Episode 37 with Just Making Conversation

[00:00:02] No matter your scale, subject or skill level, you're among fellow benchmates. Welcome to Beyond The Box Art, the scale modeler's podcast.

[00:00:32] Welcome to Episode 37 of Beyond The Box Art and our colleagues from Just Making Conversation, Malcolm Childs and Jamie Skiffins.

[00:00:53] It's time to welcome your host, Brownie, alongside Balders, Dan, Neves and Shane, collectively responsible for several hours of nonsense and countless unnecessary purchases. Hi benchmates and welcome to Episode 37 of Beyond The Box Art. Now...

[00:01:21] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you talking about? Dan, am I? I haven't got to that bit yet. Welcome, welcome to Beyond The Conversation. It's a takeover! Yay! Oh dear. As I said, this is going to be most definitely one of the more off-the-rail episodes we've done. Ah, you'll be fine. You'll be fine. Yes. We're one that no one listens to.

[00:01:49] We've got your back, don't worry, Brownie. Fair enough. Yeah, the listening figures were all right, you know. It's all downhill now. This is going to go down faster than Titanic, isn't it? I can see that. Yeah, we can certainly see the iceberg. Jesus Christ, that's a point on there, Barony. Put that iceberg away. Oh, I'm just going to melt into the background with that one. Anyway. Podcasting is a strange old thing.

[00:02:17] Shows arrive, voices become familiar, running jokes develop, communities form around them, and before you realise it, those voices become part of the soundtrack to your modelling bench. And for a lot of scale modellers, just making conversation has become exactly that. Just like that dependable old cutting mat that you just can't bear to throw out. Since James and Malcolm first sat down to be behind the mic back in 2020, JMC has carved out its own unmistakable corner in the scale modelling world.

[00:02:46] It's been funny, occasionally irrelevant, frequently thought-provoking, and above all else, exactly what the title promised. Two modellers simply making conversation. So for episode 37, as you may have noticed in the interjections already, we're bringing the two shows together for a very special reason. But more of that a little later on. So benchmates, clear space on your bench, stick the kettle on, and join us as we have a natter with Malcolm and James.

[00:03:14] This is episode 37 of Beyond the Box Art, and nearly episode 100, almost sort of, of Just Making Conversation. And it starts now. So for this episode, I am joined by Dan. Hello, benchmates. Shane. How's it going, benchmates? Borders will be joining us once he's finished a committee meeting, because he's basically double-booked himself. The impeccable Malcolm Childs. Hello, mates of the bench.

[00:03:43] And the irrelevant, sorry, irreplaceable James Skiffins. Hello, Bob. Yeah, absolutely on point, as per usual. And we are also joined by a special guest, even more important than the other two, Wayne Stiller. Oh, that's me. That's you. Hi, Wayne. Welcome to the show. Now, for those of you that were part of the 48 in 48,

[00:04:11] Wayne placed a little bit of a bid to be on the show, which became the highest bid in the UK auctions for 2026. In fact, I think I could go to fire to say it was probably the highest bid on any of the auctions worldwide. Would I be correcting that, James? He says, looking at a very blank face. I've always got a blank face. This is what I was born with. I can't know what. Was it the highest bid across the 20?

[00:04:41] Well, I don't know, is the honest answer. I don't deal with the cash. I got people to do that sort of thing. Of course, the minions. I forgot that. Sorry, yes. Well, yeah. Yeah, and also remember that the auction is run by Steph, so I wouldn't want to swim on his toes. But, yeah, no, I know that Wayne is a massive supporter of the 48 in 48 and the model officer's mess and me and just making conversation

[00:05:09] and some random... What was the other podcast, Malcolm? Beyond the summit, rather. Anyway. Beyond redemption. Yeah, probably. Yeah. But, yeah, there you go. I'm sorry that's not really a great answer, but it's me. You wouldn't have expected it any different. Anything accurate coming from you would have been completely out of character. There's a long show ahead, Brownie. Oh, don't tell me about it. I've got that feeling already of trepidation.

[00:05:40] Anyway, let's start with what we normally do with what we've got on the benches at the moment. So let's start with the guest of honour. Wayne, what are you working on? I've got three on the bench at the moment. I've got the 1-200 USS Hornet, the I Love Models kit, which is a... Let's just say when I ordered it, it was... I wasn't really concentrating. It's quite late at night and forgot how big 1-200s are. So that come a couple of days later when I was on the golf course and my wife ran me up quite annoyed,

[00:06:09] shall we say, because this two metre high box that weighed about 80 kilos appeared, which is the model. And along with the Catalina and a few other models at the time, and I got this rather abusive text on the ninth hole, I think it was, saying, what the hell have you ordered now? So I've started on that. That was a few cans of spray paint to get the elder primer down, and I'm working my way through the B25s and everything else at the moment.

[00:06:39] I've also started, and I'm going to get it wrong, the Aramato, the Italian tank in World War II. I started out yesterday for one of the Discord chats, and I've been watching the Miniature Masters series on YouTube. So I've picked up one of my old Warhammer episodes, and I'm doing a miniature at the moment, because I've got some of the new Valeo metal paint range I've got with the shades and base coats. So I've got three on the beach at the moment. So yeah. Keeping you busy,

[00:07:08] and I've just realised that you said before we started that your wife is going to listen to this episode, so saying you've actually placed the highest bid, as I've realised is probably not the best wording to use. Oops. It's probably all right with that. I'm just not going to talk about the cost of the models I bought. Oh, the one that cost 500? Oh, sorry. Yeah, okay. Fair enough. Yeah, not the AAS. Yeah, I just call it lira. Right, fair enough. I think you should be more worried about saying he got the Hornet on the ninth hole. Yeah, that's a whole other conversation. But never mind.

[00:07:37] She sort of resigned herself to that, and yeah. And between now and the 3D modelling, she's sort of a 3D printer, and she's sort of resigned herself, so to me. Fair enough. Okay. James, what have you got on the bench? Oh, well, this is going to take up the next hour. Not a lot, actually. No, I'm still cracking on with the 135th Akagi diorama that's to do with my recovery, blah-dee-blah-dee-blah, yawny-yawny-yawny, and all that.

[00:08:08] We are, wait, I am at the point where I am probably a couple of weeks away from putting all the elements together for the first of three layers. So the first hangar deck. I'll reach across the... So yeah, if you've been out and about, I did actually take the whole thing to a model show. It's first model show. And yeah, it even went round and round

[00:08:37] in circles. But I'll just give you a little taster for those that are watching in Technicolor. So yeah, this is one of the decks. This has got the storeroom and the waiting room, if you like, for the pilots and a bomb room, which isn't quite finished. But yeah, so that's three of the compartments that go behind the hangar wall and the hangar walls behind me and that's over there. And yeah,

[00:09:06] so it's getting there. Does it flush when you pull that chain? Do you know what? Funny enough, we'll come back to that. Bear with me with that. Yeah, remind me about the flush. I'll tell you. I'll take it to you. But yeah, no, it's an interesting build. So at the moment, I'm literally doing wiring on the torpedo room. So lots of bit of wire everywhere and stuff.

[00:09:36] So yeah, it's just detailing at the moment and getting those little bits and pieces done so that I can put that all together. And then once that that hangar deck is done and I'm happy with it as best I can be, I can then start cracking on with the next layer which is another hangar layer which was a repeat of what I've already done. So that means I know exactly what I'm doing and I can repeat that for the next level and film it and be on YouTube which I haven't been on YouTube for ages.

[00:10:05] So that's pretty fun. But yeah, that is pretty much as usual what I've been working on for the last 14 months-ish, I think. Is it 14 months? Feels longer. 13 months. So yeah, that's what I'm up to. Fair enough. It's looking really, really good. Hmm. It's getting there. It's getting there. The detail's not all that great, I've got to be honest. You know, I'm only a small cog in the model as well.

[00:10:35] So, you know. If you have any problems with painting the door frames, et cetera, Shane will be able to actually just walk in there and we'll touch it up for you. Well, that's what I was hoping. Once I get the hangar deck in, you know, you'll have enough headroom to get in there and there's no here we go. The problem is, though, we're going to end up arguing over paint colours and stuff, aren't we, with the maestro underneath as well. Yeah, you're probably right. Duck egg blue, visual blue. Yeah, Yeah,

[00:11:05] so that's really sort of where I'm at. I have got, I've got a stack of people to do. So, those that will remember, I sent some figures out to some people that were silly enough to volunteer and they're coming back slowly. But this is just some of the figures that are for the first hangar deck. And as you can see, there's, I don't know,

[00:11:35] 30 odd. So, yeah, I've got a few more to do. Well, if you want a hand, I'm sure our bench mates will be more than willing to take some off your hands and fill them in for you. There may be an opportunity at some point. At the moment, I'm not going to do that purely because what we, what I decided I would do is, is to just so many, maybe the bench mates don't know. Obviously, I had a heart operation and I got loads of support from people

[00:12:04] and friends and acquaintances. And this build that I'm making is to do with that journey. And it's part of the, part of the reason I've sent the figures out was to, to nod base, to make a nod to the people that had supported me that I hadn't expected. So they, obviously part of the journey, so they're obviously part of the diorama. And what I'd said to them was they all pretty much had pilot figures, apart from a select few that had

[00:12:34] higher ranking ones. I ran out of pilots. It's no more than that. But anyway, and they're all straight, easy, just paint them, et cetera. The rest of these figures have all got to be manipulated in some form or another. So it's a bit of a, bit of a more of a, um, a skill that I don't, I don't possess. Um, but what I might do if I can convince someone who's silly enough to do it,

[00:13:03] um, I'll send a figure to them and we'll work together to figure out how we manipulate them and, and make these resin figures into the, into the figures that I need. So, but I've got to understand the story and, and the, um, how the figures got to look, et cetera, and, and physically pull one out of a bunch and go, right, that one's got to have its arms manipulated, its leg manipulated, it's got to be one-eyed and, you know, all that sort of stuff. So, um, yeah, it's a bit more complicated. But anyway, I rattled on enough.

[00:13:33] But for those that don't know the story, you are depicting a, a specific moment in time when a bomb hit the carrier, which was exactly the same time that your operation took place a few years later? A few years later, yeah, um, it was pretty much after the carrier had sunk, thank you, Brownie, um, back in 1960, no, no, that was another carrier, uh, 1944, whatever. Um, yeah, so basically what it is, is,

[00:14:02] is I, I bought this model, uh, something I, I wanted to do. I saw it and thought, uh, it's the, the border models, um, a cargo flight deck, which comes with Kate. A bit disappointed, Kate wasn't Swedish as I was led to believe or blonde haired in any way, shape or form, but you know, hey ho. Um, and, uh, I, I laid in, in a hospital bed and decided that I would make a project of it and then, um, started doing some research and realised that actually, as you just rightly said, the,

[00:14:32] the event of the, the bomb going through the flight deck, uh, of the Akagi on the 4th of June, 4th of June, 4th of June, just checking, make sure, memory's not good. Um, yeah, uh, was actually the same time in which, um, some doctor gave me a very, very nice drink and said it won't hurt at all and then cut me out for a heart operation, triple bypass operation. So, um, yeah, so yeah, it, uh, and, and there's, it,

[00:15:01] that's, that's the, the diorama. It's a three-level diorama. It's about a metre square, metre high, uh, diorama. I think that's what it's going to end up about, size-wise. Um, and then I've got even more carried away and decided that each layer would tell a different part of the journey what I went through with my, uh, heart journey. Um, and, uh, yeah, I, what I, what I've tried to do is involve everybody as much as I can. So we did, um, uh, on my YouTube channel, the model officer's mess, sorry,

[00:15:31] the model officer, um, we did, uh, some round tables with some, some people that sort of knew what they were doing better than I did. Um, and we discussed how I might carry out this madness, um, which was super fun, actually, got some really, really fun, you know, we've covered this, how to, how to create a story, how to make the diorama, how we would create a structure, what elements we would need to use, why we would need to use the stories and la, la, la, la. So, um,

[00:16:01] so yeah, it's very, very involved. And, and to be honest, if you do happen to see me with this model at a diorama, uh, this diorama, a model show, um, don't ask me about the story because you'll be there for hours. Um, because I, I literally had, I had one guy there that was there for about 45 minutes as we were discussing it. Um, and then he, he went off and then he came back with his friend and was there for another 40 odd minutes. So, yeah, it's, uh, it's, it's a very involved thing. Um, and, uh, very proud of,

[00:16:31] of what I'm doing as well. So, and rightly so. And just for everyone who's listening, how are you in yourself post the op? Uh, post op, I'm fine. My heart is, is, is working. I wake up in the morning, which is always the first goal. Um, so that's brilliant. Um, my short term memory has taken a massive hammer in, uh, as well as my confidence and other bits and pieces. So, mental health wise, better than it was, certainly,

[00:16:59] but it's still recovering and my, my short term memory has, yeah, it's, it's not coming back. So, um, whatever I was saying earlier, I can't really remember now, but, um, yeah, no, it's, you said you was going to write me a check for a thousand pounds. No, my memory's not that bad. Oh. Um, no, I'm okay. I'm okay. I, I, I, I suffer from fatigue an awful lot. Um, I've lost an awful lot of weight. Luckily, you can't see this, uh, in technical,

[00:17:29] because I literally, if I turn to one side, look, I disappear. Well, now that he's gone, we'll go on to Malcolm and see what he's got on his bench. I'm certainly not disappearing. I think all the weight that James has lost, I put on in the last year or two. You're welcome. It's what friends are for. Yeah. Carry my weight. It's the hobnobs. It's the hobnobs. Exactly. Yeah. I blame, uh, McVitie's. I've just realised we haven't actually got a show biscuit. We need to rectify this guys.

[00:17:59] Oh, well, there's a pole. Yes. Well, you say a pole, biscuits and poles, not very good, really. Just saying. Crumble. Yes. Anyway, moving on. Malcolm. Unless they've got the hole in the middle, of course. Well, party rings. Oh, I think completely different as well. Yes. Moving on from that as well. What's happened to this show? Honestly, it's be a reputable broadcast. Now, look at it. Like the BBC. Um, right.

[00:18:29] Where are we? Uh, yeah. Well, the broken biscuit company. Yes. They were good. They were good. Um, what have I been working on? I hear you scream. Well, I'm between models at the moment. Um, so I'm in that kind of rare little twilight of an eclipse where, um, I've just finished a model yesterday and I will share it for you on my screen. If I'm able to do that, well, that's not going to mess your recording up. Is it Brownie? If I share fine. Yeah.

