There’s always so much to do at WonderFest!
The days are packed with events. Once the show closes at 5, we fill the nights with events, too.
Friday Daytime: Pre-Show Workshops
Badger/Black Heart
Airbrushing & Model Finishing Class
9am-3pm – Spend a day learning to paint on a fantastic work of art!
Registration is open for the Black Heart-Badger model airbrushing and finishing class! Seating is limited!
The painting subject for the class will be Black Heart’s Creature from the Black Lagoon…14 inches of amphibian fury… sculpted by Chris Elizardo. The headliners for the class will again be Gordon Oberman and Jeff Camp.
Two packages are available starting from $360.
TWO AFM Model Boot Camps
9am-5pm — Come for the instruction, leave with the knowledge!
Open to modelers of all levels. Seating capacity is very limited.
Boot Camp Class 1 — $295 per student
Steve Riojas will lead this class in painting Black Heart’s 1/4 scale Pumpkinhead bust using a set of quality paints and brushes–all to keep and take home.
Boot Camp Class 2 — $150 per student
Dave Prosser, AKA The Professor, will lead the class in painting the Orkus bust by Gabriel Garcia using a set of quality paints and brushes–all to keep and take home.
Follow the link below for more details on both classes.
Intro to Blender 3D — Bring Your Vision To Life
9 am-5 pm — Quickly get up to speed with Blender 3D!
With the guidance of instructor Stephen Burns, you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to use 3D to create your visions in this full day class.
Blender 3D is an opensource 3D software package that allows you to build, texture, animate, create effects and 3D print. And it is amazing!! Top animators appear to be gravitating to Blender as their personal software to create with. This class will focus on getting to know Blender 3D as a software and how to build, texture and render your 3D visions.
Cost is $225 per person.
Prerequisites: Bring your own laptop, install Blender 3D (it’s free!), and have a mouse that has a scroll wheel for the middle button.
SCI-FI MODELING SCHOOL | Episode IV: Clone Force 23
Sponsored by TAG Team & Iwata
9 am-4 pm
SOLD OUT! Registration is now closed!
Paint an AMT STAR WARS Bad Batch Havoc Marauder! Model will be prepped and primed beforehand so you can get going. Learn to apply Aztek Dummy paint masks (provided) from Lou Dalmaso himself! Use provided equipment or buy your own new equipment! Keep your Marauder along with other Student Pack goodies from class!
NOTE: Airbrush experience strongly recommended.
Iwata instructors: Robert “Otter” Feuillerat, Rob “Iwata Padawan” Schmitt, and Tom “The Wizard” Grossman
Four pricing tiers are available, starting from $250.
Saturday-Sunday Daytime
Dealers!
10am-5pm
Two Dealer Rooms!
Open 10 am till 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Dealers from around the world will be set up at more than 160 tables.
Early Bird tickets are available to get in two hours early on Saturday morning. See the Admissions booth.
501st Legion | Bluegrass Garrison
We’re so happy to welcome the members of the 501st Legion – Bluegrass Garrison.
You’ve seen the 501st on the Mandalorian series as well as adding a distinctively Star Wars presence at our past shows! They add a life-size element amid all the model-scale ones on display.
The Bluegrass Garrison will also be collecting donations for Norton Children’s Hospital.
Exhibits
10 am-5 pm both days – in Dealer Room B
Props, monsters, art and costumes…and the stuff that (scary) dreams are made of!
This year we’ll have a “Return of the Jedi” 40th anniversary exhibit of models. Fantastic STAR WARS things are coming!
Kogar’s Korner
Our annual exhibit tables in Dealer Room B, inspired by the collection of Bob Burns! Thanks to collector Tony Hardy and his talented friends, Kogar’s Korner will have plenty of eye candy on display. This year’s theme is “The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen” – Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.
Charity Raffle & Auction
Open Saturday 11 am–5 pm, Sunday 10 am–5 pm – in Dealer Room A
Every year at WonderFest there’s a Raffle and Silent Auction to benefit worthwhile charities. This incredible effort has raised more than $22,000–while hobbyists have taken home startling goodies–thanks to the generosity of many donors and friends of WonderFest.
Guest Talks!
