Nürnberg Toy Fair 2014

Nürnberg Toy Fair Report 2014

It's been four weeks now since the doors of the 2014 edition of the Nürnberg Toy Fair have been closed. Once again, here is our annual report of the event. As always it is focused on aircraft related items since this is the main subject of Aeroscale. A lot has been already published elsewhere and though the report may not reveal any new information it can nevertheless represent an interesting read because it covers most of the manufacturers present there. Despite the fact that there was no "Big Aircraft Announcement" this time, there was plenty of new stuff to see and there is also a lot to look forward to in 2014 and beyond. All the scales and all era and subjects were represented so there is a little something for everyone.

The "Star" of this year's Toy Fair was the F-35. There was no spectacular big scale kit of the Lightning II to drool over but instead the Lockheed Martin aircraft was almost present in every booth. The 70th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion (D-Day) was also a subject matter and a lot of special boxings have been prepared for this event but sadly not so many "New Tool" items. Strangely, the 100th anniversary of the First World War (1914-1918) wasn't as popular amongst the manufacturers. I suppose that economical considerations have priority.

I wrote last year that it was more and more fun to attend the Toy Fair. Not only because it is a pleasure to meet my IPMS Friends (Daniela, Volker and Steffen) and share some nice diners with them, but also because we see a lot a friendly faces in the manufacturer's booths. This year, for the first time, some people in the industry gave Steffen and myself some "insider infos". Sadly we can't reveal anything we know but this a great vote of confidence from them to Aeroscale and IPMS Germany. So let me add something: our hobby is not dead and we can expect some interesting releases in the coming years. Our stashes sure won't diminish anytime soon!

For a list of what is scheduled for 2014, please take a look at the IPMS Deutschland News List which is probably the most up to date around the web.