The Little World

Okay. Put on your retro panties and pull them up. Now wander back to your childhood and the time you were given birthday money and were let off for the Saturday to visit every hobby shop in town.

a. DId you visit every shop in town? Yes you did.

b. Were you tired out? No, you weren’t.

c. Did you clutch your birthday money tight in your pocket and go through a dozen mental budget calculations to allow you to get the most from it? Yes you did.

d. Did it involve looking at dozens of kits and did you drive the shopkeepers to desperation? I certainly hope so.

My 71st birthday was exactly like this. It was a Monday, but as I’m retired the week has no divisions any more. And I have a car and can get to more hobby shops, faster, than in the old bus days.

Nevertheless, after reviewing approximately twelve tonnes of moulded styrene plastic in various boxes, I chose the new Airfix Boeing Fortress Mk III kit as the big-ticket present from my family to me. The box was satisfyingly heavy and totally sealed – I knew I was getting the goods.

Well, it was sealed inside as well – Airfix don’t go to quite the packaging extent of some of the oriental makers, but you still have an excellent chance of undamaged parts.

Now, once you have your birthday present finally selected – and the process can take all day, if you do it right – you get to bring it home and then decide whether you are going to do A or B.

a. Tear open the box and start gluing the first thing that falls out.

b. Put the box on your bed or workbench and look at it for an hour. Then cut the tape seals and lift the lid and look at the contents for an hour. Then lift them out of the box and do the same ad infinitum.

I opt for a middle ground. I put the kit where it is in a position of pride and then go have a meal. The period of time spent contemplating what might be in that box lends piquancy to the food. I only ever approach the object after all has settled down and sensible examination can be done. Slavering and shaking are never a good start to anything*.

Start? What’s in the box? What I found out ( You’ll never guess, click the links above, below, and at the side and do you want to burn fat? )? You’ll find out tomorrow, as I tease you unmercifully. That’s part of what you do when you have a birthday on the 1st of April.

*  Though when it comes to sex, they make a pretty good ending…