What Is MassCar Model Club and How Can You Join?

Updated

MassCar Model Club is the oldest model car club in the New England area and an award-winning chapter of the International Plastic Modelers Society (IPMS). It is open to all skill levels and automotive interests, and it exists "by and for its members." If you build model cars and want to spend time with others who share the hobby, the club's website is the starting point: it hosts membership information, meeting details, contest pages, event listings, and galleries.

What the club offers

According to the club's own site, it promotes the hobby through four main channels:

  • Meetings — regular gatherings where members connect. The site notes that modeling is "of a solitary nature," and that spending time with others who share the interest makes it more enjoyable.
  • An annual show — the club's flagship public event.
  • A newsletter — ongoing club communication for members.
  • In-house contests — internal competitions, with past contests also documented on the site.

The site also maintains galleries, event listings (current and past), and a links section covering kit manufacturers, after-market parts and modeling supplies, and other clubs.

Who can join

The club states it has "a place for any and all skill levels regardless of automotive interest." You do not need to be an expert builder, and you do not need to specialize in a particular type of vehicle. That makes it a reasonable fit whether you are returning to the hobby or just starting.

How to join

The website's navigation includes a Join the Club! page alongside Membership, Member Login, and Club Members sections. The practical path is:

  1. Go to the club website and open the Join the Club! page.
  2. Review the Membership information for the current options.
  3. Submit the join request through whatever method that page specifies.
  4. Once you have member access, use Member Login to reach member-only resources.

The site does not publish pricing details in the available material, so check the Membership page directly for current terms rather than assuming any cost or free access.

What members get beyond the public pages

Some parts of the site sit behind the Member Login, and there is a separate Club Members area. Public visitors can still browse the newsletters index, meetings info, in-house contest pages (current and past), events (current and past), galleries, and links. If you want to see what the club is like before committing, those public pages are the best preview.

Where to find events and shows

Use the Events section for upcoming activities and Past Events for a sense of what the club has run before. The annual show is the main public-facing event, and the Past In-House Contests pages show how internal competitions are structured and judged over time.

Other ways to follow along

The site points to Facebook under a "Follow us on Facebook" link, which is useful if you want updates without logging into the member area first.

If you are in the New England area and build model cars at any level, the sequence is simple: read the About and Membership pages, use Join the Club! to sign up, then log in for member content and watch the Events page for the next meeting or show.