DJM Dave Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Missed opportunities. It was the year 1975 ( yes I was 10 years old), I walked into the small room looking to find my badminton partners. It was the summer holiday and I was always with my dad in school holidays, out on his BRS lorry, delivering parcels around the environs of Slough. Badminton was always, If I wasn't dumped the day train spotting at Taplow, the order of the day. My 2 friends are busy. There is a high speed movie camera set up, aimed at a beautiful scale replica model of tower bridge, which for the purpose of the filming was open ( both lifting parts raised at an acute angle). Badminton will have to wait as they are on a tight deadline, and dinners been given the elbow as well. The aim of the exercise was to propel a repainted corgi, or dinky Ford Capri ( I can't remember which) up one side, using a technique practised and perfected by a lot of young schoolboys at the time. By merely grasping your hand over the top and sharply moving your hand from right to left ( in this case) you could propel a model car along at a high velocity. Great if your having make believe car crashes using these toys, but apparently not so great at this moment back then. The problem, as I had learnt the previous day, when I saw the failed rushes of their attempt to propel the car, and have it jump over an open tower bridge model, was that no matter how they tried, a door or bonnet would open in mid air or the car wouldn't land properly at all, causing big problems not only for my 2 friends but also for The Duke himself, as it was John Wayne's car that was being propelled in model form over the bridge for a big stunt chase through London, during the movie Brannigan, at the time being filmed in London, with the duke himself staying in luxury between days filming in the luxury of a hotel by the River Thames at Marlow. Alas, no CGI back then, it's done by model and hand and nothing else will do, short of getting a real ford Capri to do the stunt, probably ruining the real Tower Bridge and the stunt driver and car. However, it was decided to glue the doors and bonnet of this toy car together, and try again. As happenstance would have it, 2 takes later and the 'stunt' was in the can, to appear in the finished movie. If you get the chance take a look when it's next on, for 4 seconds of high speed film slowed and inserted into the movie. It's not brilliant but I can say I was there with my dad and 2 badminton lunch partners watching movie magic being performed. Writing this missive, I'm currently at 38,000ft over a very bright and well lit up Moscow, heading east at 12.36am. It's amazing how the mind travels back and forth through your history and experiences when there's little else to entertain it. Thinking back to that day, and my missed opportunity, brings me to the present day and my choices to avoid making the same mistake again. You see, dear reader, as filming of this stunt wrapped, I was offered the yellow Model Ford Capri. ( yes I was offered Big John Wayne's movie car). And I turned it down. I was 10 years old and had, in this company at least, to show bravado in that I didn't play with such things , so ' no thanks' was the regrettable order of the day. I subsequently learnt at later offers, not to be so bloody choosy, and take all that was on offer, and boy was it a time to get memorabilia. Anyway, maybe more on that at a later ramble. When I started my DJModels business I consciously decided there were 2 objectives. Objective 1) Make a mark in life as a producer in my own right of Model Railway locomotives and , Objective 2) Be richer than Simon Kohler. ( I say this at presentations and it almost always gets a laugh, so forgive me if you've heard it before). Anyway, yes, I want to make money, who doesn't? However the only way I'm going to do this is by grabbing every opportunity that comes along to manufacture, design and supply model locomotives. This will not be successful however if I don't do it right. There's no use producing something that looks good but runs worse than a 4 cylinder car on 3 cylinders and the wrong octane fuel or vice versa. No, what I need to produce is something people want, or those that have shown faith in my ability to commission me to produce for them, want. Producing anything but my best in these matters will cause failure on my behalf and I'm damned if I'm going down the failure route thank you. At the moment, I admit it's all ( to use a buzz word of the minute) vapourware, or talk if you will, through Internet sites or magazines. Things are changing though, with my own J94 just going about to go to 2nd EP stage, and a clients Beattie well tank just coming off the production line, complete with new coreless motor. Right behind the Beattie is the O2 that's in the decoration stage. Design of all projects that I'm involved with are well in hand, and some should surprise a few people this coming year. I am currently running at about 30% personal capacity ( work I can actually do myself) and about 25% factory capacity. This latter should alter soon as I'm not about to 'miss an opportunity',to take more business onboard, ( see what I did there?) as to refuse it in the current announcement frenzy, would simply be giving money away to others, and that's just foolish. "But when will we see anything" I hear the nay Sayers yell across the