The World of Plastic Modeling
17. 9. 2025 – 22. 3. 2026
The Technical Museum in Brno, in cooperation with the Brno Plastic Modelers Club, has prepared an exhibition entitled The World of Plastic Modeling. It is the largest exhibition of this hobby in Europe. The exhibition takes visitors into the world of miniature history in maximum detail.
Plastic model making is a relatively widespread hobby among the male population. Ideally, it combines manual dexterity, artistic sensibility, patience, and an interest in history, especially the history of technology. The Czech Republic is one of the leading countries in terms of the number of companies producing plastic models and various accessories for them.
At the exhibition, you will learn what a plastic model actually is, what this hobby entails, and where studying model templates can take us. You will see the development of kits, but especially a large number of models of aircraft, military and civilian technology, cars, ships, submarines, figures, and dioramas, in scales of 1:350, 1:144, 1:72, 1:48, 1:35, 1:32, 1:24, 1:20, and others, all in top-quality workmanship from leading Czech and Slovak modelers. You will see detailed interior workmanship and realistic surfaces of real technology transferred to a smaller scale. Construction procedures will show how the final model is created.
Mimo jiné je k vidění například válečná ponorka 1 : 72 (model o délce 1,3 m) nebo zajímavá ukázka jednoho typu letadla v měřítcích 1 : 144 až 1 : 24. Můžete porovnat, jak se technika v jednotlivých obdobích měnila. Výstava zmiňuje i počátky výroby plastikových modelů v ČSSR, postup přípravy a výroby plastikové stavebnice. Ukážeme vám postupný vznik modelu od otevření krabice až po jeho umístění do vitríny. Nahlédnete i do problematiky modelářských soutěží, protože i ty jsou nedílnou součástí světa plastikového modelářství.
Among other things, you can see a 1:72 scale model of a war submarine (1.3 m long) or an interesting display of one type of aircraft in scales ranging from 1:144 to 1:24. You can compare how technology has changed over time. The exhibition also mentions the beginnings of plastic model production in Czechoslovakia and the process of preparing and producing plastic kits. We will show you the gradual creation of a model, from opening the box to placing it in a display case. You will also learn about model-making competitions, as they are an integral part of the world of plastic model-making.
The model-making population is aging, as the younger generation is mainly interested in the virtual world. We believe that organizing an exhibition on plastic model-making could attract more young people to this hobby. The museum shop will offer a selection of basic tools and models, chosen to the best of our knowledge for their simplicity and suitability for beginner modelers.
Foto Eva Řezáčová, ©Technické muzeum v Brně
