Tail End Charlie
Feast of modelling souls
Text: Jan Zdiarský
Those of you who were not in Milovice last weekend, or who missed the information about the biggest Czech and certainly one of the biggest European modelling meetings, know from the editorial of this issue of Info magazine that another E-Day is over.
As it has been the case for the last few years in a row, I had, among other things, the task of coordinating the participation of model clubs. This meant balancing their requirements and requests with the possibilities and, in short, ensuring that, in addition to the competition models, the exhibition could be graced by presentations from clubs across the Czech Republic, but also from Slovakia and Italy. And that all enjoy the right conditions to do so, and also that we do not create chaos, especially during their start-up.
Such club exhibitions are then very varied. There are excellently built models, unfinished projects, chronicles of clubs, photographs, bowls of sweets and other goodies for passers-by, nice tablecloths and statuettes, prizes from other competitions...
Although thematic exhibitions - SIGs - have been declining over the years, club presentations have been increasing. We had only one SIG this year, focused on SCI-FI models. There were thirty-one exhibiting clubs at this year's E-Day, occupying tables totaling more than 70 meters in length. This year we had to cancel the participation of several Moravian clubs, whose members were dealing with completely different concerns after the huge floods.
Anyway, the purpose of what I am writing is not to give statistics of participation, although even that is worthy of publication. I would like to share something else with you. It's a mixture of the feelings I get from these club shows. This year, more than in the previous two years, club representatives have asked me at pre-registrationto be able to get a spot next to a particular friendly club they were adjacent to, say, a year ago. E-Day, more than other competitions, gives them room to share time with each other - during the Friday afternoon, then all day on Saturday. And needless to say, that continues in a pub after the hall closes on Friday night.
E-Day thus creates great conditions for establishing and strengthening friendships, which are important in any such hobby. Unless you are a solitary modeler. People from different clubs not only exchange experiences, tips and new modelling techniques, they also bring baked buns and cakes, coffee in a thermos and of course a bottle or a flask for their friends. What if the tank hall was freezing and cold, right?
Most of the modelers participating in club presentations also had their models registered in the Czech Model Masters competition itself. So for them, it meant mostly going through registration on Friday afternoon with their models and then putting together their club's shrine so that, if possible, it would stand out above the rest. Then the next day, arrange some deals at the vendor booths, attend workshops and talks, and otherwise get on with the business discussions of modeling, gluing, sealing, sanding, spraying and other occult alchemy, and that's the talk.
I didn't think so much about it before, if you are one of the organizers of such an event, you look at the events around you with different eyes than normal participants, but it was the requirements for the placement of specific clubs together that led me to do it this year - to pay more attention to what is happening at the club tables and behind them. And there my eyes discovered an oasis of peace and quiet amidst the hustle and bustle that such a show brings with it. And in doing so, I came to understand that a club show is not just a presentation opportunity for its creators - the space that clubs get at E-Day also creates a great backdrop in which modelers relaxed, talked quietly, and where they retreated to when they needed a break from the crowd. There they experienced peace and quiet in the company of like-minded people they might only see once or twice a year - at E-Days and some halfway contest. They sat there contentedly enjoying their modeling holiday with the feelings that people probably experience when they roll out on a beach chair. But beyond that, there are friends from far away places around them, thousands of topics to talk about, and world-class models within a few steps. And that's certainly one of the important things why modelers love coming to E-Day. It's a feast for their souls. And for our part, it's a bit of a thank you for allowing companies like us to exist through their hobby and their interest. We need each other. And I would say we like each other. At least this year's E-Day reaffirmed that for me.