Model Collector Magazine Review.

October 2014 issue I haven't bought a modeling magazine in years and decided to get this one for some light reading and i thought i should do a review on it. This magazine is great with diecast models for sale and some new releases.


There's a great story from Lyndon Davies, MD of Oxford Diecast about starting in the business when he was 16 and working very hard to move his way up the corporate ladder. He was forced to close his doors in the UK because most other manufactures had moved to China, Taiwan, or Japan. He tried to survive in the UK but with other manufactures going over seas he decided to close his UK factory. He has still kept all his passion and quality with diecast models going, still producing great diecast models.

There's also a great review of the Trans-Am cars by Bill Oursier describing the real racing ones and the diecast models. He explains the rarity of some models and the inaccuracies of some. There are some great photos of the models with some explanation on their racing history and model history.
There's also a section for all you plane lovers by Dominic Borrelli. He talks about De Havilland and that they got taking over by Hawker-Siddeley and that Geoffrey De Havilland started in 1920 when engineering was at its beginning. He goes on to explain about some of the early models with some great photos.

Then we get to the legendary Mazda MX5 Mk1 written by Ian Rogers celebrating 25 years of the MX5. He explains about the different types of models from the diecast to the pewter. He explains about the different manufactures and different details that each do. It's great to see that even though the scale is the same there can be different details that are added.

I like the section on the car of the year from the 1970's by Peter Miskelly, starting with the Fiat 128. He talks about the cars that were in close competition with this one for car of the year. 1970 Fiat 128 - A nice small family car with plenty of interior space despite the overall size.
1971 Citroen GS - This four door saloon looked futuristic for its time.

1972 Fiat 127 - Another great Fiat with excellent space for a 3 door with folding seats.

1973 Audi 80 - The early Audis were not known to be a prestigious brand but the Audi 80 started this to rival the BMW.

1974 Mercedes 450 SE/SEL - This big luxury 4.5L V8 was short listed a year after its initial launch.

1975 Citroen CX - This comfy large saloon had advanced hydropneumatic suspension later used in a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
1976 Simca 1307/1308 - Better known as the Chrysler Alpine, this large 5 door hatch had great styling but niggling problems.

1977 Rover 3500 - This 5 door hatch was powered by a powerful Rover V8 and had supercar looks.

1978 Porsche 928 - This started the revolution of the front water cooled engine that was meant to replace the 911.
1979 Simca/Chrysler Horizon - This mid sized car 5 door hatch was essentially a shortened Alpine.
This was a great magazine with some great history on some interesting diecast models and their originsand history.

Custom Camera Backpack

This is not about models but is about constructing something. I wanted a camera bag big enough for all my camera gear plus enough room for a jumper, laptop or tablet and a drink. I went looking at all major and discount camera shops and even online but still the price was to much for me. I then thought that i should just make my own for much cheaper.

I had a hiking backpack that I didn't use very often so I decided to convert this into a camera bag. You can use cheaper laptop bags, but make sure the zip goes all the way to the bottom so you can open it up to see all your gear and for ease of access. You want to make sure that the size of the bag is big enough for the gear you want to carry, also allowing some room for the foam.


The first thing I did was gather all my gear together that I wanted in the bag and worked out how I wanted it layed out. I then measured the internals of the bag and drew up a rough sketch to work out how much foam to buy.


I went looking online for a foam supplier that fitted my budget and had the right foam. I got a few quotes and found that the more pieces I ordered the more they would charge per piece (what I thought was extra charge for cutting each piece). So I worked out what sizes I needed and then what sizes would work for me without to much wastage per piece.

I worked out that 40mm thick form would add enough padding and support to the bag but not take up to much space. I asked a few foam suppliers about what type of foam I should use and they suggested a firm foam with some sponginess to it. I didn't care what colour it was as i was then going to cover it in some fabric.

Once I had my foam I could then re measure my bag to confirm I had the sizes right allowing for the thickness of the foam. Once the foam was cut I test fitted it just to make sure it fitted nice and snug. Once I had tested the foams fit I could then start covering the foam in some fabric.

I used some cheap pillow cases, but you can use whatever you like to cover it with. I found that for my size bag 2 pillow cases was just enough without to much excess. If you can use a sewing machine then that is a great option, but since I'm not very competent with one so I just used a hot glue gun. This works great and is a great alternative to a sewing machine. I also got some wide velcro to attach the pieces to create the sections just in case I wanted to change it later. I used the hook velcro (soft) on the outer pieces (the ones that come in contact with the camera/lenses) and the hook velcro on the other pieces. The best option is to get self stick velcro but the cheaper option is the sew on velcro and that is what I used. You can use a hot glue gun to attach the velcro but I used a needle and thread to make sure it was attached firmly enough.

After measuring the fabric and cutting it to size I glued it to the foam making sure it was tight enough. It was like wrapping a present and fairly easy, making sure the foam was nice and snug. One the foam was all covered and the velcro was attached I inserted it into the bag and did a final test fit with all my gear.

The bag cost me about $150, but I have had it for about 3 years and it has been used many times but now I don't see a need for it. So it was a perfect bag to convert into a camera bag. The foam cost about $60 including postage and the pillow cases cost about $5. There are cheaper bags around and cheaper foam suppliers but my bag has plenty of support for the extra weight. It also is excellent for using all day as it is a hiking pack with a kidney belt and a chest strap.


When you choose the right bag you also need to think about what you are going to be doing with your camera, eg long walks, or short car trips. If you are going to be doing long walks or hikes I would recommend a specialized hiking pack that has the right support. If you think you are only going to be doing short walks and car trips then a computer bag might be suitable. You will need to think about what gear you would like to buy in the future and wether the bag size will cope.

This has saved me about $100 and I have a camera backpack that is specific to my gear and how I want it laid out. It also doesn't look like a camera bag and has more padding then a commercial one, protecting my camera and gear more when traveling.