Our world in miniature, hobbies

Hi Helen Whilst most postal services were suspended on Sundays, there was a "hum" of activity going on under our noses. Whilst there were no public collections of mail, many towns & cities had last posting times at their head post offices, or at their local railway station for Sundays. Coventry was about 7pm ish, but will our postal members confirm the times. Birmingham New St was alive with activity, in the sixties with several platforms occupied by parcel vans.

I really like that. It makes it real.

Hi Helen, I know what you mean about the size of the wheels from my years of riding motorbikes. Passing a large lorry in the rain was my image of hell. But, the Mini replaced the 1950s bubble cars where you sat even lower. The only saving grace was they hardly went fast enough to pass a bus or a lorry

I used to collect models of cars, vans, lorries and basically anything when I was a kid and still have about 75% of them still standing stored away in their original boxes, but as I got older, the novelty of collecting them in bulk just wore off and so if I buy any model at all these days, it will just be a once in a blue moon purchase and something that's just happened to catch my eye, either in a shop somewhere, or on-line? Of all the models that I own, this one off model pictured here of a pre-war Daimler bus is my personal favourite and most definitely my best one! I just love the shape of any form of transport from the early 1920's up to about the late 1950's, as things just had so much character back then and are far more interesting to look at!

I'm told that this model was actually made years and years ago, by somebody who once lived in Corley?

I have to stay away from collecting things because I wouldn't stop. Even now a little voice is saying 'I want them'. I still buy stuff but each is a collection of one.

This model of a Coventry Daimler CVG6 isn't quite miniature, as it's actually quite big in size and is 14 inches long, but it still needs its "COVENTRY TRANSPORT" lettering and Coat of Arms applied to the side of it yet to complete it. It also could do with the lettering enlarged on its destination boxes as well!

Hi CKV 1D, Hi all. I am delighted with the rejuvenation of this thread which had become a bit stale. A change of title has made so much difference. I suppose the term miniature is itself relative as the term is used to describe the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch passenger railway, where some of the locos roll in at several tons in weight. I once went with a friend to a military model exhibition, where in the entrance lobby there stood a one seventh scale British soldier on horseback. The detail was so intricate, he had a fag in his mouth, which not only changed in burn colour, smoke appeared from his mouth & nostrils. I wanted to engage in conversation with him. I am in awe of the models being shown, thank you all so much.

This shows how Steve and I take pictures of the models. The light 'tent' costs less than £40 and makes the job so much easier. And yes, we take many pictures using my smartphone as well as a compact. The image below was taken with the smartphone because it manages to keep most of the model in focus at very short distances.

CKV 1D, So impressed was my son (now 50) when he saw your bus he said he remembered when as a toddler he used to kneel on the long seat down the front behind the bus driver and pretend to drive the bus. Now there's a few memories you have rekindled for us.

"THANK YOU" Dreamtime for your post here above regarding my model bus, as I'm really pleased to have helped rekindle some memories for you and your family! Always nice whenever that happens and I too used to kneel on that front seat, looking out over the bonnet and watching the bus weaving in and out of all the busy traffic (back in what I often call "HAPPY DAYS" !). The one good thing about models being produced, is the many memories that they certainly help to rekindle, no matter what the model is of and it could be of a long since gone car that was once the family runabout, a lorry that one used to drive at work, or of a coach from a certain coach company that no longer exists, but who you used to go on coaching holidays with all those years ago? Some people might either stick to collecting one particular type or vehicle ie: cars, motorbikes, vans, lorries etc., but then some people might just collect models of a certain make of vehicle ie: Jaguar, Daimler, Ford, Hillman, Guy Arab, Bedford, Commer, Triumph etc, etc. (the list goes on!!!! lol). Whatever it is that you collect in model form, if it helps to rekindle lots of memories and especially that it brings you lots of joy and happiness also, then I'll always be in favour of anyone collecting them! You just need plenty of room and lots of display cabinets (if possible?lol) to be able to see them proudly displayed, as there's nothing worse sometimes than having a collection of something, but then having it all just boxed up and hidden away!!!! I personally only buy just Coventry bus models (if any new ones are released?) and I also have lots of one off models too (or Code 3's as they call 'em!), like the ones I attached some photo's of, as they do bring me a lot of joy whenever I look at them, but especially because some of them help to bring back lots of happy memories of my time travelling on vehicles that sadly were all scrapped a very long time ago now, with none of the real thing in some cases actually existing today! Some people even go the extra mile and have their models displayed on a model road layout, complete with all the buildings and people etc. and some even have a Hornby steam train running either through it, or around it? For anyone who collects models of any sort, there's actually a Diecast Model Club here in Coventry, who hold themed meetings once a month and members take along models from their collection relating to whatever the chosen theme is for that months meeting. I'm not a member of the club myself, but I thought I'd mention it on here, as I'd hate for any model collectors on this brilliant forum to miss out on the chance of getting involved with and meeting people with the same interest as themselves!!!!!

Thanks for your great post CKV 1D, I hope you don't have to dust them too. I visited a tram museum a couple of weeks back in Bendigo, Victoria and can't believe the way many have been restored by a voluntary group of devoted 'trammies'.