SMALL-SIZE CARS, FULL-SIZE CARS: REPORT FROM AUTOMODELLISMO 2013

 

Mat Irvine: Last Sunday saw the third Automodellismo Show for auto miniatures, held in Hanslope, near Milton Keynes, UK.

Inside the show hall, there were plenty of model car displays. These came from model clubs from the surrounding areas, including Watford, West Berkshire and Milton Keynes. Add to this the Car and Bike SIG (Special Interest Group), the model resource Britmodeller, Locate and Cement, MRO F1 Engineering, Ian and Rod Knott’s ‘Motor Museum in Miniature’, Alex and Tony’s comprehensive Motorsports Table. Individual models included (below) this highly-modified AMT Ford Model T custom, by Watford club member Jon Rackham.

Miniature variety
All this, plus a selection from co-organiser Mat Irvine’s large collection, and you had an amazing variety of miniature autos on display. Co-organiser Paul Fitzmaurice (below) of little-cars.com had a fine selection of products for sale.

Outside the hall
There was certainly a mixed bunch of interesting full-size vehicles parked outside the show hall. Two Ford Mustangs, a classic Jaguar XJ6, Triumph GT6, MG-TF, Bond Equipe and a Volvo 760 estate.

Extraordinary estate
In case you are wondering how the seemingly ordinary Volvo sneaked in, it’s probably the only Volvo that’s a custom ‘hopper’, with hydraulics powering the suspension to allow the car to move up and down, front and back, or side to side.

Add to this a special paint finish on the outside, and purple crushed-velour interior. So yes, it certainly qualifies as ‘interesting’.

Automodellismo 3 round-up
One of the show’s kit-sellers (below) Vince Brown of Models For Sale.

Above, a long Le Mans-style lineup from the Car and Bike SIG (above). The neat wood plinths add a touch of class.

Above and below, fantastic range of models on the comprehensive ‘Alex and Tony’s Motorsport Table.’

Part of the ever-changing ‘Motor Museum in Miniature’ (below) from Ian and Rod Knott. This won the 2011 ‘Best in Show’ Award.

Below, two views of a small selection of co-organiser Mat Irvine’s model car collection.

Close-up details (below) of the ‘Best in Show’ winner, the MRO F1 Engineering group, which  specialises in 1:12 scale Formula 1 cars.

MRO F1 Engineering’s Mark Oakley (below left) receives the 2013 ‘Best in Show’ trophy from Colin Hughes, builder of the Volvo hopper estate.

The MRO F1 Engineering crew (below) admire their trophy.

Below, on the Britmodeller stand, the Airfix Land Rover from Shaun the Sheep, with the three naughty pigs, Bitzer the sheepdog and Shaun’s cousin, Timmy.

Smallspace Show coming soon
Automodellismo is a HaMeX Event, one of three run over the year. The next show is smallspace 2, the show for everything on space, science-fiction and fantasy. It will be held on July 7, 2013. More on the main HaMeX website.

Plenty more model cars here.