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Euro Model Expo, Lingen
Euro Model Expo is a plastic model show at the Emslandhallen in Lingen, Germany, held each March. Its organiser calls it Germany's largest show purely for plastic model kits, with a contest and a gallery of entries. Here's what to expect, with dates, tickets and travel.
Euro Model Expo is a weekend show for people who build and paint plastic model kits. It is held at the Emslandhallen in Lingen, in north-west Germany, each March. The organiser describes it as Germany's largest show dedicated purely to plastic models, with work from modellers across Europe, a contest whose entries are laid out for everyone to see, and an online gallery of the results afterwards.
This guide covers the 2027 show: dates and opening hours, how tickets work, getting to Lingen, what's on, how to enter the contest and how to plan a trip from the UK. Every fact comes from the organiser's own website, and the official links are below.
At a glance
- DatesSaturday 20 and Sunday 21 March 2027
- Opening hoursSaturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm
- VenueEmslandhallen, Lingen, Lindenstraße 24a, 49808 Lingen (Ems), Germany
- TicketsTickets online or at the box office on the day. Prices not yet published
- ParkingFree parking for all visitors
- ContestYes, with a gallery of entries. No entry fee
- Official siteeuromodelexpo.de
Details checked against the organiser's website in October 2026. Always check the official site before you travel.
What is Euro Model Expo
A weekend of plastic models in Lingen, billed as Germany's largest.
Euro Model Expo, often shortened to EME, is a show built entirely around plastic model kits. The organiser's home page sums up the reasons to go as networking, inspiration, shopping and learning, and promises high quality exhibits from many leading modellers across Europe.
The show runs over a Saturday and Sunday in the Emslandhallen, Lingen's exhibition halls. The next edition is called Euro Model Expo Evolution 2027, and its motto on the organiser's ticket page is "Modeling meets Future". The organiser promises national and international exhibitors, high level contest entries, new releases and plenty of chances to meet other modellers.
Who runs it
Berthold Tacke is the man behind the show. The organiser's legal notice names him as the operator, through his business Karolus Konzept in Münster. He also appears on the show's podcast and YouTube channel, which the official site links to if you'd like a feel for the atmosphere before you go.
A show with history
The organiser doesn't give a founding year, but the site's video archive covers "the past 15 years" of models, and the 2024 show was billed as the Silver Edition. The 2026 show, on 28 and 29 March, carried the Evolution name, and the 2027 show keeps it. The official site is written in German, English and Dutch, which suits a show this close to the Dutch border.
Who it's for
Euro Model Expo is aimed squarely at plastic modellers: people who build, paint and finish kits. If that's you, the club tables, the contest and the traders are the whole point of the weekend.
If you mostly paint fantasy and sci-fi miniatures, it's still a hall full of carefully finished work, and there is a lot to learn from how other modellers handle colour, weathering, groundwork and presentation. Just be clear that this is a plastic kit show rather than a wargames show: the organiser doesn't mention gaming tables, tournaments or a bring and buy.
Modellers
The main audience. Bring questions for the club tables and something for the contest.
Figure painters
Lots to learn. Check what the contest accepts before you pack a resin piece.
Wargamers
No games are listed. Come for the painting and terrain ideas, not a battle.
Euro Model Expo 2027 dates
Two days in March, with a shorter Sunday.
Euro Model Expo 2027 runs on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 March 2027 at the Emslandhallen, Lingen. Opening hours for visitors are Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm, and you go in through the main hall entrance.
Saturday is the longer day, which gives you time to work round the halls at your own pace. Sunday is shorter, and it's also when the contest awards happen. If you're travelling from the UK and only have one day, Saturday gives you the most time; if you're entering the contest, plan to stay until Sunday afternoon.
The show is held in the second half of March. The 2026 edition ran on 28 and 29 March, and Euro Model Expo Evolution 2027 is on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 March 2027, so expect a similar weekend in future years. We'll update this page when the organiser announces the next dates.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
Euro Model Expo at a glance. A March weekend in Lingen, built around plastic models, a model contest and club tables.
