Model maker builds reputation

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This article was published 23/09/2010 (5607 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

That Tom Morgan is one of the top model builders in the city shouldn’t come as a surprise — he’s a retired surgeon who is used to dealing with the intricacies of the human body.

The skills Morgan used in his former career have proven invaluable when it comes to his hobby.

“With tissue, unless you’re an eye surgeon, you’ve got several millimetres or you just stretch things or push them together and they heal,” says Morgan, 56, who lives in Osborne Village.

Part of his interest in model building comes from growing up as an army brat and moving all over North America during his formative years, he says.

The other part comes from the intensive nature of being a surgeon and needing a hobby to unwind.

“I found it very relaxing. Other people I guess would find it tedious, but whatever turns your crank,” he laughs.

Morgan has won numerous awards for his work on 1:48 scale First World War aircrafts and vehicles in national and international competitions.

He won three more, including Best in Show, at the Valourcon 2010 model expo that was held on Sept. 18 at the St. James Legion Branch No. 4.

Rob Schaepe, president of the International Plastic Modellers Society Winnipeg Chapter, says it was the first model expo in the city in approximately 15 years. It’s something he hopes becomes a regular event.

Awards were handed out in 11 different categories, and Schaepe said approximately 200 people attended the event.

Schaepe says there are 65 members of the IPMS Winnipeg Chapter, but there’s always room for more.

“I’m really trying to bring our club to the forefront because there’s a lot of closet modellers out there that don’t belong to a club,” says Schaepe, who lives in Silver Heights.

Schaepe says it can be a tough sell to get people to join because of the solitary nature of model building.

“Not everyone likes to be social. Modeling is a very reclusive hobby,” he says.

While the hobby can be isolating at times, members of the model-building community are quick to share information. Schaepe says there is a wealth of information available on the Internet and at hobby shops throughout the city.

“I would say that it’s never been better for the guys involved in it in terms of what’s out there and in terms of product and information,” he said.

Morgan says the local climate is one of the reasons why Winnipeg produces so many top-shelf model makers. The long, cold winters tend to force many Winnipeggers indoors.

Morgan says that while model building can sometimes require an even greater level of manual dexterity and hand-to-eye co-ordination than surgery, there is far more at risk in the former than the latter.

“You don’t think twice about cutting a piece of plastic and you have to be much more sure of yourself during surgery,” he says.

Morgan says the key to being a good model builder is to have steady hands and lots of patience.

“These things don’t do well if you throw it against a wall,” he says.

The IPMS Winnipeg holds monthly meetings and all are invited to attend and join. For more information, visit www.ipmswinnipeg.ca.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com