The Little World

The Gloster Javelin kit cost me $ 5.00 at a Sunday swap-meet. I built it over the next 6 days. Thus, it cost 83¢ per day. Try getting happy elsewhere for 83¢…

I succeeded. The ex-FROG revamped 50’s kit went together logically and easily. The horrors of age were hidden by modern science and devious tricks. The internet provided the information that the Polish makers did not offer. And the basic airplane was actually a delight.

I should not have backed it in a shitfight with anything, particularly armed with Firestreak missiles – rockets that needed simultaneous cooling and heating to actually work. I would not have tried to oppose anything supersonic with it – for it would not have chased anything successfully. But it could have lain in wait and ambushed the Holyhead ferry on a dark night…

The kit did go together well, and the basics of landing gear and doors, armament pylons and rockets, and canopy proved to be no problem at all. The last-named was easy to paint and fitted superbly – if there was little detail in the cockpit, that is just a matter of the times. I put in masking tape seatbelts and thought myself a hell of a fellow…

Paint? Mr. Color No.8 Silver for the High Speed Silver on the underside and the remains of an AK RAF Dark Green and Dark Sea Gray set I picked up a few years ago for the topside. I long to go to the Victorian model expo and get more of these paints. They may be no better than the Mr Color range but I do like them. I’m a paint whore – don’t judge me…

The Firestreaks are very well moulded and I opted to feature four of them. I rejected the refuelling probe purely on the basis that it was ugly.

Note: The decals went on superbly. Could not have been better. The Poles have risen in my estimation. They rise hourly.

And the really, really sad thing about this glorious model of an interceptor is that someone thought it was not good enough to build – and only worth $ 5.00. I benefited from their flawed judgement, and will keep an eye out at future swap meets for other people who are prepared to make me happy for 83 ¢ a day. Hit me!