The Little World

You might justifiably say that all plastic model kits are prefab.

If something is moulded and needs no shaping it is the factory modelling – not you. But we all realise that there is a great deal of re-shaping in most kits before any assembly can be contemplated.

The sprue tree – that basic component of our kit – can be finely-wrought or finally rotten, depending upon the layout and the gates. Good makers feed styrene at a high pressure through small feed gates and are not afraid to put multiple entry points onto a part. They do so at hidden or unobtrusive spots, and do not bugger up detail.

They also put styrene in at a reasonable thickness so as to have some strength in the part and no sink-hole shrinkage. Less competent makers fudge the thing and leave the modeller to sand and re-cut each part to try to get a fit.

Gravest curses are reserved for makers who try to modularise a kit to make too many variants and who split wings, fuselages, and intakes at awkward points. Things can be dire when you try to get smooth lines from a six-part fuselage.

Still, it is far from the balsa wood blocks roughly profiled out that were some of the crude kits of the 1950’s. They were masterpieces waiting for masters, and none of us kids fitted that bill.