Saturday 27 July 2024
Crocs and Hippos
Friday 19 July 2024
Congo teams assembled
Friday 12 July 2024
Colonial Paddle Steamer
As with all 'Sarissa Precision' kits there is a quality that exudes from this model, it is simply so well designed that I knew it was going to go together well. When starting a build there is also a sense of apprehension as there will always be a point when you have to make a decision about playability over construction and as I tend to do so much of my planning on the fly this moment often cripples the construction process by causing me to overthink to point of inactivity. There is also a point in every build, and I appreciate that this might be just me and my fat fingers, when there is a sickening snap as some integral part of the structure is fractured or broken due to my stubbornness to yield to the fragility of MDF!
So it was with this build. I had taken the boat to school to work on in the evenings that I wasn't on duty, all was proceeding well when I had to make a decision about whether to stick the decks together along with the roof panels. In the end I decided against it believing that it would make it easier to paint and accessorise when I got home. Following this hiatus a sickening snap was heard as I tried to drive home part of the substructure, but my familiarity with this type of kit allowed me to adopt a far more pragmatic approach than to throw the model across the office and simple repair was effected without any obvious loss to aesthetic or dignity.
It is a shame that the same couldn't be said for the cardboard funnel, which I butchered beyond all possible explanation. This would clearly need a little more thought later in the process. Finally completed the launch returned home and sat idly by as I found new dustractions*, but as the playdate loomed ever closer it was clear that I needed to get it finished. It was at this point that I realised that my poorly assembled funnel was also poorly sited causing it to look as if would topple over in a stiff breeze. I briefly considered removing the offending piece and building it again from scratch, but instead decided to embrace my mistakes and incorporate them as part of the wear and tear of a working vessel.