I thought I lost a model!

[Tom Geiger]

Al,  Bill and I are planning on driving down to Atlanta on Friday.  The show theme is vans and station wagons.  What luck!  I have a van I'm very fond of.  This is a replica of a van a friend owned back in the late 1970s.  I delivered pizza  with Don and we brush painted this van between deliveries.  The color separations were freehand and I tried to copy that.  This van was so well known in town, that when I finished it 2 years ago, I put a photo of it on my town's FaceBook page and it was identified by several people within a half hour.   So I'm very pleased to have this model, and was looking forward to bringing it to Atlanta.  

So I was relaxing after dinner this evening and I thought it would be nice to look it over.  I go to my display case and no model.  No worries,  I knew I had taken it to two shows and two club meetings recently, so I go to my traveling box.  It's empty and all my models are on my shelves... except my A100 Van!   Now panic is setting in... did I lose one of my favorite models!?!

I start retracing my steps... the last place I displayed models was at the Jersey Shore Model Car Club a few weeks ago.  Chuck Rehberger  takes photos at the meetings so I do the forensic thing and hit his Fotki page for evidence.  I know I left that meeting early, so I might have left a model since the tables were still full.  I find the below photo... Aha!  My van wasn't there!  Right up front were the models I brought that night... my new blue  & white 29 Ford, my green '32 Vicky and primer red '34 Ford Sedan.  Also notice the three blue boxes under the table.  Those are Swifter boxes my wife empties on a regular basis and I use to transport my models.  So I surmise my van wasn't at that meeting. 

That takes me back to the Tri-State Scale Model Car Club meeting the week prior... I doubt I left a model there because we tore down the tables and I was the one who took the last walk through the room before I locked the building.    A week prior I was at the Diversified Scalerz show and I KNOW I had the van there because there was a guy who loved it and I spoke to him a while.  I think it unlikely I left a model behind because the show borrowed our table leg extenders, so I was there until after the room was broken down.

So where is my friggin model.  I have already searched every nook and cranny of my office where my display case sits. My traveling box sits next to this, so finished models seldom go much further than this.. unless they are on display near the TV in the den.  I know my Danbury Mint 1930s pickups are on the rotation there, so nope no A100.  I've even searched under the seats in my car in case the box slid under there. I do find a notebook I was missing. 

My wife has now joined the search.  We go through every room I already searched.  She exclaims, "Here it is!"  and she has a blue Pontiac Vibe diecast in her hands.  Clearly she isn't going to be a great deal of help.   We go upstairs  to the model room again.  I had already searched it top to bottom.  She admits that she shoved a couple of boxes up there recently.  She points them out and nope, it's all new kits I had bought and left in the den. I usually have a few new kits sitting next to my chair that I fiddle with while watching TV. Then something catches my eye... it's an AMT '49 Ford kit that is sitting in the stack of unbuilt models. It looks familiar so I pick it up. It's too heavy to be a kit... I open the box and SCORE!  There is not only the Dodge A100 van, but also the 1982 Cavalier that was used to test NNL East decals.  Both in a kit box!  Hmmm... 

So I am relieved.  I wouldn't have slept at all tonight.  I was sick to my stomach that I had lost one of my favorite models. Now my adrenaline is spent and I should sleep well tonight.  At least once my heart beat gets back to normal.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[ChrisBcritter]

Wow - cool model and a cool story (What a relief that must have been...). Any photos of the 1/1?

[MGL]

Tom, I'm glad you found it, that model influenced a couple of my own builds. Now if only you would finish this guy, http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/66117-dodge-van-camper-trailer-minor-progress-3-8-15/

[snacktruck67]

Tom, a great story.  I am glad you found the model, but I was really into the story.  You should write short stories.  So glad you can got some relief.

 

Mike

[vintagercr]

Tom, that was an interesting story and have fun in Atlanta!

[Jantrix]

Great story Tom. I hope to get to an Atlanta show some day.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Jantrix

[disabled modeler]

Really glad you found it Tom...its very cool and a great story/build.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

Funny. I actually did lose an A100 I built, and I need to mount an expedition to find it.

[Foxer]

I would have suspected it was just out on a job ... delivering pizzas. Probably would have found it sooner if you just calmed and ordered a large pepperoni. 

 

I really like the look ... and story behind it.

[Modlguy]

Good Catch, Tom. Just don't leave it in Atlanta. By the way, I'm bringing my primer project in a Swiffer box too. I'll put a bow on it so we don't mix them up.

[Greg Pugh]

Lol. Good read. Glad it all worked out.

[DumpyDan]

Good story Tom, enjoyed thanks

[Tom Geiger]

Thanks everyone!  My heart started pounding again as I just reread the story!   The way it was in a kit box, put back in my stack of kits, it could've hidden for years! 

And a funny side story...  every year people accidently leave models behind at NNL East.  We carefully take them home and wait for the phone call!  And we've always been able to reconnect the model with it's builder.  One year we had two left behind models on the table and  I was having a conversation with Jim Haught.  He thought it might make an interesting end shot for his Scale Auto show coverage.  My reply...  heck no!  We'd have 100 models left behind next year!

[RancheroSteve]

Great story, Tom - very descriptive. You should have a blog or a radio show or something!

[charlie8575]

Too bad LIARS and NNL-South ended up the same weekend. I was looking forward to seeing you guys. Had things gone a bit differently, I was seriously toying with Atlanta, but even if money wasn't a question, time is.

Have a great trip.

Charlie Larkin

[Tom Geiger]

Too bad LIARS and NNL-South ended up the same weekend. I was looking forward to seeing you guys. Had things gone a bit differently, I was seriously toying with Atlanta, but even if money wasn't a question, time is.

Have a great trip.

Charlie Larkin

Due to one of my friends not being able to go at the last minute, we cancelled the trip to Atlanta.  It was going to be a car trip and I really wasn't looking forward to that long a ride...each way!   So we'll see about going next year, via airplane!   So Charlie,  we'll see you at  Liars tomorrow!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Dang Tom...I was hoping to run into you there, say hello in the flesh, smile and shake your hand.

Maybe next year...

[1930fordpickup]

Great story, I am glad you found it. 

[DaveM]

Glad you found it!  I lost a model at a show once, so I know the sinking feeling.  I remember going up to the table to pack up my models, and it wasn't there.  I was looking over the tables to see if it had been moved by a judge, or something.  After a few minutes, and two other modelers looking for their builds, I knew it was bad.  Never caught the guy, but I don't take rare models to shows any more.   I am glad yours had a happy ending.  It must have felt great to find it.