Crantock

A good exhibition. My first time so felt signposting and parking could have been better. I discovered Preston has traffic and a football team. That aside. Good exhibits, particularly the quality core in the centre. Good trade and whilst I bought nothing, the pricing seemed keener than of late. Bred Albin was favourite for the lighting. I looked at Lily Lane operated by grandad and took the 8 year old grandaughter's layout backstory with a pinch of salt. Was put to rights by said young lady later. Still blokes make assumptions. Poor Maggie Gravett having to repeatedly use the "We" word on some visitor not picking up the vibes.

I echo JeremyC's layout selection. Copper W* is something different but the others reflect uncluttered layouts. To me there were too many layouts that were just too busy. An ok show. Trade heavy. More than box shifters but less than specialist. Not a great venue tbh.Sent *things I have to do to stop autocorrect

A sad loss. I must have been for the last 20 years barring Covid. Understandable though. Last year the thought of a train strike must have been horrifying and the transport links are not getting more reliable. In truth I am moving from Birmingham this year and am not sure I would make the journey if not local. many thanks to the team.

Very shocked. Sympathy to the staff. Looking at the accounts, Turnover in the year to June 2019 was £15m and in the year to June 2022 was £11m with a £400k operating loss. There was no bank debt but clearly not a happy picture.

As a Sunday visitor, I like to read Saturday comments to make sure I miss nothing. I had to positively park the negativity this year. It was a very different show to pre vivid but it worked. The lack of a glossy guide was a disappointment but I understand the editor passed away. However, exhibitors should be encouraged to have their own explanation boards. There were more dioramas and smaller scale but many were excellent. Boullieri* moors view and the dioramas discussed above. [This para is a wrecked by a spell check that thinks a Belgian layout is called "Hollister"]. Bryn Hebog was v good as well. The exhibition was uncluttered, there were no bad layouts. Would have been nice to have had some more pre group but hey. Just realised I missed Copenhagen Fields as too busy at first pass! A random comment. I visited the International Plastic Model Society show at Telford a couple of weeks ago. That was very samee- lots of the same kit and only one has motorised propellers . This show is different almost all layouts are different with only the smallest repetition in o o 9 fictional n g . Anyway had it with this spell check.

The yawning ready to run gap remains the LNWR brake van which is an enabler for LNWR freight. That said LNWR coverage is patchy with no off the shelf coaches other than Genesis and the coal tank as the only real freight loco (Super D is not LNWR) The price point is interesting as compared Bill Bedford's diagram 32/33 at about £23. Is about the same slowing for transfers etc. For a simple livery wagon, 3D is competitive.

And for Rob "NHY 581" - a lovely little layout at eye height with some interesting lighting effects. I stared at the 4f and checked the number and checked the guide it was 4mm. It looked so small. I guess the lighting and a close coupled tender? A great effect against a plain backdrop.

25% Well it blocks anyone else taking over but what else? A foothold on an acquisition, locking out competitors? Indeed there is an option to acquire. You often see PE backed businesses borrowing off their balance sheet to make bolt-ons or speculative plays but Hornby? Its not exactly in perfect shape. If I was a Warlord shareholder you would wonder what happens if Hornby goes broke. Do they have a call option? Note the description to acquire shares, it doesn't say to subcribe, so unclear if this is a simple cashout for existing investors or providing funding. The business has cash on balance sheet but that's October - when do you pay for Christmas stock? Anyway, wish them luck.

Confess I gave it a skip. A drive to Buxton (from Birmingham) only washes its face if you can go on to do something else - a walk in my case. Sadly rain and 40mph winds ruled that out. I would be interested in what the poor weather did for attendance. Last year was wonderful.

Well I assume the "Scalefour" site let it slip past my employer's filters but for one reason or another I get a bad boy notice for the direct site on my work mobile. I guess it's the "models" in the address. Is this driven by Scalefour not wanting to fall within the digital platforms rules from next Jan? Is needing to report LRM sales to HMRC.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385550093808?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=1o7nt5uhrt-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=MmpE2CE-Rj-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Eh no. I mean, some basic effort required. Mousa Models do a costly masterpiece. This is just embarrassing. There is not a component on that that I would pay £3 for, never mind the packaging

Great to be back visiting York. I felt a few gaps in places but such is life. York was a great exhibit in 2mm. I would agree that the cleanliness of the toilets was disappointing and the catering trays felt sticky. Still a great show.

Well I visited and had an enjoyable day out. Much longer than your average exhibition. This is a significant exhibition on the circuit. The venue was excellent. The main hall is a well lit well heated space. The exhibits were good. Nothing standout but very good. The trade was good and brisk. The brochure (included in the price) was excellent. Most of all this is a rounded attraction and the highest proportion of kids I have seen. This was a great day out.

I was a Saturday visit arriving after midday from Birmingham and getting lost in the search for car park C. As a show it was crowded at first but thinned out. I am not a fan of the venue and prefer the clear unobstructed halls like Wigan etc. The exhibits were good. Some excellent. The mix or the operation was in many cases aimed at the casual visitor. A lot of roundy roundies or too much going on. Ie a fun thing or domestic layout. None were “large” layouts. But some very good. Templecombe, Blakey Rigg, Port Solway. On the Trade side. 247 was my main hit. But the standout was how Squires have moved along. Didn’t see (or hear) Roger but Finecast and Barrie Stevensons being developed as brands was impressive.

Those who worried about the demise of the painted with a bog brush can take heart. This looks like it has first gone through a car wash that has taken off all handrails buffers vac pipes coupling hooks tender wheels and transfers. its salvable, such is the joy of white metal, and you might pay for the motor and bits but wow its ugly. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234873271322?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=C4Zpcxd3RPi&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=MmpE2CE-Rj-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY