After spending last evening scratchbuilding a spare track mounting bracket thingie for my Centurion I am now deliberating on how to differentiate between relaxation and insanity.

This was my fourth attempt to make this part over the past few weeks. During the course of the evening I cut twenty-six pieces of 20thou sprue approx 3/64 long. Four ultimately went onto the model, five were cut too short and the rest were sacrificed to the great god Carpet.

Can someone re-assure me that this behaviour is normal for an otherwise mature and moderately intelligent life form.

Regards Dave

I know that feeling... #:-)
Maybe this is the time to put the scratchbuilding stuff to the side, and build something out of the box.... just for the fun of it...
It might not be 100% in scale, it might be missing some details but hey.... at least it's fun and you probably won't go insane... :-)

The reasons the hoby is called modelling:-

M(ayhem)
O(utrage)
D(ilemas)
E(xcruciating)
L(ife shortening)
L(imitless frustration)
I(mminent madness)
N(o end in sight)
G(ood for relaxation)

Put the last one in to explain to myself why I do it.

I'm right there with you man. I have gone through the madness too. Replacing Every grab handle on Tamiya's Patton with scratch wire foil combo deals. Kinda drives you a bit batty.

#:-)

MAn Kiwidave

I feel your sorrow dude. How many hours I have crawled over the floor to find that one part you just accidentily dropped. The parts that fall are always the ones that in one or another way always match up with the color of the floor. It are also alwayss the smallest parts that get lost.

It`s some kind of Murphies law of modeling :-) :-)

I have felt infinite frustration from events such as crawling around looking for errant tweezer launches to stripping paint if the effect was not just right. And scratchbuilding, don't get me started on that...
Relaxing? Of course :-)

Andrew

I know the feeling..

I've been cleaning up the indi track links for my sherman at work on my breaks. Last week one of the connectors went flying so since I was alone in the break room I decided I better find it.. I searched for it for about 5 mins and finally saw it laying up under one of the tables. so I got down and was reaching for it with my tweezers when both the foremen walk in............

..now thats dedication to a hobby.......LOL

Sorry, I cannot re-assure you thta your behavior is normal, because it isn't, but neither is an mans behavior who spend his time building and playing with toys. :-) But then again, I took it upon myself to build an M1A1 Abrams with an interior, so I claim the title of odder than most. I have gone to great pains to get the needed resources, including spending three hours crawling all over inside and out of an abrams with a camera, when I could have been in class, or doing homework, or painting my toenails for all the good it would do me. And I am still convinced I can build an abrams with an interior. When I die, can you please carve "Odder than Most" on my headstone.

Rob

Dave,
Perfectly normal...........

I'm really begining to wonder what the best color flooring would be?????

The carpet gods won't be too happy

I understand you guys!

I hate those nasty pieces that go ballistic and fly all over the place and it is almost always a part that is sooooooo importand so that you just must find it.

Like when i was building a swedish Vampire and one of the tail wings flew away...
I took me nearly 10 mins to find it again

But i think the things that kepping most people in the modelling is the results of your hard work(and i mean it!)

Daniel

It is the insanity that is relaxing. Yes you cuss pull your hair out and sometimes cry, but you forget the real world and concentrate on that one elusive thing your trying to do to create the most accurate model there is. Evevtually you get it and the sigh of relief and pride shows through when you get it.
It isn't funny now but when you get it done the way you want you will look at it and remember what you went through and giggle to yourself.
Yes it is normal by a modellers definition of normal #:-)

:-) Yep this behaviour is completly normal :-)
Mal

Several people have mentioned "The Carpet Gods." First of all I'm here to tell you that it isn't just carpet. My workplace, by which I mean the little corner of our dining room that my wife allows me, has a hardwood floor and no carpet. Things get swallowed up there just as easily as any carpet. I'm convinced that the likely hood of a part getting lost is directly proportional to its size, color, and most important to how likely it is to be missed on the finished model if not attached.

In answer to the orginal question, 'is this normal', please try to define normal. I know people who collect all sorts of crazy things, or who think nothing of spending what I consider an unGodly amount to watch sports on cable. Is that normal?

Certified completely normal behaviour for a modeller. #:-)

Thanks guys. I am not sure if you have confirmed my sanity but at least I now know I am not alone in the institution!

I never cease to be amazed at how small the bit is that I have been working on when I lift up my magnifier and try to find it with my naked eye.

Regards Dave :-)

I've never understood all the complaints about "lost in the carpet"pieces.You're joking aren't you?I thought everyone went out and bought new,light colored,vinyl flooring for their work space.Is it excessive to change your floor to suit your hobby? Makes bits easier to find.JOCK

Yupp, completely normal behavior! The worst thing isn't when you loose the parts, its when you find them again, after you have spent hours of scratch building and painting and dont need it anymore thats the worst part!

well I agree with Norseman....set it aside for a while...build somethiing quick and easy..don't try toscratch build it just do it for enjoyment I've had to do it a few times reminds you of how to have fun. oh get newspaper and spread it around your chair it makes finding dropped parts infinitely easier an ounce of prevention....................

What I used to do in my old room when I lost a part to the carpet god was.. Make everything completely dark. Close the curtains, put out the lights and grab a pocketlight put it on and lay it on the ground. What happens then is because of the light that lays on the ground everything in the lightbundle gets a long shadow and makes it therefor easier to find

One way of finding a lost part in the carpet, if your vacuum cleaner as a hose connection, is to get a thin sock or one of the wife's stockings, put it over the end and vacum the area with the hose. Before turning the suction off hold the end of the hose over some newspaper. Then turn off and gently remove the stocking. The part may drop onto the paper with other fluff etc picked up or be stuck to the stocking.
Another way is to walk barefoot in the area. That sharp pain in the softest part of the sole of your foot could be the very thing you're looking for.

Let us all now pray to the hungry Carpet God:
Oh,great and omnipotent CG,Give our parts back to we.
We mean no vice,
Our model would look so nice,
If only our parts we could see.

Can I get an Amen?

Amen Carl...

At my parents house I have got a laminate (I do not know the English word) floor... So the Carpet God has been evicted from my room... Unfortunately, laying such a floor in my room will be a bit beyond my budget

So far I have had luck with the Carpet God... so I am praying to him daily now to appease him (and offer some coins along the way)...

Hey, I detailed out a 1/72 scale Abrams tank slicing road wheels down the circumference to make them appear paired. I added detail missing from many 1/35 scale kits, so it's all how you look at it. If I was building a jet plane, I'd probably leave off most of the antenna and other protrusions, something a real aircraft builder would never do.