...Following on from Part 1 of the conversation with Keith Buckwell: ‘Coffee with Keith at the Amelia Scott Centre’. The discussion moves on to the period when The Medway Tool Company really started to focus on the Subbuteo range of products...
Steve: How did things develop through the 1970s when your firm got to grips with the Subbuteo accessories? And how much freedom were you personally given to create these?
Keith: “It depended. When Subbuteo considered adding a new product to their range I‘d be contacted by either Peter Adolph, John Burbidge, or George Erik (who incidentally preferred to be addressed by just his surname 'Erik'.) We’d meet at my office in Paddock Wood and share our ideas whilst preparing freehand pencil sketches which I would then use to prepare fully dimensioned engineering designs to be used in the mould design and manufacture.”
Steve: “Addressing people by their surnames, Buckwell(!) – How very grammar school! 😄”
Keith: “No Moreton(!) – It was just George, who was Erik! The rest of us were Peter, John and Keith. 😄”
Steve: “Of course, sorry… Keith.”
Keith: “Don’t mention it…Steve. Anyway, back to the question you asked, I’d get quite a bit of freedom for simple products like fences, goalie rods, goal frames and so on. Prototypes were seldom needed, and the final product would be approved from my component drawings.”
Steve: “So, the classic Subbuteo picket fence was something you just came up with, and the Subbuteo people said ‘yep’?”
Keith: “Yep”.
Steve: “I love that fence, and the brown and white versions for Subbuteo rugby and cricket. You know many of the Old Subbuteo clubs in Italy still use that fence for their pitch surrounds.”
Keith: “When you say ‘Old’ do you mean clubs that’ve been around for years, or they play an old form of the game?”
Steve: “They started in around 2007, so not new or old. Many of the players celebrate they’re old, but still young at heart. It was from a desire to recreate the joy of Subbuteo from their childhood, so they play with old-style figures, on old-style pitches, and generally have a lot of fun! ...So what accessory was the most fun to design?”
Keith: “The Floodlights were quite interesting to design but I was never really happy with the light output but of course it was limited by what was available at that time. 50 years ago there were no LED's or long lasting batteries. Of all of the products, the green & tan Grandstand and Terracing were probably the most pleasurable to design.”
Steve: “I’m so delighted to hear that! In fact I was desperately hoping you’d say that! 😀. So what made it so enjoyable?”
Keith: “Apart from being the largest accessory I felt it added more depth and realism to a stadium set up. The Grandstand was not based on any particular club, the ideas were developed solely from watching various matches on TV. A prototype was essential for this one. The Grandstand, with or without the tunnel, were produced from the same mould by incorporating interchangeable mould parts to accommodate either variant. The curved corner terrace, roof and side mouldings were produced from three separate moulds.”
Steve: “I can only imagine the anticipation when you got to see the first results!”
Keith: “Yes, seeing the first Grandstand parts ejecting from the injection moulding machine was very satisfying. And just as satisfying was the reaction from Subbuteo enthusiasts. It felt like the birth of a special addition to the Subbuteo range!”
Steve: “That’s great to hear! And speaking for all the Subbuteo enthusiasts who weren’t able to voice their views at the time; after 50 years have passed, I completely echo their views. The stadium terracing, and that green and tan grandstand in particular, fired my imagination and passion for Subbuteo stadium building.”
Keith: “That’s great to hear. When I was designing a Subbuteo product, it was always important to imagine how a child or youngster would feel when seeing it for the first time.”
Steve: “The day I saw it in the catalogue I was captivated. I can imagine so were thousands of others!”
Keith: “Yes, Waddingtons certainly used the grandstands and terracing to promote the game to collectors”
Steve: “You mentioned you left Waddington’s shortly after this, after being involved for many years, and I was wondering, on reflection what engineering developments you found to be most intriguing in your time with them?”
Keith: “Yes. I left Waddingtons in 1979, resigning position of Design & Development Director. I then joined Lesney (Matchbox) as Design Manager.” For me, as an engineer, the most exciting Subbuteo projects has to be the automation of painting the players, designing a glue-free method of Base assembly and developing automatic assembly.”
Steve: “Well, let me tell you from an enthusiast’s perspective, glue has been an ever present in the world of Subbuteo. In fact the term ‘reglue’ is now officially a thing in traditional Subbuteo circles, representing a figure that has been trodden on accidentally, and left without feet or lower legs, but still reglued to the base, refusing to be retired from the team!” 😎
Keith: “From an engineer’s perspective, it’s disappointing it can end up like this. But that’s really good to hear!” 😅