Next ‘Fest: June 2-3, 2018 | Crowne Plaza Louisville Hotel
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WHAT IS WONDERFEST?
A weekend of wonder in Louisville!
WonderFest is a weekend of hobby escape that’s held every Summer in Louisville, Kentucky USA!
Now in its 29th year, WonderFest features movie special effects guests, the largest model contest in the U.S. for sci-fi, horror & comics-related subjects, model and toy dealers galore, and seminars to entertain and improve hobbyists of all ages!
It’s always held at our mothership, the Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Hotel, 830 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY 40209.
MEET THE 2018 GUESTS
Click their names to read about them.
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Click an icon to learn more.
Tickets
Buy your tickets at the door for one day or the whole weekend. Early Bird tickets get you into the dealer’s rooms 2 hours early!
More info…
Hotel & Restaurant
Special WonderFest room rates in a fine hotel, with an award-winning restaurant. It’s so convenient to stay in the show hotel!
More info…
Louisville Attractions
Bring your family and take extra time to visit exciting tourism sites in and around Louisville. Go exploring.
More info…
THE AMAZING MODEL CONTEST
Greatest in the World for Imaginative Modelers!
The WonderFest “Amazing” Model Contest is focused on all types of science-fiction, horror and comics models. It’s the biggest contest of its type in America, and it’s fun to look at even if you don’t build models yourself!
The contest is sponsored by Amazing Figure Modeler magazine, which is providing a special $300 award for the Most Amazing Figure!
With 743 entries in 2017, it took up the entire ballroom and featured some of the best modeling we’ve ever seen.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)
JUNE 1-2-3, 2018
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AFM Modeling Boot Camp | 9A-5P | Russell Room | |
| 2 | Badger / Black Heart Model Finishing Class | 9A-3P | Trimble Room | |
| 3 | Iwata / TAG Team Friday Workshop | 9A-4P | TBA | |
| 4 | Friday Night Welcome Party | 7P-9P | Main Hallway | |
| 5 | Iwata Airbrush Party | 7P-10P | Madison Room | |
| 6 | Friday Night Frights | 9P-11P | Theater B |
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEALER ROOMS OPEN | 10A-5P | Dealer A & B | |
| 2 | HOW-TO DEMOS | 11A-5P | Elliott, Franklin, Grant | |
| 3 | GUEST TALKS | 10A-4:30P | Theaters A & B | |
| 4 | CONTEST ENTRIES | 8A-Noon | Coronet | |
| 5 | CONTEST VIEWING | Noon-5P | Coronet | |
| 6 | RONDO AWARDS | 5P-7P | Theater A | |
| 7 | CHILLER CINEMA LIVE | 7P-11P | Theater B | |
| 8 | Wicked WonderFest Hallway Cosplay Contest | 1PM-5PM | Main Hallway | |
| 9 | RobotWorks at WonderFest | 9AM-5PM | Grant Room |
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEALER ROOMS OPEN | 10A-5P | Dealer A & B | |
| 2 | HOW-TO DEMOS | 10A-2P | Elliott, Franklin, Grant | |
| 3 | CONTEST VIEWING | 10A-3P | Coronet | |
| 4 | GUEST TALKS | 10A-3P | Theaters A & B | |
| 5 | CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY | 3P-4P | Theater B | |
| 6 | WONDERFEST WRAP PARTY | 7:30P | Theater A | |
| 7 | ROBOTWORKS AT WONDERFEST | 9AM-5PM | Grant Room |
MUST-SEE PROGRAMMING
Click an icon to learn more.
How-To Demos
Learn techniques from other great modelers! Demos last from 30 minutes to an hour. Become a better modeler with these tips and tricks.
More info…
Iron Modeler
Teams are given a “base model,” a big pile of parts, and 4 hours to build the craziest model with only what they’ve got. Best model & presentation wins!
More info…
The Rondo Awards
Fandom’s only classic horror awards—decided by fans, for fans. Recognize the best in print, film, web, art, media, toys and models!
More info…
Sunday Wrap Party
Sunday night at 7:30 celebrate the end of the show with exclusive programming! Optional a la carte food and cash bar.
More info…
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WONDERFEST 2016
Click image to open a slideshow.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
They help make this event possible!
WONDERFEST LATEST NEWS
From our Facebook feed...
NEW FOR 2018: Fill out your Amazing Model Contest entry forms in advance!
Form goes “live” at 12 noon EDT tomorrow, Friday, April 13th!
Our new Online Entry Form tool lets you fill in and print your entry forms in advance. Then just bring them with you and pay your entry fees at the door. We hope this new tool will save time and prevent handwriting interpretation mistakes.
Visit our Amazing Model Contest page at: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/contest/
Finally!!!
Woooohoooo! 😀
Great idea!
Finally!
Awesome (mostly because my handwriting sucks!)
One of the small reasons this is happening. 😉
Nice addition! You guys rock!
THANK GOD!!!!!
