The Little World

I don’t mean to get all angst-y and existential on you, but I did find the thought expressed in our heading crossing my mind at the recent model exposition. I was prompted to it by three sights:

a. The line of patient modellers coming into the hallway with their creations. This was well and truly after the start time and both they and the other visitors were being prevented from showing or seeing what was in those cardboard boxes or polystyrene containers by the slow creaking of the scrutineering machinery.

I accept that there are divisions to the hobby, and that all models cannot compete in one big pile for any sensible regard. But the minute division of the thing into ever-smaller categories bespeaks the sort of organisation that defeated the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Catering for too many different cooks means very small bowls of broth.

I have no answer to the officialdom of the thing – the contest with rules and winners and losers. For me – the club entries like the Silver themed one are the winners. Everyone gets to show and lots of things are seen.

b. The trophy rack. I haven’t seen that much green glass since the bottle factory burned down. Every one of those trophies is probably keenly sought and jealously prized, but there are so many of them. The awards ceremony would probably have taken as long the Eurovision contest without the pyrotechnics and dancing boys. I know the smaller WASMEX presentation ceremony lasted for a very long time.

I think at the end of a long three days, with the prospect of driving through Melbourne traffic to get the delicate model home, I should have been satisfied with a pat on the head and and ” Who’s a good boy, then…”.

c. That notice. At every model.

Threatening the builder with dire consequence if they think of leaving early to beat the Melbourne holiday traffic rush. Possibly a good thing to make them aware of in the entry form, but a little onerous on every stand. Still, that’s a lovely model of a Flying Banana and as a builder of an RCAF Banana myself I salute the sight.