Misguided Article in a Model Magazine?

[spined]

Dec 26, 2016 15:09:35 GMT SteveW said:

Guys,
Years back when I did subscribe to ME someone wrote in and complained about the magazine advertising plans/drawings for a scaled Gatling Gun. The complainant thought this to be counter to the aims and objectives of a magazine that from my point of view was dedicated purely to the recurring theme of knackered old models of long gone locomotives. The possibility that some old guy would buy the drawings, build it, somehow source a load ammunition and then go hold up a Post Office made me smile. Happily, I've seen a number of beautifully made model Gatling Guns at MEXs, perhaps two fingers to the PC brigade and the then ME editor.

I for one would have been very interested in a set of drawings for a Gatling Gun and I wrote in an said so. I didn't really want to build one, just see how all the tricky bits got solved. A couple of other brave souls also wrote in supporting me. Unfortunately the old lady in editorial charge capitulated to political correctness supported by another old lady from Somerset and the cause was lost. The correspondent also put the kiss of death on ever seeing articles on building atomic bombs appearing in ME. Poor chap. That one is well out of the bag but like sourcing ammunition for a scale Gatling Gun, plutonium doesn't grow on trees and is becoming tougher to get than rocking horse poo.

Interestingly, I see all sorts of non-locomotive items in really old ME magazines. Would be interested to know when 'Model' became locked to steam locomotives, similarly for 'Engineer'. Somewhere between then and now the term "Engineer" ceased to described someone who had to wash his hands BEFORE using the loo because he had to. Now, "Engineer" is restricted to folk that wash their hands AFTER using the loo because someone told them to.

ME has sort of been hijacked by nostalgia for old steam locomotives. Perhaps there is space for someone's reminisces of times long gone when this country had a truly independent missile capability along with all the other long lost engineering successes of times past. Do not forget, it was someone's skill at making actuate navel gun barrels that made steam engine cylinders possible. Should be we also remove the Spitfire from our history because it was made to kill Germans? I think not. However, lets have more engineering.

Just for accuracy here. ME carried small ads for drawings from the US for a Gatlin gun. The Home Office asked for that to be stopped. It was stopped. As you would expect.

[SteveW]

Jan 8, 2017 14:33:53 GMT spined said:

Dec 26, 2016 15:09:35 GMT SteveW said:

Guys,
Years back when I did subscribe to ME someone wrote in and complained about the magazine advertising plans/drawings for a scaled Gatling Gun.....

Just for accuracy here. ME carried small ads for drawings from the US for a Gatlin gun. The Home Office asked for that to be stopped. It was stopped. As you would expect.

Fair point but still a shame I missed being able to get and see a copy the the drawing set. I did get to buy a copy of both the Bently BR2 Rotary Engine book and drawing set which may also become an issue in around hundred and fifty years along with coal fired locomotives when pollution levels become extreme.

Clearly we live in troubled times and I recall rumours that worries were raised about the army of little old men across the country all having access to the tooling necessary to convert benign items into real weapons. I also recall not long after the Gatling Gun thing there was a nice little item in ME featuring building a Naval Gun by someone who had to look after a real one. I guess similar to someone writing about their experiences with early missiles. I did cycle into town in an attempt to buy the offending issue but life had moved on. I ended up buying the then current issue.

Just looked up "Nuclear Bomb" and there's loads of information out there but have never felt the urge to want to make one. However, I will continue to maintain a broad interest in things that might hurt me so that I can recognise them when I see them coming at me.

[chris vine]

An old friend once told me that he had an uncle, before the war, who built a model battle ship which he used to "sail" on a lake.

It had working turrets which rotated and elevated in a sort of random way with an electric motor - it fired .22 blanks. Occasionally, apparently, Uncle would put live rounds in, and then you had to keep a pretty low profile as you never knew where or when they would fire.

I cannot vouch for the veracity of this story but, knowing the old gentleman, nothing would surprise me!!
Changed days...

Chris.

[Deleted]

I made working ship guns when I was very much into R/C Warships...never fired rounds on the lake but used to play around in my model shop blowing holes through plywood...didn't fire if any customers were in the store...well except for the regular nutters like myself... played around with depth charges too to deal with those pesky submarines....

Pete