Home | 2026 IPMS/USA National Convention

August 5-8, 2026

Grand Wayne Convention Center
120 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802

Welcome to Fort Wayne and the 2026 IPMS/USA National Convention

On behalf of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA, it is a distinct honor and genuine pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 National Convention to be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 5-8.

Whether you are a first-time attendee, a rising young modeler, or a long-time champion of our craft, we thank you for joining us in this remarkable gathering; a celebration of the ingenuity, camaraderie, and passion that define our modeling community.

We are a team of eleven IPMS/USA Region 4 Chapters dedicated to give you the best convention experience we possibly can.

The three rings of the circus -- the National Contest, our esteemed vendors, and the raffle -- will all be in place along with other side shows such as the Tiger Meet, family make and take, tours, and seminars to sharpen your skills and learn more about our craft.

As a group, we wrestled with the five Theme Awards for the convention. The first is Happy Birthday America - The American Revolution (the U.S. semi-quincentennial is only one month prior to the convention). The others are Gundam RX-78 - Back to the Beginning, Truck Town USA – International Harvester, the 60th Anniversary of Star Trek, and the 110th Anniversary of the Battle of Jutland. I will explain each of these awards in greater detail and provide our thoughts as to why we chose these five in subsequent posts.

We will be posting frequently here and on the Convention Facebook page to give you all the information you need in a timely manner, and to answer questions you might have.

We’d also like to be kept abreast of what it is you are planning to bring to the convention, be it for the contest or for the Tiger Meet (display only, more on that later). Show us your work and share updates on your builds with us.

We are very excited to have been chosen to host you in Fort Wayne. I will be posting opportunities for family outings, short trips, and items of interest for modelers and their families. There is so much that we want to share with you, so check back often.

Gracias amigos…

John Figueroa
IPMS/USA
2026 National Convention Chairperson

News and Announcements

Come and hang with your favorite podcasters
Have a favorite podcast that motivates your builds? Get the chance to meet the hosts at the Mojo 'Til Midnight podcaster social, sponsored by the Plastic Model Mojo Podcast.

Kentucky Dave and Mike are planning to be on hand and other podcasters, as well as any convention attendees, are invited to join for drinks (from the cash bar) and discussion in the Hilton Atrium Bar on Thursday night from 8:30 to midnight.
Squadron to offer "Dragon and His Tail" B-24J for convention
Those attending the convention will have the opportunity to purchase The Dragon and His Tail, a limited edition 1/48 scale B-24J Liberator being offered by Squadron.
Small Scale Pics brings opportunity for fantasy photos of your work
While there will be several modeling magazines at the convention giving you the opportunity to have your models grace their pages and get national attention, this year you will also have the chance to get pictures of your work that you can keep. Kevin Epling from Small Scale Pics will be bringing his cameras and backdrops to give you some astounding images you can keep.
Lazy Dog Hobby Studio adding jigs for convention lineup
Lazy Dog Hobby Studio began nearly six years ago with a simple idea: create affordable, practical tabletop gaming terrain and hobby accessories for modelers and gamers. What started with a small Etsy shop offering Warhammer 40k terrain and paint racks quickly grew into a business supported by a passionate community of hobbyists.
Bev Mason filling the need for convention mugs, tumblers
Those of us who collect such things might have noticed there was not a convention mug for preorder when we registered.

Never fear. Bev Mason's Paper N Press will be filling our need.

Bev Mason, owner of Paper N Press and the convention’s marketing coordinator, will be making mugs, tumblers and Koozies on site with the convention logo and any custom message you might want.