The Little World

A well-known contributor to a modelling You Tube site has often remarked that painting a model without weathering it extensively makes it look like a die cast.

I think he’s right and I’m ever so grateful to him for the hint. I still do weather some models lightly, but knowing that they will look good without it is also valuable. Because I really do like the look of some die cast models. I liked them when I was collecting 1:18 scale vehicles, and I admire them in 1:72 scale aircraft.

I have a few in my collection, though at the price that they fetch, I cannot afford as many as I would like. The little aircraft are every bit as expensive as the big cars, and I can economise by building my on versions from kits.

I do miss the solidity of the die cast – they are wonderful to handle – and the detail that the makers put in them. I sometimes try to increase the weight of the plastic kits, but you can only go so far with the skimpy landing gear mechanisms. If I model gear-up and put them on stands I can please myself.

The wonderful thing about this hobby is that there is no wrong or right – there is just preference and taste, and this is as individual as a fingerprint. And none of us need be defensive about our modelling style. We can change it to suit ourselves or keep it constant for all time.