About this SIG and how to join

Several years ago, IPMS(UK) sanctioned the formation of 'Special Interest Groups' (S.I.G.'s) within the membership. These SIG's are formed and run by IPMS members and, although they have the official backing of the Society and are allowed use of the IPMS name, SIG Leaders are not part of the IPMS Committee.

The idea was for members who have common interests in particular areas to be able to contact and meet other like-minded members, and so encourages the exchange of information, and builds expertise. To this end, SIG's exist for not only many areas of aviation, but also cars, ships, armour, figures, science fiction, and so on. Many modellers will realise that they are interested in one or two particular subjects above most others, so this is what SIG's set out to cater for. However, many modellers will also realise that their interest in such a subject goes above and beyond the modelling aspect - it will quite probably include historical research, photography, etc., all of which is most welcome in a SIG.

Formed in 1993, this S.I.G. is thriving group of people, primarily modellers, from all over the world, who share a common interest in aerial demonstration teams.

As a group, we are interested in all aspects of the worlds aerobatic display teams, past and present, military and civilian. Obviously, modelling of team aircraft plays a large part, but so does research and photography, collecting team memorabilia and data, supporting teams and watching them perform at airshows, etc. All tastes are welcomed here, from pre-war biplane teams, civilian teams, "heavy metal" jet teams and well, everything in between !

We produce our own newsletter, "Smoke On ... GO !", about four times per year, featuring articles and reviews on modelling, airshows, books, videos, news and general chat, etc., relating to display teams. Each year, we also put on displays of our models at a number of UK and European model shows/events, and our annual display schedule always includes Scale Modelworld (the IPMS(UK) National Championships), arguably the biggest model event in the World. These are great social occasions when we can actually get together in person, and meet as many of our members as possible - including those from overseas. We feel that this is a very important aspect of our group, and we are proud to have so many friends and SIG members in around twenty different countries worldwide.

This SIG is open to modellers all over the World; the only real 'rule' we have is that wherever practicable, applicants should be members of a national IPMS. Having said that, we also realise that there are countries which do not have an IPMS branch and that it is often infeasible for enthusiasts in such countries to be or become IPMS members. In these cases, our 'rule' is often relaxed.

There is now a simple annual subscription fee required to join this S.I.G., to cover the production and postage costs of the newsletters.

To make subscriptions much easier for overseas members, we now accept non-UK subscriptions via PayPal - this is also much cheaper than Bank Drafts, International Money Orders, etc.

Click the button for more information about PayPal.

There are a number of different SIG Membership options available, depending on the country in which you live :-

UK Membership (including BFPO): £4.50 per year
Payable in cash or cheque, GB Pounds Sterling. (Please do not use PayPal for GB Pounds Sterling payments.)
European (EU) Membership: £6.00 per year
Payable in cash, cheque, International Money Order (IMO) or Bank Draft - these must be in GB Pounds Sterling.
OR :-
$10.00 per year
Payable in U.S. Dollars and ONLY by PayPal.
OR :-
€10.00 per year
Euros payable ONLY by PayPal.
Rest of the World Membership (including U.S.A. and Canada): £8.50 per year
Payable in cash, cheque, International Money Order (IMO) or Bank Draft - these must be in GB Pounds Sterling.
OR :-
$14.00 per year
Payable in U.S. Dollars and ONLY by PayPal.

Applicants in Canada have a further option: The Canadian Post Office is able to issue Sterling Postal Orders, which can be cashed at UK Post Offices, so this too is acceptable. As with Bank Drafts and IMO's, Canadian Postal Orders should be to the value of £8.50.

IMPORTANT NOTES :- Any GB Pounds Sterling cash sent by post is at senders risk : GB Pounds Sterling along with US Dollars and Euros (both by PayPal) are the ONLY forms of payment we can accept - we can not handle any other types of foreign currency in any form, so please do not send them : The ONLY way we will accept US Dollar payments and Euro payments, is by PayPal - we can not accept US Dollars or Euros in cash, check, or any other form - you must use PayPal : Although PayPal now allows transactions in GB Pounds Sterling, UK members please do not use PayPal to send Sterling payments.

So, if you wish to join our 'formation', then please provide your details in the Application Form below, and click the "Send It !" button to submit them to us. Shortly afterwards, you will be contacted by Gary Siddall, the SIG Leader, who will advise you of further details, including where to send your payments, etc.
** Please DO NOT attempt to send any PayPal payments "up front" until you have received a response to your application from the SIG Leader, as you will then be advised of the correct email address to send your PayPal payments to.

If you have any questions about membership or this SIG in general, you can email Gary at

garys@globalnet.co.uk

But DO NOT send any PayPal payments to this email address.

New members are introduced in the next Newsletter, along with their address and areas of interest, so that each member may directly contact any other if they so desire. Telephone numbers are usually kept "private" by the SIG Leader, and are just used for contacting individuals.

Name :

IPMS Number :

Address :

Postal Code :

Country :

E-mail Address :

Telephone Number :

Payment Method : (please select)

Special interests / preferred scales, any other interesting information, etc. :