[00:18:58] So you should be able to see that. I hope. There we go. Yeah. Well, we're just in the back of your garage at the moment. Yes. Which I have a, a, a one 48 scale red arrow in. I was going to say that looks very hawkish. Yes. Um, so I've just finished this. This, um, this is taking me six months. This is, It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, red arrow.

[00:19:28] Um, and back in 2002, I think it was maybe, no, I went to RF Valley, um, for a visit with, uh, the flooring models guys. And we took those photographs and we were there looking at the T4s. And then there was a, um, a red arrow parked in there having a servicing done. And I was like a little child because I wasn't, I wasn't expecting there to be a red arrow there at all. And I said, Oh, can I go, I can look at it. And they were like, yeah, of course you can.

[00:19:58] So I covered it in photographs and, um, it was fantastic. It was brilliant. Uh, it was, I was so happy and overjoyed to see this thing. So I've recreated that in, um, one 48 scale. Ooh, not that one. That's the wrong picture. Um, there you go. We can't possibly show the Benchmines what you just shared on the screen. That's the after dark edition. Most definitely. I honestly didn't realize the pilots wore that sort of underwear. Terrible.

[00:20:29] Um, brings a whole new complexion to G pants. I'll tell you that much. Oh yeah. So I've got, um, the tough computer thing down the end. I've got a little, um, uh, message board. I've got fire exits. I've got all the kind of clutter and, and, and stuff that you get in a, in a hanger, um, from them days back. I understand it's much more health and safety now, but, um, yeah, I've got the, the, you can't see in this picture, but the cockpit's been, been removed. Um,

[00:20:58] or the rear cockpit has been removed and the, yeah, but the front cockpit is still in there and the whole back end has been scratched built. Um, which again, I think I have to change the picture so you can see that. But basically I took the whole, um, or the fuselage out and the, where the engine compartment is. And you can see the engine is actually on a trolley on the sort of center left. So we're looking at the internal structure on basically the spine of the aircraft. Yeah. With the panels removed. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:21:27] It is exceptional. Superb. And it's nice to see that you've actually got the correct crest on the side of the fuselage for that time period. Ah, yes. That's right. Central flying school crest is now gone. Uh, replaced by 11 group. Is it? I would know. I think from memory, but yes, it looks really, really fantastic. If you could actually send me those images, we'll put them up on our, um, Benchmates page. So everyone else can have a look at those. Happily too. Yeah. So, um, uh,

[00:21:54] the tractor is one of the proper F59 tractors that they use. Um, and that was a resin kit, uh, from Hannance. Um, I've got a couple of, actually there's a, um, uh, 3d print of myself bending over having a look inside the red arrow, um, on the scaffolding that I got. And that's a mini art set you can get for scaffolding. Should you ever want it? I thought the mini art didn't model for you for a second. No, no, no, no, no, not yet.

[00:22:24] I still in talks. And, um, yeah, a lot of it was scratch built. The shelves were scratch built. The whole back wall and the door and the, um, ducting and everything else. That was all scratch built. Um, yeah, it's a lot of fun. It looks a lot of fun. six months though. You need to enter that Telford. Most definitely. Uh, I, I, uh, I will be, it'll be at Telford whether it'll be on a competition. I don't think if you look too close, then you will be sorely,

[00:22:52] sorely surprised to see there's lots of bits that are not painted very well. Um, it was a real battle in the last few weeks, just to care enough to finish it. Um, because I was, I was so done with it. Uh, I've been there for so long and I've been working on it so long. I've seen red all the time and, um, I wanted to build something else. I was watching other people build all sorts of cool things and I want to build something else, but, uh, I really pushed hard and finished it and got it done. Um, but those kind of cracks kind of show, but yeah, thank you.

[00:23:22] Thank you for telling me this you like. Well, when you say, um, the cracks, you're obviously not talking about the image of you bending over. No, no, no, not at all. Um, that's what he was saying about, um, if you look very clearly, you'll see that it's painted badly. It's not really, it's just very complexion. Fair enough. Terrible. Oh dear. Bad voice. Yeah. So that was, that's me. And then, um, I am going to be working on a Vickers armored, uh,

[00:23:53] Vickers tank for our Vickers group build. It's part of our models for heroes thing. Um, it's just another pre-printed thing that won't take very long at all. I'm also working on, uh, uh, a Spider-Man Batman pen holder, which is for our scale reference tools. And that's for another group build that we're doing, uh, with models for heroes. Um, and then I will be, Oh, building a space shuttle as well. Um, cause the booster rockets in this space shuttle. Um,

[00:24:22] it's the Academy one in one. Oh gosh. What scale is this? Uh, one, one to 288th scale. That famous, that's a popular scale. Yeah. That famous, famous scale. Yeah. odd. Um, but the, the boosters in there are almost exactly the right size for a scale reference pen, would you believe? Um, so I'm going to be making the boosters to be the scale reference pen. So that, and for those that don't know what the scale reference pen is, um,

[00:24:50] models for heroes produce a highly detailed, highly configured, um, pen that is the same size for everybody who buys one. Sorry, sorry. It's not a pen. It's not a pen. I was getting that. I'll get into that. It's not a pen. You're right. It's not a pen. Um, um, the pen function that it comes with is just for an emergency use. It's, it's a main function is for a reference. So you take a photograph of something and you put it in the picture. Um, um,

[00:25:17] everyone knows who's also got a scale reference pen exactly how big it is and they don't have to ask what scale it is. Fair enough. Yeah. And even more importantly, if you look behind you, you're having a delivery of a cup of tea. I am. Yes, I am. Give me one second. Sorry. Yeah. So, so just to, to reiterate on, on the, the, uh, the scale reference device, um, it took an awful lot of years to develop this. Um, and, um,

[00:25:46] it has got that emergency function of, of, of a pen. Uh, but once you've used that emergency function, it does need to go back towards the heroes to be recalibrated. So, you know, it's very important that, uh, it stays calibrated at all times. And what scale is the pen? Well, it's one to one. Are you sure? Have you checked? Oh, it does say it actually says one to one scale pen on the pen. It does. Yeah. I can't really share it to you very well because it's, it's got some out of focus paint on it for some reason. Um,

[00:26:16] um, the idea comes from, um, Oh, Oh, well, how many years ago is it now? Um, so, um, air fix when they're just doing the designing of their, of their work, when they're really zoomed in, they can get really carried away with doing all the detail and things like that. And then when they zoom out, they think, crikey, that's three atoms wide. No, one's ever going to be able to make that. Um, so they have a, uh, big biro in the right scale on all of their, um, uh, designs so that they, when they zoom out, they can go, Oh,

[00:26:46] that's how big that is. You know? And I thought that was quite funny. So I sent them a big biro with a little sticker on it saying scale reference only. And so, but then it just burnt, carried on from there. So yeah, if you want a scale reference pen, um, hook up with models for heroes. What you need to do on the next batch is actually put the models for heroes logo by the side of where it says one-to-one reference. So when people take photographs, you can actually see the eyes on the back. Yeah, that's right. Well, yeah,

[00:27:14] put the logo by the side of the one-to-one, then you'll actually be able to use it. See, there you go. Marketing for you. Yeah. You could also do electives edition. Electives edition. What's the one we're doing? Yeah, that's right. You don't need the, I did think about taking the, working on them and taking every single, um, pen out. So it literally wasn't, didn't have a pen function, but that would be a work, wouldn't it? That would involve effort. Yes. There is talk that when you have the nib out, that's the imperial and then that's the metric. Um, but there, there's some confusion about that.

[00:27:44] I don't see the point of that. No, there's right on the end. I think, I think that's all just come about from people being lazy. Maybe, maybe, but it's, it's an important thing. And, um, um, you can get one of those and donate to models for us at the same time and you get a pen. Absolutely. Or something for emergency use. And that's why we're doing the penultimate build is because so many times people have got their scale reference pen and they get stolen by a family member who don't understand. And do they,

[00:28:14] they don't understand what there's only an emergency pen function. Um, and it goes missing. So we, we've made these sort of this group build so that people can make these pen holders and they sit on their desk and they'll know, they'll know for a fact whether it's gone missing or not because it won't be on there. So some people have done, um, uh, like Sam, Sam missile launches and someone's done like a rifle, 16th scale figure holding a rifle, but they take the rifle out and put the pen in instead. Um, hence the pen ultimate build.

[00:28:43] Get it now. Right. Oh yeah. James has got one too. A torpedo trolley. Torpedo trolley. Well, it's, it's a, uh, a scale reference pen trolley. Clearly. Gotcha. That looked really good. Fair idea. So that's what I'm, that's what I'm doing. That's what I'm working on. Um, that's what I finished. And yeah, that's me. Fair enough. Okay. Dan, what have you got on your bench at the moment? Still B 17 in your way?

[00:29:13] Still B 17 in May. I haven't done a huge amount. I've been so busy since the last time. Actually, this is the first time I've sat down at the bench since the last time we spoke. Summer is, yeah, I, I do, do still participate in the hobby in the summer, but it definitely goes back to a last priority. And with all the heat that we've been having, I just literally have not felt like sitting down and focusing in on doing anything, uh,

[00:29:43] to, that requires too much concentration. I'm just wondering if there's going to be, a deficit at Telford this year for people who haven't been able to finish due to the temperature and not been able to spray. I don't know. Because there's always that Telford panic, isn't there? Well, this is also true. Everybody goes, Oh, it's months away. Oh no, it's not. It's weeks away. Oh, it's days away. Um, and I've heard of people painting stuff during a stop break at a car services. Why they need to quit.

[00:30:13] I've heard of that happening before on the way to Telford for various competitions and people that have promised stuff for SIGs and groups and all the rest of it. But no, but no, on my table, I, the figures, I can't remember if I told you that I'd ordered them or they'd arrived or not, but the little RAF figures, um, yes, arrived. Uh, the 3d printed ones, there's two RAF pilots and one that sits on a motorcycle.

[00:30:41] And I am have currently been trying to remove the 3d print. Um, what are they called? The scaffolding. What's it called guys? Supports. Supports from a motorcycle that is beautifully printed, but I have no idea what exactly is supposed to be a part of it and what is not. Um, a couple of the spokes have been broken by trying to remove the supports,

[00:31:10] but I've kept all of the waste material. Um, that's got all different thicknesses. So I can cut a piece of that off and repair some spokes. I've been having exactly the same problem getting the tutor out of the, um, the supports. And I must say the, um, ultrasonic knife, absolute godsend for getting stuff out of the supports. It just makes it so easy. And I've just, I, I think I've broken one small component out of all the support so far.

[00:31:39] And it's like a spider's web. Oh, that's good to know. Yeah. I might, um, I might look into picking one of those up soon because, it's weight in gold. It really is. I mean, not, not that I would have someone to borrow one off, but if you need something, if you need to use a tool on, and you haven't got it on more than one occasion, then two occasions and then three occasions, you definitely need to buy one. Don't you? Exactly. So that's, that's the plan with that. Um, I've also got the little Tamiya 148 Austin Tilly,

[00:32:10] um, that is now painted. And I guess I can put some decals on it next. That's, I mean, that's them little 48 kits just build within a weekend anyway. So there's only about, there's only one sprue and a clear sprue in the box. So that won't take long. But after our, um, chat with talking all things, Warhammer and fantasy figure, I, and also after a visit with, um, my son, where you went to forbidden planet in Cambridge,

[00:32:38] which is one of the shops that sells, um, everything to do with comics and figures. They now stock a huge range of Gundam Gunpla, and they're now stocking the blockies. And I said to the chat, is there any plans to stop paint and brushes and stuff in these stores? And he said, watch this space. So maybe, I mean, he was just a staffer in there,

[00:33:06] but maybe they've heard something that they're intending to start actually. because if they sell the Gunpla kits, naturally they had like two pairs of nippers in the cabinet. Um, that's not enough, is it? If you're going in there and you're wanting to, wanting to get set up to actually build the thing, because I hope that not, I hope that many people have, who've gone in there, seen a Gunpla, bought it at home and then not realize that they actually, actually are going to need some nippers and possibly a couple of sanding sticks to get this thing built. And of course,

[00:33:34] not forgetting that the SMS paints have now left Australia and inbound into the UK. Yeah, for those Gundams and stuff. But after talking to the chaps, I don't know too much about Warhammer. And I have no intention yet, he says, of playing the game, the tabletop game. But, I would like to paint some stuff that's not olive drab for a change. I really want to try, and I've got some, I've got artist acrylics,

[00:34:04] um, I'm learning how to mix colours, and I've got other colours that have never been touched, and I really want to try painting some different stuff for a change. But, the small scale, um, Warhammers don't really appeal to me. So, I've been having a look, and there are unpainted seven inch figures, of, they're more display pieces of the smaller, the smaller versions. And, they're unpainted. So,

[00:34:33] I'd like to have a go at, painting, one of those. The only thing, and I will say this, there is a hell of a lot of, stolen, um, stolen material. The stolen 3D print stuff, that's just been, either AI'd, and people are knocking it out on 3D printers. I will not spend money on that stuff. I'd rather buy the real thing, because, Agreed. I, I think we're in a race to the bottom, if we all keep buying this knockoff, cheap stuff. It's,

[00:35:03] it's not fair on the, the creators and sculptors, that are out there, that are struggling as they are. They're doing this as a living. Well, no, they're not doing this as a main living. They're doing it as a hobby, and maybe just something to pay for their own hobby. And, all these companies online, that are just, AI, creating, a pretty naff looking, model, or figure of something, and then knocking them out, cheap on a 3D printer. I don't think that's going to do, any of us,

[00:35:32] any good in the long run. So, I mean, can you imagine if, uh, it started happening with our beloved modeling subjects that, you know, take, for example, a Spitfire, you'd open the box and go, there's something not quite right about this. This doesn't, this doesn't seem right. And it's because someone's stolen it and, and, and scanned it dodgily and, and stuck it out just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's better. So, um, and yeah, and also reading as well with,

[00:36:02] with regards to, because I always tend to, so, for example, I'm doing a B17, I've got loads of B17 books and I jump into that world and really get into the story. As I've always said, modeling for me is a history lesson, particularly when we're doing these sort of subjects, but with a Warhammer, I know nothing about. So, um, did a little bit of digging online about reading the law and the, the novels. So there's this huge thing called the black library,

[00:36:31] which is, there are hundreds and hundreds of titles written by all kinds of authors. And it's basically the stories of the Warhammer 40 K universe. And the chap called Dan Abnett, who basically wrote, um, the first, the best place to start in the Warhammer reading world, which is the Eisenhorn omnibus series. That's three books. And it's the story of, um,

[00:37:01] the inquisitor Eisenhorn, who, as some people may or may, may or may not know that Henry Cavill has signed a deal with Netflix to produce probably in 2028 now, but they are at the writing stage and it's going to be based on the Eisenhorn omnibus. So Warhammer is coming to the very biggest of screens because as much as people like to say it, um, Netflix is not a streaming platform.

