MEX Photos for those that stayed home

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

As Chief Marine Judge at the MEX (and also Model Boats Website Editor) I am very disappointed to read some of the sneering and patronising posts on this topic. If you can't find anything good to say or offer constructive and informed criticism then best to keep silent in favour of those who do support the hobby. As for not realising you had to pay – well, pull the other one please.

No, the show isn't perfect but it is there due to a lot of unpaid effort by volunteers, mostly not in the first flush of youth, but who are still willing to go the extra mile. They should be appreciated, not dismissed as 'old codgers'. If you aren't one yet, you will be soon, believe me!

Judging is intended to be done on the Thursday, but you can only judge what is there. In our case two models came all the way down from Liverpool, got stuck in traffic on the M25 and didn't arrive until 5pm so those models did not get judged until Friday. Most of the models arrive from late morning onwards which does put the judges under pressure and it is not necessarily going to be possible to finish the job the same day. The glory days at Wembley when two days were allocated for setting up and judging are long gone in these days of declining numbers and decreasing budgets.

Instead of whingeing be grateful that people are still willing to make these shows happen, albeit on a relatively shoestring basis. Enjoy them while you can as the ageing demographic of model engineers and model makers means that they may not be there for very much longer. Attendances will keep going down as old timers fall off the perch and are not replaced.

Colin

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Don't really see how you could avoid paying, there was a queue when I arrived which was a pretty good indication of where to part with the cash. No wonder it cost me £14 I was obviously paying for two people!. Excellent models, not convinced it is the right location. Seemed much smaller in scope than in previous years. Weather didn't help much and the M25 went into "car park mode" on the way home, just to round the day off nicely.

John

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Do those who were able to go know what results were awarded by the judges?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

When I left about 2.00pm yesterday results had not yet been posted. Will have a look tomorrow afternoon when I go back. Apart from that I expect results will be in ME.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

Very thankfully I was offered a lift there and back on Friday – almost certainly because of the foul weather the traffic was much lighter than I expected for the 9-10am period on a Friday but there were delays due to road works near Brooklands (returning mid afternoon there would appear to have been the start of some traffic snarl up on the A3 which we just about avoided – there were signs indicating 45min delays around the M25 around Heathrow) – we arrived to a car park that had significant flooding and a trade tent where a couple of traders were bailing out water from significant puddles – judging from the strongly worded comments of another visitor arrival by train was not pleasant – a long walk in relatively unpleasant weather + no bus.

There were probably fewer traders than at Guildford (eg no one was selling any paint suitable for models) tho Chester, Tracy Tools + Noggin end metals were there + a couple of other large traders who go to many of the fairs – didn’t notice any of the smaller traders however.

The local staff did start to put up more signage during the morning to help find ones way around the warren like club house + linked buildings.

Edited By Frances IoM on 17/09/2016 15:03:37

[clivelParticipant @clivel]

What a bunch of old sourpusses so many of the commentators on this thread are. This thread is about the photos that Jason so kindly shared for those of us who are unable to attend MEX.

So thanks Jason, the photos are great, and I for one very much enjoyed viewing them, and despite the negative comments from a few malcontents, would have loved to have visited MEX if not for the few thousand Km commute.
Clive

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by Colin Bishop on 17/09/2016 14:28:43:

As Chief Marine Judge at the MEX (and also Model Boats Website Editor) I am very disappointed to read some of the sneering and patronising posts on this topic. If you can't find anything good to say or offer constructive and informed criticism then best to keep silent in favour of those who do support the hobby. As for not realising you had to pay – well, pull the other one please. Colin

I am sorry but I object to your comments. This is roughly what happened in the approximate order so you understand where I am coming from.

When I arrived at the main entrance I was given a couple of leaflets & told to park with the other cars & go to the registration building on the right, which I duly did. There , after some explanation it was explained that I did not have to register as I was not an exhibitor but a member of the viewing public ( i thought it was where one had to pay & register ones name for record purposes) & i was told to walk around the site.

