Even as I entered the car park I could feel the buzz in the air. It was a Saturday morning and the Illawarra Sports Stadium was thick with netballers, yet speckled throughout the crowd of athletic young ladies, were the occasional middle aged man and nerdy looking young bloke. These were my cohort, my tribe, my associates, modellers!
As I entered the hall I was presented with a mass of blue tables in the centre of the hall. There, some members of my tribe were bending, contorting and gesticulating to admire and discuss the models on display. Spread around the periphery of the hall were the vendors with stacks of kits and a plethora of supplies. Of particular note was a horde of my fellow phylum mates crammed into one corner bustling and jostling like a pack of rabid hyena fighting over the carcass of a decaying gazelle. Then I saw it, a mound, a pile, nay a great wall of kits. It was the swap and sell!
The modellers were attacking the wall, pulling out kits, grabbing that precious item before the man next to him could see. Meanwhile harried volunteers were replenishing stocks from behind as quickly as they could to protect them selves from the onslaught of bargain hunters!
Discretion being the better part of valour, I decided not to venture too close as I feared neither my person nor my wallet would return from that melee without suffering significant damage.
It was time to find respite from the throng before exploring the wonders of the 2025 NSW model show further. In the distance there it was, a yellow beacon, it was my club , my sanctuary, it was the APMA booth. Manned by plucky volunteers who had given up their weekend to fly the flag, the booth was a place of calm sanctuary. The APMA not only has some expert and skilled modellers which is great, but they are also a very amiable bunch which is what attracted me to the club not so long ago. Of course they welcomed me with open arms and a comfortable chair.
Modelling can be a very solitary business, it’s just you and your model. For me it is meditation, when I am at the workbench practising my craft. I am in the now, nothing else exists. Mindful mindlessness; a state of happiness. But there is one thing all modellers like doing as much as buying and building models (well just buying for some),that is talking about models and modelling to other modellers. So being a member of a club like the APMA fulfils the social side of modelling. Whether you are new to modelling or an old hand, joining a club has lots of benefits. I joined the APMA because they are such a friendly bunch and their monthly meetings are always interesting and engaging. If you want to know more about signing up, check out the membership page or drop by to one of our meetings. Visitors are always welcome. You can see what’s on in the 2025 APMA Club program.
Having spent some time at the booth chatting with fellow club members and interested passers by, it was time to hit the tables and marvel at the creations the competition entrants had submitted. I am constantly in awe of the creativity and fidelity of the models on display. The skill, patience and attention to detail the practitioners demonstrate in their work is always inspiring. There was a vast selection of models on show from Gundam to dinosaurs plus the usual selection of military models from land, sea and air, both modern and ancient, and don’t forget those shiny cars and motor bikes.
Here are some photos I took of what was on display. These do not show everything just some things that took my fancy.
After spending a very enjoyable time perusing the tables I had quick squiz around in the vendors stalls. It was good to see our club sponsors Platypus publications and Star hobbies there. Ley at Platypus had great range of military books for sale. Rob and Samantha from Star hobbies went all out with hundreds of kits for sale, plus they had a mountain of after market accessories and all the other stuff like tools, paints and supplies. With so much on offer it was hard to keep my wallet in my pocket!
But alas all good things must come to an end so I headed back to the APMA booth collected my things and said my goodbyes to the volunteers. Heading back outside, the sun was shining, it was a beautiful day. Things had calmed down from the madness of the morning. I walked through the car park with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. Just what I needed to sustain me on the long drive home.