The Little World

A new selection of things to add to my least-favourite kit experiences.

Don’t get me wrong – after smoothing the lumpy exterior of this old Revell casting, the parts have gone together pretty well. I used the progressive cementation method and the workshop clamps coped with the complex forces needed – the fuselage and wings are pretty well stress-free and I hope will not warp with time.

But the bane of the adult builder – working play features were ready to trap the unwary – you needed to include the top turret and the main landing gear struts in their respective places before closing up. This exposes th top turret to sanding mistakes and gun barrel breakage. I guarded against this by taping the wretched things flat while working and then coating the clear parts with masking fluid. Not the best, but the only option.

As far as the blasted ailerons, rudders, and horizontal stabiliser, I carefully cemented them in the neutral position and refused to be tempted to leave them out waving in the slipstream.