SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN annual review How to condense a whole model year into a readable piece? Impossible without filling half of Wikipedia! So here’s quickie scoot through five items that entertained us, big and small... In February we clomped through the last of the winter snow to a Collector Fair near Oxford, UK. There were the usual stalls sprinkled with tempting treats, but star of the show was the splendid O-gauge three-rail electric layout.  Of course, items like this are hardly ‘true scale’ - they are (or were) a half-way point between a non-scale ‘toy’ and a true-scale ‘model’ - but you can enjoy them for what they are - immensely pleasurable objects that also have the benefit of action, controllability, and in Kidlington anyway: lots of lovely clickety-clack noise! The trackside accessories were a joy to behold - for example, many of the buildings were re-used decorative biscuit tins, and very fine they looked too. The station was a piece of original tinplate railwayana, and looke...

David Jefferis reports To the average tourist, the half-timbered town of Stratford-upon-Avon is famed for just one thing - it’s the home of the Immortal Bard, William  Shakespeare. But for the model and toy fan, Stratford is a magnet for another reason - it’s the base for the splendid model emporium Much Ado About Toys (MAAT). Housed opposite a delightfully beflowered traffic island, MAAT is a treasure trove of miniature delights that range from plastic kits to tinplate collectibles. So far as tinplate is concerned, Schylling’s products are well represented here. They are modern takes on nostalgic and retro themes, and very affordable too - for example, the palm-sized ‘King Jet’ is a bargain £8.99 GBP ($13.80 USD), and comes in several marking alternatives, including a splendid ‘Pulse Car’ which is just the sort of thing I’d like parked in my garage! Somewhat pricier are the CIC diecasts from France. However, their attractive retro lines make them a fascinating addition to a collec...