Essay
They can't even spell "modeler" right? Just kidding, this is a British publication; they can spell "modeler" anyway they choose across the pond in this profusely illustrated glossy monthly.
Again, Why Read Continental Modeller? Well, just turn to page 155 of their March 2021 issue and you will see why. Page 155 shows a layout that depicts the masonry around a future canal lock as it is under construction. This is a very sophisticated modeling technique - depicting the passage of time.
When I broach the subject of subscribing to overseas modeling magazines with friends, the objection I hear most often is "I am not interested in foreign prototypes". At first blush, it is a reasonable objection. Stop to think about it a bit and one should conclude that what we derive from a modeling article has little to do with prototype or even scale. What we enjoy is witnessing innovative techniques of presentation or craftsmanship. I am not interested in European prototypes per se but that does not stop me from drawing inspiration form modeling efforts on that side of the Atlantic. It goes without saying that in the United States canal building was once prevalent - so the lessons learned from the MeTiers Du canal could be applied to an American prototype layout. Indeed, the inspiration could be even more broadly applied to modeling any large civil engineering project underway.
Another article in this March 2021 issue also inspired me. Author Gerolf Peeters describes a group project built in Belgium in N scale (1:160) to participate in a layout competition. As best as I could read, I could not make out exactly which club members joined in on this project. The period modeled is the interwar period between World Wars I and II. Particularly inspiring is that the team managed to build the layout within a suitcase - particularly inspiring for those of us facing space challenges.
So how did I get my copy? Well, my friend Gary Eames and I swap magazines we subscribe to. I don't subscribe to Continental Modeller but Gary does. Don't want to lay out the bucks for a subscription? Work some magazine arrangement with a friend - you won't be sorry. It won't hurt either to arrange a monthly lunch with said buddy at your favorite eating spot.
I buy it when I can but VERY few places in the US carry it and subscriptions are insanely expensive here. I find something new in each issue I find
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