IPMS-USA Nationals 2007 Show Report

The Contest Room

As stated above there were over 2172 entries in the contest room. I am not sure this counts the display models however there was a rather small number of these (and space for them). When we arrived Thursday there was space galore for more models, but by Saturday this was not the case. Many areas like Armor, Figures, Sci-Fi and ships were very crowded. Even the diorama back table (why are they always in the back with the worst lighting?) was very crowded at this show. You will have to pardon my photos this time around as many of them were taken free-hand without the benefit of a tripod. Some of the early armor photos did have a tripod though so those turned out well. I am both a bit embarrassed and very impressed to say that I took over 800 of my 1000 or so photos in just a 2 hour time-span. That is a lot of snapping! I was forced to do this more out of my enjoying the good company of fellow hobbyists and not wanting to do the 'work' of covering a show.

The Vendor Room

The vendor room was as large as the contest area and filled with a variety of both manufacturers, publishers, and retailers. Great Models had a GIGANTIC banner announcing their presence. Other large online retailers like HLJ, Pacific Coast, Two Bobs Decals, Eagle Editions, and many others were there as well. Testors, Tamiya, Eduard, Trumpter (via Stevens Int), and MRC were also there. Notably absent was Osprey (we missed you guys!). There was also a new 1/6 company called Battle Ready Armor that had some really large vehicles on display. The vendor room consistently seemed to be busy and perhaps even busier than the contest room. Good news for those selling products!

Dragon Expo 2007

Dragon organized their own area adjacent to the show. IN addition to Dragon items on display and for sale you could also find ICM, MiniArt, Hasegawa, and Italeri attending with representatives from those companies. The MiniArt diorama buildings were all on display and were somewhat the talk of the show with AFV modelers. In fact Alexey gave a seminar (in conjunction with Ken Schwartz) on how easy the vacuformed parts are to assemble and prep. I did hear that Dragon will be doing a similar event in conjunction with next years show, so keep your eyes peeled for news of Dragon Expo '08!