New Blades 2026
Every year, model making graduates from across the UK bring their best work to New Blades, and the industry comes to see it. It's a chance for new makers to be seen, and for us to celebrate a craft we love. Here are the 2026 award winners, with some of the materials you could use to make work like theirs.
Each award is for a graduate's whole stand. The piece shown here is one of the models from it.
Best of show
A pencil case of 1980s stationery at three times life size: 3D printed, CNC machined and digitally sculpted, then filled, sanded and sprayed until it looked injection moulded.
Similar materials at 4D Primers, Spray paint, Fillers
Runner up, best of show · Mastery award
Camel Cargo, a window display for a new edition of Buckaroo: 3D printed and finished in cellulose, with a blanket sculpted in Milliput and accessories cast in fast cast.
Similar materials at 4D Sculpting clay and putty, Casting resin, Acrylic paint
People's choice
A life-size heron, made as a company mascot to show off its skills: wing feathers topped in brass over layers of wood, a log carved in foam and detailed in plaster, and a body first sculpted in Monster Clay.
Similar materials at 4D Brass sheet, Wood, Foam, Plaster, Sculpting clay
Pioneer award
The Itera Volvo bike at 1:4, measured from the original in the MoDiP collection, modelled in Rhino, printed in PLA and resin, then filled, primed and sprayed.
Similar materials at 4D Primers, Spray paint
Storyteller award
A bearded dragon growing in its egg, at 5:1: sculpted embryos in printed and cast shells, yolks cast in resin, all set in clear resin on a CNC cut plywood base.
Similar materials at 4D Silicone for moulds, Casting resin, Plywood
Compass award
A Blue Ground Beetle at 7:1 for Buglife, cast in fast cast from a Monster Clay sculpt, with a Milliput head, silver soldered wire legs and a duochrome sheen.
Similar materials at 4D Sculpting clay and putty, Casting resin, Wire
Compass award
Lola began with two acrylic plates, heat bent to make a frame to sculpt around. She sculpted the shell and underside in Monster Clay, then moulded them and cast them in fast cast, and sculpted the head in Milliput. The legs are wire in two thicknesses, silver soldered and covered in Milliput. The blue and purple sheen took the most testing: a duochrome pigment, dabbed with foam onto resin as it set.
From Lola's own description of the piece.
New Blades is 4D's show for model making graduates, now in its 32nd year. It is our way of giving back to the model making community: students show their work and meet the studios and workshops who might hire them, and the best is recognised with eight awards.
