You can feel when a Nationals is being built with real intention and Fort Wayne is making that case early. We sit down with John Figueroa, chair of the 2026 IPMS USA National Convention, and treasurer Dave Mason to get the behind-the-scenes look at what’s coming to the Grand Wayne Convention Center in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 5 through 8. The big headline: they’re not doing this with one club grinding for four days. They’ve assembled 11 clubs across Region 4 to share the workload, share the payoff, and still have time to enjoy the convention like everyone else.

We dig into the attendee essentials: a vendor room on the scale you expect from IPMS Nationals (about 426 vendor tables with only a few left), plus a seminar schedule that runs from beginner to advanced. Expect practical topics like scale model photography and lighting, CAD, Silhouette and Cricut paint masks, and weathering for dioramas, along with subject-focused sessions and special interest group guidance. If you come to Nationals to learn new techniques, this lineup is designed to keep you moving from room to room.

Then we get into the “why” behind their choices. John explains a deliberate push to welcome more genres, so automotive, ships, sci-fi, and Gundam builders feel just as at home as aircraft and armor modelers. That shows up in theme awards, custom decal sheets, and a raffle they treat as one of the three core pillars of the show, with plans that even let you check results online. We also talk logistics that matter: online pre-registration is open, it’s $55, pre-registration closes June 30, and on-site registration jumps to $65. Finally, Fort Wayne adds a unique capstone: an awards ceremony in the restored Embassy Theatre connected by skywalk.

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2026 IPMS National Convention - Fort Wayne, IN

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