And now a word from our friend, John Ross:
With all the talk about WonderFest, please keep in mind that we are in need of volunteers to help with Make-N-Take(MNT). For those that are not familiar with MNT, this is a program where kids under 18 attend and build a kit provided by our sponsor Starship Modeler. The kits are usually snap type and vary from year to year based on availability. Volunteers sit with the kids and help them assemble the kit, teaching them to read instructions,identify parts, assemble the kit and possibly placing stickers on the kit as well. Not required by some volunteers like to teach kids the proper noises to make while playing with the assembled subject. The hope is to pass along the hobby and maybe inspire others as well.
MNT usually runs from about 11am to 3 or 4pm. Volunteers would be asked to donate an hour of their time to help in this endeavor. The reward is connecting with a youngster for a little while, knowing you help pass the hobby along to another generation and may even have some fun playing some of the kits while your helping someone. Finally you may also learn some new noises to use when playing with your own creations.
Interested parties should contact SueAnne Lawhorn Merrill or John R. Ross by PM or please look us up at the show. We know sometimes you don't want to make a commitment until you see the conference schedule.
Thanks and hope you can help us out!
Calling all cosplayers: New competition will spice-up Saturday at WonderFest!
For our 2018 show, we’re having the inaugural Wicked WonderFest Hallway Cosplay Contest all day on Saturday, June 2nd.
Entry forms will be sold Friday night from 5-8pm and again Saturday morning at 11am. Entry fee is $5. Contestants will be required to fill out a participation form that certifies they are entering the contest, and each form will have a time slot for the contestant to be judged.
Categories will be broken down into three; Master, Intermediate, and Novice.
For rules and more detailed info, go to: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/activities/cosplay-contest/
This is wonderful! I'm so excited WF is embracing another aspect of building and craftsmanship for this! Are there age brackets, like with the model contest as well?
Not sure how i feel about this.
Wonder if we'll see Starfleet Werewolf??? 😁
Vicki L Herring Watson
The plot thickens.
Cosplayers put a lot of time and work into their craft. Im looking forward to seeing them
Hey, Ohio River Valley Cosplayers and Prop Builders (ORCs)!
Should be fun to watch!
Well it will be interesting to see the reactions to this post. I am a 23 year WF veteran. I have watched this show and the hobby evolve as have many of the other "old timers". If I remember correctly it was initially mainly a figure model show. Over the years it evolved to include sci-fi and hardware more prominently. I never really had an issue with that. Kind of the "same ballpark" if you ask me. Over the years there have been scattered cosplayers wandering around the show and while not really my "thing" I had no issue with it. So now we have "upped the game" and decided to make a contest out of it which is sure to bring more of these people in. It is my hope that the dealer room does not become a place for cosplay loitering and photo ops that will make it difficult for both the vendors and consumers to make transactions and show off their wares. If the intention is to get more people in the door and introduce more people into the hobby I would think that the show and the community would reach out to other modeling communities such as the military modelers, or the miniature modelers to name a few. The work done in those communities is often superior to the garage kit world and I think a "merging" of these communities is only natural. I do not see the merging of cosplay into modeling as being related. While I can respect the work and craftsmanship that goes into the cosplay hobby, I for one do not see this as a good thing. Wonderfest is an event that I have looked forward to since my first one in 1995. I still do but for different reasons. I love to see old friends and of course seeing things in person is always better then seeing them on the internet. I would hate to see Wonderfest turn into an autograph, cosplay, type of event. Let's keep it about MODEL KITS!!!
You asked for it...! 😎
DANGER! DANGER! Slap on your Power Packs and roll into RobotWorks at WonderFest!
Visit a collection of the coolest robot replicas this side of Priplanus! Sponsored by the B9 Builders Club, you’ll see several life-size LOST IN SPACE robots, plus other famous robots from movies and TV. These are 1:1 scale models of your favorite mechanical heroes.
RobotWorks at WonderFest lets the B9 Builders share their hand-crafted, museum quality replicas with other builders and, of course s-f fans in general. During the event they’ll exchange building techniques with other builders, establish great friendships and have an absolute blast doing it. This year at WonderFest at least 10 robots are scheduled and almost 50 B9 club members plan to attend.
Learn more at: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/activities/robotworks/
Do the B-9 folks sell items, parts and pieces as well???
Very cool, I will want to see this!!!
I think you will like this Alan Ferguson...
Tim - It’s time you made it to WonderFest!
NEW GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT:
Meet Michael Possert Jr, whose 30-year career in visual effects has included everything from the huge full-scale Amp Suit from AVATAR, to IRON MAN's boots--and the tiny world of KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS!
At Laika Studios, Michael headed the Model Shop for the movies PARANORMAN and THE BOXTROLLS. Other projects he's worked on include THE ROCKETEER, APOLLO 13, TERMINATOR 2, ALIEN 3 and the first X-FILES movie.
Please welcome Michael to his first-ever WonderFest appearance!
Read more at www.wonderfest.com.
