Peter from Parker Hobbies recently had the opportunity to interview fellow Waikato Scale Modelling Club (WSMC) Member, and Star Wars Enthusiast, Stephen Gray.
In this interview we discuss Steve’s Scale Modelling history, his interest and approach to scale model diorama building, the WSMC and the benefits of belonging to a modelling club, as well as the upcoming WSMC Model Competition - which is due to take place at the Cosmopolitan Club in Hamilton on 3 June, 2023.
Peter: Could you please tell me about yourself, your history in the hobby, and what do you enjoy about it today?
Steve: I'm in my mid 50s at the moment, and I’ve had a career in engineering since I started my apprenticeship back in 1986.
I can vividly remember when I got my first model kit, I would have received it for my fifth or sixth birthday, it was a Mitsubishi Zero in 1/72 scale, probably an Airfix kit. I couldn’t build it fast enough, I don’t know why but since then I have been hooked. I remember working on my Mum’s bread board, using a vegetable knife, assembling it with a tube of thick Uhu glue - when complete I hung it from the ceiling with a string! I would receive kits for my birthdays and Christmas, they would all be brush painted as I didn’t have access to an air brush back then.
As life went on I started working more and raising a family, but in the past 15, 20 years, I have really got back into it. My wife and I are now empty-nesters and I enjoy listening to music or putting on a movie while I work on my kits, it is the complete opposite of what I do for a job. It is a great way for me to relax – even though it can be incredibly frustrating at times!
Steve's R2D2 Diorama
Peter: There are some stunning dioramas in your collection, is diorama building a focus of yours? What are your favourite aspects of the hobby?
Steve: I very much like the dioramas. I've sort of been doing little ad-hoc dioramas since I was at primary school, paper mache volcanoes and making dinosaurs out of coat hangers, for some reason I've always enjoyed it. Even though a model can be presented beautifully on a basic stand, I’ve always liked the little story which comes with a diorama.
The Frankton Model Shop in Hamilton used to do annual competitions, not like how we have them now, but I would enter my dioramas in those back in the day. I enjoy the story telling and putting the model in context, it is almost like a 3D photo.
I’ve been a Star Wars fan since it was released in the 1970s. Scratch building dioramas based in the Star Wars universe has been a major focus of mine, but really anything Sci-Fi goes!
Steve's ATST on Tattoine Diorama
Peter: Your working career has been in engineering, I see that there are electrical components integrated into some of your projects. Could you tell me more about this?
Steve: This has been a fairly recent thing for me, probably in the last five or six years. Fortunately some of the people in my workplace are very much into electronics and repairs. For some time I have played with flashing lights and bits you could get from Dick Smith’s), I have been using electronics and will soon be a qualified electrician (soon to be signed off with a second trade). Now I incorporate Arduino into my builds, these are programmable open source boards which have opened up more tech opportunities in scale modelling than was available years ago.
Currently I am working on another Star Wars Snow Speeder, back in 2013 I was fortunate enough to win Nationals with one, and the one I am working on now utilises fibre optics and other electronics, the things that I think can push a model up to the next level and get more enjoyment out of them.
Work in progress shot of Steve's current Snowspeeder build
Peter: You are a member of the WSMC. Could you tell me a bit about the club and what belonging to a model club means to you?
Steve: I can’t remember exactly when I learnt about the WSMC, it must have been some time in the early 2000s because I was attending Armistice in Cambridge and there was a model competition taking place, for which I believe the categories were air, land, and sea. I recall it had People’s Choice judging, so whoever brought the biggest most impressive model would likely win. Following that I kept an eye out in the paper for the following year’s competition which I placed in with a 1/32 scale Tamiya F14 Tomcat. I had modelled it on a carrier deck and the guys from the club had some great constructive feedback for me and I have been in touch with them ever since, attending monthly in-person meetings and more recently, regular video calls. There are still about 3 or 4 of those people in the club today, some 17 years later!
Peter: Could you tell me about the WSMC Model Competition taking place on 3 June?
Steve: For about 12 years, with the support of club members, I have been organising a WSMC competition which until last year was taking place while our models were on display at Armistice. This included a People’s Choice award for which the prize was the winner’s name being engraved on a trophy, and bragging rights for the next 12 months! We still display our models annually at Armistice, but we are now hosting our own stand-alone model competition at the Cosmopolitan Club in Hamilton, this offers 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placings for a wide range of scale model categories with trophies available for everyone who places.
For years the event has been sponsored by Bay Hobbies, and since the last event we have been fortunate to have Parker Hobbies come on board as a sponsor too. This has coincided with including the Hamilton Immortals Painting Competition in with the WMSC Model Competition, offering a great opportunity for scale modellers and tabletop figure painters to get together and exchange ideas for their future projects.
The WSMC has some young members and there will be a junior competition on 3 June as well, this is a really good way to get into modelling. All three of my sons have done modelling at some stage, the biggest challenge is having the patience for it, and the time! There are also a lot of other distractions for younger people at the moment, that’s fine though, I have found a lot of people take a break and come back to modelling later in life.
Steve's Hasegawa Grober Hund Unmanned Interceptor Diorama
Peter: It is great to hear the competition is growing, and the club is doing so well. What advice would you give to someone who has an interest in models, but knows that their current ability is unlikely to result in an award? Should they enter, is there any other value in entering competitions?
Steve: Of course it is nice to place first, second or third, and let’s not deny it, having bragging rights is fun! But it is also a great opportunity to put your model up against the competition and see what other people are working on. These in-person events allow for networking too, you might see something on a model you love and within minutes be connected with the person who created it, talking techniques. Aside from what you will get out of entering, it is worth remembering the public and other modellers will enjoy seeing your work too, there is nothing to lose! Being judged can be intimidating, but it will often result in constructive criticism – something you can consider for your entry the following year.
Steve's C3PO Diorama
Peter: Thank you for the insights Steve, I can’t wait to see everyone’s work at the competition! Is there anything else you would like to add?
Steve: Do come along and try it. People model for all sorts of reasons, and there will be an eclectic mix of models on display at the event. On the day we are expecting modellers from New Plymouth, Auckland, Palmerston North, and all around New Zealand – it would be great to see you there.
More information on the WSMC Model Competiton is available here: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/waikato-scale-model-club-model/6209966292398261/
More information on the Hamilton Immortals Miniature Painting Competition is available here: https://fb.me/e/19qxOqDCl