This organization lives and grows by how actively the membership supports IPMS Canada. The National Executive does not work in a vacuum, and the membership’s active participation is vital to IPMS Canada’s health and growth. How can you help? Read on…
RT – BT – Web page – Facebook – Special Products
We know that IPMS Canada’s members are doing some very fine work on their latest modelling projects, but the flow of material we receive to publish or share with the membership is a comparative trickle. Many kinds of items can be submitted for consideration at any time.
IPMS Canada’s main 36-page publication, RT, is always in need of articles from the membership. (Take a look at some downloadable samples of RT material here) Although Canadian content is always welcomed, the editorial team can use all kinds of modelling articles, historical material and other subjects that you see in the magazine. If you’ve got an idea or a project that you think might be worth sharing in RT, please feel free to contact the Editor and ask for more information.
Email [email protected]
Our e-newsletter, beaveRTales (BT), can use items such as kit, accessory and book reviews, news from local chapters, news from unaffiliated members, information on new model kits, small build and photo reference articles (as opposed to RT‘s more detailed material), hints-n-tips, photos of members’ latest creations, quizzes, and whatever else the members send in. BT will keep you up to date on what’s happening in IPMS Canada, and the rest of the modelling world. You can see past issues of BT here.
Email [email protected]
In general, here are some article and other submission criteria to consider for RT and BT:
FIRST and MOST IMPORTANTLY – take notes and take pictures while the project is under construction. Twenty photos of a completed model doesn’t do much to help readers understand what you did to create it.
IMAGERY – Digital imagery is now the main format for submissions, ideally from the highest quality format your camera can produce. (This may involve adjusting your camera settings to produce the highest-quality JPEG and the maximum pixel size.)
For publication in RT, imagery should be large, high-resolution images; ideally shot at the highest resolution possible with your camera. The Editor’s preference for photos – BIGGER is BETTER! You can also send in traditional photo prints, but if you can scan them yourself and email them, so much the better.
All imagery should include detailed captions, either as part of the article or as separate text.
DO NOT enhance (i.e., ‘Photoshop’) the images or place graphics/text on the image, as this will cause integration problems with the final layout. However, if you need to enhance or augment images to indicate points of interest in the image(s) to help the editor, then please send a second un-retouched copy of the image(s) to use and enhance in our layout software.
This is a good site that may help you produce better photos :
Tony Tio’s A PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE for MODELLERS
http://photoguide.tiono.com/
Another site that will help with understanding backgrounds and compositing is this feature on the work of Michael Paul Smith
http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/SmithMP.htm
Your photos do not have to be ‘catalogue quality’. They just need to be:
- well-lit (your modelling desk lamps can do the job quite nicely),
- well-focused, and
- reasonably well-composed. Fill the frame with what’s important, but do leave some space around the main subject to allow for cropping and sizing in the article layout.
If the in-progress photos are taken with the model sitting on your workbench, that’s perfectly acceptable (but please tidy up the background a bit by removing the cigarette butts and beer bottles, but your normal modelling bench detritus is okay).
You do not need a high-end digital camera to create perfectly acceptable RT or BT quality photos. Most reasonably-priced modern compact digital cameras, and even your smart phone, have more than enough capability to do the job quite satisfactorily. Particularly when you’re shooting for RT, please keep the resolution and JPEG quality as high as possible!
Whether you’re doing a product review, build, conversion, colour schemes or historical piece, the following points all generally apply to your article:
TEXT MATERIAL: Apologies to all scribes and typewriter fans out there, but all text material must be submitted in electronic format (by disk or email attachment). Any common word-processing format will probably work, or even just a text file (.txt).
By the way, unless it’s for foreign proper names (e.g., Pearl Harbor ), use Canadian English spelling for all common words. (e.g., modeller, colour, centre, armour, defence, etc. …)
Your ideas and details are more important than the language quality. In other words, don’t be too concerned about grammar and spelling, even if English is not your first language. We’ll edit your text without changing the intent of your thought and ideas … ya know, unless you’re a genuine crazy person, of course. But even then, if you have a good idea we will still work to sort things out to produce an article for RT.
Please do not send articles with embedded images in the document. The text file and the images need to be sent separate from each other.
