A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD…

31st October 2025

As the heavy rain that was forecast for this afternoon beads across my studio window, I realise that I’m trying to ignore two things today. Firstly, that it is Halloween with all of the nonsense that that imported tradition entails and secondly, that Coventry City are away at Wrexham this evening, a banana skin game if ever there was one!

Of course this is being billed as a big game in the Championship, with Frank Lampard’s Coventry City (as we are now always called) playing Ryan Reynold’s Welsh outfit, all coated in Hollywood glamour. Honestly, I don’t give a monkey’s about any of that so long as we come away with three points. Like I say, I’m trying to ignore it until later on, but the nerves are starting to jangle. And the rain is continuing to come down, shards of sunlight breaking up what has been for the last few hours a rather miserable afternoon. Maybe I’d feel better if it was a warm day with plenty of sunshine? I doubt it in all honesty.

So today’s work has focussed on the Marauder as it needs to do, a concerted period of time in the studio only broken by a most welcome video chat with Brett Green. Though we don’t talk anywhere near as much as we perhaps should it’s always good to catch up. With Christmas only a few weeks away we managed to settle on work we need to complete before we break up for a couple of weeks over the holiday period. With the Marauder almost done, my attention will at last turn to the Revell 1/32 Meteor F.8, an involved kit that I’m very much looking forward to. After that, who knows!

I now have a few hours of work left to do, the final clean-up of the kit being needed before applying a layer of natural metal. I’ve already decanted a bottle of Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver, all frothy as the paint violently gassed out inside the spare paint jar I’ve used to store it in. I must admit I find that particular part of the process rather pleasing, watching it fizz and froth as it settles down. It’s the simple things…

With Dire Straits playing in the background today has been a relaxing day of planning and work only broken by the thought of the game later. Hopefully that will be relaxing as well, a comfortable win being a pleasing outcome. Yeah, right. I’ve been watching Cov for long enough to know that nothing is ever that straightforward and there will be twists and turns plenty before the night is through and that that will be anything but relaxing…

See you tomorrow.