Category: finances
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The Little World Hall

Perth needs a Little World Hall…or perhaps a Little World Centre. Some place that people interested in all forms of modelling can come to for sharing, display, and learning. The SMCWA and some other clubs use the Noranda clubrooms for this, and benefit greatly. Some disciplines use other suburban halls for meetings or have premises…
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The Most Important Part Of The Build

Is not during or after – it is before… You fancy doing a bit of modelling – you get up, wash, dress, and proceed to the hobby shop. This may be a building or a website, but you go there – it doesn’t come to you. If you walk in there with nothing in your…
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Your Stash Is Not You

You are not your stash – any more than you are your collection of CDs or your underwear and socks. You may indeed possess many kits, and CDs, and socks and jocks, but they do not represent your skills, thoughts, or achievements. At best they are potential things. And just as you cannot wear all…
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The Half-Built Bargain

However you acquire a half-built – stash sale, donation, or legacy – you buy more than a box. You buy a dilemma. A fresh kit, with a sealed box or bagged sprue trees, is a clean field to play on. It may be old, with tatty decals and useless instructions, but at least when you…
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Selling The Unsaleable

The heart of a hobby shop owner must be made of leather and whipcord. Or marzipan. Either way, it needs to be tough and resilient. The ultimate test of this comes at the end of the day when the last customer leaves and the till is totalled up. If the last customer is the only…
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Pursuing The Wild Hare

Fine, if it involves chasing one over a meadow. Not so good if it becomes anatomical. Sometimes people come to you with schemes. The ones that involve remaking the world in a medieval mould can be interesting, but you have to ask who is going to be the lord and who the serf. It makes…
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How Does A Hobby Fall Upon Its Prey?

Having been savaged by at least eight major hobbies in my life, with the wreck of finance and intellect as evidence, I am finally drawn to wondering why… Why these things, why me, why anyone. Why do ’em, and why pay for ’em. Every child plays with toys, if they are lucky. Every child runs…
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Fun For The Whole Family

A scale modeller who runs out of kits need never be dismayed – as long as they have their family. a. The family are a soft touch. All you need to do is mope about the house complaining that you don’t have anything to do. After a day of this they will empty their purses…
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When You Are The Only Person In A Shop

You start to wonder about the viability of the place. This may certainly be the case when you go at an odd time of the day – say they open 24/7 and it is 3:00 AM. But if it’s noon on Tuesday, you have to wonder at empty aisles. Prices can do it. Inflation and…

