discussion The carpet monster got me!!!!

[Peej]

Last night I was putting the last few parts on my 1/76 Opel Blitz which is my 1st attempt at a vehicle when the headlight I was about to put in place popped out of the tweezers and went on the floor. After 20 minutes on my hands & knees with a small torch I can only presume the carpet monster has eaten it. I may have to make the truck look a bit battle damaged so the missing light doesn't look too obvious. Must be more careful with my next build which is a 1/35 Kubelwagen.

 

[Alan 45]

Paul cut a piece of clear plastic the same size and put that in at 1/76 you won't tell the difference

 

[flyjoe180]

What Alan said Paul. I keep all my sprues and offcuts for just this sort of emergency. The little blobs on the clear sprue trees can be used to create headlights, landing lights, and much more.

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

put some tights over a vacuum cleaner and vacuum the carpet, anything picked up will be stuck in the tights

Adrian

 

[Peej]

Hi Alan it was the whole headlight I dropped. It was 1 of those small fiddley things that fit on top of the mudguard.

 

[Peej]

Thanks Joe and Ade will give those a go. Sounds easier than trying my idea of making it look damaged. Thinking about it might be a bit advanced for my skill level at the mo.

 

[Alan 45]

Hi Alan it was the whole headlight I dropped. It was 1 of those small fiddley things that fit on top of the mudguard.

Oh I see then if Adrians idea doesn't work put a small piece of cotton dangling from the same spot so it looks like wire

 

[Guest]

Try this Paul - when cutting weeny bits

off the sprue, flatten a ball of blu-tak on your work surface & lightly press the sprue into it. Then when you cut, the part will remain where it is, held by the blu-tak.

Cheers Patrick

 

[Gern]

I think my carpet monster is feeling sorry for me! Today I found two bits I thought he'd eaten. One was lost about 4 weeks ago, the other was last week. He must have had them hidden in his lair 'cos I vacuumed round a couple of days ago!

 

[Guest]

There is also a concrete monster my carpet was took up a few weeks ago due to being covered in paint and glue and even with it gone the concrete monster has taken over the carpet monsters job.

 

[Alan 45]

Ken I know what you mean , I have a laminate floor and things just disappear

 

[Peej]

That's all I need to know! How many more monsters is there in the modelling world!?

Just realised this is my 100th message. WAHOO!!!

 

[Guest]

Well there's the sprue monster (that's the one in cahoots with the carpet/concrete monster) the knife monster that's the one which makes you slip and scratch or in some way mar the model your working on, or if it's feeling really evil cut yourself, then there's the paint monster the glue monster, would you like me to go on.oh and congrats on your 100th message

 

[Peej]

Thanks kp. Made me laugh!!

 

[Alan 45]

The sprue monster is evil encarnate , he will put a small part on the smallest peg so you can't use your clippers and knows you will have to use your knife , then as you slowly cut the part from the sprue he makes that last cut really hard to get through so you apply more pressure then ......................gone it snaps and off goes your part and if you listen very carefully the carpet monster can be heard laughing !

Some say the monsters that plague us are female !

 

[Guest]

On the carpet monster, I try not to use tweezers or fingernails. Parts can jump out like a grasshopper. I also sit as close to the work table as possible. Also, I try to put small parts, not ready to be attached, in a shallow jar, lidded box with compartments or similar and try never to put them down somewhere else. Don't sneeze! Sometimes, when opening the box of a new kit, some small parts can be loose and get lost.

I've been impressed by Revell. I asked for another top left and left bonnet panels for my 1/16 Rolls Royce because I wanted to have the model with the engine exposed as well as not. It was supplied free. Than I noticed a wrinkle on the radiator (which was supplied "chrome" painted). Again, no charge.

 

[Guest]

Wear one of those kitchen aprons with a bib, your loss rate will drop dramatically. Derek

 

[slupanter]

You can build headlight from green stuff. Make a ball the same size as the lamp, when its dried sand or cut one edge flat.

I lost my flakwagan head lights so I just made a load.