The Little World

I am surprised that Aurora Models did not make a Famous Monsters kit of a scale modelling anorak. It could have been quite a colourful figure, leaning over a workbench pointing out some flaw.

I think the sticking point with the kit designers was when they could not agree which precise colour grey to mould it in…

If we are to be anoraked, and we are, at least we can be prepared for them and keep something ready to cope with the worst of the criticism. Here the internet has served us well…just as it helps us to serve others right. We can obtain our own flawed information at home and need not get it at hobby shops or club meetings. And we can use it to our own benefit.

The question of paint colour is a favourite anorak topic – they can choose from the British system, the RLM, or the American FS system, and find no end of references to tell you your cockpit is all wrong. You can save yourself a lot of grief by searching for and downloading some obscure reference yourself, and keep it handy in the kit box. It won’t satisfy the anorak, any more than a Mortein can would satisfy a mosquito, but you can at least spray him away.

Note: I wrote ” him “. I am old enough to do this, and my eyesight is still good enough to distinguish the difference between males and females. Deal with it.

As a side question: are all anoraks male? Are there female ones? Should they be referred to as anorettes? Let you into a secret. Watch the doll house ladies and the quilters and the costume makers and you’ll know the answer…

The Paint Question is one that will arise forever – as will the Tool Storage Question. Anorak debating societies will hold annual dinners revolving around these…avoid them if you value your sanity. The point for both questions revolves around what existed a long time ago and far away before the anorak was even born…and any expertise that they profess is so derivative as to be useless. They cannot say precisely for all cases, and you need not listen in any case.

And for the third article in this series, I’ll show you how to anorak them right back. It is a fun-filled thing to do, if you cannot obtain teller mines in your local area.