Military Modeling Memories

[smudger1960]

I was recently having a tidy up in my model room and was looking through some of my old Military Modeling Magazines which I collected for over 25 years from 1985 onwards,i have attached some photo's of one of the magazines dated December 1986,i chose this one because it has a 4 page report on the first Euro Militaire from that year,oh how the show has moved on since those days.


Another memorable thing for me was seeing all the old model and figure companies adverstisments,they really brought back some happy memories for me.

The Best of Show at the first Euro was a 54mm Napoleonic by Bruno Leibovitz titled - Kellerman,a beautifully painted figure and sculpted by himself.

Another fine model was by the late John Hunter of Northants BMSS titled - Panzers on the Flank which won him the AFV class.


Here we have the late Mike Taylor receiving one of his many awards that year from the BMSS president Roy Dilley



Here we see the great Max Longhurst doing a painting demonstration,his historex conversion works were a big inspiration for me in the mid 1980s



Here we see some of the beautiful German AFVs by Tony Greenland



And finaly some of the old advertisments from companies of years gone by past and present



Another nice thing back then was the painting tutorials you got each month,a step by step guide to oil painting,i found this really useful



Sadly I ceased buying the magazine in 2010,it just didn't offer me anything interesting,it slowly began having less figure articles and more AFVs,no interesting articles or contributions by great modelers and when I see it in the shops now IMO it dosent hold up against the old ones.

I hope this brings back some happy memories,it certainly brought back some very happy memories for me.

Brian

 

[DaddyO]

Nice one Brian - I just re-bought a bunch of old MM to re-inspire me (as well as wallow in a bit of nostalgia)

 

[Colin_Fraser]

That's interesting. I have just gone through all my old MM's, some dating from 1974, prior to giving them away to a fellow modeller I pulled a few out to keep for Sudan articles, useful painting tips, and some nostalgia (e.g. My first ish, some bought at now defunct shops on my trips to London etc.). I mainly bought it for the show reports as prior to last year I never got to any. Now we have the net for that.

I enjoyed seeing the old ads for now passed on companies and shops. I also got the impression that the centre of the hobby was the US and UK. That changed in the 80's as France picked up and in the 90's as Italy and Spain grabbed the reins. After watching evolution of the mag, and factoring in other intel like this site, I now get the impression that the hobby in North America and the UK is on life support, which explains why MM redirected to armour (with its comparative suckiness for figure modellers). I too gave abstained since about 2010.

I already ditched my Wargames Monthly and Miniature Wargames mags. Now I have to go through all my old Campaigns, HMF, Tradition, Napoleon, EEL, Strategy & Tactics, Figurines etc. to see what is worth keeping. I have decided that After the Battle, Historex catalogues and Blue and Gray get kept. Not sure about The Civil War. Crap I have a lot of mags. Books and DVDs need scouring too.

Moving truly sucks but it does force one to some brutal home truths about squandering money on media with a limited shelf life from an interest perspective.

Colin

 

[Huw63]

When I read this I realised that I am not alone! I stopped MM in 2013 having every issue since 1976 and somewhere I even have a first ever edition. I got fed up with the diminishing number of figure articles and with the new editor I never felt the quality as good. The nail in the coffin was when the dropped the Euro special to keep the price down, then reduced the number of pages and then put the price up anyway. I now get the iPAD version and it's a lot cheaper. Anyway I'm still unsure what to do with mine (I have scanned all the articles relating to Historex for my use) and do enjoy the nostalgia of the old adverts. "Figurines" is a much better journal I think.

I also remember Max Longhurst gave a great demo at the MEE which I went to when 15 - always been a nomad so taking off at a tender age to London for the MEE seemed a reasonable thing to do. He has been an inspiration for many years. Anyway when I emigrated to Switzerland all my MMs came with me and to save money my long suffering mother sent MM (until 2013) and still sends Back Street Heroes (Custome Motorbike mag) to me every month! She's happy to help being a sprightly almost 80 year old.

Cheers

Huw

 

[ChaosCossack]

Colin... you be brutal when cutting those mags. You know they'll have a good home.

Colin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

And I know where you live in case I need anything looked up.

Colin

 

[ChaosCossack]

Zactly!

 

[Mike S.]

I'm right there with you Brian. The 1970's and 80's were the golden, magical time for me regarding the hobby as well.

Phillip O. Sterns, the Fosten brothers, Maj. Roy Dilly, Eugène Leliepvre.... the names go on and on in my mind filled with nostalgic euphoria.

 

[ChaosCossack]

Colin, don't look at it as throwing the mags away. Consider it, storing them "off site".

