Judging by the comments and emails, I seemed to hit a nerve with the last ramble. There are a lot of modellers for whom the pandemic has a) thrown the usual routines out of the window and b) has changed how they think about the hobby in general. We are certainly not where we were and there is an almost weekly report of another medium to large show being pulled, often for the reasons of club member's age, and I would imagine, rising costs.
The age thing is not unexpected. How many exhibition managers are there under 40... or even 50? Add to that the usual old retainers in the club who man the car park. Now into their eighties and not wanting to stand in the rain all weekend. Who can blame them?
That then is the changing shape and regular readers will know that I'm in favour of the smaller more local shows, and that I'm on record for predicting the above changes during lockdown, both here and on the RM Comment page. If I'm honest I feel that it's a good thing; the whole scene had become crowded and from where I'm standing the clubs were being pushed into a game of top it, feeling that bigger venues and more (expensive) visiting layouts were the way forward. We've hit a reset.
On a more personal level there are two strands of thinking: the first is that I will not alter my show visiting habits and still favour the smaller (and to my mind the more interesting) shows. Secondly, stop chasing my tail like Dill and concentrate on what's in the cupboard and make that the direction and build priority. Essentially this means only glue and paint required in many cases. There are 2.5 likely layout projects post Rhiw 2:
1. An 009 layout of, as yet, undecided theme.
2. A new Hopwood. SF's design brief, which I followed almost to the letter, was geared for the Peco stand at Warley and therefore too short to use for slick exhibition use. The basic visual urban transition period principle was good, just the lack of storage yard space. I'd like another bash at it without the company tie-in.
1/2. Refurb Nigel's Svanda. Still good and 'different'.
This (with Dury's Gap) would give five possible show ponies.
What more could you want?
That sounds good to my mind. Having a loft filled with show layouts, I have a mind to construct one more. This to replace an old stager, one that I cannot erect and use at home. I had plans to modify it, but really is thata way to go? All that time spent and at the end of it a new version of an old horse. It was just this effect that spelt the end to two of my former and "popular" layouts; namely Yarmouth Quay and Hayling Island.
ReplyDeleteNow I have a more than decent pile of O scale bits awaiting turning into a new loft layout, this should keep me busy for a year or so. Attending maybe four to six shows as an exhibitor only.
Will I keep to this? That remains to be seen but I do not contemplate another 23 show year...
Andrew Knights (anonymous!)
I sometimes think I might focus my modelling down but whenever I get rid of something a new enthusiasm appears. The 009 is the current warm spud but there's another 009 layout with track down, 1950s Welsh Borders N, 0-16.5, French H0, Sectorisation-era N (the trouble with RTR is it can grow very quickly, blink and an MGR train appears...), American , H0/H0n3, European TT, EM light railway
ReplyDelete, "vintage" 00 and any other stuff I've forgotten...