Episode 27: The Parts Bin Is Not Junk: Seeing Old Model Parts Differently
I have bins and little bags full of model parts I saved because they looked useful, interesting, or simply too good to throw away. But once we know what a part was made for, that familiar identity can make it harder to see what else the shape might be good for later.
In this episode of Her Shrink Ray Eye, I look at functional fixedness, beginning with psychologist Karl Duncker’s famous candle problem and then bringing the idea into the hobby room. I explore why familiar parts can be difficult to reinterpret, why experience can make recognition happen almost instantly, and how kitbashing asks us to look past what a part originally was.
I also look at the Generic Parts Technique, the way organization can shape what we notice in a parts bin, and a simple experiment for looking at saved pieces by their shape, texture, openings, and other physical features instead of only by their original purpose.
Sometimes the most useful thing in the parts bin is not the whole part. It may be one curve, texture, or small section that can become something completely different.