[00:37:30] It's not a streaming platform anymore. It is a fully fledged studios. So you've got Gundam movie, possibly you've now got Warhammer series coming to Netflix. So I would imagine the crossover of people getting into, getting into that for the first time and then realizing that they might have a go at doing some modeling. That's sick that Mr. Regan has started up. Couldn't have come at a better time. Absolutely.

[00:37:57] And hands up those on the call that believe that Dan is not going to get into Warhammer. The fact he's just now gone to give us the whole history. I don't see any hands. And Dan, I would say some great tanks I've built on Warhammer, but I quite like the whole of this heresy stuff, which is 30 bells. And that's another series of books. That's brilliant. Yes. There's a couple out there that are absolutely brilliant. You can just play with the colors. Yeah. Well,

[00:38:26] I know, I know Luke Carswell. He, he's done a lot of it. Didn't do some of it for a while. And recently has been saying that he's getting back into, back into doing it. And I think it's the, it's, it's not the same old, same old, is it? There's a lot of creativity. I mean, there's probably going to be the dreaded rivet counters in that as there is in anything. But at the end of the day, I want to paint these things how I want to paint them. And I really don't care what anyone thinks. I mean,

[00:38:56] whether I'll put any of them on display at a show or not is another matter. But it's just to use some different colors and try some different techniques. And after watching the series, I also watched the, the miniature masters series and was blown away by it. I thought, my God, this thing can really, really kick off. And it doesn't have to be people saying, Oh, this would be great if it was on mainstream TV. No, it wouldn't because it would be cut down to a 30 minute episode.

[00:39:25] They'd cut out most of the decent footage of someone actually doing something and turn it into a, into a bake off style program. And I just don't think it would work. It's got it. So it's got a massive audience. It had, um, three quarters of a million downloads after the first sort of few weeks. So there's clearly, clearly something happening within this hobby. And it's not just, um, spitfires and tiger tanks and whatnot.

[00:39:54] Three quarters of a million. You mean all of our bench mates been listening to it? Yeah. Well, if it encourages people to try something different, as we've spoken with the gunpla and Gundam, I mean, they are in our house. Now we've got those, those are in William's room on the shelf, the blockies kits. Um, yes, they are quicker to build and you can have the kids want some, if the kids are going to get into this, they want something that they can do quick. Don't they?

[00:40:23] They want something that they can get built, get painted and probably play with. You can't always do that with the spitfires. And as much as I hate to say it, a lot of kids don't have a huge cultural association with spitfires and the second world war stuff. There, there are lots that do, but the majority, they know what it is. They know what a spitfire is because they see them flying at village fates and air shows and whatnot.

[00:40:51] But that doesn't tie in with the stuff that they're seeing and watching on screen. And I think the, the, the Gundam war hammer, possibly, um, my, there's another thing that my, my son watches, which is a Japanese manga series. And I know that revel did produce one of the figures from that as well. Um, ready to go in the box, you know? So I think that's, that's possibly a way to,

[00:41:21] to push this ever growing different genres that we build forward, you know? Okay. Well, if that's all that's on your bench at the moment, he says, all underlined, um, Shane, what have you got gone the go? Well, it's been, it's been a very short time between recordings, but I've managed to finish the build for, um, my V tiger, uh, new Gundam, which I mentioned on,

[00:41:51] on the last recording. So that's now, now finished. I sent, I sent you guys a picture of it late last night, but I see if I can just, uh, pick it off its base to show the rest of the crew on the, on the cool. I just spin that round here before that dropping it. Don't feed the carpet monster, Shane. Yeah. I mean, it is like a hand grenade to be honest. That is so cool. Yeah. Yeah. So full metal frame. Um,

[00:42:22] I mean, lots and lots and lots of colors. I think it was something like 40 sprues, 800 parts, um, fully articulating, but yeah, so that's now built. So I have got, I've got to find some reference material for the water slide decals, which I'm going to, I'm going to put on there. I mean, there, there are literally hundreds of water slide decals, but I'm not going to go all that, all that far with it because I think it can, it can be too much, um, on some of the material that I've,

[00:42:51] that I've seen online. So I'm going to experiment with that a little bit. Once I've got those on, I shall be giving that a wash. And then the behind me just here is, is the challenger, the challenge to still sat in the paint booth awaiting, awaiting paint. So I can't wait to, to crack into that and cooler temperatures, cooler temperatures. Fortunately, there was this, there was a strange, strange material falling from the sky during, during,

[00:43:21] during the, uh, during the day today. Um, yeah, made everything wet as well. It was bizarre. I haven't seen that for, for nearly six or seven weeks around here. So, uh, yeah, precipitation from, from the sky. And of course the humidity went up. Yeah. Yeah. And, and everything was, so get your water traps ready. Everything was dry within about five minutes, but we had some, so that's positive. Um, but yeah, now that's like, you know,

[00:43:50] it's kind of chomping at the bit really to, to get some paint down, but it's been nice to actually, cause this, um, the model kit that I've been working on, I bought that from Telford last, last year. And if it hadn't been for the hot weather, that probably would have been in the stash still. Um, but because, because it's just, you know, I took it on holiday with me, you know, with, with a set of nippers and a, and a, and a couple of, um, a couple of sanding sticks and I've got it started and I've come back and I've, yeah, just,

[00:44:20] just cracked through it and got it done, which is, yeah, kept the mojo, mojo quite high really. So as it's just plastic, I'm guessing you haven't painted it. Will you be putting a gloss top coat on before you put the decals on and then put a ceiling coat on before you put the wash? So I'm going to, I'm going to test a couple of panels first. I normally would, but I, but typically speaking, I do paint my models. Um, and I would always put like a, I would put,

[00:44:50] I would put a, uh, you know, a barrier on, um, because a lot of it is in matte colors that I paint with. But on this one, the surface is really lovely and glossy. Already. So I think it'd be okay. I'm also very mindful about, because it's a full metal in a frame, what effect that will have. I think it will, it will turn quite, um, what's, what's the word I'm looking for? Like, I think the nilge will, will,

[00:45:19] will probably form on the metal parts rather than, you know, the gloss taken to the metal. So we'll see, we'll see how we go. I'm going to test it first. I've got, I've got the, um, the bottom of the base, which is quite substantial to, to try that on. Um, and then other than, other than the Gundam, I've been spending time with the kids, um, whilst they've been building, um, Ed has been working away at, uh, an Apache, which I mentioned before. He, um, he hadn't touched it obviously for, for quite a while.

[00:45:47] I've also been on holiday and a couple of bits going on as well. Um, but he's, yeah, he cracked into that. He's also built one of the Gundams that we bought on holiday. And Jacob has also finished one of his Gundams, which was the, um, uh, super deformed, uh, wing zero. Um, Shane, what was the, um, Apache that he built? It's the Italian area one 72nd Apache. So it's quite, it's quite some work,

[00:46:17] but how did he find it? Did he find it? All right. Uh, uh, he did struggle a little bit on his own. Um, so, so with a little bit, with a little bit of support, basically that just trying to, like it's quite fiddly. are the instructions all right? The instructions are all right. I think it is just like, it is very fiddly. Like the, um, but the missile rack, you know, that is in two, three, the actual racks in three pieces. And then you've got to put, you know, four missiles on,

[00:46:46] on each one. And there's two of them. So it was a little bit fiddly for, but you know, it was only eight. But did he enjoy it? So, um, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. That's why, that's why I asked. Cause I know he's, he's obviously, you know, he's quite young to do something that fiddly. So if he can, if he can get on the right with it, then that's a good step for him. And it's like, there was a couple of bits was like, you know, daddy, if I hold it there, can you glue it? And it's like, yeah, of course. And then, and vice versa, but it was,

[00:47:16] I often need a hand. Yeah. Well, that's easy. But, but yeah, we, it was just so nice. Um, you can hate Hazel was out, um, with, with our dog who, um, he's, he has sort of weekly, um, dog training. So training to be a therapy dog. Um, so she was out. So I had a couple of hours, which was just me and the boys. Um, and it was really lovely. Um, so yeah, Edward did that. And I went, went downstairs and, uh,

[00:47:46] Jacob, but Jacob had built his, yeah, wing Gundam zero, which he had then got a couple of the Gundam marker paints out of, and then decided to panel line it as well. And, um, I would get the rattle cans out the, uh, the red and the yellow out the carriage that you got on the shelf. No, he didn't. But, but I'll tell you what he did do. Can you, um, for our listeners, there is Gundam zero has got this almighty, uh, massive booster rifle. And, um, he,

[00:48:14] he found the Chrome pen. And I'm just going to show you the, which is now Chrome. It's a Chrome cutting mat. Was that, was that a new cutting mat that you bought? Yeah. It was there. No, it wasn't a brand new one. All right. But it, it wasn't Chrome anymore. It certainly ain't anymore. It's only left in the pen. Well, brilliant. It rattles a bit more now, but yeah,

[00:48:43] that brings back memories of tipping over. I think it was nail varnish to paint one of my models on the, uh, on the kitchen table. And he's like, don't spit, just as mom said, don't spit clonk. It's gone over and gunk, gunk, gunk, gunk all over the table. I'll never forget that. Yeah. I'll never forget doing that. Yeah. I mean, that was so funny. I walked downstairs. I was like, Oh, well done. Bless you. But, you know what? He enjoyed it. He had fun,

[00:49:13] which means that's the most important thing. Exactly that. Um, but he's also been sad. I, I have, I'm going to, I'm going to jump on it. I, um, I've been binge watching the, the miniature masters as well. Um, and, and I'll just say like now, I'm a massive Squidmarre fan anyway. I think what, what those guys do, you know, and, and the tutorials that they've got that, the levels that they're at, you know, they're exceptional. Oh, I'm going to, they're artists, you know, they really, they really are. Um,

[00:49:42] and the contestants that they've got on this show, uh, you know, I just, yeah, I've just been blown away by the skill level. And I think you, you, you're right in, in terms of with, because it's on YouTube, you probably wouldn't get the same amount of detail of, of what they're showing you how, of how to, how to model. Um, so that, so that I think is, is really important. Um, and that like, yeah, to be fair, I, I, I played Necromander as a kid.

[00:50:12] I've been talking to, to Jamie over the last couple of weeks since, since we spoke to him as well. And, you know, he's really looking forward to the, to the Gundam assemble game coming out. Cause that's basically war gaming, but, but Gundams. Um, so that's going to be interesting, but I, I do quite, I feel quite inspired by, by the miniature masters. You would have a go at some Warhammers, do you? No, not Warhammer, but you know what? Like, I looked at some of the models and I thought, like a dragon would be really cool. Yeah. Uh, you know,

[00:50:41] like obviously Game of Thrones, House of Dragon, that sort of stuff in, you know, but I've had a quick, a quick look online to see if I can, if I can find anything. Cause I know Squidmar do, do their own dragon miniature, which is a, you know, it's whatever, 85 euros or something, um, which, which featured in, in one of the, in one of the episodes. I think it was like the quarterfinal or something. Um, cause I think the final, the time they were recording this episode, I think the final comes out on Friday. Um, and, uh, yeah,

[00:51:11] I think it was Trent, the, the Australian guy did a, did like a diorama with, with the dragon and, um, a miniature at the front holding a lantern. And the way in which they painted it, where it was like the light was coming from the area was just, it's just, it's amazing. I can't speak highly enough of it. Listeners, if you haven't seen it, go online, YouTube miniature masters by Squidmar and just enjoy the, the,

[00:51:39] the sheer skill level that these people have. Um, but yeah, so I'll, yeah, quite fancy doing a dragon. That'd be really cool. But I think I need to, I need to get this blooming chally two off the, off the, uh, the bench first. And I think I might reward myself with, with, with another model because of course, when you finished one, you can buy two. So, so yeah, Wayne, maybe that's, that's a good, that's a good trick for you to remember with a wife when you're on the golf course. Cause, uh,

[00:52:08] I use that with Hazel. It was like, you know, well finished one, so I can buy two. Um, but I do also get the message when, when I'm on the golf course, don't come home. I wondered about the lockers in the golf course. Could I get them delivered? Yeah. Oh yeah. What a great idea that is. Yeah. I like that technique. Yeah. That's what you said about the manager masters, that episode, I think it was the two of them doing a joint dial armor, but the lights and how they get the lights. There was one episode. They, it was the lady Anastasia,

[00:52:37] I think for those who haven't seen it. And she did this bit of card at an angle to the one side. And it looked like a torch was shining on this model the way she painted it. And you're just looking at going, how, how do you do that in five hours or six hours from start to finish, including building the model? It's insane, isn't it? They've got very creative minds, haven't they? And very artistic. It's a very artistic form of modeling. And so it is, they are artists, you know, I wouldn't, I think modeling is, is,

[00:53:07] is secondary. I think our artistry is, is primary when it comes to, when it comes to that side of the, of the hobby. And I think, you know, that that's reflected through in, in a lot of the war gaming side of things, really, to be honest with you. If you think about it, it's, it's in, it's certainly inspired me. It's inspired you, you know, you sort of blow that up on a, on a national and an international scale. Let's not forget, you know, we all think this little bubble was just in the UK.

[00:53:35] It's a worldwide hobby. If it influences people that should probably build more traditional modeling subjects to maybe try something new and just expand your palette a little bit. And, and, and, and, and, and,

[00:54:16] you know, a, you know, a trip to, to visit them if we could. But that's how it starts. And that, and it tends to then escalate quite quickly. Yeah. I have a cunning plan though. I'm going to get my youngest into it. And then I've got an excuse to buy, buy stuff, haven't I? I wonder if all this dog training, I wonder if Mav could model. Definitely. Yeah.

