James May's Toy Stories.... (1 Viewer)

binder001

binder001

Command Sergeant Major
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I don't know who else has been watching these, but they are right up the alley of most guys (and gals) on this group. May (known in the USA from Top Gear) has an fascinating new series on BBC America. In each episode he takes a classic toy from his youth and then sets up some kind of big demonstration. One episode had him relaying the route of a real racetrack in 1/32nd Scalectrix slot cars. Last week he tried to lay out an abandoned rail line in British OO scale (1/76th size) - he had TEN actual miles of small track laid out but all the locomtives burned out at or before seven miles. Which brings up to last night's episode. Looking back at the classic Airfix line of model kits, he had a 1:1 scale Spitfire kit built to the original Airfix plans! This huge plastic model was built by a crew of 13 year-olds recruited from a school. The whole thing was done like a kid building a plastic model, from taking the parts off the sprues to gluing parts to hand painting. Instead of a kitchen table these kids used an airplane hangar floor. After the kit was built and painted the kids got to roll it out to an audience that included former Spitfire pilots. Since I have built models since I was a wee lad, I had to DVR this one!

Gary B.
 
binder001 said:
I don't know who else has been watching these, but they are right up the alley of most guys (and gals) on this group. May (known in the USA from Top Gear) has an fascinating new series on BBC America. In each episode he takes a classic toy from his youth and then sets up some kind of big demonstration. One episode had him relaying the route of a real racetrack in 1/32nd Scalectrix slot cars. Last week he tried to lay out an abandoned rail line in British OO scale (1/76th size) - he had TEN actual miles of small track laid out but all the locomtives burned out at or before seven miles. Which brings up to last night's episode. Looking back at the classic Airfix line of model kits, he had a 1:1 scale Spitfire kit built to the original Airfix plans! This huge plastic model was built by a crew of 13 year-olds recruited from a school. The whole thing was done like a kid building a plastic model, from taking the parts off the sprues to gluing parts to hand painting. Instead of a kitchen table these kids used an airplane hangar floor. After the kit was built and painted the kids got to roll it out to an audience that included former Spitfire pilots. Since I have built models since I was a wee lad, I had to DVR this one!

Gary B.
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Yes very enjoyable isn't it Gary, the Spitfire episode was excellent. He really is a big kid at heart and in his shed has collections of the War comics we all collected as a kid (Commando,Battle Picture Libary,War Picture libary)In fact he is such a fan of them he was asked to write introductions to recent special collections of them, as a thank you they gave him an original piece of artwork from the covers, he was so happy with it!.:)

He even entered the Chelsea flower show last year with a brilliant garden made entirely of plasticine by volunteers, it was truly stunning. But you should have seen how the Garden expert tv presenter (won't name him) looked down his nose at him,pathetic it was. Snobbery alive and well in Chelsea.Most recently he built a full scale house from Lego bricks.Look out for these episodes Gary,you'll enjoy them I'm sure.

Rob
 
They have been very interesting and, enjoyed the spit the best but, also the extra bits about the chelsea flower show. It for me, showed all the stuff shirts that it could be done in a more interseting manner for the 'people' who the show has forgotten it was originally intended for.

Imagine being paid as much as he is for doing what we consider a hobby
Mitch
 
I watched some of the episodes on YouTube, it is a great series. I think it's a good one to show folks who ask where our hobby and the hobby of scale modeling are going these days.

I loved the 1:1 Spit, too, and the look into Airfix' archives.

Prost!
Brad
 
I just watched the train episode. My view that people are basically good has been reaffirmed by seeing the effort and the amount of people that turned out to watch and help for no other reason than fun.
 
How about a one figure for one man recreation of GETTYSBURG with 54mm plastic figures?
 
I like the show, as for James May, well let's just say I like the show ;)
 
Scott said:
How about a one figure for one man recreation of GETTYSBURG with 54mm plastic figures?
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A little project for you and 80,000 of your closest friends? :)

Or, using the casting technique like they used to make the Spitfire pilot, you could create a Gettysburg with 80,000 resin James Mays!

Gary B.
 
Maybe get a reenactment unit to make their unit in 54mm with actual numbers recorded at the battle. Those cheap BMC figures would do. I can see the figures mounted on a board so that one or two people could move the unit into place like war game units.

The airplane model show is next on my list to view.
 
Rob said:
Yes very enjoyable isn't it Gary, the Spitfire episode was excellent. He really is a big kid at heart and in his shed has collections of the War comics we all collected as a kid (Commando,Battle Picture Libary,War Picture libary)In fact he is such a fan of them he was asked to write introductions to recent special collections of them, as a thank you they gave him an original piece of artwork from the covers, he was so happy with it!.:)

He even entered the Chelsea flower show last year with a brilliant garden made entirely of plasticine by volunteers, it was truly stunning. But you should have seen how the Garden expert tv presenter (won't name him) looked down his nose at him,pathetic it was. Snobbery alive and well in Chelsea.Most recently he built a full scale house from Lego bricks.Look out for these episodes Gary,you'll enjoy them I'm sure.

Rob
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What do you mean war comics?:)Th NAAFI used to sell them, they were known as "Training Manuals".:D

Martin
 
Rob said:
He even entered the Chelsea flower show last year with a brilliant garden made entirely of plasticine by volunteers, it was truly stunning. But you should have seen how the Garden expert tv presenter (won't name him) looked down his nose at him,pathetic it was. Snobbery alive and well in Chelsea.Most recently he built a full scale house from Lego bricks.Look out for these episodes Gary,you'll enjoy them I'm sure.

Rob
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At the end of the show the Chelsea judges did give him an award....made out of Plasticine. So it just goes to show they weren't totally devoid of a sense of humour.
 
trooper said:
At the end of the show the Chelsea judges did give him an award....made out of Plasticine. So it just goes to show they weren't totally devoid of a sense of humour.
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Yes I should have said that it was mainly one very well known tv gardening presenter that clearly thought it childish and beneath him to comment on.

Rob
 
He had the last laugh as it won people's choice for best garden. They don't like it up em!!!
Mitch
 
The snooty Realtors didn't like his LEGO house but an art appraiser valued it as art at 1/2 million Pounds.
 
Scott said:
The snooty Realtors didn't like his LEGO house but an art appraiser valued it as art at 1/2 million Pounds.
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That doesn't mean much when you consider some of the things that have been hailed as significant " art", an unmade bed, a pile of cinder blocks, an urinal, a garden shed and a crack in the floor to name but a few. Artistic or not it was a good laugh.
 
"ART" is when someone sets out to say something in what ever "medium" the artist chooses. It doesn't happen by accident. I live in an "artist colony" and some of that knowledge rubs off, and I've heard the old "my kid could do better than that" line before. Art appraisers have some knowledge of what goes into artwork because that's a business that depends on having the trust of the customer. The realtors are looking at the house and the location from a property sales view and that profession also involves having the trust of the customer. May could have that LEGO house moved anywhere and it would still have artistic value that someone might pay for. (At least in scrap LEGOS, I'm selling off the kids old LEGOS on ebay so I know ;))
 
trooper said:
That doesn't mean much when you consider some of the things that have been hailed as significant " art", an unmade bed, a pile of cinder blocks, an urinal, a garden shed and a crack in the floor to name but a few. Artistic or not it was a good laugh.
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Not to mention cans of crap :eek:
 
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