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Plastic Model Mojo
Plastic Model Mojo, a podcast dedicated to scale modeling, as well as the news and events around the hobby
Episodes
247 episodes
New Tech And Better Shows For Modelers: Episode 164
A hobby can feel timeless right up until the moment it changes under your hands. We start with the real-world catch up: Wonderfest, the sprint toward the IPMS Nationals in Fort Wayne, and the listener mail that reminds us why this community is ...
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Inside The 2026 IPMS USA National Convention Plan: Model Show Spotlight
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 loo...
Wonderfest Afterglow: June Twelve Minute Modelsphere
We get real about the behind-the-scenes side of running a scale modeling podcast. May hit us with health issues, a car that refused to make the trip, and the kind of production chaos that throws schedules off. We lay out what June should look l...
We Keep Building Because It Keeps Us Sane: Episode 163
A hobby can be the best kind of escape until your workspace fights you, your calendar fills up, and the internet decides a vague press blurb means the sky is falling. We start with what’s been happening at our own benches, including Dave’s push...
Squadron’s 3D Print Push
Something big is happening in scale modeling, and you can feel it in the way builders talk about 3D printing, new subjects, and the shows that are turning into true hobby meetups. We sit down with Brandon Lowe from Squadron to get a grounded lo...
PMM Twelve Minute Modelsphere: May 2026
We zoom out to the bigger modeling hobby community. We recap our trip to the AMPS International Convention in South Bend, Indiana, from standout vendors to the simple joy of photographing great models without hovering too close with a phone. We...
Two Can’t Miss Scale Modeling Events In Sacramento And Salt Lake City
Two model shows, two very different philosophies, one shared goal: make the scale modeling hobby feel bigger than your workbench. We’re in the thick of show season, and we’re shining a light on events that are actively evolving what a great mod...
Housekeeping at Plastic Model Mojo: Episode 162
Your bench time is precious, so when something starts sabotaging it, like CA glue fumes wrecking your sinuses or a half-finished kit stalling for months, we want fixes that actually work. After two big shows in three weeks, we finally do some m...
Kicking off a Special Feature on the Plastic Model Dojo: A PMM Special
He beat a brutal stretch of chemo, got the all-clear, then asked the question every craftsperson quietly fears: do the hands and the mind still work the same way? Our friend Ed Bareth is back, and he’s turning that question into plastic, paint,...
What If The Golden Age Of Modeling Makes You Freeze: Episode 161
Staring at a perfectly organized workbench and still not touching plastic is a special kind of frustration. A listener writes to us after a 30 year break from scale modeling, and the problem is not motivation, it is overload: canopy masks, weat...
PMM Twelve Minute Modelsphere: April 2026
We’re back from HeritageCon feeling the best kind of tired, the kind you earn after a weekend packed with great people, hobby shop stops, and a contest floor full of inspiration. We share highlights from the trip, what stood out about the quali...
The Golden Age Of Modeling And 44 Pounds Of Cheese: Episode 160
A simple lunch-break experiment turns into a genuine “wait, what just happened?” moment: we take AI prompting seriously, generate photorealistic figure concepts for a WWII Eastern Front diorama, and push that workflow toward a printable 3D resu...
Three April Model Shows Worth The Trip: April Model Show Spotlight
April is stacked with model shows, but not all scale model contests feel the same once you walk into the room. We line up three very different events and get into the details that actually matter when you’re deciding where to spend a Saturday: ...
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From AI Prompt To Printable Figure with Jake McKee: Episode 159
An AI prompt that becomes a real scale figure you can hold in your hand sounds like science fiction, but the gap just got a lot smaller. We sit down with returning guest Jake McKee to walk through the exact, messy, real-world workflow he is usi...
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Twelve Minute Modelsphere: March 2026
Ready to watch text turn into tiny people you can actually paint? We kick off March with big plans, bigger shows, and a hands-on look at a workflow that converts AI prompts into resin-ready 3D figures for your next diorama. It started with a li...
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Why We Build: Friendship and Focus Episode 158
When the days are short and the bench time is shorter, what keeps us building? We open the studio door on a fast, funny, and honest ride through the parts of scale modeling that actually matter: a workspace that invites you to sit down, a ritua...
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Inside HeritageCon: Dates, Registration, Vendors, And A Flying Lancaster
The Model Show Spotlight is brought to you by The World of Armor!A flying Lancaster overhead, rows of models below, and a sold‑out vendor hall buzzing with deals—
Fear Targets and Finding Fun Shop Talk: Episode 157
Ever stalled on a “dream build” because you’re afraid to mess it up? We went straight at those fear targets—perfectionism, PE jitters, bare‑metal dread, and the myth that pros are “just fast”—and came back with practical fixes that make the ben...
PMM Twelve Minute Modelsphere: February 20206
Snow may slow travel, but the calendar is heating up. We swap plans and call out standout events across the map, including BlizzCon in Columbus, AMPS Atlanta, 4M Mayhem in Michigan, Rochester’s Hope It Don’t Snow, and the Old Dominion Open in R...
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Finding Joy At The Bench Again: Episode 156
What happens when the hobby you love starts feeling like a chore? We go straight at that question with Jim Bates, exploring how burnout creeps in, why favorite subjects can become fear targets, and what it takes to rediscover honest joy at the ...
Turning Competition Into Recognition: February Model Show Spotlight
A snowbound Kentucky chat meets sunny Jacksonville plans as we sit down with Bob Tate from IPMS First Coast to explore how JaxCon reshaped the classic model show into a warm, community-...
Snowmageddon Forces A Pivot: Winter Blitz Moves To February 28, 2026
A storm with a name is bearing down on the Ohio Valley and mid-south, and that changed everything. We hit record to get a clear, direct update out fast: Winter Blitz moves to Saturday, February 28, 2026. Same venue, same plan, just smarter timi...
2026... New Year, Fresh Bench: Episode 155
A slow start, a full heart, and a clear plan. We kick off 2026 by resetting our modeling habits, sharpening the skills that matter most, and putting dates on the calendar to turn ideas into finished work. HeritageCon is pulling us forward, but ...
PMM Twelve Minute Modelsphere: January 2026
A fresh year deserves a fresh bench. We kick off 2026 by trading the “dark time” for bright, practical momentum: a clearer plan for January, two focused releases on the calendar, and an open invite to help shape what comes next. We look back at...
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Year-End Mojo: Models, Moves, And Memories: Episode 154
A good year in modeling doesn’t happen by accident. It grows out of small bench wins, a few brave skill pushes, and the friends who show up at the right time. We wrap 2025 with a clear-eyed look at what worked, what changed, and how to carry th...
