The Little World

That’s when they are not being narcissists – the new buzz word that you use to complain about your ex on Facebook. It suggests that the guilty party only looks at themselves. In reality, the fact that they are now your ex, lady, suggests that they took a long, hard, look at you…

But I digress. Back to the model aircraft – and particularly the Airfix Fairey Swordfish Mk I. It has been designed with the aid of CAD – computer aided drawing – which has allowed a degree of intricacy and precision fit that is altogether marvellous. No longer are there steps and ridges where one piece has to meet another There are less guide pins needed. It all jolly well fits.

This means that making an open design like the cockpit of the Swordfish is do-able and safe to proceed. You do some dry-fitting, of course, but with the confidence that it will assemble into an internal structure rather than a log jam. I should like to see them turn their attention to a new model of a 1:72nd Avro Anson or Airspeed Oxford with this tool – I am a customer for multiple models of those.

This sort of CAD precision means that if something doesn’t fit you do not instantly reach for a a knife – you look more closely at the instructions ad then at the fitting surfaces of the parts. In many cases you are just not putting the right bit in the right place. It’s not just wedding nights that need especial care with this sort of thing…

Once it is going together, don’t stop until it feels good. In this case until the wings and tail go onto the fuselage. The Swordfish is a complex plane and the wings are moulded so that you can show them rigged or folded. I chose the former, and found them to slot in and assemble perfectly.

And shall I reach for the putty tube? I shall not. Modern Airfix is such a blessed relief…