I then walked to the chap with the 3 inch marshal & spent 15 mins chatting to him in the rain. After that , on seeing the white tent I went to the trade stands, not seeing any obvious main entrance. From there I walked to the steam railway where nothing was happening & i think I wandered round to the building with the bomber. As I came out I commented to a chap that it was like hunt the thimble & he said some of the exhibition was on the upper floors so I headed to the white balcony & up to a decking & into a lounge from where I entered a corridoor thence downstairs to a very busy cafe & loo then out of an exit door to a stall selling hot dogs etc Still I did not see any signs directing me to any exhibition of models so I walked round to Concord & a Hawker Hunter then into a building which I believed was the exhibition hall plus another deserted room with kids games in it. I then went up some black metal stairs to a pair of locked white doors & down again – still no signs & later found a way up to the second floor.

After that I had had enough & it was then that i walked in the front of the main building – thinking it was just a cafe, saw the table with no one behind it, used the loo & went home

There was no attempt to deliberately avoid paying. I am not whingeing. I did go in some other buildings & perhaps I missed some signs but they were not obvious. I am not running down the exhibitors, they have my full admiration. i just feel that the organisers need to get some advice on how to do it or not bother because they are not being fair to those who attend or those who take the effort to bring items along to exhibit. I did feel a little sorry for the 2 steamers outside the buildings as they did seem a little " lost" & had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to put on a demonstration.

Ok many will disagree with me but that is my take on it so perhaps it is better that we agree to disagree . It will not stop me going to other events. I enjoyed Alexandra Palace & drove a long way to see the Doncaster one but this one – no , not again

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 17/09/2016 15:57:21

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 17/09/2016 15:59:09

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

As far as the photos are concerned I would hasten to add that my rants are not in any way directed at anything connected to them. So in some way i should apologise if I have spoiled the thread with my comments.

The photos are great — but can we have one of that skeleton clock please I am sure you will have seen it. The owner ought to engrave " Rolex " on it & display it in the Burlington arcade with a price tag in the tens of £ thousands.

It would sell in days as a work of art, if not as a clock.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Well never mind Sam, perhaps you should've gone to Specsaver.s…. It would appear that you actually arrived at the back entrance which is why you were assumed to be an exhibitor. Had you gone to the main entrance (which is signposted on the local approach roads) all would have been a bit clearer but I find it difficult to understand how you thought admission to the site and show would have been free.

I agree that the layout was fragmented and not ideal but there were some signs about plus a detailed plan of the show which could be downloaded online and was no doubt available to visitors using the main entrance and it was not too difficult to puzzle it out really.

I don't know if the show will be held there again but if it is then no doubt there will be improvements.

Colin

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Sam, sounds like you came in via the opposite side of the site to where the usual entrance is and there are really no signs to point you towards the entrance/shop building from there that I can think of. I really don't know what arrangements if any exist for entry via this way which is what Diane suggested for foot traffic.

Also sounds like you missed the main room with the competition entries which was up the white external stairway which would have been to your right just as you came out that first registration building.

Signage has always been a problem at past MEXs, given past moans about it and people not being able to even find their way upstairs at Sandown maybe lessons should have been learnt and decent size signs prepared in advance for this spread out site rather than a few hastily printed A4 sheets.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Jason

Thank you for the pix that give a feel of the exhibition. I've often attended in the past but now, with a trip of at least 3 1/2 hrs each way, I'm afraid my show visits are over! Just one disadvantage of retiring to the best county in England (DEVON) I guess!

Norman

Edited By NJH on 17/09/2016 17:24:48

[Adrian JohnstoneParticipant @adrianjohnstone89946]

Well, I'm back from my (Saturday) trip to MEX and my experience was unirformly good. (I was one of the speakers today, by the way, but I have no affiliation with any of the organisers).

Brooklands is a treasure trove of British automotive and aviation engineering and to see our models and displays presented against the backdrop of, for instance, the extraordinary stratosphere chamber (**LINK**)was just great. Both the museum and the model engineering community benefit from this type of event. (I hesitate to use management speak like 'synergy' here: but that's what we have.)

There was a much better atmosphere at the museum than at a deserted race course, I thought. We had traction engines wandering around the buildings through the crowds rather than being coralled in a small display area. There were more families than at a typical model engineering event. The upstairs display of models was to a very high standard. The catering was excellent: much better than Sandown or Ally Pally. The staff and volunteers at Brooklands were uniformly helpful. Nobody who can read read an engineering drawing would have any difficulty at all reading the supplied maps, and every room I went into was jammed at lunch time.

