Episode 768: Locked Room Mysteries

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: Exploring Every Option

When it comes to surviving the zombie apocalypse, every member of your group matters. Even those who seem useless sometimes can become indispensable under the right circumstances. Of course, this isn’t quite so true when you’re running low on resources, but let’s ignore that for the time being. When one of more of those potentially indispensable people go missing, all efforts must be made to find them, for the good of the group.

This requires a thorough search of the area, and considering things from the perspective of the missing group members. What might they have been trying to do when they went missing? A little empathy might just be the key to tracking them down, with any luck before the zombies do.

About this Episode:

As we’re wrapping up this story arc, I’m just burning through the sets. I’m revisiting, if even briefly, a bunch of the locations I’ve been saving away in storage for quite a while now. I hope none have been accidentally changed since the last time they were used (although that will almost certainly be the case).

Discussion Question: Cleaning LEGO

I’ve got a bit of an unusual question today: does anyone have any good tips for cleaning LEGO? Specifically, cleaning sets without having to disassemble them, at least not completely? I like to display all my large sets in my office, but over the years they’ve gotten quite dusty and a little cobwebby. I’d like to clean them up, but nothing I’ve tried so far has been convenient or effective. I’ve been flirting with the idea of getting one of those small, handheld vacuums to try to suck up all the dust, perhaps with a bit of cheesecloth over it to prevent any pieces from getting sucked up. Any ideas?

17 thoughts on “Episode 768: Locked Room Mysteries”

  1. How many option in this story arc does Dave have before he burns through them all? 😀

    I keep thinking someday we’ll get around the 1000th episode mark and then Dave will end it all with one big horde of zombies chasing an equally big horde of survivors … So here’s a question: Picture that in your mind, and then think up a caption for it! 😀

    • Oh man, I’d hate to have to setup that episode for photography. Crowds are a pain in the ass.

  2. For cleaning legos.

    To get hairs and dust off. At least for baseplates. I use a clump of clay. I press it down on the legos, and when I lift/peel it back up, it takes the hair and dust with it. This can be useful for hard to get areas, like corners.

    But don’t rub the legos with the clay. That’ll just leave clay everywhere! 😀

    • Oh, that’s a cool idea for the flat spaces.

    • If you don’t have clay, there was a product called “blu-tack” in Australia, which is commonly used to hang laminated photos or posters up on the wall. Simply ball up a piece and dab it around until it’s too full of rubbish to be useful. 😀 Both the clay and the blu-tack will require periodic replacement. 😉

      • Yes. I have some stuff like that! That is great! 😉 ;D

        • I have some blue tack. I use it in the comic on occasion to help pose characters that want to fall over before I get my shot.

  3. Folded sticky note, gently pressed.
    SMALL amount of water, cotton swabs.
    Really dirty, hydrogen peroxide even smaller amounts! (Test color on unseen side first, don’t use on faded area)
    Toothpicks to remove grunge area, wash with vinegars, PUT UNDER FAN!!! 2 hours to dry.

    Only dusty, fan off, then swiffer dusters.
    Attach broken plug wires or USN cable to “broken” (disconnected) computer fan, tape sock around fan – instant vacuum.

    • Holy Fuck!

      That is … Wow! Nice! 😉

      What a professional answer! Maybe I’ll have You come clean my legos! 😀 Haha!

      • Man, wouldn’t that be nice?

    • “Attach broken plug wires or USN cable to “broken” (disconnected) computer fan, tape sock around fan – instant vacuum.”

      Oh man, that’s clever!

      • Gave most of mine to the local library, had to use only natural cleaning methods that wouldn’t get the kids sick.
        Most of the methods are on the instructables website including how to build that mini vacuum.

      • Um, most computer fans aren’t designed to take a 115V AC input. If you do this beware of sparking in the computer fan as it’s way over voltage for the application it was intended for. A much safer option is a vacuum cleaner with a small nozzle and the benefit of this is that you will get proper suction if the vacuum cleaner’s a good model. 😀

        • Additionally, some vacuum cleaners have the option to vary the suction power, and if you have this kind of vacuum cleaner, then you can dial back the suction a bit.

  4. I use a small paint brush to “lift” the dust, then swipe with a Swiffer duster cloth. For more hardcore brick cleaning, you may refer to this method… 😉
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/yatkuu/albums/72157628023521856

  5. Hmm I think the comic publish schedule got broken again! 😀

    • Nope, I just accidentally scheduled it to go at noon instead of midnight. Sorry about that; it’s up now.