Yesterday I packed up two boxes of ponies to send to the "model vet" so that they can be repaired. Generally I wait until I have several models to repair before sending them out, and so when I broke my AA Circus Pony a week ago, I already had others lined up to see the vet as well.
I put ID tags on each piece with my name, phone number, and email address. Broken parts are wrapped in bubble wrap or tissue and then sealed in labeled envelopes to be tucked into the box with the models. Models are bubble wrapped and then tucked into pony pouches before being placed in mailing boxes. Those boxes are lined with foam or bubble wrap to further protect my horses.
Packing ponies can be difficult - too much packing materials means that undue pressure may be put on the model.
That was the case with this HR Circus Pony. When it arrived, it was double boxed, but the box it was actually in was tightly, tightly packed with foam. The pony was wedged in there and very difficult to remove, so I wasn't surprised to see that a fragile leg had snapped. The seller blamed the post office, but the boxes were in perfect shape and I have no doubt that it was the pressure of the wedged-in foam that broke the leg.
This HR Hackney was in a pony pouch when it broke. I had taken it to a show and think it was, again, pressure from the padded, velcroed pony pouch that I used.
I actually have two kinds of pony pouches - those that are padded with velcro closures to keep them shut, and others that are simply fleece with foldover flaps and no padding. Those do not put pressure on fragile legs and I actually use them more than I do the padded/velcro kind. And when I use the padded ones, I use one size up so that the piece doesn't have undue pressure on its legs and ears.
This pearly unicorn was a Toys R Us special run in 1996. Last summer he tipped and fell off his shelf and the horn snapped.
This photo shows his beautiful pearliness.
Finally, my beautiful carpet herd Trimontware Japan china mare is off for a repair. She was one of my favorites and the alpha mare of the herd when I played with my collection while in elementary school. (Frankly, I am amazed that the ear is the only break she has sustained - she was played with daily for years!)
Why? Just look at those pretty eyes - they even have eyelashes! Add to that the fact that she's a charcoal color (my favorite vintage coloring), and she just HAD to be #1!
Is she worth the money it will cost to fix that ear? If you measure it by dollars and cents, certainly not. But if you measure it by heartstrings and sentiment, then she is worth every penny I will pay to have that ear restored.
There are other reasons for fixing some of these more ordinary pieces. For example, that HR Mini Hackney is not too remarkable, and I was just going to replace it after it broke. But a search on eBay and other sites that sell HRs showed how hard to find this piece is - it's from the early 90s and I could not find it anywhere. I figured that the replacement cost might be just as much as the repair, and thus decided to proceed. As for the the unicorn, it is simply beautiful. I like it, so why not?
Every piece is now carefully wrapped and packed up...
... with their broken pieces in envelopes next to them.
I'll be running errands later this morning, and mail these at the post office then.
I can't wait to see how they look when they come back home whole again!
No comments:
Post a Comment