The other day I received a prompt for my blog “What are you good at?” Not being confident of all things internet, I put something about my writing. Today though sat here bored, and with my hands still very sore from my burn injuries. I thought I’d try and get something on about my model building. This 1/8 scale model is completely hand built, and took four years to complete. The poem I composed for a local magazine.

The Bentley.

I always remember when I was a kid,

Those massive machines, round a track used to skid,

Dark green they where, so typically British,

Steed of The Avengers had one so daring and stylish!

I learned later of Tim Birkin’s daring adventures,

Racing so fast you’d lose all your dentures,

Bugatti, they called them “The big racing trucks”.

But could they beat them? No they couldn’t my ducks!

Like most boys of old times I built Airfix kits,

When my mum dusted them they all fell to bits,

I grew out of that hobby like most people do,

Then I found models that didn’t need glue,

A company called Pocher, made models for car lovers,

In one eight scale, no Bentley though, just Rolls, Alfa, and others,

I built most of them, they all looked quite natty,

I’d build my own Bentley, I must have been batty!

I started with the radiator, five ways were all tested,

I’d learn to silver solder on that it all rested,

I can’t remember how much brass I turned to putty,

Then finally I had it just before I went nutty.

Then to the wheels, I just could not figure,

The more I thought, the problem got bigger.

I didn’t have a lathe, wheels are round and that’s that,

You can’t make make them from somethings that’s flat.

I used to make things all out of plaster, 

Cornice, fire places, and of domes I was master,

So a rim out of plaster I spun on my old bench of oak,

A mould was made and cast from, then pins for the spokes.

So on it went for year after year,

A hundred times hearing “Are you coming now dear?”

Through lockdown, after lockdown,

Not once laying my tools my tools down.

Are you going to sell it? Is what most people ask!

Well what could be paid for such a monumental Task?

Maybe a thousand, or maybe ten Grand!

For four years of work and all done by hand.