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I'm not seeing the photos for Ezki's work and several of my other favorite creators- just a small square icon; any suggestions on what I need to fix at my end to be able to see the work? Thank you.
Hmm, hard to say.
Try with another browser? Or update the current one. Sometimes certain embeds (such as forum images) might break on different browsers or versions.
On my work PC all youtube videos went bonkers with artifacts, so I had to update the BIOS and chipset drivers. But I doubt it's anything that serious.
So, event report!
The Versailles World Model Expo 2025 was... interesting to say the least.
Enough have been said online regarding the poor organization of the event and I don't want to throw any more fuel to the fire.
Some videos have already emerged in Youtube and I imagine more will follow.
If all that is not taken into account, the trip was great!
There were 10 of us in total; 5 painters and our better halves. It was a lot of fun to meet both old and new friends and talk about miniatures for the whole weekend.
When I finally managed to see the show itself (so very very long queues), the miniatures on display were simply amazing!
Like in many shows, there were quite a few categories. More so on the scale modelling side, but still half a dozen on the miniatures side.
All these categories are divided into "Standard" and "Master's". Like in any other show (except Golden Demon), the prices are given with the "Open Principle", meaning that there are more bronzes, silvers and golds than the usual one of each.
Initially I had planned on entering the Standard categories, as I thought it would be cool to have a better chance to actually win something.
After pondering for a while and getting encouraged by my fellow travelers, I decided to make the jump into Master's! That's the one I'm aiming for in the future, so why not see where I stand.
To my great surprise, I got "Highly Commended" with the Kingdom Death model Erza of Dedheim in Fantasy Painting and a Bronze medal in Fantasy Wargaming with the diorama.
There is no higher standard in any of the miniature painting competitions, so these rewards were more than I could have ever hoped for!
I have attached some pictures in the spoilers, so those who are here for the miniatures can skip them.
The other reason is that I posted a few shots from some of my favorite works there, and some of them are NSFW.
Spoiler:
The main venue was a beautiful building. Shame there were no lights on the tables.
The other one, not so much. It was a hot and a dim gymnasium. But the models were cool!
Finnish display in Master's Fantasy Painting. The lady with the cross won a bronze medal. The others were commended.
Fantasy Wargaming category. My diorama truly had to fight for attention next to Erkka's duel, which won gold in Golden Demon last year!
Some of my favorites:
Sin City style bust. Not mine.
Witch Horn bust. Not mine.
Mindwork Game's "Star Witch" based on the artworks of Gerald Brom. Not mine.
Howling Banshee bust. Not mine.
Loved the metallics on this one. Not mine.
Lady Haera. Won Notable Entry in Golden Demon last year. Not mine.
In the price ceremony. Despite everything else, the medal was really nicely done!
And all the loot from the trip. A few miniatures, some paints, plinths and of course... some wine! Both our bags were quite full!
And to the matter at hand. The diorama itself.
Like a few times before, I will start the display by providing a song that fueled me through the project which you can listen to while looking at the pictures.
For some reason this really hit me and worked as a theme song for the piece.
Spoiler:
"Eyes fixed forward, the cold men of the 308th marched through ash and ruin,
their hearts long buried beneath duty and sacrifice.
One slowed. One knelt.
There she lay, beneath the broken shrine, still and shattered.
Around them, the war pressed on, unceasing, uncaring.
And in that stillness, warmth stirred.
A moment of shared faith,
passed between the devout and the dutiful.
The final prayer."
In the end, I'm really happy with this piece and I think it's my all time favorite. Even if I do say so myself, I think the emotion comes through quite well.
There are few things that I will look into before entering it into Golden Demon, such as increase the edge highlights, add small details and do some cleaning here and there.
But that will have to wait a while. I will jump back into creating some tabletop miniatures for an upcoming event and maybe do a few smaller display projects before getting back to it.
Thank you for looking and I hope you enjoyed the piece.
Mate, the diorama turned out spectacularly well! I’m not in the least bit surprised that you came away with a medal! Good luck in Golden Demon, though I’m not sure where you’ll be able to improve these
Goberts Gubbins - P&M Blog, started with Oldhammer, often Blackstone Fortress and Void Panther Marines, with side projects along the way
