Armor Modeling and Preservation Society
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The Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) is a social club with the common interest of modeling miniature armored fighting vehicles, military figures, and related equipment. The club also promotes restoration of historic military vehicles.
History
Clubs centered around the hobby of modeling have existed since the 1950s. The Armor Modeling and Preservation Society, Inc. was founded in 1993 by armor modelers as a means of promoting the hobby.
AMPS was founded shortly after the demise of the Association of Military Modelers (AMM) in 1992. The AMM was a relatively short-lived club founded by Michael E. Rogers. The AMM was both a hobby-oriented club and a for-profit business selling modeling products to hobbyists. The AMM collapsed suddenly in 1992.
AMPS was formed as a club with bylaws that prevented any officer from deriving their income from the hobby of military vehicle modeling, this explicitly rejecting the conflicting nature of AMM. The club operated without incorporation until early 2007, when it was incorporated as a not-for-profit in the state of New York.
Structure and Membership
The AMPS bylaws and constitution provide for an Executive Board consisting of a President, First Vice-President, four regional Second Vice Presidents, and a Secretary. Additional non-elected officers include Treasurer, Publications Editor, and Public Information Officer. The founder and first President of AMPS was Steven "Cookie" Sewell. The current President is Paul Roberts.
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the hobby. Annual membership fees are $25 for members in the United States, and somewhat higher in Canada and overseas. Most members are located in the USA. Currently, AMPS has over 400 members.
AMPS members often form local 'chapters' of the society. These local clubs operate as part of AMPS but their local base allow their members to meet (usually monthly) and share hobby skills, materials and references.
Publications
AMPS publishes a semi-monthly journal, Boresight. Articles in Boresight are written by the members, and the publication itself is edited by volunteers. The journal typically provides several articles on real armored vehicles fo rreference purposes, along with modeling articles and how-to guides. AMPS accepts advertising in Boresight as a means of providing discounted hobby products to its members.
AMPS also has a website, http://www.amps-armor.org.
Events
The major event hosted by AMPS is the annual International Convention, held each April. This three-day show brings together hundreds of members and nonmembers to view models, participate in a model contest, buy hobby products, and attend seminars. Recent international conventions have included over 500 scale models on display.
Smaller regional and local contests are also held from time to time, typically attracting less than 200 scale models for single-day events.
The scale models entered in the contest are judged according to the AMPS Contest Rules, and may be awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals. Scale models are judged for accuracy, level of detail, skill in construction, and paint/markings finish. Some of these models take hundreds of hours to complete. Each modeler is provided with a feedback form showing the points given in each area and what areas need to improve.
