MEX Photos for those that stayed home

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Yup – still no wiser!

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Rik Shaw on 16/09/2016 23:26:45:

Yup – still no wiser!

.

1. John Stevenson asked [rather pointedly, I thought] who, of those commenting, went to the show.
2. I answered that I did not, and noted the purpose of the thread, by way of asserting my right to comment.

MEX Photos for those that stayed home

… Is it really so incomprehensible ?

MichaelG.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing with those of us unable to make the journey.

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

Thanks for sharing JasonB, they are great photos.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I was thinking of :

-What no tooling, is he editing the right mag?

-He said he had spruced up that shunter, hate to think what it looked like before!

-Do we have a booby prize?

– Should have stayed at home!!

 

 

Or based on Michael's observations

-He should have stuck with the cake making

J

Edited By JasonB on 17/09/2016 07:56:39

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Posted by John Stevenson on 16/09/2016 23:05:28:

Posted by Rik Shaw on 16/09/2016 22:18:04:

"So how many of the posters commenting actually went ?"

A good few I'd suggest John – how about you?

Well lets see.

Traipsing down to MEX after having recently done the Bristol show.?

Or jumping in the Donald for a swift 120 mile blat up the M6, M56, M53 to see the Delectable Debs ?

.

No contest.

HI John, MEX it is then!

Regards Nick.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Not sure how we are supposed to pay for extar lighting, turntables and live TV monitors and keep it affordable …

Just our luck to have the opening day coincide with Noachian Floods, the near closure of the West Coast Mainline and people being told to avoid the M1 because of the risk of aquaplaning…

Still, it only drizzled a few times and was generally fair, it will be dry and sunnier today.

Overall I was struck by the up-beat atmosphere at the show , for some reason people genuinely seemed to be more cheerful and talking more?

It is a bit of a rabbit warren at first, but like most museums there are really only a couple of routes so if you just follow along eventually you get around everything. Naturally the endless succession of incredible bits of full-size engineering adds to the experience, not to mention things like a Vickers Vimy, Concorde and Hawker Hunter parked outside.

Also despite some cryptic warnings we had in advance there was plenty of catering (indoor and outdoor) with plenty of staff (so sensible queue lengths) and also the much demanded seats in the competition hall!

The quality of the models is outstanding so I felt very out of place. It was a bit cruel to turn up and find the space they had reserved for me was next to Cherry Hill's Royal Chester…

Not too many photos yet, as I'm going back of Sunday, I haven't even seen all displays properly yet, let alone the museum.

Neil

P.S. I'll have you know that there was extensive research into where all the grey muck ends up on cement works shunters!

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/09/2016 09:17:09:

Not sure how we are supposed to pay for extar lighting, turntables and live TV monitors and keep it affordable …

.

O.K. … I understand now … it is the Village Show.

I foolishly thought it was the world-renowned 'Model Engineer Exhibition' that has been running since 1907.

MichaelG.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Jason,

Excellent pictures, I like the Lister CS, just a shame the M25, Road to Hell Chris Rea, has to be used to get to the show.

Martin P

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Looked like fun, boys and their toys eh. A lot of lovely workmanship there.

It was a bit cruel to turn up and find the space they had reserved for me was next to Cherry Hill's Royal Chester...

Was that really a coincidence Neil… Or an evil organiser with a sense of humour…

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 17/09/2016 10:02:57:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/09/2016 09:17:09:

Not sure how we are supposed to pay for extar lighting, turntables and live TV monitors and keep it affordable …

.

O.K. … I understand now … it is the Village Show.

I foolishly thought it was the world-renowned 'Model Engineer Exhibition' that has been running since 1907.

MichaelG.

Well maybe we could bring in Premium Club Experience tickets, like those for Top Gear Live at £385?

Neil

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Caption:

"it's got a nice solid base…"

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/09/2016 10:36:25:

Well maybe we could bring in Premium Club Experience tickets, like those for Top Gear Live at £385?

.

Now you're just being silly, Neil

I was trying to make a genuinely helpful suggestion.

A serviceable turntable could easily be made, based on a trailer hub

[total cost probably less than £100]

With the model on the turntable, the Judges, or the builder, could present the details to camera; and the punters could actually get to see something.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Start here … http://www.indespension.co.uk/unbraked-trailer-hubs/1097-hu031.html

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 17/09/2016 11:14:40

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 17/09/2016 10:59:05:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/09/2016 10:36:25:

Well maybe we could bring in Premium Club Experience tickets, like those for Top Gear Live at £385?

.

Now you're just being silly, Neil

I was trying to make a genuinely helpful suggestion.

A serviceable turntable could easily be made, based on a trailer hub

[total cost probably less than £100]

With the model on the turntable, the Judges, or the builder, could present the details to camera; and the punters could actually get to see something.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Start here … **LINK**

So whose models get to sit on a turntable and which don't? Do we provide a turntable for each model regardless of size and weight and who is going to make them all? Same with lighting, even a basic supplementary lighting would have do be done for all, if at all or those unlit would really be in the dark.

Or do you mean transporting each model to a turntable for judging? A somewhat perilous activity in a crowded display hall.

Or should the judges carry a hefty trailer hub around the room and move each model onto it for the purpose of judging?

As you are not silly, I have the feeling you may not have attended an exhibition like this and think Jason's photo is of some public scrutiny carried out before an audience? You may not realise that the models are mostly delivered and placed on the Thursday and judged in place before the exhibition starts.

The judging is NOT carried out as live a public event, their discussions are private; Jason's photo is a candid one as I could not also attend on Thursday. Sometimes the judges spend a long time on deliberations and may return to a model several times, especially for the DoE Trophy.

