The Useful Gooch Ep 28 How to Sneak Model Kits past SWMBO

[@thejoseph9064]

My favorite thing I've done with the exwife was "Hey babe I bought a new model kit." And she said "oh cool, but did you need another one?" I asked if she really needed to be cheating on me. And that's how I delivered the news I was divorcing her. All I have to say is thank God I had a prenup.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Forward planning… good man

[@docholliday7777]

I'm not sure if that's funny or sad a little of both

[@Sarah-JaneR32]

What you forget Harry is 'we' let you think you've got away with it in sneaking kits in, you guys then feel all proud of yourselves and when asked to do something like put the rubbish you're only too happy to oblige as you feel guilty and like to please :)

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

dag nabbit.. just when we thought we had you hood winked!

[@guidor.4161]

...no fooling the smarter sex...

[@clouddog2393]

As l don,t have a trouble and strife l can splash out as and when l please . The usual response from lady friends are "do you really need another one? ", "put the cash towards something useful" or" where are you going to put another one "? Fair enough questions but one,s l cheerfully ignore . An amusing video Harry , keep up the good work and keep us smiling .

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thanks John

[@ved2828]

Thi is THE best model kit video EVER! We all know how to dryfit, paint, use decals, and do weathring, but this is the stuff we all need to master. One more thing on stash topic if box permit put two or eaven three models in one box that way the stash stays the same. 😊

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good suggestion Ved… this is all very helpful for modellers everywhere hehe

[@ved2828]

@@HarryHoudiniModels thanks Harry H!

[@mickfifty]

Hi Harry, just love this, some of my ways to get kits in and hidden. 1. Tell the wife you will be buying a new kit or two when you are going to a model show so she is expecting you to come home with something go to the second-hand kits and buy the cheapest and biggest kit you can find, then open them and remove the old crappy kit and put in the new expensive kit/kits, 2. Take some price labels with you to the show and then get one of your mates to write some silly price on the tag put it one the kit, place it under the table in one of your mates boxes he is using to sell his kits take a photo of it send it to the wife and say look dear that kit I was looking for just found it at this price that's less than half price just had to get it, 3. To hide the kits I always keep the boxes a bit dusty when I do clean them I bag up the dust then puff it over any new kits that I get so it looks like they have been there a few months, 4 I have designed my shelfs to be 600mm wide that way I put the big kits to the front and can hide any new kits behind them with dust on them.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

You really have over thought this… LOL

[@brucegibbins3792]

Worrying about buying kits without being sprung by the Mrs., just doesn't appeal to me at all. If buying plastic kits kicks brings about a local armed conflict with the spouse then it could be time to consider throwing a farewell party in her honour. This kinda control just can't happend, its like having a King Snake sitting across from you at the dining room table ready to chow down on your face. I mean, who wants to live like that anyway? Passing your own personal power over to somebody else is just one more step towards a crippling insanity - probably not a bad outcome in the circumstances now I come to think about it. There are one or two exceptions here though that could make all of that, at least, tolerable. The Mrs is a Penthouse model type, flys overseas as an airline Stewardess, has a boyfriend as rich as Gina Rheinhart, yet for some so far unexplained reason, believes you are the cats pyjamas never questioning what may be in the room with the locked door where you often sit there alone listening to Moon River, crying.

[@andrealeighv1]

You really should have put in a legal disclaimer that if anyone uses any of these methods and the user is murdered by SWMBO they can't sue you. Good advice all around. My ex partner was hell to get new kits around. I had mine shipped to my work and then used the boot method.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Ah yes the cumbersome Boot method… did you know the Rubbish Bin Misdirection?

[@AubreyStJohn3000]

How did I miss this one! Good to see such an important topic get covered!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Community service advice.

[@jeffsmith6659]

Thank you for adding SWMBO too my vocabulary! I call mine the Director of S3x and Finance. 😊

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

DOSAF doesn’t quite have the same ring to it LOL

[@jeffsmith6659]

😁@@HarryHoudiniModels

[@MrHobbit60]

This was absolutely hilarious! Loved every second. Fortunately I have a wife who is a painter and has her own studio, and I have always encouraged her (she's pretty bloody good). I have never questioned the expenditure. So, fair's fair - she has her painting and I have my kits. Works well.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

That’s a great way to balance things Graeme

[@willowtree5267]

