My name is Peter and I am an addict.
Many moons ago, as a kid, I made a few plastic kit models. With the benefit of hindsight, and my adult OCD, they must have been pretty shocking really but none survive for evaluation. At least my parents said the right things at the time!
What has remained is the love of modelling and the kits. My intention is to revisit this hobby-initially I saw myself with a pleasant way of passing time in retirement though I now realise I need to do so far sooner as failing eyesight and unsteady hands are not good bedfellows for a modeller.
A few years ago I realised that two passions could be combined and started procuring models of Aston’s. Ebay is full of kits, old and new, in a variety of scales and manufacturers. And so a modest collection started.
The pre war cars are well supported, the Ulster in particular was obviously a hit as it is widely available. The Le Mans less so and the International really quite rare. So much so that when I saw it I bought a second, you know, just in case…..
The timeline then jumps to the 60s cars, many manufacturers cashed in but surprisingly few added Jimmy Bond to their marketing. Whilst the Airfix DB5 is very common the 6 is far less so and commands a premium. Yep, I got a second, well you never know…...
Then I jump to the Gaydon era and a splendid offering from the kings of plastic kit production, it will slide together with ease.
The joy is not just in the making but the kits themselves. Artwork can be magnificent - look at Airfix WW2 kits of the 60s/70s for stunning examples. Or the yellowing Sellotape that for the initial buyer promised such wonders as they sliced it with their mother’s bread knife. I even like the way my preloved selection wears its life with battered boxes, grazes and scuffs.
Then you unpack the box and look at the simplistic realism of Matchbox’s Ulster with its fake rubber tyres, fake chroming on the shiny bits, flimsy mudguard mounts and chassis, straightforward sheet of assembly instructions. The complexity of the DBS, or even a Q division (MI6 rather AML) DB5, is obvious with the number of well protected and organised parts, complex assembly which dictates a small booklet to assist and, actual, rubber tyres.
The similarities between plastic and the real thing are all there when you consider it and they give much the same ownership value. It’s a great feeling knowing they are in the loft and ready to give me fun, pride and no doubt a little frustration in use. From time to time it’s nice to just look at them and appreciate what they are, the craftsmanship and beauty. Equally, I started with a £20 or so a kit budget but the right car did stretch that brief now and again, thank goodness Mrs M isn’t an AMOC family member yet!