How to glue windows that fell inside of a fuselage

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hi everyone,

I was working on Revell’s 1/48 PBY Catalina and I got the fuselage all glued together and some of the side windows came unglued and fell inside the fuselage. Now they are rattling around in there. Does anyone know of a good way to get the windows out and glue them back in without tearing the fuselage in half?

Thanks,

Ryan

2

I’ve had this happen. What I did was shake the model until I could get the piece to an opening, then I put some wax on a q-tip and got hold of the piece. Then added more glue and gently put it back in place. It’s not a full proof plan and its annoying as hell becuase the wax doesnt always get a great grab on the piece. But it beats opening the fuselage back up

3

Thanks for the tip! Sounds easier than tearing the fuse apart!

Thanks,

Ryan

4

Ryan - In most cases I’ve had good luck with using an aggressive double sided tape, wrapped around the end of either smooth cut sprue, or skewer stick ends. If the clear parts are big enough, then using two of the sprue’s gives even more of a grip and maneuverability while holding in place. The wider the surface of adhesive you can manage, the better. Tenax sets up very quickly, so the bit can be released soon.

Patience and continued attempts usually pays off for me. Hope you get them in place OK.

Patrick

5

One solution to windows on a model that the fuselage sides are glued together already is to cut small blank pieces of clear decal film and put it over the window area. On smaller scale models you can use the white-glue-like transparency junk- several brands out there, but they will only cover a small window, and probably won’t work on 1:48. The hardest job is getting the old windows out, so schemes where you make windows from something else allows you to just leave the old windows inside :slight_smile:

6

If you have used a water soluble glue, you can wet a large clear piece to break it loose, shake a little, and start again.

7

One little tip that I’ve used that might be applicable somehow; when I’ve had to glue aircraft exhausts, like those on a Mustang or Spit, from the inside and I was worried that they might get dislodged after sewing up the fuselage, I used a strip of really sticky tape over them against the inside of the fuselage. It helps hold them in place I believe.

Gary

8

You may find this little “sucker” helpful.

9

Man, I HATE it when that happens! Good luck!

Sorry I can’t be more helpful

10

Have you tried a length of sprue or paintbrush handle with a small piece of Blue-Tack (Silly Putty) stuck to the end to retreive the clear parts, then gently place the clear part back in its original position using a suitable glue for clear parts (still with the sprue/handle attached), then when tha glue has set, carefully twist (not pull) the sprue/handle from the clear part. Worked for me once!