Tickets and entry
Buy online before the show, or pay at the door.
There are two ways in. You can buy a ticket in advance from the organiser's online ticket shop, or pay at the box office in Lingen during the show. The online ticket shop opens on 1 February 2027.
At the time of writing, the organiser hasn't published ticket prices, and we haven't found anything on children's tickets, concessions or weekend passes. Rather than guess, we'll add them here once they're on the official site. If you're bringing children, check the organiser's FAQ page or ask the organiser before you travel.
Showing your work on a table
Clubs and individual modellers can book exhibitor tables to show their own work. The terms for 2027 are €25 per exhibitor, including entry, a 2.20m by 0.60m table and a chair. Entry for exhibitors covers set-up day as well as both show days. Tables are booked through a form on the official site while space lasts, invoices go out in January and payment isn't refundable, so only book if you're sure.
Traders, which the organiser describes as retailers and manufacturers, book through a separate form.
Buy ahead
An advance ticket means one less queue on the morning. Watch the ticket shop once sales open.
Paying at the door
The organiser doesn't say whether the box office takes cards, so carry some euros just in case.
Contest entry
Entering the contest is separate from your visitor ticket. No entry fee, but you do need to register online.
Getting to Lingen
The address, the free parking and what the organiser doesn't cover.
The show is at the Emslandhallen, Lingen, Lindenstraße 24a, 49808 Lingen (Ems), Germany. The organiser's travel advice is short and sweet: put that address into your satnav. Lingen is in the Emsland region of north-west Germany, not far from the Dutch border.
Parking
Good news for drivers: the organiser's FAQ says parking is free for all visitors. That makes driving over, or hiring a car at the other end, an easy option.
Trains, buses and flights
The organiser's site doesn't give public transport, airport or hotel advice, so we won't guess at it here. Plan your rail or air route with the usual journey planners, and if you're relying on public transport, check how you'll get from your arrival point to the halls before you book.
On site
According to the FAQ there's WiFi in the halls (access details are given out on the show days), signposted accessible toilets, and a signposted smoking area out on the terrace.
From the UK
Check your passport is in date, and book a room early: the show brings modellers in from several countries on the same weekend.
Driving over
Free parking helps, and a car makes it much easier to carry home a contest entry or a big kit safely.
Flying
Packing a model in hand luggage? Use a rigid box with foam. Our storage and transport guide shows how.
What happens there
Club tables, a contest, traders and a lot of plastic.
Club and modeller tables
A big part of the show is clubs and individual modellers showing their own work, each exhibitor on a standard table a little over two metres long. This is where you can talk to the person who built the model in front of you, and most modellers are happy to explain how they did it if you ask.
The contest
The contest is the other big draw. Entries are displayed on the contest tables over the weekend and judged, and the medal winners are announced at an awards ceremony on the Sunday. There's more on how to enter in the contest chapter below.
Traders
The organiser invites retailers and manufacturers to book trade stands, so expect kits and hobby supplies for sale, and the new releases the organiser mentions. The official site doesn't publish a trader count or list for 2027, and we don't name individual traders, so check the official site nearer the time if you're hunting for something specific.
The online gallery
After the show, the organiser publishes a contest gallery with photos of every entry and every medal winner. The contest gallery is a good way to see the standard before you decide whether to enter.
What isn't on
The organiser doesn't mention gaming, tournaments, a bring and buy or a seminar programme, so don't plan your weekend around them. If anything like that is added, it will be on the official site first.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
What's on. Plastic models, club and modeller tables, a free contest with every entry on display, and traders.
The model contest
Free to enter, registered online, medals on Sunday.
Modellers can register their work for the Euro Model Expo contest, where it's displayed and judged over the weekend. Here's how it works for 2027, from the organiser's FAQ.
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Register online
Contest registration is online, 8 February to 17 March 2027. Register before you travel; it closes a few days before the show.
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No entry fee
No entry fee. The organiser says there are no entry or registration fees for the contest.
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Bring it safely
Carry your entry in a rigid box with foam, and bring a small repair kit for anything that comes loose on the way.
