The 'MACS' Show
Text by Harry Apoian Photographs by R. D. Cooley
SUPPOSEDLY a picture is worth a thousand words, but in spite of seeing photos of the activity at the Annual Model and Crafts Show in Anaheim, in sunny California, one cannot comprehend the sights and sounds without being there. Only by actually witnessing the tender loving care used to compose the attractive displays and by actually talking, touching and meeting modeling friends, can one appreciate the pleasure of being there. And it was all there on Saturday and Sunday, May 1 and 2.
The reward of 12 months of preparation to MACS promoters Dick Bernard, Lou Kolbo, Don Patton and John Thacker from the Orange Coast R/C Club in cooperation with Southern California Hobby Industries Association members Si Cohen, George Jenkins and Bruce Patton, was the enthusiastic response by participants and supporters of the show. There were more than 640 models and crafts on display, in addition to the endless and attractive merchandise displayed over 185 booths used by manufacturers.
Awards — Best Entry, Scale, Stunt, Free-Flight, Plastics, Dioramas, Railroads, Boats, Cars, Crafts — were done by teams of experts the night before opening day. Selections of models for trophies and ribbons in the various categories was no easy task. This year's show revealed profound skills in building and diversification of models; one saw ingenuity, new ideas, new materials and new applications unknown just a few years ago, which makes one wonder what is coming next.
Perhaps the first attractions were the static displays; flying demonstrations were always crowd pleasers. Photos cannot do justice to some models — it is impossible to walk past without inspecting the amazing detail. That is reason enough to want to cover the MACS Show.
The electric-powered helicopter by Charles Gilbert was successfully flown; it had a flight limit of three minutes, but its payload capacity can double its duration. A trend for future spectator response is live action; despite a minimal flying site, the versatility of the helicopter, the fascinating gliders and the smooth precision of pattern planes was itself gratifying. There were also rocket firings and R/C car races. Demonstrations lasted over an hour and were put on four times a day.
Adding prestige to the attendance this year, the Executive Council, equivalent to the Board of Directors of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, met the day before its Spring board meeting and attended MACS. AMA District X held its West Coast meeting Saturday. Visible evidence of the AMA's interest in the show helped make the weekend event special.
From the first show in an airplane hangar in 1965 on a $100 budget, MACS has expanded beyond anyone's expectations. However, despite the overwhelming growth, the show still retained the congeniality of modelers talking about models, friends meeting friends, and viewers handling wares. As before, the show was sponsored by the biggest and friendliest club, the Orange Coast Radio Control Club. Merchandise displayed in over 185 booths used by manufacturers.
Awards for the Best Entry in Scale, Stunt, Free-Flight, Plastics, Dioramas, Railroads, Boats, Cars and Crafts were done by a team of experts the night before opening day. Selections of models for trophies and ribbons for the "Best of..." in the various categories was no easy task for the judges. Each year sees more profound skills in building and diversification of models. We saw more ingenuity and new ideas, and there were new materials with new applications, all unknown just a few years ago. It makes you wonder what is coming next, and makes you wish you could anticipate the trends and perhaps be the first with the best. And that's only the static displays!
The flying demonstration is always the crowd pleaser. Photos cannot justify the
The 'MACS' Show
spectator response to live action. In spite of a minimal flying site, the versatility of the helicopter, the fascinating gliders and the smooth precision of pattern planes, was in itself gratifying. But that wasn't all, there were also rocket firings and RC car races. These demonstrations lasted over one hour and were put on four times each day.
Adding more prestige was the attendance this year of the Executive Council (equivalent to Board of Directors) of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The council met the day before for its Spring board meeting then attended the MACS for an AMA District X (west coast) meeting on Saturday. This visible evidence of AMA's interest in the show helped make the weekend event even more special.
From the first show in an airplane hangar in 1965 with a $100 budget, the MACS has expanded beyond anyone's expectations. However, in spite of this overwhelming growth of the show, there is still the congeniality of modelers talking models, friends meeting friends and viewers handling the wares. After all, why should it be any different? The show is sponsored by the biggest club, the "friendly" club, the Orange Coast Radio Control Club!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
