Models and Miniatures exhibition on the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology

What's nice with the Holidays this year is that I finally had some time off for several days in a row. I find visiting museums both interesting and relaxing, so this was a good time to finally visit the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in Oslo and have a look at their new temporary 'Models and Miniatures' exhibition. I've kind of missed such an exhibition in Norway after Mark wrote about his participation in the exhibition 'Come as you really are'.

The dollhouse in the background is a full size model of the dollhouse in the front. It was large enough to allow kids to play in it 

The original model of the Norwegian Royal Palace as it was planned. Due to economic challenges in Norway at the time only the centerpiece (with a wing each side) was built.

Norwegian toys from the 50ies and as they were made long into the 70ies. The Bobsleigh is still in production in it's original form. I got found memory of these. 

Now we're moving away from the toy-like part of the exhibition to the more model like. Here is a couple of old Airfix kits

The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology has a large collection of models. The airship is a model of the one used by Roald Amundsen (the first guy on South Pole in 1911) to fly over the North Pole in 1926. The Gloster Gladiator is the fighterplane in service when Norway entered WW2 the 9th of April 1940.

Kids (and grown ups as well I suppose) could race  on a pretty large Slot-car race track.

Old Scalextric cars, scenery and catalogues was displayed next to the race track

There was also a display with old and new (er) model railways rolling stock in different scales collected from the different layouts the museum has had through it's history. Too bad many of these layouts doesn't exist anymore

The Nohab H0-model in the foreground is a model from one of the museums 'old' layouts, but is not a really old model. The model of the O gauge steam locomotive in the background on the other hand is a really old one, as it was scratch built for a O gauge model railway at the museum in the mid 50ies. Too bad the layout was scrapped when the museum moved in the mid 80ies, and these items are some few of it remains.

This was an interesting corner of the exhibition as it was dedicated to wargaming in different periodes and genres like historical and fantasy

How wargame miniatures are mainly made with tin moulding at top, plastic injection in the middle, and 3D-printed at the bottom

From the historical display...

...the miniatures looked like to be Prince August in about 40mm

They also had a small display of more modern miniatures in 15mm and 28mm. I actually thought '28mm' was closer to 1:56 scale than to 1:64 scale as the sign states

Ancient miniatures. They looked really good. It was difficult to get good photos of the fantasy miniatures due to bright light and reflections.

When I finally got to visit the Science and Technology museum, it's well worth to look at their other more permanent exhibitions as well:

In 1954 there was made a (not to scale) model of a typical Norwegian industrial society. The model was trafficked with old H0-trains from Märklin. The tracks have been changed, but this layout has actually been in service more or less ever since it was built:

The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology has also bought a 'new' large H0-scaled layout (from a closed automobile museum):

The layout has several different cameos:

I'm not sure which movie this actually is...

Seems that someone's been a good boy or girl this year.

I'm not sure how this exhibition is compared to 'Come as you really are', but perhaps Mark can give a clue? 

The 'Models and Miniatures' exhibition is just a temporary one, but the museum actually plaans to have it open through 2025. -Perhaps even longer....

So if you're in Oslo this year and have som leisure time, I really recommend you to pay the 'Norsk Teknisk Museum' a visit.

Wargame in a Wee Matchbox? What will fit a Matchbox? #2

It's not only about to find a small and easy wargame scenario and rules, but what will actually fit a Wee Matchbox?

1:72 scale figures are about the smallest I have, so I thought it was natural to see if I could use any of them.-But the matchbox get stuffed when you want to fit a number of them inside and when adding some dice both for shooting and health points too. -This was even when using my 'smallest' dice and before trying to add any ruler or rules...
A traditional wargame with a number of 1:72 scale miniatures and some dice could almost fit, but seems to be out of the question for now, or....??

