The Little World

Or the poorhouse.

The first comes about when you decide to buy raw materials to bypass the commercial products. If you have been used to using a rattle can for spraying undercoat or varnish, you can replace this consistent and successful method with a single-action airbrush, little pots of clear lacquer, and a great deal of thinner. You will have an opportunity to put it on too much, too little, or too rough. Spoiling your model is always an option.

You can also spend far more than the cost of the basic kit for the various spray cans that the paint makers recommend. Every factory will insist you use their proprietary range and not deviate. The really clever ones make the spray cans too big for one model and too small for two, causing you to buy three in the end.

And have we told you about the imaginative names they carry? Regal Beige and Dynamite Brown are my favourites, particularly for air show demonstration teams.