The Little World

After the recent spate of complexity – the Special Hobby Avro Anson Mk1 – I found myself with a thirst for simplicity and strong drink. My desire prompted me to look over the kit shelves at Hobbytech in Myaree. I have more Special Hobby and some Airfix on the stash shelf, but quite frankly I wanted something even easier than that…I was even considering one of the Airfix starter Spitfires just to give success without pain.

Then  I saw that there is a new maker on the shelves. New to Perth, but not to the rest of the planet: Hobby Boss from China. The offerings on the Hobbytech shelves right now include the standard Hurricane and Spitfire, Mustang and Thunderbolt, etc…but amongst them lurked a little Brewster F2A Buffalo. And the makers have had the courage to actually say Brewster…as well as some unkindly remarks about the little fighter plane. I guess Brewster Aeronautical, having wound up at the end of WW2, is not in a position to send lawyers’ demands to Beijing.

Well, legalities aside, I am delighted. The box art is photoshopped photography but well done. The box itself is sturdy, and the care taken in packaging the components inside is quite exceptional. Sealed bags for everything and a cardboard frame to secure the main frame from any damage. They’ve even padded the canopy and the delicate landing gear. First class presentation.

Not too many parts – thank goodness. After all, it is a 1/72 scale after all and a vehicle for a paint job – not a pissing contest to see how many photoetched and resin parts can be tried out on the purchaser. Hobby Boss want sales and profits and they’re going the right way about it. Chief point of interest is the structure that seems to be the underpart of the fuselage plus the wings entire. First inspection shows a very good moulding job with just the barest separation marks. Fuselage ditto.

The horizontal stabilisers are also the classic tongue in slot construction – the model is intended for 14+ modelers but does not ask for super skill or tools. None of the parts are thin or malformed and you can hear me silently cheering for a change. The simplicity is re-enforced by the instruction and painting sheets, though one of the variants illustrated seems to be the experimental dazzle paint scheme. I shall leave that one to the bored and desperate.

My build will be RAAF as there were a number of these aircraft stationed here in my own city during WW2 with No.25 squadron – the colour scheme is simple British and if I cannot find some spare roundels, I can always paint them on. Roundels and fin flashes without red centres are pretty simple.

It may seem a little odd to be celebrating such a simple kit with so few parts when there are much more complex products on offer – I could see some pretty large Airfix, Italeri, etc there and each one would be a tour de force build – anything with 100+ parts is going to be a major campaign piece. These are laudable and the people who build them to a good standard stand high in our admiration. But I’ve also seen some overly complex kits started and then abandoned as the builder discovers how far down the rabbit hole he is expected to go.

Worse – sometimes the hapless builder finds that the material selection and moulding decisions have presented him with parts that break, warp, slip, or just don’t fit. The hardy soul who’s spent 100+ dollars on the kit plus all the adhesives and paints will hitch up his hacksaw and cope with all the flaws – the timid soul will either abandon the whole mess or just fall on his Xacto knife and end it all. Not a good advertisement for the hobby.

There is nothing sadder than a half-built kit that shows no sign of ever being completed – and in many cases if the designer and purchaser had been contented with a simpler construction – sort of stand-off scale – the project would have gone through to be a pleasing achievement.

Well, I’m pleased already with the Hobby Boss kit. Weird name, but good product. And the fact that the kit is only $ 15 makes it all the sweeter. I am willing to bet that it is going to be a great model for my Australian airfield.