[00:54:47] I'll tell you what's really sad is I popped into the, uh, games board workshop in region. where is it? Tottenham Court Road a couple of weeks ago. I haven't been in there for a few months and guy went, you're the guy that models them and doesn't play it, aren't you? And I'm like, I've definitely spent too much time in this shop. It's such a great relief. I mean, I love, I'm like you, uh, Dan, where you do all the research, you buy the books, you read the books, you research the books, but then I'll pick up a war hammer tangles and go,

[00:55:17] I'm going to go mad and try something and play with something. And yeah, if I don't like it, fine. And if I do like it, great. And it's great fun. Just, it's just as expensive as the problem. Yeah. Warhammer is I think, but you know, gunfire is also, well, it depends, you know, like the, the models that I think I mentioned in the last episode, three Gundam models cost 19 pounds and they are the super deformed small ones. But, you know, as far as the kids are concerned,

[00:55:43] they're bringing those characters to life and yeah, they can play with them and whatever, and they do play with them. Um, but they don't have to be silly, silly money. Um, but it's the same thing with, with a Spitfire, you know, we obviously, you know, Dan, our, our boys are obviously influenced by us and attending all these air shows and going to these bases, but you know, that they would still go and see, you know, when, when a P 51 fly is overhead, you know, they were like, Oh,

[00:56:13] that is a P 51. Yeah. They know what it is. Yeah. Yeah. And they understand the historical importance of it. So, but what I like, as, as I've said before, like my eldest, he's finding his own thing. Now he's got, he's, he's got a few Gundams. He's more, he's a huge Marvel fan. I mean, Spider-Man, his knowledge, Spider-Man is his thing. His knowledge is like encyclopedic knowledge of Spider-Man. And now that he can,

[00:56:38] now that there are figures that are not pre-made super, super expensive, like the blockies, he can now incorporate a bit of creativity into it. And he's coming into, it's coming into GCSE year. So he wants to draw comics. And I've said to him, well, you can probably create a diorama piece for it. Yeah. Which then I can help him with and guide him along that route. And it just adds another, it's just, you don't want to force your hobby onto your children.

[00:57:08] You didn't force your hobby onto anyone at the end of the day. If they like it, they like it. If they don't, they don't, but you can just guide them and they go, I'm not into doing that. I'm not into building spitfires or aircraft. I don't like building. Some people don't like building war stuff. Let's face it. Some people don't like building killing machines. So you can say, well, what do you like? And they'll say, well, I like reading fantasy books. Well, there are figures and stuff that you can paint and have a go at for that. Or I like motorsport. Well,

[00:57:36] welcome to the world of the beautiful Tamiya car kits. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. Well, my father-in-law, he, he, he only built civil aircraft and he was a civil aircraft engineer for, you know, 30 odd years. That's his thing. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and you know, it's influenced the kids because they want to build, you know, some, some of the, you know, the civil planes that, you know, that he talks about. And he obviously is responsible for one at, at, at Duxford. He's the custodian for the, you know, for the trial and there and stuff. So yeah,

[00:58:06] they, they, they will want to build one because, Oh, it's grandpa's plane, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, but yeah, you're, you're right. If we can, it's influencing and feel inspired by just like we're watching the miniature masters rather, rather than enforced, you know, that's categorically not what's going on. So I think that's really important. I don't need another tangent modeling tangent, but I'll definitely give it a go. Yeah. Yeah. Warhammer and dragons.

[00:58:37] There we go. We've got it covered. We've got your cover bench mates. Anyway, rambled on brownie, but yeah, no, that's it. Fair enough. Okay. With that, we will take a short break and we will come back and we should talk JMC. Beyond the Box Art is proudly supported by guideline publications. Ammo by Mick Jimenez, the scale modelers supply and fish cop model company. Their backing helps keep the show running.

[00:59:06] So we can encourage you to support deserving modeling charities instead. Fish cop models, elevating scale modeling to an art form. Experience highly detailed 3d printed upgrade parts that bring true authenticity to your builds.

[00:59:29] Creators of the acclaimed Rolls-Royce Merlin engine set for both the Cotare Spitfire and the Dambusters set for the border models Avro Lancaster. For bespoke design and printing, our service is as precise as it is personal, all at a reasonable price. Please take a look at our products on www.fishcopcompany.de. Shipping is available for all of our products worldwide. The bank balance is nervous,

[00:59:56] the shelves are full and temptation is everywhere. Welcome back to another dangerously persuasive stash inflation report. Right then bench mates, hide the bank cards, distract the other half and start rehearsing the words, what this whole thing, I've had it for ages. Because it's time once again for the part of the show that proves stash space is temporary, but plastic is forever. Yes, brace yourselves for another wallet worrying, self-straining, completely financial, irresponsible trip through the latest releases.

[01:00:25] Garting with one of our sponsors, Fishcopc Mobile Company, they've released a new Hawker Hurricane Mark 1 engine set from Trumpeter's 24th scale kit. And this is rather more than simply dropping a Merlin into the nose. Developed using original drawings, period photographs and technical references, the set recreates the Merlin installation along with much more of the surrounding Hurricane structure. You get bulkheads, spars, inner girders, engine mounts, undercarriage bay detail, tanks and equipment,

[01:00:53] the hand crank mechanism with the BTH AS3 Magneto, extensive pipe work and the carling support structure. Fishcopc have also paid particular attention to all those small structural details, brackets, joints, fasteners and profiles. And the set has been specifically designed and test fitted for the Trumpeter kit to keep the modifications to a minimum. So if you've got the enormous 1-24 scale Hurricane sitting in the stash, Fishcopc have just given you a very good excuse to open up the nose.

[01:01:23] Moving swiftly on, Miniart have another Thunderbolt on the way in 48 scale. It's the Republic P47D 22RE Thunderbolt, the Duxford Eagles. This is one of Miniart's basic kit releases that gives you the classic Razorback P47 with the markings for the famous Duxford Eagles, certainly an attractive option for United States Army Air Force and European theatre fans. ICM have been busy as well with three new 48 scale releases.

[01:01:52] First is the Dangerous Beauties of the Korean War, a double pack containing two Douglas B-26 invaders. Then there's the Sikorsky MH-60L DAP, the heavily armed US Special Forces attack helicopter. And finally, the Delta Force assault team with the MH-6J, so plenty there for anyone with an interest in modern US Special Operations aviation. Next up, A&A models with something considerably more unusual. In 72nd,

[01:02:21] we have the Hughes XF-11 and XR-11 experimental reconnaissance aircraft, kit number 470155. There are 235 plastic parts across 13 sprues, cartographed decals for one scheme, painting masks and detailed engine parts. Definitely one of those who likes something a little different on the shelf. Solver M have several interesting releases incoming. In 144th scale,

[01:02:50] there's the third child UC-123K provider, representing the South Vietnamese aircraft from the 1970s, that gives you 120 plastic parts, two decal options and painting masks. Joining it is the third child NC-AC-123K provider, representing the Specialised Nighttime Surveillance version. And stepping up to 72nd scale,

[01:03:15] Solver M have the EMB-145-P99 Northpoint C command. This one's rather more substantial, 301 plastic parts across 17 sprues, four to-etch decals for two liveries, painting masks and a pair of anti-ship missiles. There is also a detailed cabin with crew seats, with each window supplied in a separate clear part. Firemoulds are releasing two new 72nd scale Phantoms,

[01:03:44] the F-4N and the F-4B. Following on from Firemoulds, they're also releasing part of the F-104 family as the F-104C Starfighter. From Hobby Boss, they've given us a pair of 48th scale releases, the wonderfully unusual TBD-1A Devastator floatplane, followed by something considerably more familiar, the Messerschmitt BF-109E4. Like Remia,

[01:04:13] are releasing a 48th scale Northrop M2-F3. They've improved the detailing and the geometry compared to the 72nd scale, and this is currently in the mould making stage. We'll finish the aviation this month with another of the show sponsors inside the armour, where we've got two new detail sets. First is the ITA332037 pair of Martin Baker Mark IV HA ejection seats

[01:04:43] for the Revell 32nd Hawker Hunter T7 and T7A. They are highly detailed with moulded belts and extremely fine smaller details. Better still, the two seats aren't simply duplicates. There are subtle differences in the belts and cushions to give them much more natural appearance when installed together. And finally, for Urfix's new 72nd scale, Yonkers JU52, there is the ITA372032A engines.

[01:05:13] These add much more finer detail, including wiring and scale pushrods. Each engine has been designed for its individual position on the Urfix kit, using Urfix's own locating system. There are sides to fit inside the cowls, and the important let, the direct replacements for the kit parts are no surgery required, which is always music to the model's ears. And that's the aviation dealt with before I find anything else I apparently can't live without. Dan,

[01:05:42] let's see what the damage the armour manufacturers are planning to do with Benchmates Bank accounts this month. Over to you, mate. Thanks, Boulders. Right then, Benchmates. From things with wings to things with rather more armour plate. And we'll start this time with something from one of our new sponsors, Inside the Armour. We're absolutely delighted to have them supporting this show, and they've got three very useful new upgrade sets for the AFV Club CVRT family that should make Scorpion

[01:06:11] and Scimitar builders very happy indeed. Because one of the frustrations with AFV Club Scorpion and Scimitar kits is that there's always been the lights and the optics. They're moulded as part of the kit in solid green styrene, which is fine until you realise that some of these optics are actually quite prominent. You can paint them blue and add a bit of gloss varnish. Try various clear coats, wave something mystical over them and hope for the best, but they never quite look actually like gloss.

[01:06:41] Well, problem solved. Because Inside the Armour now have three new upgrade sets available for the AFV Club CRTV family. First up is ITA 335123 Scorpion optic set and alongside that is ITA 335124 Scimitar optic set. Both of these sets give you beautifully detailed 3D prints for the commander and gunner

[01:07:10] along with the driver's periscope. Even better, the wipers are printed onto the parts as well and you get spares because somebody clearly understands how model builders actually operate. You also get pre-cut thin, clear plastic glazing. Again with spares included plus clear printed periscopes for the commander and gunner. So instead of trying to persuade a lump of green plastic that it really wants to look like optical glass, you can now replace the whole lot

[01:07:40] with something designed specifically for the job. And there's more. For either the Scorpion or the Scimitar, there's also IDU which is a lights set. This provides 3D printed small and large headlights, two different versions of the mounts for the forward side lights, the rear side lights and importantly, coloured lenses for the side lights. Again, everything is designed to replace those solid green kit parts and perhaps the most important feature of all,

[01:08:09] they've included spare lenses because everybody knows at some point during the build, there will be that tiny ping followed by 20 minutes crawling around underneath the model bench with a torch. Believe me, we've all done it. Definitely three very worthwhile sets if you've got an AFE Club CVRT sitting in the stash and a very nice offering in the stash inflation report from our very thankful new sponsors at Inside the Armour.

[01:08:39] Next up, something considerably larger. From a musing hobby, we have the new Leopard 2A8 DEU. This is kit number 80, naturally in 1.35 scale. It's an injection moulded kit that comes with photo etch included in the box. The Leopard 2A8 represents the latest evolution of Germany's Leopard 2 family. A musing hobby have built themselves a good reputation for tackling subjects that aren't always covered

[01:09:08] by the mainstream manufacturers and the Leopard should fit nicely alongside all those other Leopards already in your stash or display cabinet. Price and availability will obviously depend on where you're buying it, so keep an eye out from your usual retailers. And last but not least is from Hobby Link. There's a new release of the D9G Bulldozer in 1.35 scale. The kit number is HL1202 and this is the basic version fitted with the Model U blade.

[01:09:38] But you've got a couple of choices when it comes to the back end. There are two accessory options available, either with a winch or a rear ripper, so you can configure the machine depending on the particular vehicle or scene you're planning. The decal option supplied represents a machine used by the 815th Engineer Battalion in Vietnam, which opens up some really interesting possibilities for anyone thinking about a Vietnam-era diorama. And bulldozers are one of those subjects

[01:10:07] that can really come alive with some proper weathering. Dust, mud, worn paint, hydraulic stalin, polished blade edges. Basically, if you enjoy making something look absolutely filthy, then this could keep you entertained for weeks. So that's it from me. Some extremely useful CVRT upgrades from our new sponsors inside the armor, a latest generation of Leopard and a D9G bulldozer. And with your wallets already looking slightly nervous,

[01:10:37] I think it's time to pass you across to Nevs, who will no doubt find something maritime to finish them off completely. Over to you, mate. Thanks, Dan. Right then, Benchmates. From tracks and armor to subjects that are treading considerably more water, it's time to see what's been happening in the naval world. And this time around, Royal Navy fans in particular may want to make sure their bank manager is sitting down.

[01:11:06] We'll start with Starling models, who are back with what can only be described as a flotilla as new releases in 1-700 scale. Leading the charge is the wartime emergency destroyer HMS Caesar. This is a waterline, 3D printed resin kit and effectively replaces the earlier white Ensign models offering. It also includes Starling's standardized

[01:11:36] photo etch sheet for wartime Royal Navy destroyers. And Caesar isn't sailing alone. She's effectively the opening act for a substantial new family of destroyers from Starling, including ships from the CH, CR, and CO classes, with several of them being represented predominantly in their post-war configurations.

[01:12:06] The individual kits are expected to retail at around £40 each in the UK. Alongside Caesar, we're getting a Q-class destroyer beginning with HMS quality. Starling believes this could actually be the first time that one of the Q-class destroyers has been produced as a kit in 1-700 scale. Following closely behind will be the R-class destroyer

[01:12:35] HMS Roebuck. And Canadian benchmates haven't been forgotten either, because Starling also plans releases of HMS CS Sioux and HMS CS Algonquin. Algonquin has a particularly interesting wartime history, having served among the escorting warships supporting the aircraft carriers that were involved in attacks against the German battleship

[01:13:05] Tierpint. Following the Canadian V-class ships, Starling will then turn its attention to the OMP classes, represented by HMS Onsort and HMS Pathfinder respectively. Now, normally when a manufacturer announces a list like that, you assume you're looking at some sort of five-year release programme. But not here. Starling intends to release all of these during 2026.

