The Little World

I am aware that Hobby Boss airplane kits are viewed as little-kid stuff by many modellers. Easy assembly, few extra parts, defined edges to some mouldings. The up-and-down assembly of a fuselage and wing unit  – sometimes with horizontal stabilizer attached – suggests an activity for the ungifted.

Perhaps it is so, but you need to think of it in different terms – the Hobby Boss kit that is produced for $ 14 is also sold by the same firm under a slightly different name as a fully assembled display model at the same price. Like that or hate it ( I like it ) it means that the actual model must be made so that it can be economically put together by less-skilled workers on an assembly line.

The fact that it is boxed for you and I to do the same with all our finicky expert skills is neither here nor there – but it probably provides a bit more profit for the makers. I do not begrudge them this as the product they make is so good. And at their prices, I can afford more of them and get more fun in the process,

Here’s one day’s work – and not a full day, either – on the Texan. The parts fit extremely well, the dihedral is preset, and the horizontal stabilizers were tab-keyed with an arrangement that did not let them go in the wrong sides. The jig I used for the cementing was just me being super-fussy – it really wasn’t necessary.

If this sort of rapidity could be brought to bear on some other maker’s efforts, I would be delighted. I do not ask for a snap-together B-36, but some smaller subassemblies that are currently being engineered into 1:72 kits would seem to be exercises in merely providing more work – not more value.

During this build, experts from forums and clubs will undoubtedly decide that the model is not right some area. The interesting thing is that each person will have a separate complaint about a different something. This is normal. Once They  pass the first fine flush of model building pleasure, nothing will ever be 100% right or quite good enough for them. This is known as High Horse Modelling – the only disadvantage being that when you are mounted on one people can see right up your nose.