Hi all. I got my first real set of photoetched parts for a model. It is the Eduard photoetched parts for the British Universal Carrier MK II. And I have to say, there are A LOT of them…and I do mean A LOT. Wow! Not only are there many parts, but I don’t think I have gotten such sharp parts before these. I have bought a new box of bandaids to go along with some Iodine.
I’m sure you all are familiar with the instruction sheets that come with Eduard kits. They use colors to show which are the original parts, the photoetched parts and which parts are to be removed. And it’s that last one I wanted to ask you all about.
These pictures show the original parts that have things on them that are molded into the part, which need to be removed. Do you guys just file these off? I mean, it’s not huge parts, but things like latches, locks, the clasps that are around the shovels, axes and such that are attach them to the side of the jeeps etc. But is that what you do? Just file them away and then use the photoetched part in it’s place? It just seems that there are a great amount of some of these parts that need to go…lol. I don’t mind doing the work, I just want to make sure I don’t ruin the model.
Do you use the regular cement you use on the plastic on the photoetched parts? Or do I need a different kind of glue? And this comes with a ‘film’ part for the dials etc. I don’t want to screw up the film, so what glue do I use on that, if I use glue at all?
You also might want to invest in tweezers and magnifiers, as parts can be small! As to removing the existing parts, it will be necessary as the PE parts are intended to replace them. I usually remove by either sanding or cutting away with a chisel shaped exacto blade or round blade.
Glueing in place requires CA (super glue) as regular plastic cement works by melting the surfaces of the plastic and forming a permanant bond. The metal of the PE part is impervious to the cement ant therefore will not stick. Epoxy could also be used but difficult as it requires a long set time.
Also I would mention taking care when removing the parts from the sprue as the will fly a long way and become food for the carpet monster-plus as you mentioned, they are very sharp and finding a lost part with your big toe can be painful and (uh!) bloody (Believe me, I know!) I remove them with a couple of ways: larger parts can be separated with your sprue cutter (you do have one, right?), while grasping the part with my fingers or if very small, I place it against my desk top and cut it away with a sharp blade-again hold the part in place with your finger tip, or I may use a toothpick or other device just to keep it from going airborne. A bit of sanding may be required to remove the “nip” that’s left behind.
Bending requires a technique as well…I started with two single edge razor blades on a sheet of glass and eventually invested in a bending tool. (Insert plug here for the “Bug” and The Small Shop! One of my favorite tools!)
Yep, you remove the kit parts(by whatever means necessary) and then replace them with the PE parts. But don’t feel like you have to remove all the detail and replace it with PE parts, sometimes it’s easier to leave the part as is or sometimes the kit piece is just as detailed as the PE part and replacing it would be more of a waste of time. Pick and choose what you wish to replace with PE, if the kit part suffers from detail and the PE replacement would be a vast improvement then definately replace it, otherwise leave as is.
So are you building the Tamiya 1/35 Universal carrier or the 1/48 scale?
Thank you everyone for your help. [:D] It’s very much appreciated. Yes, I’m making the 1/35th scale Universal Carrier. I was going to use this part with a SAS jeep as part of a Dio, but as I’m reading and re reading the directions for the carrier, I think I am going to go with a 2.5 ton cargo truck. There are over 100 PE parts on the carrier and since I haven’t really worked a lot with PE parts, I dont want to ruin it. I think I will just use the carrier as a stand alone kit.
I would also add that there is an unwritten rule that says just because a part is on the sprue, it doesn’t mean you have to use it. In other words, you can choose which details to use and which to omit. I have only recently used PE parts so I am no master, so it is more of one slightly more experienced beginner helping another. I relied on a lot of help I received here.
Good luck.
P.S. I also found that by going to Eduards web site, you can download a PDF copy of the instructions to print out as a larger copy with more colors shown for guides. This is only if it is a recent offering and still available from them. The guide from my F-22 Raptor was very small to fit in the package and printed in black and blue with shaded grey. The downloaded version also included red as the areas to be removed and was overall much easier for these, uh, experienced eyes to read. Don’t know if it would be the same for your kit, but worth checking out.