As approved at the 2005 AGM.

Article I. Name of the Organization

a. The name of this organization is established as the ARMOR MODELING AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY, referred to hereafter as AMPS.

b. For historical purposes only, this Society is directly descended from the membership of the ASSOCIATION OF MILITARY MODELERS, which will be referred to hereafter as the AMM. This Society was founded in 1984 by Michael Rogers of Aloha, Oregon, and was disbanded in August 1992.

Article II. Purposes and Functions

a. The purposes of this Society are as follows:

To associate interested individuals and organizations in both sharing an interest in the history of armored vehicles and in cultivating interest in armored vehicles and related subjects via the hobby of modeling.

To ensure timely exchange of information, primarily in the area of modeling, among the members and other interested or affiliated organizations.

To guard against compromise of the integrity of the AMPS and its exploitation by commercial enterprises or organizations.

To provide, via at least a regularly published newsletter or magazine, information on the hobby and the activities of the Society to the membership at large.

To foster an interest in the preservation of armored vehicles, and wherever possible to assist in their maintenance and preservation.

To maintain a free and unaffiliated leadership of, by, and for armored vehicle enthusiasts.

b. To this end, AMPS will remain a non-profit Society, based on the laws of that state where the treasury and associated financial obligations are located.

Article III. Objectives of the Society

a. The objectives of the Society are as follows:

To foster, maintain, and continue an interest in armored vehicles and modeling armored vehicles as a hobby.

To publish, at regular intervals, a formal newsletter or magazine addressed to the general membership and covering armored vehicle modeling, reviews of model kits and products, activities of interest to the membership in general, and information regarding the preservation of armored vehicles.

To sponsor a national convention, as it can be afforded and with as little detriment to the funding of the Society, whose goal is to present the ideals of the AMPS through seminars, a display of new products, historical research opportunities, and a competition among all members of the Society based on established rules.

To provide guidance and an exportable rules package for accomplishing similar shows or conventions on a regional basis with an acknowledged and accepted level of common standards for competitive judging.

To provide a liaison network among members, affiliated organizations, similar organizations, and manufacturers of products of interest to the general membership; this will be accomplished via both the formal newsletter, informal newsletters, and the appointment of a director of field activities for the Society.

b. At no time will the purpose of this Society be to provide any individual, or group of individuals, with income for commercial purposes, or as part of their livelihood. On occasion, the Society may enter into the business of souvenir sales (i.e. T-shirts, decals, booklets, lapel pins, etc.) for the support of a nationally approved project or projects.

Article IV. Dissolution

a. If, for any reason, this Society should be dismantled or dissolved, all remaining assets and monies shall be given to the Ordnance Museum Foundation, Aberdeen, Maryland, for the purposes of preserving historical American armored vehicles and weapons on display at the US Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

BYLAWS

Article 1. Membership

a. All persons professing a desire to achieve the purposes and objectives of this Society are invited into membership.

b. Dues for the Society will be assessed as required, primarily to cover the cost of national level formal publications and activities. While membership will not be terminated on a failure to pay dues, in order to receive formal Society publications, as well as to compete at the national level convention competition, the member must be paid in full.

c. There will only be one class of membership -- general member. Officers will be elected from the general membership. There will be no special categories offered, i.e. trade members, leader members, associate members, contributing members, honorary members, or life members.

d. The only restriction placed on becoming an officer of the Society is that the general member may not have any of the following conflicts of interest:

An income derived, primarily or indirectly, from the hobby industry, i.e. models, retail sales, hobby related books or publications, or import/export trade;

Close or continuing ties to a specific company, partnership, or corporation which derives any income or profit from the hobby industry, to include "master builders"; and, any major investment which provides an income from the hobby industry.

These restrictions may be waived upon proof of good faith on the part of the candidate for office that he has terminated either his source of income or relationship.

Article 2. Dues and Revenues

a. Dues will be assessed based on the costs of preparing and mailing the national level formal publication, averaged informal mailings, and, as events progress, those items required for the support of national and district level activities (i.e. awards, broadsides, fliers, judging materials and packages, etc)

b. All members contributing articles to the national level formal publication - reviews with photographs, "how-tos", historical articles, etc. do so of their own free will. In some cases, based on input, volume, and support to the Society, a specific individual may receive recompense via an extension to their subscription to the national level publication. There will be no monies paid for articles; however, articles which are donated to the Society are not their exclusive property and not copyrighted by the Society.

c. The national level publication may, upon the judgment of the editor and officers, accept advertisements. Monies collected from these advertisements will be added to the general treasury of the Society.

d. Depending upon the status of the national level publication, it may be offered for retail by selected commercial enterprises. Profits from the commercial sale of the publication will be returned to the Society.

e. On special occasions -- support for national level conventions, regional shows, or special projects such as the restoration of a specific armored vehicle -- the Society may permit the promotion of related souvenir items for sale to the general membership. These will be of a non-commercial nature, i.e. convention T-shirts with Society logos, coffee mugs, lapel pins, or of specific interest to the general membership such as a unique decal sheet. All revenues beyond those costs of the vendor to produce them will go into the general treasury for disbursement to the stated purpose of their collection, i.e. national convention expenses.

