Why Model Sherlock Holmes?

I'm asked this question frequently. Holmesian modeling is, by definition, a coupling of two hobbies, the study of Sherlock Holmes and the creation of scale models. Holmes is the most famous character in literature, an archtypal figure of good in an age that in- trigues us all. As for modeling, the creation of objects in scale goes back to the small ships buried in pharoahs' tombs, and has continued ever since. Both hobbies are international in scope. It seemed only natural to combine the two.        A scale train layout is a unique recreation of a time which is now gone and may soon be forgotten. There are no color photographs from the Victorian Era, few moving pictures to make that time come alive to us, and very few engines and carriages preserved from that time. A Holmesian railway modeler is an artist, scolar, and historian. He's a scale architect, engineer, and railway tycoon. He's also a little boy (or girl) who likes playing with trains.       A scale ship is another relic of days gone by, and the Age of Sail and Steam. It conjures up memories of a more dangerous and exciting world, where continents were still unspoiled, and the nations of Europe scrambled to explore, colonise, and plunder. Aside from a ship models own intrinsic beauty, it represents our own past... or in the hands of  Holmesian model shipwrights, a past which may never have existed, but should have. :)       Sherlock Holmes is the most popular civilian figure produced by toy soldier manufacturers. One may wish to modify other figures to become canonical characters, or to place a miniature Holmes and Watson in a setting, be it Baker Street, the Grimpen Mire, or some other location. In either case, your work requires ingenuity, patience, and acquired skills. This is what Holmes In Scale is all about.       So how do I answer the question at the top of your screen? I always say:                               "Why do anything else?"