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"The Search for the Illinois Veteran's Home in Quincy, IL"
Meeting #8 was hosted by CIGCC member Robert Mitchell and took place at the Illinois Veteran's Home in Quincy, IL. For the other members, it was about a 3 1/2 hour drive, but BOY...was it worth it! In fact, we liked this place so much, we all wanted to come back sometime in the future and meet there again. It's THAT cool! As we drove through the front gates, we were greeted by a huge howitzer (see at the right). It appeared to be in superb condition, with all of it's metal surfaces clean and polished. We quickly learned that ALL of the large outdoor exhibits (aircraft, tanks, etc.) are faithfully restored and maintained by volunteers. Each appears to be very well taken of and is a pleasure to see in person. We didn't have time to view them all, but we were able to visit a Patton tank, a Stuart tank, a Huey, a MASH Ambulance and the inspiring "Eternal Flame" memorial which is dedicated to all U.S. service men and women. Here are some pictures we snapped while walking around the grounds:
After touring the grounds, we headed indoors to visit the amazing "All Wars Museum." WHAT A PLACE THIS IS! It was packed floor to ceiling (literally) with militaria from all of the U.S. wars beginning with the American Revolution. Thankfully, it was all arranged chronologically, and making sense of the voluminous material was easier than we anticipated. We studied everything carefully, at our leisure (you wives would've been bored stiff) and found that the museum contains mostly ALL authentic weapons and gear with only a few reproductions. There was also a reading area full of military books and magazines, plus a video/DVD resource room. How cool is that? Yes, you could easily spend your entire day here and the time would FLY by!
After the museum, we headed over to the pavilion where Robert had prepared a great surprise for us. Much to our amazement, he had gone to the trouble of laying out his ENTIRE collection of figures for us to view. That's right, every single one of them. There were two lonnnnnng tables covered end to end with figures dressed in uniforms from all war periods. Obviously, Robert doesn't just collect modern or vintage figures. He collects them all! Fantastic collection, Robert. Next, new member Tony Carducci showed us some amazing 1:6 scale guitars from Dark Horse Comics that he was able to order for the guitar store he works for in Moline. Mark snagged 'em up later during the trading session. Thanks, Tony! Finally, Mark showed a couple of new custom boxes he'd been working on, similar to the Battlebox line he sells from Patches of Pride.
As "show-n-tell" segments go, this one was a BIGGIE! Robert's figure collection, his custom bunker, Mark's custom boxes, Tony's miniature guitars...it ALL just blew us away. Who knows what we'll see at our NEXT meeting? This is getting exciting!
Joe fans gotta eat, right? Right! So, as usual, we were treated by our host (this time it was Robert Mitchell) who generously provided chips and drinks before ordering some pizza from his favorite local joint. Of course it was all great, and while we ate, we enjoyed watching some more of the fabulous GIjOE flicks from Fuzzheadfilms.com. They are hilarious! Thanks so much for the food and for hosting this month's meeting, Robert. You are 'da man!
After eating, we cleared a table and began trading. Mark snagged Tony's "bitchin'" guitars, then offered up some really cool shields which were quickly accepted by the others, and similar trades continued back and forth for at least a half and hour. Not a penny changed hands. WHAT A BLAST this was! Afterwards, everyone gladly helped Robert pack up his valuable collection. Wisely, he had pre-labeled each tub and groups his figures logically so that finding a specific one is easy later. His son and daughter helped as well. The spirit of Joe collecting had "filled the pavilion!"
After the meeting, Robert gave a quick sneak peek into his "Secret Shed" located SOMEWHERE else in Quincy. It was jammed floor to ceiling with custom built towers, buildings, fences, trees and all types of other 1:6 diorama props. As you can see in the photo to the left, there were also shelves
FULL of tanks, Ketts, Hummers and much more. Obviously, Robert
has a lot more stuff for future club show-n-tell sessions. I
especially want to see that Hetzer and that Desimone Chinook up
close (maybe next time). WOW.
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OUTDOOR EXHIBITS
VISITING
THE MUSEUM
"SHOW-N-TELL"
TIME
Robert also showed
off the scratch-built German bunker (see at left) he's currently
working on. Once it's done, he plans on installing it somewhere,
complete with dirt, grass, etc. Can you believe how great that's
going to look?
PIZZA
AND DVD TIME
TRADE-A-PALOOZA
ROBERT'S
"SECRET SHED"
