London Model Engineering Exhibition

Hi

Anyone been to the show today, was it worth it.

Thinking of going tomorrow.

Reply to
seacomm
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Just got back.

"Worth it" really depends upon want you want and how difficult it is to get there. It's 20mins from my work so I had a long lunch break! I bought a variety of bits that I needed.

Usual suppliers there - RDG (sorry Mark), Home & Workshop, Tracy Tools, Chronos, College Metals, Proops and many others. Quite a few club stands but none very big - it depends what you want.

Really quite crowded, although John Stevenson who was on the Arc Euro stand, said it was quiet this morning because of travel difficulties.

Charles

Reply to
Charles Ping

I went down today, it was busier than I was expecting (hadn't been before) and up until about 1PM it was difficult to get near the stands.

Once it had thinned out, I had a good look round and even bought a few bits and pieces :-)

Reply to
Duncan Munro

Charles, I must have caught it when it became "un quiet". Queued up at around 11.15 and there must have been 800-1000 people in front of me.

It's a bit of a shame as I deliberately turned up late to avoid the initial rush!

I had a quick chat with JS, and tried to say hello to Lester Caine who also frequents this group, but he had his hands very much full on the couple of times I walked past his stall.

Reply to
Duncan Munro

Thanks Gents

I think I will take a run up there.

I am sure I will find a few things that I simply cannot do without !!

Reply to
Sunny Jim

We must have been in the same queue, which snaked out of the building, down the front stairs and a hundred yards along a narrow muddy verge. I stood for an hour before I actually got in. I then went to the organizer's office and politely observed that the ticket sales debacle was the same as last year and that they seemed to have learned nothing from either their own or others' experiences. The bottleneck was because there were 'only' four people taking money in the ticket booth and I was told that they 'couldn't put on supplementary staff sitting at a table to take money' as 'it was contrary to health and safety and their staff had to be fully protected by glass'. It was pointed out, rightly, that I should have bought a ticket in advance.

Likewise, both John and Lester were far too busy to distract with chat. If I go next year, I shall plan to arrive after two pm with my ticket in my hand. It was almost impossible to get near any trade stand before that time, which really took all the pleasure out of going to the bloody thing in the first place. However, by two I was completely shagged out and started back to Dorset! Will I never learn....roll on Bristol!

--

Chris Edwards (in deepest Dorset) "....there *must* be an easier way!"

Reply to
Chris Edwards

Gentlemen,

I went today and enjoyed it, bought a few bits and pieces and met a few friends, cheap and easy day out especially as I left my Van at a station and used public transport.

Reply to
campingstoveman

Went to the show today, no problems parking or getting in. Quite crowded (14:00Hrs)

Nice to see the show has models in action again with helicopters/ planes flying and trucks, tanks and hovercraft .There was a small boat pool but unfortunately not much action, in fact apart from some nice boats on display and SHG none of the model boat kit firms were there

There were lots of people coming away carrying helicopters these must have been the most popular purchase.

The food was good quality reasonably priced and even served with a smile. Well Done

Hopefully the show will grow more next year we need more good shows like this.

So thats what I thought, did you go, what did you think ?

Reply to
seacomm

I got there at about 10:00. There were one or two traders that I hadn't met before, Including MP Watson of Chingford who had some 22DP gear cutters, a full set apart from a No 5 cutter. and MJ Engineering of Yateley who actually seemed to have silver steel at sensible prices. (assuming that I have correctly remembered who separated me from my money:-). Spent some money on some parting inserts and Her entire stock of CCMT04xxxx inserts with JB Cutting Tools. Had a brief word with Ketan an nodded to JS at ArcEuroTrade.

I was disappointed by the small number of models on display. Have Magicalia got them all held hostage? Other traditional show attractions were noticeable by their absence:- Myford and the SMEE.

It got to the point, at about 14:30, where it was so crowded that I gave up and drove home, since there were no models to look at, to speak of. I probably won't go to any of the London shows again. It isn't worth the cost of travel to go to an overcrowded, small show like this.

Mark Rand RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

It doesnt seem to half as good as when it was at Pickets-lock. Only

fraction of the club stands and far fewer traders. It used to be a good as harogate, but its no where near now.

Steve Larne

-- Steve Larne

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Reply to
Steve Larner

Yes sadly Mark this year we couldn't get a volunteer to manage the stand and make the arrangments.

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

That reminds me - who was the guy demonstrating gear hobbing on the SMEE stand at the Midlands show ?

-adrian

Reply to
Adrian Godwin

Probably Nigel Parkes

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

Its just a model Engineers shopping Mall a mini ME Bluewater with a few dedicated club stands and some recycled models. A real life Ebay.

Alan Jackson

Steve Larner wrote:

Reply to
alan

OK, you don't need my hobber now, then ?

She (Jenny) still hasn't sent my DCMT etc. No real surprise there. I'll get them one day.

It's far too far for me to contemplate going, I'll have to save myself for Harrogate.

Cheers Tim

Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service

Reply to
Tim Leech

I must admit that I'd still much rather hob them if you ever excavate to the back of your shop. the B&S cutters might give me a bit of a chance for slowly building up a set of change gears for cutting metric threads, but they don't tend to be that quick. (says he, who was contemplating cutting the gears on the shaper earlier on!)

Mark Rand RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

It's not a problem, I'll get there in a week or three. I need some change gears for my DSG, but they're too coarse (12DP) for the hobs I can fit on my machine. Annoying, because the gears themselves are not (most of them) too big to go in.

Cheers Tim Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service

Reply to
Tim Leech

Funny how many outdoor events there are which take far more money yet the collectors are protected by nothing more than air, or indoor events where they sit behind nothing more than a table or counter. Still, it must be true because they say so 8-)

Which would mean that if you couldn't attend they have got your money anyway!, sod that. Isn't it amazing how many organisers think they are doing their customers a favour by letting them in, and then wonder why the exhibition business is bleeding to death in this country. Greg

Reply to
Greg

I went on Friday; got there at around 11 and it was packed. I was disappointed with the quantity of models, but not the quality. It wasn't as good as the Harrogate, and there were more traders than at Bristol. Far better than the pitiful ME last winter.

Can't say I agree with your comment about food though. I "eat" at the place next to the entrance, it was appalling. £7.32 for gristly beef curry and rice with a measly portion of veg on a paper plate, plastic cutlery and instant coffee in a paper cup is just a plain rip-off; even more so when there was nowhere to sit!

Reply to
lemel_man

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