Model show

Pictured at top is a 1/35 scale American Stewart tank in Russian service, middle are 1/350 scale Japanese battleship Yamato and 1/72 scale Gato class American submarine, bottom are 1/72 scale single engine entries at the Hobby Expo 2008 model show in Petaluma, California.

Last weekend we went to a scale model show, know as Hobby Expo 2008, in the town of Petaluma near Santa Rosa. It was put on by the Santa Rosa plastic modeler’s club, a member of the International Plastic Modeler’s Society, USA. People came in from all over, including many from the bay area, Fresno, Redding, and as far away as Reno and Las Vegas. There were over 100 entrants in the model contest with nearly 400 models. Also there were numerous vendors selling model kits and supplies.

The show opened at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and we got there soon afterward. Attendance was free for non-vendors, so we didn’t have to pay just to look. There were a couple of kits on our list of “would like to get” so we first went around all the vendor tables to see what was there.

We were amazed by how much stuff they had. There were literally thousands of kits stacked high on the tables and some on the floor. Many of them were older kits, often out of production. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the ones we wanted, but we did make couple small purchases – a WWII German ME-262 airplane and a sheet of decals.

After we went over the vendor’s items, it was time to look at all the models that were entered into the contest. There were over 50 categories, including ones for juniors, adults, and some over-all categories. The categories and awards covered just about everything imaginable, from military vehicles and aircraft, to science fiction and even an “unfinished model” category.

The models were all very finely built and clearly showed the many hours of work that went into their construction. Models have come a long way from when we were young and a small kit could be purchased for 50 cents and then assembled in a half an hour. These days, the paint colors and markings are extensively researched and tiny details are faithfully rendered.

One item of interest is how truly international the plastic modeling hobby has become. Kits are being manufactured in many countries that even 20 years ago had no representation at all. They are coming from Japan, Russia, the Czech Republic, and China, just to name a few. Even the kit we got came from Poland.

A whole cottage industry has sprung up making add-ons for various kits. There are conversion parts made out of epoxy resin to make an existing kit into a different version. Small companies produce photo-etched brass and stainless steel parts, usually on a credit-card-sized fret, for fine details such as airplane cockpit parts. The international flavor brings a wealth of creativity and variety to the hobby.

Along with attending the model show, we took a little road trip. It was nice because we actually had not been to Petaluma before. It gives us something new to talk about, new scenery to look at and we can usually take in some different activities along the way.

Petaluma is located in Sonoma County, about 50 miles north of the bay area, on Highway 101. It is on the edge of the Napa-area wine country. There is a lot of beautiful scenery around the town, including acre after of acre of fine vineyards.

We took the freeways going down, but chose to come back along smaller roads, at least until they connected with I-5. We can definitely recommend the smaller roads. Although they are a little curvy and slower than the freeway, you get to experience more scenery.