ModelFiesta is the longest running annual modeling event in IPMS Region 6. The contest has grown in size and quality since its early days and now averages over 120 vendor tables and over 500 models entered in the contest each year. With a regular and strong international attendance by modelers from all over Latin America, ModelFiesta is one of the most unique, varied, and highly regarded IPMS events in the region.
The new home for ModelFiesta, the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center (NBCC), is just a quick 20 min drive up the I-35 corridor from San Antonio, and it is closer for those coming to the event from the north (Austin, Dallas). For modelers coming in from the East (Houston, Louisiana), I-10 is still the primary route to take, exiting in Seguin on Hwy-46 to New Braunfels. From the west and south, attendees can connect to Hwy-46 through various roads and highways and reach New Braunfels with ease. NBCC is a relatively new structure with excellent lighting, electrical hook-ups, and a professional and helpful staff.
More details will be made available on this web-site, so please return frequently to see what information has been added.
General Admission: $5.00
Entry in contest waives general admission.
PRE-REGISTER FOR DISCOUNT
Vendor Setup: 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Doors open to Public: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Model Registration 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Judging 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM*
Awards Ceremony 3:30 PM
Raffle prices every 30 minutes.
Judging commences at 11:30 AM.
DUE TO SPACE RESTRICTIONS
Model display area will be closed to
the public during Judging
Model entries limited to ONE entry PER CATEGORY, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH CLASS.
I.E That's seven CATEGORIES in the Aircraft CLASS.
See CATEGORY list.
ADULTS (18 and over)
$10.00 first Model
$3.00 each additional model
JUNIORS (13 - 17 years)
$5.00 first Model
$2.00 each additional model
PRE-TEENS (12 and under)
$2.00 first Model
$1.00 each additional model
Alamo Squadron is making some significant changes to this year’s contest due to scheduling constraints for the facility. As you may recall, during the Covid period our former venue was sold, and we were required to move our event to the NBCC on short notice. Because events at the venue are scheduled several years in advance, in 2023 and 2024 we will not have access to the entire facility as we did in 2022. We will retain the same space for our vendors as we had in 2022, but our space for the contest will be constrained. Therefore, we are making changes to conduct the contest in a smaller area.
1) We strongly encourage that you pre-register your entries. Our on-site registration will be done in the NBCC’s lobby this year, so pre-registration will help to minimize crowding.
2) Please study the new contest categories and rules carefully. The category list has been condensed and simplified. The rules have been changed to clarify the definition of legacy kit builds.
3) Contestants will be limited to only one entry in any given category, but they are free to enter as many categories as they wish. Please note that this rule is in effect BEFORE the judges apply any split(s) to any given category. This is a good opportunity to build in categories you might not normally consider.
4) The contest room will be closed to spectators during judging. Only staff and judging personnel will be allowed access during those hours.
We want everyone to have a great time at ModelFiesta and we appreciate your help to manage this situation. Here are some important reminders..
Safety. Given the spread of the highly contagious COVID virus, we are asking all vendors, competitors, and attendees to wear face masks and distance when you are in the building. Please be considerate of the safety of the other people at the event. We will have sanitizer stations for you to use throughout the day. If you are experiencing any COVID symptoms or have recently been exposed to someone known to have the virus, please postpone your visit until ModelFiesta 42 in 2024.
Food. There will be no food or drink sales at the venue. Restaurants and bakeries are within walking distance of the contest.
ATM The facility does not have an ATM machine, so plan your cash holdings accordingly.
Pre-Registration. We strongly suggest you pre-register your entries. This simple procedure will save you time and reduce your registration fee.
Vendors. Vendors may set up on Friday evening, February 10th, from 6-9 p.m. or on Saturday, February 11th beginning at 6 a.m. Club members will be available to help vendors unload their vehicles. More Information
Raffle. We have many model kits, paint sets, tools, and books in our raffle. Some of these kits are the latest releases from Tamiya, ICM, Takom, Bandai, and Aoshima. Raffle tickets are $5 each.
Donations. Alamo SquadronV is collecting kits, modeling supplies, and reference materials for US military veterans. Please consider a generous donation. A Models 4 Troops bin will be available for your donations.
Hundreds of years of Logistical employment has enabled the sustainment and improvement of ancient as well as modern civilizations. Logistics touches all aspect of our lives and can be considered a coordination of an operation, of various complexities, involving the integration of people, facilities, supplies, and the means of transport. With this year’s contest theme, “Logistics – Hauling the Freight”, Alamo Squadron honors the essential utilization of logistical application throughout societies’ past, present, and what can be imagined into the future.
There are many modeling topical areas that can be used to express the core of logistics form the time of the Egyptian and Roman Empires, Iron, and Industrial Ages, and when humans eventually developed advanced travel by sea, land, air, and outer space. Some examples would include:
Due to scheduling constraints with the NBCC, space for attendees and judges to view models at the same time is severely constricted. For this reason, Alamo Squadron regrets that the contest room must be closed to all traffic except for active judges and staff during the judging session. This restriction will apply to our event in 2024 as well. We will be able to resume use of the full NBCC facility moving forward with the 2025 event into the foreseeable future and thank you for your understanding and patience in the interim. You will also note some restrictive rules below intended to limit the number of models on the contest tables. The rules have been changed to clarify the definition of legacy kit builds.
