Mike Fiore judges entries during ModelCon 2015 at the Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015.
The front half of the large convention center room was filled with tables on which scale models of World War II-era planes, fighter jets, tanks, race cars and X-Wing fighters sat perched for perusal. Attendees of ModelCon 2015, mostly men, middle-aged and older, milled through the long tables to admire the intricate work.
Tom Gaston, a professional model builder who parlayed his boyhood hobby into a career, stood near his 1/48 scale model of a Ventura MkII, a British warplane from the 1940s. Gaston flipped through a photo album of the three-month process it took to build the model, as others admired the weathered look of the plane’s camouflage.
IF YOU GO
What: Chattanooga ModelCon 2015 When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 Where: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1100 Carter St. Admission: $5 for ages 16 or older, free for ages 15 and younger. Walk-ins wishing to display a model pay $15 for up to three models; $1 each additional model.
“The camo scheme was tough,” Gaston said. “I taped each section off, the same way the Brits did with the real ones.”
Gaston, who started building models when he was 5 years old, said he was attracted to the Ventura because it reminded him of a Lockheed Hudson model he’d built 10 of when he was younger. Lynn Petty, president of the Chattanooga Scale Modelers Association which has sponsored the convention for the last five years, said that building models transports a lot of people, like Gaston, back in time.