The Little World

Or at least a good line drawing.

The quality of instruction manuals for our kits is one thing that we often overlook – until we get to the stage of constructing the landing gear or rigging the sails. Then we can look them over as much as we like without being any wiser. Often the only thing we learn is how ignorant we are.

Philosophy aside, a good instruction sheet is far more than just a drawing and an injunction not to cut ourselves. The fit of a 300+ part kit cannot be adequately described on the sort of toilet paper sheet that Airfix used to pack in their Series One kits. Even if there is a laborious description in words, we still cannot decipher things.

The best instruction sheets in English are, of course, in English. The way the trade is, these are often accompanied by the equivalent screed in 15 other languages and the instructions start to overwhelm the kit box. It doesn’t help when safety instructions must also be given in those same languages to thwart the lawyers.

Let us propose a standard for the future:

A. No instructions on how to use a hobby knife or clippers or glue. These are things a person learns by doing and/or healing. The people who are going to sniff glue will do that anyway.

B. No health warnings needed. Everything causes cancer in California. Unfortunately, not quickly enough…the film industry is still extant.

C. Step by step diagrams with the parts used in colour are the go. Modern Airfix can do it, and so can everyone else.

D. Or the same thing in computer-aided photographs, like IBG do.

E. Colour call-outs to be in colour.

F. More steps if the sub-assembly is complex.

G. Staple the sodding thing together into a booklet. Loose pages go loose and get lost.

I can, and will, follow instructions, but not into the grave.