My name is Gareth Evans, and I live in the midlands of England. For nearly 20 years I worked as an IT Advisor for students at Staffordshire University, before stepping back and taking on a back office admin role, still at Staffs. I now work part time, giving me much more time to pursue my scale modelling hobby.
Like many kids in the 70s and 80s I spent a good few weekends building an Airfix kit, usually on the kitchen table at my grandparents’ house, usually started during World of Sport on Saturday, usually completed before the end of Songs of Praise on Sunday evening, and usually with a huge gluey fingerprint on one of the clear parts. They were rarely painted (I loved the old Matchbox kits with their multi-coloured sprues!), with just the decals (or ‘transfers’ as they were called then!) applied to the bare plastic. I continued building until my late teens, when I went off to university and simply didn’t have time any more. I didn’t pick the hobby back up again when I’d finished studying, and although my models got lost in the numerous house moves of a student I kept all my tools and paints. (I’m still using some of the original Xtracolour range from around 1990!) I often thought of starting again, and in 2009 I decided to have a go at a Revell 1/72 Hunter, and I was hooked again.
My wife Sarah was understandably reluctant to have the, sometimes, pungent smells of glue, paint and filler around the house, so I initially set up in the cellar. It was nice to have a dedicated space, but it was a bit grim down there. After twelve months I knew I was going to be modelling for a long time and so with a very limited budget (about three hundred quid) I set about fitting out the ancient shed we had inherited when we bought our house. My dad was on holiday with us and he did a load of work for me, turning a creaky old thing with light showing through the walls in to a proper den.
In 2017 we decided the garden needed a total makeover and Sarah suggested a new shed was a good idea. The lovely people at https://olympiangardenbuildings.co.uk/ built me a new shed in less than four hours. After some DIY painting a local carpenter installed lots of shelves and two (TWO!) benches and we were back in business.
Ten years later modelling is a daily activity, taking place in my purpose built shed at the bottom of the garden. Not least because of the unexpected effect on my mental health. Spending several hours totally absorbed in the modelling process is a perfect therapy for an over-thinking, anxious mind. Since then I’ve made some great friends, and regularly display my work at shows around the country, most recently with the lovely people from http://www.allscalemodeller.com, and been awarded medals in competitions. I’ve posted numerous work in progress threads on various forums and Facebook and thought it was about time I moved everything to one place.
My main area of interest is centred on the Falklands War, mostly 1/48 aircraft but also ground vehicles and figures, but I’ll build anything that takes my fancy. I love the Bandai series of Star Wars kits for a break from the norm.
latibuliser.com 