Strana 4
We have sizzler of a heat wave and our E-day
event behind us, which are two phenomena that
somehow came together in one rather unique
weekend this year. After twenty-five years,
we changed the timing of the event from autumn
to summer, and summer showed us what it can
do leaving no doubt for this change we put into
practice. The climate, not only at the exhibition
site, was truly hot and corresponded more to North
Africa or southern Arizona than to Central Europe.
At the nearby meteorological station in Doksany,
the temperature record of 40.8oC fell on Saturday,
and from Friday we were bombarded with warnings
of high temperatures and the associated high
health risks. This probably discouraged the lay
public in particular, as attendance was affected by
a roughly 30% drop compared to last year‘s
numbers. It was similar with competition models,
where the drop compared to last year was some
40%. Here, it is probably not the heat that is to blame,
but rather the distaste of some Czech modelers
for two-day and generally multi-day events.
We probably won‘t be able to do much about it, but
I‘m convinced that it won‘t actually be a limit for
the future of E-day, just as the weekend‘s infernal
heat wasn‘t. Technical equipment, fans, water
stations, hats, sunscreen, drinks and ice cream are
all necessary to combat the heat. The combination
of all of this helped us survive the heat and enjoy
both days. There were a total of five recorded
medical interventions at the exhibition grounds
during the entire event, and none of them were
related to extreme temperatures. Katka Borecká‘s
water gates and the volunteer firefighters from
Litoměřice, who sprinkled the exhibition grounds
with water several times, deserve a big thank you!
When we were preparing the first E
-
Day in
Litoměřice last year, in the autumn, it was clear
to us that the exhibition grounds would not allow
us to hold flight demonstrations, but thanks
to its structure, prepared for agricultural and
gardening exhibitions, it would allow us to prepare
an interesting accompanying program. This was
confirmed last year, but it turned out that one day
was not enough for such a varied event as can be
done at the Litoměřice exhibition grounds. Even
so, the one-day format of the event brought time
conflicts, especially in organizing the competition.
There was simply very little time left to evaluate
such a large number of models, tabulate the
results and announce them and present the
awards. It brought stress, tension and reduced
the quality of the entire competition. From this it
followed that E-day had long been talking about
returning to a two-day format. Another finding
from last year was that the grounds are good for
organizing a model exhibition and competition,
but that good weather is needed for the success
of any event there. Organizing an event there in
October is problematic, the latest limit is set at
the end of September. And unfortunately, this
presents a conflict with the end of the agricultural
season and every weekend there‘s some kind of an
event being held. Mostly related to agriculture, of
course. The solution was quite simple, to move the
exhibition from the end of the agricultural season
to its beginning. The viable period for this year and
for next year is in June. For 2027 it‘s June 18th to
the 20th.
As for the aversion to two-day events that
some people hold dear to their hearts, there ain’t
much we can do about that. Those who don‘t want
to attend, won‘t. Simple. We will continue to stick
to the two-day format, starting again next year
with competition model registration and first
presentations on Friday early evening and ending
with the awards ceremony on Sunday around 2pm.
The structure of the program will be the same as
this year, and some specific points will of course
be different. As you already know, or you will
learn from today‘s newsletter, we would like to
have the MiG-29 Limited Edition kit in 1:48 scale
and the Spitfire Mk.IX in the Hybrid 1:32 range
for sale at E
-
Day next year. So you can expect
a significant part of the accompanying program
to revolve around these kits and these aircraft.
The catering will also have the same or a similar
standard, including an ice cream stand, which
was probably more popular than beer as part of
the refreshments, given the obvious. I only had six
large ice creams on Saturday. We will also repeat
the Saturday party including the concert. I was
a little apprehensive about that idea, I have to admit,
but it turned out well, too. It took almost twice as
long as the planned hour and a half, and no one
complained about the tunes from the neighboring
houses.
What probably cannot be repeated are Sunday‘s
opposition to more Mustangs, Spitfires and
Messerschmitts and the Kuňkadlo in 1:24. It was,
of course, a kind of a recession, created from
a sudden impulse over a coffee, a protest
was quickly called, carried out and dispersed.
All participants enjoyed it, as well as the entire two
days in Litoměřice. That is a brief assessment that
practically everyone who was at E
-
Day agrees on.
Although we protested against the Mustang,
more than 150 modelers still took the new kit
from Litoměřice. Of the kits ordered as part of the
pre-order, 730 still need to be sent to their home
addresses. They should be manufactured and
packaged during the first half of next week, and
we will start sending them out in the second half.
In total, we have orders for almost 4,000 kits so
far. Production is running at full speed, and next
week another twenty printers will arrive, which
will further strengthen our production capacity.
By the end of July, all ordered 1:32 scale P-51B
Hybrids will be in their new homes.
Happy Modeling,
Vladimir Sulc
EDITORIAL
INFO Eduard4
July 2026