The Little World

As a kid I was always trying for more models to build. But as a kid I was money-limited – so what I could afford had to fill in the long dry stretches between Christmas, birthday, or other gift-giving occasions. If a relative tuned nasty and presented me with socks…or a card with their best wishes and nothing else – the 50¢ Airfix bag had to do for a month. It many cases it could, as long as I took it slow.

The contemplation of the kit was one stage that could take a day. Then the separation of the parts from the sprue – in those days it was a modelling knife and not clippers – was the work of another couple of days. then the smoothing and dry-fitting and imagination. Cement was thick goo and rather slow-setting – and there went another week.

Then the painting of parts and assemblies. Apart from some Revell paints in the mid 1950’s ( probably a lacquer or something derived from nerve gas ) most of my serious painting was done with Humbrol enamel tins or Pactra rattle cans. Enamels like Humbrol take time to dry, especially if you are painting in a cold Canadian basement and using a kid’s thick coats and old brushes. I dread to think what my work was like, but as no examples survive, I am safe from embarrassment.

Thus a Westland Lysander for 50¢ in all its glossy paint and dusty glory might be a whole month from shop to shelf. If I was in funds and we were due to go to town,I could go out and get something bigger…or at least put in my order for the next birthday. Give my folks credit – they never dudded me on birthdays or Christmas and several years saw a whole pile of models as presents. I never got anything that I considered unwanted.

But now? Now I am 60 years older but not 60 years more patient. I find that I can afford pretty near anything I want, organise myself better to build it, and extract time from the rest of life to do it. I do not have to do homework or go to bed early on a school night. I could leave my toys and tools out on the bench with no-one to nag me to put them away. But…

I still clean up as I go, putting the tools away at the end of a session. I still end the session early enough to go to bed for school…(!). I agonise over large prices in the hobby shop and settle for small things. And I still get disorganised.

The models are rolling off the line faster, though. And I do not feel that they are worse for this. They are occasionally worse for me not thinking or being tired or being careless, but the punishment is dissatisfaction and/or physical injury. I’ve learned to climb ladders slowly.