The Little World

I met a chap re-entering the hobby recently who was trying to choose his kits to build skill before he tackled the one he really fancied.

I thought this was sensible thinking, but I suspect he made a bit of a problem for himself by selecting a 1:144 scale plane. It was charming, but too small for comfortable building, and not likely to yield enough of a finish to reward him.

It might have done so if it was a civilian airliner in that scale…enough surface area to practice decalling and painting. A question arose in the club gathering as to what would be the best starter kit. In most cases we opted for an Airfix vintage classic or a Hobby Boss 1:72.

Too large would have also been a problem. Too much detail to deal with and too high an investment in the first place.

I should talk…one of my first re-entry selections was a Special Hobby 1:72 Avro Anson with PE, resin, and impossibly complex interior struts. I built it and survived and it is part of the collection rather than part of the landfill.