In the last couple/few months I have had more pieces disappear or turn up missing because A) I lost them or B) they were missing from the kit. Of course this includes other disasters such as ruined paint jobs, completed models breaking (with some help of course) or just recently; Snickers the GoldenDoodle eating my 60% complete Italeri A-6E[soapbox]. And the latest incident; I had kit bashed some Tamiya F4U-1D landing gear to my almost completed Acadmey F4U-4 and presto one of the wheel rims is missing now[banghead].
If any of you happen to have one (rim) and can spare it, I’ll give it good home I promise. Or If you want something in return I’ll trade you 70 lbs. Golden Doodle for it[:D].
Walk away from the model. Leave it a while, come back to it and start again. We all have one of these “what else can go wrong builds” and I am sorry to hear of your misfortune, but take pride in knowing that it happens to all good modelers out there.
A long time ago when I was building kits for contests I would build two kits of the same model. The first kit was built as an experiment, that is to find all of the kit problems and work on the ways to make any necessary modifications. Once the first kit was done, including paint and decals, weathering, etc., the second kit should be easy. WRONG! I remember a Fujimi 1/48th A-6 that came out beautiful until I did the final step of spraying a clear coat over the paint and decals. The next day I found all of the decals wrinkled. There had been a reaction to the clear.
The moral of the story is that STUFF HAPPENS. If you enjoy modeling keep doing it, but expect these little annoyances and deal with them. One of the intended benefits of our hobby is that it is supposed to develope patience, right? Keep building and smile when you build.
You don’t have a cat do you? if so that might be where all your stuff is disappearing to that or the carpet monster. I have to box all my stuff up when i’m finished because my cat will steal anything it can bat around on the floor.
I remember losing a whole “sprue” section for a F-15 one time. Drove me nuts and ended up driving 100 mile round trip to a Hobby Shop to get another kit. Several years later it turned up in one of my F-4 kits I had out looking at about that time!
What really ticks me off is when you lose a part to a kit that you can’t just get everyday!! I picked up an Italeri 1/72 YF-23 on ebay and put it in my stash to be built at a later date. Now I notice that one of the intakes is missing![:(!]
That’s all part of the hobby. Sometimes you need to take a break and come back refreshed for another session. Sometimes I have lost a little piece or two and nearly torn out what little hair I have left looking for them. I take a break and come back with a somewhat better attitude and usually can locate the AWOL item.
I have not been in the modeling hobby long enough to experience anything like this (I’ve got less that two months under my belt. I’m working on a D.H. Mosquito and luckily no major stumbling blocks (yet). It may not look pretty, but it is my first model (guinea pig).
I have encountered frustration and “why me” from time to time. I found that to have some other interest helps or just get away from it for a short time. For me, I jump on my '83 Goldwing (stress reliever) and go for a ride.