The Little World

And I don’t mean Jim Carrey. I may be crazy about my hobby, but there are limits…

It was Windows Day at the Little Workshop. Again, I need to clarify; this means I was masking windows on a scale model airplane – not seething in rage and frustration at clunky computer commands. I use an iMac, and it uses me…

The joy of the day was that the windows were on a 1:72 scale Junkers 52. Big, flat, rectangular things on a flat sided fuselage. I could peel off the masking tape, stick it down, and trim round the edge with a fine blade. A little snuggling with a cocktail stick and it was be safe through all the painting stages.

Some fuselages, and many cockpits, are not so accommodating. There are curves, frames, and hidden flaws that need to be further hidden before you spray. Flaws occur whenever they can, and it is a dark guessing game to see where they might be.

Resort to chemical attack. Mask as much as you can with tape and then paint on a liquid rubber covering. Maskol stinks but works – Mr Masking Sol Neo is pleasant smelling but sets in the bottle. Nothing is perfect.