Meeting Number 11
Algonquin, IL April 6, 2008
"Search for the 2008 Chicago GIjOE Toy Show"
WE'RE OFF TO ALGONQUIN!
Meeting #11 was actually hosted by our friends in the Chicago GIjOE Collectors Club. They were hosting their 2nd annual GIjOE show in the gymnasium of the Harry D. Jacobs High School (on Bunker Hill drive, appropriately) and since last year's event was so fantastic (see HERE) we decided to attend again.
In attendance from our club were members Mark Otnes, Don Hanke, Robert Mitchell and his son Derek Mitchell. Don arrived early to set up a table to sell stuff and the rest of us arrived a couple hours later with cash in hand, ready to BUY! All four of us had a great time.
The building was beautiful (see photo above), very spacious and comfortable. It turns out that the president of the Chicago Joe club, Ron Biallas, is also the head custodian at the high school and was able to get this year's show placed at the venue. Way to go, Ron! The show couldn't have been more enjoyable. Here's the rundown on what we encountered...
CHECK IN
Parking was free and ample (are you reading this, National Joe club?), so getting close to the building for loading and unloading was a breeze. We went inside and were immediately greeted by friendly members of the Chicago club who were working as the check-in crew. After paying an admission fee, a band was placed on your wrist, enabling visitors to enter and reenter the building whenever needed (to take packages out to our cars or go out to grab lunch, etc).
Ron's wife Beth was
(again) the epitome of Joe hospitality, taking time to speak
(very enthusiastically) with anyone who entered about how great
it was to "do something for GIjOE!" She is a true advocate
for our hobby and a strong supporter of her husband's interests.
WHATTAGAL! Ron, you are a lucky guy!
In the photo at left, Chicago member Kevin Bolger checks on the registration list and a sign-in sheet for collecting email addresses from potential new members. (Smart idea, Kev!)
THE SHOW ROOM (OR...'DA GYM)
Upon entering the gymnasium (see photo below), we were struck by how much space was available. This was a NICE, big space. If the show is held in this location again next year, it could easily expand to fill up the entire gym and nearly double its size! Hopefully the economy will pick up and make such future growth possible. We'll see.
Dealer tables were neatly laid out all around the outside of the room for the vendors, while in the middle was an RC vehicle area and a huge "Diorama Display Zone" set up by the various members of the Chicago Club. This is something our club should participate in next year. Surely, with all our great collections, we can scrounge up enough stuff for some imaginative dioramas. Robert Mitchell, Jeff Sherer and Mark Otnes alone have enough nice props, partial buildings and other things to set up some dioramas. Let's think about that!
The space was HUGE. And those rafter
girders gave me an idea for the next show.
Can you say "hanging helicopters and planes?" How about
rappelling SEALS? Cool!
THE DEALERS
Like last year, this show was a great place to buy anything related to GIjOE. From the smallest parts in $1 baggies to fully assembled, working RC tanks ($4,000), this was really a "buyer's market." And most of the dealers seemed to be very amenable to haggling as well. If you asked, quite often they knocked off some money when selling. The Chicago club had lined up together along one wall, while the "out of towners" ringed the other walls. All in all, it was quite an enjoyable GIjOE bazaar!
Dealer John Gilane (above left in
SS officer's cap) laughs as CIGCC member Robert Mitchell tries
to bargain him down on some german bolt action rifles. As Robert
put it later, "Hey, you can never have too many of these,
right?"
Robert and Derek consider adding
a new recruit to their collection. "That's a nice one, dad."
THE DIORAMA DISPLAY ZONE
OK, sports fans. This was big. I mean, REALLY big. Ron told us that much of it was made up of his own collection, but that there were also additional displays from other club members as well. WOW! When dioramas are this big, it takes quite a while to check it all out. I took a lot of pictures, but later found there was just too much stuff to adequately capture within a frame. So... I added a little "walk-around" video clip which will hopefully give you a better idea of just how big this diorama really was.
Click on the picture on the right or click here NOW to view the video.
Here are some closeups of this massive display. Enjoy!
The entire diorama area was cordoned
off to prevent little hands from knocking it all down.
Check out this Pak-40 gun crew about
to fire through the front door of this chateau! "Fire in
the home!" ;-)
Stunning Vietnam display featuring
the Duke himself in the center. Fantastic job, guys!
ANOTHER John Wayne figure mans this
amazing, hand-built watch tower. Hello, pilgrim!
This Marine loads his artillery
piece to fire back at the Pak 40. Semper Fi!
This diorama featured VERY convincing
snow and tire tracks. It's based on the very real danger Nazis
posed when they disguised themselves as US soldiers to misdirect
troops into an ambush. Look out, Joes!
What amazed us most was the attention
to detail that most people missed. Check out the FANTASTIC tire
chains and icicles on this Jeep. WOW!
Ron's MASH tent is always a hit.
Last I checked, you can still get these from the national club's
store.
Finally, this diorama blew us ALL
away. The attention to detail was amazing. Each honor guard was
completely accurate with various uniforms, medals, braids, caps,
etc. The coffin and flag were perfect. There's even a black cloth
beneath the coffin. WOW.
THE RC ARMORED ZONE
Finally, there was some REALLY big armor in town. Over in one corner was a designated "RC Armor Zone." In it you could find a german armored car, an M3 Stuart, an M5 Stuart, and a humongous M4 SHERMAN tank. The owners were all just reclining in chairs, waiting for people to ask them to "fire them up." Take a look at the pictures and video clips below for just a small taste of the action!
Oh, mama! A solid metal, 100+ pound,
1/6th scale RC Sherman Tank. What COULDN'T you do with this baby?
Well, you could crush a LOT of stuff to start. After that fun,
you could enjoy its rotating turret, amazing sound effects
and the "clankety-clank" sounds of those massive tracks.
Vrrrrrooom!
This stunning all-metal (even the
gun) german armored car, built from an ArmorTek kit, was really,
really FAST!
It also featured great sound effects and a menacing, rotating
turret. Gotten Himmel!
In this video, an M3 Stuart attacks
a hapless collector,
then "chickens out" at the last second. HA!
In this video, the massive M4 Sherman
rumbles by.
Listen for the great tank track sounds it REALLY makes!
In this video, the german armored
car starts up and drives off.
In this video, the massive M4 Sherman
is harassed by an M5 Stuart.
In this video, enjoy a nice "tank
parade."
In this video, the M3 takes on the
german armored car.
In this final video, the massive
M4 Sherman proudly displays
its "swiveling turret action."
Our thanks again to the members of the Chicago GIjOE Collectors Club for hosting this month's show in Algonquin. Hopefully you guys raised a lot of money for your charity of choice, the Relay for Life Cancer Walk. We had a blast and hope to see everyone at the next one!
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