Modeler of The Year Contest

February 16, 2026, Pelikan Model Meeting   

      The meeting was called to order by President Donn Buerger at 1910 hours. There were 41 members and guests present. Guests present were Mike Bradock, who builds helos, Mike Thomas, who builds Aircraft and Ships, John Mercado, who builds Armor and Thomas Hartline, Tom Hartline's son. All were welcome. Donn mentioned that yearly dues are now due. See Treasurer  Tom Hartline to pay up. Dues remain the same as last year. Donn announced that member Will Findley was recently married, and his bride was in attendance. Congratulations to the new couple!! 

Brian Fowler gave a report on the recent Jaxcon show. The show was well attended, with 132 entrants and over 500 models entered; many were of excellent quality.  A number of Pelican members were in attendance and brought home awards. Congratulations to the club winners. Doug Hamilton added a few observations about the raffle and general positive comments on the event. 

The next topic discussed was our upcoming show. Tom Hartline is still collecting items for the raffle and will continue to accept donated items up to and including the day of the show. He told of some of the more notable items he’s collected so far. Ozzie Leandri said there are still some vendor tables available. Ozzie also mentioned other general plans for the show. Chief Judge Brian Fowler gave a brief rundown on the judging criteria and the G-S-B method of judging. (Editor’s note: All members, experienced or not, are urged to assist in judging. More hands make for lighter work!! Da Editor) A brief discussion was also held, debating the merits of giving club members a free entry. It was decided that all members pay an admission charge.   

Member Dave Fredrickson then took the floor to ask the club about sponsoring two categories at the upcoming IPMS Nationals to be held in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, this year. Some discussion occurred at which time Doug Hamilton made a motion for the club to sponsor two award packages at the Nationals. Numerous members seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. A brief follow-up discussion was held after the vote to decide on two categories. The consensus being one in the Aircraft area and one in the Armor area would be requested.   

Ed Brut then had the floor to discuss late Treasurer George Hecht's estate and the ongoing efforts to liquidate some of the many items George had collected over the years. Ed reported that he is in the process of finding documentation related to some of the items that were on display. Ed also mentioned he’s working on an updated history of the club. All members are urged to cooperate with Ed in making the club's history well-documented. 

Donn reported that the local Hobby Town is going out of business and is offering 25% off modeling kits and supplies. Upcoming meeting themes include an Open theme in March. Check the club website for a complete list of upcoming themes.   After a short break and participating members speaking on the models they had brought to the meeting, Donn announced the night's winners as: 3rd Place- Steve Newman, 2nd Place- Rob Marquinez, and 1st Place- John Mercado. Congratulations to the evening's winners. (See the pictures of these amazing models on the club website!!) Donn then closed the meeting at 20 45 hours.

Respectfully submitted. Doug Hamilton Secretary 

The Theme for March will be "Open." 

January 19, 2026, Pelikan Model Meeting   

  We had a nice start to the new year, 32 attended the meeting, including a new & potential new member, John Rogers, and new member Drew Tarter (pictured right) won modeler of the month. Many great models showed up at the meeting. Pictures are posted in the Gallery. 

January Model Theme Winners were: Drew Tarter - 1st place for his T-33 Jet, 2nd place - went to Frank Stansell for his 3 World War 1 fight aircraft, and 3rd place - Libby Brut for her Coffee Shop Diorama. See the latest Gallery Pictures. Congratulations all!

Ed Brut has been working on a Pelikan Model Club History of one of the oldest clubs in Florida. We will soon add it to the Officers/By-Laws page. We have lost a few of our oldest members lately, and we thought it might be time to do this since some of us aren't getting any younger. 

Pelicon 2026 was discussed. At the posting of this, we are about 6 weeks out to the Convention on March 14th. Ozzie sent out a volunteer sign-up sheet to work at the convention. We are also looking for donations to the Model Raffle, and if you need Vendor tables to see models, we have some available. We are also in need of some Judges, see head judge Brian Fowler for more info.

Club elections were held last November 2025. Our new Treasurer was installed, and he collected dues at the meeting, an even $20 for the year. For those who didn't pay yet, please do so at this month's meeting, Feb. 16th. Come January, you can also pay your dues directly on this secure website. 

Other officers will be coming up to speed as soon as I get organized. Three members stepped up for various unopposed positions, which turned out to be mostly voluntary. Since the passing of our friend and Treasurer George Hecht, Tom Hartline stepped up to be our new Treasurer, Doug Hamilton as Secretary, Donn Buerger as President, VP Steve Ferguson, with Ozzie Leandri as Convention Chairman & Website Manager. (See officers' duties under Officers/By-Laws & By-Laws to the left on this site). 

We are still doing the monthly Theme "Modeler of the Year" award with the point system we used last year (see points given under "Club Happenings"), the top 5 modelers receiving the most points by November's meeting will receive a gift certificate.

The Theme for February is NAVAL WARFARE. That would include vehicles, landing craft, planes & ships.

                    December 1, 2025 Pelikan Model Christmas Party Minutes   

We had about 40 folks show up at the annual Club Christmas Party. We decided to have it this year at the Funeral Home. This included food provided by the model club and gifts from the members who decided to participate in a White Elephant gift exchange. The exchange was fun, and there was kit trading afterwards, so most people got something they could use. There was no cut-throat stealing to keep things civil in the Spirit of the holiday! There are also photos of the party in the Gallery.  

The other event at the Christmas Party was the awarding of the Theme Winners based on points accrued over the course of the year. The 1, 2 & 3rd place winners were awarded Mastercard Gift Cards for their efforts. Al Vaccaro placed 1st, Bill Malick placed 2nd, and Vince Pedulla placed 3rd. Congratulations to you all for your efforts and great work!!  

We are still doing the monthly Theme "Modeler of the Year" award with the point system we used last year (see points given under "Club Happenings"), the top 5 modelers receiving the most points by November's meeting will receive a gift certificate.