Okay, so the other day, I found this little water pistol lying around. One of those cheap plastic ones, you know? The kid wasn't playing with it, said it was busted. Me, being bored, thought, "Eh, let's see what's up."

First thing, I picked it up. Tried the trigger. Nothing. Just a loose click, no water squirting, even though I could feel some water still sloshing inside. Felt kinda flimsy.

Taking a Look Inside

Right, so I decided to open this thing up. Didn't need screws, thankfully. These cheap toys often just snap together. I carefully wedged my fingernail – okay, maybe a small flathead screwdriver I grabbed from the kitchen drawer – into the seam running down the side. Had to be gentle, didn't want to snap the plastic more than it already might be.

Pop! It came apart into two halves. Wasn't much inside, really. Just basic stuff:

• A trigger piece
• A little spring
• A small pump thingy
• A thin plastic tube
• The water reservoir part

Pretty simple setup. I looked closer. Aha! Found the problem almost straight away. The little plastic tube that was supposed to connect the pump part to the nozzle at the front? It had popped off the pump nipple. That's why pulling the trigger did zip.

The Quick Fix Attempt

So, the fix seemed obvious. Just push the tube back on. I lined it up and tried to shove it back onto the little plastic bit it came off. It was a tight fit, which is good, I guess. Pushed it on as far as it would go. Wiggled it a bit to make sure it felt secure.

Then came putting it back together. Lined up the two halves. Made sure the trigger and the pump thingy were sitting right in their little grooves. Snapped it all back together. Heard a few clicks. Seemed okay.

Did it Work?

Moment of truth. I took it to the sink, filled the reservoir bit with water. Held it over the sink, aimed, and pulled the trigger. Success! A thin stream of water shot out, just like it was supposed to. Pulled it a few more times. Seemed to be holding. No leaks from the seam where I opened it, either.

Felt pretty chuffed, honestly. Saved a cheap toy from the bin with like, five minutes of fiddling. Gave it back to the kid. Job done. Nothing major, just a small thing I sorted out.