The Little World

We copped a 5-day lockdown here in Western Australia when Covid transmission occurred associated with a quarantine hotel.

Which sounds trifling when you compare it to other places in the world that had been devastated. But we were in a legal and geographic position to take it seriously and did so. With a bit of luck the measure had the desired effect.

What it did to me was to send me to the stash shelf for a week’s occupation. I reserved one day for a simulated scale model club meeting – doing my club build that day – but that left space for another plane. In this case I decided to see if the Airfix Classic kit of the Bristol Bulldog was a good idea. I’d picked one up several weeks earlier on a whim – it was only $ 14.95. And I’m not averse to frugal building when the opportunity presents itself.

The kit box had the original front art but a very detailed colour call-out print at the back. This is one instance in which I prefer the side-opening box. It means I get a modern scheme diagram that stays with the box art and cannot be misplaced.

The sprue trees were period-flashy…but nothing that could not be easily trimmed. Airfix plastic, which I quite like. Period instruction sheet – basic, but better for it than the precise and indecipherable Czech monstrosities that we sometimes see.

The decal sheet was an absolute beauty. I cannot say what the kit would have had as markings when it was new, but I’ll bet they weren’t as good as this sheet.

To put it on a comparative level, this kit is was good as the Heller and ex-Heller kits that have re-appeared. As soon as the lockdown was opened I went to seek some more of this series.