A miniature world of military models unfolds at the Estonian War Museum’s new exhibition
The Estonian War Museum’s new exhibition, “From Praying Mantis to Tiger. 20th-century military models,” showcases a wide selection of heavy weapons and military equipment from various countries in model form. The opening of the exhibition will be marked by a family day on Sunday, April 19, featuring curator-led tours and a charity café to support veterans of the Estonian Defence Forces and the Defense League.
The model exhibition, based on private collections, features nearly 200 military models in various scales, primarily tanks and self-propelled artillery, but also includes ships, aircraft, cars, motorcycles, and even fantasy models.
According to the exhibition’s curator, Siim Õismaa, a researcher at the Estonian War Museum, the models on display represent all the most famous heavy weapons used in 20th-century wars. “All the big beasts are represented,” said Õismaa, referring to famous German tanks, but not only those. In fact, six of the weapons or vehicles on display in the model exhibition are also actually present in the War Museum’s Heavy Artillery Hall.
The exhibition features the most extensive selection of World War II-era weaponry from Germany, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the United States, and Japan, but there are even models of weapons currently in use in Ukraine. Also on display are weapons and vehicles of the Estonian Defence Forces, both from the pre-World War II era and from the period following the restoration of independence. For example, the Renault FT-17 light tank and the TKS tankette, as well as Unimog and MAN trucks, are on display.
The models come from the collections of Jüri Sikka, Herman Henrik Jõgeva, Aare Nõmm, Karl Kerdt, Uku Vasemägi, and Aivo Eensoo.
The exhibition will remain open until April 2027.
