One of the nice things about working in the defence industry is getting to know the people and companies who help protect Canada. This year at CANSEC I was able to reconnect with a number of old friends and colleagues and catch up on the latest defense technologies and development of things to come. I was even able to make a bunch of new friends, contacts and see some of the really neat ideas and plans to protect Canada and our neighbouring allies.

Some of the highlights of my walk around the tradeshow  included:

Diplomatic Delays

So the second day of CANSEC I was arriving on time when everything ground to a halt. I figure there must be some kind of accident with all the people rushing to get to the trade show. After about 15 minutes of sitting in the car a flood of police motorcycles came rushing through and then finally a diplomatic train of cars. I guess I got to see someone important… though I am not entirely sure who it was?

TAPV

I know things have been rough for TEXTRON and their sub-contractors with all the delays. It was good to see them out at CANSEC in full force with a demo TAPV all spruced up and at the show for all to see. I hope you guys the best in sorting this out and getting everything on track again for your 2016 deliveries.

Argo

I had a great chat with the gentlemen at Argo, their multi purpose ATV are pretty awesome for civilian or defense applications and their remote controlled version had some pretty neat little features on it.

Double Barrelled 9mm

Ok I am not a woman’s fashion expert by any means however, this sweet young lady and her colleagues and I happened upon the booth at the same time and the Italian salesmen and the four of us started talking about this odd handgun he had on display. The joke was that this gun would be perfect for the young lady, it would fit nicely in her hand bag and she’d have two shots for the price of one. In the end we as a group decided she shouldn’t get it as the kickback would probably send her flying or at least clock her in the head…

Remote Control Helicopter Case

So a few years back I received this remote helicopter set as a gift, its a great toy to play with the kids, however it only runs for 6 minutes and requires 60 minutes to recharge the battery… Anyway I am checking out the Production Case Booth and find the same helicopter set used as demo for this company’s line of pre-cut foam and cases. Nigel Lever made me a pretty good offer on the foam insert cut-out as they already had it done… which I am still considering!

Lots more things to see, many more people to meet and a great chance to make contacts. More to follow in my post CANSEC blog next week.

Today’s CANSEC event was pretty busy, but over all a great day. Made many new contacts and touched based with some old friends. Many new technologies out there with great potential. More details to follow in my post event update.

One of the up and coming markets for the 3D Printer is on demand miniatures. The Palladium Books® line of Robotech® miniatures, many of which I had a chance to check out first had are pretty amazing. While our initial foray into the 3D printing business is for the development of prototypes and concepts for our military clients, many of the basic concepts and design implementations are easily carried over into the table top war gamer and miniature market. Talking with several people at the Open House (including a number of Palladium Books® staff) I am opening the possibility of looking into doing 3D printed miniatures on demand from custom miniatures, master model miniatures for mass production of metal miniatures or even customized terrain, buildings, bridges or other single run or oddly shaped structures.  Check out the Gallery section of our website for more details.

One of my hobbies is being a freelancer writer for Palladium Books® and I managed to get some free advertising for Wildcat Engineering Solutions when I did an interview with Matt Lemke over at Through Gamer Goggles on being a writer.