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Compass 360 - This month's news round up
USS Enterprise Prize Draw - Your chance to WIN Revell's Platinum Edition USS Enterprise CVN-65 kit
Every picture tells a story - In this month's MB Q&A we talk to crime novelist and talented modeller Chris O'Donoghue
Plastic magic: Kandahar - Phil Button explains how he transformed a tatty plastic Grimsby trawler kit built model into a fully working little R/C charmer
A most secret submarine - Nicek Brown tells the fascinating backstory of the experimental X-l and his own person mission to make her resurface in model form
The Guardian - Scanning the horizon for potential builds? Fraser Gray explains why this survey and crew tender vessel may be just what you're looking for
Supermarine Walrus - Ashley Needham, a scratch builder never afraid to explore whether an idea actually has wings by testing the water, explains how he achieved his objective with this non-flying, flying boat
Plunder like a pirate: Part 2 - Richard Simpson continues his look at the wealth of repurposeable and adaptable goodies worth raiding other sectors of the hobby market for
A beginner's guide to sailing - New to the hobby? Life-long skipper John Bailey shares some helpful advice for those wanting to get started
Boiler Room - Richard Simpson provides some useful pointers on selecting the right pump type
Soobrazitelnyy - Dave Wooley continues his 1:72 scale build of the new Russian multi-purpose Soobrazitelnyy corvette
Servo sorcery. Part 1 - Glynn Guest takes the mystic out of the 'magic'
Buy the book - John Deamer recommends some great new titles for your bookshelf
Scrap box challenge - Paul Davidson shares details of a thrifty lockdown project that may just encourage you to get a bit more creative when it comes to recycling
Your models - The launch party everyone's invited to, where we showcase your pondside icebreakers
Your letters - Views aired and information shared
Firstly, albeit belatedly, best wishes fora happy, healthy New Year!
It's probably a sign of getting old but, for me, over the past decade or so the years seem to have rushed by with nothing of any major significance differentiating one from another - and then, 2020... A year none of us will ever forget. A year which immediately brings to mind that expression "May you live in interesting times" (believed to have originated from an old Chinese curse). A year where it felt as if we'd all been cast in some epic science fiction movie. A year that took a heavy toll in terms of anxiety, separation and loss. A year where it became abundantly clear it's the hard working and for way too long undervalued key workers, not the big decision makers, that really hold our country together. Ayearthat saw us re-evaluating everything.
Hopefully, in 2021, the newly developed vaccine be swiftly be rolled out, do its job and allow us to try and get back to some kind of normality. But maybe the sudden, dramatic changes to our lifestyle imposed by the pandemic over the past 12 months will have served as a much needed wake-up call. Prior to the pandemic, I think most of us (myself included) were probably too busy to really pay much attention to the comparatively gradual shift in the landscape that's been taking place during our lifetime, or indeed our own personal carbon footprints within it - right down to silly little things like taking for granted our supermarkets will stock strawberries in mid-winter. Remember how as children meals were made from whatever locally grown and in season produce was available? I can't even pinpoint now when that ceased to be the norm.
Round about now, I guess you're wondering: "What the hell has all this got to do with model boats?". Well, it's certainly increased my appreciation of how very special this hobby is in a society so obsessed with instant gratification, and, likewise, how important it is that we find a way of ensuring not just the hand-on skills and know-how are kept alive and passed on to future generations but also the associated virtues of pragmatism, patience and attention to detail. Answers on a postcard, please!
In the meantime, this issue is simply packed with shared ideas, knowledge and nifty techniques, not to mention some truly inspirational end results.
Enjoy! Lindsey
