The Little World

I knew this was going to happen. When I saw the dented box I knew it was a sign…

The HP Hampden  – destined to become the star of RCAF Doukh Inlet – turns out to be a 1960’s kit. No shame in that –  I built kits in the 1960’s and I still turned out okay. But, like me, the surface of the Hampden is not quite as smooth as it might be – it’s one of the kits with noticeably raised riveting. I am prepared to accept this, however, as a coat of camouflage in matte paint will cover a multitude of sins…and I’m sort of nostalgic for 60’s Airfix anyway.

What I am not so nostalgic for is warped parts. This kit has one warped wing and on warped fuselage part. The wing is going to yield to glue and tension but the fuselage – the portion between the torpedo bay and the rear lower guns – needed altogether more drastic treatment.

As I said, I am not a Return Rockwell demanding perfection or abasement on the part of the retailer – but I need a fuselage to actually close. So I googled the problem and listed the remedies. The first – boiling water in a soup bowl – was not effective. The area that needed to move was impossible to dip in the water effectively without losing a finger.

The second – taping the fuselage halves together and hitting it with a hot hair dryer – did the trick. I’ve reduced the wild warp to a glueable 2mm gap and as along as I keep the torpedo doors shut there should be no problem. I may even hit the wing with a bit of heat to reduce internal tensions when the time comes to glue.

I cannot say whether the dented box did this. Possibly the things came off the mould machine – it’s an old mould – and warped up then. As it is the first awkward Airfix I’ve had I won’t condemn them. And it yielded to corrective measures. But I am wary of what else I may discover as I proceed with the fit-out.

It inspires me, however, to set out on a journey of discovery. insofar as I am able to supply myself with kits that add aircraft that I really want for my fields, I am going to select as many different makers as I can to see what their products are like. They say comparisons are odious, but if you’re prepared to pay your own money out for something I think you’ve got a right to make a judgement on what you got for it.