At The Model Engineering Exhibition
Over the weekend, I braved the frozen wastes of North London to visit Alexandra Palace for the London Model Engineering Exhibition at which myriad wonders of handmade technology were to be admired. It was a heartwarming experience to view the thousands of little trains, planes, boats and cars of expert manufacture, painstakingly crafted in loving detail, and all working – powered by steam, motor, electricity, clockwork or candle power.
The model engineers watched over their cherished creations with a mixture of pride and protectiveness, enjoying the adulation of casual enthusiasts, while taking the opportunity to exchange specialist banter among their peers and cast a critical eye over the competition too. It was the culmination of countless hours in sheds and attics, when the pale-faced creators emerged blinking from the gloom of their self-imposed captivity into the glare of the limelight to accept applause for their tiny miracles.
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Is the penultimate picture Crudgie or his twin?
How dd I not see you GA ? ? I was there to on Saturday, I love going to this annual extravaganza of modeling excellence, I first started going to this event back in the early 1960s when my dad use to take me, in those day’s it was held in the Westminster Hall, it’s a wonderful event and far more than just “boys playing with their toys”, I always look forward to going, apart from the astonishing amount of skill and dedication that is on display there is always a genuine felling of community spirit at this event not only among the people who exhibit but with the visitors to, and apart from all that, it also offers a perfect opportunity for old people like me to re-live my youth and play at being a boy again ! ! ! ! I love it.
Lots of Big Little Boys but not a single little girl!
Small and big boys with their hobbies — also in Kassel here in Germany: http://www.modellbaumesse-kassel.de/
Love & Peace
ACHIM
*** JE SUIS CHARLIE ***
I drive past Ally Pally regularly; when there’s an event on I try to guess what it is by looking at the stream of people trudging up the hill. How unavoidably tribal we still are – and, 21st century or no, how gender predictable (I only spotted two men making their way up to the recent embroidery and stitching show…). The common denominator is the palpable excitement and animation, which lifts my spirits too…
Wonderful, expressive photos! I think there is one little girl, in photo 5.
Some excellent models. I particularly liked the French battleship Richelieu. I leave behind me a kit for the Yamato.
I wish I had spent more of my life modelling.
AS