Tail End Charlie
IPMS USA Nationals 2025
Text: Jakub Nademlejnský
This year's IPMS USA Nationals took place on the first weekend of August in Virginia, specifically at the Convention Center in Hampton. I would like to give readers, especially those from Europe, an idea of how such an American exhibition works, as probably no event organized in Europe lasts as long and offers such a rich program.
The whole event actually begins on Tuesday with preparations of the premises and setting up stands in the sales hall. However, we didn't set up our stand until Wednesday morning, which was better than last year when our goods didn't arrive until Wednesday evening. That was quite a problem, considering that the gates for visitors open on Wednesday after lunch. A large part of the visitors, especially the die-hard modelers, treat this event as a practically week-long affair. They flock from all over the United States to pre-booked hotels located in the immediate vicinity of the exhibition hall and spend the whole week there in the pleasant company of like-minded friends. The whole event ends on Saturday evening with the announcement of the competition results. During the week, around 50 seminars and workshops were held in beautifully furnished lecture rooms. The organizers also arrange bus trips to interesting places in the surrounding area. This year's excursions included the Mariners Museum, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, the Military Aviation Museum, and the Nauticus Museum, which also includes the Iowa-class battleship USS Wisconsin. And I don't think it's even necessary to mention the dozens of vendors who had sales stands in the hall, which was the largest in the post-COVID period.
This year, there were almost 3,000 models on display, making this event one of the largest in the world. All in all, there is simply a lot to see and experience at IPMS Nats, and I would like to encourage readers from the US, Europe, and other parts of the world to attend next year's event, as it is definitely worth it.
Another difference from events in Europe is where IPMS will be held next year. Nats is held in a different location every year. Member clubs have the opportunity to present their proposal to host Nats after two years. IPMS USA members then vote during the event and select the winning proposal. So now we know that next year's Nats will take place on August 5-8 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and in two years it will be July 14-17 in Huntsville, Alabama.
On behalf of the Eduard team, I can say with a clear conscience that we really enjoy attending this event. It is a unique opportunity for us to meet our customers face to face, hear their feedback on our products, which is mostly very positive, and feel that we are sincerely and warmly welcomed there. Last year, for example, a group of modelers helped us build our booth, and this year one of our customers, who is now also a friend, helped us deliver our goods to the booth on time. In short, America is full of nice and friendly people. This year, we also organized our first raffle at the Eduard booth. Thanks to the participants and their enthusiastic reactions, we had a lot of fun and will definitely repeat it next year. We are also considering including it in our sales booth at other exhibitions.
Finally, I would like to mention that this year we also had a first, namely a long lecture block, which Mr. Šulc and I split in half. He talked about the new products in the pipeline for the coming months, while I talked about 3D printers, the future of 3D printing at Eduard, and the new range of models that Eduard is preparing. One modeler took thorough notes and then wrote an extensive report on our lectures. If you haven't come across it on the internet, don't despair. During the end of summer and during the autumn, we will continue to publish our plans for the future that we presented at Nats. Vladimír Šulc has already started, giving a lecture at Velbloud competition in Pilsen. The highlight of these presentations will take place at E-day, where modelers will hopefully be able to purchase the first of this new series of kits. And that's all for today, I won't reveal any more, but you can listen to our new podcast with Kateřina Borecká, where you'll learn a little more. Have a great rest of the summer!
The lucky winner of the E-2C Hawkeye box art banner from the raffle.
USS Wisconsin, one of the attractions on the tour that was part of this year's IPMS.
The Atlantic Fleet anchored at Norfolk Naval Station. The third ship from the left is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77).