Model citizens prepare for showcase
Warren Piesse has been building models for 47 years and is looking forward to showcasing some of his work. Photo: William Woodworth.
Vehicle model collectors are scaling up the amount and variety of models on show at this year’s Nelson-Marlborough Modellers Club Scale Model Show.
While the club started having competitions in the 1980’s, the popular show has been running since 2009.
Long-time member Warren Piesse is eager to present what he has been working on over September 23 and 24 at Blenheim’s Redwoodtown Hall.
A joiner for 43 years at T.H Barnes & Co Ltd, the self-confessed model addict started building models in 1976.
New Zealand transport company truck models are his favourite, he says.
“I spend time down Grove Road taking photos and these 1:50’s are what I’ve been doing since lockdown.
“I’ve always been a massive fan of Mack and Kenworth trucks like them, but my collection also extends to full scale memorabilia from trucks too.”
Warren’s model collection also features models of famous race cars, early vehicles and construction equipment ranging from a 1:15 James Hunt F1 model down to a thorough collection of Matchbox cars.
Warren has photographed each one of the trucks he will showcase at the weekend having captured them on film first.
Each has been painstakingly recreated over the last few years using paint, water print decals and photo printing.
“These 1:50 models start as a plain white truck and I take them apart turn them into copies adding wheels and bull bars, mixing and matching bodies”.
“There’s a few little additions I need to make to some recent ones like mudflaps, and the paint drying times haven’t been too kind recently but I’m looking forward to showing.”
From trucks, cars, race cars, construction equipment military tanks, fighter planes, and the odd boats, the show will have plenty on display,
“It’s the first weekend of the school holidays too so it’s a great activity for the whole family, and we’re always happy to help new modellers to get addicted themselves!”
Warren’s scale model passion started with 1:75 Matchbox car models as a kid and developed from there, with his father also having a passion for balsa wood control line airplanes.
“He always crashed his models – I much prefer mine sitting on a shelf”, Warren laughs.
The Nelson-Marlborough Truck Modellers Club Scale Model Show is open on September 23 from 10am to 4pm, and September 24 from 10am to 3pm with admission for $5 and under 12’s enter for free and $2 raffle tickets for fun scale model prizes.