Category: damage control
-
The Miniature Mind
The psychology of scale modelling rarely makes it to the pages of academe. Few papers and fewer theses are presented about the little worlds of the modeller. Monogram brought out a 1:12 scale kit of someone writing a sociology paper but it never sold all that well. Be that as it may, there is a…
-
We’re All Human
And all prone to error. So it is not fair to laugh at someone making a commercial mistake; especially when the sin carries its own punishment. The thing to be careful of is not being a party to the process. I saw a shop where a number of extremely small kits were being sold at…
-
More Than One Tube Of Glue
You’re a big boy now… As a kid builder you only had one tube of cement. It was likely to be Revell or Pactra in North America and Humbrol in the UK or Australasia. You were expected to stick the Airfix or Monogram or Revell kit together with it. You were also expected to get…
-
Thin Your Goo
No, that is not a euphemism for something disgusting. I mean thin your Sprue Goo for a better job. My two bottles of homemade Sprue Goo were getting pretty viscous over the months. I daresay every time the lid was unscrewed more of the solvent evaporated and the thicker the Goo got. It could be…
-
Short Skyvan – Part Four – Progressive!
If I were still in Canada I would probably be a Progressive Conservative. As it is I am in Australia and have become a Progressive Cementer. I assemble the fuselages of my model aircraft with a great deal less dash than I used to exhibit; I am cautious and careful and rarely glue myself to…
-
Short Skyvan – Part Two – Lavez-vous?
How many of you ignore the warnings in your model kit instructions? How many of you do not wash the kit parts as soon as you open the box? The makers all tell you to, and give as their reason the mould parting agents that may cling to the plastic after manufacture. These might act…
-
Do Not Marry A Hobbyist
Advice for everyone – not restricted to age or gender. If you are about to marry a hobbyist, pause and look around – around their house or room or desk. Is there open space or is every surface covered by ” something in progress:? Be aware that if this is the case, nothing may be…
-
If You Are Not The Target Buyer
Should you still build the kit? Look at the hobby shop shelves and identify the little-kid model. Now search for the advanced-rich-expert one. Note that they are both about the same price…Ha Ha Ha… Apart from the economics, however, there is a differential in targeting. The little 1:72 or 1:144 kit is often intended for…
-
The Compulsory Stash
Being tied to a plastic sprue tree… We sometimes encounter stashes that have gone from small to sensible to moderate to toxic. There is no actual number, but when the available storage space is exceeded and the floor starts being crowded out, you know that something is amiss. This is also the case for commercial…
-
Douglas Skyraider A-1H – Part Two – The Curse
And it is a curse that will spread out to the wider community… Thirty years is a long time – despite what Hollywood says. It is the difference between a starlet being a 10 and being a 2… It is a long time for a set of decals to sit in a damp shed; something…
