Let me start by saying that this isn’t my model.
It is a beautiful example of the model engineers art. A part built Foden steam lorry on show at the Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition today. The chassis is superb. The woodwork for the body is absolutely amazing. It is cabinet making of the highest quality.
When I was a kid I always wondered why the model engineering section of the local festival was full of part built models that looked the same from one year to the next. There are only so many steam boilers you can look at before wanting to go back to the toy trains where things actually move. Why didn’t these guys get on with it and finish the models. It was explained to me that they took many years, often more years than I had been alive to complete, but it never sank in.
As a grown-up I can now appreciate the workmanship. To be honest the sight of a boiler without a machine around it still does nothing for me, but other objects are works of art. I have learned to appreciate workmanship for it’s own sake. Makes something properly and I can look in wonder.
The wood framing of the steam lorry amazes me. I don’t think I would ever be able to match the quality in my lifetime. But then I might also argue that as the frame will be covered when the model is complete, perhaps that fine finish isn’t really necessary ?
Of course the builder has gained enormous pleasure from the work and that alone justifies it. He probably looks at the doweled joints and smooth finish with that inner glow of satisfaction that you get from a job exceptionally well done. Doubtless the rest of the modelling will be carried out to the same high standard. I just hope I get to see the finished item. Sometimes bodgers like me need to come into contact with perfection to be inspired. Maybe next time I make something I’ll manage to raise my standards just a little.
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