A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: LIFE’S TOO SHORT…

Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to raise a glass and play some of his favourite tunes. It’s what he would have wanted.

12th May 2025

I began work this morning to the news that one of my oldest friends had passed away in his sleep, overnight. Though we only saw each other sporadically, whenever we did we shared laughs, stories of the old days as kids and what we were interested in and working on, as the days and months passed by.

Jim was older than me by some three years. Meeting for the first time during our time at junior school, we seemed to hit it off almost immediately. I’m sure at the time I was just the annoying little kid that hung around his coattails, but despite that we spent a huge amount of time together as we grew up in a sleepy village in mid Shropshire.

Truth be told, much of what I’m interested in today, much of what I do and much of what has driven me for most of my life, was down to Jimmy and his interests. My music tastes for instance are almost entirely down to what he listened to. My love of mod music, ska, Two-Tone are all thanks to his record collection. Secret Affair, one of my all-time favourite bands only became part of my life after I borrowed Jimmy’s vinyl LP and then played it over and over and over again. Indeed, as this is being written the album is being played in the background. I think he would have approved.

But it’s modelmaking that I really have to thank him for. That was very much down to his influence and me desperately wanting to copy what he was doing. Being older he had the cooler kits. The more expensive kits. The ones I wanted. The first Tamiya kit I ever saw. His. The first Revell aircraft kit? His. First paints? First advanced ideas? All his. In fact, the last time we chatted I talked about that and how he’d been such an influence. I’m not sure he remotely believed me, but those distant summer days were so formative, it’s impossible to separate them from what I am and what I do, today. I’m glad I had the chance to tell him.

It’s been really tough to process the news this morning, but process it I and everyone else in his life must I guess. We’re are all getting older and the passing of friends and family is simply part of life. We must ensure their memory lives on, even if they don’t.

RIP Jimmy. Thanks for everything.

Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to raise a glass and play some of his favourite tunes. It’s what he would have wanted.

See you tomorrow.