Scottish National Model Show

Scottish National Model Show...

Scottish Nationals Model Show 2011
23 & 24th April

Held at the Dewar Centre in Perth the Scottish National Scale Model Show, is held annually. As the national show for Scotland, a country which has a strong modelling culture, the show is well attended by many local clubs but it is pleasing to see clubs, special interest groups and model traders from further afield making it up to Perth, especially during these trying economic times. This helps make it a show with a wide range of exhibits and something for everyone to enjoy

Unfortunately due to a 1:1 scale house project, I was unable to participate in the show this year but was able to attend as a paying visitor on Saturday.

This year the show had no discernible theme, or if it did have one, my apologies to the organisers because I didn’t note a theme.

The hall, which is a defrosted curling rink has club, SIG and other displays in the centre and traders spaced around the outside. The competition, which had a good level of entries, was near the entrance and one feature which I like at the Scot Nats is the kitswap. This is just of to one side of the main hall in a separate room. This method of enabling modellers to dispose of or swap surplus kits, tools, magazines and materials is a neat solution to the ‘kits under the table’ scenario and helps raise a little bit more funds for the show.

A full list of who attended the show is available at http://www.scotnats.org.uk/ . Was it just me, but were there slightly fewer vendors this year? Less shops with new kits but lots of older kits, I found it quite easy to part with over £60 for kits and materials. Montrose air museum had nice pile of submarines including the desirable Alanger 1/350 Akula, Zvezda’s 1/350 K3 November class and Revell’s 1/350 Kursk which I can confirm, if you did not already know, is exactly the same as Zvezda’s offering. Well the last 2 came home with me and the Dragon plus some Mirage 1/400 offerings didn’t hang around long.

Last year I wrote a report for Model Shipwrights and exhorted for more marine modellers to take part. Well I am glad to report that this year we were better represented by 2 displays dedicated solely to ships and the competition category for ships had plenty of entrants. Sure, there were not the magnificent 1/35 S-Boats but the class had the big Italeri Elco boat, good battleships and submarines. A good breath of subjects.

The club stands had worthy maritime subjects, sometimes in unexpected places like the beyond the box SIG and it’s Wallace and Grommet madness where there was a good mini sub conversion. Another display was a 1/72 aircraft carrier with a very full compliment of aircraft, not quite focused on ships but interesting non the less. A conversion from Revell's North Sea Trawler to a 1950’s southern ocean whaling ship was taking shape on one club stand and looking really promising. An ingenious concept stand was ‘the Best of Enemies’ featuring U-boat verses Sunderland, MTB v’s E-boat, Tirpiz v’s Mosquito as well as other pairings. A smaller display of waterline models one of the club stands had a particularly fine supply ship and tugs diorama as well as several merchant ships.

A stunning display of 1/3000, yes! 1/3000 ships filled, well nearly filled a table. The whole display was created in about a year and I was told, the ships start as wargame models which have all the clumsy overscale detail removed and then replaced with more accurate details.

Probably the highlight for Shipwrights would have been David Griffith’s Little Navy. Stunning building and a wide range of subjects from square rigged sailing to submarines. His ORP Orzel in 1/700 (?) was so beautifully executed, (you might have guessed I’m into subs). There were full hull and waterline exhibits and I went back several times to look at the display and each time observed something more. David’s display was strewn with numerous well deserved awards, I don’t know if he gained any more at this show as I wasn’t around for the competitions but his attendance helped make the day for me and, well, he did write the book!

I really like the atmosphere of the Scottish Nationals and the opportunity, to see and learn from like minded modellers and this year there was non better than David Griffith and I would like to say thank you to all those Model Shipwrights who helped me enjoy the show. I have a guilty secret, I did buy an aircraft as well, hey, no-one is perfect!

Cheers
Adam