The Maturing Cupboard

   
Bill Bedford visited me on Wednesday afternoon, as he wanted a favour, and as usual we hanged out and chatted about this and that. One of the perennial favourite subjects that comes up is why oh why don't people just build the models that they buy, rather than sitting on them? It seems that after model railway kits have been bought they then have to go through a maturing process before they can be built. 

1. Acquisition

This is the ooh shiny I must buy it when I see right now phase that is common to all railway enthusiasts. Triggered by seeing something new, generally in a shiny metallic material that grabs one's attention. For me this has been some American traction models that I saw on eBay. I just had to have them.

2. The Maturing Box

Once one has acquired the shiny new toys then I usually put them in a suitable place for making and painting later. This is usually some sort of shoe box equivalent, but it can be a cupboard. I don't consider either location to have any greater merit over the other, it is just a matter of space. Cupboards have more space and are therefore good, because more stuff can be maturing at the same time.

3. Inspiration

Once one has bought the new and shiny things for painting one can become inspired to dream about when one is going to make or paint the model? Choosing the right livery is important, especially as some livery variants are just plain more attractive than others. I also call this the Daydreaming Phase, and much time can be "usefully" spent here while the shiny toys mature awaiting for their time on the workbench.

4. The Planning Phase

After daydreaming, sorry I mean spending time being inspired, one then moves on to the Planning Phase where one finds that one needs to find out more about the subject and how to paint the shiny toys. This is not a do-one-thing then do-the-next-thing exercise, as one can then interrupt the cycle to go back to the Acquisition Phase, so as to get the necessary extra shiny toys to meet the requirements defined from the Planning Phase. This can result in the whole project entering the Maturing Box for another round of inspirational daydreaming.

5. The Modelling Phase

Shiny toy miniatures are now prepared for working on by being placed on the work bench. Depending on the demands on the railway owner's spare time, this phase can stretch out and lead to more planning. This is especially true if a new railway project is started, which can result in another round of going through the Acquisition Phase.

6. The Layout

Once the shiny toys have been painted and varnished they can then be lovingly placed onto the track where in all likelihood it will immediately derail. This will cause you to reassess the whole project and perhaps a change to a different scale, or easier subject?