The Little World

Despite appearances, I have grown up. I no longer build scale models with working parts. I can accept fixed wheels.

Particularly when they are dependent upon thin plastic axles and cemented suspension parts. I have too many experiences with 1:72 landing gear legs to be sanguine about engineering in styrene.

The Herald chassis is square and plumb straight out of the packet, and this is all I ask. The hubcaps will be chromed with a Molotow pen and the rubber window seals painted on with a Posca pen – both ideas courtesy of Phil Flory and his forum. The interior has a headliner and inner-door paint based on Google images.

The two-tone paint was surprisingly easy to do – the Issigonis design has enough straight edges and sharp corners to make masking easy. And very little creep in the door gaps. I do miss two-tones in the real car world – and if I needed to respray my Suzuki hatchback I would think of a cream top.

In retrospect, this size and this two-door configuration is all I really ever wanted in a motor car. I’ve fond memories of a ’73 Toyota Corolla that came close to it – my current 2010 Suzuki is very nearly perfect. The only failing is an annual one – it cannot haul much to scale model exhibitions. This could be solved with a hired ute if the amount of goods justified it. The expense would be trifling and the advantage of not housing, fuelling, or insuring a larger vehicle would more than outweigh several weekend’s fees.