Construction Kit Junkie

When I was eight years old, I became a shipbuilder.

The ship in question was the RMS Mauretania – not the actual ocean liner, you understand, but a 1:600 scale plastic kit made by UK model manufacturer Airfix. The kit had been a gift from a kindly relative and, despite having no particular interest in ships, I broke open the box and assembled it with the blind unthinking enthusiasm that fuels all our young lives.

I didn’t do a bad job. Yes, there were smears of glue here and there, and the two...