[will1066]

How many models have you ruined, whether it was from an accident while handling, cleaning or modifying/upgrading? Suffer a case of "couldn't leave it well enough alone"? Sometimes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

I am guilty of at least damaging 10 in my collection, from breaking off wiper blades and getting superglue onto painted surfaces and windscreens. Can't say I've dropped too many of my cars. It's usually come from feeling itchy and wanting to touch the cars and trying to improve stuff.

 

[StratosWRC]

I would say 3

Spilled super glue all over autoart devil z
Dropped front clamshell off a gmp ferrari 412
Autoart Alfa romeo stradale 33 front window accidental glue spill, then further ruin from trying to fix it

All very painful lol

 

[sergio]

from the 300+ in my collection i have ruined probably 8 orso.
The worst one was the 1984 minchamps 956
The first release had racing decals over the rothmans decals applied.
I was stupid and tought that i could remove that racing decal in which i failed.
I tried to scrape away the racing decal and when that didnt work i used aceton thinned with water, however the aceton was still strong and went trought the racing decal better yet even trough the paint seeing bare metal ruined the whole model

 

[mbc112]

Many, I can't say I dropped a car yet, but most of the damage happened during cleaning. Chrome coming off, mirrors; stars on the hood and so on. No big deal, but you will always see the repairspots.

 

[ferrariforever]

0 out of 300+
I'm very careful with my models.

 

[cwbs]

How many models have you ruined, whether it was from an accident while handling, cleaning or modifying/upgrading? Suffer a case of "couldn't leave it well enough alone"? Sometimes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

I am guilty of at least damaging 10 in my collection, from breaking off wiper blades and getting superglue onto painted surfaces and windscreens. Can't say I've dropped too many of my cars. It's usually come from feeling itchy and wanting to touch the cars and trying to improve stuff.

I don't wanna jinx it, but I never dropped any of my models. I wear powder-free nitrile gloves for handling and cleaning, which gives me 100% grip on the model compared to whatever other material gloves.

I had a few mishaps when cleaning models, particularly PE logos and stuff. But that's easily fixed these days, as I have a large stash of replacements. Plus I learned how to clean around so NOT to ruin PE bits.

I ruined my AA Saleen Parnelli Jones when trying to remove the "15" roundels on the doors. I ended up affecting the 302 stripes, which I wanted to keep. I suppose that goes into the "couldn't leave it well enough alone" category you mentioned... 😭😭😭😭
But I used the parts on other little projects, so all's good. 🙂

I destroyed a few when trying to modify them, mostly budget ones, but I chalked that down to the "how else am I supposed to learn this s**t" column. Oh well, more junk to the parts bin...

Overall casualty count: I'd say 10 or so.

 

[slartibartfast229]

I picked up a Tecnomodel Mampe Ford Escort turbo by the base which had a clear cover over it.
I forgot that I had transferred the model to a T9 case without screwing it down.
The weight of the car was enough to roll down the base, pushing aside the cover and slipping beyond my grasp.
Disaster!
One look at the damage saw me frantically search the 'net for another - which I eventually found on the Raceland site.
It didn't matter that there was no discount this time, it was probably the last one in any of the big retailers.
Otherwise the damage occurs during my regular repaints when things go wrong.
Only today I discovered a repainted Solido RS500 had those bloody cracks in the paintwork, which took a month to appear!
GRRRRRRRR.......... It's now back in the brake fluid for a strip down.

 

[looney]

Over the years probably 4 or 5.

Always through modifying, as I lack the skills :/

 

[preisman]

I have to move every few years because of work. And a lot of models have been damaged over the years. Ruined? Not really. I can display most without noticing. Broken mirrors, spoilers, and wheels are common issues. And more recently, windows. I probably have 20-30 with damage. As for completely ruined, maybe 5 from failed custom cars, or fall damage.