Whenever I get a new kit in the mail and mine is around, she gives me eye roll. I always breathe a sigh of relief when it's delivered in our parcel locker and not at the front door. 😂

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

SWMBO do an online course in eye rolling, I am sure of it! hehe

[@garylawless3608]

A very informative T.U.G Harry! I had no idea you had such a devious mind. I solved my problem of hiding the extent of expenditure in dollars, and the time in the hobby room away from SWMBO, by encouraging her in her own crafting hobby. She is very skilled at sewing and painting patchwork blankets, bags, etc., and I heap (truthful) praise on her efforts, and have no objection when she shops for supplies at the craft shop. This takes a lot of pressure off me when it comes to bringing home a bag full of my own goodies from my local hobby shop, or receive a parcel from an online order. Although I must admit to disguising a bag or two now and then to avoid ‘the look’ that can freeze the air that surrounds her when only a few days prior, she said in passing that we should cut back on spending for a while. But I have taken on board a couple of your suggestions, and they might just work. I will keep you posted on results. Cheers for now, and I hope the move goes well for you!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thanks Gary… frozen air! ooooch

[@Yves95128]

Hi Harry, You made me realize that I'm happily married... Sometimes she complains a bit but nothing like that, what a nightmare. There is also getting delivered at work, and save a big old kit box in the stash to hide the new one(s) in there. An other problem would be the financial evidences, you'll have to start launder money...

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I talked about the money at the end

[@usssaratogacv3lefevre978]

Well thought out Harry.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Hey.. they are not my methods LOL. I have no SWMBO, just a nosy cat :)

[@guypoole3444]

At last a modelling video that covers what we need to know...not how to treble the kit price aftermarket... This is USEFUL......

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Happy to hear that Guy

[@billevans7936]

Excellent Harry..I've got coffee going..all set to ck out...

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Hope you enjoy

[@thomasdailey9280]

Funny video Harry . Mary Jo laughed almost as much as I did . Somehow , I feel slightly responsible as the inspiration for the video.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

We are all responsible Tom…. it’s just one of the ideas floating around in my brain for new tugs.

[@mikec.9677]

Capt'n H: This is one of your best & funniest videos ever. The SWMBO + I laughed from start-2-end! She's on to these crafty tricks, monitors our $, and reminds me that "deadly force is authorized" for infractions. 🙏 4 me😉. Mike in Middle America

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Well all those tricks are now exposed to SWMBOs worldwide.. you’ll need to come up with something new

[@Duececoupe]

I can see a book in the making...."Harry Houdini's Secrets To A Happy Modellers Life Vol. 1: Acquisitions Of New Kits"!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Quick! Ring my publisher….

[@model-man7802]

I use the Zebra effect.Once it's in it blends in with all the others.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Must a bugger cleaning up after the Zebra poops in the hobby room?

[@glennmarshall9593]

Bloody hilarious, done a couple of these xx thanks harry

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Glad you enjoyed the video Glenn

[@scrag2841]

I was wondering why you were so cold, then my geography kicked in and I remembered this is the winter time for you Aussie's.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes there is another hemisphere!

[@finlayfraser9952]

Harry forgive me, and this is meant in the most light hearted way. There you are in your beanie, and your fleece, when I thought all good red blooded Australian men were down on Bondi Beach, waxing there boards, and checking out the Sheilas.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I went down just after shooting the video… you’ll see I already have an olive winter tan.

[@SteveT-0]

I must be very lucky indeed. My wife supports my hobby and even buys kits for me!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

She is a keeper Gary

[@philipratcliffe1408]

I always have my hobby room window open to let air circulate, and also allows me to put my new kit into the room by doing it that way and then go in say hi, and go into the hobby room. Plus I Re use my old model boxes by putting the new models in to the old box.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Always a good idea to vent out those Tamiya Thin fumes

[@deweylipschitz1516]

Get them delivered to work. Been doing that years . Gives you time to do some planning. Also,use prepaid credit cards....no receipt gets mailed to you. Less evidence. A number of boxes have room for various after market stuff . Taking some sprue cutters and some zip lock bags,remove the parts and write the sprue (ABC etc) on the bag. Then you get extra space in the box. I have 3~4 Sherman tank kits hidden in the hull of my GI JOE aircraft carrier. Wouldn't recommend the trunk.....cars can get hot and kits can get heat warped.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Some sneaky tips there matey

[@deweylipschitz1516]

@@HarryHoudiniModels happily married with twin daughters for 16 years now....doing something right! ! And I don't call it sneaky. ...it's called being creative. With twins,it's very necessary.

