Model World
Mimi woke up today intent upon building a model.
Fine, as an alternative to all-day TV watching, I’ll support that, even if it means driving thirty minutes south to the nearest hobby shop. (Why there are no such stores in Seattle proper vexes me.)
Entering into Skyway Model Shop in Renton (or, officially, Skyway), was like walking into something of a time warp, circa 1965. We saw lots of brand-new kits, but plenty from my own youth, too, including several Big Daddy Roth hot rods and even my childhood favorite: a plastic assemble-yourself guillotine, complete with a victim whose snap-on head is “severed’ by the falling “blade.”
Mimi bought a Revell model 1/32 scale model of a 1962 Corvette Stingray convertible. (I scored a 1967 Barracuda, to be assembled at a later date.)
We brought the kit home and spent two alternately satisfying and frustrating hours working on it. The directions were adequate, but the manufacturing of the plastic pieces left a good deal to be desired. Many of the plastic tabs did not line up with their associated slots and most of the extruded knobs were too big for the holes they were intended to fit in.
Nevertheless, with the aid of an X-acto blade and copious amounts of Testor’s glue, we were able to complete assembly of the Corvette engine—even though we had to get a bit creative with some of the smaller parts, customizing the motor in our own way.
Overall, we both enjoyed ourselves, but I do think it’s a rather strange way to spend an afternoon. I know what will happen: when we finish the car, it will be paraded around proudly for a short while. Then, it will sit on Mimi’s dresser for a few days. Eventually, it will be retired to her bookshelf, and finally, after gathering dust for months, it will be forgotten and tossed out.
Perhaps it is an authentic model of the real world after all.
Fine, as an alternative to all-day TV watching, I’ll support that, even if it means driving thirty minutes south to the nearest hobby shop. (Why there are no such stores in Seattle proper vexes me.)
Entering into Skyway Model Shop in Renton (or, officially, Skyway), was like walking into something of a time warp, circa 1965. We saw lots of brand-new kits, but plenty from my own youth, too, including several Big Daddy Roth hot rods and even my childhood favorite: a plastic assemble-yourself guillotine, complete with a victim whose snap-on head is “severed’ by the falling “blade.”
Mimi bought a Revell model 1/32 scale model of a 1962 Corvette Stingray convertible. (I scored a 1967 Barracuda, to be assembled at a later date.)
We brought the kit home and spent two alternately satisfying and frustrating hours working on it. The directions were adequate, but the manufacturing of the plastic pieces left a good deal to be desired. Many of the plastic tabs did not line up with their associated slots and most of the extruded knobs were too big for the holes they were intended to fit in.
Nevertheless, with the aid of an X-acto blade and copious amounts of Testor’s glue, we were able to complete assembly of the Corvette engine—even though we had to get a bit creative with some of the smaller parts, customizing the motor in our own way.
Overall, we both enjoyed ourselves, but I do think it’s a rather strange way to spend an afternoon. I know what will happen: when we finish the car, it will be paraded around proudly for a short while. Then, it will sit on Mimi’s dresser for a few days. Eventually, it will be retired to her bookshelf, and finally, after gathering dust for months, it will be forgotten and tossed out.
Perhaps it is an authentic model of the real world after all.
posted by Professor Dave at 8:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home