I am in the process of assembling a PIIK 50’ GTW box car kit, and can’t figure out how the parts got so small and how my hands got so big. I used to put kits together in a couple of days 30 years ago, I’ve been at this one for nearly a week! I figure it must be a result of the “experience” I’ve gained over the years,eh? Anybody else having this “issue”?
G. Stephens
All the time. The glasses get thicker lenses, parts get smaller… What the heck is going on? Of course the arthritis that I’ve gained over the past 10 years does not help at all.
G,
It’s a well-known phenomenon that with age type gets smaller and fingers get larger until they all become thumbs. One of the best, single investments you’ll ever make for kit building or working on your locomotives is to buy yourself an OptiVisor:
(I bought the Mascot version at my LHS for around $18-20.)
I model in HO and use it ALL the time. A good task light should be 2nd on your list.
Tom
Magnified vision, and good strong light, to be sure (and some Opti-Visor clones have built in lights), but also, the various small mounting holes for plastic grabirons and such might benefit from slight reaming with a Mascot reaming tool – forcing the tiny pins into the partly-painted shut hole is part of the frustration quotient.
Dave Nelson
Yep, magnifiers, bright lights and a good selection of tweezers are mandatory! (aspirin helps too!)
I could not agree more! Most of the time, the holes are drilled or molded in to the correct size - BEFORE painting! The paint makes the holes a tiny bit smaller, and you end up trying to force the delicate pieces in, either causign them to spring out and disappear on the floor, or break. Drilling out all the holes with a tiny drill and pin vise might not sound like a lot of fun but that little effort up front can save hours of furstration later on and turn the whole building process into an enjoyable experience.
–Randy