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL: Do not send in copyrighted material unless you have obtained the necessary permission from the copyright holder(s) to republish the material in RT.
ARTWORK may be computer-generated (300 DPI, maximum of 19cm/7.5″ wide), or drawn with black ink and scanned in high resolution (no pencil, please)
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER: To save unnecessary grief at this end, written articles should be prepared keeping the following important points in mind:
You should include:
- A proposed title for your article,
- Your byline information:
- Your name,
- Your IPMS #,
- Your Club/Chapter affiliation,
- And your city/town
- Biographical information for use in the ‘About the Author’ block seen at the end of most RT articles (about 100-125 words should do it).
- We also need a digital ‘mug shot’ of yourself to show the world who you are.
Imagery Captions: To allow flexibility in the article layout, all supplied photos should be supplied with caption material. They should normally be short and to the point, to point out something in the photo that is described in further detail in the article text. This can be done in one of two ways, depending on your writing style and the way the information is being presented to the reader:
Clearly refer to the image in the text of your article, and tie the caption to the photo filename
Write stand-alone captions that will appear directly within or beside the photo
Either way is fine for publication in RT or on the website.
Article Components: Where possible (based upon the type of article you’re creating), for easier writing and reading, your article should be broken down into logical and progressive sections. A typical section breakdown can include sub-topics like the following:
- Introduction
- Project Background or Motivation for the Build
- The Kit Used
- Conversion Parts Used
- Assembly
- Corrections
- Modifications
- Interior Details
- Exterior Details
- Painting & Decals
- Weathering
- Final Steps
- Conclusion
In addition, the following may be useful:
Products Used. List the ‘non-basic’ items used in the project and have mentioned in your article. Conversion parts, aftermarket items, special tools, special paints, weathering kits, etc. If you have a URL for the company, please include it.
References/Resources. List the main sources of information you used to complete the project. Include URLs where appropriate.
About the author – IPMS Canada is not just about models – we’re all about MODELLERS! Give us the W5 info – who you are, where you’re from, what do you build, how long you’ve been building, other hobbies, real life activities, family stuff, etc. About 100-125 words should do it.
Website Material
Our website should be ‘live’ and growing, and reflect the dynamics of our national membership. Contact the Webmaster for details. The Webmaster is always seeking to improve the website; equipment photos, photos of your models, Internet threads you’ve collected, and interesting links can be a great help.
Here are some areas when anybody in IPMS Canada can help to keep the website fresh:
- Local Chapter information – keep the Chapter Liaison Executive member informed and aware of changes that need to be made. En anglais or French. [email protected]
- Reference Photos – If you’ve got nice photos of Canadian military equipment in operation, current or past, please consider sharing them with your fellow IPMS Canada members. Photos may colour or black & white. Scanned material should be a minimum of 1024 x 768 pixels, high quality JPEG, ideally with no colour corrections or retouching done to the imagery. Please include some descriptive information if known (the W5 stuff: who, what, where, when, why)
- Members’ Model Gallery – send in your JPGs and caption material. Tell us something about yourself and the models you’re submitting.
- Threads – Canadian content or context only please! You are all invited to help out. If you come across some good quality online group discussion that you think should be preserved here for posterity, by all means, download it and send it in!
- Fun Page – Got a real thigh-slapper or something else that’s appropriate to this medium? Send it in for consideration. Even better if it’s modelling and/or Canadian content.
email [email protected]
Our national Facebook page is used by chapters and members who would like to announce an event, show off their latest projects or activity or just want to join in the discussion. It is also used to showcase the benefits of IPMS membership, the latest RT and BT, along with making general announcements that may be of interest or importance to the membership.
Contact the Social Media Coordinator through facebook.com/CanadaIPMS or through [email protected]
Special Projects
When we are getting ready to work on the next special project decal sheet, we send out a call to the field to ask for your ideas. The response is usually abysmal. We want to promote Canadian subjects in the modelling hobby, be it aircraft, armour, ships, cars, or whatever. If you’ve got an idea, especially if you can assist with the research (information, photos, drawings, etc.), then please get in contact. We want to hear from you!
email [email protected]