Telford was wet. Very wet. And it's a 20 minute walk from the station to the show. Driving wouldn't have been any better as by the time I arrived, about 10 past 10, the car park was full so you were in for a tramp from your vehicle to the hall.
Watching from inside, I was amazed at the number of modellers bringing in items for display who didn't have a box for transporting something they have ploughed many hours of work in to. Sprinting through a downpour trying to keep your pride and joy dry seems a bit risky - one trip and you'll be buying glue...
The reason I was waiting was that I'd managed to persuade Howard from BRM that this was a show worth a trip and he was bringing along a video camera so we could bring a taste to our magazine readers.
For a while we wandered around chatting to people to plan some shots. This is a big show and we were after 5 minutes worth of footage. By the time we'd lunched - me with a luke-warm dog that claimed to be the best in the world, it was time to get serious.
We had a chat with a car modeller asking how they achieve flawless paint, also the guys on the Airfix stand who were encouraging kids to have a go at building plastic kits. We talked about tools and finding unusual plastic kits on stands too. As a regular at this event, I knew what to expect but Howard was a bit wide-eyed at the scale of the whole thing - perfect as I suspect this will be the reaction of a lot of viewers.
One thing we noticed was that the age range of the modellers attending was much lower than that you find at a model railway show. Backpack etiquette was much better too.
My shopping list included an Airfix TR7 but I failed to find one, even with all those kits available. Determined not to leave empty handed, I bagged a couple of bargains - Revell kits for a Trabant and VW van. There were also some tools and a load of details for Ruston Quays from specialist suppliers.
The show closed at 6 and I left five minutes before the end. I probably could have done another hour as it certainly was a full day. I did take plenty of photos though, which you can enjoy over at Flickr.
3 comments:
1. There is a free minibus from the station to the show.
2. The food I had was very good.
3. Annoyed you found a VW van which I was looking for.
4. Did you see the Rosebud Beyer Garratt OO kit? It was £65!
1. I didn'tknow that but will remember for next time. Might have been a squash at peak times though as this is an incredibly busy event.
2. You must have used the cafe which is pretty good.
3. Bet you had my TR7 though.
4. Yes, and the Hudson for £110. Wow!
Looks like an excellent show. I'm increasingly impressed with the state if the art in the non-railway modelling field.
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