Warped fuselage?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

i just got the 1/48 Rafale B kit by Revell Germany, and for some reason the upper fuselage part on the sprue looks to me like it’s warped. will that straighten out once it’s off the sprue? if not, what’s the best method to straighten out a warped fuselage?

ps. if anyone else has built this kit, did you have the same problem(warped fuselage)?

thanks for any help!!

2

Hot/Boiling water let it sit for a min or 2 and the plastic becomes extremly plyable, y take a few attemtps to straighten as not to strech, do not use candles / open flames. sry for spelling and grammmar, i had a 36hr work day

3

well that was quick! i just posted like 5 minutes ago!

but thanks for the tip. appreciate it.

4

Hi Jason,

Sorry to hear of your warping problem.

I done a plane one time… a 1/72 Otter I think, who’s fuselage was warped along the top aft end, affecting the vertical stabilizer by angling it nearly 10 degrees. I ended up making a couple of plastic disc to place inside the fuselage, having a glue contact all the way around. This, plus simply aligning the holes will many times go a long way in resolving the bend… seldom if ever would it be so far off you can’t work with it.

I would recommend carefully trimming the fuselage halves from the spru, and dry-fit them, to get an idea of what you have to work with. It may just be a matter of super glue and/or regular glue with scotch tape / rubber bands (hold the pieces in place as long as it takes). Sometimes, massaging the affected area while submerged in HOT water will straighten a bend, but be careful, as small or thin area’s are also weak area’s, and further warpage could occur when they are exposed to the heat. Some will use hair dryers as a heat source, you just have to be careful doing it with heat… too hot, and the plastic might curl… then it’s “Houston, we have a problem” time!! [:o]

Good luck!
Take care,
Frank

5

i too have had to deal with warped fuselages wings etc 9 times out of 10 i glue the fuselage in stages and either tape/rubber band it/ use a clothes peg i’ve never had to resort to heating the plastic key to dealing with any warpage is patience[:)]

6

yeah, be very careful with the hot water method - I actually shank a fuselage once.

7

sorry for not replying for so long; i’ve been busy renovating my new home.
thanks for the advice.