[01:13:36] So, Royal Navy modders, you have been warned. Start saving now and hide the credit card. And perhaps start casually mentioning to your significant other that £40 isn't actually very much money when you think about it. Moving swiftly on before Brownie starts checking my own stash, Triumph Model have broadened their range into something considerably older because

[01:14:06] they're taking us right back to the age of sale. And their first subject in this range is an absolute naval legend. Coming in 1-350 scale is the Spanish ship of the line Santizima Trinidad depicted as she appeared during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. This was no ordinary sailing ship. The Santizima Trinidad was one of the

[01:14:36] most powerful ships of the line ever constructed during the age of sale eventually carrying around 116 guns across four decks. She was laid down in Havana, Cuba in 1767 and went on to serve Spain across the Atlantic and the Caribbean for nearly four decades. Her story finally ended at Trafalgar where she was captured by Nelson's fleet after suffering

[01:15:05] enormous damage during the battle. Attempts were made to tow her away as a war prize, but her condition was simply too poor and she was eventually abandoned and sank shortly afterwards. Triumph's kit will be a full-hole 3D printed resin model. At the moment, there's no firm information about any accompanying photo etch, although the

[01:15:35] render suggest that the sails themselves may also be 3D printed. Now that could be very interesting because getting convincing sails straight from a kit has always been one of those slightly tricky areas of sailing ship modelling. Releases are currently expected in October of 2026, so Asia sail fans keep a weather eye on the horizon. Also

[01:16:05] scheduled from Triumph for October, although jumping forward around 150 years is the USS Allen M. Sumner, again in 1-350 scale. This will also be a 3D printed resin kit, but Unusual Triumph intends to offer it both full-hole and waterline versions. And I have to say, a 1-350

[01:16:34] destroyer in waterline come on. If you're going to start building it that big, you might as well give the poor thing a bottom. Triumph will also be offering a couple of upgrade sets alongside the kit. These include a comprehensive photo-etch set, plus a separate decal sheet containing hull numbers for different ships of the Allen M Sumner class together with signal flags. So there

[01:17:04] should be plenty of scope for anyone wanting to model a particular vessel, rather than restricted to the ship supplied in the basic box. Next we head beneath the surface with OKB Grigorov who continue steadily working their way through Cold War submarines in 1-350 scale. Their latest announcements are USS Jack SSN-605 and USS Haddock

[01:17:33] SSN-621. Both kits will represent the submarines broadly as they appeared when originally built. These are wonderfully simple little kits as well. Haddock comes in at just seven parts. While Jack pushes the complexity envelope all the way to eight. So even Brownie could finish what before starting something else.

[01:18:03] Both submarines belonged to the same broader family of US Navy nuclear attack submarines as OKB's earlier USS permit, giving Cold War submarine fans another opportunity to expand their silent service collection. And finally, this time, we head back to the surface and something considerably larger with Hasegawa. They're

[01:18:33] continuing their run of Casablanca class escort carriers with the USS Anzio. This one is coming in at 1-350 scale. There's a full hull injection moulded plastic kit and it will depict the Anzio as she appeared in October of 1944. The aircraft complement included with the kit consists of six F4F Wildcats and three TBM Avengers.

[01:19:04] And nicely, those aircraft can be built with either their wings folded or extended, which should allow for a little more variety across the flight deck. USS Anzio had originally entered service as USS Coral C before being renamed in September 1944 and she went on to take part in operations across the Pacific. Coral C of course went on to lend her name to the

[01:19:34] third and final midway class battle carrier. Release of the Hasegawa kit is currently expected in November 2026. So if you're a US Navy or carrier aviation fan there's every chance one of these could be sitting under the Christmas tree. Although judging by everything else that I've just mentioned you might need a considerably bigger Christmas tree.

[01:20:05] And that's it from me for this edition of the Stash Inflation Report. Royal Navy Destroyers, Spanish ships of the line and Cold War submarines. Absolutely no shortage of ways to turn your budget into a maritime financial emergency. Now over to Shane for the Gundam and Gunpla news. Cheers Nebs. Right then Benchmates,

[01:20:34] if you've managed to survive the naval section without accidentally buying something with a flight deck, well I'm afraid it's time to attack what's left of your bank balance with some Gunpla, Mecca and assorted giant robot shaped tentation. We'll start with Poseidon model and the 172nd scale Crossbone Gundam. This one is due for release in September and at around £15 it's actually dangerously close to being an impulse purchase.

[01:21:04] Next up we have Switon Toys with another release from the Mecca Dimension series Flame Mao. There's no confirmed release date yet but it is expected to price around £40. It's certainly one of the more distinctive designs in this week's report and if you like your Mecca looking suitably over the top, aggressive and as though it could destroy a small city before breakfast this might be worth keeping an eye on.

[01:21:34] Next something a little more subtle from Chef Model. They've announced the 1100MB Ashtray Dragon Onyx action figure which is currently scheduled for release in December with a price of around £120. Now £120 is definitely starting to move us away from that casual stash inflation purchase and into the territory where you may need to prepare a small presentation to your significant

[01:22:04] other explaining why this was in fact an essential purchase. But I'll tell you what Benchmates it certainly does look impressive. Then we have Good Smile Company with the Moderoid Vardant Manga Edition This one is still quite a way off with current release date scheduled for June next year and an expected price somewhere between £50 and £60 So plenty of time to save up

[01:22:33] although you know most of our Benchmates for you guys saving up simply means buying another 12 kits between now and then Anyway we've come to the Bandai section now and first up is the RG 144 scale Gundam ground type this is currently scheduled for release in February with expected price £35 The ground type has always been a

[01:23:07] next is the HG 144 Hammer Hammer that one is due for release in March 20 27 coming in around £30 It's another wonderfully unusual mobile suit design and exactly the sort of thing that will stand out amongst rows of more conventional Gundams on riser

[01:23:37] and I suspect this one is going to be very popular indeed The MG SD range continues to combine that super deformed styling with an absolutely ridiculous amount of detail and engineering The double A seems to be perfect candidate for it Price is currently expected to be somewhere between £50 and £60 And finally Bandai has decided that whatever money you might still have

[01:24:06] clearly needs dealing with The MG EX 1-100 scale Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam is currently scheduled for release in March 27 as well The price is expected to be around £150 Yes £150 But hear me out The MG EX release is very much Bandai showcasing what they can do at the top end of their engineering and the

[01:24:36] mighty Strike Freedom Gundam certainly gives them plenty of opportunity to completely go overboard And that's your latest dose of Gunpla Mecca and giant robot based financial irresponsibility

[01:25:22] Thanks Shane. Hey builders, this is Matty from Matty's Custom Scale, back covering some of the new kits being released with two, four or more wheels for you to get your paint covered hands onto. For this edition of the Stash Inflation Report, I'll cover some of the growing vendors. So let's kick it off with Model Factory Hero, who just released a 112 scale Porsche 917 Longtail.

[01:25:44] It's a full detail kit with a B12 engine, opening doors, rear clamshell and trunk, or whatever you prefer to call the front opening bit. And they're also releasing Michael Schumacher's 2004 Ferrari F1 car. No opening truck there. DDA, or Diecast Distributors Australia, have been doing a great job bringing plastic 124 kits to market for Aussie muscle cars.

[01:26:09] Their latest kits are the Holden HQ Monaro 2-Daw, in a factory spec, but they're also releasing the Knight Rider version which is from the old Mad Max movies. Alpha Model has released a 124 scale Ferrari F80 and 296 Special in their usual very detailed multimedia kits, and they're also releasing a couple of 296 GT3 kits in 143 scale. Iceman Collections is releasing a full detail Volkswagen Baja Bug this month.

[01:26:38] KMP scale models has just released a fully detailed Lamborghini Huracan GT3 multimedia kit. That's actually been released with several liveries, some have already sold out, some are still available so you might want to jump on those pretty quick. USCP, or Ukrainian Scale Cars Production, is about to release a full WRC trans kit for the Tamiya Renault 5.

[01:27:00] Czech Truck Model has released a new batch of MAN F2000 truck upgrades, and on the two-wheel front, Hobby Japan has listed for pre-order a 112 scale 1989 Honda NSR50. And they actually mentioned that it's all new tooling, so that sounds pretty cool. Next episode, we'll take another look at what's new with some of the bigger brands, but if you think there's another growing vendor that deserves to be on this list next month, let me know.

[01:27:26] And coming up next, we have the Guideline Publications update for the October magazines. So take it away, boys. It's time for the Guideline Publications update for what's coming up in the October editions of the magazines.

[01:27:49] So we're back to its correct time slot for this feature, and this is what's coming up in Volume 48, Issue 8 of Scale Aircraft Modelling from our friends and sponsors at Guideline Publications. And this month's cover feature is a very smart 148th Edward MiG-21 finished in Afghan markings and built using one of Edward's Overtree Boxings.

[01:28:08] From there, we step down to 172nd scale for a short look at an old favourite, the classic Heller Dessau-Oragon, proof that some of the older kits can still produce a very attractive model with a little care and attention. Staying with something rather more unusual, there's also a build of Micromer's mighty M50 Bounder in 1144th scale. Even at that scale, it's a substantial looking aircraft, and certainly one for everyone who likes their Cold War aviation a little more exotic.

[01:28:36] Then we move on to one of this month's major features, with Bill Clark tackling the brand new Ravel 132nd Hawker Hunter T7. Bill was lucky enough to get his hands on a kit in advance, allowing him to get ahead of the game and bring readers a full build right as the kit comes onto the market. Next up, we're back in 172nd, and this one is something rather special. It's a scratch conversion of the old Toko P63 King Cobra, turning it into one of the two-seat P63 UTI trainer variants.

[01:29:06] It's an absolutely super piece of modelling and conversion work, and the end result is wonderfully, spectacularly ugly. And I mean that as a compliment. To coincide with the imminent publication of Wallpaint No. 154, there's also a build of Roland's 148th OV-1 Mohawk, finished in Desert Storm markings. That's followed by another unusual subject in 172nd scale, with M Design's 3D-printed Roland C2.

[01:29:33] Taking us nicely into the centre section of the magazine, and this month's aircraft in profile focuses on the Maltin Baltimore, providing the usual combination of photographs, technical information, camouflage and marking details. Elsewhere, Colour Conundrum takes a fascinating look at some of the RAF's early experiments with black finishers and bomber aircraft. Always one of those subjects where the story behind the paint can be every bit as interesting as the aircraft itself. Then we have another conversion feature to look forward to.

[01:30:01] The John Tabiner takes the 148th Airfix Vampire FB-5 and converts it into the Swedish Jate A. Effectively, the Vampire Mark I, using the Wells Props models conversion set. And if you thought the King Cobra Trainer was a contender for this month's So Ugly It's Actually Brilliant Award, there's more. The theme of unusual and arguably unloved aviation continues with the 172nd Enigrand V-2 Valor.

[01:30:28] That's the tilt rotor design selected as the eventual replacement for the Blackhawk further down the line. And it makes for the very distinctive model indeed. We stay in 172nd for Jamie Hager's Wessex HC-2 based on the Airfix kit and enhanced with some very nice scratch building detail. The final feature this month is a short look at the classic 172nd Frog Baltimore, tying in perfectly with the Martin Baltimore aircraft and profile section in the centre of the magazine. And of course, there's the usual extensive review section.

[01:30:58] Among the kits under the spotlight this month are Ataleri's Swiftfire Mark V, Rafale B, RS Models DFS 230, plus in-box reviews of Al-Hobby's new Hawk and Tamiya's 148th. The Tamiya 109 is covered by Neil Robinson, whose commentary and observations are always very well communicated to Sam, whenever they can persuade him to put pen to paper. There is, however, a sad note in this month's issue as well.

[01:31:23] Neil has also provided a short tribute to the late Glenn Ashley of Blackbird Models, a familiar face to so many of us around the modelling show circuit, and someone whose presence at those shows will be very sadly missed. So once again, it's another subtly-packed issue of scale aircraft modelling. Aircraft from across the decades, plenty of different scales, conversions, scratch building, 3D printing, historical features, reviews, and importantly, proper modelling content from cover to cover.

[01:31:52] And as the team at Guideline are quite happy to point out, there's probably around 30% more content than their nearest competitor. So apparently the official advice is, don't waste your money elsewhere. Their words, obviously. The latest issue of scale aircraft modelling will be available on Thursday the 17th of September from Guideline Publications, selected newsagents, and your usual magazine retailers, or is also available online. Now, over to Dan with what's coming up in Military Model After International. Thanks, Brownie.

[01:32:21] Right then, Benchmates, while Brownie's been busy talking about aircraft and John Tabern's ongoing battle with industrial quantities of millipart, let's get back to something altogether more sensible, tanks. This month's Military Model Craft International kicks off with what was something of a surprise new release from Tamiya, the Rauppenschlepper Ost 01. Assistant editor Rob Rivietzo gets stuck into the kit and works his usual magic on what looks certain to become a very popular release.

[01:32:50] Tamiya kits have a habit of making you wonder why you ever thought modelling was difficult, and the RSO continues that tradition nicely. Next up, there's something a little different as Murat Osgur tells the story of his journey from being a modeller himself to becoming a producer of 3D printed aftermarket tracks. It's always fascinating to see how somebody goes from spotting a problem at the bench to actually deciding, right, I'll make the solution myself.

[01:33:17] And this piece takes a look behind that process. Then we get into some serious conversion work. Domingo Hernandez takes Tacom's M60 and transforms it into a Spanish Army Scorpion AEV. And this is exactly the sort of build that reminds you just how much can be done with a good base kit, a bit of research, and considerably more patience than some of us possess. The result is a cracking piece of modelling and a really distinctive vehicle.

[01:33:47] Then we come to this month's cover story, and it's quite a debut. Italian modeller Christian Penale makes his first appearance in MMI with a beautifully finished Australian Centurion in Vietnam. If you like your armour covered in dust, grime, stowage, and all the character that comes with vehicles operating in the field, this one should be right up your street. It's an absolutely stunning model and a very strong first appearance in the magazine.

[01:34:15] Next up, Matt Edwards takes a temporary break from his usual World War II German armour and turns his attention to something rather more modern. He tackles the excellent Rifle Models Challenger 2, depicting the vehicle during operations in Iraq. So plenty of modern British armour, plenty of detail, and no doubt plenty of opportunities for weathering.

[01:34:36] Next up, JC Windels returns with a superb combination of Tamiya's Opal Blitz and Dragon's 2cm Flak. This is one of those pairings that looks just right. A classic German soft skin combined with the anti-aircraft gun beautifully finished and presented, and another example of how putting two familiar subjects together can create something much more interesting than either might be on its own.

[01:35:02] For the small-scale armour fans, Jan Moravchik is back after a modelling hiate, and he returns with Border Models' Tiger I. Moving into this month's armour in profile, MP Rosen concludes his study of the M3 medium tank. The final instalment looks at the M3 service with the Allied Nations during the Second World War, rounding off what has been a really comprehensive look at the vehicle that perhaps doesn't always get the attention it deserves.

[01:35:32] The M3 might not have the longevity or glamour of some of the tanks that followed it, but it played an important part at a crucial point in the war, and there are plenty of interesting modelling possibilities across the different nations that operated it. And finally this month, it's a genuine pleasure to welcome John Steinman back to the pages of MMI. John returns with this month's At The Bench, offering something slightly different from the usual kit build, a little modelling philosophy.

