I was working on my Bison for the Under the Sun group build, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

The Alan kit is pretty poor as far as details are concerned and I have a full blown case of AMS going on (stand clear folks :-) ), so I was working on adding hinges to the stowage boxes in the fighting compartment. I was down to my last hinge, and with nerves of steel, I carefully dipped it in the CA glue and then TWANG - it tweezer launched into the netherworld. Normally I can find stuff that I launch by the sound it makes when I hits something. This hinge made no such sound..... hmmm. I had already sanded off the molded on hinges, and I didn't have another Aber hinge (they don't give you any extras), so I commenced to get down on the floor and do the Stevie wonder thing. Feeling and looking - looking and feeling.... I must have been down there at least a half-hour. Set a new "searching the floor record for me".

Anyway - In walks the lady.... Doesn't it always seem like they only come into your model room to see what you are doing - if you are doing something stupid. She asks me what in the world i'm doing........I tell her, "I'm looking for a &*&#@#**& part that I lost."

She says, " you mean that little shiny thing on your chin?"

Well, it turns out that I super glued the hinge to my face.... That was a first...

She seemed to think that was pretty hilarious......

Jeff

At least it didn't get sucked into the vortex called the rug...

Ohh I Hate losing things I Already lost my Fuel Can Cap for a Kubelwagen and a few days ago I lost a Knife and sheath from the DML Navy Seal 1/35 Kit.

Spent half a hour looking for it with the other knife cut off and laying on the floor to see how it looks and BAM after about 30 or 40 minutes I Find it!

jeez I hate when that happens....but before I ever start a p/e set,I now send an offering to the carpet gods #:-)

Jeff---great story

If my other half ever saw a hinge glued to my chin, the first thing she'd be looking for would be a clasp to attach and keep my mouth shut!

Cool story----hang in there pal!

Steve

That was great. My other half always ask me, (after I have dropped a part) why don't you work on the desk? Well, I tell her that wouldn't be a challenge LOL . Try to make building the model not my only challenge . Really , I just like my chair. And Dav, finding it later, much later, know that feeling well. I've even scratch built a part, only to find it much later. Great story Jeff.

Howdy Jeff,

Thx for sharing that story with us, got a good laugh out of that one! After I stopped chuckling at your turn of events, it reminded me of one of mine. Short story is, I also dropped a small part (if I remember correctly it was the steering shaft off the Tammy SAS jeep kit), looked for awhile, couldn't find it for the life of me (the shaft and my carpet are almost precisely the same colour). Figured I'd have to scratch it, no biggie....couple of days later I'm walking into my modeling room and boom!, I step right on it!! It puntured the heel of my right foot right thru the socks and I seriously had to use my modeling tweezer's to pull it out!! .....hurt like the dickens.
My only solace is that noone else saw me do it .

Tread.

BTW, I have since built a completely new modeling station/desk that is completely covered in white 1/4" masonite paneling.....haven't lost a single piece since!

All I can say is: Welcome to my world. I could be in a completely white 4x4 room, looking for a 2x2 black piece, and not find it until,and ONLY until I'm done with the model. Oh, well, I'm off to look for that 2x2 piece...

Great story, classic. Thats all I have to say about it!

~Chip :-) :-) :-) #:-)

Great story Jeff. Bad as having your wife find you doing something stupid it's even worse, if possible, to have your teenaged daughter find you. I tweeser launced two small parts one right after the other on my Italeri Priest tonight. My daughter saw me hunting around on the floor for both a them with a "I've got a weird father" look on her face. For the record I have wood floors and they can swallow parts every bit as well as the worst carpet monster.

Great story jrnelson, someone should write a warning pamphlet about the dangers of model building. Halfyank, that is a great phrase you used, "Tweeser Launched", I wiil remember that one as it perfectly describes the firing of parts into the black hole that is called the carpet..

Yep, Yep, blond wood floors LOVE the offering of tiny bits of brass. Even when I hear the thing drop, It is a 50/50 chance I will not find it till way, way later.
capnjock

I don't want to sound like anyone's Mom or anything but anyone that doesn't wear prescription glasses really ought to wear safety glasses when working with PE. Imagine launching a CA covered bit into your eye... Ouch.
Okay, I am retiring from the safety commitee now.



Shaun

Davhowell-
I thought that I was the only one that "dropped a tracer" part on the floor, just to find a similar item. LOL!!!!! I've been known to lose 'em both!

Tread-
We must have similar interior decorators. I think that the "official" name for the color of my carpet is "Tamiya plastic yellow". I could hide a whole sprue in that stuff!

Well, at least she didn't walk in on me making "vrooming" noises with my model again.... wait............... did I say that out loud? Nevermind.....
Jeff

Thank the gods I have an 8 year old son with "EAGLE EYES"....and he is persistent. If not for him, I would never be able to complete a model!

Jeff,
Your wife isn't the only one who got a chuckle out of that one. I truley enjoyed that one. Ity is a classic. It beats anyone I have done. Thanks for the laugh. :-)

...LOL, Jeff! Ya know it's funny, I almost always seem to find the dark green Italeri pieces, but have such a problem with those darn Tamiya desrt yellow ones!!!!!?! #:-) #:-) #:-)


Tread out.

I have a nice gray rug (virtually impossible to find things in)...I'll just be cutting a piece from the spru and *kertwang* of it goes into the rug of no return. Very frustrating experience...especially when you find it after you finish the model :-)

Ahh, the deaded tweezer launch, I'm sure we all know it well.

Some times I think I spend more time searching for dropped or mis-placed parts then i do asembling the model.

Just last week, I misplaced a part for the 234/1 I was working on and squash cast a replacement part. Within 5 minutes of completing the part and sticking it on the model, I moved a bottle of paint and guess what, there that little sucker was.

Im thinking about calling my local Police department to see if they will train a small plastic and resin sniffing dog for me #:-)

Oh by the way ..Im going to name the dog "Sprue" #:-)

D'oh! #:-) #:-) #:-)

I feel your pain.......

Dave

That is funny!! I Though that I was the only guy dummy enough to spend halve of my modelling time searching plastic parts with my nose on the floor. The guy who invents a resin and plastic detector will make a millon very quik!

Danmo

i lost a PE HINGE! for the boxes on the back of panthers..... i searched sand searched and searched probably over an hour. well i never found it. it either flew far away from the work area, got in the dreaded carpet or sucked up into the wet/dry vac. i was very upset.

John-

I think that I found a good way to not loose hinges at least..... just glue 'em to your face. Find 'em later when you look in the mirror....

Later-
Jeff