No Man’s Land on Tour! - We Have Ways Fest 2025

The weekend just gone, the NML team had the pleasure of attending We Have Ways Fest 2025 hosted by the We Have Ways Pod, spearheaded by Al Murray and James Holland. What a truly amazing weekend it was!

The event last year was a great success and off the bat this was looking to be no different, as the team has expanded since we were now joined by Dean who I travelled up with and put in an absolute shift with the 2.5 hr drive there and back. Matt made a similar trip up from the sunny Kent coast and we reached the show ground at Blackpit Brewery, Silverstone on the Thursday evening. Something that was apparent due to bad weather was how cold it was going to be and this was very true as sleeping in the tent each night really brought to mind the harsh conditions troops would have suffered for months on end and to think we were glamping...

We got to work setting up the stall and soon had an impressive display of painted miniatures for the public to enjoy. Being able to share our work in person and showcase to people exactly what we do was a very positive experience and we were very well received. As luck would have it our spot had actually changed from the previous year which seemed to generate a lot more footfall coming to browse at our stall.

Not only are we miniature painters but also avid history buffs and strongly believe that our painting is another way of bringing history to life and telling the amazing stories of the past. This was evident in the chats and conversations we had with so many like minded people so passionate about WW2. Many of which recognised us and the studio from social media as well which was a nice feeling, fellow wargamers and not.

It was also a wonderful excuse to catch up with some friends who were attending the show as well. A special mention to Will, Ellis and Janet from the Dispatches Magazine team as well as fellow L Detachment re-enactor Josh who I was actually meeting for the first time. Another major win for the studio and highlight of the weekend was having Al pay us a visit and kindly take a photo with us, giving us the chance to thank him for putting on such a great show and he seemed very pleased that we had enjoyed it so much.

Dean was particularly thrilled to make his first sale at a show, parting ways with his beloved and lovely painted KV-1 tank to Mark who will be taking it across the pond to America!

With how well the stall and our participation in the show was going, it’s time to focus on the other aspects as we were also there to enjoy the show ourselves and become immersed in the 1940’s for a weekend. Of course this was helped along by plenty of beer but it would be rude not to?

On the Friday night, we went to the Supergehern! This was a very light hearted comedy quiz night hosted by James and Al which pitted various talk guests against eachother in a mastermind inspired battle of knowledge. A thoroughly enjoyable and funny evening for sure!

The amount and variety of re-enactors and display groups that had come together for the show really brought to life the imagery and feeling of WW2 with particular highlights for myself being the tank display in the main arena and seeing a running SDKFZ 222. Not to mention the always impressive North Africa display by Richard Pinches and the various LRDG and SAS groups he brings together, of course no bias there at all.

Both myself and Matt were lucky to get to some of the talks, mine being focused on the Allied crossing of the Rhine into Germany in 1945. This was particularly of interest as my grandfather took part in this campaign. Matt headed for the Tunisgrad talk which was on his list from the get go certainly didn’t disappoint having recently picked up Saul David’s book.

To sum up the event overall, it was a wonderful weekend not only to showcase our service and painting but to also enjoy what we love, history and passion for the Second World War. The cherry on top of the weekend for myself was our friend Josh giving me and Dean the chance to join him in the arena in his jeep, ragging around in that was a lot of fun! It more than made up for Friday night when two of the jeeps simultaneously broke down attempting to have us ride them, clearly we aren’t permanent bad luck charms as they ran like a dream the rest of the weekend after some much needed tlc.

Enough from myself but I want to close out this write up of the festival with some words from the other guys about their experiences too.

‘What an amazing show. We Have Ways Fest offers a really unique place to showcase our business, with so many attendees approaching history from very different angles/backgrounds. From book authors to military historians, artists, wargamers, enthusiasts reenactors, and celebrities it was great to chat to everyone and share our passion within the community. We even managed to take it in turns to have a walk around and enjoy the rest of the show as well - I really enjoyed the Tunisgrad talk with Saul David and James Holland. I think my days of sleeping in a tent in a field might be numbered however - hotel next year! ‘ - Matt

"We Have Ways was an excellent show for us as No Mans Land Studio, meeting so many great people and being able to show off our passion for history and skill with the brush! Meeting people from all walks of life was an amazing experience, we were lucky to even meet Mr Murray himself!

The amount of history that was discussed was something, for me, as a student very exhilarating. Allowing me to look at different scenarios in a completely different way. I spoke to a fellow eastern front historian know as Mark. His knowledge and experience of Russia has really inspired me to continue my studies, and delve deeper into the units and tactics used by the Soviet army. All of which will be shared with you all soon…" - Dean

If you ever get the chance to go I cannot recommend We Have Ways Fest enough if you have a passion for WW2 and if you do be sure to come say hello to us.