The precise stroke of a brush, a careful placement of a decal, and checking a photo to ensure the model matches the real thing; the ACT Scale Modellers’ Society (ACTSMS) members are painstakingly dedicated to their craft. This year, they are celebrating 50 years since the society’s first meeting.  

The group started on a cold August night back in 1972. Around 15 scale model enthusiasts decided to meet in a loungeroom rather than the usual spot, a local hobby shop, to discuss the idea of turning their weekly meetings into a formal club. From there, the group blossomed; in 1978 they were inaugurated and began charging dues. Now, the society is the largest of its kind in Australia with around 140 paying members.

One of its founders, Peter Mahoney was 25 when the society formed and has been involved ever since. Peter fell in love with aircraft when he was around five years old and saw the RAAF flying overheard surveying the Northern Rivers of NSW after a flooding event in 1952. His mother brought him his first kit the same year to keep him occupied.

“It was an old Airfix kit, very basic. I painted it with ordinary household paint I found underneath the house,” Peter says.

Mike Nelms has been a member since 1979 when he was 14 years old. He was gifted his first kit by his father six years before, recalling it was a bomber named Liberator – and he was instantly hooked.

“I am just fascinated by the intricacies of it and how everything worked. I started off being more interested in the technology side of things,” Mike says.

Both the men discovered their love for aircraft at a young age, however it took them in different directions in life. Peter joined the Air Force and went on to have a long a career in Foreign Affairs and Trade, while Mike worked as an aviation writer, historian, and museum curator.

Through it all were the models, except for Peter’s stint in the Air Force when he was too busy to find time to build. Before joining the RAAF, Peter had built 15 models, but says his collecting has gone “ballistic” since leaving. He has made 500 kits, with many hanging from his ceiling and walls, and has hired storage for the nearly 3,000 that are still waiting to be assembled. Even though he knows there is no way he will complete them all, he can’t help but buy more.

“I just got one from the Ukraine, it’s big. That will be one that gets built, I’ve got nowhere else to put it,” Peter says.

At last count Mike had 250 waiting to be built but a couple of new kits arrive each month. He has managed to combine his passion and his work; after spending 22 as an aviation curator at the Australian War Memorial, Mike moved on to Narromine Aviation Museum.

“A lot of the models I make are for that museum; if we don’t have a full-size example of an aircraft that is important, I will make a model of it,” Mike says.

Both men work in the 1:72 scale, which means the model is 72 times smaller than the aircraft or object being replicated. Scales vary between models and people select the one they prefer to work with. Mike says the smallest he has worked with is 1:350.

Peter solely makes military aircraft while Mike will occasionally make a model of something different, such as ships, rockets, and even a replica of his own bicycle. The society welcomes scale replicas of all kinds.  Some people focus on cars, ships, interstellar craft, or Gundam (Japanese robots like those in Transformers) which has grown quite popular, however, model tanks and aircraft dominate.

On rare occasions, a member will make an entire model from scratch by assembling raw materials and cut out all parts themselves.

“It would be really satisfying to build something from scratch but there is no need now because almost everything is available as a kit,” Mike says.

“If it’s in plastic, I am happy,” Peter smiles.

ACTSMS meets once a month in a conference room at the Hellenic Club in Woden. Workshops walk members through different kits, tables are set up for people to show what members have been working on, and competitions are held. Members are invited to vote for their favourite piece being worked on with the winner receiving a prize. Between meets, they can keep up with each other’s progress on the society’s Facebook page.

The time spent making a new model also differs between people. Mike only allows himself one afternoon a week to work on his projects, which means a kit can take up to six months to complete. He is currently working on four different models, which seems to be a common theme. 

“Some, I have been working on for seven years. I have about four or five going at the moment and they are all big, stupid things,” Peter says.

There is no right or wrong way to build a model. Some prefer to work with kits that come pre-painted, while others, like Peter and Mike, believe adding those touches yourself is a vital part of the process. However, their methods differ; Mike uses the airbrushing method liberally, while Peter prefers to use his paintbrush as much as possible.

“Airbrushes back then [when the society started] were spray gun size; my first one had a glass bottle and that was about it. Now, they are complicated; you can get a pencil line if you have it adjusted properly,” Peter says.

“Airbrushes are very tedious; you would think that it would be time saving but it probably takes longer to airbrush than paint. You’ve got to prepare it, get the paint mixed to the right consistency, then clean the airbrush so it doesn’t clog up,” Mike says.

Worried about the fate of the society as most of the members are ageing, they want to reach juniors and show them how rewarding the hobby can be, sometimes even evolving into a career. Mike says women are underrepresented in the society with only three or four women in the 140 members, a ratio they would like to see increase.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to attract a lot of women. I really don’t know why; it’s craft as much as anything else and women are into crafts just as much, probably more so than men. When you think of crotchet and things, it’s similar skills involved,” Mike says.

The society is trying to find any original members or those from the early days who might have fallen out of touch to join in the 50th anniversary celebrations.

Find out more at actsms.asn.au

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