[@mirrorblue100]

Since The Great Compromise of 2018 Marina and I have agreed on this formula: for every kit I buy - she buys a pair of shoes. Its working so far.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I’m sure this makes Emmelda very happy

[@mirrorblue100]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Women's shoes are the biggest rip-off they've got going - stylish but poorly made and very spendy.

[@derekwickens1394]

hi harry, was getting a laugh at the methods you used,. Many years ago I did something similiar but with fishing rods once swmbo was at work id phone my mate who was a taxi driver, he would pick it up from the shop 5 miles away and deliver to me at home swmbo used the car for work so cant have done the boot trick. cut a long story short it worked a dream,occasionaly when we were up in Perth [ Scotland not your one} I would buy a rod just to keep it normal. Keep up the good work I am starting the 1/110 Constructo HMS Bounty my first plank on wood attempt. Cheers from Broughty Ferry.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

That is a baby Bounty, same size as my Revell kit.. but you should be able to apply any of the methods shown in my videos, as long as your fingers are small enough ;)

[@davideaves563]

There’s also the “Have it delivered to place of work” method 😁

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes! But still you have to get it home…. that is the real issue… the sneak past the SWMBO

[@davideaves563]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Straight from the car into the garage to join the stash. I guess that’s a unique circumstance though 😁

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

…and no chance of the misses coming outside! Brilliant

[@robertgrimsted877]

You makes me cry with laughter thanks Harry

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good.. it was meant to be fun

[@glenmckinley7409]

The Mrs may now be aware of such covert methods. So counter intelligence and operability is needed , especially dark opps .

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Very sneaky

[@nikkibaugher9573]

Lord Waffle, keep up the good work! (You keep me smiling)

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

If I made one Nikki smile then my work is done here :)

[@claytonmcclain182]

I'm luckier them most. I had a garage and I painted out there. So I'd buy a kit and tell the wife I was going to the garage to paint. Take a box of a kit empty put the other kit in it, tell the wife it's drying and bang my kits in the house. Now I'm so old I just say hey going to the hobby shop you need any thing. Guess getting older does have some advantages. Just do give a crap. ;) insightful video Harry also fun. But you let the cat out of the bag. Hahaha

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

There was a cat in my Bag? Oh no!

[@thejoseph9064]

But honesty and a simple "Hey I did this with my own money." Also works too. Then surprise whoever your S.O. is with something they like or want.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Great advice

[@guidor.4161]

Great advice but that's going to be a huge expense...I have 500 plus kits in the ol' stash. A piece of jewelry for each of those !? 🤔

[@thejoseph9064]

@@guidor.4161 I mean, chocolate and whatnot works too. A nice dinner. Help out around the house without being asked. Just remember this though, it's always better to ask forgiveness than it is permission. Just something she wants. I got lucky enough that my current wife also builds model kits and she's less expensive than I am with her preferred manufacturers and kits she likes.

[@floatsomboy]

To sneak in a new kit I would take 4/5 kits to the hobby group or around to a mates place and to hide the new kit one of the kits was a decoy being an old large kit box that was empty and I would just pop the new kit inside job done. Then when I got home put it in the stash. Keeping your stash disorganised and in several places snd rotating them around "looking for something" decreases the likelihood of them finding new kits.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

The level of sneakiness astounds me LOL

[@sammy_dog]

Another good pleasing T U G with some good techniques for sneaking kits past the missus

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I just share the wisdom Dog LOL

[@sammy_dog]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Hey who are you calling dog OH that's right it's my name that's ok then hehehehe

[@Nairodiable]

I live in an apartment, which has a in the basement an individual storage for every building's tenants, if my wife arrives first, I already have a set of keys for the basement with me, I just store it in my basement unit and leave it there until I am alone to able to add it to the main stash. My second method, I just say that I bought a new kit, and she asks how much it cost I just reply "you don want to know". Amazingly she never presses on.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Very sneaky… hope that basement never floods?

