A great day out at the Sleaford Model Makers Show 2022!

I cannot believe that it is a year ago that I went to the 2021 Sleaford Model Makers Show. It was the first event that Mrs. Woody and me had been to since the pandemic and that post is here if you want to read up on that show.

This year I saw adverts for the show some weeks ago and given the experience last year I decided that Mrs. Woody would really want to go and I would facilitate this by taking her there. Well that argument works in my mind but as I have said before my mind is a strange place! We did actually go and it was a great show. A bit of everything there. Have a look at this selection of photos to see.

There were five model railway layouts starting with this one set in Winter.

This circular 009 narrow gauge one shows you don't need a lot of space for a layout.

This 00 Gauge engine shed layout was based on a supposed Lincolnshire preservation railway. Nice way to show your loco collection.

This n gauge layout was about 4 foot long again proving you don't need mega space.

Meanwhile the 00 gauge Inglenook shunting puzzle layout proved a interesting draw for those wanting to do some shunting as well as providing a home for a collection of military vehicles.

Talking of military vehicles there were a lot of these on display around the show.

These 1.76 scale models show just how detailed these small scale kits can be.

I did like the bulldozer and grader.

Moving up to the more popular 1/35 scale there were some great models on display.

Moving up to 1/16th scale and there were some interesting radio controlled vehicles as well as some interesting painted figures!

A strange looking Matador truck but actually based upon a prototype developed towards the end of WW2. Only 4 of these half tracks were built and all were scrapped within a year of being built.

 

Brilliant figure painting in this scene.

There was a strange display of the so called WW2 German flying disc which apparently was known as V7. Talking to the modeller there was a theory put forward that the disc was captured by the US and taken to Area 51. In 1947 the USA enginerred version was supposed to have crashed at Roswell and the whole incident was covered up by a Alien craft and beings story. An interesting take on the Roswell theory and one I would not right off but equally without proof not one I would proclaim as being right. Never say random conversation can't educate!

There were also planes...

boats....

Figures like these rare Airfix ones

Thunderbirds also got a look in.

There were also Dolls house type dioramas. 

Love Grand Dad and his Ghetto Blaster radio!

Finally some fairground equipment.

The only problem with this years event is that there were traders with bargains!!!!! How could I resist but more on that another time.

Hopefully Mrs. Woody will want to go again next year so I will have to take her again!

A bit philosophical!

Nearly two and a half years ago I had a detached retina in one of my eyes. To cut a long story short it happened out of the blue but I did something that most men, including me, usually don't do until it is too late which was to actually seek medical help. I think I realised something serious was wrong and the fright of possibly loosing sight in one eye made me seek that medical attention. Despite the pandemic at the time, I was diagnosed on a Tuesday afternoon and undergoing surgery on the Friday morning. The surgeon was highly skilled and the rest of the team brilliant and my sight was saved. Since then I have had to go for regular checkups at the hospital. Today I went back for another checkup and was finally signed off by the surgeon who was happy that all is well. That is great and I am really pleased. 

The whole saga has brought into my focus (no pun intended) the fact that most of us take sight for granted. Having gone through the possibility of loosing sight in one eye I now have a keen interest in news and organisations related to sight loss and the work that they do. I probably have a greater empathy then I ever did before with those who have lost their sight and have to live a life in darkness. I think with some of the other things I have gone through during the past few years I have learnt to live life positively and make the most of each day. You never know what tomorrow may bring. 

That's the philosophical bit over with so how are things going on my valley landscaping? Well slowly and almost a repeat of yesterday and probably some other days last week. More plaster work to cover the polystyrene formers to the landscape but I have probably finished that now.

It may be boring work at the moment but I am being philosophical about it and at least I can see to do it! More of the standard Woody mayhem will return tomorrow!

Woody goes to a gig!

I got a phone call at 4.30pm yesterday from an old friend, Dangerous Dave. Now that 'Dangerous' doesn't mean that he is an unsavory character just that he does some dangerous things! Best illustrated by the fact that when he wired a new light fitting into his and Mrs. Dave's bedroom he managed to wire it so that when switched on it also switched the light on in the next bedroom. No one could work out how he managed it - not even the qualified electrician called in to sort it out! Anyway Dave had an offer that apparently I could not refuse! I thought what does he need sorting out after his latest 'gone wrong' project? However he had a spare ticket to see a Thin Lizzy tribute band and would pick me up at 6.30pm. I had nothing else on and Mrs. Woody had a whole series of some murder crime mystery to catch up on so I said yes please! I am glad I did. The band was Limehouse Lizzy and they were incredible musicians as well as recreating very faithfully the music of Thin Lizzy which was part of my misspent youth! Both Dave and myself have played in bands during our times but neither of us are any where near the professionalism of these guys. The singer was a great front man and had the audience fully behind the band within seconds of coming on. 

I walked out slightly hard of hearing but I would certainly go and see them again. If you like Thin Lizzy this is the band to see.

Back at WMD HQ I decided it was time to clean my car both inside and out - it needed it! Whilst the bucket and sponge were out I also thought it might be an idea to clean my bike. Normally I prefer to spend my time riding the bike rather than cleaning it. Some cyclists I know spend hours polishing and cleaning their bikes only to see it smothered in dirt on their next ride! However I am sure me being slower these days is down to the weight of all that dirt! At least that is what I tell myself!  The photo doesn't do the build up of muck and dirt justice but it was bad.

Some water and sponge work together with an old toothbrush (and Mrs. Woody thought that those old tooth brushes were thrown out!) to get into the nooks and crannies and it was looking better and weighing less! 

 Back in the Man Cave a bit more work on the dropped baseboard section of my 00 gauge layout. Today the road and canal sections were put in which means that I can get on with finishing the landscaping. I must admit that this part of the project is dragging on for me but I do need to see it through!

The road and canal sections were cut from a sheet of foam card and hot glued into place.

I was wise enough to test that the road and canal actually would be capable of taking 4mm scale road vehicles and narrow boats without them crashing into the viaduct. The bus, car and narrow boat were borrowed from my 009 narrow gauge layout just to test things although they do look rather good in this new location. I was also wise enough to ensure that the road level is above the canal level! Working smarter not harder as I get older!

Well I am still a little hard of hearing so I have a good excuse for not hearing Mrs. W if she has any jobs that need doing! 

The bread knife comes out again!

The bread knife found itself being secretly transported back to my Man Cave for another session of polystyrene carving. I am sure that knife must be confused about where it lives and what it should be doing but luckily it can't talk to Mrs. Woody. 

Following my time for reflection a couple of days ago which resulted in the decision to move the viaducts closer to the baseboard edge, the previously formed landscape found itself subject to forces that nature would have taken millennia to achieve - who says I can't be fast when I want to be!

It looks a mess and it was a mess! Good job I can hide that all away in my Man Cave. Following some precision cutting, well more like hacking, parts were removed from one side and glue back on the other side. To my amazement I even managed to glue the parts on the right side! Result! Before anyone could look in too much detail I covered most of it in another coat of plaster.

Hopefully this dries fairly quickly and even more hopefully the bread knife goes back to its rightful home where it can resume its role in life of slicing bread rolls! 

Be prepared!

I was a Scout in my early years so that motto of Be Prepared does actually bring back memories mainly of not being prepared! However you live and learn as the saying goes which is what I try to do to stay one step ahead of Mrs. Woody! Doesn't work very well though as she still manages to be two steps ahead of me most of the time. 

Being prepared today I had my phone ready to take this photo of a stunning rainbow which formed whilst I was out on my bike ride this morning. 

Not much time for model making today but in my Be Prepared mode I have ordered some materials which arrived today for my Last Great Project so that I have them in stock ready for when the time comes. 

I have some ballast, point motor wiring, a CPU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) and some toggle switches to switch the points once I build a control panel. Of course with my speed of progress there is more chance of finding the end of the rainbow then getting these items used by Christmas I have to be prepared that these items are likely to have gained a good coating of dust before being used but as I am always prepared I do have a duster in my Man Cave! Just don't tell Mrs. W!

Time to reflect.

Ever since last night when I had finished the plastering of the valley sides I had a thought in the back of my mind that I had missed something. As Mrs. Woody was off today as well we had a day out where I had time to reflect on that thought. 

It was a wet and misty day so much so that the top of this TV transmitter mast was invisible in the low lying cloud. A bit like my mind at that time!

We eventually ended up at another garden center attached to a gift shop! Almost Ground Hog day after yesterday. My eye was however caught by a couple of things. This old child's Raleigh tricycle was just parked in the garden center. It probably dates from the 50's/60's and had a magical patina about it displaying that it had provided hours of fun to its previous owners. 

In the car park was this modern VW van or Dub as I believe such things are known in the VW world hence the number plates relevance.

However getting closer I knew why it had attracted me - Woody!  Maybe a sign my mind was clearing?

Mrs. Woody and me had a purchesless (that amazed me) perusal of the rest of the garden center which was great for my wallet before returning to WMD HQ.  

Having had time to reflect on what I had missed on the valley sides I realised i needed to move both viaducts closer to the outside edge of the baseboard. Why? Well I need to put two platforms for the station on the rear most board. Having concentrated on the opposite board I had totally forgotten to check that all was OK on the back board. At present there is room for two 4cm wide platforms or in real size 10 feet/3m. That is not very wide and given the platforms will be about 6 foot/2m long they would look strange.

THe platforms will go between the second and third tracks from the right of the picture and the fourth and fifth tracks.

Distance between tracks 2 and 3.

Distance between tracks 4 and 5.

On the opposite board I have about 7.5cm between the track and the edge of the baseboard so I can gain about 4 cm if I revise the landscape and move the viaducts over.

That will give me an extra 2cm for each platform bringing their width in real life to a more realistic 15 foot/4.8m. Whilst this will mean there is some undoing of some of my work done so far it is much better to discover at this stage then in a few weeks time when the destruction element would be much greater. Reflection and time for it, even if it means going to a garden center, can indeed be a good thing!