The Little World

I used to dream of this, but times have changed. Now I dread it. It stops the fun.

Perth, Western Australia is occasionally hot – very hot. It is also occasionally wet – very wet. Both of these weather conditions are a signal to go somewhere and do something…but it is generally to the pub and not to the model bench. Trying to build kits in the extremes is no fun.

Trying to paint or varnish is even less fun. As other model makers will know, temperature and humidity closely affect the performance of spray paints and you can go from a dry grit to a steaming drip in a very short span of time. The answer, of course, is a temperature and humidity controlled modelling workshop with superb lighting and pretty waitresses. I continue to purchase the Lotto tickets.

Yesterday it was 71% humidity and just slightly warm. It was on the upper edge of the range in which I’d spray – you could feel the humidity if you did housework. You might have been able to get away with some lacquer coats, but risking acrylic clear varnish was dodgy. There’d be too much risk of blooming and marred finish – and as the clear coat was the final layer, I wanted it perfect. So I waited a day.