Sunday 4 September 2011

Saturday ramble on Sunday

I had an argument with Mrs F. a few days ago about when the official end of summer was. She was entrenched into thinking it was the 31st August, I was sure that it was more the end of September. Yesterday I was sticking my tongue out at her with temperature still in shorts level, now with the rain pissing horizontally across my field of vision I not so sure. What does all this mean? Well it's the start of the modelling season; or what used to be the season. Deck chairs back in the shed and craft knives at the ready. Now, like football, it has no break. Possibly too many shows and not enough modelling . What I haven't done much of is sit outside in the sun. Reason being the pressure to get Rhiw done for this month.

Can it take over? Well with some people it does and you have to wonder if they can function on any other social level, I certainly don't want to just be a modeller/enthusiast, but it can be easy to let it take over now that the main thrust of the hobby is to go out and wave your bits at the public rather than quietly wave them in the privacy of your spare bedroom.

Those people who seem to be increasing looked down upon for generally going round in circles with the same layout over a period of decades in some cases. But is this not really the true way? I'll put money on the trade liking these modellers more rather than the exhibitors and if you scan the list of 'influential' layouts more than a large number are home-birds: Craig, Buckingham, Ashdon and Midport, Madder Valley, Berrow. Yes they were sometimes taken out, but they were mainly for the pleasure of the builder. Have we gone wrong in all building endless punch and judy stands where the presentation of the modelling to the public takes an equal if not greater thought than the modelling itself?

Although I like doing the odd show there is a danger that this angle takes over and you become nothing but an amateur busker. Except in certain circumstances exhibitions pay nothing but fuel and maybe accommodation so there is no money to be made. What I am realising is that while a few invites a year is good, more than four or five intrudes and I run the risk of becoming a little one dimensional. To that end I feel that a break would be a good thing; not a break from being a modeller, but to take a breather from building yet another exhibition piece before it becomes a treadmill. The 'five year plan' still exists, but it may have become ten.

1 comment:

  1. There are still lots of home based layotus out there, it's just that people don't like talking about them very much. After all when terrorists get a better press than train-spotters, who would want to publicly admit to a railway-based hobby ?

    4 or 5 shows a years is plenty though. Any more and it becoems very boring. Trouble is I like talking to ther modellers and this seems to be the best way.

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