Scott,
Regarding ‘cross contamination’, I took a hard-core IPMS armor builder to WonderFest years ago and he said, ‘I’ve seen more talent in that Contest Room than I have in all my years with IPMS’.
Needless to say, he was hooked and goes just about every year, driving from Tuscon to Louisville! 
That’s exactly the kind of “cross contamination” I was talking about! 
I’ve spent most of my modeling life focused on aircraft, but there’s a lot to learn from seeing what modelers are doing in armor, ships, sci-fi, figures and other areas of the hobby.
And if an IPMS armor guy was impressed enough to start driving from Tucson to Louisville every year, that says quite a bit about the level of work at WonderFest. I really need to get there one of these years.
Rob,
I was the same way when I attended my first IPMS Nationals in 2004. The vendor room had EVERY resin armor kit I was looking for and more! Only mighty restraint and low wallet pressure kept me from going too nuts with the purchases.
Actually, I am glad I held back, since they ALL eventually became available as injection plastic kits, including the T28 super heavy tank, which is the only complete resin tank I ended up buying.
I just made hotel reservations for me and my friends, so the Rubicon has been crossed. We are committed to WonderFest 2027!
Well, you’re certainly not helping me resist this idea. 
I’m already committed to going to the IPMS Nationals next year, so I’m not sure I can justify two major model-show trips in the same year. And yet here I am seriously considering WonderFest too.
What’s especially funny is that six months ago this probably wouldn’t even have been on my radar. I’ve always been a big sci-fi fan, but I’ve never really been a sci-fi modeler. Lately I’m finding myself more and more interested in that whole side of the hobby.
So I’m not crossing the Rubicon with you just yet… but apparently I’ve wandered down to the river to have a look.
Don’t get too close to the water’s edge. You might find the rocks to be slippery…
Scott,
I used to do multiple shows as a vendor, but now I focus on WonderFest and local shows. With that being said, I do plan on attending WF and Nats next year even though it involves two 20+ hour drives within 2 months…
I wish I could drive, I live in Seattle so it is a flight for me (with that hassle and expense). It makes it really hard to bring contest entries also.
There are folks from around the world that come to WonderFest - and bring entries! I used to do a lot of trade shows and would have to bring demo pieces to work on at the booth. I always hand-carried them and the stories I could tell you about TSA interactions… 
I’ve never tried carrying them on, it scares me! Tell us some TSA stories.
Samphoto,
It IS tougher when you have to carry your models to and from contests - I have to do it all the time, being in the middle of the ocean. But I will never check in any bag containing a model - do you recall the 1970s Samsonite luggage TV commercial with the gorilla? Real baggage handlers don’t wear gorilla costumes when they load planes, but I have seen some really abusive and careless handling of bags from the airplane window.
I only had one TSA nightmare, when my model container somehow snagged in the X-ray machine and FELL OFF THE BELT. How it did that I cannot imagine. But then a TSA worker causally picked it up from the floor, held it by diagonally opposite corners with her fingertips, proceeded to twirl it around casually above her head and asked who the box belonged to. I almost got myself strip searched and deported to Guantanamo. I was so livid that when she opened the box and started casually yanking the contents out, I just reached over and removed the model myself. All the time I was getting the standard line about passengers not being allowed to touch their stuff while the TSA was busy breaking it. I was so upset that I did not care one bit about protocol. Their attitude was just absolute crap. A fine, shining, steaming heap of an example of indifferent government workers doing their worst.
No apologies. Not even a look of regret. Just bland stares and an OK you can go. As I stormed away to the departure gate, I overheard one of them saying “Did you SEE what was in that box?!” I wanted to turn around and punch that guy in the face. One of them thought it was a dead snake.
It was this:
Fortunately, nothing was broken as the foam packing did its job. If the model had been yanked out of the box by the TSA agent and was reduced to bits and pieces, they would have found out what an Asian Hulk looked like. And I would have been in Guantanamo.
But ANYWAY, enough about the one bad experience I had. I learned from this incident and now carry my models in translucent containers that give TSA inspectors a clue as to what is inside. It works a lot better this way, as they are much more pleasant and relaxed when I pass through the security line.
On a more amusing note, when a scratchbuilt airplane went through the X-ray machine, it looked like a skeleton of some weird bird or giant insect. For some reason, the composite plastic-wood ribs and formers really stood out. The TSA scan technician stopped, leaned closer to the screen and looked kind of confused before continuing on.
Which reminds me, I have to get back to this model to properly finish it. It still needs thousands of rivets, the canopy needs repair, and the model needs a new paint job.
Now I am just blathering on like an old drunk on a park bench that doesn’t know when to stop talking. I will stop. And I will start a new “So who’s going to WonderFest 2027?” thread because I have hijacked Rob’s thread quite enough.
Here’s one of many: I was flying back through Chicago after the iHobby Trade Show. My carry-on bag went through the X-ray machine and the TSA agent (who wasn’t having a good day) shouted ‘Who’s bag is this?’. I walked over and said ‘Mine’. She reached into my bag and pulled out one of my gravity fed airbrushes and said, ‘And what is this?’ with a scowl. Confused, I replied, ‘It’s an airbrush’. With a disgusted look on her face, she then said, ‘Oh, is that what we’re calling them now?’. Now I was really confused and started explaining what an airbrush was and what it’s used for (not mentioning the really sharp needle inside).
After several minutes of glaring at me she let me go. Come to find out she thought it was a chrome-plated crack pipe! 
It IS a crack pipe, Once you try it, you cannot stop!
I get it that the TSA have to deal with people trying to get really stupid things through security all day long, but when they stop caring and decide to share their bad day, like a crack pipe, it sucks.