 

[OldTaff]

Huw, you're STILL getting BSH? Thumbed through one the other day whilst up at "Krazy Horse" in Bury St. Edmunds. My old mate, Jim Fogg,
used to write for them, and published a couple of 'biker' books under their '650' label. Sadly, he passed on in 1989 following a heart attack, but I still have all the stuff he wrote...can't let it go.
"100% Biker" is a good mag, much in the same vein, but I've ceased my sub to it, also "American V".

Back to proper thread........ MM , as you say, is nothing like what it once was, and I, too, have kept most of the relevant articles from the first issues - 1971 on, that I felt were worth the keeping. How things have progressed ! Where once the Continentals were a little in awe of us--witness the old Historex Comps in Paris-- we are now amazed by the artistry produced by the new generations of modellers. And ,indeed, are producing our own home-grown artists. For true art it certainly is, and I am constantly amazed and inspired by the offerings on here, from around the globe. Marvellous

Cheers, Alan

 

[Huw63]

Hi Alan

I'm still reading BSH. I like some of the American mags but you can't get them here. There are plenty of Harley type mags but they're repetitive I think.

I agree things have progresses and changed. I remember reading about the Historex competitions and you're dead right the artistry has spread over the last 2 decades and it's great to see so much quality work from all corners of the world

Cheers

Huw

 

[ChaosCossack]

Huw and Alan, if you like old school, shadetree, homebuilt type choppers (Harley, Brit and Japanese) try The Horse- Backstreet Choppers or the original mag (pre 1995) Iron Horse magazine. Lots of nice homebuilt chops, no $100 000 trailer queens.

 

[Huw63]

Hi Colin. My kinda bikes - I hate the trailer queens!!! Seeing a couple being de trailered some 10km from an event having ridden 600km to get there made me vomit. I have one copy of the Horse and I'd love to get more, I like "In the Wind" too.

Acquaintance of mine spent 23500 Swiss francs on a new Softail and 30000 Francs more on "customising" ie pm wheels, brakes, rotors and air filter plus forks and getting a one piece tank. Had it painted black and worst was he had a gps fitted! Every time I see him I make fun: could have saved him 20000! And he still couldn't shake my 17 year old Softail !

Anyway back to the thread. I need to save some space so I'm trying to figure out what to do with 37 years of MMs. Suggestions anyone?

Cheers

Huw

 

[Huw63]

Just looking up something in my modelling books as I'm trying to remove a moulding line without taking too much material out and lo and behold there was my first edition of MM. Interesting to see all prices in pre-decimalisation amounts and the range of articles (ships, aircraft marking, WW1 tank markings, BMMS competition and an interview with Ceasare Milani - a prolific figure artist in the 1960s and '70s) and all the ads of mostly long gone suppliers. Am I feeling old!

Cheers

Huw

 

[TADATSUGU]

I stopped buying MM Years ago when it became AFV monthly.
I am also a dedicated magazine abuser having chopped up MM, Figurines, Figure International, Soldatini, Euro Figuras and Historical Miniature as well as the old Airfix Magazines. -Well the growing Grey Army needed the space!
Speaking of the old Airfix mag; anyone remember those monthly conversion articles on Lady Butler's Balaclava painting and the Charge of the Light Brigade?

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I stopped buying MM Years ago when it became AFV monthly.
I am also a dedicated magazine abuser having chopped up MM, Figurines, Figure International, Soldatini, Euro Figuras and Historical Miniature as well as the old Airfix Magazines. -Well the growing Grey Army needed the space!
Speaking of the old Airfix mag; anyone remember those monthly conversion articles on Lady Butler's Balaclava painting and the Charge of the Light Brigade?

I didn't get all the issues with Sid Horton's Light Brigade conversions but what I saw was totally inspiring.

Colin

 

[Huw63]

I stopped buying MM Years ago when it became AFV monthly.
I am also a dedicated magazine abuser having chopped up MM, Figurines, Figure International, Soldatini, Euro Figuras and Historical Miniature as well as the old Airfix Magazines. -Well the growing Grey Army needed the space!
Speaking of the old Airfix mag; anyone remember those monthly conversion articles on Lady Butler's Balaclava painting and the Charge of the Light Brigade?

I certainly remember them. My first ever conversion was of an Airfix figure (95th rifleman ?) to a Portuguese Cacadores. Wonder if anyone kept those articles ?

 

[TADATSUGU]

Sid Horton, By God that's a name to remember!
Yes Huw I still have all those articles. Although I have committed crimes against the Gods of Military publication I have a couple of bookshelves of the bits I kept, all lovingly cross-referenced in folders.

 

[blaster]

Hi All,

I have started a modest thread on nostalgic modelling books on another forum which you might also like:
http://www.treefrogtreasures.com/forum/showthread.php?51459-Pure-Nostalgia


Rgds Victor

 

[brian]

You've just made me realise how old i'm getting Brian.
Brian