The Little World

Don’t judge us. The image of the top of the cabinet was taken at my scale model club recently – but we have a valid excuse. The clubrooms have no ceiling and there are gaps in the eaves at each side. Dust blows in and settles on the top of things. Thank goodness there is a plastic cabinet there or the aircraft carrier would resemble a wheat field.

The problem of dust on scale models is universal. The answer to it is also pretty much the same everywhere – put the models in a sealed case. The sealing may be more or less complete – a cabinet with opening doors may be needed to let you add things – and the container may or may not have a see-through face.

Storing things away from contamination but not allowing them to be seen is valid, but sad. What do we make our models for, if not to be seen?

My home response has been IKEA Billy bookcases with glass doors. I’ve got a line of ’em in my hobby room and they are pretty good cases for the price. The shelving in them is both wood laminate and glass plate and there is provision for altering the spacing between shelves – Just this week I’ve investigated putting several of them in different positions to add more model aircraft. When the Wuhan Plague passes I’ll see if IKEA can supply more glass shelves and more attachment stubs so that I can divide further.

But the cases are bookshelves, after all. They are intended to show the spines of the books and to have their own wooden nature concealed. This means that the aircraft are sitting in dim wooden spaces – colours are muted. I have decided to do something about this.

Locked in, I must make use of the resources I have. The studio has several old rolls of light blue backdrop paper that will do well as the back wall of the cabinets provided it is cut accurately and taped onto the wood ( double sided tape ). The base under the models may well benefit from a printed paper base that can depict either a ship’s deck, a grassy field, Marsden matting, or a concrete hardstand. It is time to experiment. The idea is to get a lighter backdrop to make the models pop out while they are still behind glass doors.

Lighting? Well, IKEA do make it, but it’s expensive. Mind you, if they make it, so does someone else, and there may be a price differential. Fortunately, IKEA maintain an extensive on-line catalog so I can browse safely. Pity I can’t get the Princess Cake and coffee on-line as well.