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New Releases - Honest, unbiased reviews, so that you know the score
News - Find out what's going on in the small scale world
New Releases - An exciting array of latest issues, all reviewed and rated
London/Nuremberg Toyfair Photo Special - A first look at the models in the pipeline for 2020
Spotlight on iScale - Stephen Paul Hardy explains why he feels this exclusive to retail outlet CK-Modelcars range is really worth exploring
Baby Mazda - Doug Kelly tells the tale of the one that started it all for this legendary marque
‘The Tracco’ - A new series, inspired by contributor Richard Young's long association with the Aidershot & District, begins with the wagons
WIN signed samples - We've got two fab Fords up for grabs in our exclusive prize draw
Classic French plastic - Jona Schellekens sizes up some charming Continental toysand reflects on both their origins and influences
Twinkle, twinkle little star...Paul Brent Adams explores how some film/TV releases have required more artistic licence than others to achieve their 'Star Car'status
Auction news - We report back on the models making money in the salesrooms and on eBay
Your letters - It's over to you...Views aired and information shared
2020 Vision - A special photo report on the models coming next as we report back from the London/Nuremberg Toyfairs
News - An exciting announcement from the Northcord Model Company Ltd, details of a Corgi Toys museum collection soon to come under the hammer, a 1:50 scale truck commissiong worth netting, and lots more....
Swapmeets and events - Find out what's on where, and when
Signing Off - Stephen Paul Hardy ponders how much more the digital world may transform a hobby so deeply invested in the past
While I'm fully of aware of how privileged I am to attend the Nuremberg Toyfair each year, the trade off is always having to really hit the ground running on my return in order to meet deadline - so coming down with horrible flu-like symptoms before I was even unpacked was something I could have so done with without this month. Despite that, I know I have to count my blessings. As I write this column, there's still yet to be a halt to the spread of the Wuhan corona virus and China is now virtually in lock down. Obviously, the most serious concerns have to be further loss of life and, because China plays such a massive role in the global economy, the reverberations that are going to be felt worldwide. Clearly even the small scale universe is not going to escape the fallout. Nuremberg 2020 was noticeably less busy than usual, perhaps because so many were either unable to travel or unwilling to risk attending, and while on the face of things everything appeared to be business as usual, the vibe felt ever so slightly subdued to me. That's hardly surprising, as the majority of today's toys/models are manufactured in China and everyone I've spoken with in the industry acknowledges that with factories being ordered to remain closed for an extended period following the Chinese New Year holidays, production delays (which unfortunately have a habit of snowballing) are inevitable. This is something most big name model brands will probably be able to suck up; more vulnerable will be the smaller firms and start ups needing to see swift returns on their investments. Manufacturers and retailers are going to have to rely on our patience and understanding, so let's hope they realise that key to maintaining good customer relationswill be keeping us as informed and updated as possible.
To close on a more upbeat note, I thought I'd share the latest additions to my working memorabilia collection with you: theTSM 2020 Show Special (a big thank you to the lovely Glenn Butler), and my signed, 'first copy off the press' Oxford Diecast catalogue (the annual presentation of which has become a sweet and quirky Nuremberg tradition when the motley crew I will only refer to here as 'The Usual Suspects' get together for dinner on the Friday night.
Enjoy your read,
Lindsay
