How rare is this?

[brad4321]

I purchased a Revell kit yesterday and a part was missing from the sprue - a pretty important part, the rear end. I've purchased many kits and never seen this before that I can remember.

Bonus Question: Have you ever dropped a small part in your lap or floor and spent hours roaming around on your hands and knees, only to never see the part again?

[jjsipes]

Yeah that lost part will show up after you completed the model or even when you get up from looking on the floor, there it is on your work surface. Hate that. Makes you turn into Homer Simpson, Duh!!!

[Guest Johnny]

Found many a small part I dropped and lost the next morning when I put on my shoes!

I still go through the dirt cup on the wife's vacuum cleaner before the dirt get dumped in the trash!

Better than back when her old vacuum used a bag!

Edited October 25, 2011 by Johnny

[Harry P.]

One time I dropped a small part and spent a long time crawling around on the floor looking for it. I searched almost the whole room in case the part maybe bounced and wound up somewhere away from where it fell (it's a ceramic tile floor). I looked inside open boxes that were on the floor in case the part fell in there. I checked every square inch of the floor several times over. Finally I gave up and figured I'd have to scratchbuild a replacement. That's when I saw the part laying on my work surface. It had never made it to the floor after all...

[peekay]

I still drop every part on the floor - twice.

But at least I've given up then running them over with my roller-type office chair!

[Evil Appetite]

I'm always dropping parts due to the RA in my fingers. I just clean out my swiffer, change the pad and do a sweep. It always turn up in a big clump of cat hair and dust.

nothing worse than cutting a piece off of the tree, only to see it shoot off across the room like a bullet, which happened not more than 5 minutes after this posting!

WELL..2-3 minutes

Edited October 26, 2011 by Evil Appetite

[Dr. Cranky]

I've learned to use pieces of tape to hold down small parts, like etched parts. It will save you lots of heartaches!

[Dave Ambrose]

I have a trick that helps for find small parts on the floor.

I take a flashlight and shine it parallel to the floor. Any small parts make long shadows that you can see. It's not 100% effective, but it works often enough to be useful. Besides, where would my scratchbuilding skills be if I never dropped any small parts?

[KevinMoparFord]

My trick for finding small parts is to take a hand held dust buster cheap vacuum, clean it out first. Vacuum the area then empty the cup on a clean sheet of paper and start looking. Found a photo etch part that way.

[torinobradley]

I recently got the AMT Dodge Super Bee and it was missing one of the alternate stock wheels. Now here's the funny part. Apparently, their quality control caught it and put in another. Unfortunately, it was another of the mainline stocks rather than the alternate recalled (I think) ones. The kit had 3 alternate stocks and 5 original stocks... I would have sent in the part replacement bit but I didn't have the receipt by the time I had opened the kit...

As for dropping and loosing parts... I drop each part at least twice at each sitting. So I am always picking up parts from the floor. I have a flashlight that gets a lot of use at my hobby bench.

[Tony T]

I have a trick that helps for find small parts on the floor.

I take a flashlight and shine it parallel to the floor. Any small parts make long shadows that you can see. It's not 100% effective, but it works often enough to be useful. Besides, where would my scratchbuilding skills be if I never dropped any small parts?

I do the same...If working with small parts, I also put an old towel across my lap so it doesn't always make it to the floor!

[Nick Notarangelo]

I once a whole half of a engine and didnt find it till a year later out in the yard,how it got there I haven't a clue.

[brad4321]

Simple fix: I went to Revells website and ordered the part online. No charge. I'll keep that in mind in case I screw a part up sometime down the road.

[Qwit Pushin]

One time I dropped a small part and spent a long time crawling around on the floor looking for it. I searched almost the whole room in case the part maybe bounced and wound up somewhere away from where it fell (it's a ceramic tile floor). I looked inside open boxes that were on the floor in case the part fell in there. I checked every square inch of the floor several times over. Finally I gave up and figured I'd have to scratchbuild a replacement. That's when I saw the part laying on my work surface. It had never made it to the floor after all...

I can relate. Although, when a small part does hit the floor, (carpet or tile), it always seems to travel like the 'magic bullet' in the Kennedy assassination. It's never where you'd expect to find it,....that's IF you find it.