advised that they in turn would be flying in from Alberta and Saskatchewan, seeing how Mark and Gary would be there. As I'm only a four hour drive from Ottawa, there was no way that I was going to miss a chance like this to put some faces and voices to the names so I also signed on. Pepperman42 (Steve) told us he was coming too but unfortunately, he was booked at another hotel and we just never managed to hook up with him. Maybe next time Steve!
We all arrived on the afternoon of the 25th at our hotel which was located on the banks of the Rideau (pronounced Ree-Dough) River in Ottawa. Good conversation ensued at dinner and we never left the hotel restaurant/lounge until midnight. This photo was taken early on the 26th. You can't get much more Canadian than a crisp Fall morning with flock of Canadian Geese flying overhead while the steam was rising from the surface of the river.
We all went to CapCon together and Lindsay proved to be a real asset as he found a WnW Fokker D.VII kit in the vendor room. I waited (Politely, I might add.) until Lance passed on it, and then I pounced and paid a paltry CDN$70.00 for it. Lance had already found the Flying Machine Press
Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One at a bargain price so he was probably just being polite by letting me have a crack at the kit. Here's a shot of the group taken at the opening of the show.
From the left is Lance, Mark, myself, Gary, and Lindsay.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a large number of WWI aircraft on display, but that seems pretty normal from the shows I've attended as it's but a small facet of the plastic modelling hobby. The following are some of the multi-wing and rigged models that were there.
Here's a shot of Lindsay and Gary. You might wonder why they're smiling so much. I think Lindsay is just tickled pink that he's so much younger than the rest of the group, but as for Gary . . .
. . . well, it could have something to do with this . . .
. . . for which he took a well deserved first place award. It's an incredibly detailed and well presented model. Well done Gary!
We left the show mid-morning to attend the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum as Lindsay had arranged a behind-the-scenes tour of the storage hangar where we saw a wide assortment of exhibits undergoing and awaiting restoration, including a D.VII frame, a Pup, Snipe, Spad, and many more that I don't have the names for. If you other fellows are reading this, jump in and add to the list.
Also on hand at the museum is an F-18 cockpit; Lance's office not too many years ago. From my understanding, I'm now fully checked out to fly this bad boy. Or am I dreaming again?
Another group shot in front of one of the few surviving parts of the Avro Arrow project.
Here's a shot of the Marine Corps who just discovered that you can buy Cuban cigars here in Canada.
After another excellent meal at the hotel that lasted until well after midnight, it was off to the Canadian War Museum on our last day together. The following is a piece of trench art made by some unknown Canadian soldier from a cartridge case and brass shell case. It looks like a German type to me, and I thought it was pretty neat.
I think the highlight of the museum for our group was the opportunity to see Barker's Snipe fuselage up close and personal. It's an incredible feeling to reach out and touch a piece of history like this. For Lance, our retired RCAF fighter pilot, I'm sure it was a moving experience.
The exhibit next to Barker's Snipe is a collection of Billy Bishop artifacts including his windscreen, medals, blue tipped propeller, and blue spinner. Again; pretty incredible stuff.
So that was our two day event and I for one had the time of my life with these fellows. I hope we can all do it again. Maybe in two years at the next CapCon and maybe we could even add a face or two more to the group.
Cheers,
Chris
