October 19 , 2001

Rivalry... good old American ribbing between two or more factions. Be it New York Giants fans against Dallas Cowboys, Boston Bruins against, well, everyone! Michael Jordan fans vs. Shaq... etc, etc, etc.

The ol' "My team's better than your team" competition that can be found in almost every sport, business, you name it!

But when it comes to Model Shows, I just don't get it!! CHILLER's better than WONDERFEST is better than IMAGINE NATION is better than REZN HEDZ... yadda, yadda, yadda!

What's the point? I mean who gives a rats ass!?! More importantly, what does it accomplish... besides empty bellowing between folks and turning threads into multiple pages of hot air! What a waste of time!!!

You wanna know why CHILLER is better than WONDERFEST!?! I'll tell ya! Because CHILLER is only two hours away from my house and WONDERFEST isn't! Because I can afford the money it costs me to go to CHILLER a lot easier than it does trucking down to Kentucky!! Do I think CHILLER is a better Model Show than WONDERFEST, or any other Model Show? Hell no!! I wish ALL the model shows were close to my house, because then I'd certainly be able to get to each one!!

"So & So show has more... (insert: dealers, tables, attendees, guests, days, whores, cheaper drinks, whatever!!)" Who gives a flying fuck?!! The important thing about a Model Show is....

• Can I afford to attend?
• Will there be kits I like & can I afford to buy them?
• Will I meet friends who I haven't seen in awhile or ever met before?
• Will I have fun?
• Can I go again?

If I can meet at least half of those points above, than the trip, to me, is a successful one!! If I was a rich man, I'd be going to all of them, but unfortunately I ain't, so I can't! And almost everyone in this hobby is in the same boat I am. Could I miss CHILLER one year and use that money to take in one of the other shows!? I could, but it would still be difficult. Because CHILLER is so close and I've gotten to know many of the promoters and staff personnel over time, I've been able to get involved myself with helping to run the show. And I love it! Sure, I'm certainly not indispensable, and my meager contributions can easily be filled by many other fine staffers there, but I feel a responsibility to be there because of that involvement. And truthfully it would kill me if I wasn't able to attend! But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love the opportunity to go to the other shows someday!

West Coast folks probably have it even worse than I do!! Some poor soul in Texas or Oregon might not have any good Figure/Monster/SF shows anywhere near a 500 mile radius of their house and yet here's some stupid idjits, who can afford to attend one or more shows a year, bitching about which one is better!!?! You think he cares?! All these poor souls want is a show near their locale!!! Close enough that he doesn't have to morgage the farm to get too!!

So the next time you have an uncontrollable urge to knock a show or compare one over another, stop and attempt to engage that simple brain of yours and THINK!! Think how fortunate you are that you can attend a good model show, meet friends, talk to dealers/producers/sculptors about your favorite hobby! See a favorite guest star for the first time and have the opportunity to shoot the breeze with those individuals, no matter how fleetingly!! Then, while you're spending the one, two or three days at this show, stop and think of all those folks who can't be there with you but would love to be!!

And be grateful!!! Search out the show promoter and thank them for their time and effort! Express to the dealers/producers who have a table at the show how glad you are that they made the trip and the expense needed to be there! But above all, be grateful that there's a show to go too!!

The last thing we need is this insane bickering!!

Til next week...

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