The Toy Collectors: 'I probably have between 4,000 and 5,000 military pieces'
With Quinn His And Cars, Dan Of Model Work Noel Room Selection A Linehan His Soldiers Tanks In Pictures: Motorbike
It's not just kids who have toys on their Santa list this Christmas, as renowned veteran collector Noel Quinn shows.
The military model enthusiast is a reminder you’re never too old for playtime. The soon-to-be pensioner, who turns 66 next February, said as long as he has the use of his eyesight and hands he will continue to pursue his passion.
Noel’s fascination with model making and all things military-themed began when he was six years old and he received a metal Meccano set.
“You have to put it into perspective,” he said. “Our generation had no mobile phones. We had no internet or anything like that so we were always trying to think of different ways to occupy ourselves.”
Over the years, his passion has taken many forms, including a toy shop on Watercourse Road in Cork City.
“The shop was called Boats, Planes and Trains. It was around 1987. I had a motorcycle shop on one side and a toyshop on the other. It wasn’t the kind of toyshop you could just walk into and spend money in. These were expensive models that I used to build and race.
"Any of the stock that I didn’t sell in the toyshop was mine to keep and that’s probably why I loved doing what I did. It was more of a hobby than anything else. These were just the things I did in life.
"Back in the day, we used to race model cars in the Arcadia. Businesses often commissioned me to build model Ford Mondeos with the company colours and logos on them.”
Noel’s models, many of which he builds from scratch, have cost him in the thousands.
“A lot of what I have comes from Mark’s Models on Oliver Plunkett Street. I have military tanks, planes, boats, you name it. I just have an obsession with anything military. I have remote control, radio control and static models.
"There are some very expensive kits that would run into an awful lot of money. I probably have between 4,000 and 5,000 military pieces.
"Some of my favourites would be the radio controlled tanks. These kits cost from €1,000 to €2,500 each, and I have 16 of them which goes to show what an expensive hobby this is.”
The 65-year-old enjoys the wholesome fun that comes with collecting.
“I don't drink or smoke. My background is as a fitness instructor and I was into athletics when I was young so I never had a desire for any of that stuff.
"Growing up, I might spend £500 a month on models. I did that for a long time. It really became an obsession. Back then, I was buying a lot of kits that you build week by week. They come with magazines so I signed up for a lot of them. The kits come in thousands of pieces — literally — and take ages to build. You might take weeks, if not months to build something.
"Once they are built you then have to do all the painting on them. A lot of the ones I have are World War II themed even though I have American armour and British armour too.”
He describes the hobby as “pure escapism”.
“When you’re building something from a different time period, you start to recreate certain situations in your mind. For instance, if you have a German tiger tank, you would probably picture yourself being in that and commanding it with the model you built.
"I’m not saying everyone is like that but you do go into this deep state of hyper focus, particularly if you are very interested in the model you are building. It gives you a chance to leave the world for a while.”
Noel, who teaches mechanics at Cork College of FET Douglas Street Campus, has his collection on display in a room off his shop, GMC Motorcycles on Tramore Road.
“I have a good selection of models. Some are at home because I build a lot of them there. I live with my partner and she probably does mind that they are there. However, once I keep them nice and tidy it’s all good. If she decides that something doesn’t look nice in a certain spot I bring it straight to the shop.
"I also have a workshop upstairs where I build all the radio-controlled cars. I don’t advertise my collection but we have a kind of bartering system going if you could call it that. People will come down and swap models.”
The Glanmire native found a lot of time to build on his collection during covid
“It's a changing world. People have different values. It’s all go, go, go now and it’s rare that people take time for themselves. I know that a lot of people had horrible experiences during the pandemic and I would never deny that.
"I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the downtime. It was the one time I remember that the world stood still and I was able to work on my models.”
A lot has changed since Noel’s youth.
“I remember I used to go to O’Driscoll’s Toy shop on Shandon Street. It sold everything from toy soldiers to parking discs.
Places like this were a life-source to Cork City. Claire O’Driscoll knew her stuff. She had stuff that nobody else had. For every model in her shop she had a story to go with it. Kids back then played with dolls. Girls still play with dolls but there was more of it then.
"Boys played with guns and caps and made horses out of broomsticks. The circle has got much smaller now. The only form I’m seeing it in is with Lego technic. It’s probably helping a lot of young kids get back into modelling again even if it’s a different form of modelling. It would be great to see it come around again.”