Plastic Titanic

The empty hull, decks, cabins and funnels lay in scattered pieces for the beckoning of my commitment to recreate the beauty of the largest oceanliner of its day–the RMS Titanic. The ill-fated vessel is probably the most famous ship of all time. Essays, books, films, investigations, and expeditions explore the stories of the single, unfinished voyage of the great liner.

Why do I feel a recent call to explore this subject? It’s all about an unassembled 1/350th scale plastic model of the Titanic. I dragged out the imposing kit awhile ago. The pieces have been berthed in my house for awhile, awaiting the first stretch of uncommitted time. It will require a large share of accumulated time to complete the model in a presentable form.

Meantime, I’m wrapping up some other, prior minor repair and refurbishment projects, including a couple of vintage clock radios and alarm clocks. I must also consider the ongoing house repairs and the onset of spring yardwork.

The Minicraft box contains more than 300 small parts, a small roll of monofilament line for rigging and the aerial, and a sheet of decals and banners. The instructions are presented in a larger than expected booklet. To complete the painting and assembly, takes an average total elapsed time of three months. I purchased most of the paints plus a new Xacto craft knife a few weeks ago, so all I need to do are budget the necessary time and construct the ship.

I’m actually looking forward to including the Titanic in my time budget. Model assembly has been an on again off again hobby for much of my life. The construction process is one of creativity, steady hands, and patience. There should be plenty of rainy or hot, muggy days ahead to exploit for this project. At the very least, it will keep me from getting into mischief.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes Titanic survivor, Lawrence Beesley. “When arranging a tour around the United States I had decided to cross on the Titanic. It was rather a novelty to be on the largest ship yet launched. It was no exaggeration to say that it was quite easy to lose one’s way on such a ship.”