Since its inception in 2018, Tri-State Scale Modelers (TSSM), a club located at the heart of where 3 states converge (WV, OH, and KY), have met on a monthly basis, to not only share in the hobby together as friends, but also help promote the hobby to those that were new to the hobby altogether, or even those that had no real outlet to gather within a setting, that allowed them to share, teach, and learn about their love for the hobby with others.  Although most members are located within the region and come from nearby communities, we have some that come from as far away as western Ohio, southern Kentucky, northern WV, and even eastern Maryland.  The burden of distances traveled for some of these members is far outweighed by the friendships they've garnered through being a member of our Tri-State modeling community.  New membership is always open, and we've never required members to pay dues for their membership, or to attend our meetings and in return, they always step up, and every member that attends or has attended meetings in person, has contributed to our success and growth.

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Members have a variety of interests in our club.  The classic modeling genres of civilian/automotive, military aircraft and armor, sci-fi/fantasy, historical periods for figures, and ships are all present.  As 3D printing has worked its way into our hobby, we have members that are exploring this new avenue of scale modeling and are sharing it with others.  Current members are or have been part of modeling organizations such as IPMS and AMPS, and/or are members of current IPMS and AMPS Chapters in their local areas.  They include different age groups spanning early teen to seniors.  We even have family members that attend together.  Many of our members also attend and are subsequently awarded for their work at regional and national model competitions and events on an annual basis.  The level of hands-on scale modeling experience and expertise the club has amassed from its members is truly amazing.

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Due to the unfortunate pandemic period in the first couple of years of this decade, our club and community, like many others, had to stop meeting in person until restrictions were lifted. Through it all, we forged ahead, and created a strong online presence through social media, and that presence continues to grow, with more than 200 members.  With the growing membership and interest from those in our region, we've branched out into 2 locations for meetings, to allow members that may have a longer commute, to attend on a more regular basis.  We have had as many as 30 attendees at meetings, and regularly have 15 to 20 in attendance, and we hope this continues.

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We look forward to what the future holds for our club and the hobby and invite you to join us in this wonderful journey.

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Build on and happy modeling!

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