Trip to Model Expo 2019

[Graeme H]

Well a total of 5553.9 kms for me, home to home, Rob had considerably less, with about 698 kms each way, mine to his and back.

Good to catch up with a fair few Acamers over the weekend, first I saw was EricG (he goes and enters, I just go for a visit), then RayS, Ed Russell on the Red Roo stand, Brad and his dad, where I bought a raffle ticket and had a couple of phone calls when I was on the road saying I had won the raffle which was the "Stang" book, very nice. Paul (ozrbfan), Later Leigh (F27pax) and Wayne (Wedgetail), and of course Michel, who had a table at the new venue Buy Sell Swap, only once saw the back of who I was told was Adam, but he had a T shirt with a warning, to keep 200ft clear, so being Oh&S conscious I had to comply, sorry Adam.
Rob and I too the sunday to go to Point Cook Museum, that is really very well done, it's so good to see the RAAF taking a bit of acare with some of their collection these days.
I was very glad to see the new Buy Sell Swap location, as the OH&S part always worried me, this new one is a def winner in my opinion, bought a few things for another guy who lives a way north of me at Mareeba, and I plan on sending some of his stuff up tomorrow, when I my chief house minder and dog walker, ie grandson Eddie goes back to Cairns.

One thing is certain this is sure a big country when you drive, so that's 3 model shows in a month (Wasmex in PER, PX in BNE, and now Expo in MEL), time for me to get back into building and get something done as an entry for QMHE in August and then my own local one in October, and Scale ACT in November,

So going with Brad method of 2 pieces per day, I'm a few days behind, so need to get my finger out.

[Wedgetail]

Glad to see you both got home safely.

Cheers
Wayne.

[Ansett A330]

OK managed to resusitate the laptop and get it talking to the iPhone again so have downloaded some photos to illustrate the trip.

So Graeme arrived at 1230 on the Wednesday with the mighty Tucson having suffered a hit from a low flying Roopedo :



Fortunately (well if you are going to get hit that is) it hit on the armoured belt :



so it wasn't a mortal wound to the expedition but certainly dinted the poor old car and the Insurance Excess.

As previously written we managed to make Surat on the Wednesday night but unlike last year's trip to ScaleACT we decided to stay at the Hotel Motel in the centre of Town (? Town?) instead of the Accommodation we stayed at last year. Result : not a great move. I had thought that the "Motel" part of the Hotel (at the side) was brick Units but they weren't and I definitely didn't noticed that the "Rooms" at the back of the Hotel were Demountables. Now "Demountable" may be an over complementary word for an Insulated Box so definitely not staying there again.

[Adam the Akrodude]

Glad to hear you guys got back OK. Sorry to have missed you at the show. I was wearing a semi Gothic/Heavy Metal t-shirt which did say on the back "KEEP BACK - 200 ft" - mandatory message at Expo I've found!

Caught up with most - Eric Galliers, RB-Paul, Jamie Davies, Andrew Perrin, Andrew Doppel and the Mighty Kevster himself and a couple of other long time modellers. On the Saturday I was with an ol mate who is getting back into modelling. When we first started gluing bits of mostly then scale model aircraft together 45 or so years ago, our MO was to build them as rapidly as possible so we could blow them up, set them on fire, hurl huge chunks of clay at them at one of the dams on their family farm. Setting fire to model aeroplanes and hurling them at battleships also on fire was one huge scale plastic battle we had at that time. Anyway, we did eventually grow out of that stage - well, I think we have!

Missed seeing the mighty TOR and some other A/CAM'ers this year. I guess for TOR flyin' around the country and saving lives is more important than Expo for some - GEEZ, bloody selfless huh! It was a very good Expo this year with what was it 840 entries all up. Some categories were lighter on, others more populated. It was a inspiring w/e and recharged me to get to work on 2020 Expo. Oh, and I bought absolutely nothing at Expo - no models, no tools, nil, nadda, nothing! Well, I did see the Wingnuts Lancaster sprues so I'm savin' mah pennies 'cause it's gonna cost a shit load of 'em!

[Ansett A330]

So back again and here is a photo taken in the daylight on the way back of the side of the said Hotel Motel :



As I said at a glance last year (albeit in the dark) I thought they were brick ... no Observation Badge for me!

So we made it to Melbourne and as previously written did not like our experience trying to find whatsitsname (Hylands?) the Bookshop that was closing down. Needless to say however the way they give out Drivers Licences in Melbourne these days needs to be tightened up. Certainly the current system of getting them out of a Cereal Box is not conducive to safe and pleasant driving in the City.

