Members

Club officers are typically elected or appointed by the membership to fill vacancies as needed.

Elected Officers:

  • President – Frank Ress

  • Vice President – Lee Lygiros

  • Treasurer – Mike Hanlon

  • Chapter Contact – Paul Gasiorowski

Appointed Positions:

  • Program Director – Jim Batchelder

  • Newsletter Editor – Paul Gasiorowski

  • Webmaster – Frank Ress

We previously provided email addresses for each of the officers, to allow readers to contact any of us directly, but they were harvested for use in a phishing attack.  For that reason, we’ve removed those addresses from this page and substituted the comment form below.  It’s unfortunate that was necessary, but such is the state of the virtual community.

If you’d like to contact any of the officers or have any questions/comments/concerns regarding the club, the website, or any other aspect of IPMS McKinstry, please leave a message in the form at the bottom of this page (past the member bios), and we’ll get back to you.  Your comments will be kept private.  Thank you.

Annual member participation contest

Member Profiles:

  • Jim Batchelder

Jim bio pic

Antioch, IL

Member since 2005, IPMS-USA member

I’m particularly interested in US, and to a lesser extent British, aircraft from World War 2 and the Cold War. There is a three-way tie for favorite aircraft subject; F-16, P-47, & F-4 Phantom II.  

I enjoy the whole process of modeling from researching the subject to the build and painting, but probably like painting and detailing the most.

 

  • Jim Chrzan

Des Plaines, IL

Member since 2025

Father of 4, married for 36 years. Retired from a career in business publishing after 35 years. Resumed modeling during lockdown. Got interested in the history behind the builds and ended up doing a ton of research on the first year of the North African campaign. I self-published a book on the subject and illustrated the text with shots of models placed in dioramas, held up to the sky or a television screen, outside in the desert, etc.  The build is the means to an end, the end being a great photograph that fools you for a minute.

I build in Fall and Winter.  In Spring and Summer, I play keys in a Grateful Dead/Bob Dylan cover band around Chicago.

  • Brian Gardner

Brian bio picHanover Park, IL

Member since 1989, IPMS-USA member

Mostly WWII aircraft, helicopters, and experimental craft, but also ships, armor, figures if it interests me.

Built models for box-top art professionally with Norris Graser and Ralph Poznecki for Revell-Monogram in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

Collector of kits.

  • Paul Gasiorowski

Roselle, IL

Member since 2001, IPMS-USA member

Retired from the computer industry, 2008.

I primarily build aircraft, 1/48 and 1/72, 1/144 large aircraft across a range of eras, with an occasional ship, automobile, dinosaur and armor thrown in for good measure.

My aviation library is currently much too large.

I have an HO scale model train layout, 8 x 20, nearly complete.

Currently heavily involved volunteering at the Illinois Railway Museum, restoring pre-WW II passenger railcars.

  • Mike Hanlon

Roselle, IL

Member since 1985, IPMS-USA member

Primarily 1/48 WWII aircraft

  • Stu Hellman

Stu bio pic

Wauconda, IL

Member since 2023

I’ve been building models since grade school. Back then it was people, Hawk Weird-Os, vehicles and movie monsters.

More interested in balsa aircraft, particularly WWI biplanes, currently. Build a plastic model as a change of pace. Have a bunch of vintage car models on the stack.

  • Randy Kidd

Wauconda, IL

Member since 2024, IPMS-USA member

I was born in 1956 and have been modeling since I was six or seven years old. I grew up with Monogram, Revell, MPC, Heller, Aurora, Lindburg and all the rest of those great kits of the early to late 60’s and 70’s.

I joined my first model club in 1984, the Quad Cities Scale Modelers Society (QCSMS). Over the years with QCSMS I was at various times President, Treasurer, Newsletter editor, and I created a Facebook page for the group (which still exists, though the group itself has since dissolved). I have been a member of The Mad City Modelers in Madison, WI since 2023.

I’ll build anything that interests me (in 1/48th scale).

  • Dave Kopielski

Schaumburg, IL

Member since 2017, IPMS-USA member

My favorite subject to build are 1/48 scale aircraft and 1/350 ships.

