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Whats your biggest error?


PhantomBigStu

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In my personal life in particular I have a seriously long list of errors, so much that I now struggle to decide which was the biggest....

In the hobby I have made many as well, not all serious fortunately. Among the ones I remember, in no particular order:

- Inverting the left and right intakes on a Sea Harrier many years ago... I kept looking at the model thinking something was odd but I only realised the error a couple years later

- Painting a 1/48 F-111 that was supposed to represent one of the Combat Lancer aircraft, arriving at the decaling phase and realising that I had used a later, totally different camouflage pattern... at that point I used different decals to fit with the pattern as I could not withstand the idea of repaining the whole aircraft

- Leaving a 1/72 B-26 by mistake in the sun... a few hours later I have a model of the very rare parabolic wing version...

- dropping a full bottle of white spirit on the desk while all clear parts for a couple of models were awaiting painting... needless to say I then had some very nice whitish plastic canopies.

- a recent one, spraying the wrong type of clear coat onto a 1/72 FAA Wildcat, with the result of paint and decal totally ruined. Model is now awaiting some form of restoration or the bin

- walking without realising that the windscreen of the Monogram F-14 I was buildinghad fallen on the floor. A noise of squashed plastic made all my hair stand, followed by swear words in most known languages and a few unknown ones

- totally forgetting the serial number decals on an F-8 Crusader, model that the following day went to a model show. It was only at some point the last day of the event that I realised the serial numbers were missing... well, nobody else seems to have noticed

And there are much more, wrong camo patterns, wrong glues or fillers, misaligned decals...

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I seem to be haunted by errors, both in modelling and beyond. On the subject of this site my earliest mistake, that I recall, was rushing to build an Airfix Hellcat. It had just been released and I wanted it on my shelf ASAP. So, to speed up the paint drying process, I placed in in front of a fan heater. Needless to say she ended up all droopy :(. I spill cement, touch wet cement and spread it on my models, I knock over jars of cleaner and much more. I can be a disaster! ;)

 

Martin

 

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Not quite a modelling error but close enough to qualify for here. I bought a 1/48 Gannet AEW from Joseph @WV908 last week. Nice guy and top seller. A heavy parcel arrived next day and I thought that’s heavy but it’s a resin kit, hey ho. Sent him a PM thanking him and joked maybe someone had sent a brick. 
I was so busy work wise it took a couple of days to open it. Unwrapped and found 1000 dog 💩 pick up plastic bags :analintruder::rofl2: What a disappointment :D

 

Gannet arrived ok now 

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Spilling a bottle of AK Xtreme metal aluminium on our very nice, new oak floor... I was very fast with cleaning up, but somehow this part of the floor is still a bit metallic shiny.. You can imagine the amount of explaining I had to do to the misses (no, I didn't drop the bottle, somehow it fell by itself.. She didn't buy it)

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oh, and a second one: I am not very lucky with lotteries. Some years ago I was in Germany with friends and we were in a shopping mall. Somebody was selling tickets for a lotterie and the main prize was a Volkswagen Golf convertible ( a real one). Went home and forgot all about the ticket ( never won anything so why bother).. A few months later I received a call very early in the morning in german. If could identify as Fred, and pick up my car in Germany. Because it was very early in the morning (did I already say that?) and I went to the pub the night before I did not understand and thought it was a scam. Later that day I remembered that I bought a ticket but then it was already too late. The call was anonymously. 

 

That's how I missed out on a Golf convertible.. I can still cry about it..

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Fred's  car mistake reminds me of one of my own. 

 

I  enjoy horse racing and used to regularly place multiple bets, accumulators. Small outlay big rewards. I'd already being successful on a couple of occasions.

 

That day I  picked six horses and went to  local bookmaker. Walking in I  had  change of heart with one of the horses and replaced it with another, a favourite ridden by the multiple champion jockey. You can see where  this is going. The original horse won as did all the other five. My last  choice  came second. 

I had actually won a thousand quid and I  remember the smiling staff member congratulating me and handing me a lump of cash. 

 

I was miserable though. You see if I'd done nothing and stuck with the plan he'd have been handing over a cheque for 30k.😭

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On 08/08/2022 at 17:26, WV908 said:

Just to clarify the doggy doo doo bags were not from me 🤣

 

Cheers,

  WV908

Indeed. They were supplied by a firm with the delightful name of “Mutts Butts”

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I'd almost finishing the rigging on the 1:72 Airfix Tiger Moth - I was modelling the one I had a trip in from Headcorn piloted by Anna Walker - I was 99.998% done when the little plane jumped out of my hand and nose dived onto the floor.

 

There was a very slight noise and the tension in the rigging caused it to fly apart quite dramatically. Parts and rigging scattered across the room.

 

I even had a little me sitting in the passenger seat.

 

It's now sitting in a sad little heap at the back of the bottom shelf.

 

One day.

