Friday, August 07, 2009

Supportgroup night

Another month, another meeting.

What it that makes grown men reach for the optivisor when I open the model box? Or start peering over their glasses trying to see something that's 2 inches long? Maybe some of the problem was that I took along the 2 Lc's with the non operating chopper couplings. I was asked 'so, what sort of magnification do you use?' Umm, mk 1 eyeball, I'm not retired yet or close to 50? I just have some very good lighting on the workbench. What does everyone else use?

Its also got me thinking about the perception of the scale. Are people scared off by the size of the models? That they will not have the manual dexterity or the eyesight to complete a kit? That they are worried that they will not be able to assemble a kit to a satisfactory standard? Are matters helped by Darryl and I turning out models at a great rate of knots?

One thing that I didn't consider really until last night was that we are all getting much more 'time-poor' for want of a better term. There are more demands placed on our leisure time now than in years gone by. The group meeting format tends to be 'what have you done railway wise in the last month'. The frequent answer is nothing from about 1/3 of the group. Now I just can't go that long without waving a knife suggestively in the direction of a sheet of plasticard (in fact I would not last a week). Maybe its something to do with not having children.

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