A bit of neat last minute news – Gary Hunt just confirmed he’ll be attending Expo with a sales stall for his miniatures line. He’ll also be demonstrating his Barbarian Beestwars game system (based on Zombiesmith’s Shieldbash ruleset) so you can get a taste of the free rules and pick up some figures to paint and game with.
Geladan Archer, sculpted by Gary Hunt and painted by Mary Profitt
Gary sculpts and sells pewter miniatures in 28mm, 32mm and 54mm scales covering historical, fantasy and science-fiction subjects. He’s worked at Weta Workshop since 2001 sculpting collectibles and working on feature films including Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, District 9, Avatar, Master and Commander and many more.
A game of Beestwars in progress at the Roxy cinema
Some people like to paint single figures to a remarkable standard, others enjoy collecting and painting huge armies. These can be simply for display, or more entertainingly for battling other armies as part of a miniature wargame. Throwing dice across a table full of painted miniatures and beautiful scenery is a great way to spend an afternoon.
A huge army of loyal Space Marines
Scale Models Expo gives you a great opportunity to try the miniature wargaming hobby – we have demonstration games from both the worlds of Warhammer and Bolt Action. Feel free to talk to Will and Luke at the Games Workshop table, and Tyrone and Dan at the Bolt Action table – they’ll explain how things work and get you rolling dice and charging into the attack ASAP.
Here are some close-ups of our poster models to show the kind of variety you can expect to see at Scale Models Expo. These were all built by Scale Models Wellington club members, many thanks for allowing us to use these pictures folks!
Looking for something to do with the kids this half-term weekend? Scale Models Expo on the 21st and 22nd of April has some great hands-on activities for them to take part in.
Your children will definitely enjoy (and learn from) all the models of fast cars, fearsome dinosaurs, battle robots, classic aircraft, iconic starfighters and other awesome stuff on display, but it’s not just about looking. We also have some great ways for young people (and their families) to get involved with the fantastic hobby of scale modelling.
Plenty of fun to be had at the Airfix build-a-kit sessions.
Free Airfix kits
We are giving away a free Project Airfix kit with every child ticket (and to children entering under a family ticket) while stocks last. These are new-tool 1/72 aircraft kits which are easy to build and very realistic.
We have plenty of kits for both days, but they will run out eventually so we’d advise getting there early.
Free building workshops
Children can try their hand at building their Airfix kits during the show. We’re running two “build-a-kit” sessions each day at 11am and 1pm. We’ll provide the kits, tools and glue, and our adult and experienced junior club members will be on hand to offer advice and guidance. There are ten places available at each session.
The build-a-kit sessions are generously sponsored by Holdson and Airfix. We’re grateful for their help in getting more kids involved with the hobby.
Free painting workshops
Learn to build and paint cool figures from the worlds of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. Luke and Nathan from the Lower Hutt and Wellington Central Games Workshop stores are providing a great opportunity to get your feet wet in the Warhammer hobby. Here’s what they have to say:
“The Warhammer universes are immersive, epic and fun! Our hobby is collecting, building, painting and playing games with Citadel miniatures. Some devote all of their time to one of these aspects, others enjoy them all. The only correct way is the one that is best suited to you.
Come and visit us for a free demonstration game and painting lesson of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar or Warhammer 40,000 and find out more about the worlds of Warhammer.”
Severin Steelheart
Angharad Brightshield
Obryn the Bold
These sessions are sponsored by Games Workshop. It’s awesome to have their support and expertise on the show floor.
Junior Competitions
The Scale Models Expo Competition has several Junior categories for children younger than 17, so if your kids already make models they should consider entering them. There are some great prizes to be won, but the real treat is seeing their work displayed on the competition tables for everyone to enjoy. Samuel’s farm scene won first place in Junior Dioramas in 2016.
It’s free to enter any number of models in the competition, and anyone who enters one or more models receives free entry to the show for both days.
Visitors to Scale Models Expo will be able to see Alan Sannazzaro’s amazing 1/32 scale P-51 Mustang assembly line diorama after it makes the 600km trip down from Auckland. This beautiful display will soon be in the hands of a private collector so don’t miss your chance to see it in person over Expo weekend.
We wish Alan and the Mustangs a safe trip down later this month – it’s quite a way to bring a delicate model.
