Upon gathering the parts for the kit’s base, however, I ran into my first challenge: I had somehow misplaced one of the pipes for the base; specifically, the pipe that runs from the back wall to the cover of the tank with the skull in it (part #42). D’oh!! Well, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I did not panic (well, maybe a little!), but took this as an opportunity to do some modeling. I would need to fashion a replacement part, so I gathered my materials (an old sprue section, some Magic Sculp modeling compound (MS), a couple flexible straws, and a candle). I set up the relevant base parts (the right side of the back wall, and the skull tank and its base and cover) and taped them into place. I then took the section of left-over sprue that had the diameter I wanted—save those old sprues, kids!--and held it over the lit candle high enough and just long enough to soften (not scorch) it so that I could bend it easily. (NOTE: Be very careful when using this technique, as the softened plastic can be very hot!) After a bit of test fitting and reheating and re-bending, I eventually ended up with a decent facsimile of the missing piece. In the instructions, this piece is represented as a sort of accordion-type hose (like vacuum cleaner hose), and I liked that idea. So, to simulate this material on my new hose, I cut the bendy sections from the flexible straws and slid them over the now bent sprue section. For couplings on the ends and to help hold the straw sections in place, I simply applied a small worm of MS around each end. To aid in positioning and fastening this new piece on the model, I also added pegs to each end that would fit into the holes meant for the original piece. I primed/base-coated the piece black.