ether. This is easy, models will be ready when they are ready, simple! Clients may have finished cad/cams they are sitting on until the time is right, others may have models at the tooling stage but havnt yet decided to go into production, while others are just on a slow gestation situation or won't announce just yet, choosing to take a watching brief instead before they decide either way. We know a few things, firstly models take a good while to make and deliver, and secondly, we all want the models last week please! No not next month or next year, last week! This is understandable but un realistic. I for one have recently been disappointed to find 2 locos I've got on order in N gauge are mid 2015 delivery now. But hey ho, that's life, it's not the end of it! Anyway, well done if you got this far, and the moral of the story is really, whatever you do in life, don't miss any opportunity when it's offered to you, you'll regret it later, I promise. Cheers for now Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold toboldlygo Posted December 6, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 6, 2014 Funnily enough my late father was a huge John Wayne fan and while on lunch break from work one day in 1975. Dad and his colleagues, literally bumped into the Duke by Tower Bridge.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purley Oaks Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Funnily enough my late father was a huge John Wayne fan and while on lunch break from work one day in 1975. Dad and his colleagues, literally bumped into the Duke by Tower Bridge.. Must've been during the filming of Brannigan with Judy Geeson. Yes yes yes, Dave, got to make the most of every opportunity - we only get one crack at this Mal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Trofimow Posted December 6, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 6, 2014 Anyway, well done if you got this far, and the moral of the story is really, whatever you do in life, don't miss any opportunity when it's offered to you, you'll regret it later, I promise. SWMBO has always given me to understand that would result in painful surgery..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Interesting thoughts Dave, I hope it was a therapeutic process putting them down on paper (well you know what I mean All I can say to Dave is...... Good luck in your continuing enterprise. I for one am fully behind you, as they say "the proof will be in the pudding" but you already know this. All I can say to the "nay-sayers" is...... patience is a virtue, as stated above a quality product is the important thing not a rushed one. On arrival is the time to pass your judgement, if you like what you see buy it, if not, stop moaning and do something about it yourself. And all I can say from a personal musing point of view is...... in terms of missed opportunities, just think what could have been if you'd stuck at the badminton mate... David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronny Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Moscow??? What on earth would be worth lasering there? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJM Dave Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 Hi mate, Thanks for the mail. Badminton wasn't always on, when I turned up unfortunately. Sometimes I'd walk into the sound stage ( where the court was chalked onto the floor and a net set up) to find 'items' blocking the chance of any sort of game. More of that is future musings methinks, as it will become a regular feature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted December 6, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 6, 2014 "But when will we see anything" I hear the nay Sayers yell across the ether. This is easy, models will be ready when they are ready, simple! As the Chief Draughtsman I trained under once retorted to a Project Manager "Do you want it now or do you want it right?" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesysmith Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 I was always taught to regret what you have done not what you could have done. I think you get my meaning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave47549 Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 My 2 friends are busy. There is a high speed movie camera set up, aimed at a beautiful scale replica model of tower bridge, which for the purpose of the filming was open ( both lifting parts raised at an acute angle). Badminton will have to wait as they are on a tight deadline, and dinners been given the elbow as well. The aim of the exercise was to propel a repainted corgi, or dinky Ford Capri ( I can't remember which) up one side, using a technique practised and perfected by a lot of young schoolboys at the time. By merely grasping your hand over the top and sharply moving your hand from right to left ( in this case) you could propel a model car along at a high velocity. Great if your having make believe car crashes using these toys, but apparently not so great at this moment back then. The problem, as I had learnt the previous day, when I saw the failed rushes of their attempt to propel the car, and have it jump over an open tower bridge model, was that no matter how they tried, a door or bonnet would open in mid air or the car wouldn't land properly at all, causing big problems not only for my 2 friends