[@SimbianMinistry]

My method for years has been the car boot method, in combination with another hobby. For me it's astronomy - I go out with a telescope and other gear....(Model kit is already in the boot). When I get home, the kit comes in with the astronomy gear - Inside another box/bag/case/etc.. The beauty of this is that the astronomy gear also lives in my hobby room.... So she expects me to be taking stuff in there. Could work for any hobby requiring box/bag/case of gear to be taken outside - My mate sneaks stuff in with his fishing gear. 😂

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Well Bask would be happy if I took up fishing… as long as I brought her home a meal everytime

[@kencreppin2146]

LMAO, back in my teen years, I used to go kit shopping late in the evening. Before leaving the house, I dropped a small rope with a hook on it out of my 2nd floor window. Come home empty handed, go upstairs, then haul it up......

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Sheer genius!

[@matthall143]

Greetings Harry from Oxford. You need to approach this in a scientific and strategic way. Even before I married I realised this would be a problem so I carefully observed my girlfriends and scored them - not according to looks, kindness, education etc, but on the things that really matter - lack of attention to detail, little or no interest in what I was doing, etc. This ensured you end up with someone who is less likely to nose around the stash. in terms of sneaking stuff in, I would buy online (no local suppliers) and so I could arrange a day for delivery - a time when she would not be around. I encouraged her to have a regular 'girls-day' when she meets a group of her friends so that they spend most of the day together. NB. It helps to bring together the wives of other modellers so that you all benefit from these 'golden hours' when the parcels can be delivered. The next problem is around the expansion of stash boxes.....there are two possible strategies here - firstly, you can store two kits in one box, thereby halving the number of potential boxes. Secondly, build models - the box is always much bigger than the model, so if you build on a regular basis, you can create space in the stash. A variation of this is to choose to build combinations of kits - 1/35 tanks and 1/72 aircraft. Build the tank, keep the box but stash a number if 1/72 kits in the empty and usually larger tank box.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

A meticulous method that is pure genius.

[@Andrew-se4tg]

Hey Harry! Try to stay warm man!👍

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes heater on, warm cloths on too… its really only cold from about 3am to 7am…. once that Aussie sun is up we warm up fast

[@toboldlygosmodelworks1973]

So I've got or had clients whose SWMBO, have got wise to their purchases/commissions (Model Trains), so either I've had to put 'Car Parts' on the box or post it on a certain day so it arrives on a Friday (as she's at the coven). however it falls down when it doesn't arrive or is too big a box lol

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

The lengths of deception you guys go to amazes me.

[@nichenson7987]

IGA is in the sourthern US as well. I didn't know they were in other countries.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Neither did I

[@nickbutler7935]

Think I have used all five methods in my time, to varying degrees of success. Now its an extra can if Tuna for 'Damncat' and all is well, until he wants to get up close and personal and help with the kit.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Ahhhh bless Damncat :)

[@johnmaddox7432]

I was waiting to hear something really juicy like getting past the VAT Harry. My wife gave up on me a long time ago when I got a rice rocket. I have been free ever since. As long as it's my roll I'm burning through!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

VAT Very Annoyed Teammate

[@docholliday7777]

Been married almost 40 years same as you my wife just gave up.

[@georgecoventry8441]

Ha! Ha! Fortunately.....I don't have this problem. I once did....but not now. The pressure is off. I am 100% free to enjoy my model buying addiction! ......... By the way, we DO have IGA here (Canada). Brilliant, eh? Yes, the grocery bag gambit is a good one.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I love IGA because they use the local farms and food suppliers, rather than ship up frozen food in trucks from thousands of miles away like the big supermarket chains. This makes every IGA unique here with different fresh products for sale.

[@leslieschramm6252]

I remember being sent for the shopping with my dad. My mum said "We need two loaves this week" It takes five minutes to get up our roadend. My Dad went, "what shopping do we need? " Two Loaves" says I . "Ok" is the reply. We turn left instead of right, drive to a model shop 20 miles away and bought a nice new shiny R/C plane. And I got sent to the baker two doors down for two Loaves. My dad was def not flavour of the week that week. Nice plane though.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Your Dad’s first mistake was making you an accomplice to the felony… bad planning!

[@timothygunning805]

Ahahahahaha Harry you are absolutely hilarious!!!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Glad you liked my puns Timothy… thanks for watching

[@jasontorre3267]

Thankfully SWMBO is a bit of an enabler. She dose not mind be holding up in my work room. However I do get a bit of a stink eye now and then for other things I collect. SWMBO is even cool with firearms. So long as all the bills are paid and everything is shipshape. My EXSWMBO was exactly as you described. Never let me have any fun. Hence why she is EXSWMBO.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Sounds like SWMBO MkII is a keeper Jason

[@Womble-freestation66]

I'm lucky that both my daughters are model builders, so I can bring kits into the house under the guise of its for the girls. It works 90% of the time, but she is becoming wise to the fact that our daughters aren't into military subjects. I'm working on these kits are for historical education and the knowledge will benefit the girls in later life. This for my wife cements the fact why she is a psychiatrist and the girls are at uni studying psychology. Just thought, I can go down the mentally ill addiction line. Yes!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes, compulsive need or you become psychotic. It’s your therapy Paul.

