The Little World

Or, the first series build for the Little Workshop.

I have just completed three big builds for the collection. They were spread over three work areas and many weeks. There were problems that held matters up and were then solved. I learned a couple of new facts. And noted an unsettling thing with the workflow; it didn’t.

The organisation of building and painting has been tried in several ways over the last four years. Series build, parallel build, interrupted build. The organisation of the paint supplies has been done with different categories:

a. None whatsoever. Paint pots everywhere.

b. Organisation by maker – Humbrol in one box, Tamiya in another, GSI Creos in a third. This led to frantic serches for colours that were more in memory than jars.

c. Air Forces. Each one having some distinct combination of colours that applied to their aircraft.

The trouble with this is that some air forces use the same colours. You either buy multiple pots of the same colour or try to remember where it appears in another service’s spectrum.

d. Colours. All brown in one box, all blue in another, etc. Nearly worked, but needed some memory.

e. Racks and boxes. I bought three MDF racks from Hobbytech and made an attempt at setting out the entire spectrum. It was only partially successful…but with plastic boxes from Bunnings taking the overflow, the lacquers could finally be found in reasonable time.

f. By kit. I’d take the exact colours needed for the kit out of the racks and store them in a box with the model as it was under construction. Best option, as things were to hand – but with three kits on the go, there were three sets of paints out of the racks, and things went missing.

Well, now I am going to go with ( f. ) but only do one model at a time, sharing the build on the home benches, the SMCWA tables, or the HMF library table. The paint will follow the kit until it is completed, and then go back in store.

And the Swedish kit seems to have a decent dry fit. I wonder if they made more?