The Little World

Or live in a small house? Or wear tight shoes?

Well, no, but there is probably some connection here somewhere, if only we could avoid it. What correlation is there for the model builder with the real size of the world?

Now we all know about scales – from universal ones, to maverick ones, to box scales. We choose our favourites and pray for kits to match. We feel indignant when the very prototype we want modelled in our own scale is always skimmed past for the new releases. We are forced into resin and vac-mould and blocks of balsa wood.

But how much does our scale interest echo in real life.?

I, for one have a small car. Not because I build small models, though I do that – it is because it is an economical one that I can afford. It is also a simple device that demands little in the way of modern skills to drive. It is the retro baggie kit of motor cars.

Others have much more magnificent rides – all the way up to the owner of the hobby shop with the luxury sedan. That’s a story linked to his mind-set, and possibly his ambitions. Don’t begrudge it to him, as no-one else has to pay the rego and fuel. We save our money for kits and paints.

It may be the same with the houses we live in. Mine’s 35 years old and still decent enough not to eat away my life in maintenance and repair. I can spend my time modelling. If the workshop is not the showcase some people might prize, I take comfort that my studio has more display space than many can manage. Again there is a trade-off between magnificence and money.

What I would really be interested to see – on a discrete basis – is whether the doll-house builders live in larger versions of their miniatures. Or are they fated to live happily only in their creations…