Thank you all. I love this form especially for the global reach. How else could like-minded hobbyists like ourselves ever have know of each other's existence let alone share ideas. Having lived in Europe from 1999 to 2002 working for Henkel in Düsseldorf, DE, I really enjoy having international colleagues.
As an epilog... Here's what my work space looks like when I'm done.
This phenomenon only occurs every so often when work is done. Sadly, it doesn't last very long.
And here's my high-tech method of dealing with the sharps that are created constantly. I buy my #11s in the 100 piece packs and change then very often, especially when using it to cut decals, masking, bare metal foil, etc. I toss them all in a yogurt container and when full, tape the darn thing shut and toss it in the trash. I don't handle them any more than I have to. Being an AFid person and on a blood thinner, I try and not cut myself.
Lastly, when I said there were a lot of unused parts, I wasn't kidding. These are not all of them. I threw out a bunch of sprues that had parts on them besides these. It seems like a lot of waste.
Well... that's that. Next up will be the massive Missouri Turret project. I'm still waiting for the kit and guns to come to my local hobby shop. I'm finding more and more reference images and am busy drawing all the parts. I'm posting the whole deal on the ships part of this forum.