[01:36:00] And sometimes, that's exactly what we need, because underneath all the kits, aftermarket, paints, pigments, 3D prints, and endless arguments about whether that particular shape of green is correct, we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves, don't forget. So another packed issue of Military Model Craft International, from Tamiya's new RSO, Spanish Engineering Vehicles, and Australian Centurions, through to Challenger 2s, Tigers, M3 Mediums,

[01:36:29] and a bit of modelling philosophy to finish things off. There really is something in there for just about every armour modeler. So that's it for guidelines this episode. Now, before we jump back to JMC, we Brownie managed to grab a quick chat with IPMS UK Scale Model World Manager, John Tapsell, as the show is fast approaching, and we get all the inside news, including some of the great news on traders and exhibitors,

[01:36:56] and I'm off to panic and worry about all the kits I need to get done for the show. So, see you soon. Head over to modelpodcast.com and explore the best modelling podcasts available today. A worldwide podcast hub curated by Stuart Clarke from the Scale Model Podcast.

[01:37:31] It's time for the IPMS UK Dispatches. All the latest news and updates for the society. Now, with just 58 days to go until Scale Model World opens its doors on the episode's day of release, it's time to check in with the man at the centre of the planning, IPMS UK Show Manager, John Tapsell. Welcome back, John. Thank you very much for having me.

[01:38:01] You're very welcome. So, 58 days to go. The clock is ticking. How are things shaping up? Overall, very well. I've got my feet under the table. I've picked up the planning process. It's going well. I'm not making any major changes to how it's been done previously. I see no need to. Currently dealing with some of the less obvious issues, like making sure we've got the right number of tables hired, making sure they're delivered on time,

[01:38:30] making sure the wristbands are being printed and we've got the right numbers off them. So, things like the side issues. But in terms of the show itself, we have reach capacity in terms of branch and special interest group displays, which is really impressive for a show our size. We have, I think, somewhere well over two branches and special interest groups these days. So, it's nice to be able to get as many as possible in.

[01:38:59] We've also pretty much maxed out all the trade space that's available to us. We have a few small single table and corner site pictures left, but the vast bulk of the trade space is now gone. That's good going. It is. It means that we can go forward with a high degree of confidence that we're going to have a successful show, many familiar names there, some new ones as well. Are you going to tease some?

[01:39:28] Possibly, yes. Okay. We have. Let's have a look. We've had over 15 new traders sign up this year, which is great. Inevitably, of course, there are a few traders who drop out for various reasons. That gives us a chance to fit in some new ones. Yep. Probably the biggest one from the point of view of the hobby is that Heller will be appearing for the first time at Telford.

[01:39:55] As far as I know, it's the first time they've ever done Scale Model World. So that's been a big win for us to have them sign up. Brilliant. So a splash of yellow then? A splash of yellow. Yes, we have a splash of red and a splash of blue. And now we have a splash of yellow. A splash of yellow. Are we running out of primary colors? Yeah, I think we are. So that's been really helpful. They've taken a decent amount of trade space this year.

[01:40:23] They and their parent company, Glow2B. So we're really looking forward to that. Slightly at the other end of the scale, out of the blue, I had a request for trade space a few days ago from the USA, a company called 3D Wild. They specialize in resin, I think 3D printed as the name would suggest, ship models.

[01:40:50] And they are coming over or wanting to come over this year. So that'll be a welcome change because ship models and naval models are something we've, we used to have two or three traders and we haven't got as many now. So it'd be interesting to have one back, which will be nice. Yes. Somebody who's returning this year who hasn't been for a good few years is Hataka Paints. They were, did come pre-COVID, but haven't been since.

[01:41:19] And they contacted me recently and said, is there trade space available? We'd like to come back. So I said, of course. Nice. So that is also something that's a nice feather in our cap. We've got some of the regulars too. Ziki Mora are planning to come back. And we've got their stand size sorted out. Kinetica booked again this year, which is nice. And I never know how to pronounce this, but Kotari from New Zealand.

[01:41:49] Ah, Kotari, yes. Yes, they are. They have been for two or three years, but they've only displayed products they haven't retailed. I believe they are hoping to retail this year, but I can't confirm that for definite yet. My wallet's going to take a hit. Yeah. There are some quite big names who are here and hereabouts. I've got a trader from China coming in who specialize in precision tools for modelers as well. They're called Steady Tools.

[01:42:18] Yes, I have some of their stuff. Yeah. And from memory, I believe, I think one or two of the traders in the past at Telford have sold their products, but they're coming over on their own account this year, which is great. So we're looking forward to welcoming them. So there's a good range of stuff. And that's just tip of the iceberg. We've got, I think, 120 traders now booked in or in the process of booking.

[01:42:46] So there's a lot to pick up. So that's it for, if you like, the standard traditional hobby dealers of various descriptions. One of the things that we have been working on over the last few months, and in fact has been at something of a two-way journey, is that we have two fairly large Gumbler and Mecca traders booked space this year. Which is great because it opens up a whole new world,

[01:43:15] both for them, because potentially there is greater market for them, but also for us because it potentially pulls in a different audience again, which hopefully won't do our visit to figures any harm at all. Not quite. And it is one of the main routes into the hobby these days, so the younger modeler? Definitely, yes. I've not been to any of the Gumbler shows that are around and about, but I know enough people who have to understand the popularity it has.

[01:43:44] And certainly as IPMS, we are keen to represent and encourage our hobby in all its forms. So having them come back to us or come and say, we want to come, we want to test the water, is of huge interest both to us and to them, because potentially if they feel it's worth their while, they'll come back again. And it's a new trader stream for us. Yes, absolutely. No, that's fantastic. Anything for the wargaming community?

[01:44:15] Not at this particular time. It's something we're working on. I don't think it's going to come to fruition this year, but it's definitely an area we want to explore in more detail. There have been a couple of names mentioned to us, so those are definitely areas we want to discuss, see if we can persuade them to come along, because as you said, the nearest we get to it at the moment is Rubicon Models, who have been trading at Telford for some years.

[01:44:42] But there are other traders and manufacturers who we would definitely be interested in talking to and are exploring. So watch this space, as they say. Okay. You said you have some tables left at the moment. If anyone listening to this is interested in picking up a table, especially a wargamer, how do they get in touch with you? We have a specific webpage on the IPMS UK website,

[01:45:09] which if you go to the IPMS UK website and look at the IPMS Scale Model World page, which is listed in the contents list at the top. And one of the links there says Traders at Scale Model World. And if you go to that page, it gives you all the details. It gives you access to a booking form and things like our terms and conditions and so on. So if anybody is interested, there are a few small tables left.

[01:45:38] We have, ideally, you need to be getting in touch with me no later than the 30th of September. Because after that, it becomes really difficult to start shifting things around to fit new traders in. Yeah. Okay. Fantastic. Any other little snippets that you can share? What else do we have? We're getting weekly reports on public ticket sales, which is good. Okay.

[01:46:06] And I'm pleased to say they are significantly up on this time last year. Ah. So that's of interest to us. We're not sure exactly why that might be at this point in time. But... I was going to say, is there a trend? Could be. It'd be nice to see significantly more general public through the doors because it would tell us that we are spreading the word outside the hobby.

[01:46:33] Our public visitor numbers have been fairly stable for the last probably four... Well, let's ignore the chaos of COVID. For the last few, what I would term ordinary years, the public through the doors has been roughly stable. So if these early ticket sales, if the trend continues upwards, then we would hope to get significantly more through the doors.

[01:47:02] We'll find out in November. And are these ticket sales for both days or Saturday? Or have you not gotten that split? We've got... There are significantly more sales on Monday rather than Sunday. And to be honest, that's fairly standard for our show. Yes, we'd like... We'd love to be able to even it up and have as many on Sunday as we do on Saturday. But it is a slightly shorter day. And a lot of people coming in who are general public

[01:47:31] don't necessarily intend to do both days. So they'll pick a day that's convenient to them. Yeah. But either way, we're still really happy with the way the ticket sales are going. Okay. One other thing. A little teaser. Oh. We know a couple of our traders are intending to bring along full-size exhibits of some of the things they are producing. We know what one of those is.

[01:47:58] We have been given the dimensions, general dimensions, of the other one. But we're not able to say anything at the moment. But there will be some full-size things in the halls. Slightly larger than the models for Heroes pens. Yes. Yes, there is. Which are one-to-one scale. Which are indeed one-to-one scale. These are full-size versions of things they are producing scale models of. Okay. With that little snippet,

[01:48:29] John, thank you very much for your time. Okay. Hopefully we can grab you on about a month before the main event itself because after that, I should imagine you'll be just a little bit tied up. But just a little bit. If you can give us a final rundown and any little teasers, suggestions for car parking, things of that nature. Yep, I can do that. I think that'll be worth, worthwhile. So, John, thank you. We'll speak to you again soon. Thank you very much. Speak to you soon. Cheers, mate.

[01:49:03] At ITA3, we live by the mantra accurate, easier, better. Accurate because research is the most important part of our job. We don't produce anything until we are fully confident that it is as accurate to the real thing as we can make it. That it has every detail in the right place and as close to scale size as 3D printing can make it. And that is usually significantly closer than this diary. Easier because we design parts to require minimal assembly. Although we do design

[01:49:32] for painting in mind, so most of our sets are not single parts. Printing supports are minimised and attachments are as small as 0.2mm on some parts. Parts are easy to separate from their protective boxes, easy to assemble and designed to fit your kit without surgery, replacing poorly detailed kit parts directly for a smoother build experience. Better because the level of detail on our sets is unrivaled. We push the limits of 3D printing to bring you the fine detail in all the right places,

[01:50:01] delivering easy to use, accurate parts with a massive detail punch. In 172nd, 148th, 135th, 132nd and 124th, in aircraft and armour, ITA always delivers on our promise. Accurate. Easier. Better. Check us out now at InsideTheArmor.com or from Hannance, BNA Model World, Super Hobby, JW De Burr Model Bower, Beaver Corporation and Matters of Scale. Or from your local model store, just ask them to order

[01:50:31] from their distributor. Now, back to Beyond the Box Art for more banter and news from the miniature world. Now recently, I had the pleasure of bumping into Malcolm down at the Avon show and we had a conversation on the Models for Heroes stand reference to Just Making Conversation. Obviously, the pod has been I'll say on a little bit of a hiatus due to what you guys are working on with all the charity work

[01:50:59] for the 48 and 48 and everything else is obviously going on in the background. But I'll let Malcolm take up the conversation in just a second. But let's just roll the clock back to the very beginning when JMC started back in 2020. Perhaps you can give our guys some thought in what your reasoning behind creating the show back in the day was and what was your original idea behind it? Right. It's 2020. That was a long time ago. It was COVID

[01:51:29] that we were chatting away, right, online, kind of like this. And we're having a good time chatting and we thought, hey, you know, everyone was doing a podcast in those days. You know, oh, you know, my milkman's got a podcast. You know, everyone's doing it. And so we thought, oh, we'll get on that bandwagon and just record what we were chatting about, basically. Okay. And we did.

[01:51:57] And put minimal effort into the editing and we put minimal effort into doing the posts and things like that. And we always said, oh, we really enjoyed doing it. And we always said if it became a difficulty or a struggle or a push that we just stop because it was just a hobby for us. And we didn't want to get it in the way of the, you know, all the other hobbies that we have. We didn't want to get it

[01:52:24] in the way of life and family and everything else. And yeah, it was really good fun. How many episodes did we do? Only 100? You were just short of 100. About 96, I believe. Yeah. Yeah. And we talked to lots of people over the years. Lots of different people. We've met lots of people over the years who've been listeners. Even now, I'm at a show and someone random will say,

[01:52:54] oh, I really love the podcast by the way. Wow. Okay, cool. Thank you. And what's cool is that they're there forever. You know, I'm not prepared to take them down. So, until someone decides that it's, you know, old recordings now, then they'll be there for a very long time so people can go back and listen to the whole thing. In fact, one of my, our beneficiaries he was saying that he heard my voice in the kitchen once. And he's like, what's that? What's he doing in the kitchen?

[01:53:24] And his daughter had put, somehow, had put JMC on their Amazon thingy. Mm-hmm. Speaker thing. I don't want to say the name because everyone's... Oh, of course, that trick that everyone uses these days that says, Alexa, subscribe me to the Beyond the Box Art podcast. That works well. Yes, there you go. That one. And she had said something like that, you know, play a podcast and JMC was playing and he could hear us in the kitchen. So she,

[01:53:53] who is called Sophia, had a birthday the other day and I said I'd say hi. Say hi. You forgot to buy her a car, didn't you? Well, I don't know her personally, but I did say I would say hi. Fair enough. There you go. So, yeah, 2020. So, it started just from us chatting and messing about and then pressing the record button, basically. And how did you and James actually first meet? Well,

[01:54:23] it was a rainy Tuesday. Oh dear. I can't remember. Maybe James remembers. I can't believe you've forgotten our first date. Oh dear. I've liked it from my mind. I want to get some tissue down. Yes, I don't know. Got no idea. I can't remember what I did yesterday. Why are you asking me what we did in 2020, for Christ's sake? Yeah,

[01:54:53] you're sort of right in everything you said. However, there is one thing you missed out and that was we were great fans of another UK podcast and we were inspired by them. Unfortunately, they only did a few episodes and then stopped. Yeah. Was that a modelling shed? It was, yeah. And we were pretty gutted about it and we've always, since we first got to know each other, we've always got on very well and have a similar sense of humour. humour.

[01:55:23] I mean, we're not married or anything, you know, you can't finish my sentences because normally I go off on a complete tangent and he's got no idea where I'm going. So, you know, we don't have that link as such but, yeah, we share the same sort of humour and, you know, I think it'd be fair to say that we are very much like two young children in the playground mocking everybody. Yeah. In a nice way, not in a bully way but in a nice way, you know, finding the funny

[01:55:52] parts of life and at the time there were a few podcasts, not many, but they were very serious, you know, and you all know Malcolm, he's not a serious man at all, doesn't do anything that's serious. So, yeah, so that's where James was born really. It was just a case that we, we enjoy talking nonsense with each other. We, we were inspired by the trio that was the modelling shed

[01:56:22] and, and we thought it was a big shame that the UK wasn't represented but, you know, there's everyone and their dogs doing it now, aren't they? Even Malcolm's Milkman. Yeah, indeed, apparently. Yeah, Malcolm's Milkman's been doing it for a lot longer but anyway, that's, that's not the point. Just milking conversation. No, it's get the curd. Well, that one's been churning over for ages, hasn't it? Oh my life. Does he do eggs?

