CONTEST - DESIGN A STEAMPUNK FIGURE CONTEST, WINNER GETS IT MADE AS A MODEL KIT

SMN report:

The Industria Mechanika sci-fi model outfit is going from strength to strength, and now there’s a contest on to spice things up. If you’re a steampunk fan (and we are) then IM’s invitation to send in figure designs in the genre is a tempting one.

MAGNIFICENT MODELS IN BLENHEIM PALACE

David Jefferis reports
I was at a literary get-together at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, UK, on Friday - and one of the few men in an audience of ‘ladies who lunch’. It was actually quite a treat, especially the joke-cracking platform speakers, a trio of high-powered TV comediennes who opened doors into a female world I barely knew existed... ‘size zero’, ‘control pants’ anyone?!

Battle of Blenheim
But Blenheim’s real story is a military one - the place was built from 1704-1724 to commemorate the Duke of Marlborough’s victory at the Battle of Blenheim in Bavaria, Germany (incidentally, they spell it ‘Blindheim’ over there). So it was a pleasure to find cases of beautifully executed military modelmaking after the chick-lit ladies had finished. There were dozens of miniatures to drool over, and even my companion Jules was impressed with the workmanship.

Wide-ranging models
Subjects ranged across the military spectrum, also including a family group of the Romanovs, the royal family ousted by the Russian revolution. It was all absolutely fascinating stuff, and something of a mini-history lesson too. As for Blenheim Palace, it’s a stunner, and is surrounded by rolling miles of landscaped gardens, lakes, trees and much more besides - a highly recommended visit for anyone in the area, as is the adjacent olde-worlde town of Woodstock.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  US 1st cavalry AFV with crew.
2  Royal Marine band in performance.
3  Polishing boots in a mini-diorama.
4  Detailed trench warfare display.
5  Russian revolutionaries.
6  Russian royal family.

Look for military models here.

WOULD YOU CLASS THESE CREATIONS AS MODELS? OR ART? OR SCULPTURES? OR PERHAPS ALL THREE...

SMN took in a fascinating exhibition yesterday, at the Oxford Museum of the History of Science (OMHS), in the famed UK university city. The show’s all about ‘Steampunk’, a genre of science fiction that combines Victorian-era technology and materials in a ‘what-if’ scenario of how things might appear with a hint of today’s science in the mix.

It’s a very appealing look that features brass, copper, iron, and rich woodwork in a sort of Jules Verne sci-fi style - if you liked the Walt Disney movie 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, then you’ll enjoy steampunk. The OMHS features a bunch of artists and their creations, with a corner devoted to SMN’s favourite steampunker, Stephane Halleux, with work that’s unique in the field for its gently humorous flavour (top two pictures above).

All the pieces are notable for the model-making skills that went into making them, and that’s why we’ve included them today. Halleux’s work features stitched leather that wouldn’t look out of place in a World War I biplane model. Another piece looks almost like a mad rat’s nest of assemblage from a billion bits of old Airfix kit. Yet another combines a church with a tank, with a gun ready to fire out of the tower.

Overall, the exhibition is really worth a visit - it’s not huge, but the rest of the OHMS is fascinating as well, so there’s plenty to see for an hour or three. The exhibition is free and runs until February 21, 2010.

Visit the Oxford Museum of the History of Science here.