The weather wasn't the best for a nice summer day, but there were plenty of models at the Rainbow Ice Hockey Arena in Pardubice.  Even before getting inside, the Czech Army had sent two vehicles, a Skot APC and a wheeled SPG Dana.  Also outside were some fragments from a US airplane shot down over Czech territory during WW2 and a display of RC boats.  Inside the arena, there were more displays of weapons, ranging from medieval times to WW2, with several re-enactors dressed in full kit.  Also, there were more RC vehicles.  In the Arena itself were many RC planes and rubber-band-powered ultralights, and most impressive to me, were the RC trucks, big 18-wheelers .  I'm not sure what scale they were but they were big and noisy.  I don't know much about RC, but I guess with all the microcomputers available today, you can make your truck do just about everything, including sound, from hissing airbrakes to grinding gears.  If my apartment was a little bigger, I'd consider investing in one.

On to the models,  like most shows, we were outnumbered by our bigger 1/35th scale brothers, but the 1/72nd models I saw in Pardubice were impressive.  Mainly German and US but with some Soviet and even post-war Czech as well.  There were even a couple small scale dioramas, one that stood out to me of an German anti-aircraft battery.  Several Extratech and Planet models were used.  Another model that stood out to me was the Panzerjager IV/48 with a full interior and engine compartment. Also a nice change, there weren't as many airplanes as a regular show, mainly armor and cars.  For those who won the competitions, the prizes were not the ordinary plaques or trophies that most contests use, but homemade awards created by the sponsoring club.

 An extra attraction to the show was the beautiful city of Pardubice itself.  The Arena is located a short distance from the Old Town and Main Square, both in really great condition and very pretty.  I'd recommend stopping in Pardubice to anyone making a trip through Central Europe, even if there isn't a model show that Saturday.

P.S. The Gingerbread is also really great too!

Jeff Hamblen

Photos: Michal Kubik & Petr Neumann