HeritageCon

HeritageCon

The HeritageCon Model Show is an event organized by the IPMS Hamilton Model Club. The club makes its home in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, located at the Western shore of Lake Ontario. Each year the club hosts this show and it is one of the larger events in scale modelling in Canada. This event is the club’s fundraising activity for the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM), which is where they are fortunate enough to meet and have their regular meetings.

This year saw the tenth HeritageCon show held on Sunday the 20th of March in one of the museum hangars at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario. Numerous vendors were on hand selling all forms of modelling related items as well as books and artistic works. Let’s also not forget about the opportunity to look at some 1:1 scale aircraft.

A major part of the show program is the chance for modellers to enter, display and have their models judged in the hope that their work would be recognized and receive an award. There were 10 major competition categories available including Aircraft, Military Vehicles, Automotive, Ships, Figures, Dioramas, Paper Models, Miscellaneous, Junior and Bantam. Each of these was in turn further subdivided into 70 individual subcategories. The number of subcategories varied from category to category but for each a first, second and third prize award was available. This year there were also eight special categories including ones for armour and figures, where the prize was a distinctive trophy. There were no less than 13 subcategories devoted to “Armour” related subjects and one to “Armour” dioramas.

While official statistics were not available during the preparation of this Feature, casual observations and comments by a few show officials to this writer were offered. According to one show official, approximately 600 models were entered while another was quoted as saying by his count, there were 500 or more entries. These two also estimated that there were between 150 and 175 entrants. Speculation as to the number of visitors that attended the show weren’t available. However, this writer observed that the two normal parking lots used for the show were insufficient for the attending crowds. The CWHM had to use their extensive tarmac in front of their hangars to accommodate the overflow. It was also suggested that perhaps this was a reflection of the relatively decent weather that day, as opposed to the messy days they’d seen in previous years.

My thanks to the various members of the show for assisting in the preparation of this feature.