Meet Thomas, the master model maker

Thomas’ favourite model so far is his model of a Dalek, the most famous enemy of the Doctor in Doctor Who, the BBC television series.

As well as being made from cardboard, coffee cup lids and papier mâché, the model also has lights and can say the Daleks’ famous catchphrase, ‘Exterminate!’

Thomas recently hosted an event and displayed his brilliant models, raising £220 for his school’s bus fund. He was featured in his local newspaper and even received a letter from the Prime Minister.

We caught up with Thomas to find out more.

Hi, Thomas. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hello, I’m Thomas and I’m 9 years old. I live with my Mum, Dad and Emily, my little sister. We’ve two hens and live in North Yorkshire, too. I have a passion for making things, and I love trains, Dr Who and Star Wars. I can be very shy, but when I’m talking about something I like or know a lot about, I love to talk to other people about it – like my models!

How did you get into model making?

I’ve always loved making things. When I was very little, I liked Duplo and Brio trains. I like to do lots of crafty activities at school and home.

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, I got really into junk modelling. We couldn’t go out, so we had to make fun with the things we had.

Just before lockdown, building work was taking place in our house, so lots of our things were put away. The builders had to stop working during the lockdown, so Mum and Dad’s new bedroom was just a big empty room. It was a great place to make things in the afternoon, after doing my schoolwork in the morning.

We couldn’t really go to the shops, so we just used what we had. I raided the recycling bin for cardboard boxes, yogurt pots and other things.

We were learning about London for school, so I made some of the buildings and built a city with train tracks and lots of other things.

Even after lockdown, I still liked making models and just kept going. I always like to have something to work on at home. I do like my tablet and playing Minecraft, but I find junk modelling relaxing and challenging. I like figuring out how to make something special from the junk we have at home.

Can you tell us about your Dalek model?

My Dalek is my biggest ever creation. It’s 1 metre tall and took 3 months to make. It’s made from cardboard sheets, tubes, boxes, coffee cup lids and lots of papier-mâché!

The papier-mâché was the hardest part. It took a long time to do, and it was very fiddly. However, I needed to do it to paint the plastic and card and get a nice finish.

Lots of people saved cardboard to help me. My friend knows someone who works in a coffee shop, so they helped me get some extra lids.

To make my Dalek even better, I added lights to the head, which are connected to a tiny computer called a micro:bit. I have a talking Doctor Who key ring, and I made a code in the computer to turn the lights on and off when the Dalek says ‘Exterminate!’

We hear you led a junk modelling session at your Cubs group. How did it go?

I really enjoyed teaching my friends at Cubs how to make junk models. I planned what to make, how to teach everyone, and got all the materials we needed.

We made aeroplanes using loo roll tubes, cardboard, and lolly pop sticks. Everyone worked hard and took lots of care with the glue. Everyone used similar materials, but we decorated them differently to make them our own.

I made sure people followed the steps to get a good structure, but they could be creative too.

What badge did you get for this?

My junk modelling session counted towards my Our Skills Challenge Award, as I was working on talking out loud more at my sessions and sharing a skill. I’m better at talking now after my junk modelling session and speaking to BBC Radio York about my Dalek model.

As well as a Cubs badge, I had an exhibition to show my junk models, and I raised £220 for my school’s bus fund. I’ve just become a sixer, too.

Also, my Dalek was featured in our local newspaper and our MP reads the paper. Our MP is Rishi Sunak and he sent me a congratulations letter to my school for my work, so it meant I got a letter from the Prime Minister, too!

What’s your favourite thing to do at Cubs?

At Cubs, I love playing games at the end of each session. My favourite sessions are when we do water sports activities, such as paddle boarding and canoes.