I just wanted to be part of the project and play my part in completing a kit that at some point he must have been excited to buy, look at, and then start.
15th May 2025
At the end of last year the model club that I belong to lost one of its members. Having fought illness for a while, John Allison passed away before Christmas, his funeral taking place not long after.
During the wake, the future of his kit collection and his part-built models became an obvious topic of conversation, as his life was remembered by friends who had gathered to celebrate it. Collecting together the unbuilt kits and either handing them out or selling them on seemed to deal with that part of his collection, but what about the kits that he had started: what was going to happen to those?
Eventually, the idea to group them all together, check the contents of the boxes to ensure they were complete came up, to see if members of the club would like to do what John was not able to: complete each one.
It was during this time that I volunteered to take one of his kits on. I wasn’t bothered about the subject matter or even the kit, I just wanted to be part of the project and play my part in completing a kit that at some point he must have been excited to buy, look at, and then start.
Fast forward to last night. With it being our club AGM, I decided to make what is a shamefully rare appearance, to both vote on the club’s committee and take delivery of the kit I would complete, an older iteration of Testors 1/48 U-2.
John had already done much of the work in the kit. He’d glued together the wings and fuselage and then added one of the intakes to the right-hand side. Having fixed the slipper tanks in place he’d obviously made the decision not to build the overall white NASA machine, but I will now never know what his choice was from the other two in the box, the overall black jet or that finished in the type’s attractive two-tone grey camouflage, my preferred choice.
As it stands I plan to build it much as he would: from the box. Friends last night joked that I should add detail to a cockpit fitted out with only a seat, pilot and extremely rudimentary instrument panel. Yeah. No. With the fuselage halves glued together, I don’t plan on doing that, but I do think I might work on the seat and pilot, but little else. I’ll simply glue everything in place, clean it all up and then paint the results, just as John would have done.
Holding the model in my hands this afternoon I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that John never had the chance to finish his model, but also a sense of pride that I will continue his legacy if only a little bit, as I finish it off. What I’ll do with it once it is finished I don’t know; it will just be good to know it’s done. Maybe that’s all John would have wanted, and that’s good enough for me.
See you tomorrow.
TODAY’S PLAYLIST…
The Jam: The Gift
Secret Affair: Behind Closed Doors
Secret Affair: Business As Usual
Rhythm and Soul: Makin’ Time
Counting Crows: Butter Miracle
The XX: XX
I’m looking forward to seeing you in the PL. Hopefully Brentford will still be there.🤞
Dear Spencer! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, Liz, and your family. It was great to meet up with…
Merry Christmas to you and your, 2025!
Merry Christmas to you and family Spencer and a blessed New Year.
Hi Spencer have a great Christmas for you and your family. And a fruitful and a happy New year. Tom
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
That is a great idea actually, to finish off a subject that somebody started but never did due to bereavement.
Sorry for your loss Spencer ❤️
LikeLike
Spencer,
There were aircraft in that two tone scheme deployed to the UK in the ‘60/70s.
I saw pictures of them recently on Facebook, not sure where right now but I’ll try find them.
H
LikeLike
That is a great way to honour your friend. Many years ago I tried that when one of my friends also passed but it was too difficult and ultimately shelved it. The model is a large resin figure so maybe I should get back too it?
Cheers
Chris
LikeLike
Hi, well said Spencer. It’ll look good in the 2 tone camo. It’s somewhat sad to see what wasn’t finished – en masse – it’s a moral lesson to us all. Tempus Fugit, and all that 😦 Make it as said, there may be a future Club display / comp. with those part-builds, as done by others.
LikeLike
what a great memorial to a friend!
~Wayne
LikeLike
Makin’ Time! A brilliant surprise to see that in your playlist. Cracking band. Gutted I never got to see them live….
LikeLike