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Awards and collection
Awards from 1.30pm on Sunday; entries can be collected from 3.30pm. Models can't come off the contest tables before then, so plan your journey home around it.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
Entering the contest. Register online in the weeks before the show, bring your model, let it be judged, then wait for the awards and collect it late on Sunday.
Figures and fantasy
We looked for figure, bust and fantasy classes on the organiser's pages and couldn't find a category list, so we can't tell you which classes run in 2027. The show describes itself as purely for plastic models, so if your piece is a resin figure or a fantasy miniature, check the contest rules or ask the organiser before you register. Browsing the contest gallery from previous years is a good way to see what kinds of work get entered.
Before you enter anything, it's worth reading our competition entry guide and what judges look for, and taking a good photo of your piece first with our photography guide, in case it gets knocked on the journey.
Workbench guide
What the judges look for
Clean technique, contrast, colour, basing and presentation: how painting competitions are judged, and how to prepare an entry.
Read the judging guide
Planning your visit
Practical tips for a weekend in Lingen.
A trip abroad for a model show is easier with a little planning. These tips mix what the organiser tells us with what works at any busy hobby show.
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Check the official site
Dates, hours and ticket details live on the organiser's site and its FAQ page. Look again the week before you go, in case anything has changed.
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Book travel and a room early
Sort your route and somewhere to stay well ahead, and check your passport is in date. Driving? Parking at the halls is free.
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Register any contest entry
Registration closes a few days before the show, so do it before you set off rather than on the morning.
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Bring euros
Smaller traders sometimes prefer cash, and the organiser doesn't say how the box office takes payment, so a few euros saves a hunt for a cash machine.
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Pack for purchases
Bring a carry case or a box with foam for anything delicate, and a sturdy bag for kits. Our storage and transport guide has ideas.
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Pace yourself
Walk the whole hall before you spend, drink plenty of water and take a break. Two days of plastic is a lot to take in.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
A day at the show. In through the main hall entrance, round the club tables, along the contest tables, through the traders and home. Leave time to see the contest twice.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
What to bring. A ticket, some euros, your passport if you are travelling from the UK, a carry case for a contest entry, the contest rules on your phone, and water.
Tickets and more info
Dates, entry and the official links in one place.
Euro Model Expo Evolution 2027
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 March 2027
Emslandhallen, Lingen, Lindenstraße 24a, 49808 Lingen (Ems), Germany
Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm
Official site: euromodelexpo.de
Tickets online or at the box office on the day. Prices not yet published. The online ticket shop opens on 1 February 2027.
Details checked against the organiser's website in October 2026. Always check the official site before you travel.
Looking for more shows? Our miniature events around the world guide lists shows by country and month, with a page for each.
Related events
Before you go
- Checked the official site for this year's dates and hours?
- Bought a ticket online, or brought euros for the door?
- Entering? Registered online before the deadline?
- Checked your piece fits a contest category?
- Passport in date, and travel and a room booked?
- Carry case packed for your entry or purchases?
- Planned to stay until entries can be collected on Sunday?
Never do this
Touch a contest entry
Those models are weeks of work. Admire with your eyes, and keep your fingers behind the line.
Backpack at the tables
One careless turn and a whole row of entries holds its breath. Carry it in front.
Book a 3pm ferry
Contest models stay on the tables until mid-afternoon on Sunday. Your masterpiece won't be on that boat.
Register on the morning
Contest registration closes days before the show. Turning up unregistered is a long way to go for a coffee.
Spend it all in aisle one
The thing you really want is always two stalls further on. Walk the whole hall first.
Start ten new kits
You will come home inspired. You'll also have a pile of kits waiting. Finish one first.
Quick answers
The short version
Plastic models in Lingen
Euro Model Expo is a plastic model show at the Emslandhallen in Lingen, Germany, each March. Its organiser calls it Germany's largest, with club tables, traders and a free contest whose entries go into a gallery. The 2027 show is on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 March 2027.
Buy your ticket online or at the door, park for free, register any contest entry before you travel, and stay until Sunday afternoon if you're entering. Check the official site before you go.
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