I Found It!!!

Did you ever make the old Monogram Grumman F3F in 1:32? It has small retainers on the landing gear at are about the size of the "o" in the quotes! I painted them silver and while trying to mount them, dropped them onto the black floor. Fortunately they stood out, but it still took about ten minutes to find them each time I dropped them. I'm using CA on this model, how the heck did Monogram expect you to built this back in the day?

-- John ___ __[xxx]__ (o - ) --------o00o--(_)--o00o-------

The history of things that didn't happen has never been written - Henry Kissinger

Yep, built it along with the Gulfhawk model. Needless to say my landing gear did not retract when you moved the prop. I think the instructions wanted you to flatten the pegs with a heated number 11 blade. Yea right......

Allen Catonsville, MD

With gluey fingers thus insuring you would immortalise your fingerprints...;)

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Well John, "back in the day" we were a tough lot. We had to walk two miles to the hobby shop - uphill both ways - in snow up to *here.*

And, if the truth be known, our eyesight (mine at least) was a helluva lot better.

Andy

ON

You 'ad 'obby shop?..... sheer looxury...all we 'ad was hole in t' road...AND SNOW, woulda killed fur a bit o' snow, we woulda...

OFF :-) Before someone else said it!

RobG

I have no problems losing small parts - do it all the time. Sometimes I even find them again! The most baffling case was the time I lost the engine pod from a 72th Matchbox Supermarine Walrus, complete with struts. I looked all over the bedroom (this was when I was but a lad), but never did find it. When I got married and left Dad's place, I looked in everything I packed and all over the now empty room - the damn thing never showed up. Eventually, I made up another from something about the right size and shape (can't remember what it was, now) and added some brass struts, but that Walrus is

*STILL* (after 16 years!!) unfinished! Anyone wanna buy a custom Walrus??

RobG

All lost parts occupy a fifth dimension - and only re-appear when you are NOT looking for them.

I often have the situation wher I am sitting at my workbench and use a tool. I put it down to do something else, then go to pick it up again AND IT ISN'T THERE !!!!

I scan the workbench - knowing that it MUST be there - then decide I am going mad, glance away, glance back - and there it is !!!!

I put it down to old age......................

I am currently missing a wheel hub from a SA-10 Grumble missile kit and an etched-brass window frame from a SCUD kit.

The carpet monster has got them - but I'm going to grub around on the floor

- not looking for them you understand - until they turn up.

I've tried three times already - to no avail - but they will eventually appear.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast Flankers Website -

Roads ?? You 'ad roads ???

Lucky bugger !!

Rob Gr> ON

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast Flankers Website -

i have a tame black hole for data storage. a mean one. it eats tools, parts and books. but it works cheap.

Heh. Happens to me all the time.......

Yeah. CRS syndrome gets worse and worse with advancing years...... ;-p

Down in my basement the same thing happens but it doesn't limit itself to model parts. Something down there loves Sharpies. I just had the second one go missing. As big as they are one would think they couldn't do that.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Rothschild' Sewage & Septic Sucking Services: Your Fruit Should Be Ripe, Not Your Lawn!

At your age Al, if you wake up in the morning, the bed's dry, and you remember your name it's a good day. ;+) Kim M

Every day lacking my name featured in the obituaries is a good day....... ;)

How ironic! Last year I lost the tail wheel for a F8F Bearcat looked all over the basement floor for it...no luck. Wrote Hobby Craft and they sent me a new tail wheel...time goes on...this Sunday my wife was barefoot in the living room watering her plants when I heard her give out a muted "Ouch!" A minute later she appeared in the kitchen and dropped the Bearcat tail wheel onto my coffee cups saucer and then returned to her plants. I don't know how it got up stairs unless it rode in the cuff of my pants( didn't look there) or got tangled up in my shoe laces and then jumped ship into the carpet when I arrived upstairs in the living room. Next time a part takes a hike and I can't find it on the bench or floor, a body and clothing check will be performed!! :-) Mike IPMS

This might be old news to many here but just in case: If anything drops, do not try to stop or catch it. Almost catching the part will just bounce it around the room in unpredictable directions. Just let it drop, and try to keep your eyes on it. Sometimes this works. When it doesn't, don't move. Look at every part of yourself and your seat you can see without getting up. Small parts occasionally settle on a crease or wrinkle in your clothes, and getting up will launch them all over the room. If that fails, look around you on the floor without moving your legs, paying special attention to the areas around the legs of your chair. If it's not there, slide your chair back slowly, if possible without moving your feet. Look at your feet. I've found all together too many small parts wedged between shoestrings, or between my foot and my shoe. You'll probably end up on all fours after all, but getting up and moving around may also move the part you're looking for, and if it's in any location where it might have been found by the procedure above, you're almost guaranteed to lose it if you don't check first.

I've also seen a trained cat recommended as a way of retrieving small parts, but I've yet to convince mine to lend a paw.

Rob

Another trick I've used over the years is to look ALONG the floor rather than down at it.

In other words put your eyeball as close to the floor as possible - and to the side of where you want to look,

Then scan along the floor - and sometimes the you can see the part sticking up from the floor/carpet.

I remember reading about it in my old boys own comic books - that was the way that Red Indians (we called them that then - before they became 'Native Americans') used to do it when scouting.

They also used to put their ears to railroad tracks to 'hear' if a train was coming from miles away

- but I have never had occasion to use that trick !

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast Flankers Website -

down at it.

side of where you

that Red Indians (we

when scouting.

coming from miles away

That generally doesn't work for me. I find I have to look straight down at the carpet.

One more reason the workroom in the house I'll eventually buy will have a hardwood floor...

Not recommended if one's chair is wheeled...... ;)

way that Red Indians (we

it when scouting.

was coming from miles away

the midwest. You hear a clicking noise that resembles a very faint morse code message or a very distant sonar ping. usually means the train is around 10 miles or more away. Not recommended to try it in the dead of winter with a hard frost on the rails; could be both educational and painful. :-) Mike IPMS