Two days dedicated to an ancient passion meeting up with new worlds related to games, entertainment, carnival masks and cosplay, as well as the most famous colourful building bricks in the world – this year hosted in an area of 10,000 square meters – not to mention the Creativity Village section where visitors can take part in workshops highlighting the wisdom of making things and manual arts.
Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March: Veronafiere welcomes back Model Expo Italy. The 18th edition will boast many new features, thanks to even stronger collaboration with local and national associations representing modelling and play in all its forms.
The event covers a show area of more than 60,000 square meters and is organised around many thematic sections: in addition to the historic show halls hosting static modelling, model railways, Elettroexpo and the vintage market, the exhibition offering is now extended with the Brick Arena, the Play District and the new section dedicated to creativity and the wisdom of making things, with the 3rd edition of the Creativity Village.
The heart of the event is confirmed across the 7 areas dedicated to modelling. Some of the main attractions include the Big Tub where, thanks to the untiring passion and efforts of the DLF Modelling and History Association in Pontassieve (Florence), visitors this year will be able to watch a performance recalling the launch of the transatlantic liner Andrea Doria. Galleons will be presented with a new livery and two current units of the Italian Navy will also be on show: Caio Duilio in 1:50 scale and aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1:72 scale.
The IPMS Association organises a number of workshops in the static modelling field for children aged 6 to 15. Saturday and Sunday will host a competition exclusively for IPMS members focusing on miniaturised Frecce Tricolori aircraft: visitors to Model Expo on Sunday will be able to vote for the most faithful reproduction of the original!
Not to mention model railways, with increasingly detailed train dioramas ranging from night to day, from maritime to high mountain stations; the cage for acrobatics by radio-controlled aeroplanes and helicopters and the tracks for many kinds of model car racing, from drift to slots.
The main new items at this edition, given its schedule close to the Carnival period (a deeply felt popular tradition in the Verona area), include the historical-cultural parade of costumes and masks depicting the important heritage from local areas all over Italy, organized by the National Coordination Centre for Italian Masks, whose duties, among others, include collecting, protecting and promoting the exhaustive list of Italian masks and costumes.
There’s even a new look for the Play District, the Model Expo Italy section focusing on play, from board games to comics and cosplay. Ilaria Sposetti is the designer behind the design of Play District’s new identity image: She is the Character and Prop Designer of “Strappare Lungo i Bordi” (Tear Along The Edges), the popular Netflix cartoon series written and directed by Zerocalcare and will be among the guests on the Play District Stage at this edition.
The main Italian cosplayer associations are also taking part, including the extras of the Stranger Things series by the UDI-UpsideDown Italia Association and the faithful settings it manages to recreate for the most “1980s” series ever; Ghostbusters Italia will organise animated games for young ghostbusters, while the Star Wars Celebration Area will involve various costume realities and associations brining to life fantastic light-sabre duels and all the tricks needed to become a true Jedi or Sith.
While talking about fun, don’t miss Gardaland and Movieland, two of Lake Garda’s main theme parks: Gardaland will be take part with “Jumanji the Labyrinth” cosplayers – the Park’s new entry for 2023, available for selfies and souvenir photos on the film’s legendary jeep; Prezzemolo, the official mascot and ambassador of Gardaland, will also tour all the show halls to meet children visiting the event. Movieland Park will present the season’s new items during a preview right on the Play District stage and the enormous stand where visitors will enjoy unique performances and get to know the park’s artists, dancers, singers and stuntmen.
Welcome back also to Cosfight, scheduled this year on Saturday 4 March. Presenters Valeryo and Valentina will welcome the numerous, colourful challengers on the Play District stage.
There is also great news for the Brick Arena where, in addition to space totalling 10,000 square meters, 36 LUGs will take part, some of which travelling even from Switzerland, Germany and Croatia. Guests in the Talk Area include Andrew Lactantius AFOL who will present the set developed by LEGO® for the LEGO IDEAS series on sale in official stores in February, and Sandro Damiano who saw his set created through the BRICKLINK DESIGNER PROGRAM.
As for every year, there will be many brand new dioramas involving thousands of pieces: from the Castle diorama by I Castellani to the 36 sq. m. fire brigade diorama in the Stupinigi Hunting Reserve presented by Piemonte Brick, not to mention the surprise that will be unveiled during a preview event at Model Expo Italy by LUG Veneto.
The e-sports area will be even more appealing than ever, where enthusiasts will be able play with the new consoles. The Creativity Village will allow visitors to purchase and attend workshops covering manual arts, home-décor and creative artisanship, conceived in collaboration with exhibitors, to promote the wisdom of making things by hand and the manual arts.
- News
- 3 February 2023
