LOOKING IN THE LOFT:

WE have all joked frequently enough about the pile of kits in the loft that have over the years acted as very good insulation for the rest of the house but in my case I have never been up there to check exactly what I had in store. That was until last week when the possibility of moving house in the near future became a little more than an idle dream. What exactly had I stored away with all good intentions and now half forgotten? As soon as I saw the size of those many egg boxes full of completed models and the mountain of kits that I had collected with all good intentions to make one day, my reaction was to rethink the whole thing and ask madam if it was such a good idea to move house anyway. Before I got much further I realised that I would have to redesign the workroom, take all the cupboards down and what about moving the hundreds of books that line at least five-and-a-half walls in the available space at our present home. The prospect appalled me. So did madam's comments. Coupled with a few well chosen words about making my mind up I was told that I would have to be far more economical with my use of the available space, that the walls were not to be used as a prop for my hobby and that she wanted to live in a house not a library. I went back into the loft to see if I could sort out what I had and at least dispose of some of the kits before the impending move. What a job! How could I get rid of this kit or that? One thing for certain, the books would not go though I saw the possibility of putting a few in storage if only I could make a proper catalogue of what I had and then know where I had put them.

Whilst I was doing all this and I must emphasise that the initial attempts were done in rather slow time, I came across kits that immediately inspired me in the same way as they did when they were originally bought. I also keep my store of decals immediately inside the hatch that leads into the roof space and soon found myself checking on kits and decals in an even greater inspirational enthusiasm. In spite of exhortations from below that I had been too quite for too long and what was I doing up there for such a long time, I came to a number of conclusions about future jobs that I would like to try. In fact I surprised myself and on reflection would pass the same motives on to fellow modellers, although I do not suggest that you get into the trauma of an impending house move to do it.

There are now so many different varieties of decal sheet and accessory on the market that one tends to forget how well off we really are when it comes to producing an individual model that might well be straight-from-the-box but embellished by different decals and the plethora of white metal or etched brass additions. Although it will be a few weeks before I get all of this sorted out and I hate to think of the family arguments that might pass along the way, I fully intend to have a go at some of the exciting projects I thought up for myself whilst disturbing the dust of ages in my loft. It has been an interesting exercise and one which I would suggest anyone who has been modelling for a fair while does now and again. It might surprise you just how much material you have salted away and at the same time renew enthusiasms that could otherwise be forgotten

 

Aircraft in detail: Bristol Beaufort by Alan W. Hall

The Ian Huntley column: German airframe identification 1914-18

Camouflage and markings: No.51 Squadron, RAF by Andrew Thomas

First stages in detailing by Simon Geliot

Scale modellers market place: New kits, decals and accessories reviewed

Tailpiece: By Mike McEvoy

 

Front cover: This magnificent World War 2 picture by Charles Brown shows a Bristol Beaufort I of No.217 Squadron serialled L9878.