Category: Hobby Room

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

17/3/2025

Boxes are the bane of a big model collection, and owning over 3,400 models means storage is a problem. Fortunately, I got my loft boarded so can store the model boxes up there, but I realised recently that although my boxes were nicely stored, associating them with the models would be a nightmare if I wasn't available to do it.

3 Comments

Lightbox, Camera, Action?

14/5/2024

2 Comments

I am happy to admit I am not a very skilled photographer and, with the volume of model photos I take, I need a quick solution for decentish shots. I'm not looking to win any prizes, just be able to take a lot of passable photos in a short time for use at the site and as a record of my collection. With that in mind is a cheap lightbox a good solution?

2 Comments

A New Hangar @ The New House

21/1/2022

2 Comments

Apologies for the lack of material over the past few weeks, as many of you know I've been moving back to the UK from New Zealand with my family after 16 good years in Aotearoa. The internet was connected yesterday at the new house and so I am officially back on line and ready for 2022. Of course a big part of this will be the arrival of the model collection and the creation of a new hangar space.

2 Comments

Indonesia Ahoy: Starting A New Collection

18/9/2020

5 Comments

Given the number of models I own I really ought not to be starting new areas of the collection, but the post-deregulation period in developing nations has always been of real interest to me and Indonesia in particular is super interesting. In recent years there has been a nice selection of relatively obscure releases made, often in partnership with retailers, and even though I know I shouldn't have recently I started an Indonesian fleet too.

5 Comments

The Final Hangar Addition

3/9/2020

3 Comments

It has been clear for sometime that my 400 scale collecting has gotten well out of hand and of course with lots of models you need lots of box storage and lots of display cabinets. Just this past week or two I have slotted in what is potentially the final piece in the hangar display system and which has finally allowed me to retire my first cabinet. Read on for a tour of the changes to the US part of the fleet.

3 Comments

Collection Changes Pt2: US Refit

25/8/2018

0 Comments

At its heart my collection has always had a core of models representing the USA from the end of WW2 until the year 2000. However, in recent years the primary growth areas of my collection have been non-US and to a degree the older part of the collection has been a little ignored. It seems only right therefore that the final part of the redesign of my hangar space returns to where it all began – in the USA.

0 Comments

Collection Changes Pt1: Reshuffling Asia

21/8/2018

0 Comments

Sometimes it appears, to my wife at least, that I am constantly rearranging the layout of the Yesterday’s Airlines hangar space. This is partly true but mainly I’d like to think due to the slightly ad hoc way I come across new display cabinets rather than just my own internal mania. Anyway, since I last updated on the status of the hangar there have been two rearrangements and now the display space is looking topnotch.

In this part I take a look at the new cabinet that allowed me to reshape the storage of the Asian fleet and free up space in the benchtop cabinets.

0 Comments

Home Sweet Home: Manufacturer House Colours

4/3/2018

3 Comments

Given the ever expanding size of my 1:400 collection I probably ought not to be expanding into new collection areas, however I obviously can't help myself. My latest foray takes me into the territory of manufacturer house colours and has been bolstered by some excellent releases from Phoenix, JC Wings and Panda recently.

3 Comments

New Dowse National: The Sixties Reborn

28/2/2018

0 Comments

Since I moved house in 2016, despite having a lot more space for the hangar, my first 1:400 scale model airport had to be taken to pieces. This has left a gap in my dioramas that I'm keen to refill. Changes to my layouts last year have given me the opportunity re-establish a small layout in the same chronological era and so Dowse National is reborn. This post represents the first part in recreating a snapshot of the 60s.

0 Comments

Hong Kong Breaks Away: The Cathay Problem Pt2

10/10/2017

2 Comments

Back in May I attempted to resolve the issue that my growing Cathay Pacific Group fleet was causing inside the existing cabinets of my collection. The resolution I came up with at the time was distinctly short term but nonetheless, even though I should have known it wasn't going to have much longevity about it, it was an important stepping stone towards a more permanent solution as described here.

2 Comments

Yesterday's Airlines Hangar Update Part 2

17/8/2017

2 Comments

My collection started out entirely focused on the USA and specifically the US regulated era from about 1950-1980. Of my 1534 models the US part of Yesterday's Airlines still consists of a big chunk of the collection - 641 models in fact. I like to display by airline fleet and this has created some challenges especially when this part of the collection has been stored in a variety of different cabinets. In this part of my hangar update I take a look at how the US collection has been upgraded recently.

2 Comments

Yesterday's Airlines Hangar Update Part 1

15/8/2017

2 Comments

My 1/400 collection continues to grow apace and demand more space, whilst at the same time I see ways that I can try and make the presentation better also. I am keen not to increase the footprint of the collection itself and that means finding innovative new ways to fit in more models without spending much $$. Here are some of my latest efforts spread across three posts.

In part 1 I look at the non-US section of the collection.

2 Comments

The Cathay Pacific Problem

8/5/2017

5 Comments

My collection continues to expand at a steady rate of about 10 models a month and yet I have sworn to myself that the footprint of my collection will not expand beyond its already impressive area at Yesterday's Airlines central. This poses some issues and requires creative methods to find new spots to place models, as the collection inexorably approaches 1500 aircraft in 1/400 scale. Cathay Pacific's placement has been a long standing issue.

5 Comments

Yesterday's Airlines Mk3.5

22/11/2016

2 Comments

When I installed the glass cabinets in place of the open shelves it was clear there was still room for some extra shelving. Even though that was only 3 months ago the ever expanding size of the collection has meant that already I have made some changes to the layout and at the same time taken advantage of a few good opportunities to improve the area as well. Here's an update.

2 Comments

Yesterday's Airlines Mk3

11/8/2016

0 Comments

Following the cat-astrophe Yesterday's Airlines has been reborn again. If Mk1 encompasses the many iterations of the original hobby room and Mk2 was the new house hangar then Mk3 is the first time that the majority of the collection has been gotten behind glass into display cabinets. Hopefully from here it'll be protected and kept free of dust. With the collection approaching 1300 units it has come just in time and after a few weeks of uncertainty I can get back to blog posts and box opening.

0 Comments

<<Previous

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

Lightbox, Camera, Action?

A New Hangar @ The New House

Indonesia Ahoy: Starting A New Collection

The Final Hangar Addition

Collection Changes Pt2: US Refit

Collection Changes Pt1: Reshuffling Asia

Home Sweet Home: Manufacturer House Colours

New Dowse National: The Sixties Reborn

Hong Kong Breaks Away: The Cathay Problem Pt2

Yesterday's Airlines Hangar Update Part 2

Yesterday's Airlines Hangar Update Part 1

The Cathay Pacific Problem

Yesterday's Airlines Mk3.5

Yesterday's Airlines Mk3

Author

This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.

Archives

Categories

Author

This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.​

Archives

Categories

This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.