Instruction Sheets, or Books, Airfix let us down.
Hi Ya'll;
As you know i told of building the Airfix version of the "Severn" the biggest RNLI lifeboat at the time. This kit is amazing in some ways, disappointing in others. the Amazing? The incredible level of detail inside the cabin of the vessel. Even the molding of the seat bases contains the rails they woiuld move on the be adjusted!
Problem? To a builder like myself, Yes! There is so much detail that deserves seeing, yet the only way you are goimg to see it is through the windows. Which, by the way, as is typical sadly, for Airfix, So damaged by sink marks as to be useless for the viewing. I had to replace each and every one with window panes made from A C/D/ crystal container top!. The real disappointing thing was the instructions though.
At the best were the drawings of the model for sure. But there were areas where there were no paint callouts, and when there were it was sometimes hard to pinpoint which part they were referring to. Based on the photos on the instructions I deduced that the outside of the cabin also had an Orange roof. It tells you what color for the inside, but not the outside.
the lettering in these call-outs was so fine that in some cases A magnifier had to be used.Maybe I got a badly printed copy, but I think not. Some details, such as fire extinguishers and other gear had No color callouts at all! All in All an interesting model to build. It is a shame that Airfix couldn't have figured a removeable or alternate parts to provide just that, Like an optional clear top. Or a side with a "Window " to allow viewing.