SCALE MODELWORLD is the national show for the UK IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society). It was held over November 7-8, 2015, at the Telford International Conference Centre.
Mat Irvine: An important part of Scale ModelWorld is the competition, open to all IPMS members, UK or otherwise. It is split into categories such as Aircraft, Ships, Military, Cars, Figures, Space, Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
2015 National Senior Champion and Best Space, Sci-Fi or Fantasy (header and two pix below): Russian Baikonur Soyuz Launch Pad with Soyuz TMA-21 space mission, by Bruno Gire.
After the judges of individual categories have made their choices, the leader of each category picks the overall best in their own section, to be entered into the overall ‘Best In Show.’ This means that selection is tight - they’ve already won in their own category and now there is the unenviable task of judging dissimilar subjects.
With the wealth of entries being in aircraft, military and ships, it is usual for the Best In Show to come from one of those three - though not always. We have had two science fiction winners in recent years, and this year the decision was made to put a factual space subject into this final choice.
The winner was an excellent model of a Soyuz launch pad, utilising a New Ware rocket and the exacting LVM Studios photo-etch set to create the launch pad structure itself. It broke a record in that this was the first time that a factual space subject has won IPMS Best in Show. Congratulation to Bruno Gire, from France.
Bruno also made it a cooperative Euro-win as, besides the 1:144 New Ware Soyuz from the Czech Republic, and LVM Studios of The Netherlands, he adapted tiny figures from the German Preiser company. Here, Bruno disguised Bundeswehr pilots as Kazakh workers, wearing helmets and modified clothing. So a multinational win at a UK show!
National Junior Winner (below): English Electric Lightning, by Michal Briza.
Best Ship (below): HMS Sussex, by Richard Price.
Best Figure (below): Freude des Lebens, by Graham Dixey.
Best Diorama (below): The Iron Dog and A Splendid Cat, by Gyoroy Pek.
Best Civilian Vehicle (below): Bentley Blower, by Peter Buckingham.
Best Aircraft (above, below): Breguet 941 STOL by Emmanuel Gato, scratch-built.
Best Military Vehicle (below): Russian TMS-65 Decontamination Truck and Trailer, by Ian Barraclough.
The judges (above, below) having to make some difficult decisions.
For more information, click here. Note you have to be a Yahoo Groups member to view.
For video of the event, click SMN article here.
Click here for more details at the IPMS.