Wonderfest 2019

Louisville, KY USA on 1-2 June 2019

By Michael Benolkin

This was my third Wonderfest and I must say, I'm hooked. I wanted to go several years ago when I heard that Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson from the original Lost in Space) was one of the special guests, but work had other priorities at the time. When I opened HobbyZone USA three years ago, it was the first opportunity to jump into the Wonderfest experience, and we signed up. That first show (2017) was somewhat overwhelming as it is unlike any model show I've previously attended, and the only thing I remember about the guests that year was the shiny chap (R2D2) I met in the lobby and later at the bar. Overall, we were hooked and signed up again for the next show.

Last year's Wonderfest (2018) was also busy, but now we knew what to expect. Sybil Danning (Queen of the 'B' movies) was one of the special guests, and she is still very much active in front of and behind the camera. There were also a variety of talented folks ranging from make-up artists to set designers on hand to share their experiences in your favorite science fiction films and television shows. This year, Marta Kristen was back and it was fantastic to meet the person who was the subject of my teenage crush so many years ago.

As I said, this was our third time at Wonderfest, and one thing I really appreciate about this show is its consistency. Where IPMS National Conventions move around the country facing a variety of challenges from facilities to staffing, and from ease of travel to extracurricular activities, Wonderfest can be found at the same time of year, at the same location (Crowne Plaza), with easy access from the Louisville, KY airport next door, and lots of good food and activities nearby. Where IPMS Conventions feature a wide variety of subjects on their contest tables, Wonderfest is focused on science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc., and the quality of work of these models is outstanding. Like an IPMS convention, the vendor rooms at Wonderfest are very dangerous to your budget as you'll find things that you never dream existed thanks to many of the smaller cottage industry companies you'll see there.

Here's a quick look around the vendor rooms to get an idea of what you'll see at a Wonderfest:

Since Marta was here this year, they had a nice display of Lost in Space props and replicas which will come in handy for future modeling projects. The B9 robots provide some nice details to help with the Moebius Models kit.

Last, but not least, here is a look around the contest room with photos (below) as well as this video clip illustrating some of the models with lighting effects, etc.