The Little World

If you read my column thinking that you’ll get cutting-edge expertise and the very latest technical reviews, you are in for a sad time.

I am not a master modeller. I may be an expert tease, but the only cutting edges around my Little Workshop are generally biting into my fingers and thumbs when I am distracted. I do not have access to just-released kits nor the most expensive giant models. In fact, if you were to characterise my hobby work it would best be summed up by the phrase ” Low And Slow “.

But there is this about it – when I do something, I actually do it, and report it truthfully. And I take my time about drawing conclusions from whatever has happened – you are free to do so yourself. It may not be a brilliant edifice of art, but it is solid.

That said, I do read a lot of the modelling magazines that come out – taking one of the latest British publications from our local newsagent as fresh material and going through the library of publications at my hobby club. And I am on the net each day looking at reviews and reports by various presenters. Just tonight I combed through the Britmodeller site for reports about the Mister Craft models from Poland. The British members of that forum write well, but…

But their conclusions about this maker’s products do not seem to jibe with my own. They’ve slated the firm – I praise it. I cannot say whether they are wrong in their own conclusions as I do not know their own practices in the hobby. The fact that there is a such a disparity between what they say and what I have built and seen suggests to me that I can’t take their opinions as gospel.

It may be a case that they have seen older products made before modern methods have been adopted. They may have gotten bad examples of what are otherwise good products. Or they may have been applying standards and judgements that are inappropriate to the price-point of the Mister Craft products. I paid $ 20 for a plastic airplane and got a good week of a good time, with no pretensions.

Quite frankly, if I could buy a year of good times for $ 1040 at my age, I should consider myself a vast winner!