[@glencwilson]

Not really had that problem. The Mrs does buy me kits occasionally so does have an idea of how much they can cost so as kits have been going up in price one needs to be a bit more selective. We just don't have the room to enable kits to be hidden so honesty has been the best policy. Can I suggest an option 5? Encourage your partner to get their own hobby. My Mrs got into colouring and drawing. May not seem to have any parity with model making. However, have you seen how many pencils they get, how many art pens, the paper and so on and how much they cost? The tide has turned, she is the one sneaking in a new set of pens or pencils... 😊 Now it is "Just pre-ordered the ZOUKEI-MURA Phantom.. (whilst staring at a new box of pencils) and it costs the same as those". PS, despite no modelling in the vid, still an entertaining 25 minutes. 👍

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thanks Glen.. glad you enjoyed it

[@adampender2482]

My SWMBO buys all my scale models, my fantasy miniatures, and all my supplies. She just asks that I wait to open them when she gets home.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

That is a fantastic arrangement Adam

[@adampender2482]

@@HarryHoudiniModels she loves giving out gifts and surprises. She has a wish list for me from Hobbylinc and a list from Reaper miniatures. She just picks from each list. I didn't get as many scale models this year bc I'm behind on them and she doesn't get that I need ME109's E-G lol 😂 or that it's Nirmal to have 10 different B17s or 50 Spits. But she ordered so much from Reaper they sent just as much free stuff with the order as purchased items.

[@robertgrimsted877]

Harry I been married three times I am guitar player as well as a modeller and I been use to getting guitars past my other half get 1/700 scale ships it’s easier I’m single now so I haven’t got that problem bliss

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Do you take the strings off then stuff them in the sound hole?

[@gillkitten1]

Highly entertaining Harry. There is however an alternative method that avoids deception, a cunning plan that obviates all need for telling porkies. It is this: brazen it out! I shall explain. Walk in with your new acquisition and if asked why you need yet another kit, you deploy the killer argument. It goes something like this: SWMBO, "Why have you got yet another kit?". You: "I assume that you are with me because you love me?". SWMBO: Of course I am!" You: "And presumably, you want me to be happy?" SWMBO: "Obviously". You:" Well this makes me happy and I love you because you let me be happy". End of argument. It helps if you bung her some flowers and chocolates on a reasonably regular basis so she thinks you are still the good egg that she fell in love with but the logic of your argument is essentially unanswerable.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Your logic is irrefutable!

[@finlayfraser9952]

Harry, I can see that you are busy. But when you get the opportunity, have a look at Olha Batchvarov, and her rendition of HMS Victory. Now, there is rigging, and there is RIGGING!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes I follow her channel… amazing stuff

[@williamgibson8910]

After building the kit hang onto the old empty boxes …once you have the new kit slide the cover over the new kit…hide it in plain sight ….

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Very sneaky.. I admire your clandestiness

[@derekwickens1394]

@@HarryHoudiniModels very good

[@scale_model_apprentice]

IGA used to be a bug thing in the Midwestern United States, but sadly they've all dried up.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I never knew, thanks for that.

[@captaincharlemagne]

My method is to wait until my g-ma who is my SWMBO leaves for few days then when the kit comes in I make sure to put the new kit in the box of an older model of the same scale then I make sure I have duplicates of that kit for example inside one of the two 1/700 Renown kit box’s I have there is a resin 1/700 HMS Royal Oak. This way when she sees the box or boxes she is not aware that inside is a completely different model

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

A very inventive technique

[@joeschenk8400]

Very funny video. In the US we would call it a PSA-Public Service Announcement. I do see a possible problem with number 2, SWMBO might eventually think she has a rival at the grocery store. This could lead to disaster! BTW we do have IGA grocery stores here in the US.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Just as long as you don’t come home with lipstick on your cheek!

