Late Breaking News for GSL XXIII

Please check in here often for the latest information on the Twenty-Third GSL International Scale Vehicle Championship and Convention, presented by The International Model Car Builders' Museum. Here, we'll post new information and developments on GSL-XXIII, along with the date(s) that news is posted so that you can keep track of when you last checked in.

January 2010.
During GSL-XXII in 2009, the International Model Car Builders' Museum published a major modeling book, How to Build Championship Models: Construction Considerations for Building Championship-Caliber Models, authored by Mark S. Gustavson and Robert A. Wick. The Museum extends its deepest appreciation to Paul Anagnostopoulos for laying out this book, and to Jeremiah Gladstone for perfecting the photos and producing the illustrations. This book is being distributed by the Museum without charge for the sake of passing along critical planning and technical articles on building championship models. Download this book. 

Additionally, the Museum published a book on the past GSL Best of Show winners (GSL-1 through GSL-XXI) and this book is also available as a downloadable PDF. Thanks to Jeremy Gladstone for laying out this book. Text is credited to Mark S. Gustavson and Robert A. Wick. All photos courtesy the GSL Archives at the International Model Car Builders' Museum.   

December 2009:
The Twenty-Third GSL International Scale Vehicle Championship and Convention will be presented Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the Salt Lake Sheraton City Centre Hotel (the same excellent place where GSL-XXII and XXIII was held). The overnight room prices have increased by just one dollar per night! Here are the details: All rooms are $103 base rent (1-4 person occupancy) plus room tax of 12.46%.

Plans are well underway for the Twenty-Third GSL Championship. We will again present the traditional range of competitive Classes, three days of seminars, a day of Museum tours, the Museum-benefit auction, the famed Trade Show, four days of renewed friendships and shared experiences, and the Awards Breakfast on Sunday morning, May 1. We will start the Championship and Convention on Thursday morning, April 28, 2009 with a general "welcome" opening session at 10:00 a.m. to hand out the Championship and Convention schedule, acquaint everyone with last-minute details and developments, and talk generally about the event. The Contest Hall will open for registering scale autos for competition at 11:00 a.m. that Thursday morning, and seminars will start at Noon, Thursday and extend through Saturday afternoon, April 30, 2011. Judging will occur on Saturday evening, starting at 5:30 p.m. with the Awards Banquet held on Sunday morning, May 1, 2011 at the Sheraton Hotel.

Of course, Class Rules and definitions for Box Plus, Common Kit and Group 11 Class have changed. Please check out the following new details for GSL-XXIII: 

1.The BOX PLUS Class now permits the use of any decals – from any source whatever
(sourced from other kits, the aftermarket, or self-produced) on your entry. Please go here to read the full text for this Class (scroll down)

2.COMMON KIT: The Common Kit for GSL-XXIII is the Revell 1957 Chevrolet 210
Sedan/Black Widow kit (#85-4240). The entrant may build this kit in any style (e.g., factory stock, custom, drag, etc.), and may modify the kit body shape, swap parts from any other kits, and use any aftermarket parts (except for complete aftermarket resin bodies), and use any building materials, techniques or technologies, subject to the "single builder" rules of the Championship. The intent of this Class is for each entrant to start with the same kit, then display their widest array of individual creativity, building skills, craftsmanship and technical innovations. 

3.GROUP 11 . This Class is intended to revive and celebrate vintage kits and building styles,
to create a low-key, fun and challenging forum for creative and enthusiastic building, and to celebrate the way models were built in the "good old days."

For GSL-XXIII, we're expanding the basic kit definition to include the following Tom Daniel 1/24 scale glue kits from Monogram, available from 1968 through 1976:

Bad Man
Bad Medicine
Beer Wagon
California Street Vette
Cherry Bomb
Dragon Wagon
Garbage Truck
Horn Toad
Paddy Wagon
Pie Wagon
Quicksilver/Street Fighter
Red Baron
Rommel's Rod
S'cool Bus
Tijuana Taxi
T-rantula
 

Please note: No other Tom Daniel kits are eligible for Group 11. 

Entries may be built from any original or re-issue version of the listed kits, in any style, with the skills and craftsmanship you have today, but using only parts, materials and supplies (except current putties, adhesives and paints) available 35 years ago (1976 or earlier), including Bare Metal Foil. There are just three additional limitations: no one-off machined or photo-etched parts not fabricated by the entrant; no aftermarket products available in 1977 or later; and no resin bodies or resin body parts (regardless of who made these resin parts).

We have a new feature – FAQs! – where common questions are asked and answered.

Note also that we no longer permit mail-in entries because of substantial damages that these models always suffer in transit. If you can't attend, please find a friend to bring your entry(ies) to GSL.

Because of the cost of doing so, the Championship no longer generally publishes the GSL Preview and the GSL Manual. These documents are available only online through this website.

Starting now in December 2009, we'll update this GSL website as often as the need arises and, starting about 6 months before GSL-XXIII, the site will be updated once a month. Please check back here often for the latest/most correct information on the upcoming twenty-second GSL Championship. 

If you wish to sign up for e-mail notes about GSL-XXIII, please go here, fill out the form, and submit it. 

GSL Videos: We are delighted to let you now that the International Model Car Builders' Museum has made available a series DVDs of selected seminars from GSL-XIX (2003) and GSL-XX (2005). These seminars are highly-informative, and you get to enjoy that presentations almost like you were at GSL. Note that the sound reproduction is better for the GSL-XX sessions because our sound equipment was much better at that event.

Please order by the number before the description of each DVD. Make out all checks and money orders to "International Model Car Builders' Museum" and mail to 10291 South 1300 East, PMB #131, Sandy, Utah 84094. Note that all DVDs are copyright GSL International Scale Vehicle Championship and Convention with all rights reserved. Please do not make unauthorized copies of these DVDs because that will just harm the Museum: Note that all proceeds (other than the cost of mailing) goes directly into the coffers of the International Model Car Builders' Museum which is the chief sponsor of the GSL International Scale Vehicle Championship and Convention.

Download Order Form

Here is a list of the DVDs presently available (with more to come from GSL-XXI!):

GSL XX (2005)

Price: Each Video is $11.95 plus $1.50 shipping for first DVD, $.50 additional, $2.50 max shipping for any number of GSL-XIX DVDs.

DVD1-XX
Scratchbuilding in Large Scale - Cummins

DVD2-XX
Concept Cars - Roger Yu

DVD3-XX
Diorama Construction - Miguel Barbosa
Epoxy Putty - Mike Good

DVD4-XX
Fashioning Panels from Brass - George Layton

DVD5-XX
How I Built the Virtue RSX - Bruce Owen

DVD6-XX
Mechanical & other Detailing - Mark Jones
Detailing Racing Cars - Stephen Miller

GSL XIX (2003)

Price: Each Video is $9.95 plus $1.50 shipping for first DVD, $.50 additional, $2.50 max shipping for any number of GSL-XIX DVDs.

DVD 1-XIX
More Simple Tips... Nichols & Devine
Model Car Mechanical Detailing - Mark Jones

DVD2-XIX
Model Car Photography- Doug Whyte
Thinking Outside the Box - Roger Yu

DVD3-XIX
Elementary Machining and Soldering – Augie Hiscano

DVD4-XIX
Scratchbuilding in Large Scale - Dave Cummins
1937 Ford Tapertail - Dave Cummins

DVD5-XIX
Etching Polishing and Plating - Bill Cunningham
Scratchbuilding in Metal - Tom Kirn

DVD6-XIX
Racing Car Wiring & Plumbing Fundamentals - Stephen Miller