To my knowledge two shows for early 2022 have already been cancelled: The S&D trust and Erith. I would imagine that this is the thin end of the wedge and as I write others will be falling. It would be easy to opine why and if the reasons are fear based, stealth lockdown or what have you. This doesn't really matter - the uncertainty continues and I have been returning to this at odd times since early 2020. My opinion is no more or less valid than anyone else's and I'm fairly middle of the road in all this. With 'us' specifically there is a Plan B. Meeting like minded souls and going to shows on either side of the barrier is good for us all and some would say is overwhelmingly a male bonding experience. This isn't golf, we have options.
The small even at Eastbourne aside, I haven't exhibited since February 2020 an have attended some three shows in the last few months. 2020 would have been a bumper year. 2022, or at least the early part of it, could well be bad for public events and anything before May or June is in danger. Is this really such a problem? What do we do?
Build.
If need be we buy, but we build and we plan and we carry on. There are kit stashes and glue and solder. We plan and plot and build (Though please, no more layouts with 'Lock' in the name I'm getting tired of editing it out.). Exhibitions are nice, but not necessary. We build.
To this end there is a direction here. There is a small layout mooted, one which will take a while to do despite nearly everything being in stock. More importantly I have taken note of all the part completed and oddments that I've had knocking about for a while that need clearing. After all in most cases I've paid the money for the parts, so I should get the fun out of it. Nearly all of these are unrelated in scale, gauge or period. So what? I've been looking a few plastic kit type youtube channels of late and of course there isn't the need to stick to something the way that railway modellers do; you can build a 1:72 1939 Spitfire in one week and a 1:32 Bond Bug the next with no guilt whatsoever. Why shouldn't we be able to do that?
My advice then is this: If we lock down or something similar on Boxing Day, look at it as a way of clearing the cupboards and build. It's what we do.
An ineteresting collection on the bench and track there Chris. Col Stephens or industrial? After last week I have some more ideas that are possibilities. Thanks for the blog.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Knights (still unknown)
We'll have to see what happens about shows...a lot depends on the individual venues, though I note that Canterbury and Southampton among others are now cancelled.
ReplyDeleteI've been moving stuff from its hiding places around the house as I now have a nice new large storage cupboard, quite a lot of raw materials have come to light; solder, flux, glue, wood metal and plastic sheet and sections as well as various kits and of course I'm still acquiring more. While I'd not been doing a great deal of building lately that has changed, I've got a couple of wagon kits plus a cut and shut version of the Peco N engine shed in progress at the moment and then there's a Peco Goods Depot and a Dapol Dockyard Crane to build for the Triang-Hornby project.
Oh, and a saddle tank for N-6.5. And a 1:24 Trabant.
Don't think I'll run out of things to do any time soon...