What is FMS?

FMS started in 2022, and has built into a major event in the miniature painting and modelling calendar!

We bring together a community of painters and modellers from across the UK and Europe to enjoy a weekend in beautiful Ely looking at and talking about miniatures and scale models!

Is it a painting competition?

Yes and no. There is a competition, but we consider the whole show more of an exhibition for people to show off their work. There are prizes from us and several more from very generous sponsors, but the focus is really more on making it a fun day out for people to share in the hobby.

Fundamentally, the heart of the show will always be getting miniature painters and sculptors together to share their work.

How much are tickets?

Tickets for the full weekend will be £15 on the door. Tickets for one day will be £8 on the door.

For people who bought advance tickets: There are no physical tickets – you will receive an email with an invoice number from Taro Modelmaker. Present this number when you arrive at the show, and you’ll be given a wristband that gives you access to the show.

We ran our first show for free as a gift to the hobby community, but it’s an expensive project to run. As much as we’d love to keep running it as a free show, that’s just not feasible.

We will be investing any profits back into the show, which might let us lower the price for future shows, improve facilities, etc.

Why Ely?

Ely is a small city with surprisingly good links to much of the rest of England. It’s also where we live, which makes it easier to run a show there!

More seriously, we’ve been to a number of shows around Europe, and the best ones are in a nice location with other attractions aside from just the show. Having cafes and bars nearby offer you the opportunity to sit down and talk to other painters.

Ely is a very pretty city, with plenty to do and see, and the venue is comfortable, easy to access and well lit – all key features for a model show!