If anybody is going tomorrow, I would particularly like to commend the live steam OO display by the OO live steam club (**LINK**) I was given a very detailed exposition of the internal workings of these tiny steam engines by one of their team.

The issue with traders falling away is real, but is caused by the shift to internet shopping not by the actions of show organisers. I believe that Chronos stopped going to all exhibitions after about 2010. If I ran a business with an enormous stock of heavy items, I might prefer to stay home and receive orders online rather than having to check out pallet loads of kit.

We are going to need new ways of doing engineering exhibitions if they are to survive in the future. I think this has been an excellent attempt to re-imagine the traditional approach, and I hope that the team will continue to develop the show, bringing in more of the maker community, more smaller-scale railway models along with, perhaps, RC aircraft and boats.

Adrian

Edited By Adrian Johnstone on 17/09/2016 18:57:09

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Phew. 6 hours walking round and I'm sure I missed something. Don't know how anyone gets round in an hour, except Usain Bolt (sort of engineering joke there – get it)

Great to see the Adept on show – so teeny I think a Boley watchmaker's lathe is bigger, and I saw Mike Chrisp and a judgelike person having another look at it while pretending to look at the skeleton clock nearby. Also saw Cherry Hill going into the motorbike building and coming out again a minute later so Sam was not the only person getting confused by the layout. Didn't see Neil but not sure if he really looks like his avatar anyway.

It was interesting to have the motor and plane exhibits to look around though I'm not really into either in a big way but had a moment of nostalgia going round a VC10 for the first time in 40 years. They were such an advance over the old Britannia turboprops and I never before thought about where they were made.

Had lunch with a chap who had come down from Manchester and gave a lift to the station to a chap from Holland so it is still attracting people from a fair distance.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by NJH on 17/09/2016 17:23:55:

Jason

Thank you for the pix that give a feel of the exhibition. I've often attended in the past but now, with a trip of at least 3 1/2 hrs each way, I'm afraid my show visits are over! Just one disadvantage of retiring to the best county in England (DEVON) I guess!

Norman

Edited By NJH on 17/09/2016 17:24:48

Norman, who are you trying to kid? Best county in England is well known to be Yorkshire. However it would have taken a similar time to get there.

Edited By duncan webster on 17/09/2016 19:49:41

[john brennan 1Participant @johnbrennan1]

It appears that Sam got his money's worth.

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by john brennan 1 on 17/09/2016 19:54:44:

It appears that Sam got his money's worth.

Not when you add the 6 hours & 5 minutes of driving time he did not !!!!!

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

I spent over 6 hours walking round without stopping. The model engineer exhibition was much better than the 2 I have been to previously – more models and better atmosphere. Brooklands museum was fantastic. All together a much better venue. I enjoyed the treasure hunt. Well done.

On the down side : took a long time to and from 'park and ride' but next time I will be expecting it; very (very) disappointing trade stands which was 70% of the motivation for going (however I still spent £40 on half price angle grinder consumables); very disappointing bacon and sausage bap but probably still better than racecourse refreshments.

I suspect that the place couldn't accommodate many more trade stands?

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

I found the SMEE display upstairs by chance but couldn't find it a second time when I wanted to say goodbye to someone (not the display area at the top of the white exterior stairs). After walking around the site twice, I gave up. The signage could've been a lot better. A simple "more exhibits this way" type of sign would be better than just "SMEE" because punters don't know if that's just for the SMEE exhibitors or for public access. The venue itself was interesting if a little derelict. As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, it wasn't clear if you had to buy your ticket for the exhibition from the museum shop. I had to ask to check I wasn't merely buying entrance to the museum. The lack of traders attending was a disappointment. If Home and Workshop Machinery hadn't been there, it would have been a huge disappointment for those looking for second hand stuff. However, it was the first show there so I cut it some slack.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

As many (including myself) going to such exhibitions greatly appreciate the presence of traders and for me especially the smaller + more specialist traders – I don’t really expect the large displays of 4-figure tools(lathes etc) outside of Ally Pally size halls – the tent on Friday morning had quite a number of non-trade stands that could have been elsewhere if more trader space was needed – maybe there could be a boot-sale or similar, arranged for the Sunday that would suit the smaller traders – was there some boycott by such traders or was the table cost too high? – also maybe some form of bus link to the rail station could be arranged for next year as this would both ease pressure on carparks and probably be faster and easier travel for many from the south east – The SMEE stand was even more difficult to find on Friday morning as the door to the staircase was marked as restricted access (later a temporary sign was attached)

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

.