[@brucegibbins3792]

I don't have problems getting newly purchased kits into the house, never have. Mostly though this is because I almost entirely buy mail order and from overseas suppliers. Here's a suggestion of a model building subject to feature in an upcoming show. I remember Model Railroader Magazine publishing a story featuring women who built and operate their own pike. Something like that, but with a local Australian interest, that's if any such female exists over there. If not, then an afternoon in front of the heater with Bask the cat ain't a bad way to spend time plotting and scheming the next kit purchase.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Heater and Bask wins everytime

[@TringmotionCoUk]

Whoever said forgiveness is easier than permission is a liar 🤣🤣 I think the best route is making it an exchange process, chores for kits or whatever. Decpeption creates suspicion, get SWMBO to go out with her friends to do stuff and you stay at home in the hobby room........ After you have done "the list" 🤣🤣 Entertaining video though!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

It was all in good fun… not practical advice for deceiving your SWMBO

[@TringmotionCoUk]

@@HarryHoudiniModels oh yes, I get it 👍😎

[@philliprowe2656]

Don't leave the kits in the trunk very long because it can get hot and you don't want the plastic to warp or melt!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Just on the door step in the sun during summer here is enough to cook a kit.

[@guidor.4161]

I guess i'm lucky, home-office and she goes off to work. Plus i get stuff delivered to a postal box, so i can get it anytime i want in case she's home...;-) And as back up the car has a double deck boot, with storage boxes on the TOP layer...🤣😂 As far as the stash goes it is not very sorted and split into 3 locations all over the house which can be re-arranged when necessary...

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Sounds like you have it sorted Guido

[@HamilkarBarkasScaleModelling]

As hilarious your video is, as crazy it is to me that there are actually such poor bastards out there who struggle with this! Heard a few stories before, serious stuff. Can´t get my head around that. If that is a problem, than the relationship is on a bad footing or/and you just make a fool out of yourself. Man up guys! She has to be afraid of you when she bought some nonsense, not the other way round :D

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I agree Michael and never carried on like that in any of my relationships… the only time I had to hide models was from my land lady when I was without work and a little behind with the rent. I would buy a small kit (one tenth the cost of my weekly rent) to cheer myself up and give me something to do until work came in, but if she saw this would fly into a rage about my rent being overdue! So I developed the shopping bag method, and paid my rent of course as soon as I could.

[@HamilkarBarkasScaleModelling]

@@HarryHoudiniModels That was risky, i see why the landlady might freak out a bit in such a case :D

[@JAFKARNAT]

Make a big kit which will come in a big box. After finishing the kit KEEP THE BOX and use the big box to store smaller kits.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

This seems a common solution going by so many comments about the same trick. Good thinking hive mind

[@jeffhaty5715]

Very informative but funny

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Glad you think so!

[@andypellatt7862]

Good ideas there Not sure if ANY will work with the 1/200 Hood I have just ordered Guess the flower shop is going to do well this month HaHa

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Get a box for the flowers the sane size… then do a sneaky switch-a-roo

[@georgedistel1203]

If I didn't get my ass kicked when I restored a M35A2 6X6 military truck that took 10 years and many thousands of dollars to redo I'm pretty lucky. I had a friend who used to cheat on his wife and always told her that we were hanging out drinking. He said he cringed every time I pulled into his driveway. I figured out long ago also that honesty is the best policy but I kinda look in model magazines and keep looking at something I'm interested in and she get curious and will finally ask what I'm looking at . I tell her just a model kit and usually she says if you want it go buy it.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Honesty is the best policy… every sneaky trick will one day trip you up. But it’s a lot of funny talking about them.

[@guypoole3444]

The hardest part is sneaking out the International packaging once the kit is stashed....

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Ah yes here fire is your friend!

[@dadctf6243]

This is so funny Can we use the same methods for the blow up dolls 😂😂😂😂, although you would need a huge grocery bag

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Not if you deflate them first and put in a box

[@johnforeman6620]

I was hoping that I would learn a transferable skill but I fear not a lot will work with hiding another motorcycle. I have a friend who only buys black bikes so when he rotates one out for a better (more expensive) one in, his SWMBO will not notice.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Not unless you can box them…

[@michaelvalenzuela2528]

As I understand, a Model Kit detector is in development , it may well be the end of us all

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

The horror!

