SMW 2014

[Martin H]

the TIC security people had every reason to be on edge, and following the rules to the letter.

One of their own was assaulted and injured by some one in the queue to get in on the Saturday morning.

And in all honesty Kit, poking a camera in the TIC staff members face is not going to help matters. For good or bad they are after all only doing what they are being paid to do. If I was that member of staff, I would have considered your actions as an attempted assault, and reacted accordingly. If other words you would have found your self trying to explain your actions to the local police.

Its been pointed out by others on other forums, that the IPMS has no control of events out side of the entry pay desks. Car parks, and the entrance hall to the venue are the TIC 's remit.
And I could be wrong here, but I understand the society gets the hire of the center at a preferential rate that no other venue has been able to come close to offering. In exchange for that there is a small price too pay. namely the TIC retaining more control of the venue than is likely to be normal for any other event being held there. The center manager can and would pull the plug on the show if she (or her staff) is pushed to far by those attending the show.

Plus if you think you can do a better job organizing the show.....stand for the show managers post when it next comes up for election. And put your money where your mouth is.

[PR19_Kit]

Under the same premise that I'm not allowed to photograph policemen?

I thought this was the UK, not the Communist era Soviet Union............

If the doors had been opened for the setup period and for the previous 20 mins, why did they then chose to close them. That had nothing to do with some idiot trying to blag his way in without paying on the Saturday, it was plain bloody mindedness!

And I've already done my stint of being an Committee Member and show organiser thanks very much, MANY years ago.....

[Howard of Effingham]

OGL we is gonna have to agree to disagree.

i'm with Kit on this one. there are most definately bits where the management of the international centre could do
better for SMW2015 and i'll only be tackling them and the executive committee of the IPMS on things i am sure
about and saw myself. i have spent sometime composing a suitable letter which i will be gladly sending to each party by tomorrow's mail.

as i said elsewhere, [in this case] both sides need to know my concerns, whether they choose to do anything
about them is another matter entirely.

apart from that i did enjoy myself in the main over both days. honest.

trevor [donning his tin hat and body armour]

[Nick]

Under the same premise that I'm not allowed to photograph policemen?

I thought this was the UK, not the Communist era Soviet Union............

If the doors had been opened for the setup period and for the previous 20 mins, why did they then chose to close them. That had nothing to do with some idiot trying to blag his way in without paying on the Saturday, it was plain bloody mindedness!

I work in the public eye dealing with large crowds every day, especially when their plans are upset, sometimes by 'petty officialdom'. Usually it's because they can't or won't see the bigger picture.

1: Having a camera shoved in your face is offensive especially when done by a person who's just been rude to you because they don't like the situation. It is not unknown for a flash to be used as a weapon to blind you prior to a physical assault.

2: The rear doors were closed at 8:45am to allow for the timely removal of vehicles and provides time for the final safety check before allowing the public in.
It also prevents there being a large influx of people via the rear door shortly before 9am. This way the large crowd waiting at the front doors aren't getting upset when they think they see other people entering before them via another door.

[Thorvic]

I think they are talking about the Sunday Afternoon, as they chose to park at the front of the centre and use the public doors to exit the centre rather than the perscribed loading doors in the halls.

The roller shutters to the foyer are closed in preperation of the opening of the loading doors, once the public have exited the building, its part of the rules and regulations and ones the IPMS abide with.

I felt the centre staff were actually quite a bit more proactive this year, they opened up the car parks early to prevent too much queing overflowing onto the main road, they marshalled cars into position and down in the loadind area they were marshalling the traffic for the traders and created a safe walkway up the car park ramp to keep pedestrians and vehicles sepperate.

The only real clangers were self inflicted ones by the IPMS, the first being managing setup in the Halls Sat/Sun as some exhibitors cant attend Friday to get their wristbands. We actually queried this with the SMW manager and volunteered to manage this Sat Morning, otherwise there could have been some serious arguments on the door. The other clanger was setting up the Dalek  and friends as they arrived late and blocked the main door on closing which will have pissed off some of the traders looking to bring in their vehicles.

[NARSES2]

Well I had no problems with staff. Thoroughly enjoyed the show and it was great to meet up with all and sundry again. Made friends with a couple of our US cousins on the Friday night (mind you I was stuck in the bar for 7 hours or so  ) Radish was certainly colourful on the Saturday - if Goth can ever be described as colourful. The 2 minute silence on Sunday was as moving as ever 

Personally I thought the stand was one of the best we have put on....less is best lads  Sorry Dave (Kitbasher) couldn't make it  Catch up at Hendon hopefully mate.

Nice collection of Vino available behind the bar stand Saturday and Jim's single malt was interesting 

Highlight for me was the group of about 15 people peering over Mike M's shoulder Sunday afternoon and reading his Osprey Steam Punk Victorian national army types book  Must get a copy 

[PR19_Kit]

1: Having a camera shoved in your face is offensive especially when done by a person who's just been rude to you because they don't like the situation. It is not unknown for a flash to be used as a weapon to blind you prior to a physical assault.

2: The rear doors were closed at 8:45am to allow for the timely removal of vehicles and provides time for the final safety check before allowing the public in.
It also prevents there being a large influx of people via the rear door shortly before 9am. This way the large crowd waiting at the front doors aren't getting upset when they think they see other people entering before them via another door.

I wasn't rude to him, HE was rude to ME! 

I know just what would have happened if I'd have trued to take it further, none of the Centre or IPMS staff would have done anything about it '....because  there's no evidence..........) etc. That's why I was going to take his photo.

And it was on the Sunday evening, when we were trying to leave.

It won't happen next year because I won't be there. That's two years on the trot when officialdom has made the experience untenable for me. The show itself is fine, although far too big for a 2 day event, but the peripheral activities make it very uncomfortable.

[Dork the kit slayer]

Im with you on this Narse old mate, a great meet up and a good show. That malt was indeed interesting. Looking fwd to Huddersfield

Im in agreement with Martins sentiments re the camera incident and being of the short fuse persuasion a camera pointed at me during an argument would have resulted in some interesting anal photography. Come on Kit mate wind yer neck in,it does neither you or the attendees in general any favours, hardly a send in the gunboats incident.
I personally found the exhibition staff helpful and friendly. Most years their is someone moaning about "jobsworths" if not that the judging, but the percentage is thankfully small. It happened at Stonelea,it happened at Donnington and no doubt will happen again. Delays ? just suck it up and enjoy the day.

Lets get back to the lunacy and kit bashing,after all its what were known for.......................................................ps anyone got the address of "the Radishs" tailor?

[davecov]

Sorry to say this but the 1/350 scale HMS Queen Elizabeth is not being done by Airfix.

It was a scratch build model done for Airfix by a guy called Dave Coventry for the floating out of the real HMS Queen Elizabeth and will eventually be displayed on board the ship when she enters operational service.

http://www.airfix.com/news/airfix-visits-the-hms-queen-elizabeth/

I read that on the web site too, but they would be crazy if they DIDN'T do it.

Thanks for the various comments about the HMS Queen Elizabeth model that I made. Yes, the F-35s were C's due to the timescale for the build and the unavailability of B's at the time I made it. If you had looked closely, you would see that there were no Wildcats but Lynx instead!

When I was first approached to make a model, I was asked to make a 1/1200 scale version which I had half-completed before the Royal Navy asked for a 1/350 version instead! Ironically, that version had F-35B's!! Having to start all over again in a much bigger scale I had to throw a certain amount of accuracy out of the window in order that the model appeared on time at the Naming Ceremony on 4th July.

Airfix borrowed the model from HMS Queen Elizabeth for SMW 2014 and it will be going back onboard shortly. There is to be a more formal presentation of the model by Airfix to the Captain of HMS Queen Elizabeth in the future when I will be lucky enough to go onboard the ship again.

As for Airfix releasing a model of HMS Queen Elizabeth, then that will only happen if there is enough positive feedback from the punters and the appearance of the model at Telford was part of the feedback-gathering exercise. If it does go ahead then it won't happen for two years and may not be in 1/350 scale but in 1/700 instead due to it's size.

To make sure we do get an Airfix version of HMS Queen Elizabeth, I urge punters to keep emailing Airfix and badgering them on their Facebook page and via Twitter so that there is no possibility of them "forgetting"!

Dave

[Martin H]

Personally I thought that was a stunning build. If it does spark interest in a kit then nice one.

If it does appear as a 1/700 kit, Thorvic will by a case load knowing him

[PR19_Kit]

It was exceptional for sure, I'd like to know more details on how it was spliced together from the source kits.

[davecov]

Thanks, peeps.

The Hornby PR girl who interviewed me for the Airfix News release about the model didn't quite understand what I was talking about when I described how I constructed the kit. The hull of the model came from a different manufacturer so Airfix didn't want to mention it! However, I did take some small parts and aircraft from the Airfix HMS Daring and HMS Illustrious kits, along with the ski-jump from the latter.

I thought that a kit made entirely from plastic card might not be strong enough, so I cut and shut a Tamiya 1/350 USS Enterprise hull and clad it in plastic card. I did add braces across the hull made from balsa wood later on in the build and these also supported the flight deck which was made from plastic card:


Then I clad the hull in plastic card and added the sponsons:


Islands were also built from plastic card:


As were the walkways:



Ski jump was a modified Airfix HMS Illustrious one:


For size comparison, here are three pictures of her alongside the Airfix 1/350 HMS Daring:






Dave

[Dork the kit slayer]

Great build,really exceptional modelling.   Using the Tamiya Enterprise is real dedication, I broke out in acase of nervous wallet when I read it.

[Radish]

I had a wonderful time.

Next year will be a "costume for 2 days" event.....already looking at a stunning little number in black.....

Thought the staff were brilliant. Had a lovely time.

Thanks to Narses and Aircav for their hospitality on Saturday evening, albeit interrupted by a lurch to a couple of Stafford members.
Next year, unless the Russian Cossacks are touring, the memsahib will be there.

And at the risk of being "deleted", we DO live in a very, over observed country. Our every move is noted, our emails, etc., can be spied on and phone calls monitored. It's called living in the UK. Our freedom is conditional upon our acceptance.

[davecov]

Great build,really exceptional modelling.   Using the Tamiya Enterprise is real dedication, I broke out in acase of nervous wallet when I read it.

Thank you. I've got another Tamiya Enterprise sitting on my landing waiting to be made into HMS Prince of Wales. Unlike HMS Queen Elizabeth, it is my wallet that is taking the hit this time!

Dave