The Little World

When someone recalls the entire service history about something of which they have made a plastic model kit. It is a charming procedure, roughly as much fun as a prostate examination.

It is not a surprise, considering the detail some modellers go to with their kits. You can buy magazines that show you how to add $ 100 worth of resin and brass to $ 30 worth of kit…to produce a model worth $ 10. The magazine costs $ 15…

It is polite to listen to the story. The modeller may have researched for months before cutting the first part free from the sprue tree and be able to tell you the name of every pilot who flew one of the things. Much of what they know may be accurate, and who are you to scoff at the rest? Gloss over the bits that involve space aliens or Douglas Mc Arthur. They can take care of themselves.

Do not be discouraged when the modeller justifies the nipple pink colour of the wheel wells by reference to an FS number scrawled inside Tutenkhamen’s tomb or tries to tell you that no-one really knows if the propeller should be attached to the tail or the wingtip. There is wiggle room everywhere.