Episode 68: The 83rd MFCA Show and Thoughts on Originality

In this special “crossover” episode, Jim and Barry are joined by his beloved Joan, host of the fantastic podcast “Her Shrink Ray Eye,” to share their thoughts about last month’s annual MFCA Show in Trevose, PA, and, with some agitation by Jim, the dwindling or scarce participation in the “original” category (which many other open-system miniatures shows call “open”).

The images shared here represent only a small fraction of the amazing work on display at the show, or even what your hosts discuss in this episode. To start: a truly impressive wall of box dioramas at the back of the Historical Original display room. (Display photo by Jim; box photos by Barry Goss.)

From the top: “Color Inside the Lines” by Joan; the only meeting of Wellington and Nelson by Joe Berton; a revolutionary war scene by Pete Culos; “Human Re$ources” by Dennis Levy; a fine Egyptian scene by Matthew McKeeby; “XOR” by Barry, and “The Death of Spock” and “A Casting from Nature” by Jim.

Jim contends that Barry and Joan are popularizing a welcome trend toward ambiguity and abstraction with their work. Below: Barry’s Historex figure. A comment on… well, what do you think it means?

This year’s Best of Shows went to John Rosengrant for a stunning 1/16th-scale Sherman, Kelsey Hattam for her eyeball creature, and Philippe Gengembre for his Versailles scene. (Photos by Penny Meyer)

Your hosts were wowed not only by Kelsey’s stunning fantasy display (photos one and two below), but by Mindy Moore’s work (center) and Roxana Mehrabadi Nielsen’s (the four images at bottom; all photos by Penny Meyer).

Barry was also very impressed by Mindy’s chromatic work on this historical flat, rendered with pastels.

MFCA gave a long-overdue Honorary Grand Master award to Bill Merklein, who led a fascinating talk about his varied contributions to the miniatures world as a sculptor and painter. (This year’s Grand Master was previous Small Subjects guest Lou Masses.) Below: Bill takes a close look at Joan’s box diorama, and poses for a snap with Barry and Joan. (Photos by Jim) Also: Edgar Allen Poe, painted by Joe Salkowitz and sculpted by Bill Merklein (photo by Penny Meyer).

Finally, the “Dancing Maria” figure from the film “Metropolis” by Black Heart Enterprises that inspired Barry to buy two copies (painted by Matt McKeeby, one of several pieces at MFCA illustrating the trend toward painted backdrops that Jim mentioned; photo by Penny Meyer); the Norman Rockwell painting scoffing at modern art from the cover of Tom Wolfe’s diatribe The Painted Word, and the Baba Yaga figure from Abbysoul that Jim regrets buying (but which he thinks he can improve).

Expect more photos from MFCA coming soon on this site and in the next issue of The Scabbard.