Model making meets science fiction and action

INTERMODELLBAU combines spectacular show highlights with detailed display layouts.

A U.S. rocket, ready for launch into space. Two futuristic robots facing off in an arena. Metal versus metal. A waist-high R2-D2 making its way through the crowd. And all of this in one place. Sounds strange, but it’s possible – at INTERMODELLBAU in Dortmund. Starting 16 April, the exhibition halls will once again become THE meeting point for the model-making scene for four days. And a multifaceted world in miniature – where a droid might squeeze past a model railway landscape, and a rocket doesn’t require a huge space center, just a relatively small exhibition area.

Dortmund, 07 April 2026 – The Saturn V rocket, for example, will be an exhibit presented by the Plastic Model Club (PMC) Dortmund. Built to a scale of 1:48, it stands 2.50 meters tall including its base. It’s not the only highlight at the PMC stand in Hall 5. Among other things, visitors to INTERMODELLBAU 2026 can explore a special exhibition area marking the 100th anniversary of Lufthansa and watch live 3D scanning of real objects – the PMC members will scan themselves and other items on site. In addition, colleagues from PMC Thuringia will demonstrate in miniature how trucks deliver materials for a typical East German prefab apartment building and assemble it.

R2-D2, meanwhile, is brought along by Droidbuilders Germany. With their RC droids, members can not only be found at their stand in Hall 8, but are also often encountered roaming the exhibition halls. Photos are definitely allowed!

Also located in Hall 8 is the German-Roboteers-Association. In their arena, self-designed and self-built robots compete against each other daily in exciting show battles.

As spectacular and diverse as the highlights surrounding space travel, science fiction, and robotics may be, they represent just a fraction of the enormous variety of INTERMODELLBAU. Alongside futuristic scenarios and action-packed shows, the classic disciplines of model making are not neglected. Above all, detailed model railway display layouts remain one of the core attractions of the exhibition, captivating visitors with elaborately designed layouts and realistic scenery. Additional displays have already been confirmed.

For example, the Modelleisenbahn-Club Seehausen (Altmark) e.V., a member of the Federal Association of German Railway Friends (BDEF), will present its TT-scale layout “Badel.” Consisting of eleven segments, it depicts a junction station in the Altmark small railway network around 1975. At Badel station, with its ramp for loading sugar beets, the incoming line from Kalbe (Milde) splits into branch lines leading to Salzwedel and Beetzendorf. Also a BDEF member, Z-Freunde International specializes in Z scale and will bring, among other things, the “Edelweißbahn” layout. It is divided into two segments: “Güglingen,” a small-town station with two tracks, and “Sägethal,” which features a passing loop with a stop, goods shed, small signal box, mining operations, and a sawmill with a stream and level crossing. The sawmill includes a slowly turning water wheel and a motorized frame saw that actually cuts.

The Museumsbahner Freiberg will travel to Dortmund with a museum railway in H0e and H0f gauges. It is a narrow-gauge branch line inspired by Saxon prototypes. Meanwhile, members of the Dutch association N-Spoor Nijmegen will also make their way to the Ruhr region. Since 1996, they have been recreating parts of the Amsterdam – Hilversum railway line, particularly the section from Weesp to Diemen, in 1:160 scale (N gauge). Especially noteworthy are the two bridges over the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, constructed from brass profiles.

Regular updates on the exhibitors, the programme line-up and the highlights at INTERMODELLBAU can be found on the show’s social media channels Instagram and Facebook, on the show’s website and via newsletter.

>>> For visitors arriving at INTERMODELLBAU by car, the Messe-Express shuttle will be available at the parking lots this year: from Thursday to Saturday between 8:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and on Sunday from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It serves parking areas C, D, F, and E, transporting visitors to the stop at Westfalenhalle and back.