NNL East ... a few more :)

[Howard Cohen]

My drive to NNL East is about 800K, 500 miles, leaving Toronto, Ontario about 6:30AM, crossing from Canada to the U.S. at Lewiston, NY Thursday morning, then through NY, Penn. and into NJ. I stopped at Whitney Point, N.Y., just north of Binghampton for a few photos, then on to NJ. Friday Curb and I headed to Englishtown, NJ for a small swap meet, only about 2,000 vendors of car parts and other stuff. Friday night I had dinner with some close friends (thanks Kathy, Donn and Bob) and then back to the motel to talk to 1 or 2 people  Saturday at the PAL club I chatted for about an hour and a half before going into the show. The line up (you have seen the many photos) usually enters the building in about 15 minutes as tickets are presold in the line. This time the lineup took about 40 minutes! Yup, I would guess more than a gazillion people!  Inside the display room, the tables were already crowded with hundreds of models. I think there had to be close to 24/2500, but that is just a guess. I only took photos of the models I really liked or I might still be there  I also took a few shots of some of the people at the show. This is my 10th NNL East and each time it gets better and better and the models you see do the same. The best part is chatting to people you have never met, maybe traded emails or messages with online, but to see them live, shake their hand, shoot the breeze, share camaraderie, is the best part! Oh, and to top it all off, I won the raffle of the Bat resin prototype car, my second raffle win in four years Here is a link to my shots. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them  

http://public.fotki.com/howardcohen/nnl-east-2016/

 

 

Edited April 23, 2016 by Howard Cohen

[carrucha]

Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Modlguy]

Did you get a cookie, Howard?

[Tom Geiger]

  Saturday at the PAL club I chatted for about an hour and a half before going into the show. The line up (you have seen the many photos) usually enters the building in about 15 minutes as tickets are presold in the line. This time the lineup took about 40 minutes! Yup, I would guess more than a gazillion people!  

Minor correction -  When we open the door precisely at 9:00am, our goal is that the line takes no more than 6 minutes to get into the building. This year, with many more people than usual it only took 5 minutes!   Our ticket team goes out front at 7:30 and sells admissions on the line until 8:55 when they pull back and set up in the tent. The first person who yet to pay steps up to the tent at 9:05.  And that line usually is finished by 9:15 or so.  This year we saw there were more people on that line than ever before so we quickly set up a second ticket team (Bart and I, along with his daughter Veronica and Bob Kern's wife Therese) and got everyone in the building as fast as we could!   

We don't report numbers but this was the banner year and I was happy that the building comfortably and safely held the crowd.  We know our attendance will be down a bit next year as we are a week ahead of GSL, so some folks will need to make a choice, and that's fine with us. Note that we aren't looking to grow this show, only improve the quality and the fun quotient every year. 

[tbill]

Howard, i met up with Curb and Craig a few times between friday and saturday, but did not get a chance to meet you, perhaps next year.

 

as far as the line to get in is concerned, it was my first time going, and my initial thought was, we are never getting in there [i was in line all the way at the 'back door'], but holy cow, the doors opened, and we were in in a flash! granted, we got there a little early and did stand in line for a bit, but given the fact that entry sheets and admission cost was done while in line, it really sped things up, and before i knew it i was walking around with my chin on the ground looking at all the cool stuff that was there. as we left, i was already rambling on about next year...........

[Howard Cohen]

Did you get a cookie, Howard?

No I got a steak  

[1930fordpickup]

Great  Pictures Howard.