You know them, those bits that are the hardest to build. - getting the arches in Arena Works to look right, geting all the stairs in the spiral staircase from Interior Works to line up with the fold (a friend complains about the stairs in Castles & Keeps, but I have built a bunch of 'em, with ne'r a problem.) or, worst of all... to me at least... the boats in Skull Cove.

The first time I built them they came out perfectly, and ever since I have managed to mess them up in half a dozen ways, usually with the tabs and the places to glue them not lining up. And while the Jolly Boat that cane out well is still alive and chugging away under steam power the longboat got sat on about two weeks ago. And by a big kid too... someone put the model on his chair 'just for a moment', then forgot about it. The big kid had gotten up for 'just a moment' and sat down without looking... *CRUNCH!* I don't think that I have ever had a more thouroughly destroyed model, even including the castle that got moused!

Others that cause me problems are the cannons in The Maiden. The arches in Arena Works used to give me problems as well, but seem to be going smoothly this time around. (I 'retired' the last of my older Arena Works after the Festival this year, it survived two summers of enthusiastic kids, but was becoming quite ratty by the end. Plus I want to build it again, this time as a permanent structure.)

So what are your fiddly bits?

The Auld Grump

The boats I don't have issue with - but then, I use superglue on a lot of the smallest, fiddliest sections (especially the front and back seams), and that helps A LOT. The little sails are occasionally problematic, however.


I have issues with the curved CWU walls, for whatever reason.


The cannons make me crazy. I can never get them quite right. I've got 8 done, and I want another 40+ of them! I finally got smart and got my printer to print them - at least this way I don't get ink all over my hands while I'm messing with 'em.


The top of the Maiden's masts always cause me problems. The railings I haven't had problems with, but they always take extra time (this last Maiden I cut them with a lot of white showing, and just colored it in - the railing is much stronger on this one).


The stables (from VW) are quite fiddly. Cool looking, but fiddly.



S'all I can think of at the moment.