Mark

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Just been reminded of an old build, followed the Xtradecal instructions on a Malta Hurricane and Beaufighter combo....painted the Hurricane in the Earth/Green/Sky scheme and the Beau in ESDG/DSG/Sky. Found out last year the Hurri should have been in the desert scheme and the Beau in the Earth/Green/Sky scheme.....

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I have made many mistakes during my modelling lifetime but I will mention just the latest that I did as recent as two days ago.

 

Throughout my current build of an Airfix 1/48 EE Lightning (09179),  I have been telling myself "DON'T FORGET THE LIQUID GRAVITY".  It had been carefully weighed and was sitting in a polybag on my bench. Two days ago, I joined the fuselage halves and clamped them and left them to dry. Last night I spotted the polybag of Liquid Gravity on my bench when it should have been inside the fuselage. Argggh! I had to break open the fuselage behind the cockpit and stuff the polybag into the space. Luckily, because I am using a white metal nose ring in this build (weighing over 7g), I didn't have to shove the full 20g's worth into the gap - it wouldn't have fit in any case.
spacer.png

 

Dave

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Today I drove myself, 'Er Indoors and two dogs in the searing heat across the Cambrian Mountains and down the coast as far as Mwnt to go camping.  Imagine my rage when I discovered that someone had removed the tent pegs from the tent....  We are now back at home.

 

This isn't the whole story, however; I actually went to the same campsite last night and slept in my own little tent.  It was so nice that when I got home early this afternoon, 'Er Indoors said "That looks nice - can we go back tonight?"

 

The TLDR is that I woke up in Mwnt, drove 85 slow miles home, drove 85 slow miles back to Mwnt and then drove 85 slow miles home.  I'm a good hundred quid and 12 hours' driving down.  Spitting feathers?  Aye, too right I am.

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Not checking the "pegs" that held up the shelves in my display cabinet. They vibrate out after a period due to things bouncing on the dining room floor. Didn't check until there was a sound that I never want to hear again in my life. Top shelf hit the next, cascade effect took over and demolished the lot. 80 odd military vehicles hitting the floor and disnitigrating. I just sat and wept. The Daleks couldn't have done a more thorough job. There was carnage, nothing attached to anything else, wheels, separate tank treads, heads "oh the humanity".

So, everything went into bin bags, and now it's all left in my head. The few photos I had are on photobucket, but they won't let me into my account any more as according to them I am already signed in. Super.

Happy trails gents. May all your shelves be strong ones.

Regards

Pete

 

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5 hours ago, Pete Robin said:

Not checking the "pegs" that held up the shelves in my display cabinet. They vibrate out after a period due to things bouncing on the dining room floor. Didn't check until there was a sound that I never want to hear again in my life. Top shelf hit the next, cascade effect took over and demolished the lot. 80 odd military vehicles hitting the floor and disnitigrating. I just sat and wept. The Daleks couldn't have done a more thorough job. There was carnage, nothing attached to anything else, wheels, separate tank treads, heads "oh the humanity".

So, everything went into bin bags, and now it's all left in my head. The few photos I had are on photobucket, but they won't let me into my account any more as according to them I am already signed in. Super.

Happy trails gents. May all your shelves be strong ones.

Regards

Pete

 

 

Oh man.... Ouch!

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Using a hot air paint stripper to dry some wet acrylic paint on an Airfix Gnat. 5 seconds later the canopy flew off and was completely deformed. :headbang:
 

sometimes, I wonder if I should be let out on my own 😉

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On 04/08/2022 at 22:01, jenko said:

I did the same with my vinyl collection.  Bummer. 

My brother did a similar thing to some of my vinyl, including Led Zep 3 and the original, banned cover, Guns N Roses album. I only realised a few years later.🤬

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On 8/14/2022 at 11:43 PM, davecov said:

polybag of Liquid Gravity

Stealing borrowing adopting that.

Especially after getting away with one application of Bison glue that - when applied too thick - tends to react exothermic and melts the kit slowly over 4 days.

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In the late ‘80s I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, AZ.  Finishing up a Matchbox Chinook in the delivery scheme of black/dark sea gray/dark green.  Decals on and everything.  Xtracolor paint, Matchbox decals performing masterfully.

 

I still recall out on the patio in the bright Arizona sun grabbing for the can of Testors spray clear flat.  
 

But of course it was Testors spray silver.

Edited by Ad-4N
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1 hour ago, Ad-4N said:

In the late ‘80s I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, AZ.  Finishing up a Matchbox Chinook in the delivery scheme of black/dark sea gray/dark green.  Decals on and everything.  Xtracolor paint, Matchbox decals performing masterfully.

 

I still recall out on the patio in the bright Arizona sun grabbing for the can of Testors spray clear flat.  
 

But of course it was Testors spray silver.

 

Oh no.... That made me wince in sympathy.

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23 minutes ago, John_W said:

Buying anything by Roden or A Model...

 

Oh man, that is harsh.  My AModel P.180 didn't turn out awful.  

 

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And my Roden C-141B and OV-1 pleased me.  

 

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I do admit they don't click together like a Tamiya kit and their decals are often junk, but they do the offbeat subjects that are right up my alley.  

 

 

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