It has been the standard for years. In the second or third weekend of November the Hobby and Leisure Fair takes place at the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden. Numerous crafts, buildings, miniature format and collections are shown to the numerous visitors. They all have one or more specific reasons for paying the rate for the admission ticket. And then full of expectation to view the exhibited.
For me, this fair finds its appeal in the variety of miniature-sized cars, which appear almost every year in the same composition from the numerous boxes and storage boxes. They are carefully displayed every year. And every year I am surprised again at the extent to which some exhibitors succeed in captivating me. The love for a certain car brand (Ford and DAF!), The magic of SIKU, and the romance of transport vehicles from earlier years are meticulously conveyed.
A number of model builders and miniature collectors, not infrequently affiliated with NAMAC, again demonstrated lifelike and well-known scale models of trucks and transport combinations that used to take care of road freight transport. Some models are indistinguishable from real-life examples, and that eye for detail goes really far, right down to the tying of the ropes that held the cargo together.
The LEGO enthusiasts will also find their way - partly car-technical. This year, Ludo van der Veen took his LEGO components, Dodge Charger and Plymouth Fury (both in the 1 on 5 scale and good for 10 kilos in weight), to the WTC Expo halls. In both cases, it took the Frisian a year to build these models. He provided it with a working transmission, working drive, working air-suspension, flawless steering and a reliable engine. The secret? Compressed air, insight and patience. Millimeter work is the deciding factor for the reliability of LEGO technology. You can make anything from LEGO.
The precision work and the truthfulness come to the fore with various model and miniature builders. Everything must be right and it does so regularly. Whether it's the right light, the confirmation of cargo, the exact license plate, the right patina or the exact imitation of the fonts: the shown is often pure craftsmanship. A hobby that people like to talk about. Great craftsmanship in pocket format that tells that modeling and detailing is used with such care and dedication that the question is justified whether the 1: 1 models are not derived from the smaller models, rather than the other way around.
It is the charm of collecting. From perfecting the collection. Just add that one model. Just have a look on Facebook page “Who still collects model cars?” Certainly there the sustainability of the hobby seems to be guaranteed forever. Collecting and building scale models means creating your own world. Working on a return to the fifties and sixties, which are always within reach by the models. The construction of and on its own fleet of vehicles, which in miniature format makes the preference for the real products of a manufacturer in all diversity tangible.
The miniature hobby provides a form-fitting alibi to dream away. To relax cocooning from the crazy world in which we live. These are aspects that bring the miniature and model making hobby into an almost therapeutic atmosphere. A hobby that also demonstrates the importance of the car and the preservation of our heritage. And keep us forever young.