Building big and little kits.

The WMD on the road tour continued today with a trip to Wollaton Hall near Nottingham. Mrs Woody wanted to see the T Rex exhibition where the first full T Rex skeleton (named Titus) to be shown in the UK since the early 1900s is on show. I told her I was not going to be compared to a dinosaur as she might not actually see any differences and they might not let me out thinking I am an exhibit! However we still went and it was very good and I was not detained. Had a long chat with one of the attending experts who had various facts at her fingertips that answered all my non-sensical questions. A look round the rest of the Hall saw us in The Salon, a room which was used as a set in the 2012 Bat Man film The Dark Knight Rises. 

Now this would make a classy modelling work area and you could hide away your kit and pretend things were tidy by pulling down the roller top.

We then had a look round the formal gardens with views across the very large park and lake where many families were enjoying a day out just like before the pandemic. There is even an archeological dig going on in the grounds (click here for details) where a gentleman explained to us all that was going on and we then drifted off onto the subject of the USA and their history at which point he revealed he had been a Sherriff's Deputy for some time in one state!   

Now to the building big kit part of this post. Without wishing to offend paleontologists (which means I am probably now on their most wanted list after another T Rex ) the World over, their craft has similarities to model making, just on a big scale! They in effect find a big kit of bones and then put them together to make their kit come alive. I have to admire them though as there are no plans, no painting guide and if a part is missing you can't just write off to the manufacturer asking for a replacement! Getting a replacement part is one thing I have been considering with my little kit build of the MiniArt T-80 Russian Light Tank. As you may recall the kit stalled back in April and part of the reason were the tracks. They fell apart in my hands and were a nightmare to assemble and I am still not sure if I have enough intact parts left to finish the necessary track lengths hence possibly writing to MiniArt. For some reason that I really have no idea of I pulled the box with the parts out last night and started again with the tracks. They are still a nightmare but I have made some progress. I think a little at a time is how I will proceed but this could all still end up in the never to be touched again pile of kits!