Beauty in Scale

On a wet, windy and cold Saturday morning in Wiltshire I set off for Telford International Centre at 4:30 in the morning. I must say that British roads in the early morning offer a pleasant driving experience if a tired one as the day gets on. Getting on site at about 7:30 I was allowed access at 8:00 and got a chance to go around the 3 exhibition halls before the crowds stormed on site making the IPMS nationals what we all appreciate.

Looking around the halls I noted that companies from outside of the UK were light on the ground; however UK based companies where there a plenty showing off the wears to the people who use them to great effect. This show gives that unique chance to talk directly to the manufacturers and pass on your experiences of the products which can help new formulations and directions to enter the hobby. I found every exhibitor I got the chance to talk to pleasant and well informed on how things are progressing in their specific fields.

The second hand retail market was well represented and very quickly it was knee deep with the modeller’s trying to get that older model that they missed the chance of when released or simply looking for a bargain to hide from the partner. For those looking for the latest and greatest releases companies such as Tiger Models, Jadlam and Hannants were only too happy to help you out; As you would expect these companies were doing great deals and selling off manufacturers products that they have the import rights for. It was also well worth looking at the retail sellers as they had some exceptional deals that were going fast.

For me the biggest reason to cover shows like this is to see what the IPMS members show of their efforts on their stands. The UK was very well represented as regards IPMS groups however it was great to see groups from around the world that had made the effort to get to show off their work. For me it is this aspect above all else, seeing all fellow modeller’s work that makes this show something very special for me and hobby that makes the effort to get there worthwhile. I was surprised at how heavily represented the aircraft modellers were this year are at the show but armour, cars, figures and Sci-Fi made a reasonable showing. I made the effort to cover a little of everything and I hope you enjoy the pictures. I will say my last stop off every time I am in Telford is Hickory’s and is hard to beat if you like American Bar-B-Que; their Brisket is great.