VBD2 is closed. Please go to https://vbd3.co.uk instead.

Hi,
Does anyone know what is going on at the matchbox club formerly known as MICA? It seems that it has been very quiet.

I'd like to know too! I used to write the odd thing for them and wanted to do more, offered my services and never heard anything back from them so have lost contact really.

Cheers Steve
Matchboxkiwi

I have just sent them an email and will post their answer here.

marcel

When Dawn was the secretary she asked me if I could send her some 1-75 regular wheel photos for the Matchbox site, I did supply about 30-40 photos.

Then she emailed me to say she was resigning from the club. Then an email from the new owner saying membership would be free, and about his future plans for the "Matchbox Club" since then I have heard nothing.

George T.

George, that's basically the same experience I had. It's a shame really as everything about the new era of the club sounded really good.
I wonder how many potential members they have lost. May be they are only interested in you if your based in the UK.

Cheers Steve
PS I'll be interested to see if Marcel gets a reply.

The only way I have been getting any information is by logging in to see what is new. Overall I find the site difficult to navigate and finding old post that were on the old site are next to impossible. I mainly joined for the auctions but those seem to have dwindled as well.

matchboxkiwi wrote:George, that's basically the same experience I had. It's a shame really as everything about the new era of the club sounded really good.
I wonder how many potential members they have lost. May be they are only interested in you if your based in the UK.

Cheers Steve
PS I'll be interested to see if Marcel gets a reply.

Steve, no answer as yet. I will post here if I ever get an answer.
MICA heyday was over 4.500 members and the last time I spoke Kevin about membership at a MICA convention (they were in the last year with a printed magazine) he sad membership had fallen to 800.
I think even more members were lost when they stopped with the printed magazine.

marcel

Marcel, why should I join a club just to join. Somebody should spearhead this project and get MICA back on track. I would love to see a magazine again along with all that goes with it. I do feel that the internet has hurt the printed magazines as most of the information is readily available through a variety of sources anymore. I remember my parents first joining A.I.M. way back when and buying the typed collector's guide which I still have.

I believe it was mentioned earlier in this thread that MICA should/could be brought 'On-board' here. This would certainly help to secure a U.K. based Matchbox club from dying and it would keep the club active in some way, not in the way it's members are likely to be used to, but at least it would be there for them, to do with it what they want.

Now, I fully endorse this idea, but clearly it would put an extra work-load onto our Nick and the forum we enjoy so much at the moment may suffer as Nick tries to spread his resourses even further!

If we were to take over the MICA club, ideally it would have to be self supporting with it's members taking more interest in it's activities (something many model clubs suffer from, lack of input from members!), and we may find this forum's members would be more involved because MICA will now be on our 'Doorstep' with easier access.

I am not forgetting Mick Flack's 'YESTERYEAR' based forum either and I am sure if moves to secure MICA from dying were to start soon, he would be there with us to help and if a 50/50 take-over is what is needed to get MICA, then so be it.

GHOSTHUNTER.

A few pics from the last MICA event which was in 2010
You can see the problem, no new blood......