So I've been out of modelling for about 25-30 years but who is counting.

Today I was trying to get this subborn Tank Commander to fit in his hole, but he wasn't fitting just quit right. If it don't fit force it right, wrong.

THEN SUDDENLY I HEARD A SOUND ...

Not a big sound but a small sound like a "tick." What was that I thought, nothing looks broke, hmm. So I carry on, then I notice that some small piece is missing off the turret, not even sure what it was for or what it does.(IRF) So now I'm mad, first I couldn't remember what the part looked like so I look in the direction to find the part... there it is E3. Then I look at the picture on the box, well the box doesn't even have it drawn. But by-golly I have a picture. So I start looking.

Is it on the table ... NO
Is it on chair ... NO
Gotta be on the floor ... yep no place left.

So I'm old and down on my hand and kneens feeling around and feeling my age, (like no one has ever done that before.) and I'm coming up empty I'm thinking CRAP .. ok it was another word but kids might read this.
I see nothing, I feel nothing .... nothing, nada, zilch. It just gone it was tiny, real tiny.
So I get a bight idea, I'm out in the workshop where I'm building this model and I think that I use to check walls and floors for levelness by shining a high powered light across it at surface level. So out with the 4 million candle power light.
Oh the discoveries you make, I found a number of missing things. down there. a 50 cal gun mount from the 2nd model I built after returning to the hobby this summer. I found money, not enough to retire on but I might buy a piece of candy. There's that screw I lost last year out of my sunglasses and many more finds, but no little tiny part.
Just as I getting ready to give up and justify why the model doesn't need it, you know battle damage or something. THERE SHE BLOWS right in the middle of the beam shining on the floor, like a dancer on center stage at the USO. Now to try and pick this little tiny thing up with my fat fingers which was proving impossible so I try the finger spit glue method, no good... if I could only reach those needle nose with out loosing sight of the part. Well to cut this novel short I finally got the tiny part and got it reattched to the modelIending the drama.
So what was the lesson learned, a good high beam light will yield many finds and find a better surface for the floor under the work space. So I had one of those old desk mats that you chair goes on, the clear ones. So I painted the bottom of it white and put it down. So now if anything falls I should be able to see it. Another tip I learned working on other small stuff before I got back into model is that if you are using a desk with a center drawer, leave it pulled out a little to catch anything that might roll off or suffer the shirt sleeve drag.

Well live and learn, I should be a genus by now.

Later
Dave

Thanks for the laugh!! I'm sure you will getting the reassuring nod from most of the modeller's here that they have been there and done that... too!! I know I have!!

The flooring in my workshop in near white so I actually have had many saves due to the color of the floor...

this is the great story of my life there :-) :-) :-)
at least you can enjoy your candy :-) :-)

gotta get the white paint come payday, thanks for da tip

reb

Hi, Yes, I do believe that ALL modelers can identify with this. And not just once either. Ha, ha! But an occasional 'sweep' of the floor does reveal some interesting items, as you've said.

A word of advice here if I may."Borrow" or buy an old apron and either tack the bottom to the front of the bench or under the bench, or however you feel comfortable with it, and loop the top end around your neck. This way if any more parts decide to go airborne, you may be able to find them a lot easier if the happen to land on the apron's surface. Of course there is always that occasional 'high flyer' that no amount of preparation for can catch!

Oh yeah, another good word of advice. Be sure you remove the apron top from around your neck before getting up. Or maybe this is something that only happens to me!

Take care, Sgirty

I've used the apron method before but really didn't care for it as I'm one to get up and down to much. Guess I've got anys in my pants. That and I have kids and have to investigate "that noise" all to often ... or worse the lack of noise.

Dave

I know this felling well.. I work in a closet 4' by 3' and when I drop something and cant see it from my chair.. i have to carefully get up and out of the closet so I don't step on it..... get down and look and almost everything seems to find the area under my roll around shop toolbox to hide...... amazing that every thing bounces in 1 direction........

Hehehe... Classic :-)

Cougar

haha, all that for a part? i would have called it quits and said this model has got some battle damage now! :-)

You're forgetting my CA$H gain of .37 cents. Now that got to be worth what .... .37 cents?

Thanks for making me laugh! :-)

And yes, been there done that, just last week on fact. A tiny part from a 1/72nd scale kit. Three sweeps of the floor didn't reveal it. After a half an hour on my hands and knees cussing, I had the same situation. It just appeared out of nowhere in a place I had swept over 3 times! The mysteries of modeling!

Well, I've certainly had my adventures on the floor. I've got medium greay carpeting so it just depends what color part is if it falls. Oh, next time cut your tank commander off at the feet, he'll go in a whole lot better, and as he is riding, he won't even miss them

.... and he can park in the handicap parking space. :-) :-)