During the build of my Eaglemoss 1:8 scale Back to the Future DeLorean partwork model, there have been occasional delays in receiving issues. Up until a few months ago, these delays have been maybe a month. I understand there can be supply issues, however, this has become crazy! It has been almost four months since I was able to continue my build and other builders have been waiting almost a year. This was even before the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world and screwed up logistics everywhere.

Interestingly enough, after a subscriber reaches about halfway into the build, Eaglemoss will automatically skip any unavailable issues and ship what they have instead. Therefore, each month, I have been receiving various issues with a lot of gaps. Just recently, they shipped me Issue 159… the very last issue of the extended build. They never even asked if I wanted the extension issues. I guess it is nice to see the end, but with so many issues missing along the way, I am at a standstill in my build.

I know that many missing issues may be found on Amazon Japan under DeAgostini and I may end up going that route, but I really want Eaglemoss to fix this. Unfortunately, that means I cannot share my build experiences with my visitors until at least issue 75+ shows up. Until then, I have composed a list of the issues missing from my build and where I end up getting them. I wonder what they will try to send me next month…

UPDATE May 12, 2020: I caved and ordered 9 issues from Amazon Japan. Other than a few sections of their website that would not translate from Japanese, it was a pretty painless experience. I received those issues 5 days later in the USA. I also found another builder on Facebook who sold me another six issues. We are making progress!

UPDATE May 16, 2020: I was able to find another 9 issues on Amazon Japan. I also reached out to the various build Facebook groups and now Paul B. in Australia is sending me Issues 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, and 131. Arish Q. in Malaysia said he can get me Issue 92. Laurens V. in the Netherlands is posting me Issues 133, 135, 136, 138, 139, 141, 142, 144, 156, and 157. If all of these issues arrive successfully, that means I am only missing some of the hood box component issues: 134, 137, 140, 143, 155, and the last railroad wheel in Issue 158!

UPDATE June 6, 2020: Today, I received the issues I bought from Paul in Australia. Also today, I received back issues 75-77, 79-80, and 84-86 from Eaglemoss. That means I have a few double issues and will get them posted up to the parts trading Facebook groups soon.

If you are building any of the die-cast metal large scale models out there, you are probably familiar with the pain around driving screws into metal parts. In my experience, some of these screws have a tendency to bind up, strip threads, or simply snap off. Not only does it cause frustration, but it could cause a long delay in your build waiting for replacement parts.

For a while now, I have read about other builders that were using a little oil on their metal screw threads to help reduce the risk of damage and the effort needed to seat these screws fully. Up until this point, I had taken my time to carefully pre-thread metal screws, but it turns out they were on to something. I recently picked up some 3-in-One Multi-Purpose Oil (from the WD-40 Company) and it has changed everything!

I simply dip the tip of each metal screw into a tiny drop of this stuff and they go right in and without any drama. I should have done this sooner! If putting a little oil on the end of a metal screw is not feasible, you can also use a toothpick or other small tool to apply the oil directly into a screw hole before installing the screw.

To hold the oil, I use this fantastic 4 oz dispenser bottle with a built-in pump and metal lid. I fill it up and pump the lid when I need a little oil to work with. Additionally, it has a nice wide base to reduce the possibility of spills:

I highly recommend grabbing a bottle of this oil (or other similar lubricant). It will surely save you time and headache!