This story Will be appreciated by many I’m sure. My Kitbashing Buddy on the night before his 1st model show…While transporting his masterpiece from his workbench in the basement upstairs to pack-it-up for the next day’s events. Well of course… He dropped his Beautiful 1/48 scale KI 42 Oscar down his basement stairs… “Unwilling or premature Kamakazi you say”…Lordy Lordy seven months of “super detailing, photo etch magic, correct paint ,correct decals and presentation, resin aftermarket products purchased a 5 different places”… labor of love… smashed on his concrete basement floor…Oh the madness.The inhumanity of it all.
Seven months of work “Gone with the Devine Wind”…
The best part of this story was his wife’s comments when I went showed up at his home about 15 min. after the “crash”. His wife told me she heard him say Oh Nooooooo Oh! Sh…No No No and then words or sounds like nothing she’s ever heard before. Then silence. Lucky for her she did not venture down stairs at that moment…Her laughter would have tempted her doom!!!.. My friend still won’t talk about that evening. I do think I heard him say to himself something like “I should have been in that cockpit” But my sides still ache from my held back laughter when I recall the site of a grown Man holding the remains of his Oscar in his hands and sobbing. Now I ask you all, ain’t this a great past time???
I think everyone has one of these stories. I myself spent years working on a Minicraft 1/350 Titanic for my wife. She is a fanatic on the subject. It was a terrible kit. Ejection pin marks EVERYWHERE, poor fit, major inaccuracies, you name it. I finally got it done. put it on kits stand on the entertainment center, and went back downstairs to work on another kit. Less than an hour later my wife comes to the top of the stairs with what was left of the ship.[:(] It fell off the stand (nobody was even in the room), and busted up.[:(] I can fix whats left of it, but right now I can’t even bring myself to look at it.[:(!]
We do indeed put a lot of blood, sweat, and soul into a little piece of plastic. There are some inherent risks in pouring so much of ourselfs into a model.
I guess I won’t complain when a few parts fall off again. Oh, I couldn’t imagine that happening to me with say my favorite model. However, there has been a few times I SLIPPED and threw… I mean dropped an old kit down the stairs. [;)] Oh the humanity…now it’s off to get something new. [:p]
“It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it.”-R.E.Lee
Butchy.
It’s rude and heartless to say it, but better him than me.
And yes. I know, my sympathy is underwhelming…
He’s certainly not alone - I’ve killed several beautiful models - some just before model shows.
The last time I wanted to enter a show (I had a guaranteed first place 1/12 motorcycle - it’s freakin beautiful…18 months of work…) I jumped into the bloody car and the coil decided it didn’t want to play anymore. No wheels, no entry.
I sympathise with your friend - and I would have taught anyone within earshot some new words as well if it had been me.
Cheers
LeeTree
And then there are the times I can remember as a kid, when I built most of my models, when we got posted and couldn’t move the models, so blew them apart with the BB gun or firecrackers.
Bruce
Hi Again;
Oh yeh my favorite method of disposial was an “M-80” Firecracker. The demise of my Revell Bismark in our local Pond while “Underway” is still fresh in my memory 40 years later… Or the complete destruction of an old Frog Wessex Helo kit… M-80 blew that sucker into thousands of pieces. I remember my Mom wondering what all the tiny blue flicks were that she was finding in our laundry which was hanging outside to dry… Ummmm. I think "im Normal… I think I’m normal… Amazing when I look back now how truly lucky We were not to seriously injury somebody…Do wish I had that Frog Kit now though $$$$$$
Be Well
Butch