Recently I've been playing a game of 'One-Hour Skirmish Wargames' (I will eventually post a battle report here, but postponed it to join this challenge), and thought that it perhaps could be simplified to fit a matchbox as it doesn't require many miniatures. I found a 'mini' card-deck in a shop, but even being small it was about the size of the Wee Matchbox it self. -And to play OHSW you do actually need 2 decks. So that option was now eliminated:

So I was trying to 'think outside of the box' and make a little different wargame; In H.G. Wells style shooting down small (paper) miniatures with a small (3D-printed) working cannon:

Despite being small, the Cannon didn't fit my Wee Matchbox (so this was also out of the question), but the paper miniatures (and shells) did however. I've used paper miniatures from Junior General before, so I'll think they might be part of my solution to this challenge. I was more impressed by, however, the power of the cannon and the fact that the working cannon, which was spring loaded, could be printed in one piece and without any supports. I don't think it would work to try printing a smaller version of it as the firing pin would be too fragile.

When coming to game mechanics it seems like there will have to be something traditional after all. I'll just have to overcome the challenges with fitting multiple dice, ruler and rules...

Please follow this blog for coming updates on the Wargame in a Wee Matchbox Challenge.

Wargame in a Wee Matchbox? Challenge Accepted #1

I belive this challenge to fit a complete wargame into a Wee Matchbox came into being through a dialogue between Alan and Mark in the comment-section on their excellent blogs, The Duchy of Tradgardland and The Man of Tin Blog respectively. Very soon they invited others to join the challenge as well. 

In June I 3D-printed a small 'travel dice-tower' and tried to make a QRS of the rules for using during a game of One Brain Cell Toy Soldier wargame outside. Since then I've been tweaking to make it even smaller and easier to carry along, so I purchased smaller dice to fit in numbers (12 to be exactly) inside the tower when on the go, and the smallest tape-measure I could find. All just to try making a 'portable wargame (no pun intended) arrangement' which would be easy to bring along for wargaming outside battles. 

Even being small, it's far away from from fit a Matchbox and particularly not a Wee one. So, is it possible at all to make it even smaller and to fit a wargame in a Wee Matchbox??

So how small (or large) is exactly a Norwegian Wee Matchbox, as these are crucial limitations to this challenge?

Outer dimensions are 57mm x 37mm x 17mm. Gee, that's small (!). I don't know how these dimensions match up against it's British counterparts? How large are your Wee Matchboxes?

Already thinking about making wargames small and portable, I was really tempted to join this challenge, and when Alan suggested a deadline within December I decided to postpond a couple of other projects and wargames to join this challenge(!)

So before setting off I just needed to repeat the limitations in this challenge:

• The rules have to be in the (Wee) box, or written on it.
• Everything needed, except playing surface, to be in the box. -So no support of online rules or 'dice-apps' to save space...

As most of my wargaming has a 'budget approach' I decided that this should be no exception.

Now I need to start thinking about suitable scenarios and rules. It must be something simple, yet interesting. Some kind of duel perhaps? By the way, are 'home brewed' rules accepted?

Meanwhile it's very inspiring and informative to follow Alan and Mark at The Duchy of Tradgardland and Man of TIN blog and their development and how they tackle this challenge. I encourage other wargamers to attend to this challenge. 

Wargame in a Wee Matchbox? Challenge accepted! 
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The reason that time was a factor among other things to me attending this challenge, was that I've been away, and more or less off line from internet an hobbies, for the whole week visiting my oldest Son in Ålesund where he studies. I visited the old Devold factory close to Ålesund were there is a big H0 model railway display claiming to be the biggest in Norway. They are about to open a section of the nearby Rauma Line from Åndalsnes to Dombås, which the real thing was opened 100 years ago this Saturday:

This is the New Rauma Line Section

From Åndalsnes. Not completely finished yet

All the buildings are scratch built after the prototypes

Kylling Bridge

They also have a small section from the old and closed Flakvands line:

Even if it's a Norwegian model railway, they also have a small Danish section:

Another cool feature on their model railway

Due to it's soon December and Christmas. they invites local schools and kindergartens to make Gingerbread-buildings to a 'Gingerbread Village' with G-scale trains. It's yet early of the season so there was not so many Gingerbread buildings yet, but the LGB-trains were already running:

If you are in the area of Ålesund I highly recommend you to take a tripp with the Rauma line as it's one of the most scenic railway-journeys in Norway, and please pay the model railway at the Devold Factory a visit as well if you're there on a Saturday.

Now I'm off to make a closer study of my matchbox....