Adrian B.Swain
Active Member
Hi All I am not sure who is the moderator for this forum but if he/she/it would give me the go ahead I will try to do a series of posts but my time is pretty limited. I will start with the first chapter now, NOTE there are no pictures yet, so those who can't read are going to be in big trouble.
Are you sitting comfortably, Once upon a time in the dim and distant past there were hardly any accurate
4mm models and even fewer 7mm, either kit or RTR. A young modeller decided he had had enough of card kits and kit bashing Airfix wagons with card, plasticard, milk bottle tops ( Strapping) and assorted generalised buffers
brakegear, axleboxes etc. Having bought a casting machine, ostensibly to produce 4mm tram kits, a number
of other equally stupid modellers decided to have a go at making models and he got involved in doing castings
for them. This developed well and they persuaded him to make patterns as well, which made things go even
better. He now found that besides working full time developing ways to make bits for Concorde he was also
doing another 40 hours a week casting, pattern making and packing for the business he had registered as
a.b.s. models. in 1970
This became a problem as his boss was getting fed up with him being absent every Monday, taking odd
days of leave and he had run out of leave as well. A decision had to be made, abandon his model customers
such as Mopok, George and Allan, CJL models. GS models and Auto replicas to their fate, knowing that
there were no other casters who would do subcontract casting because the old system of " if you want
castings you give us the patterns and we will sell the models" was not a satifactory option fot them.
Thus at Xmas 1971 he took the risky option of swapping a GOOD JOB for the very uncertain position
as SELF EMPLOYED model maker. Thus the saga begins ----------
The next chapter will depend on the moderator Adrian
Are you sitting comfortably, Once upon a time in the dim and distant past there were hardly any accurate
4mm models and even fewer 7mm, either kit or RTR. A young modeller decided he had had enough of card kits and kit bashing Airfix wagons with card, plasticard, milk bottle tops ( Strapping) and assorted generalised buffers
brakegear, axleboxes etc. Having bought a casting machine, ostensibly to produce 4mm tram kits, a number
of other equally stupid modellers decided to have a go at making models and he got involved in doing castings
for them. This developed well and they persuaded him to make patterns as well, which made things go even
better. He now found that besides working full time developing ways to make bits for Concorde he was also
doing another 40 hours a week casting, pattern making and packing for the business he had registered as
a.b.s. models. in 1970
This became a problem as his boss was getting fed up with him being absent every Monday, taking odd
days of leave and he had run out of leave as well. A decision had to be made, abandon his model customers
such as Mopok, George and Allan, CJL models. GS models and Auto replicas to their fate, knowing that
there were no other casters who would do subcontract casting because the old system of " if you want
castings you give us the patterns and we will sell the models" was not a satifactory option fot them.
Thus at Xmas 1971 he took the risky option of swapping a GOOD JOB for the very uncertain position
as SELF EMPLOYED model maker. Thus the saga begins ----------
The next chapter will depend on the moderator Adrian
And so the old traditional skills end falling by the wayside (or in the 4 ft).
..........would be better to start a new thread though rather than in the Dapol one
..........or was it..fast bikes and loose women