Here is the new categories list for Modelfiesta 41. Please study the new contest categories and contest rules carefull . The category list has been condensed and simplified. Due to space constrains comparte do last year's ModelFiesta, the MF41 Team made the rule that an entrant can enter only ONE MODEL PER CATEGORY, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH CLASS. I.E That's seven CATEGORIES in the Aircraft CLASS.
Sponsored by Lionheart Hobbies
Kyle, Texas
Sponsored by Dibble's Hobbies
San Antonio, Texas
Sponsored by Herb Scranton
Sponsored by Lee Forbes
Sponsored by IPMS Houston
Houston, Texas
Sponsored by TBA
Sponsored by Lee Washburn
Sponsored by Rowdy Bricco
Sponsored by Lee Forbes
Sponsored by Richard Kern. Given to a well built model based on a terrible kit.
Sponsored by the Austin Scale Modeler's Society
Austin, Texas
Star Wars subject.
Sponsored by Len Pilhofer
Sponsored by Adam David Stephenson
Sponsored by Lee Forbes
Sponsored by Tamiya USA
Recognizes club members who have distinguished themselves with a lifetime of superior model building and service. More info
The price of tables will be $35 per 6' x 2.5' table. Table location will be assigned and adjusted by Alamo Squadron to maximize the number of vendors. Parking for vendors with trailers is $10. Vendor parking passes (if required) and vendor name tags will be distributed at vendor setup, Friday night and Saturday morning.
Tables that are not paid in full by December 18th, 2022, will be offered to vendors on the waiting list. A full refund will be issued to all vendors should MF41 be cancelled and to a single vendor if their table(s) can be re-sold or at the discretion of the ModelFiesta steering committee.
No materials or services may be sold (monetary transactions or material trade) on New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center property (to inlcude vehicles in the parking lot) by any attendee unless from a paid vendor table. Due to facilities scheduling, the vendors must clear the vendor room no later than 4 pm.
Word document Download and fill out the Vendor Table Request Form (VRTF).
PDF file Download and fill out the Vendor Table Request Form (VRTF).
Mail the completed vendor request form along with a check payable to "Alamo Squadron of San Antonio" for $35 per number of tables requested to:
Alamo Squadron
ModelFiesta 41
PO Box 680652
San Antonio, TX 78268
All questions can be sent to our vendor coordinator via the CONTACT FORM.
As of February 1, 2023.
Green: Reserved and confirmed.
Yellow: Reserved, pending payment.
White: Available.
Alamo Squadron is offering entrants the opportunity to pre-register their model entries for ModelFiesta 41. Download the Model Registration Summary Form and the Individual Model Entry Forms (one per entry). Once downloaded, information can be entered directly into text boxes on the forms and saved. You may refer to the Category List to help determine in what categories your builds belong.
The ONLY paperwork that needs to be returned via email is the Model Registration Summary Form. Upon completion, that form should be emailed to alamosquadron@gmail.com. Receipt of your Summary Form will be acknowledged and additional instructions regarding what to do with all of your forms will be e-mailed to you a few days after receipt. Please feel free to ask questions about the Pre-Registration process, or about the event in general, by emailing those questions to alamosquadron@gmail.com.
A discount of $3 on the total registration fee will be offered to those who take advantage of the Pre-Registration process
The first ModelFiesta was held in Wonderland Mall, now called Crossroads Mall, in 1982 and has been held each year since that first contest, with the exception of 2021 due to COVID-19.
Our ModelFiesta event has traditionally been scheduled for early to mid-February on a Saturday preceding or following Valentine’s Day. Another event is scheduled in the NBCC ballroom Saturday evening for ModelFiesta dates that are available at our usual February slot, but the ModelFiesta Planning Committee felt it important to maintain that tradition. The NBCC has graciously accommodated our request to hold the ModelFiesta event on that date in a reduced footprint from the last (2022) event. For that reason, IPMS/USA Alamo Squadron must conduct the contest segment of our event in the Garden/Meeting Room area of the NBCC. This area will accommodate sufficient contest tables for our average number of entries.
ModelFiesta 30. February 2011
Live Oak Civic Center
ModelFiesta 35. February 2016
San Antonio Event Center
ModelFiesta 40. January 2022
New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center
Looking for a previous Modelfiesta results? Click on the button and you can either select or type the Modelfiesta number or year held to download.
The Alamo Squadron Memorial Trophy recognizes club members who have distinguished themselves with a lifetime of superior model building and service. The trophy is inscribed with their names as well as those of the recent winners of the Modelfiesta Best of Show award.
The criteria for memorial recognition includes:
Alamo Squadron members who have been honored with memorial recognition are:
Recent ModelFiesta Contest Best of Show winners include: