MASSIVE VOODOO: Review: Monte San Savino Show 2016

Hi Jungle People,

time for a review of what many name the "end of the year's season show"
- Monte San Savino Show 2016.

Roman is writing the review out of his perspective and the monkeys who found the time to write their own thoughts and have been to Monte this year will also add some thoughts. We hope you enjoy the review.

Roman's and Phil's journey to Italy started at Munich Airport.

After a little relaxed travel time we arrived in Monte San Savino, somewhere close to Arezzo in Tuscany. A jewel not only in miniature painting this small town is an amazing sight, everytime.

The view from our villa. Villa sounds megaexpensive, but aware of sharing it with 10 persons makes it supercheap and also November is not holiday season in Italy.

Main road in Monte in black and white.

This one is for Raul Garcia Latorre. We missed you!

Miniature painters parking everywhere ...

Phil and Roman arrived on Thursday, already a cold day, but sadly the weather turned out to be super rainy on Friday, during the day.

Monte is home for the people who live in Monte, but for all the international visitors who arrive for the show Monte and everyday views are special, even in the rain. Detailed beauty everywhere.

Small jewels in Monte.

The beauty of Monte. The beauty of Italy.

During Friday the miniature area already filled up with entries. People were arriving or if they arrived Thursday were heading to the venue to enter the models - of course after a good and tasty italian breakfast. So far we won't speak about the miniatures yet. It's Friday and we all know what that means in Monte: Idromele and new people who are seeing their first time in Monte have to get ready to get baptised by Organisator and Papa Smurf of the Show Francesco Farabi, together with Fabio who is always responsible for the great booze, everyone is looking forward too.

When it is Friday night at MSS 2016, people are getting ready to celebrate.

Lucky us all the weather was dry at Friday night so we were able to meet up in the town square. Roman tried to catch some photos of the event and tried to do some videos, but all of them were crappy this year. Only one was good ...

Dat guy

with Tatratea, a wonderful drink.

Thanks to Oleksander and Branislav for this medicine.

Anthony, Branislav, Roman ... photo by Anthony.

The celebrations this year was a little calmer than the year before.
The weather played his part and a not a small number of people had a cold or did not feel so well. Also there was no Idromele anymore. A different wine brew by Fabio - also really good in taste, but well no throat- and heart burning Idromele anymore :(

Roman did find himself back in the villa pretty early, compared to the previous years - maybe it is just getting older - who knows. Thanks for the great talks the Romans (Roman Gruba and I) had back at the villa until 2 or 3 in the morning.

"Here we have a Roman standing next to a Roman

standing in a place were many Romans once stood!"

- Luke Wilson on facebook

Monte San Savino Show is about four things in that particular order:

- people, friends, family
- miniature passion
- the glory of italian food
- icecream

We will continue to speak on about the family, but we also want to lead our focus over to the miniature passion happening in a tiny village.

Italy was calling. Toodoorrrooooddoo!

Phil:

"As always Monte San Savino Show was wonderful. Unfortunately I was sick again, but to see all the great people is worth everything. Also the weather might not have been bright but the show was bright like never before. Finally Monte has the light setup all the fantastic models deserve.

My personal highlight was Tue Kae's amazing diorama, I am very happy I had the chance to see it in real live. One of those pieces that won't work on photos as they do in real life.
And sadly my low point is the usage a maginifier for judging … I am sorry, but it's ridiculous.

My wishlist for MSS 2017. Higher tables for the models, Fer Miniatures, Asian artists, the sun and the return of idromele.

I already miss Monte and the people. See you next year!"

Raffa:

„Monte, Monte, it's hard to find the right words to describe this weekend.
The biggest amount of fantastic miniatures in one place in Europe? The most amazing miniature artists gathering in a small town in Italy? Meeting the family you weren't born into? Having a fantastic time with friends? All of the above for sure! But there is always more. The feeling of being part of something bigger than just painting or sculpting small figures.

This year was a real progress in the show itself, the new light made it a joy to walk through the displays and have a close look. Before it was more guessing how a piece might look under good light. Now this is finally over!

I really enjoyed this year, even tough I had the feeling I had barely enough time to talk to everyone and I wasn't as drunk as I usually am at Monte, hehehe.

But anyway, I enjoyed so much to talk to old friends and new people, eating amazing food (including cookies by Jack) and enjoying the view of hundreds of amazing projects.

Like every year I was blown away by the sheer amount of quality works.

The only thing that really needs to be improved and was much better in 2015:
The weather!

Anyway, next year we will bribe the weather gods and ... see you all again!“

Photo by Jack Crowe.

The serious three. Jack, Phil, Raffa.

Phil looks like a serious sailor from Ireland. What a pirate!

Alright Saturday morning and everything was leading all the miniature painters present to enter their models, to first shopping runs on the small number of exquisite vendors and good talks happened here and there, everywhere.

Miniature passion - this way!

Hah!

Not yet. There is a Volomir!

and too many beards ...

This year for the first year the venue area was bigger. Now not only in the castle there was a second area across the small town square where you were able to find several categories. The main historical and fantasy categories stayed in the castle and military modelling, youngsters and cow contest were moved to the new location. It was good, even I think the new venue could have deserved more visitors. Maybe also an idea to place dioramas there.

Well, biggest improvement of this years show was: THE LIGHT!

Our italian friends worked really hard to setup a great light situation for this years show as this was mentioned by many visitors last years as a down point. The MSS Team did such a great job and it was really helpful to enjoy all the miniature passion in its full glory and also to take good photos of the miniatures. Thank you so much for your efforts, MSS Team!

Roman made some photos too,

but soon realized there are so many guys running around with much better equipment that stopping what he did would be the best idea. We will link up the gallieres from all these busy photo bees now. Marvellous galleries! Thanks everyone for taking the time to take so many good photos and sorry if we forgot somebody:

Photos by John Keys
Photos by AMIS, Enrico Collenzini
Photos by Volomir - miniatures
Photos by Sergey Savenkov - mixed
Photos by John Harrison - mixed
Photos by Mario Delg - fantasy
Photos by Mario Delg - historical

Photos by Mario Delg - people
Photos by Rob Norris - mixed
Photos by Ben Curry - mixed
Monte San Savino - Best ofs
Photos by Anna Shestakova - Military Modelling

... I bet there were some we did forget. Sorry.

Life is busy and Internet too fast.

Like said, Roman did some photos too, here is a small selection:

Hey, look buddy, what is over there?

Just me, sitting here, waiting. Lovely.

Heaven and Hell

Ok, let's follow the captain through his spyglass ...
we are switching perspective right now. The comments to the following models are done by this wonderful and tiny Royal Navy Officer. Beware!

The captain looks straight across the room from Historical Master to Fantasy Master and ...

OOOPPSS!

Well, let's see? Is this Sailor Phil over there? No, no ginger beard.

Another captain ...

Another captain hidden in here. Man, I am the only one with a spyglass?

Ough, thats cold over there, but shiat that one saw me. He is pointing his finger at me.

What a lance!

Naked spartans! Damn my spyglass.

Hah! I found sailor Phil. Vikings, not more to say.

I am a little annoyed by that guy to my left he tells his friends all the time how he shaved that skull with his sword. Man. Pst! I need to focus through my spyglass. Sorry can not focus anymore, Captian is out!

So, so many magnificant displays. The sheer number in the main venue in standard and master categories was just breathtaking.

Birds view.

Sadly there are not much more photos, but again check the galleries linked up above.

Some more impression.
People were eating all the time and everywhere and the local food is just marvellous.

Mjom! Mjom!

Thanks to Mark who caught all spiders in our villa.

Really a pleasure to have an australian with us who is not screaming like a dying mermaid

like many of us others do.

but not only spiders ...

And more dinner photos ...

A Monte!
Monte was great!
Monte was wonderful and a little cold.
Monte was just superb. Congratulations to everyone on their medals and all the best of prizes and all the special awards, but most congratulations to all the people working for the show and the people who brought all their models to Tuscany.

We gave away one special medal via Massive Voodoo, the so called MV Most Creative Award and this year in Monte it looked like this:

A painting Roman did the night before travelling for Monte, framed.