You can never have too many models

**Mike Stamper** · #1 01-16-2010, 01:20 PM

Or can you ?

As you will see from my post to the "shows" section, there will be a model exhibition at one of London's museums. It will concentrate on architectural models and the museum has asked me to lend them some models.

First, they wanted a list of my models. It was a little surprising that I have over 180 models - ranging from Betexa's Prague castle down to postcards from Instante Durable and Prague. Oh! and quite a few micromodels.

Next they returned my list and highlighted those they wanted to see. They wanted to see over 80 of them. I realised this would take up a lot of space, but didn't realise how long it would take to set up a display. Luckily I gave myself a few day - I had the final model in place about an hour before they arrived!

Anyway... back to the question - do any of you have an opinion? My space is reaching it's limit and the only alternative is - as they say in the current climate - downsize. But how do I decide which models should be made "redundant"?

I guess setting light to some would look quite spectacular, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to do this, after spending so much time making them :-(

Here are a few pictures of our dining room second bedroom and landing.

BTW, the icons represent my interest in Russia and art - not religion!

Cheers
Mike

**cmdr199212** · #2 01-16-2010, 01:28 PM

DUDE! One word! AWESOME!!! BUt, whats with the lack of aircraft? HEHE, that would be awesome!

**Mike Stamper** · #3 01-16-2010, 01:36 PM

I wouldn't have such a space problem if I built aircraft.... but "old habits die hard"

Cheers
Mike

**airdave** · #4 01-16-2010, 01:38 PM

I think your biggest problem is the size of most of your models.
You have some very large pieces.

Donating them to Museums is a great way to keep them from being trashed
and allows you (and others) to still see them.

How you go about getting Museums to consider taking them is a whole other story!

You could open up your own "miniature world" museum?

You could sell them...recover some of your costs and put that back into building more models.
(maybe build smaller ones next time around?)

I definately would not destroy any myself...I'd rather give them away as gifts to friends and family, before I did that.
If it came to that extreme...I would consider selling them at auction, maybe eBay? and take whatever you get.

**Rhaven Blaack** · #5 01-16-2010, 01:42 PM

My only suggestion is, "if you have to get rid of any", Only choose the ones that you have copies of the patterns and can remake them. Otherwise, I am not sure of what to say, except "good luck with the show.

**Rhaven Blaack** · #6 01-16-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airdave

I think your biggest problem is the size of most of your models.
You have some very large pieces.

Donating them to Museums is a great way to keep them from being trashed
and allows you (and others) to still see them.

How you go about getting Museums to consider taking them is a whole other story!

You could open up your own "miniature world" museum?

You could sell them...recover some of your costs and put that back into building more models.
(maybe build smaller ones next time around?)

I definately would not destroy any myself...I'd rather give them away as gifts to friends and family, before I did that.
If it came to that extreme...I would consider selling them at auction, maybe eBay? and take whatever you get.

I would have to agree with you. Your idea is far better then mine.:o:o:o

**Rhaven Blaack** · #7 01-16-2010, 01:50 PM

To answer your question, "You can never have too many models?" I would have to say "NO". Granted, you can run out of room to diplay them, but like Airdave said, you can always donate, sell or just give them away.

**D-H** · #8 01-16-2010, 02:19 PM

Build more shelves...

The Discovery Museum in Newcastle Upon Tyne has a "wall" of shipyard models, it is very, very impressive.

Wish I had more display quality models!

D

**Tim Crowe** · #9 01-16-2010, 02:25 PM

Keep the ones that mean something personal to you or represent the 'best' in class

Either that or get a cat to decide for you.

Tim

**papermodelfan** · #10 01-16-2010, 02:53 PM

What an amazing collection, Mike! The sheer volume of these wonderful buildings is so impressive. How neat to be able to display them at the local museum. Do you live with them this way, distributed around the house, or have they been brought out from storage? They would need more protection in my house. I simply would not have the space.

Space, the final frontier! I like having them around, not somewhere in storage. My collection is mostly aircraft, and I have hung the big ones on threads from the ceiling, and set the smaller ones on clear plastic shelves attached to the walls. Ran out of space recently, so I fitted panels of foamcore to the wall between the shelves, painted them the wall color, and attached some of the planes to them with pins. (You can see that I am partial to reduced scale, to Red River paper, and to seaplanes)

Also have a number of Micromodel sized buildings, that I have handled with shelving - and am now wondering about attaching some of them to them to the wall, so that they are vertical rather than horizontal. This is not bad - some of the larger ones are larger than my shelving, and they may be safer vertical than sticking out horizontally, if I can attach them securely (The black and white is the old test builds of MM UN Building prototypes).

Also have two Very Large Scale Planes with wingspans of nearly a yard, that we hang on the wall backed by a curtain of interesting fabric.

I attach photos of these display strategies