A brief report from me - I'll be doing a write-up for Classic Plastic and took lots of shots of classic kits for inclusion that I can't show here.
It also seems pointless duplicating the photos that others have posted of our stand, so no stand shots, except this one - CAPTION CONTEST TIME!
I arrived in Telford at just after 2, got checked into the hotel (The Premier Inn Southwater, which is located a mere 100 yards from the TIC), dropped off my bags, had a quick refresh, then down to the TIC for set-up. Getting in was easy all three days, just a short wait on Sunday morning to get in round the back at 8. Here's what the hall looked like at 3pm Friday:
CBK was located close to the entrance for Hall 1, not far from Airfix and back-to-back with AMSIG. We had a lot of models on the tables in the end, so much so that we didn't have space for all the extras I'd brought - but they are safely in James' hands for future use. It was a pleasure to work with James, Tom, Iain and Al on the stand all weekend - thanks for the welcome, guys! I enjoyed your company for our evenings out as well.
I consumed more alcohol in 3 nights than in the previous 3 years....!
We had a constant stream of visitors pretty much the whole weekend, and I got to meet some forum members and also some of my Classic Plastic contributors. I had a pretty sore throat come Monday morning!
I had some shopping in mind before arriving and was able to pick up just about everything on my list - the sheer quantity of vendors is remarkable. I was very restrained in my kit buying, due to space restrictions, but went to town on aftermarket stuff - lots of decals, resin and PE found their way back to the US.... Also picked up some books, including my
Buy of the Show - an all-colour "coffee table" photo book on the Croatian Air Force that I'd been looking for, normally selling for around the $50-70 mark online, and bought from a well-known aviation bookshop's bargain table for a mere 5 quid!!
Cue deep joy and much covert fist-pumping.....
Once again, the SIG and club stands were a brilliant showcase for the hobby. A huge variety of themes and models on show - here's a couple that caught my eye:
IPMS Southampton's mind-boggling Mulberry harbour diorama.....
A brilliant idea - I forget the stand.
And everyone's favourites:
Finally, some shots of the new Airfix kits:
All in all, I had a terrific time - SMW really is the biggest and the best model show in the world.
BTW, I'd also like to mention Martin Rosa - he lives in the same town as my parents, so we went for a pint and a chinwag on Thursday evening; we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.