stuck up

Can you spot the difference?

Yes I know one is a Spitfire and one is a Hurricane.

Yes, I know one is on the left and one is one the right.

Yes I know the paint schemes are similar but different.

The difference is that on the Hurricane (one on the right for those not aware which is which) the stickers with the flag, squadron markings and RAF roundels are home made, whereas the ones on the Spitfire are the ones supplied with the kit.

I was given an Airfix set of the planes in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as a present. It has taken me a while to get around to making these two. (The Lancaster Bomber is yet to be attempted.) But when I was making the Hurricane I realised that the paint job that I wanted to give it was different to the one recommended and that the stickers (called ‘decals’ by those in the know) were designed for a different paint scheme and would not look right at all.

I went to our local model shop but they don’t do spare sets. Instead the man sold me a blank sticker sheet on which I could print the various logos and letters from my printer. Great!

Except I had not realised that each letter and logo would have to be cut out precisely with a craft knife It took ages! And because the sheet had to go through my printer in one pass I only had one go at it. Pressure!

I am moderately pleased with the result. From medium range it does not look too bad, although I am sure purists will find many faults with them.

One of the things that excited me about this was the discovery that you can buy sheets of sticker material onto which you can print anything you like. Ooh, the possibilities! I used up the space on the sheet after putting the logos and letters on it for my Hurricane with some church logo stickers and some sticky address labels, as well as a new sticker to go on the box for my puppet: Stew the Rabbit (right).

A sticker can offer a way of adding your own personal touches to something. It is a way of identifying it as belonging to you (in case it gets lost or someone thinks they would like it). Is the Holy Spirit like a sticker for us? He is the way that God is adding his own personal touches to my life. He is the one who (I hope) identifies me as someone who belongs to Jesus. The big difference is that the objects on which I have placed my stickers had not choice in the matter. They just got splatted.

I have a choice to make, every day, or even all the time, about whether I allow the Spirit to do what he wants to within me, or to hide him and his effect from others.

I had a quick look for an airfix-related joke online, but it seems that it is taken very seriously by a lot of people – it is no joking matter. Have declined to search for ‘model jokes’ as I don’t want to know what I might be offered. So instead, here are some jokes that start with an aeroplane.

The Mum- English Dictionary
AEROPLANE: What Mum impersonates to get a 1-yr.-old to eat food. 
APPLE: Nutricious lunchtime dessert which children will trade for cupcakes. 
BABY: 1. Dad, when he gets a cold. 2. Mum’s youngest child, even if he’s 42. 
BATHROOM: a room used by the entire family, believed by all except Mum to be self-cleaning. 
BECAUSE: Mum’s reason for having kids do things which can’t be explained logically. 
BED and BREAKFAST: Two things the kids will never make for themselves. 
CAR POOL: Complicated system of transportation where Mum always winds up going the furthest with the biggest bunch of kids who have had the most sugar. 
COUCH POTATO: What Mum finds under the sofa cushions after the kids eat dinner. 
DATE: Infrequent outings with Dad where Mum can enjoy worrying about the kids in a different setting. 
DRINKING GLASS: Any carton or bottle left open in the fridge. 
DUST RAGS: See “DAD’S UNDERWEAR.” 
EAR: A place where kids store dirt. 
EAT: What kids do between meals, but not at them. 
ENERGY: Element of vitality kids always have an oversupply of until asked to do something. 
EYE: The highly susceptible optic nerve which, according to Mum, can be “put out” by anything from a suction-arrow to a carelessly handled butter knife.
FOOD: The response Mum usually gives in answer to the question “What’s for dinner tonight?” See “SARCASM” 
GENIUSES: Amazingly, all of Mum’s kids. 
HAMPER: A wicker container with a lid, usually surrounded By, but not containing, dirty clothing. 
HANDI-WIPES: Pants, shirt-sleeves, drapes, etc. 
HINDSIGHT: What Mum experiences from changing too many nappies. 
ICE: Cubes of frozen water which would be found in small plastic tray if kids or husbands ever filled the things instead of putting them back in the freezer empty. 
JEANS: Denim trousers which, according to kids, are appropriate for just about any occasion, including church and funerals. 
JUNK: Dad’s stuff. 
KISS: Mum medicine. 
MAYBE: No. 
OCEAN: What the bathroom floor looks like after bath night for kids, assorted pets, two or three full-sized towels and several dozen toy boats, cars and animals. 
OPEN: The position of children’s mouths when they eat in front of company.
OVERSTUFFED RECLINER: Mum’s nickname for Dad