 

[samx5]

Autoart Porsche 911 1964 (red) - I couldn't find the box when I moved house, so I wrapped it in bubble wrap - well it got a bit squashed and broke off the rear wheel hub and fractured the wheel itself into 3 pieces - now I need a new rolling chassis to fix it properly......anyone got one....? P.S. of course I found the box later on......

 

[imitenotbecrazy]

a few have just been put aside indefinitely from modifying. something doesn't turn out how I want it to and instead of fixing/redoing it just goes off to the side lol

 

[Craig]

None really,

An AutoArt Veyron show car (the Silver & Grey one with the flat spoke wheels) I bought one with a scratch on it, I thought I'd be able to buff it out, nope! The paint was super thin & went through to the paint underneath, which was the colour of the car. I sold it on.

I did absolutely trash an otherwise new Minichamps Bentley Arnage in Black as one of the screws just wouldn't come out, so I threw it hard on the floor (slate) and it smashed to bits! Good times!! I sold it in bits for a bit more than it cost. Surprisingly a lot of people went crazy for it!

 

[TonyAZ83]

The factory does that for me. The slightest blemish is a kick in the nads for me, and the bane of my existence.

 

[Scuddy]

Overall, just minor stuff, like catching mirrors, or front number plates on some cars (like the AA Alfa Montreal) that are quite vulnerable.

My biggest disaster was when a Norev R5 slipped through my hands. It landed on one of the A-pillars hard enough to push the windscreen frame over on both sides by a few degrees, and crack the windscreen. Nothing else fell off despite the impact. I was quite annoyed as I really like that car. I may replace it with another as they’re reissuing the colour soon.

 

[NNXST]

Just one, since my collection is quite small. It is a Volkswagen T4 Westfalia from Premium ClassiXX in 1/43. I guess it would fall into the category of "I was way too young to get a quality collector's item". That was in 2016 or so, when I was 7. It no longer has its base or display case and almost every small part has broken off. I still display it since it looks ok from a distance.

 

[Cornbeef]

Nothing major, but I’ve knocked off a number of door mirrors no matter how careful I am…

 

[Scottimus]

I try not to touch any of my models at all after photographing them because I frankly don't trust myself. Back in my Maisto/Bburago/UT days I used to play around a lot and I would carelessly break wheels and mirrors off all the time, but those are all long gone (sold/given away) and now with my AAs, Kyoshos, Acmes, etc., I'm a lot more careful. If I do handle them at all, it's with "kid gloves". I have six or seven currently with minor blemishes I chose to ignore (missing/loose mirrors, a loose bumper, a loose rear spoiler, a missing reflector) but most of those occurred in transit. I also am reluctant to return models because they seem to have a short shelf-life! So, unless it's a really serious problem that I can't overlook, I'll hang on to the car anyway for fear that it will be sold out before I can get a replacement.

 

[BK1]

I've fortunately never ruined a diecast. I've always handled them with care and monitor little hands closely. A few of the budget ones have suffered broken hood ornaments, antennas, or side mirrors (all of which I have and need reattaching), but none of the premium brands have any damage caused by me.

 

[jazzy426]

Fortunately ive been cautious around my prized collectibles but even that doesn't guarantee no breakage. My most recent mishap is knocking the RR hood ornament off a BoS despite being super careful. That tiny bastard took me almost half a day to stick it back on unfortunately there are some visible excess glue if i inspect the repaired area with magnifying glass.. it is no biggie but the somewhat botched repair attempt is there so kinda annoy me to say the least.

My other clumsy mistakes involved accidentally knocking off side mirrors or scratch chrome surface. Fixing loose side mirror is easy but damaged chrome can be hard to rectify and i have yet to try the liquid chrome pen.

The rest of the models which i managed to break in the past are mostly budget varieties.. usually due to poor attempt to mod or customise them.

 

[Magnus]

I've broken a couple of wing mirrors (one repair resulted in a lot of super glue over said wing mirror) and an antenna, and damaged at least one photoetched badge. A couple of my models have also sustained scratches to the body from objects falling from a nearby shelf.