Neil

[Adrian JohnstoneParticipant @adrianjohnstone89946]

I am at the show at the moment,and it is terrific. Great atmosphere. Come on down, there’s lots to see and the catering is indeed excellent.

Adrian

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

It was such a disorganised shambles of a layout that i am surprised that the judges actually managed to FIND all the exhibits. Surely some signage telling people where to go would have helped.

I certainly do not think an exhibition with exhibits shoved in corners of random buildings with no evidence of signage as to how to find them is the way to run an exhibition. I am certain I did not get to see every thing but just gave up. trying to find it . Even the trade stands were lacking- I went with an open cheque book & I am afraid it stayed closed

I wanted to watch some trains running along the rail lines but walked away after listening to a crowd of old blokes sitting moaning about their b..y works pensions

As for the museum itself – pretty poor. How can you stick a dirty great bomber ( I assume it was a bomber) in a building, with absolutely no indication whatsoever about what it was supposed to have been, amazes me- but I did not go to see the Brooklands museum so that is not a critisism of the MEX itself.

As for catering I think the DOE prize should go to the outside caterer for their burgers. I chipped a tooth on a bit of mine which did nothing to help the pain of a 3 hour drive each way for a 1 hour walk round.

The only thing in its favour was that it was free. I suspect it was not, but when I passed what might have been the entry desk they were all standing about nattering so I just walked by & wandered round playing hunt the parcel

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/09/2016 11:30:29:

…

As you are not silly, I have the feeling you may not have attended an exhibition like this and think Jason's photo is of some public scrutiny carried out before an audience? You may not realise that the models are mostly delivered and placed on the Thursday and judged in place before the exhibition starts.

.

Neil,

Yes, I do know how these shows 'work'.

When we lived in Biggleswade, and Stevenage, I regularly attended the Model Engineer Exhibition, but since moving North, I have only been to Harrogate and a couple of local shows.

My reason being that I find the display of the exhibits [increasingly] disappointing.

My initial thought was that you would have [say] four turntables, with one or two being active at any time.

You clearly don't like the idea, so I will stop wasting space on this thread.

MichaelG.

[mike TParticipant @miket56243]

Thank you Michael G

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 17/09/2016 11:59:21:

It was such a disorganised shambles of a layout that i am surprised that the judges actually managed to FIND all the exhibits. Surely some signage telling people where to go would have helped.

I certainly do not think an exhibition with exhibits shoved in corners of random buildings with no evidence of signage as to how to find them is the way to run an exhibition. I am certain I did not get to see every thing but just gave up. trying to find it . Even the trade stands were lacking- I went with an open cheque book & I am afraid it stayed closed

I wanted to watch some trains running along the rail lines but walked away after listening to a crowd of old blokes sitting moaning about their b..y works pensions

As for the museum itself – pretty poor. How can you stick a dirty great bomber ( I assume it was a bomber) in a building, with absolutely no indication whatsoever about what it was supposed to have been, amazes me- but I did not go to see the Brooklands museum so that is not a critisism of the MEX itself.

As for catering I think the DOE prize should go to the outside caterer for their burgers. I chipped a tooth on a bit of mine which did nothing to help the pain of a 3 hour drive each way for a 1 hour walk round.

The only thing in its favour was that it was free. I suspect it was not, but when I passed what might have been the entry desk they were all standing about nattering so I just walked by & wandered round playing hunt the parcel

Hi Sam,

I won't defend the exhibition from someone proud to have sneaked in without paying.

I will defend Brooklands – they only moved the Wellington to its new location yesterday.

Sorry to hear about your tooth.

Neil

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Neil that photo of your models being judges was taken at 11.13 on the Friday, judging was done after the show had opened.

Well don't know where Sam was looking but there were signs in place, The young lady with the accent was busy putting them up early on Friday. I only found one of the rooms a bit hard to find (Vickers room) but no real problem.

Apart from the previously mentioned lighting I did not find the way the models were displayed any worse than other exhibitons, in fact the way the tables were arranged it was easy to get a look from both sides which is a lot better than a row of tables up against a wall.

It is worth remembering that the judging, stewarding, setting up and breakdown is done by the great unpaid volunteers who do a very good job. If anyone wants to see improvements come on down and implement them or be prepared to pay a lot more for a ticket.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I found this interesting exhibit in the trade hall, I think the chap exhibiting it had not long arrived when I spoke to him. I think he would like to get it running again and it would be interesting to to see it running at the show if he succeeds. This is a picture of similar unit I found on the net. (NASA Stirling engine from late 70s early 80s)

Mike

Edited By Michael Poole on 17/09/2016 13:48:45

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/09/2016 12:40:25:

 

Hi Sam,

I won't defend the exhibition from someone proud to have sneaked in without paying.

I will defend Brooklands – they only moved the Wellington to its new location yesterday.

Sorry to hear about your tooth.

Neil

Actually i was not " proud" to sneak in without paying. There was no indication that I was actually expected to pay anything !!!. It was a case of there just being a table inside one of the buildings ( the second one I went in) with some people wandering about infront of it & no one behind it so i kept going as no one seemed to care. Was that the ticket office ?? I do not know !!

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 17/09/2016 13:48:52

[paul rushmerParticipant @paulrushmer83015]

Come on people time to stop Neil bating and congratulate him for taking the trouble to exhibit and show what can be achieved with a smaller workshop from scratch. My 1831 should look as good as Ivans because I am using the same laser cut body kit!!

Paul

[Cobbs CobbledickParticipant @cobbscobbledick49618]

Posted by paul rushmer on 17/09/2016 13:52:42:

Come on people time to stop Neil bating and congratulate him for taking the trouble to exhibit and show what can be achieved with a smaller workshop from scratch.

Paul

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Sam,

Naivety is no defence, all the ads for MEX say get your tickets and the pricing is quite clear.

[Author]

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