MODEL BEHAVIOUR

Our resident model expert Andy Pearson remembers the glory days of Dan Dare -Pilot of the Future - with a little help from his friend and sometime colleague Barry Ford...

After what feels like a lifetime of making models, initially for fun but latterly for profit as well (and enjoying almost every minute of it), I had a somewhat disquieting experience this last autumn. November is the month when the UK hosts the big international model show, occupying three aircraft hangar-sized halls in England’s green and pleasant West-Midlands.

I’ve usually attended these events with friends but, since the last pandemic precautions ended, they suggested that they were ‘a bit Lancaster bombered out’ as far as displays of, largely, military models were concerned. As a result, this time I went on my own and took a dice decision on which day to go, resulting in a Saturday visit as opposed to the usual Sabbath jaunt. That was a mistake as, firstly, the venue was heaving with merry modellers and, secondly, by early afternoon I was tired, hungry and – most worryingly of all – I was bored.

That can’t have been due to the quality of the exhibits which was, as ever, outstanding, or the lack of company as I met and chatted happily with several industry professionals who I’ve known for years. In the event there was plenty of time to ponder the situation on the drive home as, with my usual companions not requiring transport, I wended my way home on the scenic route through the loyal county of Cheshire.