Anyway ... found our Accommodation in AGW's old stamping ground and as mentioned caught up with him before he went spasming and then before we knew it Saturday dawned and we were at the Show well before it opened.

First Trader off the rank was Frank at ModelArt and so out came the iPhone and the list of missing magazines from both "Homes" - Brisvegas and NottoofarfromAdaniland :



and



Now some may criticise me for maintaining two "collections" of ModelArt but what the hell when the "second" set was basically bought for a dollar a copy. Who can argue with that?

Then looked through Frank's Kits and other Magazines and although the 1:12 '69 Camaro was very tempting I passed on it as the 1:12 F5000 project that the engine was for is still very much in it's infancy and paying $65 just for a kit's engine was a bit silly. But ... one day. Also the Frog Wyvern was tempting but at $20 it was way more expensive than the others I had bought over the years (127 according to Graeme meaning I can build a copy of each actual aircraft ever built!) I decided to not to (and besides Graeme would have made me walk all the way home and two and a half thousand kilometres is just a bit too far to walk).

So it was just some other magazines :



The last one of which is actually one issue I was missing!

Then managed to take some photos of some of the models :

The very expensive Aki Firebrand :



And the very impressive paper HMS Lion :



Yeah not many photos as saw Graeme was taking heaps on his Camera so I just wanted to take it all in as well as meet and talk to a few people.

Rounded out the day by buying some Decals and my one and only Kit (apparently - I still can't believe it - only one!) :



and then decided that resistance was futile and bought some books from Frank's (even though I already had copies of them in Brisvegas - sue me!)



So end of play for Day One and off to watch the nerdy Modellers terrorise the Waitress at the Italian place.

[hrtpaul]

Spewin I missed Expo and catching up with everyone

[Ansett A330]

So Sunday we decided to go to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook.

To tell you the truth I'm still undecided about the Museum as a whole as it was good in parts but not really "Visitor friendly" with access either very limited or non existent in some areas and certainly some significant Aircraft still not represented.

Anyway some photos or it didn't happen ...



































Indoor ones next time ...

[Ansett A330]

Now inside the Hangar that is set up like the AWM :












































That model of the Crash Boat I'm pretty sure is the same type that used to be based in Townsville Harbour for the RAAF mostly when the Neptunes were there and was skippered by our next door Neighbour's Dad.

For me I think the highlight was the Walrus. Will be digging out a Matchbox kit at some stage to at least fondle it if not try to make a start on it (one day ...).

Liked the single seat Vampire as well - must be something to do with the yellow finish on both! (Although not real fussed with the plastic Parrot or the Moth so maybe not!)

[Ansett A330]

So having a little bit of time left on the Sunday afternoon we headed for the Headquarters of Mako Models and finally catch up with Mark again after all these years and buy a few kits :



Again all except one already had in the "stash" but couldn't resist as can always cut down the Starlifter to an "A" and lots of options for Sea Furies and Ouragans and the D510 was the only Heller 1:72 kit I was missing (although actually wanted it in the "Black" Box!).

Now for the only kit I didn't have like Molly used to say "Do yourself a favour" and grab one or more of the HMS/HMAS Vendetta kits - it looks superb in the box and I can't wait to build it (again one day ...).

[Ansett A330]

So to Monday and the Smell, Sloth, and Flies ...

We got there early enough to be this far from the front :





And about an hour and a bit later the view the other way looked like this :





OK first time around and after being warned about how crowded the Venue would be and be prepared for the various odours that would permeate the arena I was pleasantly surprised that the "new" venue was much bigger than the "old" venue and that the air was actually breathable and so it really was a Sell, Swop, and Buy and not a S, S and F.

So the result of the first time around was :








The Models also included a Frog Barracuda which I gave to "Rabbit Leader" who made the trip down from Queensland for the day as a Birthday Present for Wednesday.

So after catching up with a few people and assessing what I should target second time around the result was this :





Now admittedly the pure air of the first tour around was somewhat less pure second time around but still managed to survive. Now the IMAI 155mm was the biggest purchase and I probably wouldn't have bought it but having had the matching Tractor as a Kid and recently discovered that the packing box that it was in was destroyed by our Daughter's Dogs in Brisbane I thought I would treat myself (and my Birthday was coming up soon so what the heck) and not to mention Graeme got the Seller to take $10 off so it was a done deal.

So basically as soon as the S, S, and B ended we were off fighting our way out of Melbourne traffic and finally onto the way out only to see the traffic jam on the other side of the Highway from all the people returning after the long weekend :





Late in the day we went through Icantrememberthenameoftheplace and took this photo of "their" Leopard :





Next time ... the leg home and what awaited.