By Stu Fone 7th November 2023

News

This year’s IPMS Brampton Show, held at the St Ivo Centre, St Ives, Cambridgeshire was one of the club’s most successful, with the attendance surpassing even pre-Covid levels.

Above: Sometimes, a well-made model can belie the huge amount of work involved, such as with this 1/48 Kestrel FGA.1, which started life as Tamiya’s Harrier GR.1 before extensive modifications to the airframe (including rescribing of panel lines) and new decals.

If you’ve visited a model show in 2023 and thought it was busier than last year, you’re not alone, with attendances all (that I’m aware of) higher. IPMS Brampton, which hosts the St Ives Model Show, had such a good event that it turned out to be a record breaker, with almost 500 paying visitors in addition to the 60-plus clubs and SIGs in attendance – higher even than pre-Covid returns. Oh, and just to allay any geographical concerns, this is the Cambridgeshire St Ives and not its Cornish cousin!

*Above: There was plenty of nostalgia on the IPMS Leicestershire table, including this beautifully finished Airfix/MPC 1/25 1914 Stutz Bearcat by Phil Middleton.*

Above: If there’s one element of the hobby that always springs a surprise, it’s imagination – this was a brilliant response to the Letchworth Scale Model Club’s ‘Iron and Steel’ theme, showing just how you get Irn Bru.

A one-way system – introduced in 2022 but refined this year – made great use of the venue’s space and provided visitors with even more to see, plus ensuring that traders received equal attention, no matter where they were located. Aisles benefited from being wider than previously, making it easier for all to move around, with plenty of space regardless of whether you were browsing or stopping for a chat with modellers.

Above: This superbly painted Medieval Knight was one of several masterpieces on a table devoted to figures, with a mixture of oils and acrylics employed to create the convincing clothing, weapon and armour.

*Above: The Scale Racing Lines display drew plenty of attention throughout the day, in part due to models such as this gorgeous Tamiya 1/12 Lola T70 in Team Gunston livery by Alex Payne.*

Although Brampton doesn’t run an individual competition at its show, there is an award for the best table, an accolade that’s keenly contested; this year the trophy went to West Norfolk IPMS for a superbly organised display, with plenty of genres present. The date has already been set for the 2024 show, so get ready for another modelling extravaganza at the St Ivo Centre on Sunday, September 29.