| London Plastic Modelling Show; December 8th 2013 | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Dec 30 2013, 06:00 PM (2,768 Views) | |
| Prenton | Dec 30 2013, 06:00 PM Post #1 |
|
This show, which was heavily advertised in (some of) the modelling press, was held back in June, but was repeated on Sunday December 8th. Luckily, my wife had been on to me during the early Autumn, suggesting that we have a pre-Christmas weekend trip over to London. Well, I was able to find a good date in which to do this trip. I suggested the second weekend in December, on the logical basis that it was a few weeks after Telford, and sufficiently before Christmas...(!). We went over on the Saturday morning, and returned on the Monday. While she was busy down Oxford Street on the Sunday afternoon, I managed to "slip away" for a couple of hours and ride the tube out to the Angel Islington, which was just a few minutes' walk from the venue. ![]() The venue, as the poster above says, is a business centre. It was quite roomy and airy, with a double height hall surrounded by a balcony. The show had three elements - traders (not a host, as the flier had said, but perhaps about a dozen, selling everything from decals or second hand and new kits to books, paints and tools etc.), a number of club tables (maybe five or six big displays, as well as a small stand by IPMS (UK) - where I had a good chat with John Tapsell, who was manning it on the society's behalf for the day), and a model competition, which was held in the upper balcony area (where there was also one trader). This is a "merged" photo of the entire, taken from the balcony:- ![]() As you can see, it wasn't that busy, and from what I heard in talking to some of the traders, it had not been much busier during the Sunday morning either (I arrived about 1.30 pm and left about 3.45). The main stand, and main table, was of course provided by the organisers, Guideline Publications. This was where the competition prize giving was held later in the day:- ![]() I did buy a couple of things from some traders, but as I was flying to and back, it had to fit into the luggage, so I didn't go wild. (Mainly decals and tools). These two were on the "Draw Decals" table, showing interesting conversion possibilities for familiar military subjects:- ![]() ![]() The club tables were well populated, with some excellent displays. As in some of the smaller shows in the UK, you could buy stuff from under the tables:- ![]() It seemed to me that the clubs were mostly local to the general London area. ![]() ![]() Some were quite happy to just sit there and watch the world go by:- ![]() While others decided to use their time constructively:- ![]() My next posts will showcase some of the excellent models on the club tables that caught my eye, and then some of the entries in the competition. Thanks for looking! Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| FiSe | Dec 30 2013, 07:03 PM Post #2 |
|
Heil Mickey!
|
Jeeeez, Shannon was busier this year and that meant to be a small show. I am in very negative mood today, seems to me... Can anybody tell me what is the reason behind 2 2days shows in London per year? I know it's a big city and all that, but, it looks like, that's 2nd 'noshow' in a row. Time to re-consider I'd say. Cheers for the report. |
Filip . . . .![]() | |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 30 2013, 08:33 PM Post #3 |
|
Interesting that, Filip. It was a pair of one day modelling shows, one on Sunday June 9th and the other on Sunday December 8th. But you make a good point. As it happens, I actually was talking during the afternoon to Regis Auckland (the CEO of Guideline) and asked him about the low attendance figures, and he said that it would take a number of years to build up, but that they felt it was a good idea. Talking to one of the traders, he said that he had anticipated the June show would have been slow, but had assumed that a show so close to Christmas would be better, in terms of trade. He though that perhaps it was too soon after Telford, and the modellers had spent all they were going to spend by then - he had been at Telford too. (That particular guy (who obviously I won't name) was unsure whether or not he would sign up for next year.) On the other hand, I did hear from another attendee that the reason they - that is Guideline Publications - decided to do it, is because they have had a toy soldier show (for collectors etc) for a number of years at the same location on the respective Saturdays (which are VERY well attended), and probably got the venue for nothing for the following days. You will see, though, from the rest of the photos that I will be putting up tomorrow, that there were good models on show, both on the club tables and also in the competition (which probably had less than a hundred entries - which is very small, when compared to the 3,000+ at Telford, and is even less than the 175 entries that we had at D2.) Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 31 2013, 10:23 AM Post #4 |
|
