[slartibartfast229]

If I knock off mirrors or other small body adornments I use a good quality pva glue to reattach them.
If you mess up, a damp cloth can wipe away and potential mistake residue.
I would only use super glue where there is only a tiny attachment area, and then use a pin to flow the glue onto the mirror base rather than on to the body.
For p/e items I use clear gloss enamel paint when it becomes tacky.

 

[MikeyMcFly]

Honestly? Tons.

The vast majority of my original models were toys I played with much like matchbox cars. I loaded stuff in the trunks, took them apart, etc. I still have a few from that era that are held together with thoughts and prayers but mean too much to just chuck.

For my current "good" collection, I haven't ruined anything necessarily, but my 2F2F Skyline wing isn't as nice as I'd like it. When I bought it was shown as not having a broken wing, but when it arrived from the UK it was much more beat up than the ad stated. However, they're hard to find at the price I paid, so I decided to fix it. On went the wing and I must have had some super glue on my finger as I tapped the top of the wing and left a minor print. A lot of plastic polish and patience and it's 90% and you don't see the top of the wing in my display so good enough for me.

 

[will1066]

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.

I used a liquid chrome pen with success recently. It was the Molotow brand. However, shortly after using it, something broke and it started leaking so I had to throw it away. Otherwise, good pen, good control over the model area you want to fix.

 

[slartibartfast229]

Just ruined a set of Solido wheels by soaking them in brake fluid intending to repaint them.
Some of the mounting stubs have perished, as has part of the steering linkage.
In many, many years of using brake fluid to strip paint, I have never had this happen.
The plastic that Solido uses on the wheels must be odd indeed, it doesn't have the same effect on plastic body trim.

 

[Mike K]

For me, "ruined" would mean damaged so badly that I can't display it or include it in photos, and that's only two models in my collection right now... the Autoart BMW Z8 (got crushed while moving) and the Maxicar Lotec Sirius (glue spilled all over it, and missing parts). It's tough because those are two now very hard to find models.
I've done plenty of other damage in my 16 years of collecting, but have always been able to either fix it, live with minor imperfections, or replace the model altogether.

 

[jazzy426]

I used a liquid chrome pen with success recently. It was the Molotow brand. However, shortly after using it, something broke and it started leaking so I had to throw it away. Otherwise, good pen, good control over the model area you want to fix.

Cheers for that! I dont suppose the paint is "runny" and it feels more like Sharpie right? Defnitely tempted to get one now i am thinking of going with the 1mm tip one.

 

[thebigmacmoomin]

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.

Like this?

These are 2 of my 1/43 BTCC E30 M3 builds. The cracking is a bit worse now but took a little while to appear. All I an think of is one of the layers wasn't fully dry or has reacted in some way. Odd as it was fine when they were built. It's cracked the decals aswell.

 

[slartibartfast229]

Like this?

These are 2 of my 1/43 BTCC E30 M3 builds. The cracking is a bit worse now but took a little while to appear. All I an think of is one of the layers wasn't fully dry or has reacted in some way. Odd as it was fine when they were built. It's cracked the decals aswell.

View attachment 278079

View attachment 278080

Exactly as you have it there.
Mine was a problem with red paint masked off over white.
The white is fine, the red is ruined.
I thought it was a problem with the top layer drying too quickly in very warm conditions.
Or poor storage, neither is true in this case.
It's been unusually hot here recently, but it wasn't until the weather cooled for several days before it struck.
The white was on the body for at least two weeks and rubbed down before the red went on.
The issue is restricted to the metal body, the same red over white on plastic bumpers has no problems.
I'm lost to understand the cause, it doesn't happen every time.
My recent yellow AJTCC BMW E30 M3 was painted with the same brand of automotive spray paint over that same white.

 

[will1066]

Cheers for that! I dont suppose the paint is "runny" and it feels more like Sharpie right? Defnitely tempted to get one now i am thinking of going with the 1mm tip one.

It's pretty precise like a Sharpie. I got the 1mm one. I found that it works better if you just glide the pen in one motion as opposed to going back and forth. It wipes off as long as you do it fairly soon if you make an error and want to re-do.