The South West Model Show returns to the Tank Museum

If you have a thing for miniatures, the Tank Museum in Bovington has a weekend coming up that is hard to ignore. The South West Model Show returns on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, and this time it is leaning hard into the gaming side of the hobby. The whole weekend is run in partnership with Warlord Games, so expect as much wargaming as there is model making.

The gaming is the headline act. There are expert wargaming demonstrations throughout the weekend, and a full Bolt Action tournament that pulls in around 20 to 30 players. If you have never tried it, the demonstrations cover a good range of Warlord titles: Bolt Action, Konflikt '47, Black Powder, Pike and Shotte, Hail Caesar, and Achtung Panzer. There is also a chance to actually build your own model tank — Shermans, Tiger Is and Mark IVs — with kits handed out at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00, so you can walk away with something you made yourself.

The talk schedule is worth planning around if you want to get something out of the day. A Miniature Designer Q&A opens things at 10:30, followed by Warlord Painting Tips and Tricks at 11:30 and again at 15:30, an Introduction to the Hobby at 13:30, and a 14:30 session on how Warlord turned a WW2 tank into a Konflikt '47 walker. Around those, the usual show elements are there: traders and exhibitors to browse, volunteer modellers to chat with, the Titan Owners Club in the Tamiya Hall, Models for Heroes in the WWII Hall, a tank-shaped soft play area for younger visitors, the Brickskrieg Battle, and Grub in the Trenches. There is a Meet our 1940s Residents session from 14:00 to 15:30, and at 17:00 you get balcony access to the Vehicle Conservation Centre, which is not something you get on a normal visit.

It helps that the venue is the Tank Museum itself. Set up in 1947, it holds more than 300 combat armoured vehicles from over 25 countries, including Tiger 131 — the only operational Tiger I in the world — and a British Mark I from 1916. The collection is spread across nine halls covering the First World War, the inter-war years, the Second World War, the Cold War and popular culture, so there is plenty to see before and after the show.

A few practical notes before you go. The show runs from 10:00 to 17:00 on both days. The museum is normally open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, though it closes on 4, 12, 18 and 27 November and over Christmas. If you need to get in touch first, the number is 01929 405096 and the email is visit@tankmuseum.org. The museum sits at Bovington Wool, Dorset, BH20 6JG, and the nearest train station is Wool, about a mile and a half away, which is a short walk or a quick taxi ride from the entrance. Whether you are a serious modeller or just fancy a day out with something to look at, it is a weekend that rewards a bit of planning.