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eDay

16-18.09.05

I'm always being told to get out more. It's one of the downsides of being a born-again kitbasher. The solution? Book an easyJet flight to Prague in time for eDay 2005. One of Europe's most beautiful cities and all that's best in the modelling hobby in one place. Perfect.
This year Eduard teamed up with the Czech Modellers Association and moved eDay from its previous haunt in Pilsen to the grandiose exhibition halls in Holesovice just to the north-east of the city centre. Two purpose built pavilions housed the model display and competition area, over 40 traders and several model clubs from the Czech regions. It is a massive undertaking for Eduard as a very high proportion of their 80-strong workforce is involved in some shape or form.

Eduard staff ran demonstrations throughout the show

How to work with etched brass was one of the subjects they covered

Normally a one day affair, three days were devoted to this year's event. On the Friday visitors could meet up with Boris Osetinsky (the man who got the Wanaka based Polikarpov's flying again). On Saturday one could take a tour of the Kbely Museum and the Aero facility and on Sunday visit the Aviation Film Festival, all over and above the normal modelling activity. This seemed a reasonable trade-off for not being able to climb over Czech Army hardware and ogle classic cars as in previous years.

The competition area early in the day

Nearly 6,000 visitors packed into the two halls over the weekend, 50% up on last year's Pilsen event. One hall housed nearly 850 competition and display models, the clubs and traders, the other a radio control boat pool, car and tank working area, model rail layout and six flight sim stations for the younger visitor.

Flying scale models were also on show and being flown indoors

Although bearing a lot of similarities to the way that the UK Nationals are run, eDay remains a celebration of the Czech art of superdetailing. The attached pictures speak for themselves. It is rare to witness a model that has not been opened up and filled with some degree of interior enhancement. Star turn this year was a superbly crafted salvaged E-Boat with hull formers festooned with barnacles and seaweed, though for me many of the smaller scale military items took pole position.

This 1:72 A-6 I seem to recall from the UK Nationals

Anyone who saw the photos of this B-17 wreck discovered in the long grass in New Guinea
will have wanted to do it as a diorama, and this gentleman did, very well!

This Bf 109G-12 is convered from the Hasegawa 1:48 kit

This Revell-Monogram Bf 110G-2 was superdetailed

The Bristol Boxkite, not sure if this is the old Pyro kit or scratchbuilt?

This 1:48 Bydgoszczanka glider was scrtachbuilt

The CH-46E built, we suspect, from the Academy 1:48 kit

This F-14 is huge, the Shoki behind is 1:16th scale!

Close-up of the superb detail in the huge F-14

Bunker-buster F-15E in 1:72!

Nice F6F-5 on a carrier deck

Love it or loath it, this Dr.I is certainly weathered!

Fokker D.VII probably built form Eduard's superb 1:48 kit

An OAW-produced Fokker D.VII built, we suspect, from the Roden kit in 1:72

Fokker D.VII, which has to be the Dragon 1:48 kit

Highly detailed 1:72 Fw 190D-9

Henschel Hs 129, almost certainly made from the Hasegawa 1;48 kit

Nice IAF F-15

A mass of Albatros' on an airfield diorama

Overall view of this diorama in 1:48

That green loks so bright! A Special Hobby Ju 388 in 1:72

Nicely modified captured B-17G in KG200 markings

Eduard's Ki-115 in an effective diorama setting

This Lloyd shows off some very effective varnished wood

This Mavis is actually 1:144 and built by Libor Maly

Heavy detailed with Aires sets, this is the Monogram 1:48 Me 410A

Nice to see british subjects like this Italeri 1:72 Merlin HM.1

The Trumpeter 1:32 MiG-15bis completed in Czech markings

Those at the UK Nationals will recall this 1:35 Mil Mi-4 on one of the stands

How about this Mi-4, in 1:72 from the KP kit this time!

Lovely little parasol Morane-Saulnier in 1:48

The lovely little Morane-Saulnier Type N

Nieuport Ni.17 in 1:48

This Hasegawa 1;72 Neptune was beautifully detailed

We suspect this to be the Tamiya 1:72 P-51D ...

... super detailed thanks to the Aires sets?

Nicely finished Catalina, in 1:72 form the Academy kit

This Westland Sea King has the special 50th anniversary scheme thanks to the Model
Alliance decals

A late-series Sea King in 1:72, probably from the Revell kit

A standard SH-3 Sea King from the 1:48 Hasegawa kit

The Sikorsky S.XVI in 1:72

This is a very effective way to display the Eduard 1:72 Sopwith Schneider

The Tamiya 1:72 Skyray

Very effectively weathered Spitfire Mk Vb, Tamiya or Hasegawa?

1:72 Spitfire Mk Vb this time, probably the Revell kit

Trumpeter's 1:32 Su-27

My, the Flanker is big in this scale!

Excellent finish on this Avenger, built from the Accurate miniatures kit in 1:48

A 1:48 Westland Wyvern, most likely built from the Classic Airframes kit, but it may be the
Dynavector vac-form?

For the overseas visitor it was a great opportunity to talk face to face with a range of companies such as Eduard, CMK, Aires, Kora, Extratech, Pavla, Mark 1, RS, Legato and a host of others. Release programmes from Czech companies are invariably prolific. Eduard's Hetzer arrived in November 2005, and they seem to have sold out of Fokker DVII's. MPM had shots of their new 1/72 Hudson on show. Pavla have a whole bevy of products, including an interior for the Hasegawa Lancaster due by the early part of 2006. Both TMMI and Model Airplane International were very well received and most issues were gobbled up by the end of Saturday.

Kopro stand

Pavla Models

A lot of excellent artwork was on sale

There was also the chance to stock up on home brewed Czech products at local prices, though with European harmonisation in its second year imported items are looking more reasonable too. Me, I'm a sucker for Hurricanes, especially those exquisite Omega oddball 1/72 resin examples. A visit to those nice people on the Modelimex stand yielded a Zmaj DB601 version and Mk XII at a price that I won't mention.

With the frequency of low cost flying into Prague from all over the UK and Europe, relatively inexpensive food and overnight accommodation eDay ought to be on any serious modeller's calendar. I recommend that you all earmark mid-late September 2006 now. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures.

Very many thanks to Vladimir Sulc, Karel Padar and their team for their hospitality and for giving us the chance to show at eDay 2005

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