Article 3. Officers and Controlling Organs

a. . AMPS will be governed by an executive council, hereafter referred to as the Executive Board, consisting of seven members: president, first vice president, four (4) second vice presidents forming the competition committee governing body, secretary, and treasurer - publications editor. Other officers -- notably the Public Affairs Officer, Webmaster, Area Coordinators, and Chief Judge of the Annual Competition – will be appointed as necessary, but will not have voting rights outside of the area for which they were appointed.

b. The president, first vice president, second vice presidents, and secretary will be elected. They will form the main governing body of the Executive Board, each with one vote. The public affairs officer and webmaster will be appointed by the president. The treasurer - publications editor will be an appointed position, subject to confirmation by the Executive Board.

c. Elections will be held for these positions biennially and on a staggered basis. The President and 2nd Vice Presidents shall be elected one year and the 1st Vice President and the Secretary shall be elected in the alternate year. If any of these officers should be unable to serve, the President, on behalf of the Executive Board, will appoint a replacement until the next election is held.

d. There will be a varying number of district coordinators appointed by the Executive Board to ensure that local and regional activities will be supported as required. Areas of responsibility will be broken down by area and geographical location. Coordinators will be non-voting members of the Executive Board and may participate as they see fit.

e. All officers, appointees, and coordinators, regardless of position, will be paid up members in good standing with the Society.

f. The Executive Board will meet formally once per year at the annual meeting of the Society held at its National Convention.

g. The Executive Board shall be regularly informed of all executive policy decisions, either by letter, telephone or other electronic media, or in the Society's national publication. In the case of a disagreement, the Executive Board may act at a regular or special meeting to ratify or overturn any executive decision made by the president of AMPS. Majority vote will be the deciding factor.

Article 4. Duties of Officers and Appointees

a. President

Presides over all meetings of Executive Board when called.

All national level policy decisions will be made by the President after due liaison with the members of the Executive Board.

The president will monitor all activities of the Society via the various officers, appointees, and coordinators.

b. First Vice President

Presides over all meetings of the Executive Board in the absence of the president.

Assists the president in all major policy decisions.

Monitors the activities of the National Convention.

Is responsible, with input from the President and the outgoing Show Chair, to select a Show Chair for the National Convention.

c. Second Vice Presidents

Participate in all requisite meetings of the Executive Board.

Nominate, with the President, which members shall form the Competition Committee that is responsible for the formulation, proliferation, and presentation of rules governing competitions. This group sets the standards for classification and judging of model entries.

Ensures timely dissemination of rules and competition guideline packages to participant members in their respective regions for use in AMPS related modeling competitions.

The Second Vice Presidents represent four different geographic areas: East - east of the Mississippi River; Midwest – west of the Mississippi and east of the Rocky Mountains; West - west of the Rocky Mountains (Front Range) and International – All areas of the world outside the USA.

As is possible, at least one second vice president should attend each major show to ensure compliance with national standards, or at least a reasonable attempt at meeting national standards by the judging committee at that show.

d. Secretary

Keeps minutes of all Executive Board meetings as held.

Maintains a full and fair copy of all members of the Society to include addresses, telephone numbers, and date of subscription. This will be accomplished with the president and treasurer - editor, who will also maintain parallel lists.

Performs as official historian of the Society.

Performs as corresponding secretary when dealing with external organizations for support or interaction.

Is the main contact point for all AMPS affiliated clubs and member chapters.

e. Treasurer - Publications Editor

Provides an annual report of finances to the general membership via the Society publication, and will present an accounting at the regular or special meetings of the Executive Board.

Combines the functions of financial treasurer with that of publications editor of the national level publication, based on the fact that nearly all revenues (barring conventions and shows) taken in by the Society will be for the publication subscription.

Collects all monies and disburses funds as required to pay for expenses incurred by the publication of the national level publication as well as major expenses incurred by the officers and the Director of Field Activities.

Provides a written summary report of financial affairs to the Society at least once per year via the national publication.

Edits and prepares for publication the national level publication of the Society; if required, prepares and conducts mailings.

f. Appointed Officers

(1) Public Affairs Officer

Provides graphic arts support or advice to the Executive Board and the Society for advertising, show flyers, and other written or printed media which reflect the activities of the Society.

Determines whether locally generated materials present the Society in the manner which it is intended to be by Article II of the Constitution.

Works closely with the Secretary and Webmaster to determine that activities carried out by members of the Society on a local or regional basis reflect the Society in its best light and do not discredit the membership.

(2) Webmaster

The Webmaster is appointed by the President and will be funded from the General Treasury as appropriate. He is expected to:

Maintain a website which announces the Society, its purposes, its achievements, and provides publicly accessible versions of the AMPS Competition Rules and the AMPS Constitution and Bylaws.

He will coordinate closely with the Public Affairs Officer and the Secretary to maintain both a favorable image of the Society and to promulgate Society activities via electronic media.

