OK, so I am at the point where I’m piecing together the 528+ bombs, missiles, and tanks for my Hobby Boss A-10 (1/48).
I reckon since it’s more “fun” if the modeler has to assemble every weapon from two halves–rather than the manufacturer molding them as a single piece–you’re stuck with 528 seams x 2.
How do you guys get rid of 'em? Is it a simple matter of applying elbow grease and sandpaper? Do you actually putty every seam? Or is there some other technique I’m missing?
I’m not averse to sanding or applying putty, if those are the only good options, but sure is time consuming and I will definitely go blind around MK-82 #13. I’m hoping for a solution that’s quicker.
Thanks! And sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum elsewhere…!
Use CA to assemble the parts. Squeeze the parts together. This will cause a small bead of melted plastic to form around the seam. Use a new #11 blade and cut off the excess melted plastic before it has a chance to set up. This will eliminate most of the seams. Any small problems can be fixed with small amounts of CA to cover pin holes or gaps. A touch up with sanding should be all you need.
That sure sounds like a lot of iron to put on a single aircraft. [%-)]
After removing them from the sprue and cleaning up the gate marks, hold the tow pieces of the ordnance together between your fingers. Without touching your fingers, run a fine tipped brush of liquid glue (for example Tenax). The capillary action will draw the liquied glue between the seems, Keep holding for 10 - 30 seconds (depends on the brand of liquid glue). A bead of melted plastic will “ooze” out. You can clean this up with either a fine Scotchbrite pad or a sanding stick. If you feel you missed a few spots, apply a thin layer of “Mr. Surfacer” over the remaining seam and after its dry sand to your liking.
The level of seam invisibility will depend on the amount of time and patience you put into it…but, hey, so will the whole model!![:D]
Although now that I’m REALLY looking at the instructions, I apparently don’t need to assemble and install 12 MK-82s for the particular variant of the A-10 I’m building. Just LOTS of AGMs. Which might be easier to handle than those smaller MK-82 bits.
Couple more questions, as I’m moving along in my assembly:
How do you guys handle actually attaching the ordnance securely to the pylons? This is my first attaempt at building plane since before puberty (I’m 37 now), and I still remember how difficult it was to attach large drop tanks and what-not to teeny weeny little pylon attachment points without the tank or missile rack drooping over to one side. Usually the problem was that I didn’t scrape off enough paint and didn’t get good adhesion (or most often, I was just too impatient). Any tips?
What is the general consensus around here about picking a load-out? The Hobby Boss comes with a painting chart that lists which weapons to use for which version of the plane, but for the version I’m building, the recommended load-out leaves out a lot of the good stuff. So I’m going with a base load-out, and then adding weapons that I think merely “look cool,” to fill out the empty pylons.
I KNOW this is bad, bad, bad, and will not provide an accurate interpretation of the A-10–especially for those who actually worked on/flew them. Sorta like if a good friend presents you with a nicely finished model of your house, then you realize they forgot the second story. You say “Looks great!” while at the same time stifling the compulsion to point out the error.
Is going with my own load-out really that bad? Will the Modeling Gods smite me with an open-handed slap to the face?
Hey there - what’s worked well for me is to obtain some copper wire and a drill bit of the same size (pin vise). Drill holes in the pylon and the bomb - then CA in the bomb 1st and then onto the model. Best part is you can position the weapon at will since the wire is flexible.
How do you guys handle actually attaching the ordnance securely to the pylons? This is my first attaempt at building plane since before puberty (I’m 37 now), and I still remember how difficult it was to attach large drop tanks and what-not to teeny weeny little pylon attachment points without the tank or missile rack drooping over to one side. Usually the problem was that I didn’t scrape off enough paint and didn’t get good adhesion (or most often, I was just too impatient). Any tips?
I know that my typical pre-pubescent method for gluing did not take into account scraping the paint off either. (My apologies to some of those pre-pubescent modellers out there who are now more modelling-educated than I am)
My post-quadragenarian method for gluing ordinance involves simply scraping any type of finish off the immediate area of the surfaces to be glued, and then adding a drop of liquid solvent glue (I use Tenax or Ambroid Pro-weld) as they are pressed together. The joints seem to hold up under any handling that my models go through. The liquid solvent glues cure alot faster than the old tube-glue. I think they’re basically the same active chemical that dissolves the surface of the plastic, but they don’t have the thick carrier that makes them more difficult to work with. You don’t get stringy glue webs or glue boogers with the liquid glues. Once I started using them - I never looked back. Just a note: These solvent based glues are not the same as CA or superglue - they’re something different.
When glueing bomb or missile halves together, I use good old fashioned styrene tube glue. I run a bead all around one side and squeeze them together, being careful to avoid ingaging a finger in the excess glue. The slight adhesive quality of the wet glue is enough to hold the halves together until they dry. Then cut or scrape off the excess, touch up with sanding sticks and it’s ready for paint.
As for what to include in the load out, there are a zillion different combinations that were used on the real thing at one time or another, so it would be very hard for some to say, “That combination was never used!” Load her up anyway you like. The more the merrier, I think.
Thanks, guys! I’m gonna try the Tenax. The wire solution seems like the sturdiest method, but I’m probably not a skilled enough modeler to pull it off.
OK, I’ve almost reached the point where I’m going to attempt to attach all the ordnance to my Hog. However, for a couple of the missiles, I’ve noticed that the pin holes are WAY too large for the pins on the pylons (sloppy casting, I guess). Because of this, I’m not going to get a snug fit. What do you guys do in cases like this? Ideally, I need a solution that doesn’t require wires or any other advanced tooling, since I’m a beginner. Can I fill in those pin holes somehow using putty?
I suppose I could Tenax the missiles in question directly to the pylons via the very small areas where the missile actually makes contact with the pylon, but this seems dicey.
Thanks! I have a bottle of super glue that I bought at my local drug store, will that suffice? And what is accelerator? Any tips for applying the CA to the holes?