[01:56:53] Crafting. He'll do anything. Bread, yogurts, anything. Bracolto. Oh dear. Yeah, so yeah, that's pretty much how we started. We just thought, okay, let's get on this podcast vibe. And then, and then we did. And then we didn't stop for a long time. Now, obviously your show has been intertwined with the work you guys have been doing for Models for Heroes and obviously

[01:57:22] with the model offices with the 48 in 48, which is obviously an annual event now. What else is one thing that stands out for both of you from all your time on your show that you've actually sort of sit back and think in a couple of years time? I was really proud of that. Oh, I know the answer to that. Well, I've got an answer to that, but go on Malcolm. Yes. It's not your walnuts, is it?

[01:57:53] Okay. we think the same way, Link, let's see how it works. Yeah, no, it was the walnut group build that we did. That was great, and I want to do it again. I want to do the whole walnut thing again because there were some amazing things made. Just blew my mind, what you could put, just to let everyone know because I'm assuming everyone knows what's going on in my head. So we did this group build thing where everyone had to make something inside a walnut.

[01:58:24] And I quite literally don't have one right here. When you say make inside the walnut, it was basically a diorama or a model you had to display inside, not physically build it inside the walnut because that would be nigh on impossible. You could. Unless, of course, you're Shane. Shane would be fine with that. Well, that's true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fightism. Yeah, I mean, basically, the idea came

[01:58:54] from me being an idiot. I'm not going to lie, I swear it came from. And I basically, I think I'm right in saying that we were in the middle of recording the podcast and I sort of said, oh, I've got this great idea, let's go with it. Yeah, that happens a lot. And Malcolm went, oh, are you sure? I was like, yeah, trust me, trust me. And he went, all right then. And then I told him what it was and he went, oh my God, you idiot. But yeah, it was a zany moment of, you know, is that something someone would do? You know,

[01:59:23] is this something that someone can get behind? And then suddenly you Google it and go, oh my God. It's a thing. It's a thing. So yeah, I'd like to say it was an original, it really wasn't, it was something we'd come across. And it was actually, oh, what was the first image we saw? Can you say that on a family show? Yes. Yes, because it involved nuts. Yeah. It was something, sort of fairy diorama or something. No, it wasn't,

[01:59:53] it was, no, wasn't it a Willis Jeep or something in a nut or something like that? I can't remember. Could have been, yeah. But we Googled it anyway, because what we tend to do is when we were recording a show and we didn't have a guest, we'd go off on tangents and while we're talking we'd be busy Googling about stuff and that's pretty much how it came about. We used to record in a way in which we could see each other's screen and all

[02:00:23] that. So, yeah, so that's what we did. And I don't think it's proud, I think it's just a case of I'm so pleased that there are thousands of people out there that are insane enough to go, James, that's a really good idea, let's give that a go. And to have people from around the world send their stuff in for Telford because that's where we decided we would show these nuts.

[02:00:54] And yeah, it was a phenomenal moment. Yeah, people came in hot off the flight with a walnut in their pocket that had been given to take to Telford and they presented it to us and we put it on the table and people were, yeah, there was some fantastic stuff. Yeah. Back through it. Amazing things. I've got lot of people for actually presenting the model as well. Your golden nuts.

[02:01:25] Yes, that upset some because he's taller, you see, a nut falls out of his pocket and no one really puts an eyelid. Whereas I've got to

[02:01:55] reach up to the table and put my nut on there and it's a lot more difficult. I'm not even going to mention Shane in this context or I was going to say it's something I can relate to. It's a fun thing. With the Facebook group and the Models for Heroes as well, group builds have always been something that's been almost at the

[02:02:25] heart of what we did and do. It's just natural to do that sort of thing. And of course you've got the other podcasts that will do their Sherman builds their P47 builds where we went from walnuts to tarps. Yeah, tarp builds. And amazingly that even

[02:02:54] got an award, one of the tarps got an award in the Telford model show. Yeah, but one of the walnuts did too. One of the walnuts did. So we're a walwood in ideas. That's easy for you to say. It was. And that's part of the reason why it's become so difficult to continue really is because coming up with these zany ideas and people obviously they're emailing us every day. Come on, give me some inspiration.

[02:03:25] It's become a whole new thing. Fair enough. Don't get any ideas, Brownie. I was just thinking what you could put inside a pistachio. We did look at coffee beans at one point, we decided it looked a little bit like rats. Anyway, so we thought that would probably not be a good idea, especially as we got

[02:03:55] told off the food stuff. Yeah, that idea does grind a little bit, doesn't it? It does, yes. But yeah, it brews on you. Anyway, Dan, what's one of your main recollections from the walnut challenge stood out. And I think for me, it was probably the realization

[02:04:24] that when what happened to James happened, I saw an incredible outpouring of support from the modelling community as it were. And back then, I wasn't involved in any of this. So as a mere listener, I thought, my God, this is beautiful. You know, what a fantastic moment that these funny little model waffle things, I call it, as we sit and do

[02:04:54] and chat about this strange, quirky hobby that we all do. It's a safe space for people and when something happens like that, the whole community tends to sort of come together and that was really, really lovely to sort of witness, you know. And it was strange because you don't think that, you don't necessarily realize that the podcasts that you listen to are, you know, sort of the other podcasts are

[02:05:24] possibly, not all, but some are listening as well and we know, I'm still a listener of the other podcasts that I've always listened to, you know. So when that happened, it was lovely to sort of see and yeah, what we sit and do and what James and Malcolm have done over the years, they were, well, I'd like to say they still are.

[02:05:53] When I'm at work and I'm working on my own in someone's house, it's company and it's friends and it's just like, it's better than listening to some of the absolute rubbish that comes out of the radio sometimes. It's nice to know that you can listen to your hobby while you're at work as well and even just people talking about it and having a laugh and a joke because at the end of the day that's what it's all about is having fun and enjoyment and you shouldn't take it too seriously. There are serious moments in this hobby where I think

[02:06:23] when we dive down historical routes and stories come out and the room can get a little bit dusty and you think how incredible that is. But then there's also all the funny moments and I've always thought that JMC was a funny podcast. You knew that you were going to have a giggle when you listened to it and that's what it's all about. So thank you chaps for all of did you say nearly 100 episodes? I can't believe I'd listened to all of that.

[02:06:53] To be honest with you they are still available so please go back to the beginning and start again. It's your homework. I might try it backwards you know when you play the theme tune back. It might make more sense. Maybe there's a hidden message in there. Don't listen to them backwards whatever you do because you know like yeah is it sensible and yeah maybe maybe there's a hidden message in there like tell me

[02:07:23] your extra fin is not your friend the carpet monster is watching yeah or maybe it tells you where all those lost parts are. If you listen to just making conversation backwards there's a hidden message in there about where all your carpet monster parts are. Oh the secret's out. Yeah you're absolutely you've got us I put my hands up it was actually a podcast for the carpet monster. It got nothing to do with model

[02:07:52] making really at all. It was all to do with But no seriously thank you chaps. Now my recollection is the impeccable timing that you guys actually gave out. So you were going to do an online build I seem to remember during one show and then you you actually talked about that you were going to do it another time and you missed that as well. And then somebody wrote in and actually said about it I think it was at the end of your second

[02:08:22] season or the start of your third and that person that wrote in and you read out that first email that was me. Ah wow there you go you were featured. Yes. I knew that. It was a case of no it was just the way that you've actually treated the hobby not taking it too seriously when it didn't need to be taken seriously but also taking it seriously when you needed to and all the stuff that obviously

[02:08:51] integration of models for heroes the charity that for those that haven't realised obviously Malcolm is the brain the brawn and everything else behind the charity there are some other people that do occasional bits and pieces you know but he'll just shug it off and say no he's not but he is an absolute genius as far as that charity goes and Shane I think your recollection for what we were talking about on messaging just now you might as well go ahead with that yeah I think

[02:09:21] I think the guys have touched upon how fun JMC is but what really hit home for me is the 48 and 48 and putting that together and just to be honest with you how impactful that is you know from all the fun and games and everything else but the 48 and 48 it is serious because it has to be and it means so

[02:09:51] much to so many people globally so I just want to commend you boys really on that because it's just phenomenal but if you don't mind would you mind just how talking about how that all sort of came about and what that journey looks look like that's okay boys a car crash generally no I mean basically so

[02:10:20] I got to know Malcolm originally when just as he was getting into the point where he was going to start the charity and it resonated with me because I am I mean you wouldn't know it by looking at me or listening to me that I'm mental

[02:10:59] but I was therapy that I've been using without realising so there was a natural reaction from me that I wanted to be a part of what Malcolm's journey and the charity would do purely for that as well as the fact that friendship was there and we got on very well and I am the sort of person that will help and support people best I can with anything if I can

[02:11:29] but yeah so there was a sort of a marriage of ideas and bits and pieces and realistically the charity started with face to face and then obviously Covid came along and there was a bit of a panic of war what we're going to do what we're going to do and I said to Malcolm go online it's fine we can do streaming and stuff it'll work so I helped him with that I mean Malcolm doesn't need an awful lot of help

[02:11:59] in that he's quite technically clever god hate him but yeah he's you know so as soon as we'd had that conversation I'd been dabbling with StreamYard and bits and pieces anyway so it was finally something in which I could help deliver help be a part of and I deliberately will say this that I am not going to take credit for anything because I generally throw ideas in like hand

[02:12:29] grenades and then run like shit yeah so yeah so that that's how that sort of coming from all the other bits and pieces was going on but the 48 and 48 really was has been my baby in that I have a Facebook group a model officer I got obviously a model officer's mess

[02:12:58] we did group builds we did bits and pieces and I just realised that actually I could potentially use my little community that I had to promote the hobby promote mental health promote the charity and a group build was fairly easy to organise so the first thing we did actually was a family day and that the idea was to try and promote and increase the amount of youngsters in the hobby

[02:13:29] out of the members I had I in garden for 48 hours while it was obviously not raining making models and stuff and that was like oh wow this is quite fun I was a bit disappointed because I managed to get my wife in here she was painting a

[02:14:11] a few of the friends and I were talking and we said we could do it again and maybe try and raise some money so I said okay let's do a 48 in 48 that's fine it can be a thing we chose a theme which was any little fucker and that went really

[02:14:41] and said come on guys I'm going to make a calendar and any profit will go to the models for heroes and that was sort of the start of it and then every year has just become more of

[02:15:11] I got 2,000 members of my group and they were spread around the world and trying to figure out a way to encourage people to get involved was the difficult part really and yeah it's just got bigger and bolder and

[02:15:41] Canadians the New Zealand and Australians and us mere UK people with a few Europeans sort of challenged each other to see what we could raise and you know we we've raised an enormous amount of money over the years and we're coming up to next year's our 10th anniversary which happens to come inside with the charities anniversary as well not done on purpose it's just how it's

[02:16:11] happened really so yeah we carry on trying to find crazy ways to make it bigger and bolder and you know Dan said about the outpouring of towards me when I had my heart attack and stuff yeah it is mind blowing really really mind blowing that some bits of plastic can create some community where people from around the world would be

[02:16:41] dropping me messages asking if I was okay and could they do anything to help and I like well you know I need to them down down

[02:17:11] in every way and I mean that in every physical way I was really worried that I was going to let them down that the economy around the world has punished us an awful lot over the last couple of years but hasn't punished us in what we've taken for the charity which is just phenomenal increased every year so I think I'm right in saying I'm not 100% sure because I didn't come prepared to say anything

[02:17:41] but I think we were almost or near around £50,000 we raised for the charity yeah over the years incredible which is daunting to say the least and the generosity as well the generosity one thing we've done with the 48 and 48 is we did an auction obviously and we've done auction around the world and all that sort of stuff but we specifically made the point of saying that we didn't want Wayne or Shane or Brownie to donate something from their stash

[02:18:10] we didn't want that because if you wanted to do that there's a real simple way of doing that and you just send it to Models for Heroes straight away and it seemed pointless to suggest anything different but the manufacturers have been amazing and yeah we've pleaded and we've begged and I've held on to Dale's trousers for weeks on end to try and get model kits from Airfix and stuff like that but the last

[02:18:40] couple of years have not been that traumatic we've had certainly last year we had people contacting us saying can we be a part of it can we do something what do you want us to do and literally anyone that knows me to hear me speechless like that is unheard of but it has made me incredibly unable to answer a question it's just I don't know why or how but it just works and seems to work

[02:19:11] and the craziness I'm really fortunate in that I've got a very small team of volunteers that helped me with it and every year I throw a curveball at them and every single year they pick that ball up and run with it so I'm very very fortunate to have that support and to be able to stand here and humbly say that we've done this and we've done that and I make sure that it's a

[02:19:41] we not an I it's not me it's a team and the same with Lots for Heroes you know I'm proud to be a part of that charitable organisation and I'm proud to be a part of the beneficiaries and the volunteers which is now grown beyond all measure I think of even Malcolm's expectations in many ways and the to sit in a face-to-face session which one of the first first

[02:20:10] sessions I did was sitting with pensioners in London Chelsea pensioners and honestly going to that thinking I can't see this really working and being amazed at how it worked absolutely amazed and just to see the amount of sessions we have now around the UK is phenomenal and of course with that all said Modern for Heroes obviously is very special to me but the sheer fact that this year this this

[02:20:40] year 2026 we have now got the beginnings of a similar identity in Australia and a similar identity in America yeah is mind-blowing and I take no credit for that at all because those people that have decided to do those things in those areas are the people that have done that whether it's been because they've seen what Malcolm is doing which you know we had

[02:21:10] a similar charity in Europe that contacted Malcolm and Malcolm will literally do whatever he can to help you if that's something you want to do with some advice you know Models for Heroes won't be around the world as Models for Heroes but that seed of an idea will germinate across the world you definitely influenced so many people globally in the organisation

[02:21:39] the charity as it is and like the foundations that the foundations in which you know Models for Heroes and the 48 and 48 has been built it's a great platform to build upon and it is credit to the team and our volunteers and everyone else involved so yeah

[02:22:09] I just want to say one more time credit where credit's due gents and to all of you and the team phenomenal well done well there is one other thing I'm just moving on slightly from that that the JMC did for me was to open my eyes to the issue of mental health and the impact that modelling actually can have on the hobby and on the back of the show I'm just holding up oh wow well done I did the

[02:22:39] mental health first aid course in the UK with St John's Ambulance and it really did open my eyes and without JMC I probably would never have gone down that route yeah that's fantastic yeah is it to is that course going to help you or is it going to help your friends and family all of the above I think to be fair yeah both work and away from work and I have had conversations with people offline yes yeah

[02:23:09] which you end up having a lot more conversations with people offline I won't say as a celebrity but the podcast actually gives you you actually become a visible person to people online that they listen to the show and then think I wonder if I could actually have a conversation or just

