Shows and Vintage days

Apologies for neglecting the blog over the last few months but as with everything, life just took over the past year. And with that being said it is the “last year” I would like to start the debate so to speak.

As you all know we are www.diecastmodels4u.ie and we travel the country of Ireland every week at either a die cast show, or a Vintage rally, up highways and down byways in small villages and in the big cities, to me it is the best job in the world, I get to meet characters and friends every week. Over the last eight years I have gone through three vans and enjoyed every minute of every mile, “however” there is always a “However” something has come to my notice especially over the previous year, and that is the lack of attendances at these events, that’s covering everything from Auto jumbles to die cast shows folks. Now from what I hear on the ground are the usual lines and they are as follows.

1.       There are too many shows

2.       They are too expensive to get in.

3.       Traders are too expensive with stock.

4.       Same stuff at the shows.

All valid points I think but again with the “However” personally I really do not think they are too many shows, I think Varity is the spice of life, and this is my living so it is like saying you have too many pay days so I do take this comment personally as I have a family to raise, usually the shows are miles apart and are usually organised around other local events such as county finals and school games days etc., it is important that we support the shows, local to you, your community, your club, your way of life. The reason these shows are getting expensive to get into has to do with a lot of things notably Greed, yes I have said it “GREED” but not on the shows organisers behalf, a perfect example is of a Hotel that will remain anonymous but they wanted €7,000 for a hall for one day that’s right €7 grand, plus would not supply tables and food was more expensive for the organisers than if you had walked in off the street. Hotels are now looking for separate insurance off the organisers for the day. That can be anything from €1500 for a day to €3000, as for outside shows the insurance costs sky rocket to €10,000-€15,000 not including for outdoor shows portable loos, electricity, and all the other hidden costs that Joe public just does not see. We have to remember the costs of advertising these shows and all the extremely hard work that volunteers of clubs put in year after thankless years. The “Majority of local shows of all genres break even if that, they are ran by the enthusiast who has an interest in their hobby and their community, believe me they will be missed when they are no longer held, the money brought to a community by a vintage run or fair day cannot be under estimated, the vast majority of shows are Charity based and are done for local Charities, the village coverage in tourism alone has been phenomenal in the villages that I have run shows in, yet some villages are reluctant or unwilling and sometimes down right rude in putting up posters or road signs, instead of getting behind something that would benefit not only the local shop the whole village should be getting behind and supporting.

The next point of traders being “expensive” please, please, oh please, do a quick Google check before you by a die cast model at a local show, and you will see that the prices are cheaper on the norm than “ANY” cross sea website or trader, the Irish model trader is cheaper and offers great value and a face you can deal with, all the traders I know, and I will stand over this statement, will return a model should it be damaged, they hand out cards with all sales, and are easily contactable should you not be happy. So don’t stand at a table or in a tent berating traders who are all Tax compliant and voice your opinion on something you have not researched or know nothing about. Sterling prices are more expensive than Euro, and if you still feel that they are expensive move along to another trader and ask for a bargain ask for a discount and see what can be done, I can ensure you as a Trader I “WANT” to sell but I can’t afford to give away either, we all have different wholesalers we deal with and some are cheaper than others.

As For the same stuff at all the shows this is seasonal believe it or not, most die cast models are manufactured in China and we are reliant on production schedules over there, so sometimes there are production problems in China and we all get the same stuff at the same time, so again it is a case of trawling around and seeing what’s out there.

So to finish folks let me know what you think. All views are valid, just keep them civil and remember it is your local show, and your hobby, but to run down shows or not attend and not support, and then whine that it was a bad show is unacceptable, there is no such thing as a bad show just a bad attendance, looking forward to your views, also one final thing if you wish to review a model or want us to review a model let us know that’s what this blog is about.

Bus and Coach Transport

Flashback to 1981 and I as a young schoolboy took my first journey on a coach for our primary school tour, back then I didn’t realise the lasting effect the sound of the heavy diesel engine would have on me. Some years later whilst looking over old pictures, I was able to discover the coach in question was a Ford with Plaxton Supreme bodywork.

The years rolled on and I became even more interested in all things mechanical and I managed to get a job as ticket collector for a local coach company. By a strange twist of fate it so happened the first coach I worked on was also a Ford Plaxton Supreme.

I began collecting buses and coaches in 1:76 scale to indulge my hobby, since I didn’t have the resources to purchase a 1:1 scale coach as a plaything.

Corgi, EFE, Brit Bus and Oxford Diecast are among 4 of the most familiar manufacturers to those of us among the 1:76 scale hobbyists.  Model choice for Irish collectors has improved dramatically in recent years with a number of Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus models produced. My most recent purchase is PD5 produced by EFE. PD5 is a DAF coach with Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodywork and the real vehicle entered service with Bus Eireann in 1990. EFE is headed up by Frank Joyce and they have been producing quality models for over 25 years now.

Another Bus Eireann model in my collection is DVH 14 by Corgi under the OOC brand. DVH 14 is a Dennis Van Hool coach and entered service in 1993. In the early days as CIE a wide variety of buses and coaches featured in the fleet but sadly many of these were never produced by diecast manufacturers but all is not lost. A number of the more popular models have been produced as resin kits which you must then build and paint yourself. I have purchased 2 such kits, a KC class single decker city bus and a D class single door double decker which were both produced by Jim Poots in Belfast. They are a winter project and will be my first attempt at kit building since I glued myself to an Airfix Spitfire many years ago. Hopefully the bus projects will be much more successful.

I hope that I have succeeded in sharing some insights to my hobby and the world of scale model buses and coaches and look forward to sharing more with you over the coming weeks and months. I have included some images to give you a better idea of some of the Bus Eireann fleet that I mentioned earlier in the article.

If you want to see more pictures of my model buses, then click here

 

 

Photos and Text: Ultan Burke

Paudi Models NEW to the scene

Just a little piece on the relatively new manufacturer who has appeared on the car modelling scene is “Paudi” a Chinese group who specialise in the more modern vehicles in 1/18 scale. Having stocked and sold these models myself over the last two years I can honestly say these are THE most detailed models in 1/18 scale currently out there, some models have up to 500 working parts and are exact replicas of the real thing. The detailing in the engine bay alone has to be seen to be believed, from the oil dip stick to shock absorbers you can see the intense detail. What makes these models so wonderful to look at is the paint finish which is in my opinion flawless, the seat belts are functional the seats are moveable and just when you think you have discovered everything you think there is to discover you find yet another hidden gem like the compartment that holds the spare flawless space saver tyre. They are priced mid-range and I think affordable between €80-€120 which is in my opinion a lot of model for the price, and I feel at last there is a model that caters for the car collector. These are well built sturdy heavy models that cater for car collectors that want a model of what they are currently driving. Paudi do not build their models on a production line, but from office to office, and their QC is second to none, that I can personally testify to, as some have mysteriously made it into my own collection. Their range has expanded dramatically over the last twelve months alone and they now cater for the Toyota, VW, and ford collector, in a very limited but expanding range. The Audi A4 that are shown in the pictures below is just a sample of a new release this year, and it’s a model that you would want to grasp with “BOTH” hands as the weight can take you by surprise retailing at €120 is what I believe to be great value, and is sure to strike an interest in both the younger and older collector. Feel free to tell us about your recent purchase and do you feel it was worth the price or what the quality was like, we would welcome everyone’s input.