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Many of you may know that I don't build "modern" planes. However, when I was sent this as a gift by one of my kit providers because it was missing a part, I couldn't but smile at the utter naivete of this old kit: I mean, look at this: 39 cents: And even better: remember when the customer was king? the time when agencies and even private entities would advocate for consumer rights? Yes, young ones and fledglings: once upon a time customers were not, like now, the slaves and best enemies of the merchants and corporations, they were people with rights. Imagine that. So as you can see in the box "Good Housekeeping" will grant his seal and warranty to those merchants of quality goods willing to give a damn about their customers. Amazing, n'est pas? Verbal instructions, the (yellowy) paper predecessor of Siri: Contents: Those horrid, absolutely ruin-it-all engraved placement marks for the decals. Oh, my, who was the one guilty of concocting this "help"? off with his head! : More: And more still: Rather hefty but not totally unclear transparencies: The decal sheet, Not the sharpest print, and in any case I don't think I would like to use them: The horizontal tail, fortunately free of inscriptions. A proof-of-concept trial run for making the replacement for the missing part (engine front): And now another, a bit better one: And we now have the replacement ready: Next step: struggle to fill those despicable and absolutely stupid and unnecessary engravings, without destroying the otherwise quite nice surface detail. And at this point I rhetorically ask myself: would I really like to build this one? Would I scratch the interior? Where is the landing gear? (I refuse to use that démodé ugly base with stick, so paseé and unsightly!). What were these primitive kitmakers thinking...it's like getting into the mind of a trilobite, or a primordial worm... Why spend all those resources on a relatively nice (even engraved panel lines!) surface and then ruin it all engraving the detail for which you provide the decals anyway? Why such detailed exterior and then inside the mysterious void, the philosophical vacuum? Was it a reflection or statement on human nature? We are not just mere kitbuilders after all, we are philosophers, social critics, anthropologists, historians (and some among us are even unbearable sods, to cover all bases). I leave you now to reflect upon the precedent in the soothing solitude of your monastic cell, facing the building board where surely lies that half-cooked project. Talk to you soon.