A couple of weeks back, the Ely crew took a jaunt to beautiful Poland (and I mean that sincerely – I’d never been to Poland before and was very impressed) for the Kontrast Festival. This had been on our radars since seeing coverage of it last year, and the team that runs it had clearly been putting a lot of effort into making an event that’s quite different from other shows, so we wanted to check it out.
So, into the photos:
I should note that this is just a fraction of the models that were actually entered – before the show, they announced that they’d had nearly 1400 models registered and there were probably more registered on the day.
So, the usual discussion points:
- The quality on display was incredible. It was right up there with other top shows around Europe. This was reflected in the judging, which was probably the hardest I’ve ever seen in any competition. When a category with a couple of hundred entries only awards 16 medals, you know you’re looking at a tough competition.
- There was a whole set of categories for wargaming models. I’m not particularly interested in that side of the hobby and seeing a squad or an army doesn’t really do a lot for me, but I think it’s nice to provide that sort of opportunity. It encourages gamers to start looking at their models more the way painters do rather than as purely utilitarian objects that represent numbers. It also means that if they’re interested in getting into the more hardcore painting scene, they have a step where they’re not put up against a horde of people who have been painting at display level for a decade or more.
- There was probably the best lighting I’ve seen at any show. It was really excellent. They’d built custom light rigs that suspended good bulbs over and slightly in front of each and every table, so you never had any problems seeing any of the models. I’d say that Monte San Savino has equally good light, but that show had a section in another area that wasn’t as well lit. For me, this is the benchmark that shows should aim for (we’re discussing how we can replicate it for the Fen Model Show next year).
- The location was easy to get to from the centre of the city – just 20 minutes on the metro, which cost us a few quid for the whole weekend. The venue is also a nice, modern building close to a few restaurants and shops, so you have a few options for refreshments. However, it wasn’t laid out terribly well for the show this year, which I think comes down to the surprising popularity. I’ll discuss this a bit more later.
- There was a brilliant concert put on for Saturday night. The band was Weljar, which does dark folk, and Joey and I were over the moon. Kev and Martin are philistines and probably didn’t get as much out of it. The best way to describe it is like being in one of those scenes in Vikings when they’re up at Uppsala and you’re wondering who’s going to be the human sacrifice. So, yeah, it was right up my alley.
- The whole show was free. Literally no cost to enter models, go into the show, watch the concert, go into the seminars. Nada. As I understand it, the show is set up as a cultural festival, so it’s all funded by the local government, which is really refreshing to see – especially coming from the UK, where the idea of getting a grant to run a model show is completely laughable. So anyway, all we had to pay for were our flights, hotel and refreshments (and Poland is very cheap compared to the UK).
So, while overall this was an excellent show, that’s not to say that there weren’t ways it could be improved. Well, one way, really. It’s literally the only thing I could reasonably criticise.
As I mentioned above, it wasn’t prepared for the number of visitors. For much of the show, it was difficult to get in to actually see the models. There were so many people trying to get into a relatively small space, that there were often queues that went a surprisingly long way. As a result, there were some pieces that won big prizes that I didn’t even know were there because at a certain point it becomes claustrophobic and frustrating trying to get from one part of the exhibition area to another.
I think this is something that they’ll prepare for next year – I expect the show will only grow bigger. There was certainly a lot of goodwill towards it from everyone I spoke to.
So, overall, a fantastic show that I can heartily recommend. However, be prepared for some brutal judging. I think that took us all by surprise – it’s possible that was a result of the extremely large number of entries and a limited number of trophies, but there were trophies left over at the end, which suggests that the decision to only award the very best was deliberate.
So, the results:
Joey: Two silvers in standard plus a couple of special prizes (special note: one of his silvers was the only silver awarded in the category and there were no golds).
Martin: Bronze and a couple of commended in masters.
Fet: Silver and commended in masters.
Oh, there was also a Lego exhibition upstairs as part of the show! I did hear some people complain that the space could have been used for more directly relatable stuff (although I’m not sure what – it was quite out of the way), but I really enjoyed seeing it, and some pieces in there were surprisingly creative. here are some pics:
I got a real kick out of those panel pieces. I guess they’re a bit like flats for Lego?
As a final thought: I said earlier that there was nothing else to complain about for the show, but I do have one complaint about my time in Poland: the lack of pierogi for me. I was excited like you wouldn’t believe about the opportunity to eat pierogi. I’ve had them a few times over here in the UK and they’re awesome. Where better to get some than in Warsaw? Alas, I am also allergic to mushrooms, which seem like they must be the national food of Poland. There were mushrooms in about 2/3 of the dishes on the Polish cuisine menus. The one place I saw pierogi that wouldn’t kill me, they were sold out. I am sad.
Fet Paints 