(3) Local and District Representatives

Provides a central reference point for general members within a given geographical area.

Keeps the Secretary and Webmaster appraised of relevant events in their area (i.e. military displays, museums, modeling shows, etc.).

Works with the Public Affairs Officer to provide advertisements to local hobby shops or other commercial enterprises, as well as local hobby clubs and shows, of AMPS activities.

Promote the interests and objectives of the Society wherever possible.

Unlike the elected and appointed officers, district coordinators may be appointed from retailers or manufacturers, based on their location and involvement. This will be evaluated by the Executive Board on an individual basis and appointment will be determined by the individual's occupation and his participation in related activities, past activities, and contributions to either preservation activities or forwarding the modeling hobby in general.

(4) National Show Chair

Responsible for the National Convention. He will nominate the key show personnel (chief judge and assistant chief judges) in concert with local area representatives and the district coordinators.

Will work with the 1st Vice President to ensure show meets National standards

Sits on the Competition Committee for the year he is Show Chair and for the following year to provide continuity

(5) Chief Judge for the Annual National Convention Competition

Is selected on an annual basis by the Competition Committee from suitable Advanced or Masters level AMPS members in the area in which the National Convention will be held.

Prepares to run the competition on behalf of the Competition Committee.

Determines the number of assistant chief judges and recommends a list of suitable names to the Competition Committee. These should be from as wide an area of members as possible and not confined to a specific club, small area or narrowly focused group of AMPS members.

Runs the competition in conjunction with the Executive Board/Competition Committee and their designated representatives.

Article 5. Procedural Matters

a. Elections

Nominations (self-nominations) will be accepted in writing by the Publications Editor during the last two months of the year proceeding the election year. A call for self-nominations will be made in the Society publication and on applicable web sites.

Voting will take place during the first three months of the year via a ballot provided to the general membership via the official publication.

Ballots will be counted during the 1st week of April, and winners will be announced during the Annual Meeting of the Society. Three months are used as to provide the greatest possible time for all distant members of the Society to participate. Simple majority of ballots received will be used to determine winners.

Change of office will take place at the end of the first Annual Meeting after the election.

Any member in good standing (paid up subscription) may run for office, providing he meets the restrictions listed in Article 1d of the Bylaws.

b. Meetings

Most Executive Board administrative meetings will be held either via letter correspondence or by teleconferencing.

Face-to-face general meetings will be open to the general membership and will be announced well in advance. They will usually coincide with national level conventions and shows.

General meetings will be informal, but an agenda will be used for conduct of the meeting.

c. Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws

May be recommended to the Executive Board by any general member of the Society.

May be proposed directly to the membership through the Executive Board, with a showing of 25% membership support.

May be proposed directly to the membership at the annual AMPS meeting.

After an evaluation by the Executive Board as to applicability and relevance, all constructive recommendations will be placed on a ballot and offered to the general membership for adoption. Amendments will be offered annually in the first two months of every year, or at the annual convention and meeting. Adoption/defeat will be based on simple majority of ballots received. Results will be determined by counting the ballots on the last day of April.

Article 6. Local and Affiliate AMPS Chapters

a. Based on a common shared interest in the principles and goals of AMPS, as set forth in the Constitution and Bylaws, local chapters may be created by members, based on the AMPS philosophy. Also, clubs of similar bent, but with broader interests, may wish to be affiliate AMPS member clubs.

b. Local chapters may use the term AMPS in their name, e.g. "AMPS Cucamonga", or "Cucamonga Area AMPS". Affiliate clubs do not have to use the name.

c. Local chapters are expected to adhere to the Constitution and Bylaws of AMPS. Affiliate clubs are not required to, but in the case of conducting a contest set in the AMPS manner, they are expected to adhere to the rules as laid down by the AMPS National Leadership in the conduct and judging of that contest.

d. Both local and affiliate chapters are expected to have at least one member of the National organization in their membership. The National Constitution and Bylaws, as well as the Contest Rules, may be copied and used as required by the local and affiliate clubs. However, clubs are reminded that the BORESIGHT magazine is the proprietary journal of AMPS, and is not to be copied or distributed without prior permission of the National Leadership,

e. All activities carried out by the local or affiliate chapter are to be reported to the Director of Field Activities so that he may report them to the National Leadership for inclusion in the BORESIGHT, de-conflict show dates and activities, and provide assistance with AMPS related activities.

f. Failure to adhere to the above rules, presenting the society in a negative light due to undesirable activities, or failure to report activities on a periodic basis to the Director of Field Activities will result in the subject chapter being either disbanded in the view of the National Leadership, or lose its affiliation with AMPS.

Article 7. Hosting of the National Convention

a. At the time that they submit to the membership a bid to host the AMPS National Convention, any organization or group of individuals, other than the Executive Board, seeking to host the convention (whether at Harve de Grace or elsewhere) must have been a local AMPS chapter (not merely an affiliate) for at least one year and must have held at least one successful local or regional show.

Article 8. Fiscal Year

a. The fiscal year for all AMPS financial matters shall be April 1 through March 31.