Scale Model World 2012

Scale Model World 2012

DAVE WOOLEY reports from Telford, 10/11 November

This Flower class corvette represents so much of what Scale Model World is all about.

The International Plastic Model Society UK (IPMS) promote an annual event at the Telford International Conference and Exhibition Centre in mid-November of each year. It usually coincides with the International Model Boat Show just down the road near Warwick, so it is worth considering visiting both events, but you will not be able to 'do' both in one day. The IPMS event is for static models, but there is much of interest to us as model boat modellers and the trade stands have many detail items that can be of use on radio controlled models.

The Telford Exhibition Centre has recently been enlarged by the addition of the Ludlow Suite, so it now has four halls and it all includes the usual refreshment facilities etc. Each year there is a special feature at the event and in 2012 it was a Royal Navy Lynx that landed on the Friday and was then rolled into Hall 3. Accompanying the Lynx was the front section of an RAF Shackleton Mk.1 maritime reconnaissance aircraft and a French AMX medium tank.

Competition

This is an integral part of the event and the competition entries, together with an additional catering facility, were all located in the new Ludlow Suite. This area has plenty of natural light for viewing and photography and was 'fit for purpose'!

Ships and marine exhibits are listed in Category E of the competition and are marked to a standard with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards and as always, the standard was high. Best Ship Model in the show went to a scratch built 1:196 scale model of HMS Manchester, a truly outstanding example of this stretched Type 42, built by Geoffrey Taylor.

Equally outstanding was a 1:700 scale model of the Imperial Russian armoured cruiser Rurik 2, built by Jim Baumann. Even the crew are included, which is amazing considering the small scale even by IPMS standards and another 1:700 scale model of the Nimitz class carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt was presented by Italian modeller Maurizio Bovril. A gold medal was also awarded to a superb 1:700 scale HMS Ark Royal R09, the last of the big RN fleet carriers and the model was built by Stuart Horley. On the subject of scale, this has been rising because of the ready availability of the recently introduced kits from manufacturers such as Italeri and Trumpeter. This was evident with a superb award winning model of the USS Arizona, built by Hungarian modeller Akos Szabo from such a kit.

Displays and Special Interest Groups

Another important feature of this event is the colossal number of model displays and Special Interest Groups (SIG's) and a good example of this was the South Atlantic Special Interest Group with their interesting and impeccably researched Falklands theme which was just one of many on the marine side.

Landing Craft

There was an excellent display of WW2 landing craft including the types designed for specific purposes and all scratch built by Alan Hill who is a specialist on this subject. For example there was a large 1:32 scale model of an LCT converted to transport railway rolling stock and locomotives to Cherbourg after the Normandy invasion of June 1944. Another was what looked like a self-propelled artillery barge designed to mount two 25pdr guns. Equally there were many others including a small support landing craft equipped with a twin 0.5 inch machine gun turret. So, plenty of ideas to appeal to builders of unusual radio controlled models.

HMAS Agassiz

An amazing 1:72 scale Flower class corvette HMAS Agassiz was presented by Barry Sharman, which is a conversion of a standard Revell kit. First, Barry set out to change what was a long forecastle type into the short forecastle variation. Then over a four year period, with detailed information obtained from the preserved HMCS Sackville, he set about not just creating a superb model on the outside but recreating in every detail the internal compartments. This involved cutting into the hull and then building the internal framework. Then he added the engine and boiler rooms, the associated pipework, accommodation and the bridge and superstructure areas, plus a really authentic weathered paint scheme. The port side of the model is a complete hull and is a diorama in its own right – a remarkable model and achievement.

Overseas displays

Visitors were exhibiting from as far afield as China, Korea, Russia, USA, Brazil, South America and of course, Europe. A good example of this was from VMF-06 'The Gamblers', with a display from Germany including a wide and varied number of model subjects including super detailed mini-dioramas depicting modern submarines in dock with much of the dock detail scratch built in styrene and brass by Christian Bruer. Then there was a very unusual rescue submarine called a 'Grundai', which means 'Bull Shark', built by Guido Hopp. This craft was tested for use during WW2, but was not successful.

Trade support

Like the club displays, there were traders from all over the world, many of whom obviously specialised in aviation and armour. The big names of the model scene were present, including Italeri with their new 1:35 scale PT 109 model. Revell were displaying their new products for 2013, including the return of the iconic 1:72 scale Flower class corvette, arguably one of the most popular model kits for conversion to r/c. This new Platinum Edition kit includes refinements such as photo etched parts, brass gun barrels and a self-adhesive timber deck. There were literally hundreds of traders and it’s almost impossible to see every one of them, even over two full days. I was however advised to have a look at the Sylmasta stand, a British company specialising in casting materials and tools. There were of course also a large number of book stalls; in fact if it's information regarding a specific subject in aviation, armour and marine then it could all be found at Telford. So, no shortage of traders and many of them had items that would be useful on r/c model boats.

Conclusion

This brief report cannot do justice to this bonanza of static modelling and not just those from kits. If you haven’t visited Scale Model World before, then it is an eye-opener with many of the skills and techniques equally applicable to r/c model boating. Check the press for the November 2013 dates, which will almost certainly be at the same time as the International Model Boat Show near Warwick.