Modelfest '05 show review

The MODELFEST ’05 model contest and swap meet was held in Ventura, California on February 27, 2005 at the Ventura fairgrounds.  Despite the heavy rain that has been in the news recently, it was a beautiful sunny day with scattered clouds.  There was plenty of parking ($5.00 charge) and several restaurants are located in the area.

The entry fee was $3.00 for the first model, $1.00 for any additional entries plus $5.00 admission fee (children were not free).  The registration paperwork was somewhat confusing but there was plenty of help.  I mentioned that pre-registration via the internet would speed up the process, but I was told that the contest director was “set in his ways”.  No personal information was displayed with the models.  Both vendors and models were in the same area.  The floor space was quite large with the vendors filling ¾ of the floor space.

Again as in years past no raffle was held at this contest. 

The display area was small; the vendors taking up most of the area.  The aisles could have been wider and the tables were very low (little fingers are always a problem).  The lighting was good.  There was plenty of room for model display.  The number entries seem to be down, probably due to the weather.

What I like about this show is the swap meet.  Despite being a small show, there were many vendors selling a wide variety of kits, aftermarket items, tool, books and the like.

 The judging started at 11:30 and ended at 2:00.  Why this took so long with so few entries is unknown.  No volunteer judges were used in the process. An area where this club differs from others is if there are less than 3 entries per category no awards are given.  In other contests that I have been to they simply combined other entries and create a new category.  The name of each winner was announced.  All juniors won a ribbon.

Considering the cost of entries, parking and admission, the awards left something to be desired. First place included a picture of the winning model on a preprinted certificate that was laminated.  Second place and third place were simple ribbons (the same type given at county fairs!).  It seems that every year the awards are getting cheaper. I think if the awards with improved there would be more participation. 

Concerning the picture for first place – a good idea but in practice not such a good one.  The models were picked up and moved to a location that had better lighting. A model should never be touched or moved from the display area by anyone else other than the owner!  In the future I hope this will change. 

This contest really needs to improve its image.  Fortunately I enjoy visiting Ventura and the surrounding area, but because of the admission fees, lack of trophies or plaques (cheapest awards of any show that I know of) and no raffle, this can only be described as a “mediocre” contest.