The Little World

Well, not actually devastated…which apparently means ruined with overwhelming shock and grief. More like surprised and delighted, in a geeky way. Someone was selling old dead plastic model kits for tiny prices.

It was not even the swap-meet portion of the Victorian plastic model show – just a few table-holders who decided to get in early and clear out the bottom end of the stash. I am a bottom-end man at the best of times when it comes to plastic models, so I paid careful attention to what was stacked up.

Some of it was very common, some very rare. I didn’t choose based upon those criteria – i went to that show with a list of things to buy and a list of reasons why I had the first list. As long as I stuck to my guns I would be fine. The interesting thing was the sellers, for the most part, were not selling the ordnance I wanted. If I desired Russian kits or space rockets or obscure army tanks I would have needed a forklift to take home all the kits on offer. For a Commonwealth or US Navy builder it was pretty lean.

But there were nuggets in the dirt. This old Airfix Devastator was one of them. Knocked down to $ 9 because the decals were thought to be unusable. All parts there, including instructions, and how could I resist – it was on the list for the Yellow Wing Navy. A 70’s kit for sure, but perfectly in keeping with the Brewster Buccaneer and Vultee Vindicator I already have. Now I’ve got a fighter, a bomber, and a torpedo plane.

The pleasant surprise was the decals – sure they have a hair that has become attached to the printed surface and has marked two of the roundels, but I can repair a roundel with a paint brush and it is going on a corrugated wing anyway. The rest of the wing, tail, and fuselage markings look fine – even if they are old.