So - here are some of the models that I saw on the various club tables. The colour backdrop for the club tables may look familiar - yes, it's the same pink colour that had been used in the past by IPMS (UK) for their competition tables at Telford. John Tapsell noted this point when I was talking to him, saying that they were delighted to have changed that colour two years ago to the blue background at the time they moved the competition into its current additional hall at Telford in 2012 So - some aircraft first... ![]() ![]() A couple of ships:- ![]() ![]() Some rather fine figures:- ![]() ![]() ![]() and one club table (I think specialising in AFV's) had a large display of tanks and other vehicles:- ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The club event helpfully gave anyone passing a chance to log on to their club website, if they wanted to see more:- ![]() One worth thinking about, I believe, for our own tables at D3? My next couple of postings will show some of the competition entries.... Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| Narayan | Dec 31 2013, 10:34 AM Post #5 |
|
Graham
|
Nice pictures Philip. I was thinking exactly the same thing as FiSe when I started reading your first post. Hopefully it will pick up over time though. Do you know if they are they doing 2 shows again next year? Graham |
| |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 31 2013, 11:18 AM Post #6 |
|
Thanks, Graham Now, I haven't seen any adverts so far, but - going by what their CEO told me - they intend to continue and hope to build up attendance. It is a good venue, with (as you can see from my general shot) lots of space for more stands/tables. If the comments that I heard about their model soldier collector shows on the Saturdays are true, then it would probably not be costing Guideline Publications much money to have the Sunday modelling shows, and the critical factor, I would imagine, is how many traders could be signed up to attend.... Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 31 2013, 11:33 AM Post #7 |
|
In contrast to the club tables, the competition area showed quite a few rather good models. I will start off this post with some shots of the aircraft entries that caught my eye (mostly the various categories winners/placings). I've put them in order of scale, starting with 1/144 and going up:- ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Next post will have the tanks and other vehicles classes Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| Narayan | Dec 31 2013, 11:39 AM Post #8 |
|
Graham
|
Jelly Belly. Now there's a different scheme! I like it. Graham |
| |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 31 2013, 01:19 PM Post #9 |
|
I don't have as many vehicles as aircraft to show here:-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() So to add, here are some rather nicely finished figures:- ![]() ![]() ![]() On to dioramas and the miscellaneous section next time. Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 31 2013, 01:58 PM Post #10 |
|
On the diorama front, it was interesting to see that most were based around either vehicles or figures, and few, if any, based on aircraft. This is something that I noticed at Telford at the competition there this year as well - lots of tank or figure dios, and relatively few aircraft ones. This one fits nicely within the year of 2014 commemorating the start of the First World War (nice job on the tank too):- ![]() Then on to the desert for this one... ![]() Ant then this rather nice diorama, featuring a scene from sometime later on in 1944 or in 1945, as the incoming troops "mix it" with the local girls (or should I say filles)... ![]() The title of the piece gives a clue, but the expression on the face of the sgt. may be more evident... ![]() There was a miscellaneous class, which (as in many other shows) had a mix of different types of model. Not too many in this class, but some of the entries were of interest:- ![]() A diorama/vignette of a gun and its operator at Tobruk, which got a gold:- ![]() A ship:- ![]() A humorous entry of an egg-plane diorama:- ![]() and my favourite - the Millennium Falcon, in 1/72nd (and using the much sought after - and expensive - Fine Molds kit):- ![]() Personally, I thought that this one deserved the gold. Just look at the detail, and the excellent weathering! ![]() There was also a section for juniors, which had only three entries:- ![]() Obviously the London folks need to up their game for the kids (as has indeed happened at Modelling Munster )My final post will cover one further diorama - the entry that (deservedly, in my opinion) won Best of Show. Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| Prenton | Dec 31 2013, 02:52 PM Post #11 |
|
And finally, I am going to close off this photo log with pictures of another diorama, of a damaged / ruined church somewhere in Northern France, which justifiably, in my opinion, won the Best of Show at the London Plastic Modelling Show 2013. First, an exterior view of the diorama:- ![]() Then there was this detailed explanation of what the model entailed, and why the modeller had chosen this particular scene:- ![]() Some further exterior shots:- ![]() ![]() ![]() And finally, some interior shots, showing the individual figures, and what they were doing, as explained by the modeller:- ![]() ![]() ![]() Excellent work, I think you will agree. I feel sure that we will see this particular diorama during 2014 in some of the magazines, and possibly at Telford. You never know, it might even make its way over to D3 as well..... I do hope that you have got some modelling inspiration from these photographs in the photo log. Thanks for looking! Philip |
"To boldly go..." | |
![]() |
|
| BKirwan | Dec 31 2013, 06:03 PM Post #12 |
|
Philip Despite the low turn out the quality of those models is top notch. Thanks for that. Regards Brian |
![]() | |
![]() |
|
| 2 users reading this topic (2 Guests and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Photo Log · Next Topic » |




























































)








3:41 PM Jul 11