[@lusty444]

Sneaking stuff past the Mrs:Was a big problem this with the first Mrs but nowadays with my current one,whether it be model kits,fishing gear or golf stuff it’s not a problem so long as the bills have been paid,diesel in the motor and food on the table!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yep number 2 is a keeper

[@plan4u56]

OH AM I SOOOOO GUILTY of this Infraction!!! But No matter How I "Hid the model" My Beloved Found Out! So Now All Models Are Talked thru and Purchased without my "Sneakin Round" Load of my shoulders.... Come On Suck it Up Confess, It only hurts sleeping on the couch for a week.... Ha Ha We Are a Bunch Of Model Sickies!!!! NO CURE!!! Blessings Darrell Killingsworth

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes honesty is the best policy… but it is fun being sneaky, until you get caught LOL

[@plan4u56]

yep! buying all the extras with a kit thrown in..Paint glue stuff, How'd that model get in there? Still happens under the radar Hmmmmmm,

[@pierretrepanier3671]

What would the one working for Yamato 1:200. Guess you have to use note imagination👍

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

The only advice I could give is from experience. Becker bought a 1:200 Yamato at a model show and I photographed him holding the large one piece hull, then posted that photo on social media. His wife did not bother with online stuff back then, so thought it would be fine… However as I had tagged Becker in my post, his mother also saw it, and then phoned his SWIMBO…. ooops.

[@alanthorne3921]

I’m a musician( not a magician!).I use the old empty guitar case trick.Off to band practice luv.Great for ferrying in kits,model trains,grog,porn and other illegal substances.And it has a lock on the case because nobody touches the hallowed Fender guitar.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

The Axe Case method.. love it!

[@vincentlussier8264]

Especially a Strat!

[@stevenicholson8312]

This one takes a while. You retire whilst SWMBO continues working, deliveries any day she's at work. No probs. Not recommended for the young.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

You are in it for the long game Steve…. respect!

[@stevenicholson8312]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Since my first kits came in plastic bags from Woolies Variety stores.

[@splukker]

Leave the window open on your hobby room and if needed a handy ladder. If you're caught up the ladder say you saw a snake/dog/rabid hamster and climbed for your life.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Too cold to leave windows open here mate LOL

[@axelvanderminne2124]

It’s not the kit it’s the lid you’ve got to sneak into the house. I always walk around with a box full of parts, doesn’t raise any interest. It’s the boxart that gives it away. I still have that crumpled top of the Kettenkrad I smuggled past my mum

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good thinking

[@guypoole3444]

I have in the past had another product delivered..then not opened it for a few weeks...She has been frustrated wanting to know what it is.....then you slip in the extra box while she is still confused/frustrated with the original..eventually you say O.K. let's see And it's somthing innocent that she likes..so suddenly less suspicion...and the kits already stashed....

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Very ingenious Guy

[@docholliday7777]

Sorry guys I had to show my wife this video too funny. Of course I would never admit my method

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Your secret is safe with us :)

[@davidpowell6098]

I could never get anything past my dear wife, she has eyes like a shithouse spider, all eight of them.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

LOL “spider gal, spider girl, looks with eyes, all eight of them, there goes that shiphouse spider gal”!

[@ArmourEmpire]

My good lady believes every kit i buy is circa £20. I find that a good statergy :)

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Brilliant!

[@danielroncaioli6882]

After 20 years of marriage, I don’t sneak them past her. If she doesn’t like what I do, she is free to leave.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good on you Daniel

[@splukker]

What about vynil Vera?

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

She’s out for repairs after I got to vigorous

[@edwinchampeau8685]

It depends on if I locked the window to my hobby area the window is beside the driveway; to be honest my wife doesn’t care when I buy a kit because I don’t go all crazy and buy expensive kits, well that’s not Entirely true, I have bought two $75 kits for $30 because they were sitting on the store shelf for to long and nobody else was buying it. Ok back on topic, my spouse likes my builds and only complains if I don’t finish it or spending too much time on it, and when I do I find two boobs on my shoulders.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

You are lucky and have a proper partner, not a mothering, smothering SWMBO.

[@Steve-dr7rr]

I’m one of the rare ones my SWMBO doesn’t mind me getting bits and kits she is one in a million

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

She’s a keeper

[@willmansell]

I never understood this. My wife and I pay the bills each month from our pay. We split it based on our salary, I make 15% more, so I pay 15 more. Whatever I have left over is mine to spend as I please, as his hers.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

You have a great marriage Will… sadly a lot of guys still act like little boys and actually think they need to sneak a model kit home. Funny, but true.

