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The BMSS Annual Show 2026
We are delighted to announce that the 2026 BMSS Annual Show will be held on Saturday 18th April 2026 at the Reading Central Salvation Army hall in Anstey Road, Reading, RG1 7JR, opposite the Hexagon theatre and Oracle shopping Centre.

Please note there is only limited parking available at the venue, unfortunately parking at the Advantage Business Centre is no longer available. Please see below information on car parks.
  1. Admissions will be £5 for public, £4 for BMSS members
  2. Start time for all at the show to be 10:00
  3. Competition entry to be £2 non-BMSS, and £1 for BMSS members
We will be offering a commemorative figure at the show. See details to the right.

A list of traders at the show is below.

Competition Classes for the BMSS Annual Show 2026
(Competitions are open to all, both BMSS members and non-members. Please note that competition entries close at 13.00.)

​Class 1:  Single foot figures up to 54mm 'standard' size.
Class 2:  Single foot figures above 54mm size.
Class 3:  Single mounted figures, any scale.
Class 4:  Vignettes; two or three figures (any scale) with a common theme, mounted on a common base.
Class 5:  Groups and dioramas, open or closed, that is four or more figures with or without associated equipment. Groundwork is expected but is not mandatory.
Class 6:  AFVs, soft skins and artillery, any scale, with or without crew. Where a base is used, this is to be simple; elaborate scenes should be entered in Class 5.
Class 7:  'Toy soldiers', any number up to a maximum of thirty. These may be figures sold as toys or their modern equivalent. Figures may be converted and can be presented in any manner.
Class 8:  Converted and scratchbuilt figures, any scale. A card describing the work done must accompany each entry.
Class 9:  Busts. That part of the figure above the waist which may include arms. Non-military entries are acceptable but no erotica.
Class 10:  Non-military pieces, of any type including fantasy figures, but excluding erotica.
Class 11:  Junior Class. Entrants must be under 18 on the day of the Show. Entries may be single figures, groups, vehicles, etc. Fantasy and war-game figures may be entered in this class.
Class 12:  Wargame unit class: Wargame units with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 40 related figures, foot or mounted. Fantasy units are acceptable.
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Special awards -   to be selected from any entry in any of the above classes:
President's Medal
Best Irish model soldier (Sponsored by the Irish Model Soldier Society)
Lynn Sangster Award  - an award in memory of the late Lynn Sangster, for the best model of a subject from the Napoleonic era.
Traders at the BMSS Annual Show 2025 were

2D Figurines 
ACE Military Models 
Sue Benneworth 
Elan 13 Miniatures 
Guidelines Publications 
Harry Kemp 
Hawk Miniatures 
Name it! 
Mercator Trading 
Oakwood bases 
Steve Viccars 
Tommy Atkins /Fusilier Miniatures

Also at the Show:
Paint 'n' Take - for young visitors. Paint a model soldier (we will show you how) and take away your figure - all free of charge!

Refreshments available through the day
​BMSS ANNUAL SHOW APRIL 26
COMPETITIONS UPDATE - AMENDMENTS
 
After some consideration we are making alterations to our competition at the Annual Show.
  1. Class 13 Special, which was for a different chosen theme each year, will be disbanded. Over the past few years interest in this has waned, and the few entries it has attracted can be easily accommodated in different classes.
 
  1. We have also had the anomaly whereby when a talented and prolific modeler floods a class with entries, we can only cope by awarding it as a single display, whereas in other classes another modeler may pick up more than one medal for different individual entries.
To bring some consistency, multiple entries into a specific class will be grouped together on the table and treated as a display. If an award is given it will be for the best piece, or if all models are to the same standard, then for the whole display.
This is in line with the approach taken at Scale Model Challenge where it seems to work quite well. The only difference is that SMC charges a very high flat fee to enter, regardless of the number of entries you have, which is a little unfair if you just have one model!
We wish to encourage as many entries as possible without penalizing the prolific modeler or the single entrant. Therefore, it has been decided that we will still charge per entry [£1 for members, £2 for non-members] but this will be capped at 5 entries meaning a maximum of £5 and £10 respectively.
  1. Finally following feedback from the judges, we will be modifying the entry slips for the junior class so that the modeler can put down their age. This is important when making decisions – what is good at age 16 is remarkable if someone is only 6!
Ian Duthie
Chief Judge
BMSS Annual Show Parking
We reluctantly must announce that the management company of the Lighthouse will no longer let the car park out due to redevelopment of the site.
Here are some alternatives for visitors to the show in April:
Broad Street Mall, Broad Street Centre, Reading RG1 7QEWeekend 2 hours    £4.10
Weekend 3 hours    £5.10
Weekend 4 hours    £6.10
Weekend 24 hours  £8.10
  • Payment method – cards, notes and coins
  • Contactless card payment (tap in/tap out) at barriers
To get to the hall from Broad Street car park:
Go down the escalator, past TKMax, past the theatre, past the Police Station and across the road.

OR
Reading Civic B, 12 Castle Street, Reading RG1 2LQWeekend 5 hours    £6.50
Weekend 6 hours    £8.50
Weekend 24 hours  £12
  • Payment method – coins and RingGo telephone payment
  • RingGo location code 9476
 
To get to the hall:
Go back up the ramp and past the Police Station and across the road.

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