10am-5pm
Guest Presentations
10 am-5 pm both days in the Upstairs Theaters
Every year our industry guests do presentations, participate in panel discussions, and do audience Q&As!
A schedule will be posted in the days leading up to the show.
How-To Demos
All Weekend
How-To Demos for Figure and Hardware Modelers
These FREE presentations by modelers change every year and usually last from 30 minutes to an hour, (or even two). Focus is on major topics and skills demonstrations. Some will allow the viewers to go hands-on and try the techniques shown.
Two tracks are offered: One for figure modelers and one for vehicle/hardware modelers.
A list of demos topics and times will be posted closer to the show date.
Airbrush 101
SAT: 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm; SUN: 11 am, 1pm
During WonderFest weekend, sign up for one of six FREE 75-minute, hands-on classes (limit 12 students each class), staged and sponsored by Iwata. No charge for WonderFest attendees.
Make & Take for Kids 16 & Under
Saturday-only: 11 am–1 pm & 2–4 pm in the Elliott Room
Kids ages 16 and under can learn how to paint a model—and then take it home.
A great place for beginners to try model painting without fear. Best of all, it’s free! First-time modelers age 16 and under can learn to paint a model using acrylic paints—with help from a crew of patient and experienced volunteers—and then take the finished model home!
Thanks to Black Heart Models for providing small resin busts this year! And to Kaiju Modeler and WonderFest for supplying paint, brushes, and hairdryers to speed the process.
There’s no better way to bring a new generation into our fantastic hobby!
Friday-Saturday-Sunday Night Programs
Friday
TAG Team/Iwata Airbrush Party
7:00 pm – Madison Room
- Test Drive Iwata Airbrushes and Compressors.
- Try NuWorlds Paints! Formulated for plastic, metal and resin.
- Talk with experienced Iwata representatives.
- Meet Iwata artists and see some of their work.
Free to all WonderFest attendees.
Friday Night | WonderFest Grindhouse
8 pm – Upstairs Theater
Program to be announced
The Louisville Gore Club cranks up the WonderFest Grindhouse experience again this year!
Free to all WonderFest attendees.
Saturday
The Rondo Awards: Fan-voted and presented at WonderFest!
Saturday, 4 pm in Upstairs Theater A
Fandom’s only classic horror awards decided by fans, for fans!
We’re happy to welcome David Colton and company back to WonderFest for their live awards presentation for the best in print, film, web, art, media, toys and models… in short, just about everything that makes our monstrous world go ’round!
So make a date with Rondo for Saturday evening. Seating starts at 4 pm in Upstairs Theater A.
Learn more about the much-coveted acromegalics at www.rondoaward.com.
Are you an IRON MODELER?
Saturday 6 pm-10 pm
It’s like ‘Iron Chef,’ but with models!
Eight 3-person teams are given a “base item” (could be a kit, could be a random item), a big pile of parts, greeblies and assorted castaway household items, and 4 hours to build the best model they can out of what they’ve got. A spray booth and paints are provided as well, but teams need to bring any glue or tools. At the end of four hours, the models are judged and the Iron Modeler champion team is crowned, giving them bragging rights for the next year. Oh, and there’s prizes too.
Official start time is 6pm, but you can arrive any time after 5:30 to setup your table. Teams should arrive no later than 5:45. If your team is not there by the 6pm start time, another team will your place.
If you have any problems with the link below, just email John Lester.
Saturday Night in the Upstairs Theater:
7PM – Program to be Announced
Stand by for info about our Saturday night movie screening.
AND…after a brief intermission…
9:30PM – Chiller Cinema presents ???
Maybe another visit by our friend and horror host Doctor Gangrene with a cool, fun movie screening!
Sunday
WonderFest 2023 Wrap Party & Live Entertainment
Sunday at 7:30 pm in the Upstairs Theater
Food and drink, plus exclusive programming!
Grab food and a beverage at the WonderFest Wrap Party!
Our SCRIPTS GONE WILD lunatics will present a live table reading. But of what?? Hold onto your seats and we’ll be posting more information soon!
The WonderFest team will present tributes and door prizes. It’s one last chance to relax with friends before everyone heads home.
Tickets are just $9 per person, sold at Admissions and at the door.
Food and drink sold separately.