"Shipwrecked"....nice comments, thank you.
I'll tell you a little story about the show....if your'e interested.
The 2009 show (the first) didn't supply as many tables to TMBC as had been promised, and so all our boats / ships were crammed up sisde by side with really only the bows of the models visible. Not very pleasing to either the entrants or the visiting spectators. On the "assumption" that the same thing would happen again this year many of us at TMBC reduced their entries to allow more space. For myself, I was only going to enter "Northumbrian" as opposed to the 4 or 5 models I generally send to shows. Other club members did the same. So on the friday before the show opened when we took the models it was more than a bit of an eye-opener to discover that we had been allocated a huge stand..so really we could have shown more models without them being crammed up.
In "normal" circumstances the club hires a big van to transport the entered models. For reasons that I won't go into, the van didn't materialise so club members had to transport their own boats in their own cars. This obviously put a bit of a limit as to what could be transported. As I said, I had only entered "Northumbrian", but as "Baroda" was already in the trailer where it lives I dragged that along as well. When I got to the venue I thought how sparse the stand looked...and so Brian (brian_c) sort of coerced me into putting "Baroda" on to the stand. Then (!) he said he was going to enter it into the "competition"...nothing to do with me 'guv. So now the same ship has got 2 "best in show" awards that were totally unexpected. I'm quite sure that if some of our other "ship-builders" had known that our stand was to be so large, there would have been more models shown that are equally as good as "Baroda".
When I went back to collect my boats at the end of the show I was approached by a fellow modeller who was quite adamant that the "Northumbrian" should have all the vehicles and passengers removed as they were not part of "the model". I disagreed. After all, it is a model of a river ferry, and its stock in trade was to transport people and vehicles from one side of the Tyne to the other...so as far as I'm concerned they all remain where they are. Anyway, I don't build models to go "cup-hunting", I just do it to please myself.
The "Northumbrian" very nearly didn't make it to the stand at all. About half a mile from the venue the trailer dropped into a huge pothole...in the rear view car mirror I saw the model lift violently out of its cradle and my heart sank. With good reason. Without going into details a lot of work was needed with the aid of some superglue kindly loaned by a member of another club. (Green jersey, you know who you are, thanks, you were a life-saver!). BY.
Thats fascinating to know Bryan, Apologies for such a long time in replying, but trouble logging on under original name, and as its coming to that time of year for a new show at Temple Park I feel I am able to reply without pregidous now.
Having been coerced into being a judge at the 2010 show (out of the blue), Northumbrian came to my attention, having been a shipbuilder on the Tyne myself and being of local interest she was always going to be of interest.
Looking over all the models on display, she was a fine example of superbly researched model few would attempt. A credit to her builder without doubt.
Studying her, I can recall the other judges pondering whether she should be best of show,. I looked below her lines from an unusual angle, simply looking for that one extra feature. Would this modeller add detail to her where no-one would ever look I thought? propelling her to that extra level?.
This was what was going to win her first prize, as opposed to second. I remember being rebuked by a club member "Why are you looking down there? " I was asked sharply.
I was looking for that extra step which propelled her from brilliant to extra ordinary. I witnessed a repair. Nevertheless, this just showed to me she'd had an accident or had been injured on a pond, a working model rather than a pristine static, which to me gave her added Kredos.
Barado was there as well, she was vying for first place alongside Northumbrian, along with one other model.
Now, can I just say, I don't look at names of modellers -I find it can sway opinions -rather to look at a model and decide on it's features and quality in my view; Other judges came to the same conclusion as I did, in finding fault with only one aspect of the model.... Namely that one figure out of all the figures on board her, which added life to the model, seemed to be slightly out of scale on the model and hence she dropped 1/2 a point. Leaving the choice to be between the superb Baroda and the other. After some discussion, it ended as a unaminous decision that Baroda win with Northumbrian in second place with me adament that Baroda was the worthy winner.
Now don't get me wrong, I am just clarifying the position at the time, as a historical note from my privilaged view point at the time, and hope to see her again this year along with more of your superb builds.
In deep admiration of your building skills,
Regards Bry
