Well I was well on my way to one of my better efforts yet - a Sptifire Mk. XIV recon in a natural metal finish...(since read on another modelling website for experts, by experts that NFM is historically innaccurate for Spitfires...some were painted silver...but that did not bother me, NFM is 'historically accurate' for this one, because I made it one in NFM!) but I digress, my NFM was looking good, I went to considerable effort and care with that...when middle of last week..OH NO! the propeller spinner - already painted and buffed - was suckedd into the wormhole of never to be seen again, how could it dissappear? -it was RIGHT HERE! things don't walk away..no no no, of all the parts to transmogrify to another parallel universe! AW Geeeeezz...

Well a frantic search everywhere ensued, my wife even helped as she said I probably am over looking it ...everywhere it could be, many places it shouldn't be, lots of places it couldn't be but looked there too...after several days of looking and looking again and hoping it will return...that son-of-gun is GONE...

OK Plan B time--considered many options - check the spare parts box, different materials to fabricate one. Wife says she has something in her craft supplies I should look at - I am trying that. I t is a product called "Instamorph" It is plastic beads, real tiny, smaller than BB's, you put them in water at 140 deg. F for a couple of minutes, they bond and soften and then you can work them into a shape before it hardens at room temp. So that whitish, roughly cone shaped blob you see by the pen is my "potters clay" I am going to try to shape a new spinner out of. She had that stuff for some time to fix something with but never used it, so neither of us knew wat to expect (it has lots of uses, see instamorph.com for lots of example) So when it had cooled and harden I showed it to her and said I would have to whittle and sand on it.

Well...she said "wait a minute before you start.." and came back with a Dremel tool that was stashed somewhere in her closet of doom that brave men fear to enter - Its brand new in the box! Said here I got this on sale for 1/2 price and was going to give it to you for Christmas but you need it now..." OH Man how cool is that!

We've been married for 33 years - Even if I can't salvage this Spitfire, the story has a happy ending, long as I don't grind my thumb off or something!

5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Forgive my dumb question, but why can't you get a replacement part from the manufacturer?

The old Sarge used to say that the DUMB question was the one that didn't get asked! I took that to heart, whilst in the front leaning rest position, praying my arms would hold...
Lessons from Basic Training, one in a continuing series.

Ralph,I had a look and I have a four blade prop ,spinner and and the backing piece in 1/48 which I won't be using,if you want them there yours gratis just send me your address in a private message and I'll send them on.
N.

I thought I'd share this image of my home made spinner - although a very nice and generous fellow poster has offered me a replacement for the one I lost (or the one that ran away by itself) I have continued messing with this InstaMorh product and am generally pleased. It is not done and may never be - as I get closer to done with it, it gets difficult to fit to the hub, although I am a bit surprised I got it this far.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

This is reading like an episode from Modern Family.

Ralph, that "home made" spinner looks good to me. And a lot better than I could have done, though I will note the name of the product for future reference. One never knows...