I have a blog that documents all the models I build and all my previous builds, as well as numerous tips for fellow modelers. I am well versed in lighting models and making custom decals. My website is https://davidsscalemodels.com/

When not building models I enjoy the relaxation of fishing.

  • John Koziol

Lake Forest, IL

Member since 2003

My dad influenced me to build models ever since the second grade which led to my career in the Dental business. I own Choice Dental in Arlington Heights.

Because of my interest in models, we duplicated and cast a lot of engine parts, such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and the Hawker Tempest, which led to NASA calling us about our precision work.

My dad and I both like BIG models!

  • John Koziol, Sr.

Lake Forest, IL

Member since 2003

John is 91 and he started building wood stick models since he was about five years old. Now he’s building the wood stick models and wrapping on aluminum skin. He solders the landing gear and makes all the canopies from scratch. He builds some models that are scratch from just plans.

He’s working on a magnificent 4-foot-long RYAN ST. He also built an 8-foot model of the U505 submarine that has been the subject of seminars presented at the Museum of Science and Industry. It has working motors and diving planes. It floats and dives and weighs over 75 pounds.  It’s now on top of the fireplace in John Jr’s museum.

  • Steve Kumamoto

Steve bio picGlenview, IL

Member since the 1970’s, IPMS-USA member

Main interest is A/C & ships.  Extensive experience building vacuform A/C kits.

  • Lee Lygiros

Lee bio pic

Gurnee, IL

Member since 1995

Interests: Aircraft: 1/72, 1/32, Armor: 1/35th, Ships: 1/350th, Figures 54mm, 1/8 scale busts.  Any subject that screams “weird” – flying tanks, flying wings, Savoia Marchetti S-55s, weaponized dinosaurs and a slew of British aircraft ca 1930-1945.

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  • Jerry McManus

Jerry bio pic

Jerry McManus

Chicago, IL

Member since 2023

I really enjoy building 1/4″ scale WW1 fighter aircraft (especially when I can find the old Aurora and similar kits that I built as a youth). I actually revived the old interest in model building when I found a kit from that era in a hobby shop in 2017.  Recently I have found some 1/28 scale kits –  those larger parts are easier on the eyes!

I am a self-employed architect and have built a few house models; someday I would like to build a model of Mies van der Rohe’s all-glass Farnsworth house as an aquarium.   I also volunteered for many years at Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Oak Park.

Also love ’64 – ’68 Mustangs!  Owned a ’66 convertible (until recently) for many years, and a couple of others for shorter periods.

  • Frank Ress

Frank Ress

Arlington Heights, IL

Member since 2007, IPMS-USA member

Interests: 1/72 scale (mostly aircraft, but also ships, armor, space, sci-fi – whatever seems interesting), 1/25 tractor/trailer & construction equipment, 1/20 F-1 cars.

I also do a little woodworking, so a lot of those tools and that skillset carries over into my modeling.

Frank MSU ID headshot

And a blast from the past (those crazy ’70s).  Some of my models are older than this picture…

  • William Sako

Arlington Heights, IL

Member since 2025.

I am new to modeling and I have only built several test projects to allow me learn good gluing, painting and decal skills. My interests are in building UFO flying saucers, movie replica spaceships and USAF SAC replica bombers, and spy planes.

  • Eugene Siuda

Eugene bio pic

Arlington Heights, IL

Member since 2020, IPMS-USA member

Interests: Very, very slow plastic scale modeler of WWII Subjects like 1/350 ships,1/35 armor and 1/48, possibly 1/32 aircraft. Like to use 3-D printed items instead of p/e.

Like to listen to most podcasts about scale modeling.

  • Greg Wernisch

Greg bio picHighland Park, IL

Member since 2023

As a youth I built model planes and model cars (mostly cars). I built a ’36 Ford, painted it purple and entered it in a contest. Took 6th place; unfortunately, only prizes for first five places. About 30 years ago I built a model of a GMC Astro over the road tractor (like I used to sell when working at a Milwaukee GMC dealer). Still have this model but over the years the Testor glue gave way and it needs to be re-assembled.

  • Pat Westerberg

Pat bio picBelvedere, IL

Member since 2006

Interests: I build 1/48, 1/72 model airplanes from the pacific theater of WW2.  I have been working on plastic models since 1967.

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