16th DIY Car Meet in Huttwil

Every year, numerous model-building enthusiasts make the pilgrimage to Huttwil for the model kit and DIY model building meetup. They travel in campers, RVs, and cars with trailers—all fully loaded—to the “Grüebli” in Huttwil. The MG Huttwil’s flawless organization is exemplary. The team led by organizing committee president and founder Christian Eggimann works together seamlessly—everything runs like clockwork.

The weather forecast for Saturday was poor; rain was expected. Nevertheless, over 50 pilots made their way to Huttwil, the mecca of model builders. They diligently studied the weather radar images for Huttwil on their smartphones. The weather gods must be model-building enthusiasts, because it rained very lightly for about 15 minutes—and that was it. Around Huttwil, however, it poured buckets. In some parts of Switzerland, there was extensive water damage. But the “Grüebli” was spared.

Early Sunday morning, the “camping village” at the Grüebli came to life; the pilots who had traveled from far away spent the night in RVs, campers, and the like. We slept in a tent ourselves, so we were close to nature—which meant we could hear the crows and other birds particularly well. Three slugs were so bold as to sneak onto the roof of our tent. But the sun’s rays soon drove them back into the shade.

While only models built from plans and custom-built models were on display on Saturday, ready-to-fly models were also allowed to fly on Sunday. Some pilots, who hadn’t been deterred by Saturday’s weather—

who had the confidence to do so didn’t miss the chance to showcase their works of art on Sunday. The turnout was excellent, thanks to the beautiful weather and a light breeze. Huttwil is known for allowing visitors to get up close and personal with the models and pilots. This led to lively discussions and the exchange of experiences.

The flight program was very varied on both days, peppered with several highlights. Markus Frey’s Pilatus SB-2 Pelican was one of these “eye-catchers”—a piece of Swiss aviation history kept alive through a model airplane.

The MG Huttwil has once again organized a fantastic meet-up for DIY car enthusiasts. Thank you! We’ll be back—no question about it!

*Markus Nussbaumer*

Such lovely details awaited the visitors.

Stingray—a flying ray.

This motor ...