On Sunday, I attended the North Brisbane Model Show and PX 2019. This was my second show here in Australia, and as with QMHE, I was impressed with the quality of models on display. IPMS Queensland runs the show. The ‘PX’ part of the show is a swap and sell, and I believe this is how it all began. Then, in due course, a competition has been added on to the show. Indeed, there were only a couple of traders in attendance with most of the tables in the hall occupied by people selling off kits from their stash; something I shudder thinking about. It is an excellent opportunity to pick up some exciting impulse buys, which is precisely what I did.

Purchases

I picked up two Tamiya 1/48 aircraft, a figure and a couple of books. The aircraft was Tamiya’s A-1J Skyraider and F2A-2 Buffalo. Both were impulse buys. The Skyraider was inspired by a version of the Spad that competed, though that one was a two-seat aircraft. However, I saw the Tamiya version, which has a good reputation and thought I would get it.





The Buffalo was even more of an impulse buy. I bought it from the same stand as the Spad – actually, all of my purchases came from one trader! The reason for purchasing the Buffalo was that it came with a small conversion to make a Royal Australian Air Force version. It also came with some decals and Eduard etch fret.



The figure I bought was an old Elite Miniatures piece by Mike Blank of Vlad the Impaler. Elite is now out of production, though I believe FeR Miniatures now has all of the moulds for this company so we may see this figure again in the future. Given this, I snapped it up. It is a beautiful little figure and should paint up nicely. As for the books, these were two Concord publications. I am always on the lookout for reference, and these were good finds.







Competition

The competition is an interesting one. I say this because of how it was judged. A team of judges did not decide the classes. Rather attendees decided them. On entry, we were given a sheet of paper with the categories marked on it and asked to indicate which model was your favourite piece in each category as well as a piece for best in the show. In short, this was the first past the post system and a lot easier the Australian electoral system! Now, we could argue about subjectivity and suggest that such a method lacks rigour. While there is some truth to that, it also ignores the simple fact that subjectivity pervades the world of judging in all walks of life. Somewhere someone is making a subjective decision about something. As long as there is a human in the decision-making process, then there will be subjectivity.

Of course, you could argue that at least when there is a panel, then there are experts judging your models. This is not true. Often at a local show, chief judges are reliant on those willing to volunteer their time, and despite their best efforts, this can lead to a situation whereby, for example, you might get an aircraft modeller judging figures. How is that fairer than someone merely picking the piece they liked the most? At least in this instance, there is a baseline, i.e. what do you like the most. I am sure some people will disagree, but I did not mind the set-up as it allowed me to have a good look at what was on display while making my choices.

As I mentioned there were some excellent models on display and here are a few of my favourites.




You can find a full gallery on my Facebook page.

I should add that I picked up a third in the figure and busts class for my bust of Major James McCudden VC.



Critique

Are any shows perfect? No. Were there things that could be improved? Yes – there are always areas to be improved. Indeed, some of what I say here can be applied to many shows. The first thing is that it would be nice to see some club stands. There are a few clubs in and around Brisbane, and an opportunity to advertise their presence should be grasped. Given my comment above about how I believe the show has grown organically then perhaps this is something that could be added in the future.

My other two points are criticisms, and to be honest, both are frustrations of mine that can be applied to many shows. First, I saw people starting to take models off the competition table at 12:00. This annoys me because the club had not yet announced the winners. Personally, on the day, this got to me as my four-year-old daughter was coming along at 13:00 to have a look; she likes Daddy’s ‘toys.’ In my opinion, if you enter a competition, then you leave your stuff on the table until the end so people can see them. Thankfully, only a couple of pieces were taken off in the end, so Imogen got to see most people’s work. How can this be managed? Simple, make people aware that if they enter the competition, then they need to leave their models on display until after the awards are announced.

This issue of removing things before the end also applied to people who traded. Again, I saw people clearing tables at around 12:00. Again, frustrating. For example, had I been working in the morning but came along to the show at 13:00 because I knew the show would be open until 14:00, then I would have been sorely disappointed.

The other issue was related to signage or the lack of it. I turned up at around 09:30. When I did, I saw people had parked on the school field and, given that there were no signs, naturally, I assumed this was where we parked. This was not the case, and we were eventually asked to move; someone had apparently opened the gate when they should not have. I have no issue with the fact I had to move, but a bit of signage around the school to direct people would have been helpful.

Overall, despite my comments above, I enjoyed the show. I find Australian shows to be more relaxed. My impression is that Australian modellers are less competitive. Perhaps this is because there are not as many shows as in the UK and as such people simply come to enjoy the day. I may be wrong, but that is my impression. Well done to IPMS Queensland for a great show and I look forward to next year’s show.

Continue reading...

Ross
To me this is more a swap meet than a show, there is a very tiny model comp there but it is more a addon to the swap meet than a proper comp. The real QMHE is in Brisbane in August but even though it may seem more relaxed I am sure there are many modellers that would love a Gold, Silver or Bonze at the show, including myself