I mentioned Telford in the last entry. In case you’re new to the modelling game, the official name is the IPMS-UK Nationals, widely referred to as Scale Model World. This is the UK’s uber-show, only 2 days long but packed with as many models and vendors as you are likely to see in one place.
The UK show differs in a couple of distinct respects from the IPMS-USA Nationals. First off, the actual model competition is something of an afterthought (except of course to the participants, I imagine). A more impressive draw is the large selection of club and SIG (special interest group) tables that fill out the hall. There are SIGs for different national air forces, what-ifs, experimentals, airliners, and aerobatic teams. The club tables are a selection of what the membership has been working on over the year, so you can find aircraft, armor, cars, figures, ships, sci-fi, and others. It is not uncommon for there to be 6000-7000 completed models on display at the show.
Of course the UK group is helped by the size of the country. Most places in the UK are within a day’s drive of Telford. Contrast this to last summer’s US Nationals in Orlando, which was nearly 4000 miles from my door. Flying is a difficult option if you are trying to bring models along. Somehow I can’t see entrusting models to the tender caresses of the TSA.
One of these years I’ll make it to a UK Nationals. Not this year, unfortunately. But then maybe they aren’t quite ready for another crazy American with a fully-charged digital camera and a high-limit Visa card dashing around like a hyperactive 10 year old on a sugar high.
And by the way, that Xtradecal sheet that I mentioned was posted to the Hannants website as available on the Tuesday after Telford. Yowtch. I don’t know if that means they had it on sale at the show or just received it after the show completed. If it was delayed, David Hannant was probably gnawing on any stationary object in frustration; it is bound to be a popular sheet. At least I did my part by ordering one earlier today.
yep, I might get there one day too. I'm a mere 232 miles away, but 60 of that would have to be on the London orbital road, one of the busiest and most congested in Europe..so I always tend to find something better to do. Thanks for the heads up on that decal sheet, plan on adding the Typhoon and a BC Hawk ( is this with the large skull and crossbones on the lower surfaces ? )
ReplyDeleteThat's the one. I'm in the process of building a T1 for those markings, along with a Typhoon for the 3 Sqdrn special. I'll need to pick up a T2 for the other Hawk. I do have a Tornado GR4 in motion as well, but there is an earlier Xtradecal sheet that has some really nice stuff on it, so I might go for that.
ReplyDeleteI'm an ex-California driver so nothing to do with car travel can defeat me! My last job there prior to relocating had a 65 mile one way commute - and it wasn't the longest in my 7-person IT group!