Sam,

It appears you came in by the wrong entrance, this was staffed by a Brooklands person who was apparentlyseveral people in who were not on his list… He should have directed you to the other car park where our bright eyed and bushy tailed folk would have happily fleeced you.

Your other post about 'playing hunt the parcel' made me think you meant you pretended to be looking for something to sneak past security, a misunderstanding for which I apologise.

[GeorgineerParticipant @georgineer]

Thanks for the photos. This is the first exhibition I have ever been to and I had no idea what to expect. My wife, daughter and I spent all day there today from opening to closing, and I enjoyed it so much that I shall be driving there from Portsmouth again tomorrow to take my other daughter.

Yes, there were shortcomings; yes, improvements could be made; yes, I'm sure there will be a washing-up meeting to discuss those improvements; yes, I'm sure it will be better next time; yes, I'm sure there will still be people who gripe.

As the book of Ecclesiastes says," Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this." Far better to put your assistance where your gripes are, says I. Many thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard to put it on.

George

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Didn't see Neil but not sure if he really looks like his avatar anyway.

I do at the moment Bazyle (maybe a bit grayer), but the beard comes and goes on a Monthly basis!

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

George,

Thanks for your appreciation of the volunteers, it is iniquitous to single out people for special praise as you will leave some many others out, from judges, to clubs, exhibitors, stewards and the organisers, but thanks to them all and special thanks must go to Mike Law, Steve Eaton and the SMEE. I must also thank Diane who has done a huge amount of work on the exhibition while I have done little more than lob in 'helpful' comments from the side.

No, it isn't perfect, but its a huge improvement on Sandown and most visitors had huge grins and want to come back again – that, if anything, is what will encourage more participation by the trade. I can also report we have had enquiries from other clubs wishing to come along next year, including a model boat club.

I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow, not least because I didn't see all the models, let alone all the hairy-planes and the Campbell exhibits and….

Neil

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I really enjoyed the show and the Brooklands bonus, I thought I would have a shot at getting in the museum car park but it must be for the really early birds! Parked on the old Brooklands circuit near Merc world. A few signs would have helped initially but it all fell into place and I don't think I missed anything. Will probably make a return visit to just see the Brooklands stuff in more detail, didn't get to the bus museum or get a Concorde ticket. Journey home took 3 times as long as journey to show, didn't like the look of a stationary M25 so thought I knew a better route it seems the closure of the M25 M4 and 3 accidents on M3 pushed traffic onto all the alternative routes so everywhere I went there was a queue. Should have gone on Saturday.

Mike

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Well, we went today and (in summary) had a very good visit.

The 'Traders' tent was (in my opinion) a bit pants (as my sons would describe it) – so I would not return just for that – although I did purchase a s/h vice (my wife worries if I don't spend anything). But since I purchase most of my hobby stuff online these days, this was not a particular disaster…

As for the rest of the day – we had a very good afternoon and we didn't actually have time to see everything that was there (we had to miss out on the Grand Prix stuff for instsance) . I would have liked to have spent more time in the London Transport Bus building but we only had time for a very quick run through. The modelling exhibits and Club stands were very good and I saw some wonderful craftsmanship – that I'm afraid I can only dream of achieving.

My highlight was a bit of personalised training in scraping in the SMEE room – sorry I didn't my Mentors name – just some very useful feedback (in a few just a minutes) and I will practice my wrist action more (I promise!!!)

In summary – I think there is no point in going to these events for "Traders" any more – but do go just to see some wonderful models and because the Museum is a good day out for any "engineer" just in its own right.

Better than Sandown – yes – because Brooklands has much more of interest than Sandown Racecourse – and there were some very nice – no – wonderful – models on display.

 

Regards,

 

IanT

Edited By IanT on 17/09/2016 23:14:10

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