There haven’t been many times throughout my life when I didn’t have some sort of model project on the go. My first “proper” construction kit was the “original” 1/72 Airfix Hurricane, bought for me for my eighth birthday by my youngest uncle, who himself was a keen model maker, both static and flying models. So, that was early 1955. It didn’t take long for me to get addicted and by the time I went to senior school I was well into the products of Airfix, Hawk, Aurora, Lindbergh et al. My school was in the centre of Oxford and just down the street from the big Woolworth store, where my pocket money vanished over the model counter, on anything that took my fancy. No special interests at that time, just whatever was the latest Airfix issue.
By the time I was sixteen I was taking modelling a bit more seriously and I joined the fledgling Oxford Model Club, run by a guy named Derek Vaughan who owned a model shop. He was quite progressive and started stocking the Historex range of plastic figures plus metal ones by Rose Miniatures. Well, that was me hooked, and thereafter for a considerable time, I devoted a chunk of my modelling activity to figures. I had already joined IPMS (my original member number was 66) and soon joined BMSS as well, winning my first award in 1971.
I did have other demands on my time, notably a new wife, plus competitive cycling, and from the early 70s target shooting. Sadly I eventually found the three mutually exclusive.
During the late 60s was a regular attendee at the IPMS London meetings where many of the “names” of the model world would often put in an appearance. The likes of Harry Woodman, Bill Hearne and Bob Jones were regulars and I learned a lot from just chatting with them. I also managed to get to a few of the newly formed IPMS Birmingham meetings. Heady days!
By the late 70s I was divorced and a bit rudderless, but I kept the faith with model making and further developed my figure painting techniques during that time. Remarried in 1988 to Maureen (Mo), a lady who is very supportive of my hobbies, I rejoined IPMS and BMSS (having lapsed both during my marriage upheaval).
I gave up the cycling element in the mid 90s - having lost two close friends to accidents in races I realised just how dangerous the roads were getting, so I hung up my wheels. I still retained my shooting club membership (and still do) but I devoted most of my spare time to model making, diving into the show circuit and realising my competitive nature through model figures. I won a lot of awards but learned a lot of lessons too, particularly in regard to perceived “friendships” which, in the heat of competition were anything but. There were at that time a lot of Prima Donnas in the hobby – still a few now of course.
I can’t quite remember how I found the Woodley Air Cadets model group, but obviously Steve Abbey was involved somehow, and it was probably connected with attending the Wallingford club meetings that Steve, Liz and Hugh frequented. Anyway, I started attending the Air Cadets group, which morphed into Earley Risers in the late 90s. I guess, with a few hiccups, the rest, as they say, is history.
Having now retired (from a “civvy” role with Thames Valley Police), and daft as it may seem, my modelling and painting continues to improve as my age increases. Recently I have painted some of the best figures I have ever done plus some good (by my standards) AFVs and aircraft too. It’s only a number, they say.
I’m enjoying the hobby as much as I ever did in the purple patches, and currently model making in general is on an upward trajectory with unbelievable amounts of quality stuff available, together with unparalleled access to reference material at the touch of a mouse. That said, I sometimes hanker after the “good old days” when we had to find ways to improve pretty basic kits and figures.
I guess in closing I ought to be delivering pearls of wisdom gleaned over many years, but in reality my only advice to those new to modelling – don’t get disheartened by the pretty pictures in the modelling press – it ain’t rocket science and modellers aren’t born, they have to work at it. Have a go at a lot of different genres and above all, enjoy that “buzz” when you look at your completed work, and especially when someone pays it a compliment. Finally, consider joining IPMS – for sure it has its faults but membership does link you to several thousand like-minded folk across the UK and beyond. Population-wise, modelling is a very small hobby, but it has a very big heart.
Click here to see some of my latest models