Feb. 2000 Puyallup NW Model Expo Report
By Bob McDougall

Plusses: We made out pretty well with our raffle... about $525 clear. The RealFlight Simulator was one of the most popular display items down in the manufacturers area, which made it a more attractive raffle prize. Next, the hard work put in by Larry Mitchell, Don Hall, and everyone else who helped out at the TCRCM booth and elsewhere.

Minuses: crowds and manufacturers were down a bit this year, and the static display area was a third empty, due most likely to the rule requiring display models to remain until 5PM Sunday, a real headache for us out-of-towners. The swap meet area was also less populated than in past years, and in my opinion the overall quality of the swappable stuff was lower than in the past.

Worthwhile? Yes, definitely. The displayed models were great (especially the RC heli with the scale "yellowjacket" body complete with feelers and proboscis!). Too many boats, though...and first prize in the Pattern category was won by a .20-size "Tweety Bird". (Rob, Dennis, Brett, are you gonna let ‘em get away without a real pattern ship on display??) Sunday the crowds were light enough to be able to talk to the manufacturers.

There were flight displays on both days just outside the expo hall, but they didn’t seem to match the posted schedule. I saw some very impressive heli flying, and a fascinating demo of a small, flying-wing foam RC glider that was thrown like a frisbee instead of a hand grenade. It flew quite well, even with the "sorry, no thermals" weather conditions.

Lotsa neat stuff in the manufacturers’ areas, but nothing really new except for OZ cover, a colorless, paintable polyester iron-on that comes in different weights and is 30 inches wide, a nice benefit. The guy selling it was a real salesman but not much of a techie.. fortunately, I’ve been using the same stuff for years on my lighter models. Most of the newer products are either turbine- or microflyer-related.. I can’t afford the turbines, and I can’t get enthused about the limited capabilities of the schoolyard stuff, especially with the wind conditions around here which would prohibit many of these types of models.

All in all, an enjoyable outing.. just don’t go by the hotel info on the NW Model Expo web site. I reported the problems to Bill Bender, so it should be more useful next year.

Meanwhile, don’t forget about the Spokane model show on March 4th!

This page last updated 02/23/00 20:20