Miniatura is one of those shows I've always been tempted to visit, but not quite got around to it. For those who don't know, it's a dolls house show - a lot like model railway shows but with fewer exhibits and more emphasis on trade. Think along the lines of the GOG events with a couple of little layouts and 94 people flogging stuff. If you need supplies, then you need to be there.
One shock was that the ticket desk didn't take cards, and the cashpoints weren't working. Fortunately, those trading in the hall did take cards, so this wasn't quite the disaster it might have been.
I wasn't expecting to buy much really, but can't resist supplies of cheap lengths of stripwood or other modelling materials.
At least I wasn't tempted by any of the kits, although there were loads from complete houses and castles down to the smallest implements. For the large scale modeller, this place is brilliant. 1:12th is a common scale for boat modellers and fitting out the cabins with little details would be fun - if pricey. All those packets and bottles look cheap at a quid each, but you can soon fill a tiny bag with them and the total bill will be scary. A bit like the day I was looking for Beetle bits and left a stand with a bag of rubber seals and screws costing the thick end of 40 quid!
Prices varied a lot from basic furniture kits for a few quid right up to really fine furnishings that would grace any house for sums not that different from the full-sized piece.
Prices varied a lot from basic furniture kits for a few quid right up to really fine furnishings that would grace any house for sums not that different from the full-sized piece.
A material I'm not familiar with is Fimo clay, but there were all sorts of things made with it, from cakes to dragons. I managed to sit in on a workshop, which I'll talk about on Thursday.
Temptation mainly can in the form of large scale building materials. I was oddly keen to buy a pack of brick faces and some mortar just for the fun of it, or perhaps some paving stones to make a diorama base. Being made from the right materials, the results looked great and felt right.
An interesting event. If you need a model railway connection, both Petite Properties and Severn Models had stands, but if I'm honest, it's just fun to see a different branch of the model making hobby.
I haven't been since we moved away from the area, but last time I went I came away with a long list of ideas and interesting suppliers.
ReplyDeleteA lot of supposedly 1/12th scale dollshouse stuff is actually closer to 7/8ths scale, which is useful