[02:23:44] running a podcast that most people don't realise is the conversations that it actually leads to away from the hobby but the benefit hopefully that those people are getting from those conversations is immeasurable it really is it's just a bit of connection and you just need to listen sometimes a biscuit and a cup of tea is all someone needs let's see if it's a hobnob last Christmas we ran an online

[02:24:14] modelling session we did a six hour of which we had people from Australia from the States from Canada the UK all over actually just come online and spend a

[02:25:44] put some money aside and we can support that and that's what I can do to support and it'll be great and just listening to the whole YouTube of everyone interacting the discord channel was brilliant listening to that how it's working and I thought it was just a really fun weekend it was really great fun it was I look back on that weekend in March just going it was just fun everything about

[02:26:14] that weekend was fun listening to it the auctions were great laugh listening to how that happened found the SMS was the only thing on my list when I looked at the auctions that I wanted and my wife I remember the Sunday night asked me to

[02:26:46] the little Huey the 148 little Huey from the little black thing special ops thing that goes with the little bird I made that one brilliant and I do remember listening and thinking these auctions are really low and I want to donate this money to this thing so I ended up outbidding a few people on purpose just to get the money through I hate to say

[02:27:16] but it was good fun love it yeah brownie beat me on the sms paint I can't believe that that's the and people playing on and

[02:27:47] don't get wrong it's a dangerous thing to do you can quite easily find yourself in a situation where you're like it's a little bit more than I wanted to spend on that and I think I bought a chrome pen for about four times the cost if I don't know but that's part of the joy part of the fun but the thing that always amazes me with the 48 and 48 is

[02:28:17] the sentiment that people have after the event it's not actually during the event it's after the event and the amount of messages I get in that first month of when's the next one again it's like it's the same bloody month every year the date does change from time to time especially if it falls on my wife's birthday which happened one year but we've got over that now

[02:28:47] we don't speak very often so it doesn't make any difference now but yeah it's an amazing event and Malcolm will tell you that during the auctions he tries to turn the phone off because he doesn't want to listen to me because I literally will send him messages going oh I can't believe we're not going to make enough money and Malcolm will always remind me that it's not really about the money exactly

[02:29:16] we spent 48 hours talking about mental health mental health is so important and so unusual to talk about one of the you asked earlier what's one of my best things that come from all of this well certainly from the 48 is the fact that I can sit and talk about mental health with feeling no shame or concern about what anyone else thinks of me and knowing that one in three people in the room in

[02:29:46] which I'm talking to probably are suffering from the same thing but I work in an industry where actually that figure is higher so to be able to go to work and talk

[02:30:19] to where I'm proud to say where we support mental health the fact that I'm questioning my managers and directors and saying we don't have the provision we should have can we make that better and them going no no we definitely have and then me

[02:30:49] not really in that sort of level of the business but I went to a conference and I sat and spoke to managers and directors that know of me mainly that I'm a pain in

[02:31:19] was low and most people won't understand that that have followed me or know me for the last 10 years will go you're not someone with no confidence I am someone with no confidence 100% you know the fact I can talk behind a microphone it's really

[02:31:49] in 48 is every single year we have someone that hasn't talked about their mental health come forward and talk about their mental health so openly that that has dramatic changes to their life I can think of at least a dozen people where that's happened and they are now very much part of the family in what we do for the 48 and 48 but also they're helping other people in their

[02:32:19] it's not about the money it's wonderful that we've got the money we have and the things we've managed to be almost responsible for we're not because we're not the ones spending the money and making the decisions but we've allowed them the ability to do things I think one year Malcolm said to me we've got enough money to do something we were planning to do in three or four years time now

[02:32:49] and I couldn't quite get my head around that at the time because that was quite phenomenal so you know we've had that sort of impact but Malcolm always reminds me and I always keep saying this he will remind me every single year the build up before during and after everything is it's the only place where we have 48 hours where we talk about this stuff it's the only place in which we have people from nine different countries this year all

[02:33:18] people that were ex-serving civil and military remember talking about the mental health they have endured through the sacrifices they've made for us how can you not want to spend a weekend doing that and making a few bits of pieces of models I just love the fact it does what it does

[02:33:51] okay well for those that haven't worked it out yet alas this is going to be the last episode of JMC but you're not going away completely any time that you guys need to talk about 48 and 48 or models the heroes you have an open invitation to come on the show and we hope to be a friend of both charity or both events in

[02:34:31] welcome and james

[02:35:01] and 48 and 48 build which supports models for heroes and sees all the model podcasts around the world join in and support this very wonderful event I've got to say it's now a solid fixture in the world modeling calendar and certainly in our calendar as well but while we're sad that just making conversations wrapping up we

[02:35:31] And wish you all the very best for the future. There you go, guys. That's Podfather. Wow. Thanks, Dad. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Mr. Goldfinch from down under from on the bench. But I just thought, yes, a little surprise for you. I still get a surprise. That's lovely. That's lovely. Yeah, that's nice. Thank you. Yeah, it's lovely.

[02:35:59] I just want to say that, you know, calling a day on the JMC is, and I'm speaking for myself mainly because Malcolm, I believe it or not, haven't really spoken too much about this. For me personally, it's a crying shame. I don't really want to stop. But with the work in which I'm doing, Malcolm's doing, and time and all that sort of stuff,

[02:36:25] we have always tried our best to make sure we've made value to our listeners. And without you, the listeners of JMC, we wouldn't have had the fun that we've had. So a massive thank you for the support to all of you. Well, you know, mum, my mum, his mum, Uncle John, and the other two people that listen. Both of them.

[02:36:53] Obviously Wayne in a few weeks' time when he actually gets round to it. Yeah, no, we've had a great time. We've really enjoyed it. And it's a sad moment. We might do some specials or something at some point. Who knows? And no doubt, without doubt, I know for a fact that I probably will twist his arm into doing some sort of mad, idiotic group build of some description somewhere along the line.

[02:37:21] So the 4-year and 4-year, it's not going anywhere. That will continue. But I, for me personally, I have to duck out because I cannot concentrate on stuff and deliver what I feel is quality, which is a strange word to use with JMC, really, because we never really drove the quality. But I know I'm still going to be able to have a laugh and a joke with Malcolm at times

[02:37:50] until he bans me. So thank you for your support and your help. Yeah, absolutely. It's quite a thing, isn't it? It's weird when Bernie says that 2020 started. What are we, 2026 now? Yeah, so it's been brilliant. But we've made a lot of friends on the way and a lot of lasting friendships. And I think we've probably helped a few people on the way as well, have a laugh.

[02:38:21] Probably taught a few people how to turn off their radios. And listen to something else less boring instead. But it's, yeah, hopefully we've brought some light to the hobby and made someone's day a little bit better. And yeah, thank you, James, as well, for spending all that time with me and laughing at my jokes, usually dick jokes. Always dick jokes. Yeah, yeah. But it's been great. It's been fun.

[02:38:50] But we've done loads of stuff other than JMCs together. Like we do loads of Models for Heroes stuff on Sunday mornings on the channel. We do your things we talked about at the beginning, the round tables. Always doing stuff together. So don't worry. That's not going to stop. It's just that we, you mentioned earlier about doing a build and forgetting to do it and all that. And that's sort of where it all stems from really is, you know, we spent probably a good six

[02:39:19] months saying to each other, we must record a podcast. We must record a podcast. Yeah. And not. And I think I'm right in saying that we've actually made a couple of dates as such for making and we've both forgotten. Yeah. Or something's come up or, you know, so, and it's unfair to continue like that. So Malcolm knows I love him. He's not going to get rid of me, unfortunately.

[02:39:45] And we'll still be having our cuddly hugs and chats in a different format. So, yeah. Yeah. And we might be on this beautiful podcast every now and again. We never know. Well, I certainly won't come and upset people because, you know, you know me, I'll go to any opening of any brown envelope. It doesn't matter. Well, it has been said that you would turn up for the opening of a paper bag. Well, you say that.

[02:40:14] Well, the next meeting in person is obviously going to be at Telford. If you're lucky. Yeah. If we're unlucky. And you'll be coming to actually have a go at our muffins again, probably. Well, that's why I said possibly. If you don't bring muffins, I'm definitely not coming. Oh, there'll be a muffin left for you. I usually book my appointment with James for the Cosford tour that he does. He does a fantastic Cosford tour if anybody's interested in joining us next year. We've got to think of where we're going to go next year, actually. Or this year. I know. We've done Cosford.

[02:40:44] Yeah, we've done that one. We can go back to Cosford and see what's actually left because most of it's now gone. Yeah. Let's not go down there. As long as it's not Sainsbury's car park because that was weird at that time. But anyway. I was going to say, I was at the back of a McDonald's, wasn't it? I think McDonald was there, yeah. It was when he got his Big Mac out. That's when I started to worry. Yes. What have I walked into here?

[02:41:15] There he is. What have I walked into? Talking about around the back of the sheds with the sheep. That'll let you censor him, Will, by any chance. You best cut that out, Brown Exeter fancier. McBalders getting lynched by the Welsh lot. Apologies I'm late, gentlemen. I was in a committee meeting with our local club to sort out some stuff. I forgot I was double-butted, so I do apologise.

[02:41:45] That's right. No, we were just going through basically, unfortunately, the sad ending of JMC, but the fact that the guys will be hopefully regular visitors onto our show to actually carry on the good work for both the 48 and 48 and for the models for heroes.

[02:42:01] And as you guys will obviously know, we are now putting out that our show is primarily covered cost-wise by our sponsors, our wonderful sponsors, of which apologies that are all going to be lumped at the end of this show because we couldn't get a word in edgeways between James talking and everything else. But we don't want our audience to send donations to buy me a coffee or to Patreon or anything like that.

[02:42:27] And we have said now we would just rather they actually gave money to Models for Heroes, to Piece by Piece, to Patriot Models over in the States and the Royal Canadian British Legion. Royal Canadian Legion? Let's get that right. Absolutely. Or any other scale modelling charity that's out there? Absolutely. Yeah. The money would be much better spent with them than actually buying muffins for James at Telford. Well, well.

[02:42:56] Depends what, muffin? Hang on. As long as there's two muffins, that's fine. Any more to waste. Fair enough. I just want to say, look, you know, to your listeners, because, you know, you've got listeners, you know, you've got one over in Milton Keynes and one somewhere else. Anyway, the 48 and 48 guys, you know, I'm not going to plug me. This is plugging the event.

[02:43:25] Wherever you are in the world, there is no reason you can't get involved. None whatsoever. If I can get people involved from, I don't know, Korea, Singapore, America, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Bognor. Is that a country?

[02:43:51] Not quite, but we do actually have an audience in 84 countries worldwide that regularly listen to the show, including the Solomon Islands. Well, so here's the challenge. Here's the challenge, my little sweeties. Here it comes. Come and join us for the 10th anniversary next year. And let's get 84 countries up on the pinball. And I say up on the pinball because you never know.

[02:44:19] There might just actually be a pinball with a map. With what we're trying to put together for next year, I'm not going to tell you what it is. There's no point until I've got. But I do know what's coming, hopefully. And that's been discussed. And I would like to say that the show would like to be involved in any way that we can to support you during that weekend. Well, we probably will be begging you to help, if I'm honest.

[02:44:49] Because we, in true James style, we, we, we, oh, well, I had a moment where I was looking at some tea leaves and I thought I could see something. And then, and then just decide to go off on a tangent, which is pretty normal. So there will be a challenge for the 48 and 48, which I haven't told Malcolm and I haven't told anyone else. So that's, that's hot off the press. Challenge for me this year, which actually you haven't finished a model because I still haven't finished the one for this year.

[02:45:18] I've just so busy. You, you might want to buy your kit now or you might want to hold off. It's up to you, but there will be a challenge involved. Um, involved because it's very special. Uh, there will be some incredibly special merchandise, um, that will be available. Uh, and that should be revealed probably in the next couple of months, hopefully. Um, we're going to go early with it, um, because there's some things in which, um, I'm not going to lie. Um, they're expensive to sort out.

[02:45:48] Um, and I'm not going to sort them out unless I know people are going to buy them. So it will be upfront, um, purchase. You've got the shower curtains. I told you not to say. Oh, sorry. Yeah. So, you know, I would love, I'd love to, to increase the amount of people we've got around the world getting involved. Um, and also much more importantly, wherever you are in the world, please make sure you take the time to talk to your colleagues and friends about mental health.

[02:46:17] Promote, promote, promote. And while you're at it, promote. Um, because it's very, very important. You can just, when one conversation is safe for life. And it is really that important. Um, so please, um, take the time to check in with people. Yeah. Even if they're strangers, just check in with them. It's worth it. Trust me. Totally.

[02:47:19] Are you looking for top quality paints for your next project? Pour into your airbrush and spray at 15 PSI. So dive into your next project with confidence, knowing that you're backed by one of the finest hobby paints on the market. Head over to our website, scalemodel.com.au, to check out our full range and to find your closest retailer.

[02:47:53] Coming up in episode 38, we're joined by Dale Lockhurst from Glow2B, the parent company of Hela. Well, from Shane. Take care, Benchmates. From Dan. See you, Benchmates. From Boulders. Here you are, Benchmates. And from Wayne. See you, everyone.

[02:48:22] Wayne, thank you very much for taking part in the 48 in 48. And hopefully you've enjoyed being on with this absolute ramshackle of a show that we've actually put on for you. Loved it. Yeah, you can't actually, you know, this is almost an experience that money couldn't buy, but in this case, you did. But for the 48 in 48 in 2027, we shall be offering the same for all three auctions again.

[02:48:51] Well, guys, it's been an absolute pleasure listening to you over the years. It's even more of a pleasure to actually class you both as friends now, both of the show and personally. Because you get to that, you think you know someone online, but knowing what you're like in real life. I'm surprised the police haven't been around already, but that's another story entirely. But instead of me wrapping up the show, I'm going to leave it to you, too. In true JMC style, it's not prepared and it's not planned. Oh.

[02:49:21] No, not at all. I think it's really important that your listeners send you a muffin. Because purely and simply, you know, you don't want this podcast to be a biscuit podcast, do you really? Come on. Seems to be useless. Just look at brownie. Do you look at brownie and think chocolate chip or do you think muffin? On that note, thanks for tuning in. It's from me, a very good bye-goodbye from James. And from me, bye.

[02:49:53] Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Are we good yet? No. I think you have to go and pick it up for your wife at 20 past, didn't you? Yeah. Okay. You better go then. All right.