The Little World

The dictionary says a legend is someone or something that has been written about*. It doesn’t specify that there has been any truth, or proof, or goodness involved the deal – just that it’s been recorded. That being the case I think we can look at legendary scale modelling…

a. The kit that was just fabulous.

Resort to your dictionary again and see what it says about fabulous. We’ve all been told about the legendary and fabulous flying model of the R 101 that you could purchase from the newsagent for 3/6 before the war. Along with the crispy bacon. The people who remember these kits were born after 1951.

b. The modeller who could make the pistons work on a 1:72 scale biplane.

Or was that 1:144th scale. It depends on who is telling the story. Not that he met the chap himself, you understand. His cousin met him. In Saskatoon in 1956…You’ve never been to Saskatoon, I take it?

c. The Kit That Could Not Be Built

Whether this was the subject of a Japanese horror movie or just the sad truth about some of the 50’s rubbish…well, the kit seems to have taken its toll of would-be modellers. They either went missing entirely or were found stark mad clawing at the doors of the local hobby shop at midnight…trying to get out…

d. The Magic Paint

This is the paint that they can’t import into your home country because of secret reasons. It might contain arsenic or plutonium or ground-up children. It might have a label that summons Cthulu. It might be the result of secret paint trade cabals. But you can’t get it.

What you do get are glowing descriptions of how easy it is to use, what wonderful results it gives, and how authentic the colours are. The people who use it are blessèd and suffer no disease nor discomfort all their lives. It is marginally better than going to Heaven.

But you can’t get it in the shops.

*Not just warrants and OH&S warnings.