I’ve been visiting Stoke-on-Trent Model show for several years. It’s been at Staffordshire County Showgrounds for quite some time – but this year it moved to Fenton Manor in Stoke-on-Trent itself. This is a very different venue, and so let’s talk about the differences and how this years show went!

The venue previously was a hall at the showground with varied lighting but a beautiful surrounding. This year it was the opposite – great and consistent lighting but a less pretty central setting. Another advantage of the move of location is the ease of access though. I took the train there. It was then just a 20 minute walk from the station (or a 5 minute taxi which I did on the way back).

To address the elephant in the room though, the main thing everyone complained about on the day was the cost of parking. A few hours was a couple of quid, but more than that was then classed as ‘all day’ at nearly £10.00. Honestly this is in line with most city parking so to me (as I visit so many shows) it’s not a huge shock. I think the issue is that parking at the other venue was completely free. The club doesn’t control this though – the council does.

Moving on from the parking though and we can discuss the displays and models. Interestingly you don’t immediately see Stoke’s table as you enter – you’re sort of greeted with Wrexham, Staffordshire Moorlands, and Stafford. Stoke’s is nearby and the largest table, featuring a little store and tombola.

These tables give you a good idea of the variety on offer at this show. Wargaming, fantasty, dioramas, military, sci-fi, and civilian – there was almost everything you can think of. The most unique was Wrexham’s table which had diorama’s made to represent scenes from the world famous BBC radio drama ‘The Archers.’ I’d never seen anything like it and I absolutely cannot wait to see many more of these. They hope to have a whole table for the Archer’s at Scale Model World in the future!

The show also featured Wargaming much like a recent show I went to – Avon Model Show. There were four tables set on the far side of the room with various games. It’s great to see this spread to other shows, as it’s such a great way to share the hobby and be able to see games which often you only hear about through others or online.

As mentioned earlier there was a lot of creativity – from the Archers, to Gundam, to unique dioramas like saying goodbye from a train window. Additionally there were a lot of tributes to lost parents or club members. It’s always incredible to see these loving tributes and often very emotional.

I didn’t buy much at the show. Weirdly I got bought a kit from friend Cpt VFC to do a collab with them. Additionally I did get a new light for my desk too – hopefully my colours will be even more accurate and lovely!

The show was very good. The width of the aisles meant there was very little issue getting around and it felt busy without being overwhelming. I really enjoyed the show and I cannot wait to see what they do next year.