[@willmansell]

@@HarryHoudiniModels I'll count my blessings, keep the videos coming, they are very enjoyable!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thanks Will

[@willmansell]

@@HarryHoudiniModels I should have mentioned educational as well. I found your channel looking for some help on the Constitution. I didn't find it here specifically but I found your videos on the Bounty, which I just happen to have in my stash. I have incorporated most of the scratch you did in my build and will be starting on the rat line tool soon. Without your help this model would not be looking as good. I thank you again.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Great to hear my videos were helpful.. I enjoy making them but never know how they will be received.

[@stevewalker3841]

Really sad that there are enough men under the thumb that you need a video like this. But what you want. Be who you are. Her a new mate of necessary.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I know… why not just be honest about your purchases? But anyway it made for a very popular and funny video subject.

[@kevintraynor2749]

take a empty kit box and tell her you are trading it with a buddy for another and bingo bango easy peasy you can walk in without sneaking it in and she is none the wiser. Of course I don't do that. Also IGA is was were everywhere in Canada not so sure nowadays if they are.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

The old switch-a-roo eh Kevin… Yes I have been told IGA is not just down under… lovely

[@rhyshumphrey7658]

You asked for a joke at the beginning so here goes: Did you hear about the two gay ghosts? They put the willies up each other!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Hehe ghoulish funnies!

[@Steve-dr7rr]

Getting it past the cpo = chief prison officer the old ball and chain

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

It does seem a problem for some

[@aussiefrenchman-hobbytable9960]

Arrrr , Lol hint my eldest son models I like , then hey presto, new model , and I didn't spend a cent , or ,my hoby shop is opposite my better half hair dresser , after waiting a hour I sometimes get rewarded with a kit , Lol im such a good husband ,have a good one Harry 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Well done you have your SWMBO trained

[@aussiefrenchman-hobbytable9960]

@@HarryHoudiniModels it's incredible how doing a bit of vacuuming and doing the dishes will get you , more than chocolate or flowers will ever do , wives love it when you do shit when not been asked 😉😉😉😉😉 oh cooking dinner that gets a special surprise🍑

[@Steve-dr7rr]

Hide it in an old kit box but rotate the box

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

That has been a popular suggestion

[@jamesvenables6202]

There is no SWMBO... just a lot of She Who Believes She Must Be Obeyed! I have often advised other modellers to just sling the same BS excuse back at the missus that she uses every time she comes home with a new handbag/shoes/perfume/etc by claiming "... it was on sale at a fraction of the usual price..."

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good advice James

[@markfrench8892]

Thank God I'm still single. 😁

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Greatest way to be matey

[@christophersimmons4179]

Greetings from the UK harry. my favorite method only works at model shows. you keep a book of raffle tickets in the car and stick one on your new kit, but best of all when asked you say your mate won it but didn't want it so gave it to you. its amazing how lucky I've been over the years. 😊😉🤣🤣😂😂

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

There is a retailer at our model shows who will write you a receipt for any amount that will appease your SWMBO

[@BattleshipOrion]

Glad I don't have that problem. In this day & age (this will come to haunt me in the future, I'm sure of it) I'd rather be married to my hobby than to someone else. Unless that someone else encourages my hobbies... Speaking of being married to a hobby...does planing a 1:72 scale warship count as having a GF at it's current stage of development (transferring a 3d object in a video-game into a CAD program, and making the shape of said ship go from blocky, to hydro-dynamically efficient)?

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

ooops no more favourable Tinder swipes for you matey LOL

[@georgecoventry8441]

Wait a second here.......you said, "All my (unintelligible) dolls are in a row..." What? What are these "dolls" you speak of? Please elaborate.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Oh I often refer to Bertha my blow up sex doll. It is a running gag in my videos.

[@georgecoventry8441]

@@HarryHoudiniModels - Ha! Ha! Very good.

[@McCorduRoy1972]

Most of my kits comes by mail don't have to cheat because my wife burn more money than n I do. Refreshing her memory helps and she haves money consuming hobbies too. No sneaking here.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good on you mate… honesty is the best policy

[@docholliday7777]

I sneak my models in the morning before I go to work I leave them in my car my wife is still asleep.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Don’t get caught :)

[@noelmorris5807]

im 31 and i dont have a girlfriend or a wife im happy being a lone wolfe and building models kits

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Good on you Noel