The Little World

A good day’s modelling can be a surprisingly limited affair – producing only a few components for a larger model, or only a few steps in an assembly sequence.

We all like progress, and rapid progress if possible, but we should also recognise when the little thongs are rewarding. A day spent making the crew members for a model can be as helpful as a complete assembly. In the end, we’ll look at the little figurines and forget the hours spent smoothing seams on the fuselage.

Subassemblies often seem to take forever, but if we are diligent we build up a number of ever-larger components that suddenly cement together and produce the model almost instantly. By that time we will have figured out how to attach more delicate parts near the end of the process.

Likewise the paint layers all look like patches till the last one goes on and the tape comes off. You just have to be diligent and patient and reap the fruit when it is ripe.