IPMS Avon
21.08.05
This years event was once again held at the Leisure Centre at Yate, about 10 miles north of Bath. This is a large venue with a good number of free parking spaces at the venue itself, but it also has the added benefit of having a supermarket just next door with a huge free car park.
The show is housed in the main basketball court within the venue, with the competition housed in a smaller side room just alongside the main entrance.
I was there 'in force'. as this is my 'home' territory and I combined being at the show with a visit to my family.
There was a good mix of traders and club stands, so the option to chat with friends and seek out bargains was once again on most visitors agendas. New items on sale included the Accurate Miniatures Vindicator and Hasegawa F/A-18F Super Hornet (although not the Lancaster, which is still not available in the UK as I write this). Bargains seen included the Trumpeter 1:32 Me 262A-1a for as low as £20 and a number of Hasegawa 1:48 kits being sold at £14 a go. The organizing club also had their own stand to sell off club members unwanted kits, accessories, decals and books, and they seemed to be doing a brisk trade all day.
As usual there was a good selection of models on the club stands, as well as a good, although not large, number in the competition area. What follows is a look at those which took my fancy.
Always good to see Mossies on the club tables and these four were sighted on the Cardiff Plastic Aeroplane Club stand
A nice Hawk 127 built from the Airfix 1:48 kit, or, more impressively, the High Planes example?
This nice 1:32 A-7D in the colours on the 'Green Demons' caught my eye on one of the stands
The Black Cross Society but on a nice display of Luftwaffe models, including the A-7 and A-8
Focke-Wulf Fw 190s seen above
Unusual colours schemes always catch the eye, as did this very striking Hungarian Mil-24
This well detailed and updated 1:72 Hurricane was probably built from the Revell kit and later it made its way into the competition area.
I can never resist a 1:48 Monogram P-61 and this one on the Avon stand was nicely built and finished.
Seen on the Quarter Scale Group's stand was this target tug Firefly, built either from the PP Aeroparts vac-form or (more likely) the Grand Phoenix injected 1:48 kit
COMPETITION
Here are some of the models in the competition area.
A 1;32 Beaufighter built from the old Revell kit
Not an aircraft I know, but this 1:35 Bedford Refueller really caught my eye, as it is converted from the old Tomy/Max Bedford QL Gun Portee kit!
Not many entries in Class 1 for 1:72, but some may spot John Wilkes' Merlin, which appeared in Issue 1, in the top right,
The Tamiya 1:48 F4U Corsair with moto-tug as a simple, but effective set-piece
A 1;48 F-86D Sabre Dog built from the Revell-Monogram kit
A nicely updated and detailed Fw 190 that was probably the work of one of the members of the Black Cross Society
A Gotha G.V built partially from the old Aurora kit, but with a scratchbuilt fuselage and other details
A simple, straight-from-the-box build of the Revell-Monogram 1:48 Helldiver
Well finished and weathered Hasegawa 1:32 Ki-84 Hayate
Just a few weeks after launch one modeller managed to get this Trumpeter 1:32 Me 262A-1a into the competition!
Well built and painted Trimaster/Dragon 1:48 Me 262A-2a/U2
Winning the large scale aircraft class was this Trumpeter 1:32 MiG-3
The Airfix late-series Seafire kit in 1:48 updated with a detailed Griffon engine
THANKS
My thanks to all at IPMS Avon for their help throughout the show, especially Phil and my congratulations to MAI contributors Steve Evans and John Wilkes for their successes in the competition.
Next year's event will be on Sunday 20th August at the same venue, so anyone interested in attending please contact the organisers at ipmsavon@aol.com.
«BACK» |