It turns out that ‘olive drab’ is the shade Joe should have selected to paint his prize model panzer tank to achieve full authenticity. But there is nothing drab and everything authentic about this diamond of a show and the cast of characters who inhabit it, terrifically realised by Pat McGrath as Joe, in an understated tour de force.

The stage is really Joe’s man cave, his own private modeller's den, an escape from the contemporary world which has bruised him, and left him unemployed, but not defeated. His table is cluttered with superglue and a battlefield of discarded bits of plastic. His wife and children are baffled and only his newfound modeller friends, who frequent the Saturday club (which they share with the vegan bakery) he joined, can affect the true passion of the obsessed.

These are all hilariously conjured and inhabited by McGrath who also wrote the script with the minute attention and lightest of touches Joe might lavish on repairing a damaged gun turret. Throughout this colourful and zany world, the surreal and the domestic career on parallel lines making for great comically-paced moments subtly directed by Alan King. Will it be money for his son’s school trip or sending away for that brand new Czech model vital for an edge over Hermann the neo-nazi from Rathmines? Not just for anoraks or reformed modellers, this is one not to miss!

Star rating: ★★★★★