Hi all-
I am currently working on Italeri’s1:72 A-7 Corsair. It requires 10 grams in the front nose. Unfortunately I do not know what to use. I had bought some wieghts that were for those cars carved out of wood that they race down a ramp. (I can’t remember what they are called…[banghead]). The space in the nose of the plane is too small for these weights.
Ideas?
Fishing lead-shot, aquarium plant weights, both are ideal
Old wheel weights from cars (many stores that sell and mount tires will give you a bucket of them), solder, basically anything made of lead. Lead will give you the best weight for volume of about anything you will find. It’s also very soft so you can carve it or pound it into different shapes if necessary.
PS … the cars are called “Pinewood Derby” cars [:)]
ABC chewing gum. It’s gross but pliable and sticks to the plastic ok.[yuck] I’ve got half a pack of chewed up Big League Chew in the front of my B-29.[:D]
for my AC-130H I cut open a shotgun shell pour the shot in added glue. worked like charm
Wow. Thanks for all the tips. I like having options!
Lead fishing weights are the easiest way to go. Come in a variety of sizes, and can be easily shaped to fit the hard to reach forward areas.
Regards, Rick
Make sure the glue you add is white glue. Dang near anything else will RUIN your model.
I like to use solder, you can wind it up into whatever shape you need and just drop it in there with some superglue.
I prefer lead shot as well - small diameter birdshot mixed with 5-minute epoxy will conform to any cavity, no matter how odd-shaped it might be.
Rick, just wondering how you shape them?
If you want to have a hidden “cool factor”, go to teacher’s stores or places that sell rocks and elements. Buy a few bismuth crystals, these are the next heaviest element than lead and last nonradioactive and stable element. Plus they look really cool! Just an unusual idea, and yes they do feel a bit heavier than lead.
I went to an ammo shot last year and bought a bucket of shot that is used to reload shotgun shells. The bucket weighed something like 25 lbs and only cost me 20.00$. I now have a life time supply of nose weights (one of the good things about working with 1/72 and 1/144!!). I use either super glue or 5 minute epoxy to secure it. If you get a small shot, you can put more into an area than if you had something large. Less voids. The only thing you have to really watch is to make sure you don’t overload the nose gear and collapse it.