Model Boats, Sept issue - Intermodellbau 2011, Dortmund article

Much too late to go now but this interesting article by Dave Wooley caught my eye.
It seems this show has gone from strength to strength with this year being a submarine theme.Dave suggests that this is is now the top European show. "Sonar" were there in considerable presence also all the traders including Engel.

I went a few years back but unfortunately I'm counting my (very few!)Euros at the moment.

There was an interesting reply to my similar post to this one on Model Boat Mayhem. Apparently this is still the biggest show in Europe but it has fallen from 2 million visitors in the 1990s to 80 to 90000 now.

So the decline in interest in modelling also exists in Germany and continental europe.

Hello everyone,

I can only confirm David's statement - there is a certain decline in interest in modelling also here in Germany and there have been less visitors on the big exhibitions here compared to those 10 years ago. And some model exhibitions have vanished, for example that big exhibition at Hamburg ("Hamburger Modellbautage")that normally took place in november (approx. 40,000 visitors on three days). I had been there with my family and our models together with other members of the submarine modellers club (SONAR) for several years and normally about 40 to 60 submarine models had been on display and/ or running there. And nowadays - nothing more!
At Bremen we had the exhibition "EUROMODELL" for a long time with all kinds of modelling (especially model railways - on each event even magnificient layouts from British railway modellers had been there that I enjoyed very much!). I had been there with the SONAR and we had a large basin to run our models. Visitors had been there in a number of 30,000 to 40,000 on three days. Then 2006 another exhibition organiser took over (the same who organises the exhibition at Karlsruhe and Friedrichshafen) and he had more commercial exhibitors there (Modelling companies like Graupner, robbe...) and for another 4 years we had been there. At last the number of visitors became too small so that the organiser cancelled the 2010 exhibiton and announced the next one for 2011. Eventually he also cancelled the 2011 exhibition and justified this decision by the lack of (wealthy) visitors. For luck the old former organiser of the EUROMODELL will organise a new EUROMODELL in november but we will not have a deep basin so the other SONAR modellers will not be there (only my family and me).

Probably there are a lot of reasons for the decline of interest in modelling. Of course modern entertainment media have their special attractions, also computers. But in my opinion there are other important reasons too that have their origin in our modern and perfect world. Meanwhile you can buy many good ready-to-run models (perhaps not submarines but cars, helicopters and planes). Where is the challenge for the modeller? And do young people still learn practical skills for modelling, how to work with wood or metal? When I was a young boy in the sixtees my parents had not much money and so it was no question to make most of my toys by my own (needed only some paper and card material, a pair of scissors and some glue). And later on I continued with RC models (first with a second hand bought RC-set). Maybe it has become too perfect now and too easy commercial available so that people never experience the big satisfaction you will have with a self made model...
But there is no use to complain - we must face the situation.

Best regards
Hermann
(one of the old fashioned modellers)

Very interesting observations, Hermann.

There seem to be significant factors in common. I had thought that Britain had some unique factors - decline in manufacturing and a decline in apprenticeships but there is an obvious general trend.

It leaves space for us old, scratch builders though! So yes, must not complain.

(Interestingly, David J has just sent me details of the organised coach trip to the Dortmund show in 2012. This goes via ferry (Hull- Rotterdam) and is from the Tuesday to the Sunday the week of the show. Plenty of space in the coach to bring purchases back. The total cost is £390. I went several years ago and enjoyed it. Please pm me if you would like the details.)

Hello David,

the situation in Germany is very similar in several aspects, not only concerning modelling. There is also some decline of manufacturing here, some change from conventional industrial production to service. At Bremen and Bremerhaven there had been several big shipyards (AG Weser, Bremer Vulkan, Schichau, Rickmers) - they all have vanished. There are only some smaller left (Abeking & Rasmussen who build mainly yachts, Luerssen who build mainly military ships and so called megayachts, and the Lloyd shipyard). Far east shipyards can build much cheaper and that makes the difference.
At Dortmund there have been some large steelworks - most of them are demolished and gone.

For some decades technical professions didn't get the notice they really deserve - young people preferred financial or medical jobs or wanted to be lawers and so on instead of beeing engineers or technicians in general. Meanwhile young poeple will be encouraged again for technical or scientific professions, late but hopefully not too late.

Perhaps this can provide a little more interest for modelling...

Best regards
Hermann