Sunday, November 08, 2026

Midlands Model Engineering Show 2026

Lady Isobella

This year's model engineering show was a little special for me. Our boat club always puts on a display, and I'd entered my Dad's Victorian Steam launch. This isn't a competition, although there is a Best Boat On The Stand vote; it's just a chance to show off his workmanship. 

Dad was always proud of this model. OK, it's electrically powered rather than steam, but he put a lot of effort into the wooden deck, and it shows. The lines of the model are pleasing, so it doesn't look out of place at the show. Happily, the "Little Brian" figure is about the right scale too, so he got to attend a show we had been visiting for many years. 

Elsewhere, the number of models in competitions seemed to be up. I know there was a dip after everyone finished projects while locked away during Covid. Maybe enough time has elapsed for them to complete something else?

Royal Navy Helicopter

Engineering shows are always home to a wide variety of disciplines, and it was fun to watch some radio-controlled helicopters operating at the side of the car park. The team putting this display on explained some of the challenges they face. These aren't drones, there is no autopilot. You have to fly the things. Lucky for me, the conditions were just suitable for the show. 24 hours earlier, it was too windy. 

Skydiver

I like talking to people at shows, it's amazing who you meet. The builder of this studio-scale model of Skydiver, from the Anderson show UFO, had worked on the Large Hadron Collider in the past, but now, aside from a little teaching work, spends his time building military models. Well, that and a rather nice large-scale Routemaster bus. 

Since I attended on the final day of the event, cake options were limited, but the carrot cake was a winner. 

Carrot cake

Anyway, let's let the photos do the talking, with an album over on Flickr. 

No comments: