So I ran across these in Hobby Lobby recently. I had somehow not seen them before. I thought the idea was so cool that I would try one.
They are models in a fashion. The parts are all laser cut (I assume) from a single sheet of thin metal. Every part is flat as it comes. In fact, it comes in an envelope, not a box like plastic models. There are of course varying levels of complexity.
I have a penchant for lighting, so I went with the lighthouse. I am absolutely going to put an LED in this lighthouse, at a minimum.
Here’s the product:
And inside, there is an instruction sheet and a sheet of parts. Here are the parts:
What may not be apparent from these pictures is how tiny the parts are. They recommend using tweezers for assembly. I would say using tweezers is an absolute requirement, not a suggestion.
Now it’s been a while since I’ve built a model. Years and years. But still, this is simple stuff. But when you have fat fingers and a bias towards productivity, this kind of work can be quite an adjustment. Here’s an hour of my life, which I will not get back. Sweet-N-Low packet for scale.
But then it dawned on me – getting this thing done wasn’t the point. Doing it was the point. The journey not the destination and all that. Yep. Like I view fishing –
For me fishing isn’t about catching fish. It’s about time spent at peace, in nature, enjoying the moments.
-Me
So I came back to the model a few days later when I had a break with a different attitude. and I’ll be darned if I didn’t finish it too soon. I’m not sure how long it took in reality, but it seemed like too soon.
So that’s how the makers envisioned it as complete. I believe it needs a light. I mean, it’s a lighthouse. I’ll work on that next time I have some down time.
In the meantime, if it’s been a while since you made a model, or tied some flies for that matter, I suggest getting yourself a little side-stream diversion like this and taking the detour. You’ll be back on the main river soon enough.
There’s a model for every taste, check out the Amazon Search Results for Metal Earth Model. Stagecoach, Notre Dame (pre-fire of course), Game of Thrones Red Keep, Millennium Falcon, and everything in between. This might be my next one:
