The 2022 Ottawa Scale Auto Contest

The last time we got one of these local shows was in the fall of 2019. That was a great show and, due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, it was the last local show we had until this past Sunday. This show and contest is brought to us by the local scale auto club and hosted by the Hobby Centre. Despite the name, models of all categories welcomed at the OSAC and like last time, there were a lot of great models on display.

Since its inception in 2014, the show has been held in various venues but most recently it has been housed a the Holland Armory (an actual working Armory) in the south end of Ottawa. This is a “model club style” show with a focus on Auto categories and away from IPMS-like judging.  Winners are determined by popular vote (from fellow modelers) and there are 1-2-3 awards in each of the categories.

This is a smaller, less formal show than a full-blown IPMS contest but it features all of the things you would normally find at larger shows: a raffle, silent auction, vendors, and all of the usual suspects in the local hobby scene. I really enjoyed taking my ballot to each of the tables and carefully selecting my vote.

Full disclosure: what I don’t know about car modeling can fill a library. It’s almost as much as I know about figure painting and calculating Lagrange points.

I don’t know anything about car modeling; is what I am trying to say.

But I know what I like, or at least I can appreciate the work that has gone into these kits. More than this is my growing appreciation of anyone who brings a kit to a show and places it on a table. I like seeing stuff that I don’t make and I get my scale modeling inspiration from seeing the work of others over many tables. Of course, not everyone will be an award winner but that hardly matters. Each model on the table represents someone’s best effort and I love seeing them.

Two really great things stood out for me. The show organizers gave out four special awards: Each one in honor of a well-known local modeler who is no longer with us. I thought that was a really nice way to remember these guys. That said, I sincerely hope we don’t see any next year. The organizers also wowed my little one with a category award for her pirate ship junior model entry. Wow, was she ever over the moon with her medal and a plaque! A big thanks for that.

A quick video

Want to see some of the entries and get an overall feel for the show? I didn’t get them all but here are a few of the models that caught my eye. Let me know what you think!