Category: Organisation
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It’s All So Simple, Even A Child Could Understand It
Quick, go out and find me a child… The new rules for the competition are up. Now there should be no confusion as to categories, criteria, or critiques. Simply follow the 126 steps outlined in the ” Scientific Guide To Artistic Paradigms Of The Existential Scale Model Collective “. Copies are available upon submission fo…
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If You Cannot Raise the Standard Of Your Skills
At least lower the level of your expectations. The hobby, after all, is meant to give you pleasure. If all you do is whinge about the efforts of others and wince at the sight of yours…well, is it time to seek your joy elsewhere? I have gone up and down in my own estimation a…
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Are Buyers And Storers Collectors?
Are they modellers as such? This question has come up repeatedly in my life as I have been attracted by scale models of all sorts. I’ve purchased die-cast ships, cars, and planes that were complete in themselves right out of the box – exquisite in some cases. Some became part of a larger collection that…
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Are You As Visual As I Am?
Or as the British Lords Of the Admiralty were in the days of sailing ships? The heyday of the Royal Navy in the 18th century saw construction of many wooden ships. Plans for these were a complex thing to see and the contractors proposing them to the Admiralty often had difficulty explaining the lines to…
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When Is An Apple Not An Apple?
When it is drawn as a diagram on the instruction sheet of a scale model piece of fruit. Then – particularly if the kit is from Prague – the part that looks like a Granny Smith, Mackintosh, or Cox’s Pippin could well be an aileron or de-icing strip. There will be few written notes to…
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Human Nature Is Optional
At a scale model competition there are certain conventions and rules: a. Models must be actually there. No good going around telling people how good you are. They are better at assessing you than you are. b. You enter your model in a specific division. There are 35,000 of these so it pays to be…
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Is Your Hobby Exclusive?
Jeez, I hope not. Lots of things in life are; institutions, clubs, professions. Families, religions, nations, tribes. Trades, towns, and teams. You might get in or you might not, and it often depends on others’ say-so. Whatever hobby you select ( or whichever selects you…) settle on one that lets everyone in; the elite as…
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The Shape Is The Problem
And the solution. A recent trip to a model railway exhibition showed me a taste of the different styles of layout; the dogbone continuous runner, the oval with benefits, the back and forth…sometimes with magazine feed. There were thin layouts and fat ones, and a couple of very large ones with the operators sitting inside…
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The Best Model Club In The Metro Area
I have heard a number of groups referred to in these terms – by a variety of people. I think most were sincere when they said it. This is heartening – a club member ready to boast about their association is ripe for further involvement. A place on the committee, perhaps, or a volunteer position…
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What Can You Do In Five Minutes?
I mean on a modelling bench. Never mind the bedroom or the toilet… In five minutes you can: a. Finally rescue that paint that settled in the jar. Dilute it, stir it, clean the cap and threads. Label it properly. b. Get fresh blades on your knives and safely dispose of the dull old ones.…
The Little World 