A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: THE END OF THE MY MODEL SHOW SEASON…

My models have always been fundamentally part of my being, something I could do well when others seemed to be more educated, more, shall we say, part of the mainstream when it came to judging success.

10th November 2025

With Scale Model World now over, it’s time for some reflection and relaxation…lots of relaxation!

I planned to do nothing today. In the end, I did nothing today. Having spent the last six weeks cramming like an expectant student before final exams, it was good to get all of my work completed for both Scale Model Challenge and SMW, visit both shows and enjoy time spent with likeminded modellers keen to talk about their hobby, past, present and future.

Truth be told, I’m really tired at the moment. My body feels like it has been steamrollered and I’ve hit that wall that I can never avoid after such protracted periods of focused builds. With the F-15 prototype that took me weeks to finish rolling inexorably into the Marauder that had to be done start to finish in only a fortnight, there seemed to be no end to the pressure I had put myself under to complete what I hoped would be two centrepiece models for both my collection and my displays over the next twelve months. In the main, I think I achieved my aim and though the Eagle didn’t hit the heights I wanted it to (I feel that it is nowhere near as perfect as I wanted it to be, rough areas standing out to me every time I look at it) I’m happy to have done them both. More than personal gratification though, I feel that I learned a lot from each one and as a developing modeller always driven to improve and learn new things, that’s every bit as important as the finished result.

And so onto the shows…

If anything, the shows will be memorable thanks to the conversations that I had, rather than the models that I displayed and saw. Spending so much time with modellers who were willing to discuss an incredible variety of subjects was as gratifying as it was welcome. Covering everything from philosophical approaches to our work, through subject choice, kits, techniques and because of where we all gathered, competitions, judging and effort over reward, there wasn’t much that we didn’t look in the eye and tackle head on. It all gave me much to think about and much to ponder over the coming months. I’ve already started to wrestle with the idea that my approach may have to change in certain areas and that painting, at least as part of set-pieces, vignettes and dioramas, may need to evolve if I am to achieve everything that I want to achieve going forward.

Despite the human interactions that found their way front and centre into both of these events, I’m as convinced as ever that the work, my models, are the most important part of what I do day to day. Though I’m always deeply flattered by the attention that I receive, I’m convinced that none of that would come my way without the models being there as the bedrock on which my reputation is built. And that’s fine by me. My models have always been fundamentally part of my being, something I could do well when others seemed to be more educated, more, shall we say, part of the mainstream when it came to judging success. It’s why I’ve always put so many hours in and why I’ve always strived to improve, even if that dedication hasn’t always resulted in particularly fine models.

This weekend brought that into sharp focus with the completion and display of the ICM Marauder. That model became a conduit through which conversations flowed about all manner of ideas, tools and techniques. Sure, I was the builder, but without an actual miniature that I could use to hang hats on, my ideas would have been nothing more than random thoughts with no firm point of illustration. The model though sat there, a 3D illustration of my ideas and materials that were used to complete both it, and others that have come before. It was, as I am most happy with, about the model and not the modeller. Long may that continue.

See you tomorrow.