Model

A model is a version, like a model A Ford. Henry kept improving his car models and found the model T worked well and was popular so made a huge bunch of them. I haven’t seen much of the models in between. Have you? I used to assemble and paint plastic 1:24 scale models of hot rod cars. My favorite was a 1929 Nash 1/4 ton pickup truck that was called the Blue Beetle. Fun times.

A model is meant to represent an ideal, something to strive for. Striving to be like someone else is a popular pastime. We set someone up in our mind as our ideal model and then attempt to emulate them or at least emulate their attributes and behaviours. Sometimes a person will even try to look like the model they have chosen. An Elvis tribute artist who wears nothing but Elvis outfits is an extreme example.

Some models are quite famous. Twiggy was a, to my mind, skinny girl. Tall too. Clothing designers loved her because they could accentuate the tall and slender attributes of their designs. Thing is, Twiggy was so thin that any girl who might decide to emulate her would need to go the eating disorder route to get even close. When we try too hard, invest too much, in emulating a model we lose ourselves.

The Desert Model Railroad in Osoyoos has over 45 computer controlled model trains in 4000 square feet of model space, all chuffing along on a big pretend landscape with model bridges and some 2000 models of people living their lives among it all. The model railroad train is a classic toy. A model home is where you can see and walk around in an actual house with furniture etc to provide the real experience.

Modelling clay is like plasticene used to make models of almost anything you imagine. Automobiles are clay modelled in full size, can even be painted, so designers can really get a feel for what they propose. One nice thing about a clay model is they can add a flared fender or slice off a tail fin to tweak the design. So a model can be a starting point to tweak into an even better design. So you are a model too. Wow.