The Little World

And I am starting to believe that is where it should stay.

I stand in awe of the fine detail that can be achieved by some modellers working in 1:32nd and 1:35th scale. When they commence work on tank tracks with 5 or 6 pieces per link…and a couple hundred links…I know it is time to withdraw and quietly close the door. They may be some time.

I am also impressed, if terror is an impression, with the tiny parts that some 1:72nd workers incorporate in their cockpits and engines. The ones that win contests are worthy of a salute.

But the thought of doing the same is starting to pall. I do like to get a good level of complexity in a cockpit, as long as it can be achieved with injection-moulded parts that fit. I want the seatbelts to be decals or moulded into the main part.

Likewise, I want the landing gear legs and struts to be sufficiently thick to withstand the weight of the model. Spindly is as spindly does and it doesn’t do it for me.

I think the best compromise in detail is seen in some scale model railway layouts. All is not perfect, but most is artistically acceptable and if it runs reliably one could not want more.