The Little World

” You are looking very well today, Senora…” And if you are old enough to know the joke to which that is the punch line, you may keep reading. If you know who Amigo Da Onca is, you may sit right down here with me and we’ll share a bottle of cachaca.

You may wonder at my inclusion of Pericles character from the 1940’s but you see I have an original cartoon book of his brought back from Brazil by my parents in 1947. It was brought back along with me – I was conceived in Rio…or Sao Paolo…or Vitória, but I don’t know which. I never thought to ask my parents.

Note: I have always admired the Amigo da Onça and have tried to emulate his helpful attitude as much as possible. So far I have not been caught while doing it…

On to the Lockheed. It is finished, thanks in part to a decal option that was included on the Douglas Havoc kit I bought in Melbourne. It is the one and only time I have ever seen a set of decals for the Brazilian Air Force included with any airplane. I am hoping that there may be more in the Aftermarket World – because there are more iconic aircraft the Brazzies used that are kitted already, just waiting for markings. This is a milestone – it represents the first South American model in the Air World. A new pathway to go making 1:72 airplanes.

The kit is actually quite sweet, and it reminded me a lot of the kits of my youth – I guess the inclusion of silver material in the styrene gives it a distinctive stiffness when cutting. In any case the moulding was good quality. The more adventurous or expert modellers would be able to incorporate different silver or aluminium textures into the finish, but I am pleased with the Mr. Color silver. It does have a coat of Gauzy varnish, but I think I will go back to the Supercheap mixture or at least Mr. Color Topcoat for future glossing. No so sure I trust the Gauzy over smooth surfaces after the Mustang debacle.

Note in an aside: I called At Supercheap Autos this morning for an air nozzle to inflate car tyres. They had a complete gun with dial pressure measurement and flexible hose for $ 12.50. You cannot argue with that. This is one of the shops that makes me feel good.

I’m also happy to have fulfilled the destiny of that old kit. It sat unloved and disregarded for decades – finally finishing up as a bargain throwout at the Hobby show by someone who probably chortled as he saw me reach for my wallet. No-one saw the potential for the success it is. I am going to haunt more bargain tables and swapmeets to see if there are more orphans to be rescued.