The Little World

I listened to a chap tell me that one of the scale modelling clubs that he belonged to was the PREMIER club in Western Australia. There was a touch of gas and o’erweening pride in the announcement, but it set me to wondering about club rankings.

What constitutes supremacy? Is it member numbers, models turned out, scale sizes, or something else? Where is the ranking listed, and who makes the judgment? Is it all just hot air?

Then additional thoughts concerned whether you can judge different genres in the same way – I know of clubs that concentrate on model railways, flying models, doll houses, and die-cast collections. Are they in the running for best, or does best exist only in separate channels?

Does best change, or is it fixed forever? Is it a money thing? ie who has collected the most club funds or who has the best clubhouse. Where does this put the clubs who share a city or shire facility?

Dire thoughts, and unlikely to make anyone happy, no matter what the answers are. I maintain that I am the best scale model builder in the street, but that is because I have no idea if anyone else pursues the same hobby. I would be delighted if they did and we could trade cups of acrylic lacquer over the back fence.