but also for The Duke himself, as it was John Wayne's car that was being propelled in model form over the bridge for a big stunt chase through London, during the movie Brannigan, at the time being filmed in London, with the duke himself staying in luxury between days filming in the luxury of a hotel by the River Thames at Marlow. Alas, no CGI back then, it's done by model and hand and nothing else will do, short of getting a real ford Capri to do the stunt, probably ruining the real Tower Bridge and the stunt driver and car. However, it was decided to glue the doors and bonnet of this toy car together, and try again. As happenstance would have it, 2 takes later and the 'stunt' was in the can, to appear in the finished movie. If you get the chance take a look when it's next on, for 4 seconds of high speed film slowed and inserted into the movie. It's not brilliant but I can say I was there with my dad and 2 badminton lunch partners watching movie magic being performed. Fool that I am, I've just watched that Brannigan car chase clip on a certain video website. Dear me, the staged 'jump' was the most believable bit! I trust your portfolio will be more accurate than that garbage, otherwise it will definitely be a case of 'missed opportunities' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennyboy Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Funnily enough my late father was a huge John Wayne fan and while on lunch break from work one day in 1975. Dad and his colleagues, literally bumped into the Duke by Tower Bridge.. He's lucky that he didn't push him into the water! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tomparryharry Posted December 7, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 7, 2014 John Waynes greatest mistake. Not tying a boulder onto Tony Robinson.... Only Joking! Only Joking! Ian PS. That scene has long, long gone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf27 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Is that Keith Lemon's dad at the very end of that clip? Cheers Shane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted December 7, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 7, 2014 Chinese ship in the background of the first shots....delivering 02's???? LOL! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Black Hat Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Im sure your business will become a great success and that plans are well in place. It does leave me a bit split on what to say, what to think. Do I say that Im patient for a Q6 to be made and know you will do a fine job, as Ive waiting this long for one anyway.... or do I admit Id like it asap, so that I and others can buy it and prove its a good idea, hoping others will then announce more NE Region engines too? Like J21, G5, B16... Either way, will be interesting to watch this project develop.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Look forwards to the new Beattie then the O2 then the 71.... No rush. As a kid I loved John Wayne films but they have no appeal for my son what so ever! How sad, kids growing up not knowing about John Wayne.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp3970 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 My mom always told me that good things come to those who wait, so if wait I must then wait I must do. John Waynes greatest mistake. Not tying a boulder onto Tony Robinson.... Only Joking! Only Joking! Ian PS. That scene has long, long gone. Seems strange to see Baldrick go for a bath, guess Blackadder would appreciate the decrease in smell from him! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted December 8, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 8, 2014 Seems strange to see Baldrick go for a bath, guess Blackadder would appreciate the decrease in smell from him! Not with the state of the river in those days. He would probably need decontaminating and stomach-pumping when he was pulled out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallardsp126 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Hi Dave as an apprentice I was always taught only make something once do it right and customers will wait . Do it wrong and you will never see them again it still work for me customers keep coming back to the firm I work for cos that's what we do so just make sure what you deliver is right and we will by it Dave merry xmass and hopefully a prosperous new year regards Geoff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1023 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Come on Dave - what are your pre-orders delayed until mid-2015? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Moscow??? What on earth would be worth lasering there?At 38,000' Dave's not landing in Moscow. We'd love to hear how your trip to __________ (China, presumably) went Dave! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesysmith Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Moscow??? What on earth would be worth lasering there? Well, he might have found out that the Russians didnt scrap kestrel after all? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Hi Dave, A mantra of mine, learned the hard way "He who hesitates is lost"! Good luck in your endeavours and stuff the naysayers, say I. Cheers, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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