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Duncan B last won the day on November 19 2015
Duncan B had the most liked content!
About Duncan B
- Birthday 11/29/1888
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Website URL
www.blackmikemodels.co.uk
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Male
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Scotland
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I guess we shall have to wait and see what turns up. There is a point in Tamiya issuing the same plastic though, none of the sales for Platz will make Tamiya a penny! Duncan B
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I have just watched it too, no probs. Duncan B
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Last Flight of English Electric Lightning P1b F1 XG335
Duncan B replied to James A W's topic in Aircraft Cold War
Get on and build it, it's still quite readily available and you'll get so much more enjoyment out of making it. You'll get lots of advice on here if you need it. Painting wise, while I do use an airbrush, I think Iain's idea of using a rattle can silver is perfect for a kit this size. I look forward to seeing how you get on and possibly seeing more of the back story as you get more information on your dad's mishap (as it happens I knew someone dad who also 'parked' a Lightning and want to build that one). Duncan B -
Some well observed points there. I'll just add my tuppence worth based on my experience of trading on the show circuit. The breakeven is going to depend on a lot of factors, distance travelled/number of days (which adds various costs if you have to hire vans and equipment) , number of folk you need to buy hotel beds and food etc for (but you definitely need someone with you at any show and more than one at the likes of Telford), the event costs (Telford is at the highest end of the spectrum for table costs). The Trader's insurance isn't a huge outlay if you shop around. There are specialists who deal specifically with Stall Holders and a yearly policy that meets the standard required can be had for less than £60 annually. For many smaller businesses they will not have enough stock to keep their normal operation running while attending a show or they will have to have a real time stock system in operation (and remember to keep checking online sales while at the shows to avoid overselling). I have to say that because Telford is so busy (especially on the Saturday) it is probably not the best show to attend as a trader if you are going specifically do any networking. Better to go as a punter with a pocket full of business cards and take your chances that way (but don't expect to get much time with anyone who is trading as they will be too busy). I visited Telford several times specifically for meetings and I made prior arrangements to meet up with the businesses I really wanted to make contact with rather than leave it to chance. With regards to raising awareness and general advertising shows do provide a certain amount of ROI but I never saw any particularly noticeable increase in sales from local areas after their shows (not that it didn't happen but not in the volume you might expect/hope for). I think that might be different for manufacturers with USPs than for retailers. Social media is much more effective (and cheaper) than show attendance for getting the retailer's message out there. Basically in my experience I found that the more miles travelled to get to a show the less profit/more loss was made, if an overnight was involved then usually it was a breakeven or loss making event. It didn't stop me travelling the length of the country on occasions but I didn't chase every show going and eventually looked at them more as fun weekends away rather than money making exercises. If I was based more centrally to the majority of the shows then my experiences would probably reflect a different experience as many more heavily attended shows would be within a day's travel (maybe I need to take up that offer to open BlackMike Models South lol). Duncan B
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Will it be a repop of the Italeri kit though? Tamiya have released Italeri 1/72 scale kits in their own boxes before. Duncan B
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Incredible! I have often wondered about the mentality of guys paying to get into a model show with the aim to steal from Traders but now I'm wondering if they even pay? I once saw a guy running full pelt through Hall 3 being chased by a very irater Trader shouting "thief, thief". Unfortunately I wasn't quite close enough to trip the guy up but close enough to see he had a large box under his arm. Very gutsy to steal from a table in Hall 4 and expect to make it all the way out without getting caught. Of course I suffered from thieving many times when I was on the show circuit and it was one of the reasons I gave up on shows in the end. Duncan B
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The SBS engine was a great little model in its own right, it was a shame to cover it over in the end. Duncan B
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This is my Merit International (now I Love Kit) Gladiator with the SBS engine and cowl. I'm no expert on the Gladiator so will leave others to pick the faults in it but I enjoyed building it and it looks like a Gladiator to me. (I used aftermarket decals which ended up having a white border to them, should have just used the kit ones). Duncan B
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How big exactly was this box? (or was it just very far away?) Duncan B
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A box of short shot parts to make a Short Sperrin, or a long stand? Don't give me any clues, I can get this! Duncan B
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Forum etiquette when asking for help - a mild sort of rant
Duncan B replied to Mark Harmsworth's topic in Chat
I've been on here since 2010 (and still haven't been found out ) and have never realised that I could follow my own threads, doh! The number of times I've spent ages hunting for old threads of mine to check how I did something or what paint I used etc should have been spent checking the settings instead lol. Duncan B -
That is the nicest Airfix Phantom I have seen built so far. Lovely painting and attention to detail. Duncan B
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I use a glove on my left hand to hold the model once I get to the priming and painting stage i.e. after I have degreased the plastic. I think the wearing of gloves on social media might be as much to do with covering the hands from view as much as anything else. As an example I do remember watching one video where the 'presenter' was continually apologising for his bitten nails, if he'd worn gloves no-one would have been any the wiser. Duncan B
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Typical Navy, they have tied it down in case the earth starts pitching and rolling! The Ark Royal Hangar at Leuchars had lifebuoys around the outside and they would happily throw one at you while shouting "man overboard" if you walked on the grass. Duncan B