The Little World

I have yet to make the same kit again in my current modelling – but it came close with one of the Airfix offerings. Fortunately between Mk I and Mk IV a great deal had happened so the two models are quite different looking, The real problem would be if one tried to make a squadron of aircraft. The thought of batch production is daunting.

Yet…

We have all seen the wartime pictures of aircraft factories with fifty planes in various stages under artificial lights. Planes that are just rolling fuselages, planes that have bare wings, planes with engines fitted, etc. The project of making an erection shop at Boeing or Consolidated would be a worthy task for a whole club of modellers.

Likewise, I have never seen a model of the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier with the entire air group stored and undergoing maintenance. One would need no other task for years once embarked upon this. And given the availability of 1:72nd aircraft and accessories, it is not entirely impossible…just difficult.

New Note: The first part of this post was written some time ago. I am now going to have to embark upon building the second example of a standard kit – but not because the first experience was good.

It all started with a gift kit. Not an expensive thing, thank goodness, and not really one that I would have chosen straight off. A Hobby Boss F4U Corsair. I pulled it out of the stash while waiting for things to dry or cure on a more complex build. I decided to knock it together in the intervals…and it really did go together well. Hobby Boss simple models nearly always do. That lead to me being complacent and impatient.

The paint layers started to go on – undercoat, then first and second dark blue coat. And they really did look good in a midnight gloss acrylic. The well wells were put in with green chromate and all the accessory rockets and tanks were painted. And it all went so fast – too fast.

I got to the stage of shooting a final clear coat to seal the decals…and strayed too close with a rattle can of Mr. Top Coat. Clear it may be, but too close means it is soggy and thick. And I was foolish enough not to allow it days to dry. When I impatiently handled it to try the landing gear on I placed three giant fingerprints in the soggy top surface in places that could not be brushed, sanded or smoothed out. With sadness I consigned it to the bin – my first manufacturing failure.

Well, it will be back on the horse on Wednesday. I will buy another Hobby Boss Corsair and start to build it again – only this time there will be decent intervals between the coats of paint and a good time for the drying. The final coats will be very lightly sprayed indeed, and I will not attempt any other parallel building while it is in the workshop. If it takes an entire week, that will be fine – I need to learn the hard lesson of not being complacent and wasteful.